Method for upgrading virtualized network function and network function virtualization orchestrator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016337172-A1
Application number	US-201615222270-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 28, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2014
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present application provides a method for upgrading a virtualized network function and a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO. The NFVO includes: a receiver, configured to receive an upgrade request message, the upgrade request message is configured to request the NFVO to upgrade a first software version corresponding to a first VNF to a second software version, the first software version corresponds to a first VNF instance, and the second software version corresponds to a second VNF instance; and a processor, configured to: instantiate the first VNF to obtain the second VNF instance; configure forwarding paths of service flows in an NS, so that a first service flow is forwarded to the first VNF instance and that a second service flow is forwarded to the second VNF instance; and terminate the first VNF instance if it is determined that the first VNF instance runs without loads within a preset time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A network function virtualization orchestrator, comprising:
a receiver, configured to receive an upgrade request message sent by a sender, wherein the upgrade request message is configured to request the network function virtualization orchestrator (NFVO) to upgrade a first software version corresponding to a first virtualized network function (VNF) to a second software version, the first software version corresponds to a first VNF instance, and the second software version corresponds to a second VNF instance; and a processor, configured to: instantiate the first VNF according to a preset virtualized network function descriptor (VNFD) of the second software version of the first VNF in a VNF catalog to obtain the second VNF instance; after connecting the second VNF instance to a network service (NS) in which the first VNF instance is located, configure forwarding paths of service flows in the NS, so that a first service flow is forwarded to the first VNF instance for processing and that a second service flow is forwarded to the second VNF instance for processing; and terminate, the first VNF instance if it is determined that the first VNF instance runs without loads within a preset time.

2 . The network function virtualization orchestrator according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is specifically configured to determine at least one first NS to which the first VNF instance belongs, and send an identifier of the first NS to the sender, wherein the first NS comprises at least one virtualized network function forwarding graph (VNFFG), a first VNFFG of the at least one VNFFG comprises the first VNF instance, and the first NS corresponds to a first network service descriptor (NSD); acquire a preset second NSD in an NS catalog according to an identifier of a second NS in an NS instance update request that is sent by the sender and received by the receiver, and determine, according to the second NSD, to instantiate the first VNF, wherein the second NS is the to-be-updated first NS determined by the sender according to the identifier of the first NS, and the second NSD is a modified first NSD; and instantiate the first VNF according to the preset VNFD of the second software version of the first VNF in the VNF catalog to obtain the second VNF instance; and
the receiver is further configured to receive the NS instance update request sent by the sender, wherein the NS instance update request comprises an identifier of at least one second NS.

3 . The network function virtualization orchestrator according to claim 2 , wherein the processor is specifically configured to connect the second VNF instance to the second NS, and obtain an updated second NS, wherein the updated second NS comprises the first VNFFG and a second VNFFG, the second VNFFG comprises the second VNF instance, and a manner in which the second VNF instance in the second VNFFG is connected to other VNF instances in the second VNFFG is the same as a manner in which the first VNF instance in the first VNFFG is connected to other VNF instances in the first VNFFG.

4 . The network function virtualization orchestrator according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is specifically configured to configure the first VNFFG and the second VNFFG for the service flows as the forwarding paths of the service flows, so that the first service flow is forwarded to the first VNFFG for processing, and that the second service flow is forwarded to the second VNFFG for processing.

5 . The network function virtualization orchestrator according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is specifically configured to instruct an NS service management entity to configure the first VNFFG and the second VNFFG for the service flows as the forwarding paths of the service flows, so that the first service flow is forwarded to the first VNFFG for processing, and that the second service flow is forwarded to the second VNFFG for processing.

6 . The network function virtualization orchestrator according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is specifically configured to check whether the first VNF instance exists; if the first VNF instance exists, acquire the preset VNFD of the second software version of the first VNF in the VNF catalog; and instantiate the first VNF according to the VNFD of the second software version of the first VNF to obtain the second VNF instance.

7 . The network function virtualization orchestrator according to claim 6 , wherein the processor is specifically configured to connect the second VNF instance to the NS in which the first VNF instance is located, wherein a manner in which the second VNF instance is connected to other VNF instances in the NS is the same as a manner in which the first VNF instance is connected to other VNF instances in the NS.

8 . The network function virtualization orchestrator according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is specifically configured to configure the first VNF instance and the second VNF instance for the service flows as nodes of the forwarding paths of the service flows in the NS, and generate a service flow forwarding table; and configure the service flow forwarding table for a third VNF instance, so that the third VNF instance forwards, according to the service flow forwarding table, the first service flow to the first VNF instance for processing and the second service flow to the second VNF instance for processing, wherein the third VNF instance is adjacent to the first VNF instance and the second VNF instance separately.

9 . The network function virtualization orchestrator according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is specifically configured to configure a weight of a first virtual link between the first VNF instance and a third VNF instance and a weight of a second virtual link between the second VNF instance and the third VNF instance for the third VNF instance, so that the third VNF instance forwards, according to the weight of the first virtual link and the weight of the second virtual link, the first service flow to the first VNF instance for processing and the second service flow to the second VNF instance for processing, wherein the third VNF instance is adjacent to the first VNF instance and the second VNF instance separately.

10 . The network function virtualization orchestrator according to claim 7 , wherein the processor is specifically configured to instruct an NS service management entity to: configure the first VNF instance and the second VNF instance for the service flows as nodes of the forwarding paths of the service flows in the NS and generate a service flow forwarding table; and instruct the NS service management entity to configure the service flow forwarding table for a third VNF instance, so that the third VNF instance forwards, according to the service flow forwarding table, the first service flow to the first VNF instance for processing and the second service flow to the second VNF instance for processing, wherein the third VNF instance is adjacent to the first VNF instance and the second VNF instance separately.

11 . A method for upgrading a virtualized network function, comprising:
receiving, by a network function virtualization orchestrator (NFVO), an upgrade request message sent by a sender, wherein the upgrade request message is configured to request the NFVO to upgrade a first software version corresponding to a first virtualized network function (VNF) to a second software version, the first software version corresponds to a first VNF instance, and the second software version corresponds to a second VNF instance; instantiating, by the NFVO, the first VNF according to a preset virtualized network function descriptor (VNFD) of the second software version of the first VNF

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yu Fang
• Xiong Chunshan

Classifications

• H04L41/082 Primary

  the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality · CPC title

• H04L12/4641

  Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] (LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272) · CPC title

• H04L12/6418 Primary

  Hybrid transport · CPC title

• H04L67/34

  involving the movement of software or configuration parameters  (network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416) · CPC title

• H04L43/06

  Generation of reports · CPC title