Network functions virtualization management and orchestration method, network functions virtualization management and orchestration system, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10545779-B2
Application number	US-201615541510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 22, 2016
Priority date	Jan 23, 2015
Publication date	Jan 28, 2020
Grant date	Jan 28, 2020

Abstract

VNF (Virtual Network Function) descriptor (VNFD) is configured to include an entry that describes a definition of at least one predetermined apparatus connected to each VDU (Virtual Deployment Unit) on a same layer as an information element of the VDU, with a definition element including an apparatus name of the apparatus being provided under the entry and associated with the entry. The VNFD is received from a storage unit storing the VNFD, and an associated instance is created.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A network functions virtualization management and orchestration method comprising:
storing in a storage unit, a Virtualized Network Function descriptor (VNFD), which includes an entry on a same layer as an information element of a Virtual Deployment Unit (VDU), wherein the entry describes a definition of at least one storage apparatus connected to the VDU, and the entry includes a name of the storage apparatus as a child node of the entry; and
receiving the VNFD from the storage unit and creating an associated VDU instance based on the VNFD,
wherein when a plurality of VDUs specify a same name of the storage apparatus included in the entry in the VNFD, the plurality of VDU instances connecting to the same storage apparatus are created based on the VNFD, while when a plurality of Virtualized Network Functions Components (VNFCs) to be deployed in a same VDU instance, use different names of storage apparatuses included in the entries in the VNFD, the plurality of Virtualized Network Functions Components (VNFCs) deployed in the same VDU instance, connect to the different storage apparatuses.

2. The network functions virtualization management and orchestration method according to claim 1 , wherein the VNFD includes, as the entry,
a storage definition entry that describes a definition of the storage, provided on the same layer as the information element of the VDU,
wherein the storage definition entry includes, under the storage definition entry, a storage definition element including at least a storage name, an element type thereof being a leaf type.

3. A network functions virtualization management and orchestration apparatus comprising:
a processor coupled with a memory storing program instructions executable by the processor; and
a storage unit that stores a Virtualized Network Function descriptor (VNFD) that includes an entry on a same layer as an information element of the Virtual Deployment Unit (VDU),
wherein the entry describes a definition of at least one storage apparatus connected to the VDU, and the entry includes a name of the storage apparatus as a child node, and
wherein the processor is configured to receive the VNFD from the storage unit and creates an associated VDU instance based on the VNFD,
wherein when a plurality of VDUs specify a same name of the storage apparatus included in the entry in the VNFD, the processor creates the plurality of VDU instances connecting to the same storage apparatus based on the VNFD, while when a plurality of Virtualized Network Functions Components (VNFCs) to be deployed in a same VDU instance, use different names of storage apparatuses included in the entries in the VNFD, the processor creates the plurality of Virtualized Network Functions Components (VNFCs) deployed in the same VDU instance, that connect to the different storage apparatuses.

4. The network functions virtualization management and orchestration apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the VNFD includes, as the entry,
a storage definition entry that describes a definition of the storage, provided on the same layer as the information element of the VDU,
wherein the storage definition entry includes, under the storage definition entry, a storage definition element including at least a storage name, an element type thereof being a leaf type.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing therein a program causing a computer to execute processing including:
receiving, from a storage unit, a Virtualized Network Function descriptor (VNFD) that includes an entry on a same layer as an information element of a Virtual Deployment Unit (VDU), wherein the entry describes a definition of at least one storage apparatus connected to the VDU, and the entry includes a name of the storage apparatus as a child node of the entry; and
creating an associated VDU instance based on the VNFD,

wherein the program further causes the computer to execute:
when a plurality of VDUs specify a same name of the storage apparatus included in the entry in the VNFD, creating the plurality of VDU instances connecting to the same storage apparatus based on the VNFD, while when a plurality of Virtualized Network Functions Components (VNFCs) to be deployed in a same VDU instance, use different names of storage apparatuses included in the entries in the VNFD, creating the plurality of Virtualized Network Functions Components (VNFCs) deployed in the same VDU instance, that connect to the different storage apparatuses.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 5 , wherein the VNFD includes, as the entry,
a storage definition entry that describes a definition of the storage, provided on the same layer as the information element of the VDU,
wherein the storage definition entry includes, under the storage definition entry, a storage definition element including at least a storage name, an element type thereof being a leaf type.

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Gokurakuji Junichi
• Oohira Mayo
• Shinozawa Hirokazu

Classifications

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• G06F9/45558 Primary

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• H04L67/1097

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• H04L41/0803

  Configuration setting · CPC title

• G06F2009/45595

  Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances · CPC title