Metaswitch Networks Limited

Christopher Neil Swindle

Matthew Ian Ronald Williams

Richard John Whitehouse

Murray Rogers

Colin Reynolds

Andrew Munro Caldwell

John P Batty

Christian Dominic Lund

Mark Edward Overton

Benjamin Gill

Christopher Coomber

In operation, packets traverse the packet processing data structure, and the network processing represented by each object in the data structure is applied to each packet. From time to time, the packet processing data structure may need to be updated. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for lock-free updating of a packet processing data structure by means of epoch-based garbage collection. In embodiments, a particular past packet processing epoch is considered to be no longer referenced by any cores when the sequence numbers recorded in each said memory location are different to the sequence number of that particular past packet processing epoch. The deletion thread checks both whether a past epoch is being referenced by any packets and whether it is being reference by any cores. Thus memory is safely freed without having any impact on any packet processing which may be occurring in parallel to the deletion thread.

Packet processing

Embodiments relate to virtualization and have particular application to lifecycle management of Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs). Preferred embodiments provide a method for managing VNFs in a communications network that comprises management and orchestration (MANO) entities and a deployment management entity which is functionally separate from the MANO entities. The method comprises, at the deployment management entity: receiving a lifecycle management message relating to a deployment of VNFs; associating the received lifecycle management message with a specific deployment of VNF instances, the specific deployment comprising a set of more than one VNF instances orchestrated by a network function virtualization (NFV) orchestrator and managed by a VNF management entity, both of which are said MANO entities; updating a first VNF instance in the deployment on the basis of the received lifecycle management message; and updating a second VNF instance in the deployment on the basis of the received lifecycle management message.

Network functions virtualization

Certain examples are described relating to resource allocation for one or more digital signal processors in a media gateway. Processing of telecommunication calls are allocated to different digital signal processor cores in the media gateway. When more processing resources are required for a call, a determination is made as to whether any of a set of digital signal processor cores are able to provide these resources. Responsive to a particular digital signal processor core being unable to provide the further processing resources, a reallocation process is initiated. This may involve reserving resources on a further digital processor core, releasing the original set of processing resources and allocating the processing of the call to the further digital processor core.

Resource allocation

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London, United Kingdom

Christopher Neil Swindle