Cisco Technology, Inc.

Arghya T Mukherjee

Om Prakash Suthar

Santanu Dasgupta

Aeneas Sean Dodd-Noble

Bhaskar Bhupalam

Venkatanarayana Muppala

Fei Gao

Amarnath Sury Arvind

Carlos M Pignataro

Jayaraman R Iyer

Rajiv Asati

Ian James Wells

Rajesh Bhalla

Viktor Mats Emanuel Leijon

Yoshitaka Nagami

Vivek Agarwal

Michael Lindsay Shannon

Renhua Wen

Ian Herbert Wilson

Vineet Gupta

Navan Narang

Richard Montgomery Plane

Hancang Wang

Ashwin Anilkumar Kabadi

Ahmad Said Farid

This technology defines an envelope of a set of constraints to impose a network characteristic. A function is created to form a combined set of envelopes to configure resources for use in the network. A path is discovered from a first state to a second state based on the combined set of envelopes. A set of service descriptors configures the function based on a load demand for the network. A path selection is tested of a set of envelopes against the load demand for the network. The set of constraints of a path selection is determined as to whether the load demand is met demand. In response to a set of envelopes meeting the load demand, a path selection is enabled for a set of constraints defined by the set of envelopes, else if the load demand is not met, then an error message is returned to the network provider.

Connecting service level outputs to orchestration inputs

Provided herein are techniques to facilitate providing consumer-defined workloads for a network slice of a slice provider network. In at least one example, a method may include transmitting a query to a slice provider function for topology information of an instantiated network slice in which the instantiated network slice includes slice resources provided at a plurality of network locations. The method may further include obtaining the topology information that identifies, at least in part, the plurality of network locations at which the slice resources and identifying, based at least in part on the topology information, at least one network location of the instantiated network slice at which to instantiate a consumer-defined workload, and transmitting a request to instantiate the consumer-defined workload that includes at least one location identifier of the at least one network location and a workload identifier of the consumer-defined workload to be instantiated.

Techniques to facilitate consumer-defined workloads for a network slice of a slice provider network

A system and method are provided to derive Virtual Network Function (VNF) infrastructure and networking requirements from the virtual network function descriptor and network services descriptor definitions (extended). This results in a fully automated system for VIM creation and VNF onboarding in order to prepare the infrastructure for VNF instantiation.

Methods to extract cloud infrastructure requirements from virtualized applications and autodeploy

In one example, a Network Functions Virtualization Orchestrator (NFVO) obtains a radio service descriptor defining communication parameters for a radio in a virtual Radio Access Network (vRAN). Based on the radio service descriptor, the NFVO determines whether a virtual Distributed Unit (vDU) that is configured in accordance with the communication parameters and a virtual Centralized Unit (vCU) that is configured in accordance with the communication parameters are already instantiated in the vRAN. If it is determined that the vDU or the vCU is not already instantiated, the NFVO automatically instantiates the vDU or the vCU in the vRAN.

Automated provisioning of radios in a virtual radio access network

Techniques associated with localizing data traffic for a time sensitive network within a virtualized radio access network are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes determining that a user equipment (UE) is associated with a time sensitive network; and localizing data traffic for the UE within a virtualized radio access network based on determining that the data traffic for the UE can be localized at one centralized user plane component of the virtualized radio access network for the time sensitive network. The data traffic can be Layer-2 data traffic or unstructured data traffic.

Virtualized radio access network architecture for applications requiring a time sensitive network

Methods are provided to preemptively reconfigure a mobile network to respond to external emergencies. The method is performed at a network device of a service provider which provides access to a mobile network for wireless device. The method includes obtaining a message indicating an occurrence of a disaster. The message includes at least an emergency type and location information. The method further includes determining, based on the emergency type, a reconfiguration policy for reconfiguring the mobile network in an area indicated by the location information and reconfiguring the mobile network based on the reconfiguration policy. The method further includes authenticating a disaster application function and a notification message informing about an occurrence of a disaster.

Methods to preemptively autoconfigure a mobile network to respond to external emergencies

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.

Service or network function workload preemption

A broker network may be configured to serve as an intermediary between one or more radio providers and one or more mobile service providers for reservation of remote radio units (RRUs) for use in a virtualized radio access network (vRAN) environment. The broker network may receive, from a mobile network, a message indicating a request for identification of RRUs of at least one radio provider. The broker network may send, to the mobile network, one or more messages including a plurality of identifiers which identify a plurality of RRUs, and a geographic location and capabilities associated with each RRU. After receiving a selection of an RRU, the broker network may send to the RRU a message which triggers communication with a virtualized Distributed Unit (vDU) for a remote configuration of parameters in the selected RRU, so that it may be used to facilitate communication with UEs in the mobile network.

Facilitating reservation and use of remote radio units (RRUs) of radio providers for mobile service providers in virtualized radio access network (vRAN) environments

A network device such as a network function (NF) entity or an application function (AF) entity in a communication network monitors network traffic for a plurality of peer-to-peer transactions associated with an application, where each peer-to-peer transaction includes communications between a user and a peer in the communication network. The network device also determines a set of geographic locations corresponding to one or more peer endpoints for the plurality of peer-to-peer transactions based on the network traffic, and determines an optimal midpoint between the set of geographic locations. The network device further deploys an edge node in the communication network to serve a subsequent peer-to-peer transaction for the application based on the optimal midpoint.

Deploying network functions in a communication network based on geo-social network data

Systems and methods provide for network-initiated recovery from a failure during transmission of text messages (e.g., Short Message Service or SMS) sent from circuit-switched (CS)/packet-switched (PS) infrastructure to a Mobile Station or User Equipment (MS/UE) connected to a PS radio access network. A text message service center (e.g., SMS Center or SMSC) can receive a message destined for the MS/UE. The SMSC can request from a home location register (HLR) routing information to a first text message interworking function (e.g., SMS-IWF) associated with a first visitor location register (VLR). The SMSC can receive data indicating that the first SMS-IWF/VLR is unreachable. The SMSC can transmit to the HLR an indication of an absent subscriber causing the HLR to request a Mobility Management Entity (MME) to reattach the MS/UE to a second SMS-IWF/VLR. In some embodiments, the MS/UE may reattach only to the second SMS-IWF/VLR (e.g., instead of a full reattach).

Network-initiated recovery from a text message delivery failure

A method for providing a virtual private network by home agent in a mobile IP environment includes providing a home agent operable to receive a registration request from a foreign agent and negotiate conditions of attachment of a mobile node to the foreign agent and further operable to store an IP address of the foreign agent in response to the negotiated conditions. The method also includes receiving, at the home agent, from the foreign agent, a registration request for the mobile node. The method also includes determining, by the home agent, a virtual private network membership of the mobile node based on a characteristic associated with the mobile node. The method further includes mapping the mobile node to an identifier associated with the home agent and transmitting the mapping to the foreign agent. The identifier is indicative of the virtual private network membership of the mobile subscriber. The method also includes receiving packets containing the identifier from the foreign agent and, in response, directing the packets to an IP address associated with the virtual private network.

Method and system for providing virtual private network services through a mobile IP home agent

The disclosed embodiments support proxy Mobile IP registration for nodes that do not implement CHAP. This is accomplished, in part, through the generation of a CHAP challenge and response by either a AAA server or a network device such as a PDSN or Foreign Agent. If the CHAP challenge and response is generated by the AAA server, the AAA server provides the CHAP challenge and response to the network device. In this manner, the network device may generate a Mobile IP registration request based upon the CHAP challenge and response.

Growing community of inventors

Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Arghya T Mukherjee