Virtual DSL Port Abstraction for Reseller Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conflicts arise between DSL services wholesalers and resellers due to differing interests in infrastructure integrity and end-user service quality, exacerbated by competition among resellers sharing common infrastructure, leading to inefficiencies and lack of diagnostic access.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Device Abstraction Proxy (DAP) system that abstracts physical ports into virtual access aggregation devices, allowing wholesalers to retain administrative control while delegating management to resellers, with defined operational constraints and diagnostic access, enabling competitive differentiation and improved service quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If resellers are allowed to manage physical ports directly to improve service quality and enable competition, then service differentiation and diagnostic access are enhanced, but infrastructure integrity and system stability deteriorate due to conflicting interests and lack of coordination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Device Abstraction Proxy as an intermediary layer between resellers and physical ports. This proxy virtualizes the physical infrastructure, allowing resellers to manage virtual ports with diagnostic access while the proxy maintains infrastructure integrity by mediating all control operations and enforcing coordination rules, thus resolving the contradiction between service differentiation and infrastructure stability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the management system into multiple hierarchical levels: wholesale carriers manage the Device Abstraction Proxy, while resellers manage virtual ports through the proxy interface. This segmentation allows independent operation at each level with defined boundaries, enabling service differentiation for resellers while preserving overall infrastructure integrity through the proxy's centralized control
2Productivity
If multiple resellers share common infrastructure to reduce costs and improve market efficiency, then operational costs are reduced and market competition is enhanced, but diagnostic access and service quality deteriorate due to resource conflicts and lack of dedicated access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of physical ports through the Device Abstraction Proxy. Each reseller receives virtual port instances that replicate the functionality and diagnostic capabilities of physical ports, allowing multiple resellers to simultaneously access and diagnose services with the same precision as if they had dedicated physical access, while sharing the underlying infrastructure efficiently
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from physical port management to virtual port management, adding an abstraction dimension between resellers and physical infrastructure. This dimensional shift allows multiple resellers to operate in parallel virtual spaces with full diagnostic access to their assigned virtual ports, eliminating resource conflicts while maintaining high market efficiency through shared infrastructure
3Reliability
If wholesalers retain full administrative control over physical ports to maintain infrastructure integrity, then system stability is improved, but service quality and competitive differentiation deteriorate due to lack of reseller autonomy and diagnostic access
Solution Approach 1:
The Device Abstraction Proxy acts as an intermediary that preserves wholesaler administrative control over physical infrastructure while simultaneously granting resellers autonomous management capabilities over virtual ports. The proxy mediates between these conflicting needs by implementing a virtualization layer that provides resellers with diagnostic access and service management autonomy without compromising the stability ensured by wholesaler control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments administrative control into two distinct layers: wholesalers retain control of the Device Abstraction Proxy and physical infrastructure, while resellers gain autonomous control of virtual ports through the proxy interface. This segmentation enables both system stability through wholesaler control and service quality through reseller autonomy, as each party operates independently within their assigned management domain
Data Source
AI summary
Described are systems and methods for implementing and operating a Device Abstraction Proxy (DAP). In one embodiment, the DAP includes a communications interface to connect the DAP to one or more access aggregation devices, each having a plurality of physical ports to provide Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) communication services to a plurality of remote DSL terminals via the plurality of physical ports. The DAP may further include a memory and processor to execute a virtual access aggregation device, in which a subset of the plurality of physical ports are allocated and linked to corresponding logical ports. The DAP may further include a global rule-set module to define operational constraints for the DSL communication services, and a management interface to allow at least one broadband access management system to manage the subset of physical ports allocated to the virtual access aggregation device subject to the operational constraints.