International Business Machines Corporation

Mark Douglas Schroeder

Michael T Kalmbach

William Frederick Berg

Scott Allen Liebl

Jeremiah D Carlin

William Moy

John Gerard Nistler

Shah A Chowdhury

Timothy C Rowe

Theodore F Timashenka, Jr

Cary Lee Bates

Scott Alan Moore

Gregory Allan Olson

Curtis Duane Kronlund

Robert Carl Seemann

Mobile network services are performed in a mobile data network in a way that is transparent to most of the existing equipment in the mobile data network. The mobile data network includes a radio access network and a core network. An edge caching mechanism is provided within a basestation to perform caching of data at the edge of the mobile data network. The edge caching mechanism analyzes historical usage data that indicates historical accesses to the basestation. Data patterns in the historical usage data may be used to define cache load criteria and to optionally define cache flush criteria. This architecture allows caching of data at the edge of a mobile data network within the infrastructure of an existing mobile data network.

Data caching at the edge of a mobile data network

Basestation equipment in a mobile data network is subject to harsh environmental conditions at many remote locations. International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) has introduced a Mobile Internet Optimization Platform (MIOP) appliance, referred herein as the MIOP@NodeB. This appliance is placed at the edge or basestation of a mobile data network to provide a platform for hosting applications and enhancing mobile network services. The introduction of an edge appliance provides a platform for additional reliability functions. A predictive failure mechanism in the basestation appliance mitigates the effects of predicted failures in a mobile network basestation due to weather conditions. The predictive failure mechanism considers historical data, ambient environmental conditions, weather alerts and weather forecasts to take pre-emptive action to avert partial or total failure of the basestation equipment.

Mitigating effects of predicted failures in a mobile network basestation due to weather

An application Runtime Expert (ARE) manages deployment of application software on multiple computer systems. The ARE assists the user in verifying and fixing configuration and environment details of an application deployed on multiple computer systems. The ARE creates a user configurable XML template that contains configuration and environment details based on information collected from a master system that has a known good deployment. The ARE allows a user to edit the XML logic in the template and add plug-ins to the template. The XML template with the added plug-ins are sent to a target system and used to verify the deployment on the target system compared to the master system and to make fixes to the target system's configuration.

Application runtime expert for deployment of an application on multiple computer systems

A mobile data network includes a breakout appliance at the edge of the mobile data network and an appliance in the core network that includes multiple enclosures. Each appliance has defined interfaces and defined commands on each interface that allow performing all needed functions on the appliances without revealing details regarding the hardware and software used to implement the appliances. An aggregate appliance in the mobile data network defines high-level commands, which each have a corresponding set of steps that are performed when the high-level command is executed. Each step causes one or more of the defined commands to be executed on the breakout appliance and/or the appliance in the core network and/or one a related software entity. This aggregated appliance allows configuring and controlling the breakout appliance and the appliance in the core network in a way that is transparent to most existing components in the mobile data network.

Aggregated appliance in a mobile data network

Mobile network services are performed in a mobile data network in a way that is transparent to most of the existing equipment in the mobile data network. The mobile data network includes a radio access network and a core network. A breakout component in the radio access network breaks out data coming from a basestation, and hosts device-specific edge applications that perform one or more mobile network services at the edge of the mobile data network based on the broken out data.

Hosting device-specific edge applications at the edge of a mobile data network

Mobile network services are performed in an appliance in a mobile data network in a way that is transparent to most of the existing equipment in the mobile data network. The mobile data network includes a radio access network and a core network. The appliance in the radio access network breaks out data coming from a basestation, and performs one or more mobile network services at the edge of the mobile data network based on the broken out data. The appliance has defined interfaces and defined commands on each interface that allow performing all needed functions on the appliance without revealing details regarding the hardware and software used to implement the appliance. This appliance architecture allows performing new mobile network services at the edge of a mobile data network within the infrastructure of an existing mobile data network.

Appliance in a mobile data network that spans multiple enclosures

Mobile network services are performed in a mobile data network in a way that is transparent to most of the existing equipment in the mobile data network. The mobile data network includes a radio access network and a core network. A breakout component in the radio access network breaks out data coming from a basestation, and hosts edge applications, including third party edge applications, that perform one or more mobile network services at the edge of the mobile data network based on the broken out data.

Hosting edge applications at the edge of a mobile data network

Mobile network services are performed in a mobile data network in a way that is transparent to most of the existing equipment in the mobile data network. The mobile data network includes a radio access network and a core network. A breakout component in the radio access network breaks out data coming from a basestation connected to user equipment, and hosts edge applications that perform one or more mobile network services at the edge of the mobile data network based on the broken out data. When a breakout component is not running a needed edge application, the session for the user equipment may be transferred to a neighboring basestation that is running the needed edge application.

Transferring a session for user equipment to a different basestation running a needed edge application

Mobile network services are performed in a mobile data network that includes a radio access network and a core network. A breakout component in the radio access network breaks out data coming from a basestation connected to user equipment, and hosts edge applications that perform one or more mobile network services at the edge of the mobile data network. When a breakout component is not running a needed edge application, and the needed edge application is running in a neighboring basestation, the breakout component can route the request for the needed edge application to the neighboring basestation via the overlay network. The neighboring basestation processes the request using the needed edge application, then returns the data to the original basestation via the overlay network. The original basestation thus maintains the subscriber session with the user equipment while offloading the work of the needed application to a neighboring basestation.

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Rochester, MN, United States of America

Mark Douglas Schroeder