Method and apparatus for dynamic network routing in a software defined network

• US 10,469,376 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dowlatkhah, Sangar, Shaw, Venson, Cui, Zhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tokuta, Shean
• Application Number:
  US15/351,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20180139129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method including receiving, from a first management gateway of a network, first information associated with first network traffic that is received by the first management gateway from a first access network, determining, from the first information, a first service requested by a first communication device associated with the first network traffic received at the first management gateway, determining a first plurality of service functions required to facilitate the first service for the first communication device, selecting a first core gateway of a plurality of core gateways according to the first plurality of service functions, and transmitting, to the first management gateway, second information identifying the first core gateway, wherein the first management gateway routes the first network traffic to the first core gateway based on the second information. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

instantiating, in a network, a first management gateway comprising a first virtual network function to route network traffic;

instantiating, in the network, a plurality of core gateways comprising a plurality of second virtual network functions to provide services to communication devices;

receiving, from the first management gateway, first information associated with first network traffic that is received by the first management gateway from a first access network;

determining, from the first information, a first service requested by a first communication device associated with the first network traffic received at the first management gateway;

determining, from service layer equipment, a first plurality of service functions required to facilitate the first service for the first communication device;

determining whether the first network traffic includes control plane information, user plane information, or a combination thereof;

selecting a first core gateway of the plurality of core gateways according to the first plurality of service functions and according to whether the first network traffic includes the control plane information, the user plane information, or the combination thereof;

transmitting, to the first management gateway, second information to identify the first core gateway, wherein the first management gateway routes the first network traffic to the first core gateway based on the second information;

transmitting, to the first core gateway, third information to engage a third virtual network function of the plurality of second virtual network functions to process the first network traffic; and

selecting a second core gateway of the plurality of core gateways according to whether the first network traffic includes the control plane information, the user plane information, or the combination thereof,

wherein the first core gateway further routes a first portion of the first network traffic to the second core gateway,

wherein the first portion of the first network traffic includes the control plane information, and

wherein the user plane information in the first network traffic is processed at the first core gateway.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the control plane information is further processed at the first access network.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting, to the first management gateway, fourth information identifying the second core gateway.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the first management gateway routes the first portion of the first network traffic to the first core gateway and a second portion of the first network traffic to the second core gateway.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the first management gateway, fourth information associated with the first virtual network function to route the network traffic.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the first core gateway, fourth information associated with a second virtual network function at the first core gateway to process the first network traffic.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the control plane information included in the first portion of the first network traffic is processed at the second core gateway.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, from the fourth information, whether a first virtual network is over loaded with the network traffic; and

instantiating a second virtual network at the first management gateway to increase capacity to route the network traffic at the first management gateway.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, from the fourth information, whether a second virtual network is over loaded with the first network traffic; and

instantiating a third virtual network at the first core gateway to increase capacity to process the first network traffic at the first core gateway.

7. A software defined network manager, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

instantiating, in a network, a first management gateway comprising a first virtual network function to route network traffic;

receiving, from the first management gateway, first information associated with first network traffic that is received by the first management gateway from a first access network;

determining, from the first information, a first service requested by a first communication device associated with the first network traffic received at the first management gateway;

determining, from service layer equipment, a first plurality of service functions required to facilitate the first service for the first communication device;

selecting a first core gateway of a plurality of core gateways according to the first plurality of service functions and according to whether the first network traffic includes control plane information, user plane information, or a combination thereof;

transmitting, to the first management gateway, second information to identify the first core gateway, wherein the first management gateway routes at least a portion of the first network traffic to the first core gateway based on the second information; and

selecting a second core gateway of the plurality of core gateways according to whether the first network traffic includes the control plane information, the user plane information, or the combination thereof,

wherein the first core gateway further routes a first portion of the first network traffic to the second core gateway,

wherein the first portion of the first network traffic includes the control plane information, and

wherein the user plane information in the first network traffic is processed at the first core gateway.

8. The software defined network manager of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

instantiating, in the network, a plurality of core gateways comprising a plurality of second virtual network functions to provide services to communication devices; and

transmitting, to the first core gateway, third information to engage a third virtual network of the plurality of second virtual network functions to process the first network traffic.

9. The software defined network manager of claim 7, wherein the first management gateway routes the first portion of the first network traffic to the first core gateway and a second portion of the first network traffic to the second core gateway.

16. The software defined network manager of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the first management gateway, third information associated with the first virtual network function to route the network traffic.

17. The software defined network manager of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, from the third information, whether a first virtual network is over loaded with the network traffic; and

instantiating a second virtual network at the first management gateway to increase capacity to route the network traffic at the first management gateway.

18. The software defined network manager of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the first core gateway, third information associated with a second virtual network function at the first core gateway to process the first network traffic.

19. The software defined network manager of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, from the third information, whether a second virtual network is over loaded with the first network traffic; and

instantiating a third virtual network at the first core gateway to increase capacity to process the first network traffic at the first core gateway.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a first management gateway of a network and by a processing system comprising a processor, first information associated with first network traffic that is received by the first management gateway from a first access network;

determining, from the first information and by the processing system, a first service requested by a first communication device associated with the first network traffic received at the first management gateway;

determining, by the processing system, a first plurality of service functions required to facilitate the first service for the first communication device;

selecting, by the processing system, a first core gateway of a plurality of core gateways according to the first plurality of service functions and according to whether the first network traffic includes control plane information, user plane information, or a combination thereof;

transmitting, to the first management gateway and by the processing system, second information to identify the first core gateway, wherein the first management gateway routes the first network traffic to the first core gateway based on the second information; and

selecting a second core gateway of the plurality of core gateways according to whether the first network traffic includes the control plane information, the user plane information, or the combination thereof,

wherein the first core gateway further routes a first portion of the first network traffic to the second core gateway,

wherein the first portion of the first network traffic includes the control plane information, and

wherein the user plane information in the first network traffic is processed at the first core gateway.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting, to the first management gateway and by the processing system, third information identifying the second core gateway.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the control plane information is further processed at the first access network.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, from the first management gateway and by the processing system, third information associated with a first virtual network function to route the first network traffic;

determining, from the third information and by the processing system, whether a first virtual network is over loaded with the network traffic; and

instantiating, by the processing system, a second virtual network at the first management gateway to increase capacity to route the network traffic at the first management gateway.