U.S. patent application number 16/193379 was filed with the patent office on 2020-05-21 for method and apparatus for managing communication routings in a communication system.
This patent application is currently assigned to AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.. The applicant listed for this patent is AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.. Invention is credited to David Gross, Shawn Hiemstra, Thusitha Jayawardena, Donald Levy, Deon Ogle, Jayaraman Ramachandran, Cristina Serban, Christopher Van Wart.
Application Number | 20200162994 16/193379 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 70726951 |
Filed Date | 2020-05-21 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200162994 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jayawardena; Thusitha ; et
al. |
May 21, 2020 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING COMMUNICATION ROUTINGS IN A
COMMUNICATION SYSTEM
Abstract
Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example,
determining a first access point name according to a first service
set identifier associated with a first wireless message transmitted
according to a first wireless protocol from a first device, where
the first access point name is included in a set of access point
names of a cellular communication system, and transmitting a second
wireless message according to a second wireless protocol to a
communication node of a guided wave communication system, where the
guided wave communication system is communicatively coupled to the
cellular communication system, where the second wireless message is
associated with the first wireless message and includes the first
access point name, and where the cellular communication system
determines a first routing of first communications associated with
the first device according to first access point name. Other
embodiments are disclosed.
Inventors: |
Jayawardena; Thusitha;
(Holmdel, NJ) ; Van Wart; Christopher; (Ocean,
NJ) ; Levy; Donald; (Holmdel, NJ) ; Serban;
Cristina; (Middletown, NJ) ; Gross; David;
(South River, NJ) ; Ogle; Deon; (Atlanta, GA)
; Hiemstra; Shawn; (Flowery Way, GA) ;
Ramachandran; Jayaraman; (Plainsboro, NJ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P. |
Atlanta |
GA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
AT&T Intellectual Property I,
L.P.
Atlanta
GA
|
Family ID: |
70726951 |
Appl. No.: |
16/193379 |
Filed: |
November 16, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 84/12 20130101;
H04W 40/02 20130101; H04W 84/042 20130101; H04W 40/248
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 40/24 20060101
H04W040/24; H04W 40/02 20060101 H04W040/02 |
Claims
1. A routing device, comprising: a Wi-Fi wireless transceiver; a
cellular wireless transceiver; a processing system including a
processor communicatively coupled to the Wi-Fi wireless transceiver
and the cellular wireless transceiver; and a memory that stores
executable instructions that, when executed by the processing
system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations
comprising: receiving, by the Wi-Fi wireless transceiver, a first
message from a first device, wherein the first message includes a
first service set identifier, and wherein the first service set
identifier is included in a set of service set identifiers of a
wireless local area network facilitated by the routing device;
determining a first access point name according to the first
service set identifier of the first message, wherein the first
access point name is included in a set of access point names of a
cellular communication system; and transmitting, by the cellular
wireless transceiver, a second message to a communication node of a
guided wave communication system, wherein the guided wave
communication system is communicatively coupled to the cellular
communication system, wherein the second message is associated with
the first message and includes the first access point name, wherein
the cellular communication system determines a first routing of
first communications associated with the first device according to
first access point name, and wherein the first routing of the first
communications associated with the first device includes a first
packet data network gateway associated with the first access point
name.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, by the Wi-Fi wireless transceiver, a third message from
the first device, wherein the third message includes a media access
control address; assigning the first service set identifier to the
first device according to the media access control address; and
transmitting, by the Wi-Fi wireless transceiver, the first service
set identifier to the first device.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise
determining a type of the first device according to the media
access control address, wherein the assigning of the first service
set identifier is further according to the type of the first
device.
4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first routing of the first
communications associated with the first device restricts the first
communications to a first closed-user group associated with the
first access point name.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first routing of the first
communications associated with the first device includes a first
firewall associated with first access point name.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first routing of the first
communications associated with the first device includes a process
to monitor security certificates associated with the first
communications according to the first access point name.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise
receiving, by the Wi-Fi wireless transceiver, a third message from
a second device, wherein the third message includes a second
service set identifier, and wherein the second service set
identifier is further included in the set of service set
identifiers of the wireless local area network facilitated by the
routing device.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise
determining a second access point name according to a second
service set identifier of a third message received, by the Wi-Fi
wireless transceiver, from a second device, and wherein the second
access point name is further included in the set of access point
names of the cellular communication system.
9. The device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise
transmitting, by the cellular wireless transceiver, a fourth
message to the cellular communication system, wherein the fourth
message is associated with a third message received, by the Wi-Fi
wireless transceiver, from a second device, wherein the fourth
message includes a second access point name determined from the
third message, and wherein the cellular communication system
further determines a second routing of second communications
associated with the second device according to the second access
point name.
10. The device of claim 1, wherein the guided wave communication
system is further communicatively coupled to the cellular
communication system via transmission of first electromagnetic
waves associated with the first communications along a transmission
medium associated with the guided wave communication system,
wherein the first electromagnetic waves propagate along the
transmission medium without requiring an electrical return
circuit.
11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium, comprising executable
instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a
processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations
comprising. receiving, by a Wi-Fi wireless transceiver, a first
message from a first device, wherein the first message includes a
first service set identifier, and wherein the first service set
identifier is included in a set of service set identifiers of a
wireless local area network; determining a first access point name
according to the first service set identifier of the first message,
wherein the first access point name is included in a set of access
point names of a cellular communication system; and transmitting,
by the Wi-Fi wireless transceiver, a second message to a
communication node of a guided wave communication system, wherein
the guided wave communication system is communicatively coupled to
the cellular communication system, wherein the second message is
associated with the first message and includes the first access
point name, and wherein the cellular communication system
determines a first routing of first communications associated with
the first device according to first access point name.
12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein
the first routing of the first communications associated with the
first device includes a first packet data network gateway
associated with the first access point name.
13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein
the operations further comprise determining a type of the first
device according to a media access control address included in a
third message, wherein the determining of the first service set
identifier is further according to the type of the first
device.
14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein
the first routing of the first communications associated with the
first device restricts the first communications to a first
closed-user group associated with the first access point name.
15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein
the first routing of the first communications associated with the
first device includes a first firewall associated with first access
point name.
16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein
the first routing of the first communications associated with the
first device includes a process to monitor security certificates
associated with the first communications according to the first
access point name.
17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein
the guided wave communication system is further communicatively
coupled to the cellular communication system via transmission of
first electromagnetic waves associated with the first
communications along a transmission medium associated with the
guided wave communication system, wherein the first electromagnetic
waves propagate along the transmission medium without requiring an
electrical return circuit.
18. A method, comprising: determining, by a processing system
including a processor, a first access point name according to a
first service set identifier associated with of a first wireless
message transmitted according to a first wireless protocol from a
first device, wherein the first access point name is included in a
set of access point names of a cellular communication system; and
transmitting, by the processing system, a second wireless message
according to a second wireless protocol to a communication node of
a guided wave communication system, wherein the guided wave
communication system is communicatively coupled to the cellular
communication system, wherein the second wireless message is
associated with the first wireless message and includes the first
access point name, wherein the cellular communication system
determines a first routing of first communications associated with
the first device according to first access point name.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first wireless protocol is
capable of Wi-Fi wireless communication and the second wireless
protocol is capable of cellular wireless communication.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first routing of the first
communications associated with the first device restricts the first
communications to a first closed-user group associated with the
first access point name, includes a first firewall associated with
first access point name, includes a process to monitor security
certificates associated with the first communications according to
the first access point name, or any combination thereof.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application references U.S. patent application Ser. No.
14/519,343, filed Oct. 21, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,780,834. The
contents of the foregoing are hereby incorporated by reference into
this application as if set forth herein in full.
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] The subject disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for
managing communication routings in a communication system.
BACKGROUND
[0003] There is an expanding ecosystem of devices people use to
access applications and information, or interact with others, and
monitor or control processes. This ecosystem goes well beyond
desktop, laptop, and tablet computers to encompass the full range
of endpoints with which humans might interact. Devices are
increasingly connected to back-end systems through various
networks, but often operate in isolation from one another. As
technology evolves, we should expect connection models to expand,
flow into one another and greater cooperative interaction between
devices to emerge. Cooperative interactions between devices can
provide applications across business, industry, law enforcement,
military, health, and consumer markets.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings,
which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a communications network in accordance
with various aspects described herein.
[0006] FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system functioning within the
communication network of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects
described herein.
[0007] FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system functioning within the
communication network of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects
described herein.
[0008] FIG. 2C is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system functioning within the
communication network of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects
described herein.
[0009] FIG. 2D is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system functioning within the
communication network of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects
described herein.
[0010] FIG. 2E is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system functioning within the
communication network of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects
described herein.
[0011] FIG. 2F is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system functioning within the
communication network of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects
described herein.
[0012] FIG. 2G is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system functioning within the
communication network of FIG. 1 in accordance with various aspects
described herein.
[0013] FIG. 2H depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method in
accordance with various aspects described herein.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a virtualized communication network in
accordance with various aspects described herein.
[0015] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting
embodiment of a computing environment in accordance with various
aspects described herein.
[0016] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting
embodiment of a mobile network platform in accordance with various
aspects described herein.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example, non-limiting
embodiment of a communication device in accordance with various
aspects described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The subject disclosure describes, among other things,
illustrative embodiments for a method and an apparatus for
identifying a device and/or an application running at a device with
a service set identifier (SSID). The SSID can be one of several
SSIDs supported by a router managing a Wi-Fi Local Area Network
(WLAN) and can be based on one or more requirements of the device
and/or application. An SSID-to-APN table can be used to translate
the SSID into a corresponding APN for a cellular communication
system. A message can be sent to a communication node of a guided
wave communication system that is coupled to the cellular
communication system. The cellular communication system can use the
APN to select a routing gateway and associated network for meeting
the requirements of the device and/or application.
[0019] One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a
routing device, including a Wi-Fi wireless transceiver, a cellular
wireless transceiver; a processing system including a processor
communicatively coupled to the Wi-Fi wireless transceiver and the
cellular wireless transceiver, and a memory that stores executable
instructions that, when executed by the processing system,
facilitate performance of operations. The operations can include
receiving, by the Wi-Fi wireless transceiver, a first message from
a first device. The first message can include a first service set
identifier, and the first service set identifier can be included in
a set of service set identifiers of a wireless local area network
facilitated by the routing device. The operations can also include
determining a first access point name according to the first
service set identifier of the first message. The first access point
name can be included in a set of access point names of a cellular
communication system. The operations can further include
transmitting, by the cellular wireless transceiver, a second
message to a communication node of a guided wave communication
system. The guided wave communication system can be communicatively
coupled to the cellular communication system. The second message
can be associated with the first message and can include the first
access point name. The cellular communication system can determine
a first routing of first communications associated with the first
device according to first access point name. The first routing of
the first communications associated with the first device can
include a first packet data network gateway associated with the
first access point name.
[0020] One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a
machine-readable medium, comprising executable instructions that,
when executed by a processing system including a processor,
facilitate performance of operations. The operations can include
receiving, by a Wi-Fi wireless transceiver, a first message from a
first device. The first message can include a first service set
identifier, and the first service set identifier can be included in
a set of service set identifiers of a wireless local area network.
The operations can include determining a first access point name
according to the first service set identifier of the first message.
The first access point name can be included in a set of access
point names of a cellular communication system. The operations can
further include transmitting, by the Wi-Fi wireless transceiver, a
second message to a communication node of a guided wave
communication system. The guided wave communication system can be
communicatively coupled to the cellular communication system. The
second message can be associated with the first message and can
include the first access point name. The cellular communication
system can determine a first routing of first communications
associated with the first device according to first access point
name.
[0021] One or more aspects of the subject disclosure include a
method. The method can include determining, by a processing system
including a processor, a first access point name according to a
first service set identifier associated with a first wireless
message transmitted according to a first wireless protocol from a
first device. The first access point name is included in a set of
access point names of a cellular communication system. The method
can also include transmitting, by the processing system, a second
wireless message according to the second wireless protocol to a
communication node of a guided wave communication system. The
guided wave communication system can be communicatively coupled to
the cellular communication system. The second wireless message can
be associated with the first wireless message and can include the
first access point name. The cellular communication system can
determine a first routing of first communications associated with
the first device according to first access point name.
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram is shown
illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a
communications network 100 in accordance with various aspects
described herein. For example, communications network 100 can
facilitate in whole or in part an apparatus for performing a method
for identifying a device and/or an application running at a device
with a service set identifier (SSID). The SSID can be one of
several SSIDs supported by a router managing a Wi-Fi Local Area
Network (WLAN) and can be based on one or more requirements of the
device and/or application. An SSID-to-APN table can be used to
translate the SSID into a corresponding APN for a cellular
communication system. A message can be sent to a communication node
of a guided wave communication system that is coupled to the
cellular communication system. The cellular communication system
can use the APN to generate a routing gateway for meeting the
requirements of the device and/or application.
[0023] In particular, a communications network 125 is presented for
providing broadband access 110 to a plurality of data terminals 114
via access terminal 112, wireless access 120 to a plurality of
mobile devices 124 and vehicle 126 via base station or access point
122, voice access 130 to a plurality of telephony devices 134, via
switching device 132 and/or media access 140 to a plurality of
audio/video display devices 144 via media terminal 142. In
addition, communication network 125 is coupled to one or more
content sources 175 of audio, video, graphics, text and/or other
media. While broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice
access 130 and media access 140 are shown separately, one or more
of these forms of access can be combined to provide multiple access
services to a single client device (e.g., mobile devices 124 can
receive media content via media terminal 142, data terminal 114 can
be provided voice access via switching device 132, and so on).
[0024] The communications network 125 includes a plurality of
network elements (NE) 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. for facilitating the
broadband access 110, wireless access 120, voice access 130, media
access 140 and/or the distribution of content from content sources
175. The communications network 125 can include a circuit switched
or packet switched network, a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)
network, Internet protocol (IP) network, a cable network, a passive
or active optical network, a 4G, 5G, or higher generation wireless
access network, WIMAX network, Ultra-Wideband network, personal
area network or other wireless access network, a broadcast
satellite network and/or other communications network.
[0025] In various embodiments, the access terminal 112 can include
a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM), cable modem
termination system (CMTS), optical line terminal (OLT) and/or other
access terminal. The data terminals 114 can include personal
computers, laptop computers, netbook computers, tablets or other
computing devices along with digital subscriber line (DSL) modems,
data over coax service interface specification (DOCSIS) modems or
other cable modems, a wireless modem such as a 4G, 5G, or higher
generation modem, an optical modem and/or other access devices.
[0026] In various embodiments, the base station or access point 122
can include a 4G, 5G, or higher generation base station, an access
point that operates via an 802.11 standard such as 802.11n,
802.11ac or other wireless access terminal. The mobile devices 124
can include mobile phones, e-readers, tablets, phablets, wireless
modems, and/or other mobile computing devices.
[0027] In various embodiments, the switching device 132 can include
a private branch exchange or central office switch, a media
services gateway, VoIP gateway or other gateway device and/or other
switching device. The telephony devices 134 can include traditional
telephones (with or without a terminal adapter), VoIP telephones
and/or other telephony devices.
[0028] In various embodiments, the media terminal 142 can include a
cable head-end or other TV head-end, a satellite receiver, gateway
or other media terminal 142. The display devices 144 can include
televisions with or without a set top box, personal computers
and/or other display devices.
[0029] In various embodiments, the content sources 175 include
broadcast television and radio sources, video on demand platforms
and streaming video and audio services platforms, one or more
content data networks, data servers, web servers and other content
servers, and/or other sources of media.
[0030] In various embodiments, the communications network 125 can
include wired, optical and/or wireless links and the network
elements 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. can include service switching
points, signal transfer points, service control points, network
gateways, media distribution hubs, servers, firewalls, routers,
edge devices, switches and other network nodes for routing and
controlling communications traffic over wired, optical and wireless
links as part of the Internet and other public networks as well as
one or more private networks, for managing subscriber access, for
billing and network management and for supporting other network
functions.
[0031] Home networks have evolved to encompass many different types
of applications. One type of application is the Internet-of-Things
(IoT) device. Examples of IoT devices include appliances, home
security and safety devices, and thermostat devices. High security
& privacy applications are another type of application that may
be used in a home network. These applications include consumer
telemedicine, banking, tax filing and similar federal/state
transactions, and electronic commerce (e-commerce). Other types of
applications that may be accessed in home networks include social
networks, such as Facebook.TM. or Twitter.TM., entertainment
application, such as video streaming or gaming, and electronic
learning (e-learning), such as online University classes.
[0032] Varying types of applications and/or devices may, in turn,
carry varying requirements for security and routing. For example,
IoT devices may not require broad or fast access to the Internet. A
significant issue with Internet-connected devices, such as home
cameras and other IoT devices, is the risk of Internet robot
(botnet) attacks. For example, a recent malware virus, called
Mirai, was a self-propagating botnet virus that was hosted in and
spread from home cameras and IoT devices. The Mirai botnet created
a highly-disruptive DDoS attack in 2016. In another example,
banking and other confidential transactions can benefit from
additional security mechanisms that prevent various types of
hacking-attacks, such as "Man-in-the-Middle" (MitM) attacks.
[0033] Online delivery of medical services and/or medicine
(tele-medicine) requires privacy assurances that may require
special handling of data communications and/or storage. It is
estimated that by 2020, due to issues of rising costs, aging
population, and technological innovation, telemedicine, including
remote patient monitoring, may grow to a nearly 17 billion market
in the US alone. In such a situation, the need to ensure
confidentiality of patient data will be a central issue. In another
example, applications, such as voice-over-IP (VoIP) and/or online
game play, may require very high speed and low latency, in contrast
to the requirements of IoT devices or web surfing. The variety of
applications in the home setting present a variety of challenges,
requirements, and services. A "one size fits all" solution for
Internet access cannot, typically, fulfill all of these
requirements. The security requirements for home banking are very
different from those for surfing the Internet.
[0034] One approach for meeting application/device specific
requirements is to identify the type of the communication traffic
at the network level. For example, each traffic stream can be
monitored and the various types of application traffic can be
identified for special routing, processing, security, and so forth.
However, there are no scalable means of identifying the traffic
type in the network using this approach. Therefore, most traffic
types currently receive similar treatment in the network. The
exceptions are real-time applications, such as VoIP and gaming,
which receive priority treatment due to quality of service (QoS)
information that is included in their packet headers. However, QoS
markings are not broadly suitable for providing specialized
routing, processing, and security based on applications/devices in
carrier backbone networks, where all packets are mapped to a small
number of QoS categories. The small number of QoS categories, which
are dictated by the carrier backbone architecture, are not
sufficient nor strategically placed for efficiently achieving
differentiated routing and security treatments. An additional
difficulty that is encountered in attempting to identify the type
of the application traffic at the network level is that more and
more applications are using end-to-end encryption.
[0035] Theoretically, a configurable home Wi-Fi router could enable
configuration, by a homeowner, of an access policy that matches an
application. For example, a homeowner could restrict IoT devices in
the home to a subset of sites in the Internet. However, field
reports of infected IoT devices using default passwords and other
similar attacks on consumer electronic devices demonstrate that it
is unrealistic to expect homeowners to possess the knowledge and
the inclination to customized access policies in this way.
Similarly, configurable routers could enable VPN-like, layer3 or
layer2 separation of application traffic types via a configurable
home router. However, the configurable router would be required to
run complex routing protocols, and, therefore, configuration of the
home router would become quite complex. Thus, it is desirable to
address these issues via a system using minimal homeowner
configuration and moving the complexity to the communication
network, if possible.
[0036] FIG. 2A is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system functioning within the
communication network 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with various
aspects described herein. The system 200 can include a guided wave
communication system 212. The guided wave communication system 212
can be part of a utility delivery system. For example, the guided
wave communication system 212 can be part of a delivery system for
electricity and/or communication signals. The guided wave
communication system 212 can include a transmission medium 210 that
is routed and suspended using a series of support structures 218,
such as utility pole systems. The guided wave communication system
212 can include communication nodes 214 that can be distributed
across the guided wave communication system 212. The communication
nodes 214 can include base station devices, dielectric waveguide
coupling devices, antennas for cellular wireless communication,
and/or antennas for Wi-Fi wireless communication. The communication
nodes 214 of the guided wave communication system 212 can allow the
cellular network of the communication network 100 to be distributed
and extended so that the outward edges of the cellular network can
be close to a residential and/or commercial establishment 222a-e
(herein referred to an establishment 222).
[0037] In one or more embodiments, the close proximity of the
establishments 222 and the communication nodes 214 can allow
devices and/or applications operating at establishments 222 to
easily access the cellular Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 230 in order
to access the services, such as the Internet 236. Because devices
and/or applications at establishments 222 can easily access the EPC
230, without tying up other cellular wireless resources, the system
200 can further leverage features of the EPC, such as a facility
for using multiple Access Point Names (APN), in order to provide
different communication routings for different types of devices
and/or applications.
[0038] In one or more embodiments, routers at the establishments
222 can select between several different APNs for different devices
and/or applications that connect to the communication nodes 214.
The cellular EPC 230 can then use the various APNs to determine how
communications of these devices and/or applications are logically
separated into different routings that can provide different
services, such as firewalls, security monitoring, and closed user
groups. The EPC 230 can utilize virtual network elements to provide
routings in an efficient and scalable way. The EPC can route
traffic via different overlay networks of Service Gateways (SGWs)
and PDN (Packet Data Network) Gateways (PGWs) 226a-d (herein PGW
226). Each PGW 226 can function as a gateway to a specific network
and/or the Internet. By routing user traffic via different PGWs
226, the EPC 230 can facilitate both load balancing and access to
different services offered in different PDNs. In one or more
embodiments, the system 200 facilitates selection of a PGWs 226
from a set of PGWs based on the APN that has been assigned to the
device and/or application by the router at the establishment
222.
[0039] In one or more embodiments, each of the PGWs 226 that is
assigned for routing data for a device or application according to
an APN can, in turn, be connected to one or more virtual access
routers (VAR) 232a-d (herein, called VAR 232). The VAR 232 can be
located at the edge of Carrier-Back-Bone Network (CBBN) 234. These
VAR 232 can enable one or more service-specific routing and
security treatments of the communication traffic via, for example,
service chaining. In one or more embodiments, the VAR 232 can be
accessed from both subscribers of the carrier that hosts the CBBN
234 and by subscribers of other carriers. For example, VAR2 232b
may be accessed by consumers of a type of web camera, regardless of
the subscription status of those individuals. VAR2 232b can provide
a closed-user group media experience for these consumers, where
their data and, in fact, their cameras are protected from misuses,
including botnet takeovers.
[0040] When a device, such as an IoT device, of an enterprise 222
connects to the EPC 230 of cellular network via a communication
node 214 of the guided wave communication system 212, a mutual
authentication between the device and the EPC 230 is performed. A
mobile management entity (MME) can, in turn, obtain the device's
APN and perform a lookup of a routing associated with the APN
using, for example, a domain naming server (DNS). The MME can use
the resulting routing to generate a pairing of SGW and PGW 226 to
create a tunnel for packet data communications to various networks,
including the CBBN 234 and the Internet 236. For example, an IoT
device at enterprise 222e can be assigned an APN of APN2 by a
router at the enterprise 222e. Following authentication of the IoT
device, the MME of the EPC 230 can generate a routing pairing that
include PGW2 226b and VAR2 232b, which results in routing
communications from the IoT device at enterprise 222e to a
Service-specific, closed-user group router VAR2 232b at the CBBN
234. This APN approach is used to allow the user to connect to
various networks. By associating APNs (e.g., APN1, APN2, APN3,
APN4, and so forth) with PGWs 226a-d, secure communications can be
enabled for various types of devices and/or processes at
enterprises 222a-e based on their needs.
[0041] FIG. 2B is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system 240 functioning within the
communication network 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with various
aspects described herein. In FIG. 2B, an enterprise 222 (residence
or commercial location) is shown. The enterprise 222 includes
several different types of devices 242a-h (herein called enterprise
devices 242). The enterprise devices 242 can perform a variety of
functions and execute or access a variety of applications. The
differing functions and applications of the enterprise devices 242
can create different types of service and security requirements for
the EPC 230. For example, the enterprise 222 can include several
computer devices 242b, 242e, and 242h. A first type of the computer
device 242h uses a first type of applications that only require
access to the Internet 236 for typical, low security types of Web
activities. A second type of computer device 242b uses applications
that access services on the CBBN 234 and/or Internet 236, such as
e-commerce or tele-medicine, which require higher levels of
security features (e.g., more secure firewalls, closed-groups,
certificate monitoring). Similarly, different types of IoT devices
242a, 242c, and 242g can run applications or access services that
imply different levels of performance and/or security. For example,
an enterprise device 242 that is a web camera device 242c can, due
to its ability to acquire sensitive information from within the
enterprise 222, require a higher level of security than an
enterprise device 242 that is a thermostat 242a or an appliance
242g.
[0042] In one or more embodiments, the enterprise 222 can include a
combined, Wi-Fi Router and Cellular Modem 248 (herein called a
combined router/modem). The combined modem 248 can support a
wireless local area network (WLAN) for Wi-Fi communications with
the enterprise devices 242. The combined router/modem 248 can also
support cellular wireless communications with one or more
communication nodes 214 of the guided wave communication system
212, which is connected to the EPC 230 of the cellular system. In
one or more embodiments, the combined router/modem 248 can assign a
set of service set identifiers (SSID) to each of the enterprise
devices 242. The SSID can be a predefined set or can be custom
configurable to fit the types of devices and applications
associated with the enterprise devices 242. For example, the
combined router/modem 248 can assign different SSIDs to handle
multiple types of IoT devices 242a, 242c, and 242g. Similarly, the
combined router/modem 248 can assign different SSIDs to handle
multiple types of computer devices 242b, 242e, and 242h. The
resulting set of SSIDs (SSID IoT1, SSID IoT2, SSID HiSec, and SSID
Web) can be assigned to the enterprise devices by the combined
router/modem 248. In one example, media access control (MAC)
addresses can be used. When an enterprise device 242 communicates
with the combine router/modem 248, the combine router/modem 248 can
determine the MAC address of the enterprise device 242 and, in
turn, use the MAC address to automatically assign a SSID to that
device. In another example, a user can assign the SSID by accessing
the combined router/modem 248 using, for example, an interface
application running at a computer device 242b.
[0043] In one or more embodiments, the combined router/modem 248
can access an SSID-to-APN table. The SSID-to-APN table is used to
map each of the SSIDs of the WLAN on the Wi-Fi side to an APN on
the cellular side. The SSID-to-APN table can be maintained at the
combined router/modem 248 or at a storage location accessible to
the combined router/modem 248. The SSID-to-APN table can include
default values and/or can be configurable by the user or by the
cellular network. Each enterprise device 242 sharing a common SSID
can, in turn, share a common APN. Any naming scheme can be used,
however, in the example SSID-to-APN table, each SSID and APN pair
shares a common name (e.g., SSID HiSec maps to APN HiSec).
[0044] In one or more embodiments, when the combined router/modem
248 initiates communications with an enterprise device 242 using
the Wi-Fi WLAN, the combine router/modem 248 can assign an APN for
that device 242 based on the SSID that has been assigned to that
device 242 for the WLAN. The combined router/modem 248 can send
this assigned APN to the EPC 230 via the communication node 214 of
the guided wave communication system 212. The EPC 230 can, in turn,
use the assigned APN for the enterprise device 242 to generate a
communication routing, including a PGW 226. In this way, the
SSID-to-APN table at the combined router/modem 248 can provide
differentiated routings, security, performance, and firewalls for
different types of enterprise devices 242.
[0045] In one or more embodiments, IoT device routing
differentiation via SSID/APN assignments can provide excellent
scaling of resources since a large number of individual
home/enterprise IPs can use port address translation (PAT), which
can be translated to a much smaller subset of public IPs at the set
of PGWs 226. As a result, routing tables for the VAR 232 will grow
much slower than the number of homes/enterprises. For example,
approximately, fifty thousand IPs can be mapped to a single IP
address using PAT. APN-based service selection can also demonstrate
excellent scales. In one embodiment, DNS and Name Authority Pointer
(NAPtr) resource record type can be used to select the overlay SGWs
and PGWs 226 for routing differentiation. Each type of
home/enterprise service can be allocated its own APN, and the same
APN can be used by many homes/enterprises. Services can be
separated at a desired granular level. For example, all IoT devices
in a residential setting can be allocated a single APN used by all
other residences. Alternatively, a certain type of IoT device can
have its own APN. Each APN can be shared by a large number of
homes/enterprises within a geographical region. In one embodiment,
an IoT device manufacturer, such as a security camera manufacturer,
may desire that the cameras 242c only access its servers in a
closed-user group. This approach can create a plug and play
capability. Some devices, like computer devices 242e, may have
various applications, each of which may connect to a different APN.
So, the email and banking apps get the high security APN, while the
Netflix and Google app connects via the general APN.
[0046] In one or more embodiments, the guided wave communication
system 212 can extend the transport network for the EPC to close
proximity of enterprises 222. In this way, the enterprises 222 can
provide "direct" connectivity of IoT devices to the cellular system
and, more importantly, to the CBBN 234 and Internet 236. In one or
more embodiments, use of APN and service slicing can be leveraged
to logically separate enterprise traffic for differentiated routing
and security treatment in the network. In various embodiments, each
APN can signify a different PGW 226. Referring again to FIG. 2A,
for example, APN1 routes through PGW1 226a to VAR1 232a that
includes an application specific firewall to protect banking
applications. In another example, APN2 routes through PGW2 226b to
VAR2 232b, which limits access to only servers in a closed-user
grouping for remote cameras but does not allow access to or from
the Internet.
[0047] In one or more embodiments, the guided wave communication
system 212 depicts an exemplary environment in which a dielectric
waveguide coupling system can be used. Guided wave communication
system 212 can comprise a first instance of a distributed system
that can include communication nodes 214 that are distributed
across the guided wave communication system 212. The communication
nodes 214 can include base station devices, dielectric waveguide
coupling devices, antennas for cellular wireless communication,
and/or antennas for Wi-Fi wireless communication. The base station
devices of the communication nodes 214 can be communicably coupled
to a central office and/or to macrocell sites. Base station device
can be connected by a wired (e.g., fiber and/or cable), or by a
wireless (e.g., microwave wireless) connection to macrocell sites
and the central office. The guided wave communication system 212
can be used to provide wireless voice and data services to mobile
device 124 and to the residential and/or commercial establishments
222. System 200 can have additional instances of the guided wave
communication system 212 for providing voice and/or data services
to mobile devices 124 and establishments 222 as shown in FIG.
2A.
[0048] Macrocells can have dedicated connections to a mobile
network, and base station devices can share and/or otherwise use a
macrocell site's connection. A central office can be used to
distribute media content and/or provide internet service provider
(ISP) services to mobile devices 124 and establishments 222. The
central office can receive media content from a constellation of
satellites or other sources of content, and distribute such content
to mobile devices 124 and establishments 222 via the guided wave
communication system 212. The central office can also be
communicatively coupled to the Internet 236 for providing internet
data services to mobile devices 124 and establishments 222.
[0049] Communication nodes 214 can be mounted on, or attached to,
utility poles 218. In other embodiments, communication nodes 214
can be near transformers and/or other locations situated nearby a
power line. Communication nodes 214 can facilitate connectivity to
a mobile network for mobile devices 124 and devices in
establishments 222. The communication nodes 214 can include
antennas, mounted on or near utility poles 218, respectively, can
receive signals from base station devices at the communication
nodes 214 and can transmit those signals to mobile devices 124 and
establishments 222.
[0050] It is noted that FIG. 2A displays six utility support
structures which can be utility poles, in each instance of the
guided wave communication system 212, with one communication node
214, for purposes of simplicity. In other embodiments, utility
poles 218 can have more communication nodes 214, and more utility
poles 218 with distributed antennas and/or tethered connections to
establishments 222.
[0051] A dielectric waveguide coupling device of a communication
node 214 can transmit the signal from base station devices to
antennas via utility or power line(s) that connect the utility
poles 218. To transmit the signal, radio source and/or coupler up
converts a signal (e.g., via frequency mixing) from a base station
device or otherwise can convert the signal from the base station
device to a millimeter-wave band signal and the dielectric
waveguide coupling device launches a millimeter-wave band wave that
propagates as a guided wave (e.g., surface wave or other
electromagnetic wave) traveling along the utility line or other
wire 210. At utility pole 218, another dielectric waveguide
coupling device receives the guided wave (and optionally can
amplify it as needed or desired or operate as a digital repeater to
receive it and regenerate it) and sends it forward as a guided wave
(e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave) on the utility
line or other wire 210. The dielectric waveguide coupling device of
the communication node 214 can also extract a signal from the
millimeter-wave band guided wave and shift it down in frequency or
otherwise convert it to its original cellular band frequency (e.g.,
1.9 GHz or other defined cellular frequency) or another cellular
(or non-cellular) band frequency. An antenna of the communication
node 214 can transmit (e.g., wirelessly transmit) the downshifted
signal to mobile device 124 and/or establishment 222. The process
can be repeated by the dielectric waveguide coupling device, the
antenna, mobile device 124 and/or establishment 222, as necessary
or desirable.
[0052] Transmissions from mobile devices 124 and/or establishments
222 can also be received by antennas at communication nodes 214.
Repeaters on dielectric waveguide coupling devices of communication
nodes 214 can upshift or otherwise convert the cellular band
signals to millimeter-wave band and transmit the signals as guided
wave (e.g., surface wave or other electromagnetic wave)
transmissions over the power line(s) 210 to base station
devices.
[0053] Media content received by a central office can be supplied
to the second instance of the guided wave communication system 212
via a base station device of a communication node 214 for
distribution to mobile devices 122 and establishments 222. A
dielectric waveguide coupling device of a communication node 214
can be tethered to the establishments 222 by one or more wired
connections or a wireless interface. The one or more wired
connections, may include without limitation, a power line, a
coaxial cable, a fiber cable, a twisted pair cable, or other
suitable wired mediums for distribution of media content and/or for
providing internet services. In an example embodiment, the wired
connections from the waveguide coupling device of a communication
node 214 can be communicatively coupled to one or more very high
bit rate digital subscriber line (VDSL) modems located at one or
more corresponding service area interfaces (SAIs--not shown), each
SAI providing services to a portion of an establishments 222. The
VDSL modems can be used to selectively distribute media content
and/or provide internet services to gateways (not shown) located in
the establishments 222. The SAIs can also be communicatively
coupled to the establishments 222 over a wired medium such as a
power line, a coaxial cable, a fiber cable, a twisted pair cable,
or other suitable wired mediums. In other example embodiments, the
waveguide coupling device of the communication node 214 can be
communicatively coupled directly to establishments 222 without
intermediate interfaces such as the SAIs.
[0054] In another example embodiment, guided wave communication
system 212 can employ diversity paths, where two or more utility
lines 210 or other wires are strung between the utility poles 218,
(e.g., for example, two or more wires 210 between poles 218) and
redundant transmissions from a base station of a communication node
214 can be transmitted as guided waves down the surface of the
utility lines 210 or other wires. The utility lines 210 or other
wires can be either insulated or uninsulated, and depending on the
environmental conditions that cause transmission losses, the
coupling devices can selectively receive signals from the insulated
or uninsulated utility lines 210 or other wires. The selection can
be based on measurements of the signal-to-noise ratio of the wires,
or based on determined weather/environmental conditions (e.g.,
moisture detectors, weather forecasts, etc.). The use of diversity
paths with system 212 can enable alternate routing capabilities,
load balancing, increased load handling, concurrent bi-directional
or synchronous communications, spread spectrum communications,
etc.
[0055] It is noted that the use of the dielectric waveguide
coupling devices of the communication nodes 214 in FIG. 2A are by
way of example only, and that in other embodiments, other uses are
possible. For instance, dielectric waveguide coupling devices can
be used in a backhaul communication system, providing network
connectivity to base station devices. Dielectric waveguide coupling
devices can be used in many circumstances where it is desirable to
transmit guided wave communications over a wire 210, whether
insulated or not insulated. Dielectric waveguide coupling devices
are improvements over other coupling devices due to no contact or
limited physical and/or electrical contact with the wires 210 that
may carry high voltages. With dielectric waveguide coupling
devices, the apparatus can be located away from the wire (e.g.,
spaced apart from the wire) and/or located on the wire so long as
it is not electrically in contact with the wire, as the dielectric
acts as an insulator, allowing for cheap, easy, and/or less complex
installation. However, as previously noted conducting or
non-dielectric couplers can be employed, for example in
configurations where the wires 210 correspond to a telephone
network, cable television network, broadband data service, fiber
optic communications system or other network employing low voltages
or having insulated transmission lines 210.
[0056] It is further noted, that while a base station device and/or
a macrocell site of a communication node 214 are described in an
embodiment, other network configurations are likewise possible. For
example, devices such as access points or other wireless gateways
can be employed in a similar fashion to extend the reach of other
networks such as a wireless local area network, a wireless personal
area network or other wireless network that operates in accordance
with a communication protocol such as a 802.11 protocol, WIMAX
protocol, UltraWideband protocol, Bluetooth protocol, Zigbee
protocol or other wireless protocol.
[0057] According to an example embodiment, the electromagnetic
waves traveling along the wire 210 and around the outer surface of
the wire are induced by other electromagnetic waves traveling along
a waveguide in proximity to the wire. The inducement of the
electromagnetic waves can be independent of any electrical
potential, charge or current that is injected or otherwise
transmitted through the wires as part of an electrical circuit. It
is to be appreciated that while a small current in the wire 210 may
be formed in response to the propagation of the electromagnetic
wave along the wire, this can be due to the propagation of the
electromagnetic wave along the wire surface, and is not formed in
response to electrical potential, charge or current that is
injected into the wire as part of an electrical circuit. The
electromagnetic waves traveling on the wire therefore do not
require a circuit to propagate along the wire surface. The wire 210
therefore is a single wire transmission line that is not part of a
circuit. Also, in some embodiments, a wire is not necessary, and
the electromagnetic waves can propagate along a single line
transmission medium that is not a wire.
[0058] FIG. 2C is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system 250 functioning within the
communication network 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with various
aspects described herein. The combined router/modem 248 of FIG. 2B
is replaced with a WI-FI only router 252 (herein called Wi-Fi
router 252) and an Outside Data Unit (ODU) 254 in FIG. 2C. In this
embodiment, Wi-Fi router 252 can facilitate a WLAN for
communications with the enterprise devices 242 using the
differentiated set of SSIDs. The Wi-Fi router 252 can, in turn,
communicate with the ODU 254 using, for example, a wired Ethernet
link. The ODU 254 can perform the SSID-to-APN lookup to map each of
the enterprise devices 242 to its proper differentiated APN for the
cellular network. The ODU 254 reach the EPC 230 via wireless
cellular communication with the communication node 214 of the
guided wave communication system 212.
[0059] FIG. 2D is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system 255 functioning within the
communication network 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with various
aspects described herein. The combined router/modem 248 of FIG. 2B
is replaced with a WI-FI only router 252 (herein called Wi-Fi
router 252), which communicates directly with a Wi-Fi transceiver
in the communication node 214 of the guided wave communication
system 212. The Outside Data Unit (ODU) 254 is not used. In this
embodiment, the Wi-Fi router 256 can facilitate the WLAN for
communications with the enterprise devices 242 using the
differentiated set of SSIDs. The Wi-Fi router 256 can, in turn,
also communicate with the communication node 214 using a Wi-Fi
link. The close proximity of the communication node 214 of the
guided wave communication system 212 facilitates this "Wi-Fi
direct" connection of the enterprise 222. The Wi-Fi router 256
maintains the communications associated with the enterprise devices
242 in the Wi-Fi domain, using the assigned SSIDs. The
communication node 214, in turn, can perform the SSID-to-APN lookup
to map each of the enterprise devices 242 to its proper
differentiated APN for the cellular network. Alternatively, the
Wi-Fi router 256 can perform the SSID-to-APN and pass the correct
APN for each device to the communication node 214, which can
process of a cellular wireless message based on the APN.
[0060] FIG. 2E is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system 260 functioning within the
communication network 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with various
aspects described herein. An enterprise 222a includes several IoT
devices 264a-c. For example, IoT devices 264a-c can be security
cameras. A SSID for the IoT devices 264a-c can be mapped to APN
IoT1 by the combined router/modem. The IoT devices 264 communicate
with the EPC 230 of the cellular network via the guided wave
communication system 212. The APN IoT1 routing causes the data for
the IoT devices 264 to be routed to VARs for Routers/Firewalls for
a Closed-User Group 232b and IoT servers 262b. To handle load
balancing multiple VARs 232b and IoT servers 262b may be used with
traffic shifting as needed. In one embodiment, restricted routing
and firewall rules can be implemented in the network at the VAR
232b that is connected to the PGWd 226b. Restricted routing
facilitates efficient and scalable configuration management via
hub/servers and spoke/homes routing. For example, routing spokes
cannot access other spokes. However, spokes can access only hubs
that are allowed. It is easier to monitor such a restricted network
for abuse and failures since only machine-to-machine communication
is expected. The resulting routings and security features can
prevent malicious use of the IoT devices 264 as bots for DDoS and
other malicious activity.
[0061] In one embodiment, the combined router 248 provides a
dedicated Wi-Fi band or beacon for the IoT devices 264. In one
embodiment, the IoT servers 262b can belong to different vendors.
The IoT servers 262b can push firewall rules up to the VAR
Routers/FW 232b in the CBBN 234 in order to allow subscriber IoT
devices 264 to access the IoT servers 262b. In one embodiment, the
VAR Router/FW in the CBBN 234 can use a closed-user group type of
routing table to restrict access to an IoT server set and to
service subscribers. The availability of the separate/special APN
IoT1 enables the routing to the closed group VARs 232b. This
architecture scales well, because only PGW IP pools and IoT server
IPs are present in the VAR 232b routing tables. As a result, here
the IoT devices 264a-c can only access the IoT server 262b, but
cannot access other "rogue" servers associated with botnet
activities.
[0062] FIG. 2F is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system 260 functioning within the
communication network 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with various
aspects described herein. If one of the IoT devices 264b becomes
corrupted with bot controller software, then the VAR Router/FW 232b
will detect the botnet, at the CBBN 234. Instead of allowing the
infected IoT device 264b to access a bot controller on the Internet
236, the VAR Router/FW 232b stops the malicious communication at
the CBBN 234. In one embodiment, the VAR Router/FW 232b can have a
routing table for a closed-user group of subscribed IoT servers
262b and PGWs 226 that are assigned IP pools. In one example, no
full routes are included in routing table. In one embodiment, a
default route can be configured pointing to the logging/monitoring
server 266 that records the packets involved in the malicious
access attempt. In another embodiment, the default route can point
to null to drop all packets attempting to reach destinations which
are not specifically configured in the routing table. In another
embodiment, the restricted routing table includes the
logging/monitoring server 266, which can, alternatively, detect the
infection of the device. So, not only can the infected IoT device
264b be disabled from getting to the Internet, it can also be
logged as infected.
[0063] FIG. 2G is a block diagram illustrating an example,
non-limiting embodiment of a system 270 functioning within the
communication network 100 of FIG. 1 in accordance with various
aspects described herein. In one or more embodiments, the combined
router 248 can determine that a computer device 242b is running
applications, which require high security routing features. The
combination router 248 can assign an SSID of SSID HiSec to WLAN
communications involving the computer device 242b. Further, the
combined router 248 can perform an SSID-to-APN lookup to label
cellular communications to the communication node 214 of the guided
wave communication system 212 with an APN HiSec. As a result, the
EPC 230 of the cellular system can route data for the computer
device 242b though PGW3 226c and VAR Local Certificate Servers 271.
The VAR Local Certificate Servers 271 can verify security
certificates associated with communications involving the computer
device 242b, where the verification is performed at the CBBN 234.
Any problems with the certificates can be caught at the level of
the CBBN 234, before entering the Internet 236.
[0064] Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a workhorse of for
e-commerce, e-banking and, practically, all secure transactions on
the Internet. TLS is based on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and
RSA-type public certificates. Since these public certificates can
be revoked by an issuer for various reasons, checking the status of
a certificate in a timely manner is essential for guaranteeing
confidentiality and integrity of transactions. Currently, both
Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) and On-line Certificate Status
Protocol (OCSP) are used to check validity of certs. Both these
mechanisms have unresolved issues. For example, CRLs have become
quite large, making download of the CRLs by clients slow or
infeasible. Second, OCSP, which was initially proposed as a
solution for real-time cert checking, has its own issues. For
example, error messages of the protocol are not signed and, thus,
can be used by third parties to create DoS attacks on OCSP. In
addition, when a timely OCSP response is not received, some
browsers fail-open (i.e., the browser assumes the certificate is
valid). In one embodiment, the VAR Local Certificate Server 271 at
the CBBN 234 uses a "localized CRL." The localized CRL can be much
smaller than the global version that is used at the Internet level.
As a result, the CRL can be effectively downloaded and checked at
the CBBN 234. The localized CRL can include a set of certificates
from "trusted partners" of the carrier.
[0065] Currently, different web browsers have implemented either
CRLs or OCSP as their default method for checking validity of
certs. Most use the second, non-default mechanism as a soft-fail
option since neither method is reliable. In most cases, users
cannot be relied on to take appropriate action when a certification
verification failure warning is issued, and an option to either
proceed with or abort the transaction is presented. Thus, there is
a need for a reliable way to make TLS work for secure transactions.
The close proximity of cellular communication nodes 214 afforded by
the guided wave communication system 212 can allow an EPC and
CBBN-based approach to be used to check validity of certificates in
real-time. By limiting access to only a subset of sites similar to
a closed-user-group, multiple modes are created for preventing MitM
attacks that have long been used in phishing schemes and in on-line
sales hacks. TLS in HTTP can get attacked, but by restricting
routings to a closed-user-group, the opportunities for attacks are
greatly reduced.
[0066] In one or more embodiments, VAR Local Certificate Servers
271 can connect to vendor certificate DBs over IP Security (IPSec)
tunnels and can download CRLs periodically. The VAR Local
Certificate Server 271 can then be used to check certificates
downloaded by user browsers via the VAR Local Certificate Server
271. When a certificate being downloaded is flagged as revoked in
the VAR Local Certificate Server 271, a firewall rule will block
the download. In one embodiment, the VAR Local Certificate Server
271 can be given an Anycast IP address that can be identical to a
certificate CRL distribution server or a corresponding OSCP server.
In this mode, the users' browser can check certificate validity
directly with the VAR Local Certificate Server 271. Because the
routing is being restricted to verified banking sites, email
servers, and so forth, the phishing email cannot route to the
attacking server on the Internet 236.
[0067] FIG. 2H depicts an illustrative embodiment of a method 275
in accordance with various aspects described herein. In step 286, a
router at an enterprise can receive a Wi-Fi message with a
device/application specific SSID. The SSID can be previously
configured by the router in response to determining a MAC address
of the device. The SSID can be derived from a set of SSID for a
WLAN managed by the router. The SSID can correspond to a set of
requirements for the device or the application running on the
device. In step 288, the router can access an SSID-to-APN table to
determine if the SSID is present. If the SSID is not present, the
router can return to step 286 (and, optionally, assign a default
SSID to the device/application). If the SSID is found, then the
Router can return the corresponding APN and, in step 290, generate
the specific APN for the device/application. In step 292, the
router can transmit cellular messages to a communication node of a
guided wave communication system that is coupled the cellular
communication system. The cellular communication system routes data
of the device/application based on the APN.
[0068] While for purposes of simplicity of explanation, the
respective processes are shown and described as a series of blocks
in FIG. 2H, it is to be understood and appreciated that the claimed
subject matter is not limited by the order of the blocks, as some
blocks may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other
blocks from what is depicted and described herein. Moreover, not
all illustrated blocks may be required to implement the methods
described herein.
[0069] Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram 300 is shown
illustrating an example, non-limiting embodiment of a virtualized
communication network in accordance with various aspects described
herein. In particular a virtualized communication network is
presented that can be used to implement some or all of the
subsystems and functions of communication network 100, the
subsystems and functions of systems 200-270, and method 275
presented in FIGS. 1, 2A-2G, and 3.
[0070] In particular, a cloud networking architecture is shown that
leverages cloud technologies and supports rapid innovation and
scalability via a transport layer 350, a virtualized network
function cloud 325 and/or one or more cloud computing environments
375. In various embodiments, this cloud networking architecture is
an open architecture that leverages application programming
interfaces (APIs); reduces complexity from services and operations;
supports more nimble business models; and rapidly and seamlessly
scales to meet evolving customer requirements including traffic
growth, diversity of traffic types, and diversity of performance
and reliability expectations.
[0071] In contrast to traditional network elements--which are
typically integrated to perform a single function, the virtualized
communication network employs virtual network elements 330, 332,
334, etc. that perform some or all of the functions of network
elements 150, 152, 154, 156, etc. For example, the network
architecture can provide a substrate of networking capability,
often called Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVI)
or simply infrastructure that is capable of being directed with
software and Software Defined Networking (SDN) protocols to perform
a broad variety of network functions and services. This
infrastructure can include several types of substrates. The most
typical type of substrate being servers that support Network
Function Virtualization (NFV), followed by packet forwarding
capabilities based on generic computing resources, with specialized
network technologies brought to bear when general purpose
processors or general purpose integrated circuit devices offered by
merchants (referred to herein as merchant silicon) are not
appropriate. In this case, communication services can be
implemented as cloud-centric workloads.
[0072] As an example, a traditional network element 150 (shown in
FIG. 1), such as an edge router can be implemented via a virtual
network element 330 composed of NFV software modules, merchant
silicon, and associated controllers. The software can be written so
that increasing workload consumes incremental resources from a
common resource pool, and moreover so that it's elastic: so the
resources are only consumed when needed. In a similar fashion,
other network elements such as other routers, switches, edge
caches, and middle-boxes are instantiated from the common resource
pool. Such sharing of infrastructure across a broad set of uses
makes planning and growing infrastructure easier to manage.
[0073] In an embodiment, the transport layer 350 includes fiber,
cable, wired and/or wireless transport elements, network elements
and interfaces to provide broadband access 110, wireless access
120, voice access 130, media access 140 and/or access to content
sources 175 for distribution of content to any or all of the access
technologies. In particular, in some cases a network element needs
to be positioned at a specific place, and this allows for less
sharing of common infrastructure. Other times, the network elements
have specific physical layer adapters that cannot be abstracted or
virtualized, and might require special DSP code and analog
front-ends (AFEs) that do not lend themselves to implementation as
virtual network elements 330, 332 or 334. These network elements
can be included in transport layer 350.
[0074] The virtualized network function cloud 325 interfaces with
the transport layer 350 to provide the virtual network elements
330, 332, 334, etc. to provide specific NFVs. In particular, the
virtualized network function cloud 325 leverages cloud operations,
applications, and architectures to support networking workloads.
The virtualized network elements 330, 332 and 334 can employ
network function software that provides either a one-for-one
mapping of traditional network element function or alternately some
combination of network functions designed for cloud computing. For
example, virtualized network elements 330, 332 and 334 can include
route reflectors, domain name system (DNS) servers, and dynamic
host configuration protocol (DHCP) servers, system architecture
evolution (SAE) and/or mobility management entity (MME) gateways,
broadband network gateways, IP edge routers for IP-VPN, Ethernet
and other services, load balancers, distributers and other network
elements. Because these elements don't typically need to forward
large amounts of traffic, their workload can be distributed across
a number of servers--each of which adds a portion of the
capability, and overall which creates an elastic function with
higher availability than its former monolithic version. These
virtual network elements 330, 332, 334, etc. can be instantiated
and managed using an orchestration approach similar to those used
in cloud compute services.
[0075] The cloud computing environments 375 can interface with the
virtualized network function cloud 325 via APIs that expose
functional capabilities of the VNE 330, 332, 334, etc. to provide
the flexible and expanded capabilities to the virtualized network
function cloud 325. In particular, network workloads may have
applications distributed across the virtualized network function
cloud 325 and cloud computing environment 375 and in the commercial
cloud, or might simply orchestrate workloads supported entirely in
NFV infrastructure from these third party locations.
[0076] Turning now to FIG. 4, there is illustrated a block diagram
of a computing environment in accordance with various aspects
described herein. In order to provide additional context for
various embodiments of the embodiments described herein, FIG. 4 and
the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general
description of a suitable computing environment 400 in which the
various embodiments of the subject disclosure can be implemented.
In particular, computing environment 400 can be used in the
implementation of network elements 150, 152, 154, 156, access
terminal 112, base station or access point 122, switching device
132, media terminal 142, and/or virtual network elements 330, 332,
334, etc. Each of these devices can be implemented via
computer-executable instructions that can run on one or more
computers, and/or in combination with other program modules and/or
as a combination of hardware and software. For example, computing
environment 400 can facilitate in whole or in part an apparatus for
performing a method for identifying a device and/or an application
running at a device with a service set identifier (SSID). The SSID
can be one of several SSIDs supported by a router managing a Wi-Fi
Local Area Network (WLAN) and can be based one or requirements of
the device and/or application. An SSID-to-APN table can be used to
translate the SSID into a corresponding APN for a cellular
communication system. A message can be sent to a communication node
of a guided wave communication system that is coupled to the
cellular communication system. The cellular communication system
can use the APN to generate a routing for meeting the requirements
of the device and/or application.
[0077] Generally, program modules comprise routines, programs,
components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled
in the art will appreciate that the inventive methods can be
practiced with other computer system configurations, comprising
single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers,
mainframe computers, as well as personal computers, hand-held
computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer
electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled
to one or more associated devices.
[0078] As used herein, a processing circuit includes one or more
processors as well as other application specific circuits such as
an application specific integrated circuit, digital logic circuit,
state machine, programmable gate array or other circuit that
processes input signals or data and that produces output signals or
data in response thereto. It should be noted that while any
functions and features described herein in association with the
operation of a processor could likewise be performed by a
processing circuit.
[0079] The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein can be
also practiced in distributed computing environments where certain
tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked
through a communications network. In a distributed computing
environment, program modules can be located in both local and
remote memory storage devices.
[0080] Computing devices typically comprise a variety of media,
which can comprise computer-readable storage media and/or
communications media, which two terms are used herein differently
from one another as follows. Computer-readable storage media can be
any available storage media that can be accessed by the computer
and comprises both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and
non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation,
computer-readable storage media can be implemented in connection
with any method or technology for storage of information such as
computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured data or
unstructured data.
[0081] Computer-readable storage media can comprise, but are not
limited to, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM),
electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash
memory or other memory technology, compact disk read only memory
(CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical disk
storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage
or other magnetic storage devices or other tangible and/or
non-transitory media which can be used to store desired
information. In this regard, the terms "tangible" or
"non-transitory" herein as applied to storage, memory or
computer-readable media, are to be understood to exclude only
propagating transitory signals per se as modifiers and do not
relinquish rights to all standard storage, memory or
computer-readable media that are not only propagating transitory
signals per se.
[0082] Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or
more local or remote computing devices, e.g., via access requests,
queries or other data retrieval protocols, for a variety of
operations with respect to the information stored by the
medium.
[0083] Communications media typically embody computer-readable
instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured
or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data
signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and
comprises any information delivery or transport media. The term
"modulated data signal" or signals refers to a signal that has one
or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as
to encode information in one or more signals. By way of example,
and not limitation, communication media comprise wired media, such
as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media
such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.
[0084] With reference again to FIG. 4, the example environment can
comprise a computer 402, the computer 402 comprising a processing
unit 404, a system memory 406 and a system bus 408. The system bus
408 couples system components including, but not limited to, the
system memory 406 to the processing unit 404. The processing unit
404 can be any of various commercially available processors. Dual
microprocessors and other multiprocessor architectures can also be
employed as the processing unit 404.
[0085] The system bus 408 can be any of several types of bus
structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or
without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus
using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures.
The system memory 406 comprises ROM 410 and RAM 412. A basic
input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in a non-volatile memory
such as ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM),
EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to
transfer information between elements within the computer 402, such
as during startup. The RAM 412 can also comprise a high-speed RAM
such as static RAM for caching data.
[0086] The computer 402 further comprises an internal hard disk
drive (HDD) 414 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), which internal hard disk drive
414 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis
(not shown), a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 416, (e.g., to read
from or write to a removable diskette 418) and an optical disk
drive 420, (e.g., reading a CD-ROM disk 422 or, to read from or
write to other high capacity optical media such as the DVD). The
hard disk drive 414, magnetic disk drive 416 and optical disk drive
420 can be connected to the system bus 408 by a hard disk drive
interface 424, a magnetic disk drive interface 426 and an optical
drive interface 428, respectively. The interface 424 for external
drive implementations comprises at least one or both of Universal
Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other external drive
connection technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments
described herein.
[0087] The drives and their associated computer-readable storage
media provide nonvolatile storage of data, data structures,
computer-executable instructions, and so forth. For the computer
402, the drives and storage media accommodate the storage of any
data in a suitable digital format. Although the description of
computer-readable storage media above refers to a hard disk drive
(HDD), a removable magnetic diskette, and a removable optical media
such as a CD or DVD, it should be appreciated by those skilled in
the art that other types of storage media which are readable by a
computer, such as zip drives, magnetic cassettes, flash memory
cards, cartridges, and the like, can also be used in the example
operating environment, and further, that any such storage media can
contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods
described herein.
[0088] A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and
RAM 412, comprising an operating system 430, one or more
application programs 432, other program modules 434 and program
data 436. All or portions of the operating system, applications,
modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM 412. The systems
and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various
commercially available operating systems or combinations of
operating systems.
[0089] A user can enter commands and information into the computer
402 through one or more wired/wireless input devices, e.g., a
keyboard 438 and a pointing device, such as a mouse 440. Other
input devices (not shown) can comprise a microphone, an infrared
(IR) remote control, a joystick, a game pad, a stylus pen, touch
screen or the like. These and other input devices are often
connected to the processing unit 404 through an input device
interface 442 that can be coupled to the system bus 408, but can be
connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, an IEEE
1394 serial port, a game port, a universal serial bus (USB) port,
an IR interface, etc.
[0090] A monitor 444 or other type of display device can be also
connected to the system bus 408 via an interface, such as a video
adapter 446. It will also be appreciated that in alternative
embodiments, a monitor 444 can also be any display device (e.g.,
another computer having a display, a smart phone, a tablet
computer, etc.) for receiving display information associated with
computer 402 via any communication means, including via the
Internet and cloud-based networks. In addition to the monitor 444,
a computer typically comprises other peripheral output devices (not
shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.
[0091] The computer 402 can operate in a networked environment
using logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications
to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s) 448.
The remote computer(s) 448 can be a workstation, a server computer,
a router, a personal computer, portable computer,
microprocessor-based entertainment appliance, a peer device or
other common network node, and typically comprises many or all of
the elements described relative to the computer 402, although, for
purposes of brevity, only a memory/storage device 450 is
illustrated. The logical connections depicted comprise
wired/wireless connectivity to a local area network (LAN) 452
and/or larger networks, e.g., a wide area network (WAN) 454. Such
LAN and WAN networking environments are commonplace in offices and
companies, and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such
as intranets, all of which can connect to a global communications
network, e.g., the Internet.
[0092] When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 402
can be connected to the local network 452 through a wired and/or
wireless communication network interface or adapter 456. The
adapter 456 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the
LAN 452, which can also comprise a wireless AP disposed thereon for
communicating with the wireless adapter 456.
[0093] When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 402
can comprise a modem 458 or can be connected to a communications
server on the WAN 454 or has other means for establishing
communications over the WAN 454, such as by way of the Internet.
The modem 458, which can be internal or external and a wired or
wireless device, can be connected to the system bus 408 via the
input device interface 442. In a networked environment, program
modules depicted relative to the computer 402 or portions thereof,
can be stored in the remote memory/storage device 450. It will be
appreciated that the network connections shown are example and
other means of establishing a communications link between the
computers can be used.
[0094] The computer 402 can be operable to communicate with any
wireless devices or entities operatively disposed in wireless
communication, e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable
computer, portable data assistant, communications satellite, any
piece of equipment or location associated with a wirelessly
detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, news stand, restroom), and
telephone. This can comprise Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and
BLUETOOTH.RTM. wireless technologies. Thus, the communication can
be a predefined structure as with a conventional network or simply
an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.
[0095] Wi-Fi can allow connection to the Internet from a couch at
home, a bed in a hotel room or a conference room at work, without
wires. Wi-Fi is a wireless technology similar to that used in a
cell phone that enables such devices, e.g., computers, to send and
receive data indoors and out; anywhere within the range of a base
station. Wi-Fi networks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11
(a, b, g, n, ac, ag, etc.) to provide secure, reliable, fast
wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi network can be used to connect
computers to each other, to the Internet, and to wired networks
(which can use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet). Wi-Fi networks operate in
the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bands for example or with
products that contain both bands (dual band), so the networks can
provide real-world performance similar to the basic 10BaseT wired
Ethernet networks used in many offices.
[0096] Turning now to FIG. 5, an embodiment 500 of a mobile network
platform 510 is shown that is an example of network elements 150,
152, 154, 156, and/or virtual network elements 330, 332, 334, etc.
For example, platform 510 can facilitate in whole or in part an
apparatus for performing a method for identifying a device and/or
an application running at a device with a service set identifier
(SSID). The SSID can be one of several SSIDs supported by a router
managing a Wi-Fi Local Area Network (WLAN) and can be based one or
requirements of the device and/or application. An SSID-to-APN table
can be used to translate the SSID into a corresponding APN for a
cellular communication system. A message can be sent to a
communication node of a guided wave communication system that is
coupled to the cellular communication system. The cellular
communication system can use the APN to generate a routing for
meeting the requirements of the device and/or application.
[0097] In one or more embodiments, the mobile network platform 510
can generate and receive signals transmitted and received by base
stations or access points such as base station or access point 122.
Generally, wireless network platform 510 can comprise components,
e.g., nodes, gateways, interfaces, servers, or disparate platforms,
that facilitate both packet-switched (PS) (e.g., internet protocol
(IP), frame relay, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)) and
circuit-switched (CS) traffic (e.g., voice and data), as well as
control generation for networked wireless telecommunication. As a
non-limiting example, wireless network platform 510 can be included
in telecommunications carrier networks, and can be considered
carrier-side components as discussed elsewhere herein. Mobile
network platform 510 comprises CS gateway node(s) 512 which can
interface CS traffic received from legacy networks like telephony
network(s) 540 (e.g., public switched telephone network (PSTN), or
public land mobile network (PLMN)) or a signaling system #7 (SS7)
network 570. Circuit switched gateway node(s) 512 can authorize and
authenticate traffic (e.g., voice) arising from such networks.
Additionally, CS gateway node(s) 512 can access mobility, or
roaming, data generated through SS7 network 570; for instance,
mobility data stored in a visited location register (VLR), which
can reside in memory 530. Moreover, CS gateway node(s) 512
interfaces CS-based traffic and signaling and PS gateway node(s)
518. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, CS gateway node(s) 512
can be realized at least in part in gateway GPRS support node(s)
(GGSN). It should be appreciated that functionality and specific
operation of CS gateway node(s) 512, PS gateway node(s) 518, and
serving node(s) 516, is provided and dictated by radio
technology(ies) utilized by mobile network platform 510 for
telecommunication.
[0098] In addition to receiving and processing CS-switched traffic
and signaling, PS gateway node(s) 518 can authorize and
authenticate PS-based data sessions with served mobile devices.
Data sessions can comprise traffic, or content(s), exchanged with
networks external to the wireless network platform 510, like wide
area network(s) (WANs) 550, enterprise network(s) 570, and service
network(s) 580, which can be embodied in local area network(s)
(LANs), can also be interfaced with mobile network platform 510
through PS gateway node(s) 518. It is to be noted that WANs 550 and
enterprise network(s) 560 can embody, at least in part, a service
network(s) like IP multimedia subsystem (IMS). Based on radio
technology layer(s) available in technology resource(s) 517,
packet-switched gateway node(s) 518 can generate packet data
protocol contexts when a data session is established; other data
structures that facilitate routing of packetized data also can be
generated. To that end, in an aspect, PS gateway node(s) 518 can
comprise a tunnel interface (e.g., tunnel termination gateway (TTG)
in 3GPP UMTS network(s) (not shown)) which can facilitate
packetized communication with disparate wireless network(s), such
as Wi-Fi networks.
[0099] In embodiment 500, wireless network platform 510 also
comprises serving node(s) 516 that, based upon available radio
technology layer(s) within technology resource(s) 517, convey the
various packetized flows of data streams received through PS
gateway node(s) 518. It is to be noted that for technology
resource(s) that rely primarily on CS communication, server node(s)
can deliver traffic without reliance on PS gateway node(s) 518; for
example, server node(s) can embody at least in part a mobile
switching center. As an example, in a 3GPP UMTS network, serving
node(s) 516 can be embodied in serving GPRS support node(s)
(SGSN).
[0100] For radio technologies that exploit packetized
communication, server(s) 514 in wireless network platform 510 can
execute numerous applications that can generate multiple disparate
packetized data streams or flows, and manage (e.g., schedule,
queue, format . . . ) such flows. Such application(s) can comprise
add-on features to standard services (for example, provisioning,
billing, customer support . . . ) provided by wireless network
platform 510. Data streams (e.g., content(s) that are part of a
voice call or data session) can be conveyed to PS gateway node(s)
518 for authorization/authentication and initiation of a data
session, and to serving node(s) 516 for communication thereafter.
In addition to application server, server(s) 514 can comprise
utility server(s), a utility server can comprise a provisioning
server, an operations and maintenance server, a security server
that can implement at least in part a certificate authority and
firewalls as well as other security mechanisms, and the like. In an
aspect, security server(s) secure communication served through
wireless network platform 510 to ensure network's operation and
data integrity in addition to authorization and authentication
procedures that CS gateway node(s) 512 and PS gateway node(s) 518
can enact. Moreover, provisioning server(s) can provision services
from external network(s) like networks operated by a disparate
service provider; for instance, WAN 550 or Global Positioning
System (GPS) network(s) (not shown). Provisioning server(s) can
also provision coverage through networks associated to wireless
network platform 510 (e.g., deployed and operated by the same
service provider), such as the distributed antennas networks shown
in FIG. 1(s) that enhance wireless service coverage by providing
more network coverage.
[0101] It is to be noted that server(s) 514 can comprise one or
more processors configured to confer at least in part the
functionality of macro wireless network platform 510. To that end,
the one or more processor can execute code instructions stored in
memory 530, for example. It is should be appreciated that server(s)
514 can comprise a content manager, which operates in substantially
the same manner as described hereinbefore.
[0102] In example embodiment 500, memory 530 can store information
related to operation of wireless network platform 510. Other
operational information can comprise provisioning information of
mobile devices served through wireless platform network 510,
subscriber databases; application intelligence, pricing schemes,
e.g., promotional rates, flat-rate programs, couponing campaigns;
technical specification(s) consistent with telecommunication
protocols for operation of disparate radio, or wireless, technology
layers; and so forth. Memory 530 can also store information from at
least one of telephony network(s) 540, WAN 550, enterprise
network(s) 570, or SS7 network 560. In an aspect, memory 530 can
be, for example, accessed as part of a data store component or as a
remotely connected memory store.
[0103] In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the
disclosed subject matter, FIG. 5, and the following discussion, are
intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable
environment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject
matter can be implemented. While the subject matter has been
described above in the general context of computer-executable
instructions of a computer program that runs on a computer and/or
computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the
disclosed subject matter also can be implemented in combination
with other program modules. Generally, program modules comprise
routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform
particular tasks and/or implement particular abstract data
types.
[0104] Turning now to FIG. 6, an illustrative embodiment of a
communication device 600 is shown. The communication device 600 can
serve as an illustrative embodiment of devices such as data
terminals 114, mobile devices 124, vehicle 126, display devices 144
or other client devices for communication via either communications
network 125. For example, computing device 600 can facilitate in
whole or in part an apparatus for performing a method for
identifying a device and/or an application running at a device with
a service set identifier (SSID). The SSID can be one of several
SSIDs supported by a router managing a Wi-Fi Local Area Network
(WLAN) and can be based one or requirements of the device and/or
application. An SSID-to-APN table can be used to translate the SSID
into a corresponding APN for a cellular communication system. A
message can be sent to a communication node of a guided wave
communication system that is coupled to the cellular communication
system. The cellular communication system can use the APN to
generate a routing for meeting the requirements of the device
and/or application.
[0105] The communication device 600 can comprise a wireline and/or
wireless transceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), a user interface
(UI) 604, a power supply 614, a location receiver 616, a motion
sensor 618, an orientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 for
managing operations thereof. The transceiver 602 can support
short-range or long-range wireless access technologies such as
Bluetooth.RTM., ZigBee.RTM., Wi-Fi, DECT, or cellular communication
technologies, just to mention a few (Bluetooth.RTM. and ZigBee.RTM.
are trademarks registered by the Bluetooth.RTM. Special Interest
Group and the ZigBee.RTM. Alliance, respectively). Cellular
technologies can include, for example, CDMA-1X, UMTS/HSDPA,
GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well as other next
generation wireless communication technologies as they arise. The
transceiver 602 can also be adapted to support circuit-switched
wireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched
wireline access technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and
combinations thereof.
[0106] The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive
keypad 608 with a navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a
joystick, a mouse, or a navigation disk for manipulating operations
of the communication device 600. The keypad 608 can be an integral
part of a housing assembly of the communication device 600 or an
independent device operably coupled thereto by a tethered wireline
interface (such as a USB cable) or a wireless interface supporting
for example Bluetooth.RTM.. The keypad 608 can represent a numeric
keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTY keypad with
alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display 610
such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED
(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology
for conveying images to an end user of the communication device
600. In an embodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a
portion or all of the keypad 608 can be presented by way of the
display 610 with navigation features.
[0107] The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also
serve as a user interface for detecting user input. As a touch
screen display, the communication device 600 can be adapted to
present a user interface having graphical user interface (GUI)
elements that can be selected by a user with a touch of a finger.
The touch screen display 610 can be equipped with capacitive,
resistive or other forms of sensing technology to detect how much
surface area of a user's finger has been placed on a portion of the
touch screen display. This sensing information can be used to
control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functions of
the user interface. The display 610 can be an integral part of the
housing assembly of the communication device 600 or an independent
device communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline
interface (such as a cable) or a wireless interface.
[0108] The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that
utilizes audio technology for conveying low volume audio (such as
audio heard in proximity of a human ear) and high volume audio
(such as speakerphone for hands free operation). The audio system
612 can further include a microphone for receiving audible signals
of an end user. The audio system 612 can also be used for voice
recognition applications. The UI 604 can further include an image
sensor 613 such as a charged coupled device (CCD) camera for
capturing still or moving images.
[0109] The power supply 614 can utilize common power management
technologies such as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply
regulation technologies, and/or charging system technologies for
supplying energy to the components of the communication device 600
to facilitate long-range or short-range portable communications.
Alternatively, or in combination, the charging system can utilize
external power sources such as DC power supplied over a physical
interface such as a USB port or other suitable tethering
technologies.
[0110] The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology
such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of
assisted GPS for identifying a location of the communication device
600 based on signals generated by a constellation of GPS
satellites, which can be used for facilitating location services
such as navigation. The motion sensor 618 can utilize motion
sensing technology such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, or other
suitable motion sensing technology to detect motion of the
communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. The
orientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology
such as a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the
communication device 600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as
combined orientations in degrees, minutes, or other suitable
orientation metrics).
[0111] The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to
also determine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth.RTM., or
other wireless access points by sensing techniques such as
utilizing a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal
time of arrival (TOA) or time of flight (TOF) measurements. The
controller 606 can utilize computing technologies such as a
microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), programmable gate
arrays, application specific integrated circuits, and/or a video
processor with associated storage memory such as Flash, ROM, RAM,
SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executing computer
instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by the
aforementioned components of the communication device 600.
[0112] Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or
more embodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the
communication device 600 can include a slot for adding or removing
an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card
or Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). SIM or UICC cards can
be used for identifying subscriber services, executing programs,
storing subscriber data, and so on.
[0113] The terms "first," "second," "third," and so forth, as used
in the claims, unless otherwise clear by context, is for clarity
only and doesn't otherwise indicate or imply any order in time. For
instance, "a first determination," "a second determination," and "a
third determination," does not indicate or imply that the first
determination is to be made before the second determination, or
vice versa, etc.
[0114] In the subject specification, terms such as "store,"
"storage," "data store," data storage," "database," and
substantially any other information storage component relevant to
operation and functionality of a component, refer to "memory
components," or entities embodied in a "memory" or components
comprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the memory
components described herein can be either volatile memory or
nonvolatile memory, or can comprise both volatile and nonvolatile
memory, by way of illustration, and not limitation, volatile
memory, non-volatile memory, disk storage, and memory storage.
Further, nonvolatile memory can be included in read only memory
(ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM
(EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory.
Volatile memory can comprise random access memory (RAM), which acts
as external cache memory. By way of illustration and not
limitation, RAM is available in many forms such as synchronous RAM
(SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data
rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM
(SLDRAM), and direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM). Additionally, the
disclosed memory components of systems or methods herein are
intended to comprise, without being limited to comprising, these
and any other suitable types of memory.
[0115] Moreover, it will be noted that the disclosed subject matter
can be practiced with other computer system configurations,
comprising single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems,
mini-computing devices, mainframe computers, as well as personal
computers, hand-held computing devices (e.g., PDA, phone,
smartphone, watch, tablet computers, netbook computers, etc.),
microprocessor-based or programmable consumer or industrial
electronics, and the like. The illustrated aspects can also be
practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are
performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a
communications network; however, some if not all aspects of the
subject disclosure can be practiced on stand-alone computers. In a
distributed computing environment, program modules can be located
in both local and remote memory storage devices.
[0116] Some of the embodiments described herein can also employ
artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate automating one or more
features described herein. The embodiments (e.g., in connection
with automatically identifying acquired cell sites that provide a
maximum value/benefit after addition to an existing communication
network) can employ various AI-based schemes for carrying out
various embodiments thereof. Moreover, the classifier can be
employed to determine a ranking or priority of each cell site of
the acquired network. A classifier is a function that maps an input
attribute vector, x=(x1, x2, x3, x4, . . . , xn), to a confidence
that the input belongs to a class, that is, f(x)=confidence
(class). Such classification can employ a probabilistic and/or
statistical-based analysis (e.g., factoring into the analysis
utilities and costs) to prognosticate or infer an action that a
user desires to be automatically performed. A support vector
machine (SVM) is an example of a classifier that can be employed.
The SVM operates by finding a hypersurface in the space of possible
inputs, which the hypersurface attempts to split the triggering
criteria from the non-triggering events. Intuitively, this makes
the classification correct for testing data that is near, but not
identical to training data. Other directed and undirected model
classification approaches comprise, e.g., naive Bayes, Bayesian
networks, decision trees, neural networks, fuzzy logic models, and
probabilistic classification models providing different patterns of
independence can be employed. Classification as used herein also is
inclusive of statistical regression that is utilized to develop
models of priority.
[0117] As will be readily appreciated, one or more of the
embodiments can employ classifiers that are explicitly trained
(e.g., via a generic training data) as well as implicitly trained
(e.g., via observing UE behavior, operator preferences, historical
information, receiving extrinsic information). For example, SVMs
can be configured via a learning or training phase within a
classifier constructor and feature selection module. Thus, the
classifier(s) can be used to automatically learn and perform a
number of functions, including but not limited to determining
according to predetermined criteria which of the acquired cell
sites will benefit a maximum number of subscribers and/or which of
the acquired cell sites will add minimum value to the existing
communication network coverage, etc.
[0118] As used in some contexts in this application, in some
embodiments, the terms "component," "system" and the like are
intended to refer to, or comprise, a computer-related entity or an
entity related to an operational apparatus with one or more
specific functionalities, wherein the entity can be either
hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or
software in execution. As an example, a component may be, but is
not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a
processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,
computer-executable instructions, a program, and/or a computer. By
way of illustration and not limitation, both an application running
on a server and the server can be a component. One or more
components may reside within a process and/or thread of execution
and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed
between two or more computers. In addition, these components can
execute from various computer readable media having various data
structures stored thereon. The components may communicate via local
and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having
one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting
with another component in a local system, distributed system,
and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systems via
the signal). As another example, a component can be an apparatus
with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated
by electric or electronic circuitry, which is operated by a
software or firmware application executed by a processor, wherein
the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and
executes at least a part of the software or firmware application.
As yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that
provides specific functionality through electronic components
without mechanical parts, the electronic components can comprise a
processor therein to execute software or firmware that confers at
least in part the functionality of the electronic components. While
various components have been illustrated as separate components, it
will be appreciated that multiple components can be implemented as
a single component, or a single component can be implemented as
multiple components, without departing from example
embodiments.
[0119] Further, the various embodiments can be implemented as a
method, apparatus or article of manufacture using standard
programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software,
firmware, hardware or any combination thereof to control a computer
to implement the disclosed subject matter. The term "article of
manufacture" as used herein is intended to encompass a computer
program accessible from any computer-readable device or
computer-readable storage/communications media. For example,
computer readable storage media can include, but are not limited
to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk,
magnetic strips), optical disks (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital
versatile disk (DVD)), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g.,
card, stick, key drive). Of course, those skilled in the art will
recognize many modifications can be made to this configuration
without departing from the scope or spirit of the various
embodiments.
[0120] In addition, the words "example" and "exemplary" are used
herein to mean serving as an instance or illustration. Any
embodiment or design described herein as "example" or "exemplary"
is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous
over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word example
or exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion.
As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an
inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless
specified otherwise or clear from context, "X employs A or B" is
intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That
is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X
employs A or B" is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances.
In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application
and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one
or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be
directed to a singular form.
[0121] Moreover, terms such as "user equipment," "mobile station,"
"mobile," subscriber station," "access terminal," "terminal,"
"handset," "mobile device" (and/or terms representing similar
terminology) can refer to a wireless device utilized by a
subscriber or user of a wireless communication service to receive
or convey data, control, voice, video, sound, gaming or
substantially any data-stream or signaling-stream. The foregoing
terms are utilized interchangeably herein and with reference to the
related drawings.
[0122] Furthermore, the terms "user," "subscriber," "customer,"
"consumer" and the like are employed interchangeably throughout,
unless context warrants particular distinctions among the terms. It
should be appreciated that such terms can refer to human entities
or automated components supported through artificial intelligence
(e.g., a capacity to make inference based, at least, on complex
mathematical formalisms), which can provide simulated vision, sound
recognition and so forth.
[0123] As employed herein, the term "processor" can refer to
substantially any computing processing unit or device comprising,
but not limited to comprising, single-core processors;
single-processors with software multithread execution capability;
multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software
multithread execution capability; multi-core processors with
hardware multithread technology; parallel platforms; and parallel
platforms with distributed shared memory. Additionally, a processor
can refer to an integrated circuit, an application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a
field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic
controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a
discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components or
any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described
herein. Processors can exploit nano-scale architectures such as,
but not limited to, molecular and quantum-dot based transistors,
switches and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance
performance of user equipment. A processor can also be implemented
as a combination of computing processing units.
[0124] As used herein, terms such as "data storage," data storage,"
"database," and substantially any other information storage
component relevant to operation and functionality of a component,
refer to "memory components," or entities embodied in a "memory" or
components comprising the memory. It will be appreciated that the
memory components or computer-readable storage media, described
herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory or can
include both volatile and nonvolatile memory.
[0125] What has been described above includes mere examples of
various embodiments. It is, of course, not possible to describe
every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for
purposes of describing these examples, but one of ordinary skill in
the art can recognize that many further combinations and
permutations of the present embodiments are possible. Accordingly,
the embodiments disclosed and/or claimed herein are intended to
embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that
fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
Furthermore, to the extent that the term "includes" is used in
either the detailed description or the claims, such term is
intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term
"comprising" as "comprising" is interpreted when employed as a
transitional word in a claim.
[0126] In addition, a flow diagram may include a "start" and/or
"continue" indication. The "start" and "continue" indications
reflect that the steps presented can optionally be incorporated in
or otherwise used in conjunction with other routines. In this
context, "start" indicates the beginning of the first step
presented and may be preceded by other activities not specifically
shown. Further, the "continue" indication reflects that the steps
presented may be performed multiple times and/or may be succeeded
by other activities not specifically shown. Further, while a flow
diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, other orderings
are likewise possible provided that the principles of causality are
maintained.
[0127] As may also be used herein, the term(s) "operably coupled
to", "coupled to", and/or "coupling" includes direct coupling
between items and/or indirect coupling between items via one or
more intervening items. Such items and intervening items include,
but are not limited to, junctions, communication paths, components,
circuit elements, circuits, functional blocks, and/or devices. As
an example of indirect coupling, a signal conveyed from a first
item to a second item may be modified by one or more intervening
items by modifying the form, nature or format of information in a
signal, while one or more elements of the information in the signal
are nevertheless conveyed in a manner than can be recognized by the
second item. In a further example of indirect coupling, an action
in a first item can cause a reaction on the second item, as a
result of actions and/or reactions in one or more intervening
items.
[0128] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and
described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement
which achieves the same or similar purpose may be substituted for
the embodiments described or shown by the subject disclosure. The
subject disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or
variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above
embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described
herein, can be used in the subject disclosure. For instance, one or
more features from one or more embodiments can be combined with one
or more features of one or more other embodiments. In one or more
embodiments, features that are positively recited can also be
negatively recited and excluded from the embodiment with or without
replacement by another structural and/or functional feature. The
steps or functions described with respect to the embodiments of the
subject disclosure can be performed in any order. The steps or
functions described with respect to the embodiments of the subject
disclosure can be performed alone or in combination with other
steps or functions of the subject disclosure, as well as from other
embodiments or from other steps that have not been described in the
subject disclosure. Further, more than or less than all of the
features described with respect to an embodiment can also be
utilized.
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