1
FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970 (39
OF 1970)
&
5 THE PATENT RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)
10
“METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RESERVING RESOURCES
FOR INSTANTIATION OF A NETWORK FUNCTION”
15
We, Jio Platforms Limited, an Indian National, of Office - 101, Saffron, Nr. Centre
Point, Panchwati 5 Rasta, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad - 380006, Gujarat, India.
20
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which
it is to be performed.
25
2
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR RESERVING RESOURCES FOR
INSTANTIATION OF A NETWORK FUNCTION
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE
5
[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of
wireless communication systems. More particularly, embodiments of the present
disclosure relate to methods and systems for reserving resources for instantiation of
a network function.
10
BACKGROUND
[0002] The following description of related art is intended to provide background
information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include
15 certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present
disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section be used only to
enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and
not as admissions of prior art.
20 [0003] Wireless communication technology has rapidly evolved over the past few
decades, with each generation bringing significant improvements and
advancements. The first generation of wireless communication technology was
based on analog technology and offered only voice services. However, with the
advent of the second generation (2G) technology, digital communication and data
25 services became possible, and text messaging was introduced. The third generation
(3G) technology marked the introduction of high-speed internet access, mobile
video calling, and location-based services. The fourth generation (4G) technology
revolutionized wireless communication with faster data speeds, better network
coverage, and improved security. Currently, the fifth generation (5G) technology is
30 being deployed, promising even faster data speeds, low latency, and the ability to
3
connect multiple devices simultaneously. With each generation, wireless
communication technology has become more advanced, sophisticated, and capable
of delivering more services to its users.
[0004] The 5G core 5 networks are based on service‐based architecture (SBA) that is
centred around network function (NF) services. In the said Service‐Based
Architecture (SBA), a set of interconnected Network Functions (NFs) deliver the
control plane functionality and common data repositories of the 5G network, where
each NF is authorized to access services of other NFs. Particularly, each NF can
10 register itself and its supported services to a Network Repository Function (NRF),
which is used by other NFs for the discovery of NF instances and their services.
Further, the network functions may include, but not limited to, a containerized
network function (CNF) and a virtual network function (VNF).
15 [0005] The CNFs are a set of small, independent, and loosely coupled services such
as microservices. These microservices work independently, which may increase
speed and flexibility while reducing deployment risk. In 5G communication, cloudnative
5G network offers the fully digitized architecture necessary for deploying
new cloud services and taking full advantage of cloud-native 5G features such as
20 edge computing, as well as network slicing and other services. Whereas the VNFs
may run in virtual machines (VMs) on common virtualization infrastructure. The
VNFs may be created on top of network function virtualization infrastructure
(NFVI) which may allocate resources like compute, storage, and networking
efficiently among the VNFs. MANO which stands for Management and
25 Orchestration is a key NFV architectural framework that includes all the essential
management modules. It coordinates network resources in NFV framework.
[0006] A network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined network
(SDN) design function module platform in the MANO architectural framework, has
30 been designed and developed to offer emerging new technologies and
differentiating on-demand services. The platform overcomes the need for manual
4
changes required in the network to launch new services by exploiting the NFV and
SDN features.
[0007] The NFV SDN platform provides Management and Orchestration (MANO)
functionality across multi-5 site and multi-VIM environment for life cycle
management (LCM) operation of VNFs provided by different vendors. The
platform comes with a graphically rich and alluring UI/UX interface which helps
the user to on-board VNF, design Network Service Chain, define VNF auto scaling
and healing policies, instantiate Network Service and VNFs as well as manage the
10 VIM site. It also allows the user to create storage volume pools, availability zones
and define host aggregates.
[0008] The NFV SDN Platform is based on Micro Service Architecture. These
microservices (MSs) have specific tasks and functionality which they all need to
15 perform. The MSs work collectively to achieve the overall functionality of NFV
SDN platform. Each MS has exposed certain APIs which are called by other micro
services.
[0009] A VNF generally has the following stages: Design, Deployment Planning,
20 Instantiation, Operation, Maintenance and DevOps.
[0010] The Physical and Virtual Resource Manager is an inventory manager (IM)
that maintains the virtual inventory and limited physical inventory. It maintains the
relation between physical and virtual resources with respect to (w.r.t) overlay. Also,
25 it describes physical and virtual resources w.r.t different attributes using updates
from external micro-service. Thus, its data accuracy depends on the micro-services
which create, update, delete these resources and at the same time update these
events with the inventory manager (IM). Other services can query IM relations,
attributes etc. using Query APIs provided by IM. In order to instantiate a network
30 function, the Inventory service needs to reserve resources which were requested by
Policy service and can unreserve same in case of instantiation failure.
5
[0011] In order to instantiate a network function, such as CNF and VNF, a policy
execution engine (PEEGN) microservice needs to decide the host in which
container network function components (CNFCs) need to be instantiated as per the
defined policy. In NFV, instantiation 5 involves creating virtual instances of network
functions on virtual machines or containers. For this purpose, the PEEGN needs to
get the details of all the hosts present in a particular site under a selected Pod, from
an inventory manager. Also, in this process, the inventory manager may also reserve
some resources for certain processes to be performed. For example, a network node
10 requests for resources and the inventory manager does not have sufficient resources
left with the system to allocate the required resources to the network node, then in
that case a system failure might happen, as the required resources are not assigned
to the network node for performing a particular task.
15 [0012] Thus, there exists an imperative need in the art to provide a method and a
system for reserving resources for instantiation of a network function, which the
present disclosure aims to address.
SUMMARY
20
[0013] This section is provided to introduce certain aspects of the present disclosure
in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description.
This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed
subject matter.
25
[0014] An aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a method for reserving
resources for instantiation of a network function. The method includes receiving,
by a transceiver unit, at a lifecycle manager (LM) module, a request for instantiation
of the network function. Next, the method comprises transmitting, by the
30 transceiver unit from the LM module to a policy execution engine (PEEGN), a
6
request for a set of resources required for instantiation of the network function.
Next, the method comprises transmitting, by the transceiver unit from the PEEGN,
to a physical virtual inventory manager (PVIM) module, the request for the set of
resources and a request for a region of instantiation of the network function. Next,
the method comprises determining, 5 by a processing unit, at the PVIM module, a set
of available resources based on the request for the set of resources and the region
of instantiation of the network function. Thereafter, the method comprises
reserving, by the processing unit, at the PVIM module, the set of resources from the
available set of resources for instantiation of the network function.
10
[0015] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the set of resources
required is based on a predetermined policy.
[0016] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method further
15 comprises updating, by the processing unit, at the PVIM module, the available set
of resources based on assignment of the set of resources for instantiation of the
network function.
[0017] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method further
20 comprises selecting, by the processing unit via the PEEGN, at least a host for
instantiation of the at least one network function, wherein selection of at least the
host is based on the set of resources.
[0018] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the network function
25 comprises at least one of a containerized network function (CNF), and a virtual
network function (VNF).
[0019] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the LM module is a
containerized network function – Lifecycle Manager (CNF-LM) if the network
30 function is a CNF.
7
[0020] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the LM module is a virtual
network function – Lifecycle Manager (VNF-LM) if the network function is a VNF.
[0021] 5 In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the region of instantiation
of the network function comprises at least one of a site detail information, a pod
detail information, a required configuration information, a maximum number of
instances information, and combinations thereof.
10 [0022] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the set of resources from
the available set of resources for instantiation of the network function, is reserved
based on a computation performed on the available set of resources.
[0023] Another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a system for reserving
15 resources for instantiation of a network function. The system comprises a
transceiver unit configured to receive, at a lifecycle manager (LM) module, a
request for instantiation of the network function. The transceiver unit further
transmits, from the LM module to a policy execution engine (PEEGN), a request
for a set of resources required for instantiation of the network function. The
20 transceiver unit is further configured to transmit, from the PEEGN, to a physical
virtual inventory manager (PVIM) module, the request for the set of resources and
a request for a region of instantiation of the network function. The system further
comprises a processing unit configured to determine, at the PVIM module, a set of
available resources based on the request for the set of resources and the region of
25 instantiation of the network function and reserve, at the PVIM module, the set of
resources from the available set of resources for instantiation of the network
function.
[0024] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a non-transitory
30 computer readable storage medium storing instruction for reserving resources for
instantiation of a network function, the instructions include executable code which,
8
when executed by one or more units of a system, causes a transceiver unit of the
system to receive, at a lifecycle manager (LM) module, a request for instantiation
of the network function. The executable code which when executed causes the
transceiver unit to transmit, from the LM module to a policy execution engine
(PEEGN), a request for a set 5 of resources required for instantiation of the network
function. The executable code which when executed further causes the transceiver
unit to transmit, from the PEEGN, to a physical virtual inventory manager (PVIM)
module, the request for the set of resources and a request for a region of instantiation
of the network function. The executable code which when executed causes a
10 processing unit of the system to determine, at the PVIM module, a set of available
resources based on the request for the set of resources and the region of instantiation
of the network function and reserve, at the PVIM module, the set of resources from
the available set of resources for instantiation of the network function.
15 OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0025] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one
embodiment disclosed herein satisfies are listed herein below.
20 [0026] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for
reserving resources for inventory management that helps in proper resource
utilization by reserving resources at initial level of instantiation flow.
[0027] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a solution that helps
25 in resource synchronization of resources by removing reserved resources from total
resources.
9
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute
a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods
and systems in which like reference 5 numerals refer to the same parts throughout the
different drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale,
emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present
disclosure. Also, the embodiments shown in the figures are not to be construed as
limiting the disclosure, but the possible variants of the method and system
10 according to the disclosure are illustrated herein to highlight the advantages of the
disclosure. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of such
drawings includes disclosure of electrical components or circuitry commonly used
to implement such components.
15 [0029] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a management and
orchestration (MANO) architecture.
[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computing device upon
which the features of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with
20 exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.
[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for reserving
resources for instantiation of a network function, in accordance with exemplary
implementations of the present disclosure.
25
[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates a method flow diagram for reserving resources for
instantiation of a network function, in accordance with exemplary implementations
of the present disclosure.
10
[0033] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system architecture for
reserving resources for instantiation of a network function, in accordance with
exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.
[0034] The foregoing shall be 5 more apparent from the following more detailed
description of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
10 [0035] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various
specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of
embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, that
embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific
details. Several features described hereafter may each be used independently of one
15 another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not
address any of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the
problems discussed above.
[0036] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not
20 intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather,
the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in
the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment.
It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and
arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the
25 disclosure as set forth.
[0037] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough
understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of
ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these
30 specific details. For example, circuits, systems, processes, and other components
11
may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the
embodiments in unnecessary detail.
[0038] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process
which is depicted as a flowchart, 5 a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure
diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as
a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel or
concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process
is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not
10 included in a figure.
[0039] The word “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean
serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the
subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any
15 aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not
necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or
designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques
known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms
“includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed
20 description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar
to the term “comprising” as an open transition word without precluding any
additional or other elements.
[0040] As used herein, a “processing unit” or “processor” or “operating processor”
25 includes one or more processors, wherein processor refers to any logic circuitry for
processing instructions. A processor may be a general-purpose processor, a special
purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor, a plurality
of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a (Digital
Signal Processing) DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific
30 Integrated Circuits, Field Programmable Gate Array circuits, any other type of
12
integrated circuits, etc. The processor may perform signal coding data processing,
input/output processing, and/or any other functionality that enables the working of
the system according to the present disclosure. More specifically, the processor or
processing unit is a hardware processor.
5
[0041] As used herein, “a user equipment”, “a user device”, “a smart-user-device”,
“a smart-device”, “an electronic device”, “a mobile device”, “a handheld device”,
“a wireless communication device”, “a mobile communication device”, “a
communication device” may be any electrical, electronic and/or computing device
10 or equipment, capable of implementing the features of the present disclosure. The
user equipment/device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, smart
phone, laptop, a general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant,
tablet computer, wearable device or any other computing device which is capable
of implementing the features of the present disclosure. Also, the user device may
15 contain at least one input means configured to receive an input from at least one of
a transceiver unit, a processing unit, a storage unit, a detection unit and any other
such unit(s) which are required to implement the features of the present disclosure.
[0042] As used herein, “storage unit” or “memory unit” refers to a machine or
20 computer-readable medium including any mechanism for storing information in a
form readable by a computer or similar machine. For example, a computer-readable
medium includes read-only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”),
magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices or other
types of machine-accessible storage media. The storage unit stores at least the data
25 that may be required by one or more units of the system to perform their respective
functions.
[0043] As used herein “interface” or “user interface” refers to a shared boundary
across which two or more separate components of a system exchange information
30 or data. The interface may also be referred to a set of rules or protocols that define
13
communication or interaction of one or more modules or one or more units with
each other, which also includes the methods, functions, or procedures that may be
called.
[0044] All modules, 5 units, components used herein, unless explicitly excluded
herein, may be software modules or hardware processors, the processors being a
general-purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor,
a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more
microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller,
10 Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array
circuits (FPGA), any other type of integrated circuits, etc.
[0045] As used herein the transceiver unit includes at least one receiver and at least
one transmitter configured respectively for receiving and transmitting data, signals,
15 information or a combination thereof between units/components within the system
and/or connected with the system.
[0046] As used herein, Policy Execution Engine (PEEGN) module provides a
network function virtualisation (NFV) software defined network (SDN) platform
20 functionality to support dynamic requirements of resource management and
network service orchestration in the virtualized network.
[0047] As used herein, Physical and Virtual Inventory Manager (PVIM) module
maintains the inventory and its resources. After getting a request to reserve
25 resources from PEEGN, PVIM adds up the resources consumed by particular
network function as used resources and removes them from free resources. Further,
the PVIM updates this in NoSQL database.
[0048] As used herein, containerized network function (CNF) module deploys
30 network function using container technology. CNF facilitates the packaging of
14
software (e.g., applications, or microservices) with all of the supported files
necessary to run it and sharing access to the operating system and other server
resources.
[0049] As 5 used herein, virtual network function (VNF) module is implemented as
virtual machines (VMs) in a network functions virtualization (NFV) architecture or
virtualized infrastructure. VNF may be deployed in the cloud as microservices
supporting work independently or together to provide essential networking
functionality.
10
[0050] As used herein, containerized network function – Lifecycle Manager (CNFLM)
facilitates creation of a CNF or individual CNFC instances. Also, CNF-LM
responsible for healing and scaling out CNF’s or individual CNFC’s.
15 [0051] As used herein, virtual network function – Lifecycle Manager (VNF-LM
OR VLM) is responsible for lifecycle management of VNF instances. VLM can
perform instantiation, termination or scaling of the VNF’s or individual VNFC’s.
[0052] As discussed in the background section, the current known solutions for
20 inventory management have several shortcomings such as those related to
inadequate allocation of required resources to the network node, which may lead to
failure of the system. The present disclosure aims to overcome the above-mentioned
and other existing problems in this field of technology by providing a method and
a system for reserving resources for instantiation of a network function. The present
25 solution comprises a trigger for instantiation of a network node such as a container
network function (CNF) and a virtual network function (VNF). Further a lifecycle
manager element requests the PEEGN for resources. The PEEGN in turn queries
the inventory manager to provide the required information. Based on given data,
PEEGN requests inventory manager to reserve resources required for the network
30 function instantiation. Also, the inventory manager reserves the requested resources
and updates the same in the database. Various features of the present solution may
15
be implemented by a common automation platform and the request for the
information may be made using the user interface integrated or connected to the
common automation platform.
[0053] The foregoing shall be 5 more apparent from the following more detailed
description of the disclosure.
[0054] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
10
[0055] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of a
management and orchestration (MANO) architecture [100], in accordance with
exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. The MANO architecture [100]
is developed for managing telecom cloud infrastructure automatically, managing
15 deployment, managing instantiation of network node(s) etc. The MANO
architecture [100] deploys the network node(s) in the form of Virtual Network
Function (VNF) and Cloud-native/ Container Network Function (CNF). The system
may comprise one or more components of the MANO architecture. The MANO
architecture [100] is used to auto-instantiate the VNFs into the corresponding
20 environment so that it could help in onboarding other vendor(s) CNFs and VNFs to
the platform.
[0056] As shown in FIG. 1, the MANO architecture [100] comprises a user
interface layer, a network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined
25 network (SDN) design function module [104]; a platforms foundation services
module [106], a platform core services module [108] and a platform resource
adapters and utilities module [112], wherein all the components are assumed to be
connected to each other in a manner as obvious to the person skilled in the art for
implementing features of the present disclosure.
30
16
[0057] The NFV and SDN design function module [104] further comprises a VNF
lifecycle manager (compute) [1042]; a VNF catalogue [1044]; a network services
catalogue [1046]; a network slicing and service chaining manager [1048]; a
physical and virtual resource manager [1050] and a CNF lifecycle manager [1052].
The VNF lifecycle 5 manager (compute) [1042] is responsible for determining on
which server of the communication network the microservice will be instantiated.
The VNF lifecycle manager (compute) [1042] will manage the overall flow of
incoming/ outgoing requests during interaction with the user. The VNF lifecycle
manager (compute) [1042] is responsible for determining which sequence to be
10 followed for executing the process. For e.g., in an AMF network function of the
communication network (such as a 5G network), sequence for execution of
processes P1 and P2 etc. The VNF catalogue [1044] stores the metadata of all the
VNFs (also CNFs in some cases). The network services catalogue [1046] stores the
information of the services that need to be run. The network slicing and service
15 chaining manager [1048] manages the slicing (an ordered and connected sequence
of network service/ network functions (NFs)) that must be applied to a specific
networked data packet. The physical and virtual resource manager [1050] stores the
logical and physical inventory of the VNFs. Just like the VNF lifecycle manager
(compute) [1042], the CNF lifecycle manager [1052] is similarly used for the CNFs
20 lifecycle management.
[0058] The platforms foundation services module [106] further comprises a
microservices elastic load balancer [1062]; an identify & access manager [1064]; a
command line interface (CLI) [1066]; a central logging manager [1068]; and an
25 event routing manager [1070]. The microservices elastic load balancer [1062] is
used for maintaining the load balancing of the request for the services. The identify
& access manager [1064] is used for logging purposes. The command line interface
(CLI) [1066] is used to provide commands to execute certain processes which
require changes during the run time. The central logging manager [1068] is
30 responsible for keeping the logs of every services. Theses logs are generated by the
MANO platform [100]. These logs are used for debugging purposes. The event
17
routing manager [1070] is responsible for routing the events i.e., the application
programming interface (API) hits to the corresponding services.
[0059] The platforms core services module [108] further comprises NFV
infrastructure 5 monitoring manager [1082]; an assure manager [1084]; a
performance manager [1086]; a policy execution engine [1088]; a capacity
monitoring manager [1090]; a release management (mgmt.) repository [1092]; a
configuration manager & (GCT) [1094]; an NFV platform decision analytics
[1096]; a platform NoSQL DB [1098]; a platform schedulers and cron jobs [1100];
10 a VNF backup & upgrade manager [1102]; a micro service auditor [1104]; and a
platform operations, administration and maintenance manager [1106]. The NFV
infrastructure monitoring manager [1082] monitors the infrastructure part of the
NFs. For e.g., any metrics such as CPU utilization by the VNF. The assure manager
[1084] is responsible for supervising the alarms the vendor is generating. The
15 performance manager [1086] is responsible for manging the performance counters.
The policy execution engine (PEEGN) [1088] is responsible for all the managing
the policies. The capacity monitoring manager (CPM) [1090] is responsible for
sending the request to the PEEGN [1088]. The release management (mgmt.)
repository (RMR) [1092] is responsible for managing the releases and the images
20 of all the vendor network node. The configuration manager & (GCT) [1094]
manages the configuration and GCT of all the vendors. The NFV platform decision
analytics (NPDA) [1096] helps in deciding the priority of using the network
resources. It is further noted that the policy execution engine (PEGN) [1088], the
configuration manager & (GCT) [1094] and the (NPDA) [1096] work together. The
25 platform NoSQL DB [1098] is a database for storing all the inventory (both physical
and logical) as well as the metadata of the VNFs and CNF. The platform schedulers
and cron jobs [1100] schedules the task such as but not limited to triggering of an
event, traverse the network graph etc. The VNF backup & upgrade manager [1102]
takes backup of the images, binaries of the VNFs and the CNFs and produces those
30 backups on demand in case of server failure. The micro service auditor [1104]
18
audits the microservices. For e.g., in a hypothetical case, instances not being
instantiated by the MANO architecture [100] using the network resources then the
micro service auditor [1104] audits and informs the same so that resources can be
released for services running in the MANO architecture [100], thereby assuring the
services only 5 run on the MANO platform [100]. The platform operations,
administration and maintenance manager [1106] is used for newer instances that
are spawning.
[0060] The platform resource adapters and utilities module [112] further comprises
10 a platform external API adaptor and gateway [1122]; a generic decoder and indexer
(XML, CSV, JSON) [1124]; a docker swarm adaptor [1126]; an API adapter
[1128]; and a NFV gateway [1130]. The platform external API adaptor and gateway
[1122] is responsible for handling the external services (to the MANO platform
[100]) that requires the network resources. The generic decoder and indexer (XML,
15 CSV, JSON) [1124] gets directly the data of the vendor system in the XML, CSV,
JSON format. The docker swarm adaptor [1126] is the interface provided between
the telecom cloud and the MANO architecture [100] for communication. The API
adapter [1128]; is used to connect with the virtual machines (VMs). The NFV
gateway [1130] is responsible for providing the path to each services going
20 to/incoming from the MANO architecture [100].
[0061] The present disclosure can be implemented on a computing device [200]
(also referred herein as a computer system [200]) upon which the features of the
present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with exemplary
25 implementation of the present disclosure. In an implementation, the computing
device [200] may also implement a method for reserving resources for instantiation
of a network function utilising the system. In another implementation, the
computing device [200] itself implements the method for reserving resources for
instantiation of a network function using one or more units configured within the
30 computing device [200], wherein said one or more units are capable of
implementing the features as disclosed in the present disclosure.
19
[0062] The computing device [200] may include a bus [202] or other
communication mechanism for communicating information, and a hardware
processor [204] coupled with bus [202] for processing information. The hardware
processor [204] may be, 5 for example, a general-purpose microprocessor. The
computing device [200] may also include a main memory [206], such as a randomaccess
memory (RAM), or other dynamic storage device, coupled to the bus [202]
for storing information and instructions to be executed by the processor [204]. The
main memory [206] also may be used for storing temporary variables or other
10 intermediate information during execution of the instructions to be executed by the
processor [204]. Such instructions, when stored in non-transitory storage media
accessible to the processor [204], render the computing device [200] into a specialpurpose
machine that is customized to perform the operations specified in the
instructions. The computing device [200] further includes a read only memory
15 (ROM) [208] or other static storage device coupled to the bus [202] for storing static
information and instructions for the processor [204].
[0063] A storage device [210], such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or solid-state
drive is provided and coupled to the bus [202] for storing information and
20 instructions. The computing device [200] may be coupled via the bus [202] to a
display [212], such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), Liquid crystal Display (LCD),
Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, Organic LED (OLED) display, etc. for
displaying information to a computer user. An input device [214], including
alphanumeric and other keys, touch screen input means, etc. may be coupled to the
25 bus [202] for communicating information and command selections to the processor
[204]. Another type of user input device may be a cursor controller [216], such as
a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys, for communicating direction
information and command selections to the processor [204], and for controlling
cursor movement on the display [212]. The input device typically has two degrees
20
of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis (e.g., y), that allow
the device to specify positions in a plane.
[0064] The computing device [200] may implement the techniques described
herein using customized hard-5 wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmware
and/or program logic which in combination with the computing device [200] causes
or programs the computing device [200] to be a special-purpose machine.
According to one implementation, the techniques herein are performed by the
computing device [200] in response to the processor [204] executing one or more
10 sequences of one or more instructions contained in the main memory [206]. Such
instructions may be read into the main memory [206] from another storage medium,
such as the storage device [210]. Execution of the sequences of instructions
contained in the main memory [206] causes the processor [204] to perform the
process steps described herein. In alternative implementations of the present
15 disclosure, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with
software instructions.
[0065] The computing device [200] also may include a communication interface
[218] coupled to the bus [202]. The communication interface [218] provides a two20
way data communication coupling to a network link [220] that is connected to a
local network [222]. For example, the communication interface [218] may be an
integrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellite modem, or
a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of
telephone line. As another example, the communication interface [218] may be a
25 local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a
compatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such
implementation, the communication interface [218] sends and receives electrical,
electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing
various types of information.
30
21
[0066] The computing device [200] can send messages and receive data, including
program code, through the network(s), the network link [220] and the
communication interface [218]. In the Internet example, a server [230] might
transmit a requested code for an application program through the Internet [228], the
ISP [226], 5 the local network [222], the host [224] and the communication interface
[218]. The received code may be executed by the processor [204] as it is received,
and/or stored in the storage device [210], or other non-volatile storage for later
execution.
10 [0067] Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary block diagram of a system [300] for
reserving resources for instantiation of a network function is shown, in accordance
with the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. The system [300]
comprises at least one transceiver unit [302] and at least one processing unit [304].
Also, all of the components/ units of the system [300] are assumed to be connected
15 to each other unless otherwise indicated below. Also, in FIG. 3 only a few units are
shown, however, the system [300] may comprise multiple such units or the system
[300] may comprise any such numbers of said units, as required to implement the
features of the present disclosure. In an implementation, the system [300] may
reside in a server or a network entity. In yet another implementation, the system
20 [300] may reside partly in the server/ network entity. Further, FIG. 3 is intended to
be read in conjunction with FIG. 1, which illustrates an exemplary block diagram
of a management and orchestration (MANO) architecture.
[0068] The system [300] is configured for reserving resources for instantiation of a
25 network function, with the help of the interconnection between the
components/units of the system [300]. The reserving of resources for instantiation
of a network function may be associated with such as, but not limited to, reserving
number of servers, containers, computing devices, network devices, and storages.
The resources may be associated with physical and/or virtual resources.
30
22
[0069] The system [300] comprises a transceiver unit [302]. The transceiver unit
[302] is configured to receive, at a lifecycle manager (LM) module, a request for
instantiation of the network function. The transceiver unit [302] at the LM module
is configured to receive the request for instantiation of the network function, such
as, 5 but not limited to, at least one of containerized network function (CNF), and
virtual network function (VNF). The instantiation of the network function refers to
creation and deployment of network function in the network. In an implementation,
the LM module is a containerized network function – Lifecycle Manager (CNFLM)
if the network function is a CNF. In an implementation, the LM module is a
10 virtual network function – Lifecycle Manager (VNF-LM) if the network function
is a VNF. The request for instantiation of the network function may be generated
by an entity, such as, but not limited to, network administrator, authorised person
or may be network generated.
15 [0070] The transceiver unit [302] of the system [300] is further configured to
transmit, from the LM module to a policy execution engine (PEEGN) [1088], a
request for a set of resources required for instantiation of the network function.
After receiving the request for instantiation of the network function, the LM module
is configured to transmit the request for the set of resources required for
20 instantiation of the network function. The LM module may send at least one of,
such as, an identifier of the VNF or CNF, and number of instances information with
the request to the PEEGN [1088]. In an implementation, the set of resources
required is based on a predetermined policy. The predetermined policy may be
defined by the network administrator or service provider. The predetermined policy
25 may define policies related to, such as, but not limited to, server capacity, number
of servers, number of instances and a region. The region may comprise a
geographical area, a serving cell area, a sector area, and a state.
[0071] The transceiver unit [302] of the system [300] is further configured to
30 transmit, from the PEEGN [1088], to a physical and virtual inventory manager
(PVIM) module, the request for the set of resources and a request for a region of
23
instantiation of the network function. After receiving the request from the LM
module, the PEEGN [1088] is configured to transmit via the transceiver unit [302]
of the system [300] the request for the set of resources and a request for a region of
instantiation of the network function to the PVIM module. The PEEGN [1088] may
provide identifier and 5 number of instantiations for the CNF/VNF to the PVIM
module. The region of instantiation of the network function, refers to, such as, but
not limited to at least one of a site detail information, a pod detail information, a
required configuration information, a maximum number of instances information,
and combinations thereof. The pod detail information may comprise such as, a set
10 of computing units or a cluster of units, servers.
[0072] The system [300] further comprises a processing unit [304]. The processing
unit [304] is connected to at least the transceiver unit [302]. The processing unit
[304] is configured to determine, at the PVIM module, a set of available resources
15 based on the request for the set of resources and the region of instantiation of the
network function.
[0073] The processing unit [304] is further configured to reserve, at the PVIM
module, the set of resources from the available set of resources for instantiation of
20 the network function. After determination of the set of available resources from the
set of resources and the region of instantiation of the network function, the PVIM
module is configured to reserve via the processing unit [304] of the system [300]
the set of resources from the available set of resources. The available set of
resources may comprise servers, containers, computing devices, network devices,
25 and storages. The resources may be associated with physical and/or virtual
resources. The PVIM module is configured to fetch the available set of resources
information from an attached database and reserve the set of resources. Further, the
processing unit [304] reserves the set of resources from the available set of
resources for instantiation of the network function, based on a computation
30 performed on the available set of resources. The PVIM module is configured to
implement such as, any computational algorithm or set of instructions for
24
determining the set of required resources from the available set of resources for the
instantiation of the network function (e.g., CNF or VNF). In an exemplary
implementation, the PVIM module is configured to perform computation on the set
of available resources, based on quality of service and resource management using
one or more algorithms 5 such as round-robin and/or priority-based allocation. In an
exemplary implementation, the PEEGN [1088] sends the request instantiation of
CNF with identifier CNF1, number of instantiations as 2, region information such
as geographical identifier or area name to the PVIM module. The PVIM module is
configured to determine the available resources for the received request information
10 and associated parameters for the instantiation of the CNF.
[0074] In an exemplary implementation, the processing unit [304] is configured to
update, at the PVIM module, the available set of resources based on assignment of
the set of resources for instantiation of the network function. After assignment of
15 the set of resources for instantiation of the network function, the available set of
resources gets reduced. The PVIM module is configured to update this information
into the database.
[0075] In an exemplary aspect, after reserving the set of resources, the processing
20 unit [304] of the system [300] is configured to select via the PEEGN [1088] at least
a host for instantiation of the network function. The selection of at least the host is
based on the set of resources. In an exemplary implementation, the PEEGN [1088]
may select the host (e.g., container or server) based on the set of resources provided
by the PVIM module.
25
[0076] Further, in accordance with the present disclosure, it is to be acknowledged
that the functionality described for the various components/units can be
implemented interchangeably. While specific embodiments may disclose a
particular functionality of these units for clarity, it is recognized that various
30 configurations and combinations thereof are within the scope of the disclosure. The
functionality of specific units as disclosed in the disclosure should not be construed
25
as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Consequently, alternative
arrangements and substitutions of units, provided they achieve the intended
functionality described herein, are considered to be encompassed within the scope
of the present disclosure.
5
[0077] Referring to FIG. 4 an exemplary method flow diagram [400], for reserving
resources for instantiation of a network function, in accordance with exemplary
implementations of the present disclosure is shown. In an implementation the
method [400] is performed by the system [300]. As shown in FIG. 4, the method
10 [400] starts at step [402]. Further, FIG. 4 is intended to be read in conjunction with
FIG. 1, which illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a management and
orchestration (MANO) architecture.
[0078] At step [404], the method [400] as disclosed by the present disclosure
15 comprises receiving, by a transceiver unit [302], at a lifecycle manager (LM)
module, a request for instantiation of the network function. The transceiver unit
[302] at the LM module may receive the request for instantiation of the network
function, such as, but not limited to, at least one of containerized network function
(CNF), and virtual network function (VNF). The instantiation of the network
20 function refers to creation and deployment of network function in the network. In
an implementation, the LM module is a containerized network function – Lifecycle
Manager (CNF-LM) if the network function is a CNF. In an implementation, the
LM module is a virtual network function – Lifecycle Manager (VNF-LM) if the
network function is a VNF. The request for instantiation of the network function
25 may be generated by an entity, such as, but not limited to, a network administrator,
an authorised person or may be network generated.
[0079] Next, at step [406], the method [400] as disclosed by the present disclosure
comprises transmitting, by the transceiver unit [302] from the LM module to a
30 policy execution engine (PEEGN) [1088], a request for a set of resources required
26
for instantiation of the network function. After receiving the request for
instantiation of the network function, the LM module may transmit the request for
the set of resources required for instantiation of the network function. The LM
module may send at least one of, such as, identifier of the VNF or CNF, and number
of instances 5 information with the request to the PEEGN [1088]. In an
implementation, the set of resources required is based on a predetermined policy.
The predetermined policy may be defined by the network administrator or service
provider. The predetermined policy may define policies related to, such as, but not
limited to, server capacity, number of servers, number of instances and a region.
10 The region may comprise a geographical area, a serving cell area, a sector area, and
a state.
[0080] Next, at step [408], the method [400] as disclosed by the present disclosure
comprises transmitting, by the transceiver unit [302] from the PEEGN [1088], to a
15 physical virtual inventory manager (PVIM) module, the request for the set of
resources and a request for a region of instantiation of the network function. After
receiving the request from the LM module, the PEEGN [1088] may transmit via
transceiver unit [302] of the system [300] the request for the set of resources and
the request for a region of instantiation of the network function to the PVIM
20 module. The PEEGN [1088] may provide identifier and number of instantiations
for the CNF/VNF to the PVIM module. The region of instantiation of the network
function, refers to, such as, but not limited to at least one of a site detail information,
a pod detail information, a required configuration information, a maximum number
of instances information, and combinations thereof. The pod detail information may
25 comprise such as, a set of computing units or a cluster of units, servers.
[0081] Next, at step [410], the method [400] as disclosed by the present disclosure
comprises determining, by a processing unit [304], at the PVIM module, a set of
available resources based on the request for the set of resources and the region of
30 instantiation of the network function.
27
[0082] Next, at step [412], the method [400] as disclosed by the present disclosure
comprises reserving, by the processing unit [304], at the PVIM module, the set of
resources from the available set of resources for instantiation of the network
function. After determination 5 of the set of available resources for the set of
resources and the region of instantiation of the network function, the PVIM module
may reserve via the processing unit [304] of the system [300] the set of resources
from the available set of resources. The available set of resources may comprise
servers, containers, computing devices, network devices, and storages. The
10 resources may be associated with physical and/or virtual resources. The PVIM
module may fetch the available set of resources information from an attached
database and reserve the set of resources. Further, the processing unit [304] reserves
the set of resources from the available set of resources for instantiation of the
network function, based on a computation performed on the available set of
15 resources. The PVIM module is configured to implement such as, any
computational algorithm or set of instructions for determining the set of required
resources from the available set of resources for the instantiation of the network
function (e.g., CNF or VNF). In an exemplary implementation, the PVIM module
is configured to perform computation on the set of available resources, based on
20 quality of service and resource management using one or more algorithms such as
round-robin and/or priority-based allocation.
[0083] In an exemplary implementation, the processing unit [304] may update, at
the PVIM module, the available set of resources based on assignment of the set of
25 resources for instantiation of the network function. After assignment of the set of
resources for instantiation of the network function, the available set of resources
gets reduced. The PVIM module may update this information into the database.
[0084] In an exemplary aspect, after reserving the set of resources, the processing
30 unit [304] of the system [300] may select via the PEEGN [1088] at least a host for
instantiation of the network function. The selection of at least the host is based on
28
the set of resources. In an exemplary implementation, the PEEGN [1088] may
select the host (e.g., container or server) based on the set of resources provided by
the PVIM module.
[0085] 5 Thereafter, the method [400] terminates at step [414].
[0086] Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary block diagram of a system architecture
[500] for reserving resources for instantiation of a network function, in accordance
with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure, is shown. The system
10 [500] comprises a CNF-LM/ VLM [502], a PEEGN [1088], a PVIM Server [506]
and a Database (DB) [508]. Further, it is to be noted that the CNF-LM/ VLM [502]
performs the same function as the LM module as described with respect to FIG. 3
and FIG. 4. Further, it is to be noted that the PVIM Server [506] performs the same
function as the PVIM module described with respect to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. Further,
15 FIG. 5 is intended to be read in conjunction with FIG. 1, which illustrates an
exemplary block diagram of a management and orchestration (MANO)
architecture.
[0087] In order to reserve resources for instantiation of a network function, the
20 CNF-LM/ VLM [502] sends a query or a request for instantiation of network
function such as, a containerized network function (CNF) or a virtual network
function (VNF) instantiation to the PEEGN [1088]. The CNF-LM/ VLM [502]
sends request to the PEEGN [1088] after receiving the instantiation trigger from a
user interface of the system architecture [500] (not shown in the FIG.5). The
25 instantiation trigger may be provided by a network administrator or an authorised
person. Notably, if the instantiation of CNF is triggered, the CNF-LM [502] sends
the request to the PEEGN [1088], and if the instantiation of VNF is triggered, the
VLM [502] sends the request to the PEEGN [1088].
29
[0088] Further, the PEEGN [1088] queries the PVIM server [506] to provide the
available resources and region information. The region of instantiation information
may comprise, such as, but not limited to, a site detail information, a pod detail
information, a required configuration information, a maximum number of instances
information 5 and combinations thereof. In an implementation, the database (DB)
[508] is configured to store the available resources and region information. The
PVIM server [506] fetches the available resources and region information from the
DB [508] and sends a response back to the PEEGN [1088].
10 [0089] Further, after receiving successful response from the PVIM server [506],
the PEEGN [1088] sends a request to PVIM server [506] to reserve resources
required for the network function (e.g., CNF or VNF) instantiation.
[0090] Further, the PVIM server [506] performs a computation on the available
15 resources and reserves the requested resources requested by the PEEGN [1088].
Further, the PVIM server [506] updates the information related to the available
resources and the reserved resources in the DB [508]. Thereafter, the PVIM server
[506] sends a successful response for reserving resources and send the information
of the reserved resources to the PEEGN [1088]. The PEEGN [1088] further sends
20 successful response of reserving the sources to the CNF-LM/ VLM [502].
[0091] The present disclosure may further relate to a non-transitory computer
readable storage medium storing instruction for reserving resources for instantiation
of a network function, the instructions include executable code which, when
25 executed by one or more units of a system, causes a transceiver unit [302] to receive,
at a lifecycle manager (LM) module, a request for instantiation of the network
function. The executable code which, when executed causes the transceiver unit
[302] to transmit, from the LM module to a policy execution engine (PEEGN)
[1088], a request for a set of resources required for instantiation of the network
30 function. The executable code which, when executed causes the transceiver unit
30
[302] to transmit, from the PEEGN [1088], to a physical virtual inventory manager
(PVIM) module, the request for the set of resources and a request for a region of
instantiation of the network function. The executable code which, when executed
causes a processing unit [304] of the system to determine, at the PVIM module, a
set of available resources based 5 on the request for the set of resources and the region
of instantiation of the network function and reserve, at the PVIM module, the set of
resources from the available set of resources for instantiation of the network
function.
10 [0092] As is evident from the above, the present disclosure provides a technically
advanced solution for reserving resources for network function instantiation. The
present solution helps in proper resource utilization by reserving resources at initial
level of instantiation flow. Further, the present solution helps in resource
synchronization of resources by removing reserved resources from total available
15 resources.
[0093] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the disclosed
embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that
many changes can be made to the embodiments without departing from the
20 principles of the present disclosure. These and other changes in the embodiments
of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, whereby it is to
be understood that the foregoing descriptive matter to be implemented is illustrative
and non-limiting.
31
We Claim:
1. A method for reserving resources for instantiation of a network function, the
method comprising:
- receiving, by 5 a transceiver unit [302], at a lifecycle manager (LM)
module, a request for instantiation of the network function;
- transmitting, by the transceiver unit [302] from the LM module to a
policy execution engine (PEEGN) [1088], a request for a set of
resources required for instantiation of the network function;
10 - transmitting, by the transceiver unit [302] from the PEEGN [1088], to
a physical virtual inventory manager (PVIM) module, the request for
the set of resources and a request for a region of instantiation of the
network function;
- determining, by a processing unit [304], at the PVIM module, a set of
15 available resources based on the request for the set of resources and
the region of instantiation of the network function; and
- reserving, by the processing unit [304], at the PVIM module, the set
of resources from the available set of resources for instantiation of the
network function.
20
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the set of resources required is
based on a predetermined policy.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method comprises updating,
25 by the processing unit [304], at the PVIM module, the available set of
resources based on assignment of the set of resources for instantiation of the
network function.
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method comprises selecting, by
30 the processing unit [304] via the PEEGN [1088], at least a host for instantiation
32
of the at least one network function, wherein selection of at least the host is
based on the set of resources.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network function comprises at
least 5 one of a containerized network function (CNF), and a virtual network
function (VNF).
6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein, the LM module is a containerized
network function – Lifecycle Manager (CNF-LM) if the network function is a
10 CNF.
7. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the LM module is a virtual network
function – Lifecycle Manager (VNF-LM) if the network function is a VNF.
15 8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit [304] reserves
the set of resources from the available set of resources for instantiation of the
network function, based on a computation performed on the available set of
resources.
20 9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the region of instantiation of the
network function comprises at least one of a site detail information, a pod detail
information, a required configuration information, a maximum number of
instances information, and combinations thereof.
25 10. A system for reserving resources for instantiation of a network function, the
system comprising:
- a transceiver unit [302] configured to:
 receive, at a lifecycle manager (LM) module, a request for instantiation
of the network function;
33
 transmit, from the LM module to a policy execution engine (PEEGN)
[1088], a request for a set of resources required for instantiation of the
network function;
 transmit, from the PEEGN [1088], to a physical virtual inventory
manager (PVIM) 5 module, the request for the set of resources and a
request for a region of instantiation of the network function;
- a processing unit [304] configured to:
 determine, at the PVIM module, a set of available resources based on
the request for the set of resources and the region of instantiation of the
10 network function; and
 reserve, at the PVIM module, the set of resources from the available set
of resources for instantiation of the network function.
11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the set of resources required is
15 based on a predetermined policy.
12. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing unit [304] is
configured to update, at the PVIM module, the available set of resources
based on assignment of the set of resourced for instantiation of the network
20 function.
13. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing unit [304] is
configured to select, via the PEEGN [1088], at least a host for instantiation of
the network function, wherein selection of at least the host is based on the set
25 of resources.
14. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the network function comprises
at least one of containerized network function (CNF), and virtual network
function (VNF).
30
34
15. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein, the LM module is a containerized
network function – Lifecycle Manager (CNF-LM) if the network function is
a CNF.
16. The system as claimed 5 in claim 13, wherein the LM module is a virtual
network function – Lifecycle Manager (VNF-LM) if the network function is
a VNF.
17. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the region of instantiation of the
10 network function comprises at least one of a site detail information, a pod
detail information, a required configuration information, a maximum number
of instances information, and combinations thereof.
18. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing unit [304] reserves
15 the set of resources from the available set of resources for instantiation of the
network function, based on a computation performed on the available set of resources.