Virtual modem termination system migration in a cable modem network environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10248443-B2
Application number	US-201514807728-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2015
Priority date	May 4, 2015
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

An example system and method for facilitating virtual cable modem termination system (VCMTS) migration in cable modem network environments is provided and includes spawning, by an orchestration component executing using a processor, a first instance of a virtual network function (VNF) on a first server in a cable modem network, storing state of the first instance as state information in an external database, spawning a second instance of the VNF on a different second server, synchronizing state of the second instance with the state information stored in the external database, and deleting the first instance. In specific embodiments, the VNF comprises a VCMTS.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
spawning, by an orchestration component executing using a processor, a first instance of a virtual network function (VNF) on a first server in a cable modem network, wherein the VNF is associated with a specific hardware interface in the cable modem network;
storing state of the first instance as state information in an external database;
spawning a second instance of the VNF on a second server, the second server being different from the first server;
synchronizing state of the second instance with the state information stored in the external database, wherein synchronizing includes associating the second instance with the specific hardware interface;
creating a first communication tunnel between the second instance and a remote physical layer (R-PHY) entity in the cable modem network, wherein the R-PHY entity is communicatively coupled to the first instance and communicates data traffic with the first instance;
creating a second communication tunnel between the first instance and the second instance;
communicating heartbeat messages between the first instance and the second instance over the second communication tunnel;
switching over the data traffic to the first communication tunnel between the second instance and the R-PHY entity; and
deleting the first instance.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein subsequent to synchronizing state of the second instance with the state information stored in the external database, updates to the state of the second instance result in updates to the state information stored in the external database and updates to the state of the first instance are ignored.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the VNF comprises a virtual cable modem termination system (VCMTS).

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising instructing the R-PHY entity to forward upstream data traffic to the second instance.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the states of the first instance and the second instance comprise configuration settings and communication parameters associated with communication channels between one or more cable modems and the R-PHY entity coupled to the first instance and the second instance, respectively.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising reprogramming a backbone network to route downstream data traffic to the second instance, wherein the first server is located in a first network and the second server is located in a second network physically separate and remote from the first network and connected over the backbone network, wherein the downstream data traffic arrives from a third network destined to the first instance.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising installing a route in the first instance to forward traffic reaching it to the second instance.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising synchronizing timing of the second instance using a master clock running on a timing server in the network.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising monitoring the database for any change of the state information during a predetermined time interval.

10. A non-transitory computer readable media that includes instructions for execution, which when executed by a processor, performs operations comprising:
spawning, by an orchestration component executing using the processor, a first instance of a virtual network function (VNF) on a first server in a cable modem network, wherein the VNF is associated with a specific hardware interface in the cable modem network;
storing state of the first instance as state information in an external database;
spawning a second instance of the VNF on a second server, the second server being different from the first server;
synchronizing state of the second instance with the state information stored in the external database, wherein synchronizing includes associating the second instance with the specific hardware interface;
creating a first communication tunnel between the second instance and a remote physical layer (R-PHY) entity in the cable modem network, wherein the R-PHY entity is communicatively coupled to the first instance and communicates data traffic with the first instance;
creating a second communication tunnel between the first instance and the second instance;
communicating heartbeat messages between the first instance and the second instance over the second communication tunnel;
switching over the data traffic to the first communication tunnel between the second instance and the R-PHY entity; and
deleting the first instance.

11. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10 , wherein the VNF comprises a virtual cable modem termination system (VCMTS).

12. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10 , wherein the states of the first instance and the second instance comprise configuration settings and communication parameters associated with communication channels between one or more cable modems and the R-PHY entity coupled to the first instance and the second instance, respectively.

13. The non-transitory computer readable media of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise installing a route in the first instance to forward traffic reaching it to the second instance.

14. An apparatus, comprising:
a memory element for storing data; and
a processor, wherein the processor executes instructions associated with the data, wherein the processor and the memory element cooperate, such that the apparatus is configured for:
spawning a first instance of a virtual network function (VNF) on a first server in a cable modem network, wherein the VNF is associated with a specific hardware interface in the cable modem network;
storing state of the first instance as state information in an external database;
spawning a second instance of the VNF on a different second server, the second server being different from the first server;
synchronizing state of the second instance with the state information stored in the external database, wherein the synchronizing includes associating the second instance with the specific hardware interface;
creating a first communication tunnel between the second instance and a remote physical layer (R-PHY) entity in the cable modem network, wherein the R-PHY entity is communicatively coupled to the first instance and communicates data traffic with the first instance, and wherein the second instance is operative to inform the R-PHY to form the communication tunnel;
creating a second communication tunnel between the first instance and the second instance;
communicating heartbeat messages between the first instance and the second instance over the second communication tunnel;
switching over the data traffic to the first communication tunnel between the second instance and the R-PHY entity; and
deleting the first instance.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the VNF comprises a virtual cable modem termination system (VCMTS).

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the states of the first instance and the second instance comprise configuration settings and communication parameters associated with communication channels between one or more cable modems and the R-PHY entity coupled to the first instance and the second instance, respectively.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , further configured for installing a route in the first instance to forward traffic reaching it to the second instance.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the R-PHY comprises a downstream PHY and an upstream PHY.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the VNF and the R-

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Singh Amit
• Chapman John T
• Bernstein Alon

Classifications

• G06F9/455 Primary

  Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines · CPC title

• G06F9/45558

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• G06F2009/45562

  Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances · CPC title

• H04L12/4633

  Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling · CPC title

• G06F2009/4557

  Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing · CPC title