FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 OF 1970)
&
THE PATENT RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See section 10 and rule 13)
“METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING AUDITOR
INSTANCES IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT”
We, Jio Platforms Limited, an Indian National, of Office - 101, Saffron, Nr.
Centre Point, Panchwati 5 Rasta, Ambawadi, Ahmedabad - 380006, Gujarat, India.
The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in
which it is to be performed.
2
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING AUDITOR INSTANCES
IN A NETWORK ENVIRONMENT
FIELD OF INVENTION
5
[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to network
management systems. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure
relate to methods and systems for managing auditor instances in a network
environment.
10
BACKGROUND
[0002] The following description of the related art is intended to provide
background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may
15 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 is used only
to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure,
and not as admissions of the prior art.
20 [0003] In communication network such as 5G communication network, different
microservices perform different services, jobs and tasks in the network. The Auditor
service/ microservice audits the resources in terms of physical memory, RAM and
CPU at Inventory Manager (IM) microservice. The auditor brings inventory in close
sync with real-time available or used resources and minimizes the mismatch
25 between IM and real time hardware. Further, the auditor for data accuracy may
communicate primarily on Swarm Adaptor (SA) and Inventory Manager (IM). The
auditor detects whether the hosts contain lesser/more containers than the amount
present in inventory managed by IM. The auditor AU accordingly sends API request
to IM to update its inventory. AU interacts with these microservices to fetch the real
30 time data using various APIs.
3
[0004] However, to handle multiple instances of AU microservices is cumbersome
task and current available solution is not efficient for managing AU instances in the
network. The existing solutions are not able to provide high availability service due
to absence of a fault tolerance mechanism for any event failure. Hence, in the
5 existing solutions, if one inventory instance went down during request processing,
then there is no solution which would be able to take care of such requests. Further,
the existing solutions are not able to effectively manage multiple instances of the
auditor microservices and are not able to handle the alarms for such auditor
microservices effectively.
10
[0005] Thus, there exists an imperative need in the art to provide a solution which
solves the above-mentioned problems and other problems known in the art and is
effective, provides high availability service, enables fault tolerance, and effectively
manage instances and alarms associated with the auditor microservices.
15
SUMMARY
[0006] 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.
20 This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed
subject matter.
[0007] An aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a method for managing
auditor instances in a network environment. The method comprises receiving, by a
25 transceiver unit at an Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM)
module, a registration request from an auditor instance, wherein the auditor instance
is associated with an auditor instance cluster. Then based on the registration request,
the method leads to registering, by a registration unit, the auditor instance. The
method further comprises broadcasting, by a broadcasting unit, a registration status
30 of the registered auditor instance to at least one or more services associated with
4
the registered auditor instance. The method then leads to determining, by a
determination unit, a health status of the registered auditor instance.
[0008] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the auditor instance and
5 the OAM module are communicatively coupled over an AU_OA interface, wherein
the AU_OA interface is one of a HTTP-based connection and a WebSocket-based
connection.
[0009] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the registration
10 request comprises at least one of IP addresses, ports, paths, and subscribe
component type, and broadcast contexts associated with the auditor instance.
[0010] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the step of registering,
by the registration unit, the auditor instance based on the registration request
15 comprises adding, by the registration unit, the auditor instance to an active instance
list maintained at the OAM module.
[0011] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, pursuant to the
registration of the auditor instance, the method involves establishing, by a
20 processing unit, a secondary connection between the registered auditor instance and
the OAM module.
[0012] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method further
comprises continuously transmitting, by the transceiver unit, at a pre-defined time
25 interval, a set of FCAPS (Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and
Security) requests to the registered auditor instance. Then the method may comprise
receiving, by the transceiver unit, a response from said auditor instance, wherein
the response comprises FCAPS data associated with said auditor instance.
30 [0013] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, based on the received
response from the auditor instance, the method further comprises determining, by
5
the determination unit, the health status of said auditor instance, wherein the health
status comprises one of a success status and a failure status.
[0014] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, wherein upon
5 determining the failure status of the auditor instance, the method further comprises
deregistering, by the registration unit, a failed auditor instance, wherein the failed
auditor instance is the auditor instance having the failure status. Then the method
moves to broadcasting, by the broadcasting unit, the failure status associated with
the failed auditor instance to one or more services associated with the failed auditor
10 instance.
[0015] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the step of
deregistering the failed auditor instance comprises adding, by the registration unit,
the failed auditor instance to an inactive instance list maintained at the OAM
15 module.
[0016] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method further
comprises broadcasting, by the broadcasting unit, at least one of a registration data
and a deregistration data associated with the auditor instance to a plurality of other
20 instances of said auditor instance.
[0017] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method further
comprises receiving, by the transceiver unit, a synchronization data from the
registered auditor instance. The method further comprises transmitting, by the
25 transceiver unit, the synchronization data to a plurality of other instances of said
registered auditor instance.
[0018] Another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a system for
managing auditor instances in a network environment. The system comprises a
30 transceiver unit, a registration unit, a broadcasting unit, and a determination unit
connected to each other. The transceiver unit is configured to receive, at an
6
Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) module, a registration
request from an auditor instance, wherein the auditor instance is associated with an
auditor instance cluster. Based on the registration request, the registration unit [404]
is configured to register the auditor instance [306]. The broadcasting unit [406] is
5 configured to broadcast a registration status of the registered auditor instance [306]
to at least one or more services associated with the registered auditor instance [306].
Then the determination unit [408] is configured to determine a health status of the
registered auditor instance [306].
10 [0019] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a non-transitory
computer readable storage medium storing one or more instructions for managing
auditor instances in a network environment, the one or more instructions include
executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system, causes the
one or more units to perform certain functions. The one or more instructions when
15 executed causes a transceiver unit to receive, at an Operations, Administration, and
Maintenance (OAM) module, a registration request from an auditor instance. The
auditor instance is associated with an auditor instance cluster. The one or more
instructions when executed further causes a registration unit to register the auditor
instance based on the registration request. The one or more instructions when
20 executed further causes a broadcasting unit to broadcast a registration status of the
registered auditor instance to at least one or more services associated with the
registered auditor instance. The one or more instructions when executed further
causes a determination unit to determine a health status of the registered auditor
instance.
25
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0020] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one
embodiment disclosed herein satisfies are listed herein below.
30
7
[0021] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for
managing auditor instances in a network environment.
[0022] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a
5 method for handling multiple instances of auditor microservices via AU_OA
interface.
[0023] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a
method for handling registration, deregistration, tracking live and gone down
10 instances using AU_OA interface.
[0024] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a
method for enabling fault tolerance for any event failure, this interface can also
work in a high availability mode and if one inventory instance went down during
15 request processing, then next available instance may take care of this request.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute
20 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
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
25 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
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.
30
8
[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of a
management and orchestration (MANO) architecture/platform in accordance with
exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.
5 [0027] 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.
[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a network environment
10 used for managing auditor instances in a network environment, in accordance with
exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.
[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for managing
auditor instances in the network environment, in accordance with exemplary
15 implementations of the present disclosure.
[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a method flow diagram for managing auditor instances in
the network environment, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the
present disclosure.
20
[0031] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed
description of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
25
[0032] 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
30 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
9
address any of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the
problems discussed above.
[0033] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not
5 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
10 disclosure as set forth.
[0034] 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
15 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.
[0035] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", "primary", "secondary",
20 "target" and the like, herein do not denote any order, ranking, quantity, or
importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.
[0036] 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
25 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
may be terminated when its operations are completed but could also have additional
steps that may not be included in the figures.
30
10
[0037] 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
aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and/or “demonstrative” is not
5 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
description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive—in a manner
10 similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word—without precluding
any additional or other elements.
[0038] As used herein, a “processing unit” or “processor” or “operating processor”
includes one or more processors, wherein processor refers to any logic circuitry for
15 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
Integrated Circuits, Field Programmable Gate Array circuits, any other type of
20 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.
25 [0039] 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
or equipment, capable of implementing the features of the present disclosure. The
30 user equipment/device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, smart
phone, laptop, a general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant,
11
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 unit(s) which
are required to implement the features of the present disclosure.
5
[0040] 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
medium includes read-only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”),
10 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.
15 [0041] 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
each other, which also includes the methods, functions, or procedures that may be
20 called.
[0042] All modules, 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
25 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
circuits (FPGA), any other type of integrated circuits, etc.
30 [0043] As used herein the transceiver unit include at least one receiver and at least
one transmitter configured respectively for receiving and transmitting data, signals,
12
information or a combination thereof between units/components within the system
and/or connected with the system.
[0044] As discussed in the background section, the current known solutions have
5 several shortcomings. The present disclosure aims to overcome the abovementioned and other existing problems in this field of technology by providing
method and system of managing auditor instances in a network environment.
[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of a
10 management and orchestration (MANO) architecture/platform [100], in accordance
with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. The MANO architecture
[100] may be developed for managing telecom cloud infrastructure automatically,
managing design or deployment design, managing instantiation of a network
node(s) etc/service(s). The MANO architecture [100] deploys the network node(s)
15 in the form of Virtual Network Function (VNF) and Cloud-native/ Container
Network Function (CNF). The system as provided by the present disclosure may
comprise one or more components of the MANO architecture [100]. The MANO
architecture [100] may be used to automatically instantiate the VNFs into the
corresponding environment of the present disclosure so that it could help in
20 onboarding other vendor(s) CNFs and VNFs to the platform. In an implementation,
the system may comprise a NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA) [1096]
component.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 1, the MANO architecture [100] comprises a user
25 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 core services module [108] and a platform resource
adapters and utilities module [112] All the components may be assumed to be
connected to each other in a manner as obvious to the person skilled in the art for
30 implementing features of the present disclosure.
13
[0047] The NFV and SDN design function module [104] comprises a network
manager [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 network
5 manager [1042] may be responsible for deciding on which server of the
communication network the microservice may be instantiated. The network
manager [1042] may manage the overall flow of incoming/ outgoing requests
during interaction with the user. The network manager may have a VNF lifecycle
manager and the CNF lifecycle manager in case the network is working utilising
10 the VNF and CNF. The network manager [1042] may be responsible for
determining which sequence to be 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
15 services catalogue [1046] stores the information of the 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 logical and physical inventory of the VNFs.
20 Just like the network manager [1042], the CNF lifecycle manager [1052] may be
similarly used for the CNFs lifecycle management.
[0048] The platforms foundation services module [106] comprises a
microservices elastic load balancer [1062], an identity & access manager [1064], a
25 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 manager [1064] may be used for logging purposes. The
command line interface (CLI) [1066] may be used to provide commands to
30 execute certain processes which requires changes during the run time. The central
logging manager [1068] may be responsible for keeping the logs of every service.
14
These logs are generated by the MANO platform [100]. These logs may be used for
debugging purposes. The event routing manager [1070] may be responsible for
routing the events i.e., the application programming interface (API) hits to the
corresponding services.
5
[0049] The platforms core services module [108] comprises NFV infrastructure
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 & golden
10 configuration template (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 and maintenance manager [1106]. The NFV
infrastructure monitoring manager [1082] may monitor the infrastructure part of
15 the NFs. For e.g., 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 execution engine (PEEGN) [1088] may be
responsible for managing all the policies. The capacity monitoring manager
20 (CMM) [1090] may be responsible for sending the request to the PEEGN [1088].
The release management repository (RMR) [1092] may be responsible for
managing the releases and the 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
25 deciding the priority of using the network resources. It is further noted that the
policy execution engine (PEEGN) [1088], the configuration manager & (GCT)
[1094] and the (NPDA) [1096] work together. The platform NoSQL DB [1098]
may be a platform database for storing all the inventory (both physical and logical)
as well as the metadata of the VNFs and CNF. It may be noted that the platform
30 NoSQL DB [1098] may be just a narrower implementation of the present disclosure,
and any other kind of structure for the database may be implemented for the
15
platform database such as relational or non-relational database. The platform
schedulers and cron jobs [1100] may schedule 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
5 and produces those backups on demand in case of server failure. The microservice
auditor [1104] audits the microservices. For e.g., in a hypothetical case, instances
not being instantiated by the MANO architecture [100] may be using the network
resources. In such case, the microservice auditor [1104] audits and informs the
same so that resources can be released for services running in the MANO
10 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.
[0050] The platform resource adapters and utilities module [112] further
15 comprises a platform external API adaptor and gateway [1122], a generic decoder
and indexer (XML, CSV, JSON) [1124], a service adaptor [1126], an API adapter
[1128], and a 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 requires the network resources. The generic decoder
20 and indexer (XML, CSV, JSON) [1124] may get directly the data of the vendor
system in the XML, CSV, JSON format. The service 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
25 path to each services going to/incoming from the MANO architecture [100].
[0051] The Service Adapter (SA) [1126] may be a microservices-based component
that may be designed to deploy and manage Container Network Functions (CNFs)
and their components (CNFCs) across nodes. The SA [1126] may offer REST
30 endpoints for key operations, such as uploading container images to a registry,
terminating CNFC instances, and creating volumes and networks. The CNFs, that
16
may be network functions packaged as containers, may consist of multiple CNFCs.
The SA [1126] facilitates the deployment, configuration, and management of these
components by interacting with API, ensuring proper setup and scalability within a
containerized environment. The SA [1126] provides a modular and flexible
5 framework for handling network functions in a virtualized network setup.
[0052] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computing device [200]
upon which the features of the present disclosure may be implemented in
accordance with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In an
10 implementation, the computing device [200] may also implement a method for
managing auditor instances in a network environment utilising a system [400]. In
another implementation, the computing device [200] itself implements the method
for managing auditor instances in the network environment using one or more units
configured within the computing device [200], wherein said one or more units are
15 capable of implementing the features as disclosed in the present disclosure. In
another exemplary implementation, the computing device [200] may also
implement the method for managing auditor instance in the network environment
using an environment [300].
20 [0053] 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, for example, a general-purpose microprocessor. The
computing device [200] may also include a main memory [206], such as a random25 access 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
intermediate information during execution of the instructions to be executed by the
processor [204]. Such instructions, when stored in non-transitory storage media
30 accessible to the processor [204], render the computing device [200] into a specialpurpose machine that is customized to perform the operations specified in the
17
instructions. The computing device [200] further includes a read only memory
(ROM) [208] or other static storage device coupled to the bus [202] for storing static
information and instructions for the processor [204].
5 [0054] 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
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
10 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
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
15 information and command selections to the processor [204], and for controlling
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.
20 [0055] The computing device [200] may implement the techniques described
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
25 computing device [200] in response to the processor [204] executing one or more
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
30 process steps described herein. In alternative implementations of the present
18
disclosure, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with
software instructions.
[0056] 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.
[0057] 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], a 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
[0058] Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary block diagram of a network environment
[300] used for managing auditor instances in a network environment is shown in
accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. The
environment [300] comprises at least an operations, administration, and
30 maintenance (OAM) module [302] and at least one auditor instance cluster [304]
connected to each other via an interface, referred to as an AU_OA interface [308].
19
[0059] The OAM module [302] is a component responsible for managing
operations within the network, administration of several components within the
network, and ensuring maintenance of several components within the network.
5 Further, the OAM module [302] may be considered to be similar to the platform
operations, administration, and maintenance manager [1106] as may be understood
in conjunction with FIG. 1.
[0060] The auditor instance cluster [304] may refer to a cluster of multiple
10 instances of auditor instances [306]. The auditor instance [306] may refer to an
instance or a component for auditor which is responsible for audits of several
components within the network, such as microservices. The auditor instance [306]
may audit the network resources such as physical memory, RAM, CPU, etc. and
may bring the resource in synchronization with real-time available/ used resources
15 and may minimize the mismatch between other components. Further, the auditor
instance [306] may be considered to be similar to the microservice auditor [1104]
as may be understood in conjunction with FIG. 1.
[0061] The AU_OA interface [308] may refer to a communication link between the
20 OAM module [302] and the auditor instance cluster [304] / auditor instance [306]
which enables communication between the components. In one example, the
AU_OA interface [308] may be considered to utilize a Hypertext Transfer Protocol
(HTTP)-based connection or WebSocket-based connection for enablement of
communication. In some of the exemplary implementations, the interface that may
25 be used for communication may, in one example, be the HTTP-based connection,
and may in another example, be a WebSocket-based connection.
[0062] In some of the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure, the
AU_OA interface may be configured to facilitate exchange of information using the
30 HTTP- REST Application Programming Interface (API). In another exemplary
implementation, the HTTP REST API may be used in conjunction with a JavaScript
20
Object Notation (JSON) format and/or an extensible markup language (XML)
format for carrying the information. As would be understood, the web-socket
connection may involve establishing a persistent connectivity between the
connecting components, such as a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection.
5 In such a connection, information of different components may be exchanged
through the interface using a ping-pong-based communication. In such examples,
for some information HTTP based connection may be used and for some
information web-socket connection as explained in above example and for other
type of information exchange, it uses a web-socket connection as explained above.
10
[0063] It may be noted that any other network entities/components not depicted in
FIG. 3 and known to a person skilled in the art, may also be present within the
environment [300], and in communication with the OAM module [302] and Auditor
Instance Cluster [304]. Such network entities/components have not been depicted
15 in FIG. 3 and have not been explained here for the sake of brevity.
[0064] Referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary block diagram representation of a system
[400] for managing auditor instances in the network environment, is shown, in
accordance with the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. The
20 system [400] may in an example reside within the environment [300], and may in
another example be connected with the environment [300] for implementation of
the solutions provided by the present disclosure.
[0065] In one example, the system [400] may be implemented as or within the
25 operations, administration, and maintenance (OAM) module [302], as explained in
conjunction with FIG. 3. In another example, such OAM module may also be
considered to be similar to the platform operations, administration, and
maintenance manager [1106] as may be understood in conjunction with the FIG. 1.
30 [0066] As depicted in FIG. 4, the system [400] may include at least one transceiver
unit [402], at least one registration unit [404], at least one broadcasting unit [406],
21
at least one determination unit [408], and at least one processing unit [410]. It may
be noted that the system [400] may comprise all such units or any of such units for
implementation of the present disclosure. Also, all of the components/ units of the
system [400] are assumed to be connected to each other unless otherwise indicated
5 below. As shown in FIG. 4, all units shown within the system [400] should also be
assumed to be connected to each other. Also, in FIG. 4, only a few units are shown,
however, the system [400] may comprise multiple such units or the system [400]
may comprise any such numbers of said units, as required to implement the features
of the present disclosure. Further, in an implementation, the system [400] may be
10 present in a user device/ user equipment to implement the features of the present
disclosure. The system [400] may be a part of the user device/ or may be
independent of but in communication with the user device (may also referred herein
as a UE). In another implementation, the system [400] may reside in a server or a
network entity. In yet another implementation, the system [400] may reside partly
15 in the server/ network entity and partly in the user device.
[0067] It may be noted that FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are explained simultaneously in the
foregoing description for describing in detail the solutions provided by the present
disclosure and may be read in conjunction with each other.
20
[0068] In an example, the system [400] may be configured for managing auditor
instances in the network environment, with the help of the interconnection between
the components/units of the system [400]. In another example, the system [400]
may be configured for managing auditor instances in the network environment, with
25 the help of the interconnection between the components/units of the system [400]
and the network environment [300].
[0069] As would be understood, the network environment [300] may also refer to
the network of telecommunication components used for providing
30 telecommunication services. The management of the auditor instance may refer to
managing different auditor instances present within the network environment.
22
[0070] In operation, for managing auditor instances in the network environment,
the transceiver unit [402] may receive a registration request from an auditor instance
[306]. The auditor instance [306] may be associated with the auditor instance cluster
5 [304]. It may be noted that the registration request may in one example, be received
at the Operations, Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) module [302]. In
examples where the system [400] may be implemented as or within the OAM
module [302], then in such cases, the system [400] may itself receive the
registration request from the auditor instance [306]. In other examples, where the
10 system [400] may be connected with the OAM module [302], then in such cases,
the system [400] may first receive the registration request from the auditor instance
[306] and then transmit the same to the OAM module [302].
[0071] The registration request may refer to a request for registration of an instance
15 of the auditor component i.e. the auditor instance [306].
[0072] It may be noted that, although the present description has been explained
with respect to a single auditor instance transmitting the registration request to the
OAM module, however, the same is done only for the sake of explanation and
20 clarity. The approaches of the present subject matter may be implemented to any
number of auditor instances. All such examples and variations would lie within the
scope of the present subject matter.
[0073] Continuing further, the association of the auditor instance [306] with the
25 auditor instance cluster [304] may, in an example, be the presence of auditor
instance [306] along with various other instances of auditor instance [306] in the
auditor instance cluster [304].
[0074] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the registration
30 request may include Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, ports, paths, and subscribe
component type, and broadcast contexts associated with the auditor instance [306].
23
As would be understood, the IP address may refer to a unique string of characters
which are used in the Internet Protocol for identification of a device on the internet
or the network. Port may refer to a logical address of a 16-bit unsigned integer
allotted to multiple applications on the device that using the internet to send or
5 receive data. The path may refer to a route between the starting point of
communication and the ending point of the communication. The subscribe
component type may refer to a type of component for which the auditor instance
[306] has subscribed. The broadcast context may refer to an information associated
with policies for broadcasting the registration of the auditor instance [306].
10
[0075] In another exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, as described
previously, the auditor instance [306] and the OAM module [302] may be
communicatively coupled over the AU_OA interface [308]. The AU_OA interface
[308] may be either the HTTP-based connection or the WebSocket-based
15 connection as has been already provided above.
[0076] Continuing further, based on the registration request, the registration unit
[404] may register the auditor instance [306].
20 [0077] In further exemplary implementations of the present disclosure, for
registering the auditor instance [306], the registration unit [404] may be further
configured to add the auditor instance [306] to an active instance list maintained at
the OAM module [302]. For example, there may be various records associated with
the auditor instances, such as one or more lists/ databases/ registers/ spreadsheets,
25 etc., which may comprise information associated with multiple components. One
such record may be the active instance list which may be responsible for storing
information associated with active instances of the auditor instance [306].
[0078] In various exemplary implementations of the present disclosure, such
30 records may be stored within a storage unit which may be provided within the
system [400] or may be connected with the system [400]. From such records, some
24
records may be associated with the auditor instances [306] and may store certain
information associated with auditor instances and the auditor instance cluster [304].
[0079] The active instance list may store information for all such auditor instances
5 [306] that are currently actively performing the functions of the auditor instance
[306]. The auditor instances [306] that are registered are the active instances that
are actively performing the functions of the auditor instance [306].
[0080] The registration of the auditor instance in such records may be done while
10 registering the auditor instance such as by entering the details of the auditor instance
in such records.
[0081] In another example, after successful registration, the processing unit [410]
is further configured to establish a secondary connection between the registered
15 auditor instance [306] and the OAM module [302]. The secondary connection
between the OAM module [302] and the auditor instance [306] may act as a
secondary or a backup communication channel, in addition to the already present
communication channel. The secondary connection may allow the auditor instance
[306] to communicate with the OAM module [302] in cases where the available
20 communication channel goes down. In one example, the secondary connection may
be one of a HTTP-based connection and a WebSocket-based connection.
[0082] Continuing further, after registering the auditor instance [306], the
broadcasting unit [406] may broadcast a registration status of the registered auditor
25 instance [306] to at least one or more services associated with the registered auditor
instance [306]. As would be understood, the one or more services associated with
the registered auditor instance [306] may refer to the set of services that may use
the registered auditor instance and have subscribed to the registered auditor instance
[306]. For example, the registered auditor instance [306] may be subscribed by the
30 one or more services such as the load balancer service, inventory/resource manager
services, etc.
25
[0083] The registration status may refer to a status associated with the successful
or unsuccessful registration of the auditor instance [306] in the records stored in
storage unit, or within the OAM module [302]. For broadcasting the registration
status, the records stored in storage unit or the OAM module [302] may be fetched
5 and then used for broadcasting the registration status. For example, the active
instance list stored in the storage unit or the OAM module [302], which may have
information associated with the active instances of the auditor instances [306], may
be sent for broadcasting the registration status.
10 [0084] Continuing further, after the broadcast of the registration status, the
determination unit [408] may be configured to determine a health status of the
registered auditor instance [306]. The health status of the registered auditor instance
[306] may refer to a health of the auditor instance associated with existence of issues
and alarms related to the components/ instances of the auditor instance [306] that
15 was registered.
[0085] In one example, for determining the health status of the registered auditor
instance [306], the determination unit [408] may ping the auditor instance [306]
repeatedly by sending a HTTP request. In another example, for determining the
20 health status, various alarms associated with the auditor instance [306] may be
fetched and checked for the health of the auditor instance.
[0086] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the determination unit
[408] may be further configured to determine the health status of said auditor
25 instance [306] based on the received response from the auditor instance [306]. The
health status may comprise one of a success status and a failure status. The success
status of the health status may refer to an indication that there does not exist any
critical issues or alarms which may interfere with the performance of functions of
the registered auditor instance [306]. The failure status of the health status may refer
30 to an indication that there exists certain critical issues or alarms which may cause
26
interference with the performance of functions of the registered auditor instance
[306] and may result in downtime of the registered auditor instance.
[0087] In yet another example, for determining the health status of registered
5 auditor instance, the transceiver unit [402] may continuously transmit, at a predefined time interval, a set of Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and
Security (FCAPS) requests to the registered auditor instance [306]. For example,
the FCAPS request may be associated with the auditing of the FCAPS data. In an
example, the pre-defined time interval may refer to a period of time within which
10 the FCAPS requests may be transmitted repeatedly and, in another example may
also be dynamically configurable. For example, the FCAPS request may be sent
over a time interval of 5 seconds.
[0088] After the FCAPS request is transmitted, then the transceiver unit [402] may
15 receive a response from said auditor instance [306]. The response may comprise
FCAPS data associated with said auditor instance [306]. The determination unit
[408], based on the received FCAPS data, may determine the health status of the
auditor instance.
20 [0089] In another example, it may be the case that the OAM module [302] may be
transmitting FCAPS request to a plurality of auditor instances. In such cases, the
OAM module [302] may receive respective responses from each of the auditor
instance and may consolidate all the received responses to generate a consolidated
response. Thereafter, the OAM module [302] may transmit the consolidated
25 response to an Element Management System (EMS).
[0090] It may be noted, along with determining the health status of the registered
auditor instance, the FCAPS data received from the auditor instance may be used
for other purposes as well, known to a person skilled in the art.
30
27
[0091] It may be further noted that any other techniques than the aforementioned
techniques may also be used to determine the health of the auditor instance. All such
techniques would lie within the scope of the present subject matter.
5 [0092] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, upon determining the
failure status of the auditor instance [306], the registration unit [404] may deregister
a failed auditor instance [306]. The failed auditor instance [306] may be the auditor
instance [306] having the failure status which may be caused due to certain issues
with the auditor instance [306]. In another exemplary aspect of the present
10 disclosure, for deregistering the failed auditor instance [306], the registration unit
[404] is configured to add the failed auditor instance [306] to an inactive instance
list maintained at the OAM module [302]. As provided above, there may be various
records associated with the auditor instances, one such record may be the inactive
instance list which may be responsible for storing information associated with
15 inactive instances of the auditor instance [306]. The inactive instance list may store
information for all such auditor instances [306] that are not actively performing the
functions of the auditor instance [306] such as due to failure status. The auditor
instances [306] that are deregistered are the inactive instances that are actively
performing the functions of the auditor instance [306].
20
[0093] Also, in the above-mentioned exemplary aspect, after deregistering the
failed auditor instance, the broadcasting unit [406] may be further configured to
broadcast the failure status associated with the failed auditor instance [306] to one
or more services associated with the failed auditor instance [306]. In such examples,
25 the failure status may be broadcasted such as by sending the record associated with
failed auditor instances/ the inactive instance list to other components within the
network/ network environment. The one or more services associated with the failed
auditor instance [306] may refer to the one or more services that have been
subscribed to the auditor instance [306].
30
28
[0094] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the broadcasting unit
[406] is further configured to broadcast at least one of a registration data and a
deregistration data associated with the auditor instance [306] to a plurality of other
instances of said auditor instance [306]. Based on the determination of the health
5 status of the auditor instance [306], the records comprising information associated
with registered/ active instances of the auditor instance [306] and the
deregistered/inactive instances of the auditor instance [306] may be stored. The
records may be broadcasted to the respective entities such as by transmitting the
active instance list and the inactive instance list to other entities present within the
10 network.
[0095] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the transceiver unit
[402] may be further configured to receive a synchronization data from the
registered auditor instance [306]. The synchronisation data may refer to the
15 information associated with the current configuration and processes of the active
instance of the auditor instance [306], for example, the synchronisation data may
comprise information associated with a current state of processes and configuration
of the auditor instance [306]. Then, based on the synchronization data, the
transceiver unit [402] may also be configured to transmit the synchronization data
20 to a plurality of other instances of said registered auditor instance [306]. The
transmission of the synchronization data may result in synchronizing the active
instance of the auditor microservice instance [306] with the other instance of the
auditor instance [306]. The plurality of other instance of the registered auditor
instance [306] may be the other components or instance that may be registered as
25 the active instance in the active instance list.
[0096] Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary method flow diagram [500] for managing
auditor instances in a network environment, in accordance with exemplary
implementations of the present disclosure is shown. In an implementation the
30 method [500] may be performed by the system [400], and in another
implementation, the method [500] may be performed by the environment [300].
29
Further, in an implementation, the system [400] may be present in a server device
to implement the features of the present disclosure. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the
method [500] starts at step [502].
5 [0097] As would be understood, the network environment may refer to the network
of telecommunication components used for providing telecommunication services.
The management of the auditor instance may refer to managing different auditor
instances present within the network environment.
10 [0098] For managing auditor instances in a network environment, the method
[500], at step [504], involves receiving, by a transceiver unit [402] at an Operations,
Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) module [302], a registration request from
an auditor instance [306]. The auditor instance [306] may be associated with an
auditor instance cluster [304]. It may be noted that the registration request may in a
15 preferred example, be received at the Operations, Administration, and Maintenance
(OAM) module [302]. In examples, where the system [400] may be implemented
as or within the OAM module [302], then in such cases, the system [400] may itself
receive the registration request from the auditor instance [306]. In other examples,
where the system [400] may be connected with the OAM module [302], then in
20 such cases, the system [400] may first receive the registration request from the
auditor instance [306] and then transmit the same to the OAM module [302].
[0099] The registration request may refer to a request for registration of an instance
of the auditor component i.e. the auditor instance [306]. The association of the
25 auditor instance [306] with the auditor instance cluster [304] may in an example be
the presence of auditor instance [306] along with various other instances of auditor
instance [306] in the auditor instance cluster [304].
[0100] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the registration
30 request may include Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, ports, paths, and subscribe
component type, and broadcast contexts associated with the auditor instance [306].
30
As would be understood, the IP address may refer to a unique string of characters
which are used in the Internet Protocol for identification of a device on the internet
or the network. Port may refer to a logical address of a 16-bit unsigned integer
allotted to multiple applications on the device that using the internet to send or
5 receive data. The path may refer to a route between the starting point of
communication and the ending point of the communication. The subscribe
component type may refer to a type of component for which the auditor instance
[306] has subscribed. The broadcast context may refer to a information associated
with policies for broadcasting the registration of the auditor instance [306].
10
[0101] In another exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the auditor
instance [306] and the OAM module [302] may be communicatively coupled over
the AU_OA interface [308]. The AU_OA interface [308] may be either the HTTPbased connection or the WebSocket-based connection as has been already provided
15 above.
[0102] Continuing further, based on the registration request, then at step [506], the
method [500] involves registering, by a registration unit [404], the auditor instance
[306].
20
[0103] In further exemplary implementations of the present disclosure, the step of
registering the auditor instance [306] involves adding, by the registration unit [404],
the auditor instance [306] to an active instance list maintained at the OAM module
[302]. For example, there may be various records associated with the auditor
25 instances, such as one or more lists/databases/registers/spreadsheets, etc., which
may comprise information associated with multiple components. One such record
may be the active instance list which may be responsible for storing information
associated with active instances of the auditor instance [306].
30 [0104] In various exemplary implementations of the present disclosure, such
records may be stored within a storage unit which may be provided within the
31
system [400] or may be connected with the system [400]. From such records, some
records may be associated with the auditor instances [306] and may store certain
information associated with auditor instances and the auditor instance cluster [304].
The registration of the auditor instance in such records may be done while
5 registering the auditor instance such as by entering the details of the auditor instance
in such records.
[0105] In another exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, pursuant to
the registration of the auditor instance [306], the method [500] further involves
10 establishing, by a processing unit [410], a secondary connection between the
registered auditor instance [306] and the OAM module [302]. The secondary
connection between the OAM module [302] and the auditor instance [306] may act
as a secondary or a backup communication channel, in addition to the already
present communication channel. The secondary connection may allow the auditor
15 instance [306] to communicate with the OAM module [302] in cases where the
available communication channel goes down. In one example, the secondary
connection may be one of a HTTP-based connection and a WebSocket-based
connection.
20 [0106] Continuing further, after registering the auditor instance [306], at step [508],
the method [500] involves broadcasting, by a broadcasting unit [406], a registration
status of the registered auditor instance [306] to at least one or more services
associated with the registered auditor instance [306]. As would be understood, the
one or more services associated with the registered auditor instance [306] may refer
25 to the set of services that may use the registered auditor instance and have
subscribed to the registered auditor instance [306].
[0107] For example, the registered auditor instance [306] may be subscribed by the
one or more services such as the load balancer service, inventory/resource manager
30 services, etc.
32
[0108] The registration status may refer to a status associated with the successful
or unsuccessful registration of the auditor instance [306] in the records stored in
storage unit, or within the OAM module [302]. For broadcasting the registration
status, the records stored in storage unit or the OAM module [302] may be fetched
5 and then used for broadcasting the registration status. For example, the active
instance list stored in the storage unit or the OAM module [302], which may have
information associated with the active instances of the auditor instances [306], may
be sent for broadcasting the registration status.
10 [0109] After the broadcast of the registration status, then at step [510], the method
[500] involves determining, by a determination unit [408], a health status of the
registered auditor instance [306]. The health status of the registered auditor instance
[306] may refer to a health of the auditor instance associated with existence of issues
and alarms related to the components/ instances of the auditor instance [306] that
15 was registered. In one example, for determining the health status of the registered
auditor instance [306], the determination unit [408] may ping the auditor instance
[306] repeatedly by sending a HTTP request. In another example, for determining
the health status various alarms associated with the auditor instance [306] may be
fetched and checked for the health of the auditor instance.
20
[0110] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, based on the received
response from the auditor instance [306], the method [500] involves determining,
by the determination unit [408], the health status of said auditor instance [306]. The
health status comprises one of a success status and a failure status. The success
25 status of the health status may refer to an indication that there does not exist any
critical issues or alarms which may interfere with the performance of functions of
the registered auditor instance [306]. The failure status of the health status may refer
to an indication that there exists certain critical issues or alarms which may cause
interference with the performance of functions of the registered auditor instance
30 [306] and may result in downtime of the registered auditor instance.
33
[0111] In yet another example, for determining the health status of registered
auditor instance, the transceiver unit [402] may continuously transmit, at a predefined time interval, a set of Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and
Security (FCAPS) requests to the registered auditor instance [306]. For example,
5 the FCAPS request may be associated with the auditing of the FCAPS data. In an
example, the pre-defined time interval may refer to a period of time within which
the FCAPS requests may be transmitted repeatedly and, in another example may
also be dynamically configurable. For example, the FCAPS request may be sent
over a time interval of 5 seconds.
10
[0112] After the FCAPS request is transmitted, then the transceiver unit [402] may
receive a response from said auditor instance [306]. The response may comprise
FCAPS data associated with said auditor instance [306]. The determination unit
[408], based on the received FCAPS data, may determine the health status of the
15 auditor instance.
[0113] In another example, it may be the case that the OAM module [302] may be
transmitting FCAPS request to a plurality of auditor instances. In such cases, the
OAM module [302] may receive respective responses from each of the auditor
20 instance and may consolidate all the received responses to generate a consolidated
response. Thereafter, the OAM module [302] may transmit the consolidated
response to an Element Management System (EMS).
[0114] It may be noted, along with determining the health status of the registered
25 auditor instance, the FCAPS data received from the auditor instance may be used
for other purposes as well, known to a person skilled in the art.
[0115] It may be further noted that any other techniques than the aforementioned
techniques may also be used to determine the health of the auditor instance. All such
30 techniques would lie within the scope of the present subject matter.
34
[0116] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, upon determining the
failure status of the auditor instance [306], the method [500] further comprises
deregistering, by the registration unit [404], a failed auditor instance [306]. The
failed auditor instance [306] may be the auditor instance [306] having the failure
5 status which may be caused due to certain issues with the auditor instance [306]. In
another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the step of deregistering the
failed auditor instance [306], involves adding, by the registration unit [404], the
failed auditor instance [306] to an inactive instance list maintained at the OAM
module [302]. As provided above, there may be various records associated with the
10 auditor instances, one such record may be the inactive instance list which may be
responsible for storing information associated with inactive instances of the auditor
instance [306]. The inactive instance list may store information for all such auditor
instances [306] that are not actively performing the functions of the auditor instance
[306] such as due to failure status. The auditor instances [306] that are deregistered
15 are the inactive instances that are actively performing the functions of the auditor
instance [306].
[0117] Also, in the above-mentioned exemplary aspect, after deregistering the
failed auditor instance, the method [500] may also involve broadcasting, by the
20 broadcasting unit [406], the failure status associated with the failed auditor instance
[306] to one or more services associated with the failed auditor instance [306]. In
such examples, the failure status may be broadcasted such as by sending the record
associated with failed auditor instances/ the inactive instance list to other
components within the network/ network environment. The one or more services
25 associated with the failed auditor instance [306] may refer to the one or more
services that have been subscribed to the auditor instance [306].
[0118] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method [500] may
further involve broadcasting, by the broadcasting unit [406], at least one of a
30 registration data and a deregistration data associated with the auditor instance [306]
to a plurality of other instances of said auditor instance [306]. Based on the
35
determination of the health status of the auditor instance [306], the records
comprising information associated with registered/ active instances of the auditor
instance [306] and the deregistered/inactive instances of the auditor instance [306]
may be stored. The records may be broadcasted to the respective entities such as by
5 transmitting the active instance list and the inactive instance list to other entities
present within the network.
[0119] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method [500] may
further comprise receiving, by the transceiver unit [402], a synchronization data
10 from the registered auditor instance [306]. The synchronisation data may refer to
the information associated with the current configuration and processes of the active
instance of the auditor instance [306], for example, the synchronisation data may
comprise information associated with a current state of processes and configuration
of the auditor instance [306]. Then, based on the synchronization data, the method
15 [500] may lead to transmitting, by the transceiver unit [402], the synchronization
data to a plurality of other instances of said registered auditor instance [306]. The
transmission of the synchronization data may result in synchronizing the active
instance of the auditor microservice instance [306] with the other instance of the
auditor instance [306]. The plurality of other instance of the registered auditor
20 instance [306] may be the other components or instance that may be registered as
the active instance in the active instance list. This configuration enables a fault
tolerance configuration for any event failure and enables a high availability mode
due to the functioning of the multiple auditor instances and the OAM modules using
the interface. The configuration provides working with other instances in case one
25 auditor instance went down during request processing, then next available instance
may take care of this request.
[0120] Thereafter, at step [512], the method [500] may be terminated.
30 [0121] The present disclosure further discloses a non-transitory computer readable
storage medium storing one or more instructions for managing auditor instances in
36
a network environment, the one or more instructions include executable code
which, when executed by one or more units of a system [300], causes the one or
more units to perform certain functions. The one or more instructions when
executed causes a transceiver unit [402] to receive, at an Operations,
5 Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) module [302], a registration request from
an auditor instance [306]. The auditor instance [306] is associated with an auditor
instance cluster [304]. The one or more instructions when executed further causes
a registration unit [404] to register the auditor instance [306] based on the
registration request. The one or more instructions when executed further causes a
10 broadcasting unit [406] to broadcast a registration status of the registered auditor
instance [306] to at least one or more services associated with the registered auditor
instance [306]. The one or more instructions when executed further causes a
determination unit [408] to determine a health status of the registered auditor
instance [306].
15
[0122] As is evident from the above, the present disclosure provides a technically
advanced solution for managing auditor instances in the network environment. The
present solution provides handling registration, deregistration of auditor instances
and enables live tracking of health of the auditor instances using a common
20 interface. The present solution also provides instance management, alarm
management and counter management through various implementations as
provided above. The present solution also enables async event-based
implementation to utilize interface efficiently. The present system and method
provide a solution, which enables fault tolerance for any event failure, this interface
25 can also work in a high availability mode and if one auditor instance went down
during request processing, then next available instance may take care of this
request.
[0123] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the disclosed
30 implementations, it will be appreciated that many implementations can be made and
that many changes can be made to the implementations without departing from the
37
principles of the present disclosure. These and other changes in the implementations
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.
5
[0124] 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
10 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
functionality described herein, are considered to be encompassed within the scope
15 of the present disclosure.
38
We Claim:
1. A method for managing auditor instances in a network environment, the
method comprising:
5 - receiving, by a transceiver unit [402] at an Operations, Administration, and
Maintenance (OAM) module [302], a registration request from an auditor
instance [306], wherein the auditor instance [306] is associated with an
auditor instance cluster [304];
- based on the registration request, registering, by a registration unit [404],
10 the auditor instance [306];
- broadcasting, by a broadcasting unit [406], a registration status of the
registered auditor instance [306] to at least one or more services associated
with the registered auditor instance [306]; and
- determining, by a determination unit [408], a health status of the registered
15 auditor instance [306].
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the auditor instance [306] and
the OAM module [302] are communicatively coupled over an AU_OA interface
[308], wherein the AU_OA interface [308] is one of a HTTP-based connection and
20 a WebSocket-based connection.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the registration request
comprises at least one of IP addresses, ports, paths, and subscribe component type,
and broadcast contexts associated with the auditor instance [306].
25
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of registering, by the
registration unit [404], the auditor instance [306] based on the registration request
comprises:
- adding, by the registration unit [404], the auditor instance [306] to an active
30 instance list maintained at the OAM module [302].
39
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
- pursuant to the registration of the auditor instance [306], establishing, by a
processing unit [410], a secondary connection between the registered
auditor instance [306] and the OAM module [302].
5
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
- continuously transmitting, by the transceiver unit [402], at a pre-defined
time interval, a set of FCAPS (Fault, Configuration, Accounting,
Performance, and Security) requests to the registered auditor instance [306];
10 and
- receiving, by the transceiver unit [402], a response from said auditor
instance [306], wherein the response comprises FCAPS data associated with
said auditor instance [306].
15 7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:
- based on the received response from the auditor instance [306], determining,
by the determination unit [408], the health status of said auditor instance
[306], wherein the health status comprises one of a success status and a
failure status.
20
8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein upon determining the failure
status of the auditor instance [306], the method further comprises:
- deregistering, by the registration unit [404], a failed auditor instance [306],
wherein the failed auditor instance [306] is the auditor instance [306] having
25 the failure status; and
- broadcasting, by the broadcasting unit [406], the failure status associated
with the failed auditor instance [306] to one or more services associated with
the failed auditor instance [306].
30 9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the step of deregistering the
failed auditor instance [306] comprises:
40
- adding, by the registration unit [404], the failed auditor instance [306] to an
inactive instance list maintained at the OAM module [302].
10. The method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:
5 - broadcasting, by the broadcasting unit [406], at least one of a registration
data and a deregistration data associated with the auditor instance [306] to
a plurality of other instances of said auditor instance [306].
11. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:
10 - receiving, by the transceiver unit [402], a synchronization data from the
registered auditor instance [306]; and
- transmitting, by the transceiver unit [402], the synchronization data to a
plurality of other instances of said registered auditor instance [306].
15 12. A system [400] for managing auditor instances in a network environment,
the system [400] comprising:
- a transceiver unit [402] configured to receive, at an Operations,
Administration, and Maintenance (OAM) module [302], a registration
request from an auditor instance [306], wherein the auditor instance [306]
20 is associated with an auditor instance cluster [304];
- a registration unit [404] connected at least to the transceiver unit [402], and
based on the registration request, the registration unit [404] is configured to
register the auditor instance [306];
- a broadcasting unit [406] connected at least to the registration unit [404],
25 the broadcasting unit [406] configured to broadcast a registration status of
the registered auditor instance [306] to at least one or more services
associated with the registered auditor instance [306]; and
- a determination unit [408] connected at least to the broadcasting unit [406],
the determination unit [408] configured to determine a health status of the
30 registered auditor instance [306].
41
13. The system [400] as claimed in claim 12, wherein the auditor instance [306]
and the OAM module [302] are communicatively coupled over an AU_OA
interface [308], wherein the AU_OA interface [308] is one of a HTTP-based
connection and a WebSocket-based connection.
5
14. The system [400] as claimed in claim 12, wherein the registration request
comprises at least one of IP addresses, ports, paths, and subscribe component type,
and broadcast contexts associated with the auditor instance [306].
10 15. The system [400] as claimed in claim 12, wherein for registering the auditor
instance [306] based on the registration request, the registration unit [404] is further
configured to add the auditor instance [306] to an active instance list maintained at
the OAM module [302].
15 16. The system [400] as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a processing
unit [410] connected at least to the transceiver unit [402], and pursuant to the
registration of the auditor instance [306], the processing unit [410] further
configured to establish a secondary connection between the registered auditor
instance [306] and the OAM module [302].
20
17. The system [400] as claimed in claim 12, wherein the transceiver unit [402]
is further configured to:
- continuously transmit, at a pre-defined time interval, a set of FCAPS (Fault,
Configuration, Accounting, Performance, and Security) requests to the
25 registered auditor instance [306]; and
- receive a response from said auditor instance [306], wherein the response
comprises FCAPS data associated with said auditor instance [306].
18. The system [400] as claimed in claim 17, wherein the determination unit is
30 further configured to determine the health status of said auditor instance [306] based
42
on the received response from the auditor instance [306], wherein the health status
comprises one of a success status and a failure status.
19. The system [400] as claimed in claim 18, wherein upon determining the
5 failure status of the auditor instance [306]:
- the registration unit [404] deregister a failed auditor instance [306], wherein
the failed auditor instance [306] is the auditor instance [306] having the
failure status; and
- the broadcasting unit [406] is further configured to broadcast the failure
10 status associated with the failed auditor instance [306] to one or more
services associated with the failed auditor instance [306].
20. The system [400] as claimed in claim 19, wherein for deregistering the
failed auditor instance [306], the registration unit [404] is configured to add the
15 failed auditor instance [306] to an inactive instance list maintained at the OAM
module [302].
21. The system [400] as claimed in claim 19, wherein the broadcasting unit
[406] is further configured to broadcast at least one of a registration data and a
20 deregistration data associated with the auditor instance [306] to a plurality of other
instances of said auditor instance [306].
22. The system [400] as claimed in claim 12, wherein the transceiver unit [402]
is further configured to:
25 - receive a synchronization data from the registered auditor instance [306];
and - transmit the synchronization data to a plurality of other instances of said registered auditor instance [306].