Sprint Communications Comapny L.p.

T-mobile Innovations LLC

Sprint Spectrum L.p.

Arun Rajagopal

Lyle W Paczkowski

Ronald R Marquardt

Marouane Balmakhtar

Carl Joseph Persson

Roger Danforth Bartlett

Lyle Thomas Bertz

Matthew Carl Schlesener

William Michael Parsel

Charles Brent Hirschman

Kafi Hassan

Daniel Joe Sershen

A method of electronic communication via a virtual network function (NFV) implementation of a core network. The method comprises receiving a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) content request from a user equipment (UE), wherein the HTTP content request comprises an identification of a content source and determining by an orchestrator service that insufficient NFV processing capacity is available to perform the HTTP content request, where the orchestrator service is an application that executes on a first physical host. The method further comprises dynamically increasing the NFV processing capacity by the orchestrator service, performing the HTTP content request using the increased NFV processing capacity, and returning a HTTP content response to the UE, wherein the HTTP content response does not comprise identification of the content source.

Securing communications in a network function virtualization (NFV) core network

A wireless communication network serves a wireless user device with a wireless communication service from a wireless network slice that includes a Virtual Network Function (VNF). The VNF maintains hardware-trust with a distributed ledger. The distributed ledger maintains hardware-trust with the VNF. The VNF delivers the wireless communication service to the wireless user device from the wireless network slice. The VNF generates slice data that characterizes the service delivery. When the VNF maintains the hardware-trust with the distributed ledger, the VNF transfers the slice data to the distributed ledger. When the distributed ledger maintains the hardware-trust with the VNF, the distributed ledger stores the slice data.

Hardware-trusted ledger client for distributed ledgers that serve wireless network slices

A Network Function Virtualization (NFV) Software Defined Network (SDN) controls NFV resources consumed by Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). An NFV Infrastructure (NFVI) executes SDN application VNFs, SDN controller VNFs, and SDN data-machine VNFs. The NFVI responsively transfers SDN Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). A VNF control system processes the KPIs to generate and transfer NFV control data to lighten one of the SDN VNFs. The NFVI lightens the one SDN VNF responsive to the NFV control data by increasing access to NFVI hardware for the one SDN VNF.

Virtual network function (VNF) resource management in a software defined network (SDN)

A Network Function Virtualization (NFV) system implements hardware trusted Management and Orchestration (MANO). A Hardware (HW) trust server issues a HW trust challenge to a first MANO system. The first MANO system hashes its physically-embedded read-only hardware trust key to generate a HW trust result and transfers the HW trust result to the HW trust server. The HW trust server validates the hardware trust result and transfers a HW trust certificate to the first MANO system. The first MANO system transfers the HW trust certificate and NFV MANO data to a second MANO system. The second MANO system validates the HW trust certificate. The second MANO system exchanges NFVI control data with NFVI circuitry responsive to the NFV MANO data when the HW trust certificate is valid. The second MANO system isolates the NFV MANO data when the HW trust certificate is not valid.

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) hardware trusted hosted MANO

Systems, methods, and processing nodes for obtaining radio network characteristics associated with network traffic, determining a type of network traffic and/or network session, allocating resources towards a network traffic session based on the type thereof (or type of network traffic), and performing additional network optimization operations based thereon, including but not limited to metering, billing, and service adjustments such as reallocation of resources. Consequently, resource usage patterns of different data types can be made predictable to a network operator, enabling optimal allocation of network resources, adjustments of latency, and thus providing an optimal user experience.

Non-intrusive traffic analysis for wireless networks

In a wireless network, a distributed ledger client maintains hardware-trust with a wireless network slice and distributed ledger nodes. The wireless network slice delivers wireless communication services to wireless user devices. When the distributed ledger client maintains hardware-trust with the wireless network slice, the wireless network slice transfers slice data to the distributed ledger client. The slice data that characterizes the delivery of the wireless communication services. The distributed ledger client transfers the slice data to the distributed ledger nodes. The distributed ledger nodes log the slice data when the distributed ledger client maintains hardware-trust with the distributed ledger nodes.

A wireless communication network implements a wireless network slice that has a slice configuration. A slice controller signals a Network Function Virtualization (NFV) Management and Orchestration (MANO) to implement a Network Service Descriptor (NSD) for the slice based on the slice configuration. The NFV MANO signals an NFV Infrastructure (NFVI) to execute Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) for the slice based on the NSD. The NFVI executes the VNFs, and the VNFs handle user data for wireless user devices that use the slice. The VNFs generate and transfer slice data responsive to handling the user data. The wireless user devices generate and transfer slice data responsive to using the slice. Wireless access points generate and transfer slice data responsive to serving the user devices. A distributed ledger receives the slice data, forms a consensus for the slice data, and stores the slice data in a distributed ledger format.

Wireless network slice distributed ledger

A data communication system exchanges user data between a first System-On-Chip (SOC) and a second SOC. The SOCs hash and transfer their read-only hardware-trust keys and receive hardware-trust digital certificates. The SOCs exchange and validate the hardware-trust digital certificates. The first SOC encrypts user data and transfers the encrypted user data responsive to the hardware-trust validations. The second SOC receives the encrypted user data, decrypts the encrypted user data, and processes the decrypted user data responsive to the hardware-trust validations. In some examples, the second SOC encrypts and transfers other user data responsive to the hardware-trust validations, and the first SOC receives, decrypts, and processes the other user data responsive to the hardware-trust validations. The first and/or the second SOC could be wireless communication devices.

Hardware trusted data communications over system-on-chip (SOC) architectures

A cloud computing system. The system comprises a network, a data store communicatively coupled to the network, a plurality of compute nodes, at least some of the compute nodes comprising a cloud computing framework agent coupled to an agent gate keeper, where the cloud computing framework agent communicates with the network via the agent gate keeper, an image management component coupled to an image management gate keeper, where the image management component manages images that execute in the compute instances on the compute nodes and communicates with the network via the image management gate keeper, and a security engine coupled to the network that receives a request to initiate an image on a compute instance, analyzes the image to determine an authentication metric, and when the authentication metric matches a validated authentication value, sends the image to the image management component for loading and instantiating in the compute instance.

Secure cloud computing framework

A Software-Defined Network (SDN) controller receives controller Application Programming Interface (API) calls from an SDN application and transfers SDN data machine API calls. SDN data machines receive the SDN data machine API calls and process user data responsive to the SDN data machine API calls. The SDN controller transfers SDN controller Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that indicate an amount of the SDN application API calls for the SDN data machine API calls. The SDN data machines transfers SDN data machine KPIs that indicate an amount of the processed user data for the SDN data machine API calls. An SDN server receives the SDN data machine KPIs and the SDN controller KPIs. The SDN server determines an SDN Quality-of-Service (QoS) score for a data communication service based on the amount of the SDN application API calls relative to the corresponding amount of the processed user data.

Software defined network (SDN) quality-of-service (QoS)

A data communication system controls Software Defined Network (SDN) Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). A Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure (NFVI) executes the SDN VNFs and responsively transfers SDN Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to a Management and Orchestration (MANO) computer. The MANO computer processes the SDN KPIs from the NFVI to determine an NFVI task to perform for the SDN VNFs. The NFVI task comprises at least one of: SDN VNF relocation, SDN VNF off-boarding, SDN VNF darkening, SDN VNF lightening, and SDN VNF on-boarding. The MANO computer transfers NFVI control data indicating the NFVI task to the NFVI. The NFVI performs the NFVI task for the SDN VNFs responsive to the NFV control data.

Virtual network function (VNF) relocation in a software defined network (SDN)

In a Software Defined Network (SDN), a source SDN switch in a source geographic area generates switch performance data. The source SDN switch detects when its switch performance reaches a switch performance threshold based on its switch performance data, and in response, the source SDN switch transfers source switch information. An SDN controller receives the source switch information and selects a target SDN switch in a target geographic area based on the switch performance threshold and the source geographic area. The SDN controller transfers the source switch information to the target SDN switch in the target geographic area. The target SDN switch generates switch performance data and detects when SDN performance reaches a network performance threshold based on its switch performance data and the source switch information. The target SDN transfers SDN performance information to the SDN controller.

Software defined network (SDN) information distribution across an SDN data-plane

A wireless network slice controller instructs a Network Function Virtualization (NFV) Management and Orchestration (MANO) system to implement a Network Service Descriptor (NSD) for a network slice. The NFV MANO system directs an NFV Infrastructure (NFVI) to execute NFV Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) for the network slice based on the NSD. The slice controller instructs a slice oracle to start a distributed ledger for the network slice. The slice oracle launches a distributed ledger for the network slice. The slice controller instructs access points to serve user devices for the network slice. The access points, NFVI, and VNFs serve the user devices. The slice oracle receives slice data from the access points, the NFVI, and the VNFs and transfers the slice data to the distributed ledger. The distributed ledger forms a consensus for the slice data and stores the slice data for the network slice.

A computer system that comprises a processor, a non-transitory memory, and a system application stored in the non-transitory memory. When executed by the processor, the application receives a request to create a software container, creates the container, generates a signature of the container, creates a container security token that comprises the signature and embeds the container security token in the container, and returns the container with the embedded container security token. The application receives a request to launch an application in the container, determines a confirmation signature of the container provided by the application launch request, compares the confirmation signature to the signature of the container security token in the container, determines that the confirmation signature and the signature of the container security token in the software container match, and responsive to determining the signatures match launches the application in the software container provided by the application launch request.

Growing community of inventors

Leawood, KS, United States of America

Arun Rajagopal