Metaswitch Networks Limited

Murray Rogers

John P Batty

Christian Dominic Lund

Christopher Neil Swindle

Mark Edward Overton

Andrew Munro Caldwell

Christopher Coomber

Benjamin Gill

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 described herein relate to configuring a call control context in a media gateway. The media gateway has a set of digital signal processors, each having one or more digital signal processor cores. The cores implement digital signal processor channels that are grouped into digital signal processor contexts. When a request to configure a call control context is received, certain examples described herein are configured to assign a set of digital signal processor contexts to process data streams associated with the call control context. In particular, certain examples described herein couple a first digital signal processor context to at least a second digital signal processor context using at least one digital signal processor channel in each of the first and second digital signal processor contexts.

Context configuration

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

Murray Rogers