Oracle International Corporation

Nokia Technologies Oy

Amarnath Jayaramachar

Virendra Singh

Jay Rajput

Yesh Goel

Doki Satish Kumar Patro

Sridhar Karuturi

Kawal Sapra

Sairam Sudhir Pokkunuri

Rajiv Krishan

Venkatesh Aravamudhan

Anup Shivarajapura

Varun Saxena

Ahmed M Akl

Akhil Kumar Khare

There is disclosed an apparatus. The apparatus comprises means for performing: initiating restoration of the apparatus after a restart of the apparatus, the initiating restoration being in response to receipt of a session initiation message at the apparatus; sending a request to a home subscriber server for a service profile of a user equipment from which the session initiation message originated, the request comprising a wildcard public identity of the user equipment; and completing restoration of the apparatus using service profile information received from the home subscriber server in response to the request.

Apparatus, method and computer program for call session control function restoration

A method for actively obtaining producer network function (NF) reachability status information by an NF repository function (NRF) in response to an NF heart-beat failure includes detecting, by an NRF, an NF heart-beat failure associated with a producer NF. The method further includes querying, by the NRF and via a producer NF reachability status application programming interface (API) provided by an SCP, the SCP to determine reachability status of the producer NF. The method further includes receiving, by the NRF and from the SCP, a producer NF reachability status API response message including an indication that the producer NF is reachable. The method further includes maintaining, by the NRF and in response to receiving the indication that the producer NF is reachable, a REGISTERED status for the producer NF.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for actively obtaining producer network function (NF) reachability status information by NF repository function (NRF) in response to NF heart-beat failure

A method for network function (NF) discovery between forwarded and forwarding NF repository functions (NRFs) includes receiving, at a forwarding NRF, an NF discovery request message generated by a consumer NF or a service communication proxy (SCP), determining, by the forwarding NRF, not to process the NF discovery request message locally and transmitting the NF discovery request message to a forwarded NRF. The forwarded NRF receives the discovery request message, applies empty-list functionality to promote the producer NFs having NF profiles that match query parameters in the NF discovery request message from a SUSPENDED state to a REGISTERED state, and generates and transmits an NF discovery response message and an indication of application if the empty-list functionality to the forwarding NRF. The forwarding NRF applies a local policy to process the indication of application of the empty-list functionality and transmits the NF discovery response to the consumer NF or SCP.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for improved network function (NF) discovery between forwarded and forwarding NF repository functions (NRFs) to avoid preemption of NF profiles of producer NFs local to forwarding NRF

A method for providing for SCPs to learn network topology using a root NRF includes storing, by a root NRF, NF instance identifiers of a plurality of NFs registered with a plurality of circle NRFs. The method further includes providing, by the root NRF, a one-stop network topology access interface through which an SCP can learn network topologies of network circles served by each of the circle NRFs. The method further includes receiving, by the root NRF, from the SCP and via the one-stop network topology access interface, for obtaining network topology information from the circle NRFs. The method further includes communicating, by the root NRF, with the circle NRFs and on behalf of the SCP, to trigger the circle NRFs to provide the network topology information.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing for network topology learning by service communication proxy (SCP) using root network function (NF) repository function (NRF)

A method for automatically triggering network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) availability information updates with a network slice selection function (NSSF) includes receiving, from an access and mobility management function (AMF), a service request message. The method further includes determining, that the NSSAI availability information for the AMF is not present in an NSSAI availability information database maintained by the NSSF. The method further includes sending, to the AMF, a message for triggering the AMF to update its NSSAI availability information with the NSSF, receiving, an NSSAI Availability PUT request including NSSAI availability information for the AMF, and updating, the NSSAI availability information database to include the NSSAI availability information for the AMF.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for automatically triggering network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) availability information updates with network slice selection function (NSSF)

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for identifying roaming messages at network functions in a home public land mobile network (PLMN). A method includes receiving, at a home security edge protection proxy (SEPP) for the home PLMN, a request message from a consumer network function in a visitor PLMN and adding, at the home SEPP, a header to the request message indicating that the request message originated in the visitor PLMN. The method includes receiving, at a producer network function in the home PLMN, the request message and determining, at the producer network function, that the request message originated in the visitor PLMN by finding the header indicating that the request message originated in the visitor PLMN. The method includes applying, at the producer network function, a roaming-specific policy while processing the request message in response to determining that the request message originated in the visitor PLMN.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for identifying roaming messages

A method for reducing inter-PLMN forwarding of messages relating to Nnrf service operations includes receiving, at a first NRF, a first request for an Nnrf service operation, determining that the first request identifies a PLMN different from a PLMN of the first NRF, determining that the first request cannot be processed locally at the first NRF, and, in response, forwarding the first request to a second NRF in the PLMN identified in the first request. The method further includes receiving, from the second NRF, a response to the first request, caching information from the response, receiving a second request for an Nnrf service operation, determining that the second request identifies a PLMN different from the PLMN of the first NRF, determining that the second request can be processed locally at the first NRF, and processing the second request locally at the first NRF using the cached information from the first response.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for reducing inter-public land mobile network (PLMN) forwarding of messages relating to Nnrf service operations

A method for managing NSSAI availability information at an NSSF includes receiving and storing NSSAI availability information from NF service consumers. The method further includes maintaining time values usable to determine expiration times for NSSAI availability information database records, where the time values are updated when a corresponding record is updated. The method further includes auditing the records, and, in response to failing to receive a request to update the NSSAI availability information for one of the NSSAI information database records within an expiration time, marking the record as stale. When a trigger is detected for providing NSSAI availability information from one of the database records that is marked as stale, the NSSF refrains from providing the NSSAI availability information to the NF service consumer.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for managing network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) availability information at network slice election function (NSSF)

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for discovering network function (NF) service producers in a hierarchical network are disclosed. One method includes receiving, by a regional NF repository function (NRF) operating in a first region of a hierarchical network, a NF registration request message from a NF service producer operating in the first region and detecting, by the regional NRF, an absence of <NF-Type>Info and/or <NF-Type>InfoList attribute data in the received NF registration request message. The method further includes creating, by the regional NRF, an entry in NrfInfo structure information directed toward a root NRF operating in the hierarchical network, wherein the entry includes an nfinstance identifier that identifies the NF service producer and is mapped to an empty structure field indicative of absent <NF-Type>Info and/or <NF-Type>InfoList attribute data and sending, by the regional NRF to the root NRF, the NrfInfo structure information via a registration message or update registration message.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for discovering network function service producers in a hierarchical network

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for network slice selection function (NSSF) recovery. A method includes creating, at an NSSF, subscriptions for a number of access and mobility management functions (AMFs) and storing availability information for each AMF. The method includes determining, at the NSSF, that the NSSF failed to process at least one service update message from at least one of the AMFs, and in response, sending a notification request message to each of the AMFs, the notification request message requesting each AMF to update availability information for the AMF. The method includes receiving, at the NSSF, updated availability information from each of the AMFs. The method includes distributing, at the NSSF, the updated availability information to each of the AMFs.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for network slice selection function recovery

One method for determining time related parameter values for a communications network occurs at network function (NF) repository function (NRF) including at least one processor. The method includes receiving, from a first NF, a service request message. The method further includes determining, using network information and/or NF information, a time related parameter value associated with the service request message. The method further includes generating and sending, to the first NF, a service response message indicating the time related parameter value.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for determining time related parameter values for a communications network

A method for providing for optimized service based interface (SBI) communications by performing network function (NF) fully qualified domain name (FQDN) resolution at an NF repository function (NRF) includes, at an NRF including at least one processor, receiving NF register requests including NF profiles and/or NF service profiles, at least some of which include FQDNs and do not include Internet protocol (IP) addresses. The method further includes storing the NF profiles and/or NF service profiles in an NF profiles database. The method further includes resolving the FQDNs in NF profiles and/or NF service profiles into IP addresses. The method further includes receiving NF discovery requests. The method further includes generating lists of NF profiles and/or NF service profiles that match query parameters in the NF discovery requests. The method further includes providing the lists of NF profiles and/or NF service profiles including the IP addresses to consumer NFs in NF discovery responses.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing for optimized service-based interface (SBI) communications by performing network function (NF) fully qualified domain name (FQDN) resolution at NF repository function (NRF)

A method for processing NF discovery requests using prioritized lists of preferred locations includes maintaining an NF profiles database including NF profiles of producer NFs registered to provide service to other NFs and a preferred locality attribute mappings database including mappings between preferred locality attributes and prioritized lists of preferred locations. The method includes receiving, from an NF, an NF discovery request including query parameters and a preferred locality attribute. The method further includes accessing the preferred locality attribute mappings database using the preferred locality attribute and obtaining a prioritized list of preferred locations corresponding to the preferred locality attribute, accessing the NF profiles database using the query parameters and identifying NF profiles of producer NFs capable of providing a service indicated by the query parameters, and prioritizing the NF profiles according to the prioritized list of preferred locations. An NF discovery response is generated and transmitted to the NF.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for processing network function (NF) discovery requests at NF repository function (NRF) using prioritized lists of preferred locations

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for enabling forwarding of subsequent network function subscription updates. A method includes forwarding, from a bootstrapped network function repository function (NRF) in a first region, a subscription creation request from a consumer network function to a target NRF in a second region. The method includes creating, at the target NRF, a subscription for the consumer network function. The method includes generating, at the target NRF, a hint comprising data indicating one or more alternate NRFs each sharing subscription state data with the target NRF. The method includes sending, from the target NRF to the consumer network function, a subscription response message including the hint.

Methods, systems, and computer readable media for enabling forwarding of subsequent network function subscription updates

A method for mitigating network function (NF) update and deregister attacks includes, at an NF repository function (NRF) implemented by at least one processor, receiving, from an NF, an NFRegister request including a hash of a first authentication string, an NF instance identifier, and an NF profile. The method further includes storing the hash of the first authentication string. The method further includes registering the NF by storing the NF profile in an NF profile database. The method further includes receiving a first NFUpdate or NFDeregister request including the NF instance identifier. The method further includes using the stored hash of the first authentication string to validate or reject the first NFUpdate or NFDeregister request.

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Bengaluru, India

Amarnath Jayaramachar