Recursive modularization of service provider components to reduce service delivery time and cost

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10248472-B2
Application number	US-201514929793-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 2, 2015
Priority date	Nov 2, 2015
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

Concepts and technologies disclosed herein are directed to recursive modularization of service provider components to reduce service delivery time and cost. In accordance with one aspect disclosed herein, a module is executable by a hardware compute resource of a virtualization platform. The module can include a module controller and a module instance. The module controller can expose a set of application programming interfaces (“APIs”). The set of APIs can include a configuration API that collects a configuration to be utilized to instantiate the module instance. The set of APIs also can include an instance provisioning API that instantiates the module instance based upon the configuration. The set of APIs also can include one or more other APIs to manage the module instance. The module instance can be a service module instance. The service module instance can encapsulate additional service module instances that have been instantiated by another module.

First claim

We claim:

1. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
encapsulating a first module with a second module, wherein the first module is a virtual network function module, wherein the first module comprises service module implementation logic encapsulated behind a set of application programming interfaces of the first module and behind a set of user interfaces of the first module through which the set of application programming interfaces of the first module are callable, wherein the set of application programming interfaces of the first module comprises a first application programming interface and a second application programming interface, and wherein the second module leverages the set of application programming interfaces of the first module and the set of user interfaces of the first module to offer a set of application interfaces of the second module and a set of user interfaces of the second module in response to encapsulating the first module with the second module;
exposing, via a module controller, the set of application programming interfaces of the second module and the set of user interfaces of the second module; and
receiving, via the set of user interfaces of the second module, input to call at least a portion of the set of application programming interfaces of the second module to instantiate a module instance of the first module encapsulated by the second module, wherein the first application programming interface comprises a configuration application programming interface that collects a configuration for the module instance, and wherein the second application programming interface comprises an instance provisioning application programming interface that instantiates the module instance based upon the configuration.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the module instance is a new service module instance.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein receiving, via the set of user interfaces of the second module, the input to call at least the portion of the set of application programming interfaces of the second module is further to manage an existing service module instance.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the set of application programming interfaces of the first module further comprises an event listener application programming interface that receives an event generated by a service module instance and provides the event to an event handler.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the set of user interfaces of the first module comprises:
a configuration user interface through which a user provides the input to configure a service module instance, and
an instance provisioning user interface through which the user instantiates the service module instance.

6. A system comprising:
a processor; and
memory that stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising:
encapsulating a first module with a second module, wherein the first module is a virtual network function module, wherein the first module comprises service module implementation logic behind a set of application programming interfaces of the first module and behind a set of user interfaces of the first module through which the set of application programming interfaces of the first module are callable, wherein the set of application programming interfaces of the first module comprises a first application programming interface and a second application programming interface, and wherein the second module leverages the set of application programming interfaces of the first module and the set of user interfaces of the first module to offer a set of application interfaces of the second module and a set of user interfaces of the second module in response to encapsulating the first module with the second module,
exposing, via a module controller, the set of application programming interfaces of the second module and the set of user interfaces of the second module, and
receiving, via the set of user interfaces of the second module, input to call at least a portion of the set of application programming interfaces of the second module to instantiate a module instance of the first module encapsulated by the second module, wherein the first application programming interface comprises a configuration application programming interface that collects a configuration for the module instance, and wherein the second application programming interface comprises an instance provisioning application programming interface that instantiates the module instance based upon the configuration.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the module instance is a new service module instance.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein receiving, via the set of user interfaces of the second module, the input to call at least the portion of the set of application programming interfaces of the second module is further to manage an existing service module instance.

9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the set of application programming interfaces of the first module further comprises an event listener application programming interface that receives an event generated by a service module instance and provides the event to an event handler.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the module instance is a service module instance.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the set of user interfaces of the first module comprises a configuration user interface through which a user provides the input to configure the service module instance.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the set of user interfaces of the first module further comprises an instance provisioning user interface through which the user instantiates the service module instance.

13. A method comprising:
encapsulating, by a system comprising a processor that executes a module controller, a first module with a second module, wherein the first module is a virtual network function module, wherein the first module comprises service module implementation logic behind a set of application programming interfaces of the first module and behind a set of user interfaces of the first module through which the set of application programming interfaces of the first module are callable, wherein the set of application programming interfaces of the first module comprises a first application programming interface and a second application programming interface, and wherein the second module leverages the set of application programming interfaces of the first module and the set of user interfaces of the first module to offer a set of application interfaces of the second module and a set of user interfaces of the second module in response to encapsulating the first module with the second module;
exposing, by the system, via the module controller, the set of application programming interfaces of the second module and the set of user interfaces of the second module; and
receiving, by the system, via the set of user interfaces of the second module, input to call at least a portion of the set of application programming interfaces of the second module to instantiate a module instance of the first module encapsulated by the second module, wherein the first application programming interface comprises a configuration application programming interface that collects a configuration for the module instance, and wherein the second application programming interface comprises an instance provisioning application programming interface that instantiates the module ins

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Erickson Richard R
• Prasad Basundhara
• Bragg Dean
• Schlichting Richard D
• Defazio Pamela Lilly
• Vulpas Adrian
• Oetting John

Classifications

• G06F9/54 Primary

  Interprogram communication · CPC title