202321065363
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 TO PERFORM RESOURCE MANAGEMENT FOR VIRTUAL
NETWORK FUNCTION / VNF COMPONENT INSTANTIATION “
We, Jio Platforms Limited, an Indian National, of Office - 101, Saffron, Nr. Centre Point,
15 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 TO PERFORM RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
FOR VIRTUAL NETWORK FUNCTION / VNF COMPONENT
INSTANTIATION
5 FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of
"wireless communication systems. More particularly, embodiments of the present
disclosure relate to a method and a system to perform resource management for
10 Virtual Network Function (VNF) / VNF Component (VNFC) instantiation.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The following description of related art is intended to provide background
15 information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include
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] In communication networks such as the 5G communication network,
different microservices perform different services, jobs, and tasks in the network.
Different microservices have to perform their jobs in such a way based on
operational parameters and policies, that it does not affect microservices’ own
25 operations and service network operations. Policy execution engine (PEEGN)
microservice performs resource management and network service orchestration
during instantiation and scaling/healing of virtual network functions (VNF).
However, during service operations, resources reservation and management at
Physical and Virtual Inventory Manager (PVIM) for VNF instantiations is a
30 difficult task, since PEEGN executes different combinations of affinity and anti-
3
affinity policies for VNF and VNF components (VNFCs). The existing available
solutions are not efficient for handling resource reservations and creating
deployment models for VNFs and VNFCs during instantiation.
5 [0004] Thus, there exists an imperative need in the art to provide an efficient system
and method to perform resource management for virtual network function (VNF)
or VNF component (VNFC).
SUMMARY
10
[0005] 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.
15
[0006] An aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a method to perform
resource management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / VNF Component
(VNFC) instantiation. The method includes sending, by a processing unit from a
network service chaining manager (NSCM), a first request to a policy execution
20 engine (PEEGN) during VNF instantiation flow to fetch availability zone (AZ) and
host aggregate (HA). Next, the method includes requesting, by the processing unit
via the PEEGN to a VNFC for VNFC details. Next, the method includes receiving,
by the processing unit, a response from VNFC, wherein the received response
comprises the VNFC details. Next, the method includes transmitting, by the
25 processing unit via the PEEGN, a second request, to a physical and virtual inventory
manager (PVIM)/(VIM) for fetching available VIM details against each availability
zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA) to be used for deployment of virtual network
functions (VNFs). Next, the method includes sending, by the processing unit via
the PEEGN, a response associated with the reservation of resources for the VNF
30 based on the fetched VIM details. Next, the method includes reserving, by the
processing unit via the PVIM, the resources for the VNFs based on the fetched VIM
4
details. Thereafter, the method includes providing, by the processing unit from the
PEEGN, a deployment plan to the NSCM after receiving a successful resource
reservation response from the PVIM.
5 [0007] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, PEEGN and the NSCM
communicate with each other via a communication channel.
[0008] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the communication
channel is at least a PE_SL interface.
10
[0009] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, reserving the resources for
the VNF is further based on a plurality of affinity and anti-affinity policies of the
VNF.
15 [0010] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the NSCM on receiving
the deployment plan for the VNF from the PEEGN, triggers a VNF Life Cycle
Manager (VLM) to instantiate a specified number of VNF instances.
[0011] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the VLM fetches a storage
20 Volume ID, Image ID, and deployment flavour ID from a database and triggers a
VNF instantiation unit to instantiate the VNF in the VIM.
[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a system to perform
resource management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / VNF Component
25 (VNFC) instantiation. The system comprises a processing unit. The processing unit
is configured to: send, from a network service chaining manager (NSCM), a first
request to a policy execution engine (PEEGN) during VNF instantiation flow to
fetch availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA); request, via the PEEGN, to a
VNFC for VNFC details; receive, a response from the VNFC, wherein the received
30 response comprises the VNFC details; transmit, via the PEEGN, a second request,
5
to a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM/VIM) for fetching available
VIM details against each availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA) to be used
for deployment of virtual network functions (VNFs); send, via the PEEGN, a
response associated with reservation of resources for the VNF based on the fetched
5 VIM details; reserve, via the PVIM, the resources for the VNFs based on the fetched
VIM details; and provide, from the PEEGN, a deployment plan to the NSCM after
receiving a successful resource reservation response from the PVIM.
[0013] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a non-transitory
10 computer readable storage medium storing instructions for performing resource
management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / VNF Component (VNFC)
instantiation, the instructions include executable code which, when executed by one
or more units of a system, causes: a processing unit of the system to send, from a
network service chaining manager (NSCM), a first request to a policy execution
15 engine (PEEGN) during VNF instantiation flow to fetch availability zone (AZ) and
host aggregate (HA); request, via the PEEGN, to a VNFC for VNFC details;
receive, a response from the VNFC, wherein the received response comprises the
VNFC details; transmit, via the PEEGN, a second request, to a physical and virtual
inventory manager (PVIM/VIM) for fetching available VIM details against each
20 availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA) to be used for deployment of virtual
network functions (VNFs); send, via the PEEGN, a response associated with
reservation of resources for the VNF based on the fetched VIM details; reserve, via
the PVIM, the resources for the VNFs based on the fetched VIM details; and
provide, from the PEEGN, a deployment plan to the NSCM after receiving a
25 successful resource reservation response from the PVIM.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one
30 embodiment disclosed herein satisfies are listed herein below.
6
[0015] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method and a system to
perform resource management for the virtual network function (VNF)/ VNF
Component (VNFC) instantiation.
5
[0016] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a
method for managing resource reservation and providing a deployment plan for
VNFs instantiation having different combinations of affinity and anti-affinity
policies among their VNFC.
10
[0017] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a
method to receive Host Aggregate and Availability Zone where the VNF
Components (VNFC) of the VNF need to be spawned in a particular VIM.
15 DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] 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 numerals refer to the same parts throughout the
20 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
according to the disclosure are illustrated herein to highlight the advantages of the
25 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.
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a management and
30 orchestration (MANO) architecture.
7
[0020] 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 exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.
5
[0021] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system to perform
resource management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / Virtual Network
Function Component (VNFC) instantiation, in accordance with exemplary
implementations of the present disclosure.
10
[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates a method flow diagram to perform resource management
for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / Virtual Network Function Component
(VNFC) instantiation, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the
present disclosure.
15
[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary system architecture to perform resource
management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / Virtual Network Function
Component (VNFC) instantiation, in accordance with exemplary implementations
of the present disclosure.
20
[0024] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process flow diagram to perform resource
management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / Virtual Network Function
Component (VNFC) instantiation, in accordance with the exemplary
implementations of the present disclosure.
25
[0025] FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary sequence flow diagram to perform resource
management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / Virtual Network Function
Component (VNFC) instantiation, in accordance with the exemplary
implementations of the present disclosure.
30
8
[0026] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed
description of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
5
[0027] 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
10 details. Several features described hereafter may each be used independently of one
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.
15 [0028] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not
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
20 arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the
disclosure as set forth.
[0029] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough
understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of
25 ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these
specific details. For example, circuits, systems, processes, and other components
may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the
embodiments in unnecessary detail.
9
[0030] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process
which is depicted as a flowchart, 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
5 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
included in a figure.
[0031] The word “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean
10 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
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
15 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
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.
20
[0032] As used herein, a “processing unit” or “processor” or “operating processor”
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
25 of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a (Digital
Signal Processing) DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific
Integrated Circuits, Field Programmable Gate Array circuits, any other type of
integrated circuits, etc. The processor may perform signal coding data processing,
input/output processing, and/or any other functionality that enables the working of
10
the system according to the present disclosure. More specifically, the processor or
processing unit is a hardware processor.
[0033] As used herein, “a user equipment”, “a user device”, “a smart-user-device”,
5 “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
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
10 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
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
15 such unit(s) which are required to implement the features of the present disclosure.
[0034] As used herein, “storage unit” or “memory unit” refers to a machine or
computer-readable medium including any mechanism for storing information in a
form readable by a computer or similar machine. For example, a computer-readable
20 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
that may be required by one or more units of the system to perform their respective
functions.
25
[0035] As used herein “interface” or “user interface refers to a shared boundary
across which two or more separate components of a system exchange information
or data. The interface may also be referred to a set of rules or protocols that define
communication or interaction of one or more modules or one or more units with
11
each other, which also includes the methods, functions, or procedures that may be
called.
[0036] All modules, units, and components used herein, unless explicitly excluded
5 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,
Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array
10 circuits (FPGA), any other type of integrated circuits, etc.
[0037] As used herein the transceiver unit includes at least one receiver and at least
one transmitter configured respectively for receiving and transmitting data, signals,
information, or a combination thereof between units/components within the system
15 and/or connected with the system.
[0038] As used herein, the Physical and Virtual Inventory Manager (PVIM)
maintains the inventory and its resources. In other words, PVIM refers to a tool that
manages resources within a network or IT environment. PVIM is used to track,
20 monitor, and manage physical hardware resources (servers, routers) and virtual
assets (e.g., VNF).
[0039] As used herein, Virtual Network Function (VNF) Life Cycle Manager
(VLM) may capture the details of vendors, VNFs, and virtual Network Function
25 Components (VNFCs) via create, read, and update API’s. The captured details are
stored in a database. VLM may create VNF or individual VNFC instances. VLM
may scales-out the VNFs or individual VNFCs.
[0040] As used herein, Policy Execution Engine (PEEGN) provides a network
30 function virtualization (NFV) software-defined network (SDN) platform
12
functionality to support dynamic requirements of resource management and
network service orchestration in the virtualized network. Further, the PEEGN is
involved during the Container network function (CNF) instantiation flow to check
for CNF policy and to reserve the resources required to instantiate CNF at PVIM.
5 PEEGN supports the scaling policy for CNFC.
[0041] As used herein, a Capacity Manager Platform (CMP) is used for creating a
task to monitor the performance metrics data received for network functions such
as VNF, VNFC, and CNFC. In case there is a threshold breach of the performance
10 metrics data, CMP sends a trigger to an NFV Platform and Decision Analytics
(NPDA).
[0042] As used herein, Network Service Chaining Manager (NSCM) maintains the
life cycle of a network service (NS). The descriptor of the NS is stored in the
15 NSCM. The NSCM instantiates and terminates the NS as defined in its descriptor.
[0043] As discussed in the background section, the current known solutions have
several shortcomings. The present disclosure aims to overcome the abovementioned and other existing problems in this field of technology by providing a
20 method and a system to perform resource management for Virtual Network
Function (VNF) / VNF Component (VNFC) instantiation.
[0044] The present method and system provide a solution, PE_SL interface which
exits between a Policy Execution Engine (PE/PEEGN) and a Network Service
25 Chaining Manager (NSCM) microservice and is used during VNF instantiations for
creating deployment model/plan for VNFs. The PEEGN provides support for
dynamic requirements of resource management and network service orchestration
in the virtualized network. The PE service stores and provides policies for resource,
security, availability, and scalability of VNFs. It executes automatic scaling and
30 healing functionality of VNF and Network Service (NS). The NSCM maintains the
life cycle of the NS. In NS, there may be multiple VNF instantiations. The
13
descriptor of the NS is stored in the NSCM microservice. The NSCM instantiates
and terminates the NS as defined in its descriptor. The present method and system
provide a solution, that enables, PEEGN to get updated VNF/VNFC information
from VNFC and available VIM details from PVIM. Next, the PEEGN calculates
5 the required resources for a VNF/VNFC to instantiate it on VIM. The PEEGN has
a logic to efficiently reserve resources for a VNF based on the VNF components,
deployment flavour, and affinity/anti-affinity policies among its VNFCs that are
defined on the PEEGN. The present method and system provide a solution, for
which PEEGN creates a deployment plan for VNF instantiation and sends it back
10 to the NSCM for instantiation of VNF. The present method and system further
provide a solution, for which PEEGN uses a unique Flow ID for the complete
instantiation flow of VNF/VNFC. The present method and system further provide
a solution, which enables the async event-based implementation to utilize PE_SL
interface efficiently.
15
[0045] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed
description of the disclosure.
[0046] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be
20 described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0047] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of a
management and orchestration (MANO) architecture/ platform [100], in
accordance with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. The MANO
25 architecture [100] may be developed for managing telecom cloud infrastructure
automatically, managing design or deployment design, managing instantiation of
the network node(s)/ service(s) etc. The MANO architecture [100] deploys the
network node(s) in the form of a Virtual Network Function (VNF) and Cloudnative/ Container Network Function (CNF). The system as provided by the present
30 disclosure may comprise one or more components of the MANO architecture [100].
14
The MANO architecture [100] may be used to auto-instantiate the VNFs into the
corresponding environment of the present disclosure so that it could help in
onboarding other vendor(s) CNFs and VNFs to the platform.
5 [0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the MANO architecture [100] comprises a user
interface layer [102], a network function virtualization (NFV) and software-defined
network (SDN) design function module [104], a platform foundation services
module [106], a Platform Schedulers & Cron Jobs module [108] and a platform
resource adapters and utilities module [112]. All the components are assumed to be
10 connected to each other in a manner as obvious to the person skilled in the art of
implementing features of the present disclosure.
[0049] The NFV and SDN design function module [104] comprises a VNF
lifecycle manager (compute) [1042], a VNF catalog [1044], a network services
15 catalog [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 manager (compute) [1042] may be responsible for deciding on which
server of the communication network, the microservice will be instantiated. The
VNF lifecycle manager (compute) [1042] may manage the overall flow of
20 incoming/ outgoing requests during interaction with the user. The VNF lifecycle
manager (compute) [1042] may be responsible for determining which sequence to
be followed for executing the process. For example, in an AMF network function
of the communication network (such as a 5G network), the sequence for execution
of processes P1 and P2, etc. The VNF catalog [1044] stores the metadata of all the
25 VNFs (also CNFs in some cases). The network services catalog [1046] stores the
information on services that need to be run. The network slicing and service
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
15
logical and physical inventory of the VNFs. Just like the VNF lifecycle manager
(compute) [1042], the CNF lifecycle manager [1052] may be used for the CNF
lifecycle management.
5 [0050] The platform foundation services module [106] comprises a microservices
elastic load balancer [1062], an identity & access manager [1064], a command line
interface (CLI) [1066], a central logging manager [1068], and an event routing
manager [1070]. The microservices elastic load balancer [1062] may be used for
maintaining the load balancing of the request for the services. The identity & access
10 manager [1064] may be used for logging purposes. The command line interface
(CLI) [1066] may be used to provide commands to execute certain processes that
require changes during the run time. The central logging manager [1068] may be
responsible for keeping the logs of every service. These logs are generated by the
MANO platform [100]. These logs are used for debugging purposes. The event
15 routing manager [1070] may be responsible for routing the events i.e., the
application programming interface (API) hits to the corresponding services.
[0051] The platforms core services module [108] comprises an NFV infrastructure
monitoring manager [1082], an assure manager [1084], a performance manager
20 [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], a VNF backup & upgrade manager
[1102], a microservice auditor [1104], and a platform operations, administration
25 and maintenance manager [1106]. The NFV infrastructure monitoring manager
[1082] monitors the infrastructure part of the NFs. For example, any metrics such
as CPU utilization by the VNF. The assure manager [1084] may be responsible for
supervising the alarms the vendor may be generating. The performance manager
[1086] may be responsible for managing the performance counters. The policy
16
execution engine (PEGN) [1088] may be responsible for managing all of the
policies. The capacity monitoring manager (CMM) [1090] may be responsible for
sending the request to the PEGN [1088]. The release management (mgmt.)
repository (RMR) [1092] may be responsible for managing the releases and the
5 images of all of the vendor's network nodes. 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 may be further noted that the policy execution engine (PEGN)
[1088], the configuration manager & GCT [1094], and the NPDA [1096] work
10 together. The platform NoSQL DB [1098] may be 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] schedule tasks such as but not limited
to triggering an event, traversing the network graph etc. The VNF backup &
upgrade manager [1102] takes backup of the images, and binaries of the VNFs and
15 the CNFs and produces those backups on demand in case of server failure. The
microservice auditor [1104] audits the microservices. For example, in a
hypothetical case, instances not being instantiated by the MANO architecture [100]
may be using the network resources. In such cases, the microservice auditor [1104]
audits and informs the same so that resources can be released for services running
20 in the MANO architecture [100]. The audit assures that the services only run on the
MANO platform [100]. The platform operations, administration, and maintenance
manager [1106] may be used for newer instances that are spawning.
[0052] The platform resource adapters and utilities module [112] further comprises
25 a platform external API adaptor and gateway [1122]; a generic decoder and indexer
(XML, CSV, JSON) [1124]; a docker service adaptor [1126]; an API adapter
[1128]; and an NFV gateway [1130]. The platform external API adaptor and
gateway [1122] may be responsible for handling the external services (to the
MANO platform [100]) that require the network resources. The generic decoder
30 and indexer (XML, CSV, JSON) [1124] gets directly the data of the vendor system
17
in the XML, CSV, and JSON format. The docker swarm adaptor [1126] may be the
interface provided between the telecom cloud and the MANO architecture [100] for
communication. The API adapter [1128] may be used to connect with the virtual
machines (VMs). The NFV gateway [1130] may be responsible for providing the
5 path to each service going to/incoming from the MANO architecture [100].
[0053] Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary block diagram of a computing device
[200] (also referred to herein as a computer system [200]) upon which the features
of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with exemplary
10 implementation of the present disclosure, is shown. In an implementation, the
computing device [200] may also implement a method for performing resource
management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / VNFC instantiation utilizing
the system. In another implementation, the computing device [200] itself
implements the method for performing resource management for Virtual Network
15 Function (VNF) / VNFC instantiation using one or more units configured within
the computing device [200], wherein said one or more units are capable of
implementing the features as disclosed in the present disclosure.
[0054] The computing device [200] may include a bus [202] or other
20 communication mechanism for communicating information, and a hardware
processor [204] coupled with the bus [202] for processing information. The
hardware processor [204] may be, for example, a general-purpose microprocessor.
The computing device [200] may also include a main memory [206], such as a
random-access memory (RAM), or other dynamic storage device, coupled to the
25 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 intermediate information during the 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]
30 into a special-purpose machine that is customized to perform the operations
specified in the instructions. The computing device [200] further includes a read
18
only memory (ROM) [208] or other static storage device coupled to the bus [202]
for storing static information and instructions for the processor [204].
[0055] A storage device [210], such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or solid-state
5 drive is provided and coupled to the bus [202] for storing information and
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
10 alphanumeric and other keys, touch screen input means, etc. may be coupled to the
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
15 cursor movement on the display [212]. The input device typically has two degrees
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.
[0056] The computing device [200] may implement the techniques described
20 herein using customized hard-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
25 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
19
disclosure, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with
software instructions.
[0057] The computing device [200] also may include a communication interface
5 [218] coupled to the bus [202]. The communication interface [218] provides a twoway 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
10 telephone line. As another example, the communication interface [218] may be a
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
15 various types of information.
[0058] 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
20 transmit a requested code for an application program through the Internet [228], the
ISP [226], 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.
25
[0059] Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary block diagram of a system [300] to
perform resource management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / Virtual
Network Function Component (VNFC) instantiation is shown, in accordance with
the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. The system [300]
30 comprises at least one processing unit [302] and at least one storage unit [304].
20
Also, all of the components/ units of the system [300] are assumed to be connected
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
5 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
[300] may reside partly in the server/ network entity.
[0060] The system [300] is configured to perform resource management for Virtual
10 Network Function (VNF) / Virtual Network Function Component (VNFC)
instantiation, with the help of the interconnection between the components/units of
the system [300].
[0061] The system [300] includes the processing unit [302]. The processing unit
15 [302] is configured to send, from a network service chaining manager (NSCM), a
first request to a policy execution engine (PEEGN) during VNF instantiation flow
to fetch availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA). For onboarding or creating
a VNF/ VNFC instantiation in a network service (NS) chain, the processing unit
[302] is configured to receive from the NSCM and send the first request to the
20 PEEGN for fetching information of the availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate
(HA). The first request may be such as PROVIDE_VNF_AZ. The PEEGN and the
NSCM may communicate with each other via a communication channel such as at
least a PE_SL interface. The PE_SL interface represents a communication channel
between the PEEGN (PE) and NSCM (SL). In an implementation, the NS chain is
25 established for providing service in the network such as, but not limited to, 5G
network. The NS chain may be a set of the plurality of Network Services. The NS
chain may be present region-wise or zone-wise. During the VNF instantiation flow,
the processing unit [302] is configured to fetch information on the AZ and HA for
deployment of the VNF/VNFC. In an exemplary implementation, the AZ and HA
30 provide information to instantiate VNF/VNFC. The Availability zones (AZ) are end
21
user visible logical abstractions for partitioning of the cloud services. The logical
partition comprises block storage, compute services and network services. The
logical partition requires a particular host to be present in an Availability Zone. In
other words, AZ are isolated or separated data centres located within specific
5 regions in which cloud services originate and operate. Moreover, AZ refers to a
specific or an isolated location in a data center or in a cloud environment. The
isolated location ensures that in case of failure of one zone, services in another zone
may remain functional or operational.
10 [0062] In an implementation, the Host Aggregate (HA) refers to an aggregate or
group of physical hosts in a virtualised environment. Further, HA are used to define
where specific virtual network functions (VNFs) can be deployed. HA can be
created based on the hardware profile of the physical hosts. Further, each
Availability zone may have an association of multiple host aggregates, which in
15 turn may have a list of hosts associated with it.
[0063] The processing unit [302] of the system [300] is further configured to
request, via or through the PEEGN, to a VNFC for VNFC details. After receiving
the request such as PROVIDE_VNF_AZ request from the NSCM during the VNF
20 instantiation flow for providing deployment for the VNF, the processing unit [302]
is configured to request the VNFC via the PEEGN for the VNFC details. The
processing unit [302] is configured to send GET_VNF_DETAIL request to the
VNFC for getting VNF details having all VNFC details.
25 [0064] The processing unit [302] is configured to receive, a response from the
VNFC, wherein the received response comprises the VNFC details. In response to
the request, the processing unit [302] is configured to receive the response from the
VNFC that comprises all details of VNF/ VNFC. After receiving the details of the
VNF/VNFC, the processing unit [302] is configured to store such details in a
30 storage unit [304]. In an implementation, the processing unit [302] is configured to
perform via the PEEGN a quota check based on the stored details of the
22
VNF/VNFC. The quota check may be associated with such as, but not limited to,
CPU, memory, and disk so that resource constraints do not fail during instantiation.
[0065] The processing unit [302] is configured to transmit, via the PEEGN, a
5 second request, to a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM/VIM) for
fetching available VIM details against each availability zone (AZ) and host
aggregate (HA) to be used for deployment of virtual network functions (VNFs).
Further, during the VNF instantiation flow operation, the processing unit [302] is
configured to transmit, via the PEEGN, the second request, such as
10 PROVIDE_VIM_AZ_HA_DETAIL to the (PVIM/VIM) for fetching available
VIM details against each AZ and HA to be used for deployment of the VNFs. In an
exemplary implementation, the VIM details may comprise such as but are not
limited to, affinity/anti-affinity policies, VNF components, and deployment flavour
(e.g., compute, memory, and storage capacity). In an implementation, the
15 processing unit [302] is configured to store the fetched VIM details in the storage
unit [304]. Further, based on the VIM details, the processing unit [302] is
configured to calculate via the PEEGN required sources for the VNF deployment.
[0066] The processing unit [302] is configured to send, via the PEEGN, a response
20 associated with the reservation of resources for the VNF based on the fetched VIM
details. After receiving the fetched VIM details, the processing unit [302] is
configured to send such as RESERVE_RESOURCES_IN_VIM_AZ_HA response
to PVIM to reserve resources for VNF/ VNFCs based on the VIM details.
25 [0067] The processing unit [302] is configured to reserve, via the PVIM, the
resources for the VNFs based on the fetched VIM details. After receiving the
response, the processing unit [302] is configured to reserve the resources for the
VNFs based on the fetched VIM details via the PVIM. In an implementation, the
processing unit [302] is configured to reserve the resources for the VNF based on a
30 plurality of affinity and anti-affinity policies of the VNF.
23
[0068] The processing unit [302] is further configured to provide, from the PEEGN,
a deployment plan to the NSCM after receiving a successful resource reservation
response from the PVIM. In an implementation, after receiving the deployment plan
via the PEEGN for instantiation of the VNF/ VNFC, the processing unit [302] is
5 configured to trigger, via the NSCM, a VNF Lifecycle Manager (VLM) to
instantiate a specified number of VNF instances. Thereafter, the VLM fetches a
storage Volume ID, Image ID, and deployment flavour ID from a database and
triggers a VNF instantiation unit to instantiate the VNF in the VIM. In an exemplary
implementation, the VNF instantiation unit is an API adapter. In an exemplary
10 implementation, the VLM fetches the storage Volume ID, Image Id, and
deployment flavour ID from the Inventory and triggers the API adapter to
instantiate the VNF in VIM. The API adapter sends the request to VIM to instantiate
the VNF. On receiving the successful acknowledgment from the VIM for VNF
instantiation, the API adapter confirms it to the VLM. Thereafter, the VLM
15 confirms to the NSCM regarding the successful VNC/ VNFC instantiation.
[0069] 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
20 particular functionality of these units for clarity, it is recognized that various
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
as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Consequently, alternative
arrangements and substitutions of units, provided they achieve the intended
25 functionality described herein, are considered to be encompassed within the scope
of the present disclosure.
[0070] Referring to FIG. 4 an exemplary method flow diagram [400] to perform
resource management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / Virtual Network
30 Function Component (VNFC) instantiation, in accordance with exemplary
24
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
[400] starts at step [402].
5 [0071] At step [404], the method [400] as disclosed by the present disclosure
comprises sending, by a processing unit [302] from a network service chaining
manager (NSCM), a first request to a policy execution engine (PEEGN) during
VNF instantiation flow to fetch availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA).
For onboarding or creating a VNF/ VNFC instantiation in a network service (NS)
10 chain, the processing unit [302] is configured to send, from the NSCM, the first
request to the PEEGN for fetching information of the availability zone (AZ) and
host aggregate (HA). The first request may be such as PROVIDE_VNF_AZ.
PEEGN and the NSCM may communicate with each other via a communication
channel such as a PE_SL interface. In an implementation, the NS chain is
15 established for providing service in the network such as, but not limited to, 5G
network. In an exemplary implementation, the NS chain may represent a set of the
plurality of NS chains. The NS chain may be present region-wise or zone-wise.
During the VNF instantiation flow, the processing unit [302] is configured to fetch
information of the AZ and HA for deployment of the VNF/VNFC. In an exemplary
20 implementation, the AZ and HA provide information, in which VNF/VNFC may
be instantiated.
[0072] Next, at step [406], the method [400] as disclosed by the present disclosure
comprises requesting, by the processing unit [302] via the PEEGN to a VNFC for
25 VNFC details. After receiving the request such as PROVIDE_VNF_AZ request
from the NSCM during the VNF instantiation flow for providing deployment for
the VNF, the processing unit [302] may request the VNFC via the PEEGN for
VNFC details. The processing unit [302] may send a GET_VNF_DETAIL request
to the VNFC for getting VNF details having all VNFC details.
30
25
[0073] Next, at step [408], the method [400] as disclosed by the present disclosure
comprises receiving, by the processing unit [302], a response from VNFC, wherein
the received response comprises the VNFC details. In response to the request, the
processing unit [302] is configured to receive the response from the VNFC that may
5 include all details of VNF/ VNFC. After receiving the details of the VNF/VNFC,
the processing unit [302] may store such details in a storage unit [304]. In an
implementation, the processing unit [302] may perform, via the PEEGN, a quota
check based on the stored details of the VNF/VNFC. The quota check may be
associated with such as, but not limited to, CPU, memory, and disk so that resource
10 constraints do not fail during instantiation.
[0074] Next, at step [410], the method [400], as disclosed by the present disclosure,
comprises transmitting, by the processing unit [302] via the PEEGN, a second
request, to a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM/VIM) for fetching
15 available VIM details against each availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA)
to be used for deployment of virtual network functions (VNFs). Further, during the
VNF instantiation flow operation, the processing unit [302] may transmit, via the
PEEGN, the second request, such as PROVIDE_VIM_AZ_HA_DETAIL to the
PVIM/VIM for fetching available VIM details against each AZ and HA to be used
20 for deployment of the VNFs. In an exemplary implementation, the VIM details may
comprise such as but are not limited to, affinity/anti-affinity policies, VNF
components, and deployment flavour (e.g., compute, memory, and storage
capacity). In an implementation, the processing unit [302] may store the fetched
VIM details in the storage unit [304]. Further, based on the VIM details, the
25 processing unit [302] may calculate, via the PEEGN, the required sources for the
VNF deployment.
[0075] Next, at step [412], the method [400], as disclosed by the present disclosure,
comprises sending, by the processing unit [302] via the PEEGN, a response
30 associated with the reservation of resources for the VNF based on the fetched VIM
details. After receiving the fetched VIM details, the processing unit [302] may send
26
RESERVE_RESOURCES_IN_VIM_AZ_HA as a response to reserve resources
for VNF/ VNFCs based on the VIM details.
[0076] Next, at step [414], the method [400] as disclosed by the present disclosure
5 comprises reserving, by the processing unit [302] via the PVIM, the resources for
the VNFs based on the fetched VIM details. After receiving the response, the
processing unit [302] may reserve the resources for the VNFs based on the fetched
VIM details via the PVIM. In an implementation, the processing unit [302] may
reserve the resources for the VNF based on a plurality of affinity and anti-affinity
10 policies of the VNF.
[0077] Next, at step [416], the method [400], as disclosed by the present disclosure,
comprises providing, by the processing unit [302] from the PEEGN, a deployment
plan to the NSCM after receiving the successful resource reservation response from
15 the PVIM. In an implementation, after receiving the deployment plan via the
PEEGN for instantiation of the VNF/ VNFC, the processing unit [302] may trigger
via the NSCM a VNF Lifecycle Manager (VLM) to instantiate a specified number
of VNF instances. Thereafter, the VLM fetches a storage Volume ID, Image ID,
and deployment flavour ID from a database and triggers a VNF instantiation unit to
20 instantiate the VNF in the VIM. In an exemplary implementation, the VNF
instantiation unit is an API adapter. In an exemplary implementation, the VLM
fetches the storage Volume ID, Image Id, and deployment flavour ID from the
Inventory and triggers the API adapter to instantiate the VNF in VIM. The API
adapter sends the request to VIM to instantiate the VNF. On receiving the successful
25 acknowledgment from the VIM for VNF Instantiation, the API adapter confirms it
to the VLM. Thereafter, the VLM confirms to the NSCM regarding the successful
VNC/ VNFC instantiation.
[0078] Thereafter, the method [400] terminates at step [418].
30
27
[0079] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary system architecture [500] to perform
resource management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / Virtual Network
Function Component (VNFC) instantiation, in accordance with exemplary
implementations of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, the system [500]
5 comprises various sub-systems/units such as a Network Service Chaining Manager
(NSCM) [502, 1048], a Policy Execution Engine (PEEGN) [1088], and a database
(DB) [504].
[0080] In an implementation, once the VNFs are onboarded and a network service
10 is created, the Network Service (NS) chain may be instantiated. The trigger for NS
instantiation is sent from a user interface (UI) to NSCM [502]. The NSCM [502]
queries the Network Service Catalogue to provide the NS chain information. Based
on the NS chain subscriber serving capacity and subscriber capacity of one VNF
instance, Capacity Manager calculates the number of VNF instances that need to be
15 created for a particular VNF. For each VNF in the NS chain, the NSCM [502]
triggers Policy Execution Engine (PEEGN) [1088] to provide it with the Host
Aggregate (HA) and Availability Zone (AZ) in which the VNF components of the
VNF need to be spawned in a particular virtual inventory manager (VIM).
20 [0081] The NSCM [502] sends a PROVIDE_VNF_AZ request to PEEGN [1088]
to fetch the Availability Zone (AZ) and Host Aggregate (HA) to be used for
deployment of VNF/VNFC. After identification of HA and AZ for each VNFC,
based on affinity/anti-affinity policies, VNF instances (it includes VNFC data with
respect to HA and AZ) information and available resource information from PVIM,
25 PEEGN [1088] sends a deployment plan to the NSCM [502]. The PEEGN [1088]
stores all policy data and related VNF instantiation data in the database (DB) [504].
Thereafter, the NSCM [502] on receiving the deployment plan for the VNF from
PEEGN [1088], triggers a VNF Lifecycle Manager (VLM) to instantiate the
specified number of VNF instances.
30
28
[0082] Referring to FIG. 6, an exemplary process flow diagram [600] to perform
resource management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / VNFC instantiation is
shown, in accordance with the exemplary implementations of the present
disclosure.
5  PEEGN [1088] receives PROVIDE_VNF_AZ request from NSCM [502]
during the VNF Instantiation flow to provide a deployment plan/model for
VNF.
 PEEGN [1088] sends a GET_VNF_DETAIL request to VNFC [602] to get
or obtain VNF details having all VNFC details.
10  VNFC [602] sends a response to the PEEGN [1088] containing all details
of VNF including associated or corresponding VNFCs details. PEEGN
[1088] stores this information and later does a quota check based on this
information.
 PEEGN [1088] sends a PROVIDE_VIM_AZ_HA_DETAIL request to
15 PVIM [1050] to receive a response related to the availability of VIM details
against each Availability Zone (AZ) and Host Aggregate (HA) along with
information related to used and free resources in each HA.
 Based on VNF/VNFC information and affinity/anti-affinity policies of
VNF, PEEGN [1088] calculates the required resources for VNF/VNFC to
20 instantiate VNF on an available node which was sent by PVIM [1050].
 PEEGN [1088] sends RESERVE_RESOURCES_IN_VIM_AZ_HA to
PVIM to reserve resources for VNF and its VNFCs.
 PVIM [1050] first reserves resources on respective VIM, which may be
selected by PEEGN [1088], and then sends a response to PEEGN [1088].
25  After getting a successful resource reservation response from the PVIM
[1050], the PEEGN [1088] creates and sends a complete deployment model
or plan to NSCM [502] for further instantiation of VNF/VNFC.
[0083] In an implementation, the NSCM [502] on receiving the deployment plan
30 for the VNF from the Policy Execution Engine (PEEGN) [1088], triggers a VNF
29
Lifecycle Manager (VLM) to instantiate the specified number of VNF instances.
The VLM fetches the storage Volume ID, Image Id, and deployment flavour ID
from the Inventory and triggers the API adapter to instantiate the VNF in the VIM.
The API adapter sends the request to VIM to instantiate the VNF. On receiving the
5 successful acknowledgment from VIM for VNF Instantiation, the API adapter
confirms it to VLM. In turn, VLM confirms to NSCM [502] regarding the
successful instantiation. VLM also updates the VNF component instance created
ID in inventory and then updates the status of the VNF in inventory to running and
instantiate.
10
[0084] Referring to FIG. 7, an exemplary sequence flow diagram [700] to perform
resource management for Virtual Network Function (VNF) / Virtual Network
Function (VNF) component instantiation, in accordance with the exemplary
implementations of the present disclosure, is shown. In an implementation, the
15 sequence flow [700] may be implemented by the system [100], system [500] and
system [600]. As shown in FIG. 7, sequence flow [700] comprises a user interface/
user experience (UI/UX) [702], a network service chaining manager (NSCM)
[502], a network services catalogue (NSC) [1046], a capacity monitoring platform
(CMP) (also referred as Capacity Monitoring Manager) [1090], a policy execution
20 engine (PEEGN) [1088], a physical virtual inventory manager PVIM (also referred
as Physical & Virtual Resource Manager) [1050], a virtual network function
component (VNFC) [602], a VNF Lifecycle Manager (VLM) [1042], an API
adapter [1128].
25 [0085] At step S1, UI/UX [702] sends a request to instantiate the network service
chain to NSCM [502].
[0086] Next, at step S2, NSCM [502] sends a request to the NSC [1046] to fetch
network service details.
30
30
[0087] At step S3, NSC [1046] sends a response with fetch network service detail
acknowledgment to the NSCM.
[0088] Next, at step S4, NSCM [502] sends a request to CMP [1090] to fetch the
5 VNF instance number.
[0089] At step S5, CMP [1090] sends a response to the NSCM [502] with fetch
VNF instance number Acknowledgment.
10 [0090] At step S6, after receiving a response from the CMP [1090], the NSCM
[502] executes an instantiation procedure for each VNF in the NS Chain.
[0091] Next, at step S7, NSCM [502] sends a request to the PEEGN [1088] for
providing HA and AZ for VNF Deployment.
15
[0092] At step S8, PEEGN [1088] initiates a check related to resource constraints
and reserves resources in inventory.
[0093] At step S9, PEEGN [1088] sends a request for fetching VNF details to the
20 VNFC [602].
[0094] At step S10, VNFC [602] sends a response with fetched VNF detail Ack to
the PEEGN [1088].
25 [0095] Next, at step S11, PEEGN [1088] sends a request for providing VIM
resource detail to the PVIM [1050].
[0096] At step S12, the PVIM [1050] sends a response by providing VIM resource
detail Ack to the PEEGN [1088].
30
[0097] Next, in response to this, at step S13, PEEGN [1088] sends a request for
reserving resources to the PVIM [1050].
31
[0098] At step S14, PVIM [1050] sends reserve resource Ack to the PEEGN
[1088].
[0099] Next, at step S15, PEEGN [1088] provides HA and AZ for VNF deployment
5 Ack to the NSCM [502].
[0100] At step S16, NSCM [502] sends a deploy VNF request to the VLM [1042].
[0101] At step S17, VLM [1042] sends a request to the VNFC [602] for fetching
10 VNF details.
[0102] Next, at step S18, VNFC [602] provides fetched VNF detail Ack to the
VLM [1042].
15 [0103] At step S19, VLM [1042] fetches Network ID, Volume ID, image ID &
Compute Flavor ID from the inventory.
[0104] At step S20, VLM [1042] fetches VNF/VNFC deployment detail from the
PVIM [1050].
20
[0105] Next, at step S21, PVIM [1050] sends fetched VNF/VNFC deployment
detail Ack to the VLM [1042].
[0106] At step S22, VLM [1042] sends a request to instantiate VNF on VIM to an
25 API adapter [1128].
[0107] Next, at step S23, the API adapter [1128] sends an acknowledgment after
instantiating VNF on VIM to the VLM [1042].
30 [0108] At step S24, VLM [1042] updates the VNFC ID on inventory to the PVIM
[1050].
32
[0109] Next, at step S25, PVIM [1050] sends an updated VNFC ID on inventory
Ack to the VLM [1042].
[0110] At step S26, VLM [1042] sends updated VNF status on inventory to the
5 PVIM [1050].
[0111] Next, at step S27, PVIM [1050] sends the update VNF status on inventory
Ack to the VLM [1042].
10 [0112] At step S28, VLM [1042] sends deploy VNF Ack to the NSCM [502].
[0113] At step S29, NSCM [502] sends instantiate network service chain Ack to
the UI/UX [702].
15 [0114] The present disclosure may relate to a non-transitory computer readable
storage medium storing instructions for performing resource management for
Virtual Network Function (VNF) / Virtual Network Function Component (VNFC)
instantiation, the instructions include executable code which, when executed by one
or more units of a system [300], causes: a processing unit [302] of the system to
20 send, from a network service chaining manager (NSCM), a first request to a policy
execution engine (PEEGN) during VNF instantiation flow to fetch availability zone
(AZ) and host aggregate (HA); request, via the PEEGN, to a VNFC for VNFC
details; receive, a response from the VNFC, wherein the received response
comprises the VNFC details; transmit, via the PEEGN, a second request, to a
25 physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM/VIM) for fetching available VIM
details against each availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA) to be used for
deployment of virtual network functions (VNFs); send, via the PEEGN, a response
associated with reservation of resources for the VNF based on the fetched VIM
details; reserve, via the PVIM, the resources for the VNFs based on the fetched
30 VIM details; and provide, from the PEEGN, a deployment plan to the NSCM after
receiving the successful resource reservation response from the PVIM.
33
[0115] As is evident from the above, the present disclosure provides a technically
advanced solution for providing a deployment plan and resource reservation for
VNFs having different combinations of affinity and anti-affinity policies among
their VNFC via a PE_SL interface. The present method and system provide a
5 solution, PE_SL interface which exists between Policy Execution Engine
(PE/PEEGN) and Network Service Chaining Manager (NSCM) microservices and
is used during VNF instantiations for creating deployment plan/model for VNFs.
The PEEGN provides support for dynamic requirements of resource management
and network service orchestration in the virtualized network. The PEEGN stores
10 and provides policies for the resource, security, availability, and scalability of
VNFs. It executes automatic scaling and healing functionality of VNF and Network
Service (NS). The NSCM maintains the life cycle of an NS. In the NS, there may
be multiple VNF instantiations. The descriptor of the NS is stored in the NSCM
microservice. NSCM instantiates and terminates the NS as defined in its descriptor.
15 The present method and system provide a solution, that enables, PEEGN to get
updated VNF/VNFC information from VNFC and available VIM details from
PVIM. Thereafter, the PEEGN calculates the required resources for a VNF/VNFC
to instantiate it on VIM. The PEEGN has logic to efficiently reserve resources for
a VNF based on the VNF components, deployment flavour, and affinity/anti20 affinity policies among its VNFCs which has been defined at the PEEGN. The
present method and system provide a solution, which enables the async event-based
implementation to utilize the PE_SL interface efficiently. The present method and
system provide a solution, that enables fault tolerance for any event failure, PE_SL
interface works in a high availability mode and if one policy execution engine
25 instance (PEEGN) goes down during VNF Instantiation request processing then the
next available instance takes care of this request. Further, the present method and
system provide a solution, that enables PEEGN to perform quota checks for
VNF/VNFC for CPU, memory, and disk so that resource constraints do not fail
during instantiation.
30
34
[0116] 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
principles of the present disclosure. These and other changes in the embodiments
5 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.
35
We Claim:
1. A method to perform resource management for Virtual Network Function
(VNF) / Virtual Network Function Component (VNFC) instantiation, the method
comprising:
5 sending, by a processing unit [302] from a network service chaining
manager (NSCM), a first request to a policy execution engine (PEEGN) during
VNF instantiation flow to fetch availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA);
requesting, by the processing unit [302] via the PEEGN, to a VNFC for
VNFC details;
10 receiving, by the processing unit [302], a response from VNFC, wherein the
received response comprises the VNFC details;
transmitting, by the processing unit [302] via the PEEGN, a second request,
to a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM/VIM) for fetching available
VIM details against each availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA) to be used
15 for deployment of virtual network functions (VNFs);
sending, by the processing unit [302] via the PEEGN, a response associated
with reservation of resources for the VNF based on the fetched VIM details;
reserving, by the processing unit [302] via the PVIM, the resources for the
VNFs based on the fetched VIM details; and
20 providing, by the processing unit [302] from the PEEGN, a deployment plan
to the NSCM after receiving a successful resource reservation response from the
PVIM.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein PEEGN and the NSCM
25 communicate with each other via a communication channel.
3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the communication channel is
at least a PE_SL interface.
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4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein reserving the resources for the
VNF is further based on a plurality of affinity and anti-affinity policies of the VNF.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the NSCM on receiving the
5 deployment plan for the VNF from the PEEGN, triggers a VNF Lifecycle Manager
(VLM) to instantiate a specified number of VNF instances.
6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the VLM fetches a storage
Volume ID, Image ID, and deployment flavour ID from a database and triggers a
10 VNF instantiation unit to instantiate the VNF in the VIM.
7. A system to perform resource management for Virtual Network Function
(VNF) / Virtual Network Function Component (VNFC) instantiation, the system
comprising:
15 a processing unit [302] configured to:
send, from a network service chaining manager (NSCM), a first
request to a policy execution engine (PEEGN) during VNF instantiation
flow to fetch availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA);
request, via the PEEGN, to a VNFC for VNFC details;
20 receive, a response from the VNFC, wherein the received response
comprises the VNFC details;
transmit, via the PEEGN, a second request, to a physical and virtual
inventory manager (PVIM/VIM) for fetching available VIM details against
each availability zone (AZ) and host aggregate (HA) to be used for
25 deployment of virtual network functions (VNFs);
send, via the PEEGN, a response associated with reservation of
resources for the VNF based on the fetched VIM details;
reserve, via the PVIM, the resources for the VNFs based on the
fetched VIM details; and
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provide, from the PEEGN, a deployment plan to the NSCM after
receiving a successful resource reservation response from the PVIM.
8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein PEEGN and the NSCM
5 communicate with each other via a communication channel.
9. The system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the communication channel is at
least a PE_SL interface.
10 10. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the processing unit [302] is
configured to reserve the resources for the VNF based on a plurality of affinity and
anti-affinity policies of the VNF.
11. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the NSCM on receiving the
15 deployment plan for the VNF from the PEEGN, triggers a VLM to instantiate a
specified number of VNF instances.
12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the VLM fetches a storage Volume ID, Image ID, and deployment flavour ID from a database and triggers a VNF instantiation unit to instantiate the VNF in the VIM.