British Telecommunications Public Limited Company

David Lesaint

Nader Azarmi

Gilbert Kwame Owusu

Carla Di Cairano-Gilfedder

Christos Voudouris

Stephen Leslie Corley

Ian S Alletson

John J O'Donoghue

Robert N W Laithwaite

Paul Walker

Anne Linet

Frederic Lardeux

Andrew P Noble

Pierre Desport

Charles D Elfe

Eugene C Freuder

A method for deploying virtualized network functions (VNFs) as virtualized implementations of logical network devices in a virtualized computing environment for providing network services, the method including determining a VNF deployment plan including a specification, for each point in time over a planning period, of zero or more VNF instances to be released at the point in time and zero or more VNF instances to be deployed at the point in time, wherein the deployment plan is determined by an optimization function based on: a constraint on a number of VNFs in all states of undeployed, being deployed, deployed and being release; constraints based on a demand for VNFs defined by characteristics of the VNFs and the virtualized computing environment; and constraints based on a capacity of the virtualized computing environment to accommodate a resource consumption of the VNFs, and wherein the optimization function is configured to minimize one or more of: a number of VNFs in a deployed state; and a resource cost of deploying and releasing VNFs; and executing the VNF deployment plan to deploy VNFs for the virtualized computing environment.

Virtualized network function deployment

A plurality of resources, typically service operatives, are allocated to a plurality of tasks by a method in which initial information relating to the tasks to be allocated and the resources available to perform the tasks is provided. An initial series of schedules is first generated allocating resources to the tasks, and then modifying the individual schedule of at least one resource in response to updated information. Changes to individual schedules may be made in response to such updated information independently of the schedule generation. The initial, series of schedules may be generated in a two-stage process in which a rule-based system allocates tasks selected as being difficult to allocate (e.g., because they are linked to other tasks). then a stochastic (non-systematic) search system compiles the rest of the schedule. Periodically, the stochastic system may be interrupted to allow a further rule-based system to analyze the schedules created thus far, and fix the best ones in the schedule, so that the stochastic system can then concentrate on improving the remaining schedules. In order to allow the system to handle rapid changes in the requirements for tasks and the resources, on a scale faster than the time required to generate the schedules, a schedule modification system is arranged to make changes in the short term in between schedule updates delivered by the schedule generation system.

Method and apparatus for resource allocation when schedule changes are incorporated in real time

Service management system for use in communications

Growing community of inventors

Ipswich, United Kingdom

David Lesaint