Virtualized network functions and service chaining in serverless computing infrastructure

• US 10,257,033 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shimamura, Komei, Saha, Amit Kumar, Dutta, Debojyoti
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilles, Jude Jean
• Application Number:
  US15/485,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20180302277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 709220, 709229, 709225, 709228, 709245, 709230, 709227, 709250, 709249, 709203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/145 involving simulating, designing, planning or modelling of a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5045 Making service definitions prior to deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5096 wherein the managed service relates to distributed or central networked applications

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method implements virtualized network functions in a serverless computing system having networked hardware resources. An interface of the serverless computing system receives a specification for a network service including a virtualized network function (VNF) forwarding graph (FG). A mapper of the serverless computing system determines an implementation graph comprising edges and vertices based on the specification. A provisioner of the serverless computing system provisions a queue in the serverless computing system for each edge. The provisioner further provisions a function in the serverless computing system for each vertex, wherein, for at least one or more functions, each one of said at least one or more functions reads incoming messages from at least one queue. The serverless computing system processes data packets by the queues and functions in accordance with the VNF FG. The queues and functions processes data packets in accordance with the VNF FG.

Claims

1. A method for implementing virtualized network functions in a serverless computing system having networked hardware resources, comprising:

receiving, by an interface of the serverless computing system, a specification for a network service including a virtualized network function (VNF) forwarding graph (FG);

determining, by a mapper of the serverless computing system, an implementation graph comprising edges and vertices based on the specification;

provisioning, by a provisioner of the serverless computing system, a queue in the serverless computing system for each edge;

provisioning, by the provisioner, a function in the serverless computing system for each vertex, wherein, for at least one or more functions, each one of said at least one or more functions reads incoming messages from at least one queue; and

processing data packets by the queues and functions in accordance with the VNF FG.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein for at least one or more functions, each one of said at least one or more functions writes outgoing messages to at least one queue.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each queue stores a stream of messages to which at least one or more functions subscribe.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the specification specifies one or more network paths; and

the edges and vertices of the implementation graph represent the one or more network paths through one or more VNFs specified in the specification.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the specification further comprises one or more VNF descriptors, and the one or more VNF descriptors specify scripts to be executed by the provisioned functions.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein provisioning the function for a given vertex comprises:

provisioning a preamble for reading incoming messages from one or more queues associated with one or more incoming edges to the given vertex;

provisioning logic corresponding to a virtualized network function for the given vertex; and

provisioning a postamble for writing outgoing messages to one or more queues associated with one or more outgoing edges from the given vertex.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the virtualized network function differs between incoming messages originating from different queues.

8. A serverless computing system comprising:

at least one memory element;

at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory element;

an interface that when executed by the at least one processor is configured to receive, by an interface of the serverless computing system, a specification for a network service including a virtualized network function (VNF) forwarding graph (FG);

a mapper that when executed by the at least one processor is configured to determine an implementation graph comprising edges and vertices based on the specification;

a provisioner that when executed by the at least one processor is configured to;

provision a queue for each edge, and provision a function for each vertex, wherein, for at least one or more functions, each one of said at least one or more functions reads incoming messages from at least one queue; and

the queues and the functions that when executed by the at least one processor is configured to process data packets in accordance with the VNF FG.

9. The serverless computing system of claim 8, wherein for at least one or more functions, each one of said at least one or more functions writes outgoing messages to at least one queue.

10. The serverless computing system of claim 8, wherein each queue stores a stream of messages to which at least one or more functions subscribe.

11. The serverless computing system of claim 8, wherein:

the specification specifies one or more network paths; and

the edges and vertices of the implementation graph represent the one or more network paths through one or more VNFs specified in the specification.

12. The serverless computing system of claim 8, wherein the specification further comprises one or more VNF descriptors, and the one or more VNF descriptors specify scripts to be executed by the provisioned functions.

13. The serverless computing system of claim 8, wherein provisioning the function for a given vertex comprises:

provisioning a preamble for reading incoming messages from one or more queues associated with one or more incoming edges to the given vertex;

provisioning logic corresponding to a virtualized network function for the given vertex; and

provisioning a postamble for writing outgoing messages to one or more queues associated with one or more outgoing edges from the given vertex.

14. The serverless computing system of claim 13, wherein the virtualized network function differs between incoming messages originating from different queues.

15. One or more computer-readable non-transitory media comprising one or more instructions, for implementing virtualized network functions in a serverless computing system having networked hardware resources, that when executed on a processor configure the processor to perform one or more operations comprising:

receiving, by an interface of the serverless computing system, a specification for a network service including a virtualized network function (VNF) forwarding graph (FG);

determining, by a mapper of the serverless computing system, an implementation graph comprising edges and vertices based on the specification;

provisioning, by a provisioner of the serverless computing system, a queue in the serverless computing system for each edge;

provisioning, by the provisioner, a function in the serverless computing system for each vertex, wherein, for at least one or more functions, each one of said at least one or more functions reads incoming messages from at least one queue; and

processing data packets by the queues and functions in accordance with the VNF FG.

16. The one or more computer-readable non-transitory media of claim 15, wherein for at least one or more functions, each one of said at least one or more functions writes outgoing messages to at least one queue.

17. The one or more computer-readable non-transitory media of claim 15, wherein each queue stores a stream of messages to which at least one or more functions subscribe.

18. The one or more computer-readable non-transitory media of claim 15, wherein:

the specification specifies one or more network paths; and

the edges and vertices of the implementation graph represent the one or more network paths through one or more VNFs specified in the specification.

19. The one or more computer-readable non-transitory media of claim 15, wherein the specification further comprises one or more VNF descriptors, and the one or more VNF descriptors specify scripts to be executed by the provisioned functions.

20. The one or more computer-readable non-transitory media of claim 15, wherein provisioning the function for a given vertex comprises:

provisioning a preamble for reading incoming messages from one or more queues associated with one or more incoming edges to the given vertex;

provisioning logic corresponding to a virtualized network function for the given vertex; and

provisioning a postamble for writing outgoing messages to one or more queues associated with one or more outgoing edges from the given vertex;

wherein the virtualized network function differs between incoming messages originating from different queues.