Creating and using service control functions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10348569-B2
Application number	US-201715817411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2017
Priority date	Oct 31, 2014
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

Concepts and technologies are disclosed herein for creating and using service control functions. The service control functions can detect a message via an adapter function. The message can relate to a service controlled by the service control functions. Service policies can be accessed. The service policies can include message handling policies and can be accessed to determine if a policy relating to the message exists. If a determination is made that the policy exists, the message and the policy can be analyzed to determine an action to take with respect to the message, and the action can be initiated.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
detecting, at a control system that comprises a processor and a memory, a service creation request that requests creation of a service;
identifying, by the processor and based on the service creation request and a service recipe associated with the service, features of the service that is to be created and a service control function that is to be created to control the service;
obtaining, by the processor, a service control function recipe that defines the service control function and resources that are to host the service control function;
requesting, by the processor and from an infrastructure control element, instantiation of the resources that are to host the service control function; and
triggering, by the processor, instantiation of the service control function by deploying an image of the service control function to the resources.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processor, a message via an adapter function, wherein the message relates to the service, wherein the service is controlled by the service control function, and wherein the service control function is a component of a service control that is stored in the memory;
determining, by the processor, a message type associated with the message;
determining, by the processor and based on analyzing message handling policies, if there exists a message handling policy that relates to the message type;
if a determination is made that there exists the message handling policy that relates to the message type, routing, by the processor, the message in accordance with the message handing policy that relates to the message type; and
if a determination is made that there does not exist the message handling policy that relates to the message type, executing, by the processor, a default action specified by a default message handling policy to route the message.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
translating, by the processor, the message from a first format associated with a peer domain scope controller to a second format associated with the service control function, wherein the message is received from the peer domain scope controller in the first format.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the service control comprises a higher level service control function, the service control function, and a lower level service control function, and wherein the service control function comprises the adapter function, a message handler, and a service inventory.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
accessing, by the processor, service policies that define handling of the message;
determining, by the processor, an action to take with respect to the message based on contents of the message and based on the service policies; and
initiating, by the processor, the action based on the determining.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the processor communicates with infrastructure using an application programming interface exposed by the service control, wherein the service is installed on the infrastructure.

7. A computer storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:
detecting a service creation request that requests creation of a service;
identifying, based on the service creation request and a service recipe associated with the service, features of the service that is to be created and a service control function that is to be created to control the service;
obtaining a service control function recipe that defines the service control function and resources that are to host the service control function;
requesting, from an infrastructure control element, instantiation of the resources that are to host the service control function; and
triggering instantiation of the service control function by deploying an image of the service control function to the resources.

8. The computer storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:
receiving a message via an adapter function, wherein the message relates to a performance issue associated with the service that is controlled by the service control function, wherein the service control function is a component of a service control that is stored in a memory;
determining a message type associated with the message;
determining, based on analyzing message handling policies, if there exists a message handling policy that relates to the message type;
if a determination is made that there exists the message handling policy that relates to the message type, routing the message in accordance with the message handing policy that relates to the message type; and
if a determination is made that there does not exist the message handling policy that relates to the message type, executing a default action specified by a default message handling policy to route the message.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:
translating the message from a first format associated with a peer domain scope controller to a second format associated with the service control function, wherein the message is received from the peer domain scope controller in the first format.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the processor communicates with infrastructure using an application programming interface exposed by the service control, wherein the service is installed on the infrastructure.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:
accessing, by the processor, service policies that define handling of the message;
determining, by the processor, an action to take with respect to the message based on contents of the message and based on the service policies; and
initiating, by the processor, the action based on the determining.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the service control comprises a higher level service control function, the service control function, and a lower level service control function, and wherein the service control function comprises the adapter function, a message handler, and a service inventory.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the service comprises a virtual service function, a virtual service function management function, and a network element management function.

14. A system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising
detecting a service creation request that requests creation of a service,
identifying, based on the service creation request and a service recipe associated with the service, features of the service that is to be created and a service control function that is to be created to control the service,
obtaining a service control function recipe that defines the service control function and resources that are to host the service control function,
requesting, from an infrastructure control element, instantiation of the resources that are to host the service control function, and
triggering instantiation of the service control function by deploying an image of the service control function to the resources.

15. The syst

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Chastain Walter Cooper
• Klein Reuben
• Bragg Dean
• Oetting John
• Cariello Frank
• Smith Paul Edward

Classifications

• H04L45/42

  Centralised routing · CPC title

• G06F9/45533

  Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors · CPC title

• H04L45/302

  Route determination based on requested QoS · CPC title

• H04L41/0893 Primary

  Assignment of logical groups to network elements · CPC title

• H04L41/0895

  Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements · CPC title