Virtual Serving Gateway Placement in SDN Mobility Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile user equipment (UE) mobility leads to unstable traffic engineering in wireless networks, consuming significant resources and degrading system performance due to the need for dynamic and potentially unstable data paths, which existing mobility management approaches, such as centralized and distributed mobility management, fail to efficiently address.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for determining the placement of virtual serving gateways in a software-defined network (SDN) that considers data routing potential and data processing capabilities of physical hosts, using a software-defined topology (SDT) to create a virtual network (VN) topology that adapts to UE mobility, optimizing resource allocation and quality of service (QoS) through centralized control and adaptive management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If centralized mobility management is used to manage UE mobility, then mobility control is simplified, but resource consumption increases and system performance degrades due to unstable data paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the mobility management function by introducing virtual serving gateways (v-SGWs) distributed across multiple physical hosts. Each v-SGW handles mobility for a specific subset of UEs, dividing the centralized management burden into smaller, manageable units that can operate independently, thereby reducing overall resource consumption while maintaining control simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic v-SGW placement that adapts to UE mobility patterns. The system continuously monitors UE locations and dynamically relocates v-SGWs to optimal physical hosts, creating a dynamic architecture that maintains stable data paths during mobility events, thus improving system performance without excessive resource usage.
2Loss of energy
If distributed mobility management is used to reduce resource consumption, then resource utilization improves, but mobility management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal v-SGW architecture where virtual gateways can be instantiated on any suitable physical host with appropriate capabilities. This universal design allows the same v-SGW implementation to serve different UE groups across various physical locations, reducing complexity by using a standardized approach rather than specialized solutions for each scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a controller that acts as an intermediary between the distributed v-SGWs and the network core. This mediator coordinates v-SGW placement, manages mobility events, and maintains overall system state, thereby reducing the complexity burden on individual distributed components while enabling efficient resource utilization.
3Reliability
If virtual serving gateways are placed to follow UE mobility dynamically, then data path stability improves, but control overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary v-SGW placement based on predicted UE mobility patterns and historical data. By proactively positioning v-SGWs on physical hosts that are likely to serve upcoming UE locations, the system maintains data path stability without needing continuous real-time adjustments, thereby reducing control overhead while preserving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial mobility tracking by monitoring only critical mobility events that actually impact data path stability. Rather than continuously tracking all UE movements, the system responds selectively to significant location changes, achieving adequate path stability with reduced control signaling overhead.
4Productivity
If v-SGWs are distributed across multiple physical hosts, then resource utilization efficiency improves, but placement optimization becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the controller continuously monitors v-SGW performance metrics, resource utilization, and UE mobility patterns. This feedback information is used to iteratively optimize v-SGW placement decisions, allowing the system to progressively improve placement quality despite the complexity of distributed configuration by learning from observed performance data.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods and systems for determining placement of a virtual serving gateway. The method includes obtaining a set of input information. The input information includes network information and configuration information providing one or more parameters for placing the virtual serving gateway, and includes at least one mobility insensitivity criterion. Placement of the virtual serving gateway at one or more physical hosts is determined in accordance with the network information and the configuration information. The virtual serving gateway is distributively placeable across physical hosts. A set of output information is generated. The output information includes information identifying placement of the virtual serving gateway at the physical hosts, and a hosting percentage for each physical host.