Network function virtualisation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11490366-B2
Application number	US-201916405672-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2019
Priority date	May 7, 2019
Publication date	Nov 1, 2022
Grant date	Nov 1, 2022

Abstract

Example implementations relate to a data processing method for monitoring at least one performance metric associated with a characteristic of a virtual network function; the method comprising instantiating the virtual network function, monitoring said at least one performance metric associated with the characteristic of the virtual network function; and adapting allocated resources supporting the virtual network function according to said monitoring.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method to adapt resources associated with network function virtualization in a network; the method comprising:
instantiating the network function virtualization for facilitating a virtual network function (VNF);
monitoring the VNF to determine one or more performance metrics indicating performance of allocated resources supporting the VNF; and
adapting the allocated resources supporting the VNF according to the one or more performance metrics from the monitoring within a boundary indicating an extent to which the VNF is allowed to change;
wherein the network function virtualization is based on a combination of the VNF, a network function virtualization infrastructure (NFVI), and a network function virtualization management and orchestration entity, and wherein the VNF is a virtualized function of the network capable of executing on the NFVI.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein adapting the allocated resources comprises determining a change control parameter that indicates the extent to which a respective changeable characteristic of the VNF can be changed.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a quality of service parameter that indicates a quality of service associated with a respective characteristic of the VNF.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein adapting the allocated resources comprises determining a boundary parameter that indicates the extent to which a resource associated with the VNF can be varied.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a priority parameter that indicates a priority associated with a prioritizable characteristic of the VNF, and wherein adapting the allocated resources comprises varying resources associated with the VNF based on the priority.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more performance metrics comprises one or more of: a quality of service metric and a class of service metric.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the class of service metric is selected from a plurality of class of service metrics.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the boundary indicates one or more of the following changeable characteristics of the VNF:
a number of virtual machines supporting the VNF;
an amount of virtual storage supporting the VNF;
a number of virtual computing resources supporting the VNF;
an amount of virtual networking resources supporting the VNF;
an amount of physical storage supporting the VNF;
a number of physical computing resources supporting the VNF;
an amount of physical networking resources supporting the VNF.

9. An apparatus to adapt resources associated with network function virtualization in a network; the apparatus comprising:
a processor;
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed by the processor causes the processor to perform a method, the method comprising:
instantiating the network function virtualization for facilitating a virtual network function (VNF);
monitoring the VNF to determine one or more performance metrics indicating performance of allocated resources supporting the VNF; and
adapting the allocated resources supporting the VNF according to the one or more performance metrics from the monitoring within a boundary indicating an extent to which the VNF is allowed to change;
wherein the network function virtualization is based on a combination of the VNF, a network function virtualization infrastructure (NFVI), and a network function virtualization management and orchestration entity, and wherein the VNF is a virtualized function of the network capable of executing on the NFVI.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein adapting the allocated resources comprises determining a change control parameter that indicates the extent to which a respective changeable characteristic of the VNF can be changed.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises determining a quality of service parameter that indicates a quality of service associated with a respective characteristic of the VNF.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein adapting the allocated resources comprises determining a boundary parameter that indicates the extent to which a resource associated with the VNF can be varied.

13. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises determining a priority parameter that indicates a priority associated with a prioritizable characteristic of the VNF, and wherein adapting the allocated resources comprises varying resources associated with the VNF.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the one or more performance metrics comprises one or more of: a quality of service metric and a class of service metric.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the class of service metric is selected from a plurality of class of service metrics.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the boundary indicates one or more of the following changeable characteristics of the VNF:
a number of virtual machines supporting the VNF;
an amount of virtual storage supporting the VNF;
a number of virtual computing resources supporting the VNF;
an amount of virtual networking resources supporting the VNF;
an amount of physical storage supporting the VNF;
a number of physical computing resources supporting the VNF;
an amount of physical networking resources supporting the VNF.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computing system cause the computing system to perform a method, the method comprising:
instantiating the network function virtualization for facilitating a virtual network function (VNF);
monitoring the VNF to determine one or more performance metrics indicating performance of allocated resources supporting the VNF; and
adapting the allocated resources supporting the VNF according to the one or more performance metrics from the monitoring within a boundary indicating an extent to which the VNF is allowed to change;
wherein the network function virtualization is based on a combination of the VNF, a network function virtualization infrastructure (NFVI), and a network function virtualization management and orchestration entity, and wherein the VNF is a virtualized function of the network capable of executing on the NFVI.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein adapting the allocated resources comprises determining a change control parameter that indicates the extent to which a respective changeable characteristic of the VNF can be changed.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises determining a quality of service parameter that indicates a quality of service associated with a respective characteristic of the VNF.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises determining a priority parameter that indicates a priority associated with a prioritizable characteristic of the VNF, and wherein adapting the allocated resources comprises varying resources associated with the VNF.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• Sethi Aseem
• Denny Mark Andrew

Classifications

• H04L41/0813

  characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings · CPC title

• H04L41/40

  using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities · CPC title

• H04L43/0852

  Delays · CPC title

• H04L43/08

  Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters · CPC title

• H04L43/087

  Jitter · CPC title