Service or network function workload preemption

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11245751-B1
Application number	US-201916580082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 24, 2019
Priority date	Sep 24, 2019
Publication date	Feb 8, 2022
Grant date	Feb 8, 2022

Abstract

Techniques are described to provide service or network function workload preemption. In one example, a method includes identifying a network location at which a first function can be instantiated; determining whether compute resources are available at the network location to instantiate the first function; based on determining that compute resources are available, instantiating the first function; based on determining that compute resources are not available, determining whether preemption of a second function can be performed at the network location, wherein determining whether preemption of the second function can be performed is based, at least in part, on a comparison between a setup priority of the first function and a holdover priority of the second function; and, based on determining that preemption of the second function at the network location can be performed, performing preemption of the second function and instantiating the first function at the network location.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
identifying a network location at which a first function can be instantiated, wherein the first function includes a first setup priority and a first holdover priority, and wherein the first setup priority is based, at least in part, on a weighted function category for the first function and a weighted function type of the first function;
determining whether compute resources are available at the network location to instantiate the first function;
based on determining that compute resources are available at the network location, instantiating the first function at the network location;
based on determining that compute resources are not available at the network location, determining whether preemption of a second function can be performed at the network location in order to instantiate the first function at the network location, wherein the second function includes a second setup priority and a second holdover priority and determining whether preemption of the second function can be performed is based, at least in part, on a comparison between the first setup priority of the first function and the second holdover priority of the second function, and wherein the second holdover priority is based, at least in part, on a variance value multiplied by a weighted function category for the second function and a weighted function type for the second function; and
based on determining that preemption of the second function at the network location can be performed, performing preemption of the second function and instantiating the first function at the network location.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to identifying the network location, receiving a trigger for network resources associated with a slice type that comprises the first function.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first function is at least one of a service function and a network function.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether preemption of the second function can be performed at the network location further comprises:
determining the first setup priority of the first function;
determining the second holdover priority of the second function; and
comparing the first setup priority of the first function to the second holdover priority of the second function, wherein the second function can be preempted when the first setup priority of the first function is greater than the second holdover priority of the second function.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing preemption of the second function and instantiating the first function at the network location further comprises:
performing preemption of the second function at a first compute node at the network location; and
instantiating the first function at the first compute node at the network location.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein performing preemption of the second function further comprises one of:
terminating the second function at the first compute node;
instantiating the second function at a second compute node at the network location or at a second compute node at another network location and terminating the second function at the first compute node at the network location; and
disaggregating the second function into one or more third functions, instating the one or more third functions at a second compute node at the network location or at a second compute node at another network location and terminating the second function at the first compute node at the network location.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying a network location at which a first function can be instantiated includes identifying one or more network locations at which the first function can be instantiated.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
prior to determining whether compute resources are available at the network location, determining whether at least one compute node comprising compute resources is available at the network location; and
based on determining that at least one compute nodes is not available at the network location, generating a notification to configure at least one compute node at the network location.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
based on determining that at least one compute nodes is not available at the network location, identifying one or more other network locations at which the first function can be instantiated, wherein the notification comprises indications of the one or more other network locations.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether compute resources are available at the network location to instantiate the first function comprises identifying compute resources that are reserved at the network location for one or more other functions that are not currently running at the network location.

11. One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, comprising:
identifying a network location at which a first function can be instantiated, wherein the first function includes a first setup priority and a first holdover priority, and wherein the first setup priority is based, at least in part, on a weighted function category for the first function and a weighted function type of the first function;
determining whether compute resources are available at the network location to instantiate the first function;
based on determining that compute resources are available at the network location, instantiating the first function at the network location;
based on determining that compute resources are not available at the network location, determining whether preemption of a second function can be performed at the network location in order to instantiate the first function at the network location, wherein the second function includes a second setup priority and a second holdover priority and determining whether preemption of the second function can be performed is based, at least in part, on a comparison between the first setup priority of the first function and the second holdover priority of the second function, and wherein the second holdover priority is based, at least in part, on a variance value multiplied by a weighted function category for the second function and a weighted function type for the second function; and
based on determining that preemption of the second function at the network location can be performed, performing preemption of the second function and instantiating the first function at the network location.

12. The media of claim 11 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform further operations, comprising:
prior to identifying the network location, receiving a trigger for network resources associated with a slice type that comprises the first function.

13. The media of claim 11 , wherein determining whether preemption of the second function can be performed at the network location further comprises:
determining the first setup priority of the first function;
determining the second holdover priority of the second function; and
comparing the first setup priority of the first function to the second holdover priority of the second function, wherein the second function can be preempted when the first setup priority of the first function is greater than the second holdover priority of the second function.

14. The media of claim 11 , wherein identifying a network location at which a first function can be instantiated includes identifying one or more network locations at which the first fun

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Asati Rajiv
• Mukherjee Arghya
• Pignataro Carlos M
• Plane Richard Montgomery

Classifications

• G06F2209/503

  Resource availability · CPC title

• G06F9/5005 Primary

  to service a request · CPC title

• H04L67/61

  taking into account QoS or priority requirements · CPC title

• H04L67/51

  Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services · CPC title

• H04L67/1012

  based on compliance of requirements or conditions with available server resources · CPC title