Virtual Layer 3 Edge Router for Cloud WAN Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Customers with multiple remote sites require extensive Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity and secure communication between Local Area Networks (LANs), leading to high operating costs due to the need for multiple Customer Edge (CE) routers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing cloud-based Wide Area Network (WAN) management using virtual Layer 3 devices that function as edge routers, providing Layer 3 connectivity, threat management, WAN optimization, and wireless LAN services without the need for physical edge router hardware for each LAN, by establishing Layer 2 connections through cloud centers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If physical Customer Edge (CE) routers are deployed at each remote site, then Layer 3 connectivity and secure communication are achieved, but operating costs increase due to hardware purchases and maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of router functionality through virtualization. Virtual routers are instantiated as software entities in the cloud instead of physical hardware devices. These virtual routers replicate the Layer 3 routing, NAT, and security functions of physical CE routers, allowing multiple virtual instances to be deployed without proportional increases in physical hardware. This directly addresses the contradiction by maintaining reliable Layer 3 connectivity while reducing the quantity of physical routers needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtualized router platform provides multi-functional capabilities through a single infrastructure. The same virtualization platform can instantiate multiple types of virtual network functions including routers, firewalls, load balancers, and NAT devices. This universal platform approach eliminates the need for separate physical hardware for each network function, reducing overall hardware quantity while maintaining all necessary connectivity and security functions.
2Reliability
If multiple physical edge routers are deployed for each LAN, then network security and routing functions are provided, but device complexity and management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple discrete router management tasks into a single centralized cloud management platform. The virtualized infrastructure allows centralized provisioning, configuration, monitoring, and updating of all virtual router instances from one management interface. This consolidation maintains network security functions across all sites while dramatically reducing device complexity by eliminating the need to manage each physical router independently. Security policies can be applied uniformly across all virtual instances through centralized control.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud-based virtualization platform acts as an intermediary between the physical infrastructure and the logical network functions. Instead of directly managing numerous physical routers, administrators interact with the virtualization layer which then manages the virtual router instances. This intermediary layer abstracts the complexity of multiple devices, providing simplified management while maintaining all necessary security and routing functions through the virtualized instances.
3Productivity
If physical hardware is used for edge routing, then network functionality is achieved, but adaptability and scalability are limited by hardware constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The virtualized router platform provides dynamic configurability that physical hardware cannot match. Virtual router instances can be created, modified, migrated, and scaled on-demand through software configuration without hardware changes. Network functions, security policies, routing protocols, and resource allocations can be dynamically adjusted through the management platform. This dynamic nature maintains full network functionality while providing unlimited adaptability and configurability that is constrained by fixed physical hardware specifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtualization approach enables parameter changes without hardware modifications. All router configuration parameters including interface settings, routing tables, security policies, NAT rules, and resource allocations can be changed through software. Virtual router instances can be scaled by adjusting memory, CPU, and storage parameters dynamically. This ability to change parameters freely maintains network functionality while providing adaptability that is fundamentally limited in physical hardware systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, performed by a network device, may include generating a virtual Layer 3 device for a customer's network. The method may further include establishing a Layer 2 connection between the customer's network and the generated virtual Layer 3 device; establishing a Layer 3 connection between the generated virtual Layer 3 device and a Layer 3 network; and configuring the generated virtual Layer 3 device to function as an edge router for the customer's network.