PROVIDING OVERLAY NETWORKS VIA ELASTIC CLOUD NETWORKING

• US 20130121207A1
• Filed: 07/20/2012
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: PARKER, Benjamin J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,235,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A device receives network infrastructure requirements from a user, and selects, based on the network infrastructure requirements, at least one of a virtual core network, a virtual network resource, and a virtual system from resources provided in a cloud computing environment. The device also enables use of the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system by the user. The device receives, from the user, traffic destined for the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system, and provides the traffic to the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device, network infrastructure requirements from a user;

selecting, by the device and based on the network infrastructure requirements, at least one of a virtual core network, a virtual network resource, and a virtual system from resources provided in a cloud computing environment;

enabling, by the device, use of the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system by the user;

receiving, by the device and from the user, traffic destined for the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system; and

providing, by the device, the traffic to the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system.

2. The method of claim 1, where the virtual core network includes at least one of:

a virtual evolved packet core (EPC) network,

a virtual content delivery network, and

a virtual session delivery network.

3. The method of claim 1, where the virtual network resource includes one or more of:

a virtual mobility management entity (MME),

a virtual serving gateway (SGW),

a virtual policy and charging rule function (PCRF),

a virtual packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW),

a virtual home subscriber server (HSS),

a virtual domain name server (DNS),

a virtual tunnel termination gateway (TTG), and

a virtual firewall.

4. The method of claim 1, where the virtual system includes one or more of:

a virtual analytics and reporting system,

a virtual billing system, and

a virtual load balancing system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an identifier associated with the user;

determining, based on the identifier, a particular virtual core network, virtual network resource, or virtual system from the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system; and

providing the traffic to the particular virtual core network, virtual network resource, or virtual system.

6. The method of claim 5, where the identifier includes an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI).

7. The method of claim 1, where the cloud computing environment is operated by an entity separate from the user.

8. A device, comprising:

a processor to;

receive network infrastructure requirements from a user,

select, based on the network infrastructure requirements, at least one of a virtual core network, a virtual network resource, and a virtual system from resources provided in a cloud computing environment,

enable use of the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system by the user,

receive, from the user, traffic destined for the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system, and

provide the traffic to the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system.

9. The device of claim 8, where the virtual core network includes at least one of:

a virtual evolved packet core (EPC) network,

a virtual content delivery network, and

a virtual session delivery network.

10. The device of claim 8, where the virtual network resource includes one or more of:

a virtual mobility management entity (MME),

a virtual serving gateway (SGW),

a virtual policy and charging rule function (PCRF),

a virtual packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW),

a virtual home subscriber server (HSS),

a virtual domain name server (DNS),

a virtual tunnel termination gateway (TTG), and

a virtual firewall.

11. The device of claim 8, where the virtual system includes one or more of:

a virtual analytics and reporting system,

a virtual billing system, and

a virtual load balancing system.

12. The device of claim 8, where the processor is further to:

receive an identifier associated with the user,

determine, based on the identifier, a particular virtual core network, virtual network resource, or virtual system from the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system, and

provide the traffic to the particular virtual core network, virtual network resource, or virtual system.

13. The device of claim 12, where the identifier includes an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI).

14. The device of claim 12, where the identifier is provided in the traffic.

15. A computer-readable medium, comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to;

receive network infrastructure requirements from a user,

select, based on the network infrastructure requirements, at least one of a virtual core network, a virtual network resource, and a virtual system from resources provided in a cloud computing environment,

enable use of the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system by the user,

receive, from the user, traffic destined for the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system, and

provide the traffic to the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the virtual core network includes at least one of:

a virtual evolved packet core (EPC) network provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment,

a virtual content delivery network provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment, and

a virtual session delivery network provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the virtual network resource includes one or more of:

a virtual mobility management entity (MME) provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment,

a virtual serving gateway (SGW) provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment,

a virtual policy and charging rule function (PCRF) provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment,

a virtual packet data network (PDN) gateway (PGW) provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment,

a virtual home subscriber server (HSS) provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment,

a virtual domain name server (DNS) provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment,

a virtual tunnel termination gateway (TTG) provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment, and

a virtual firewall provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the virtual system includes one or more of:

a virtual analytics and reporting system provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment,

a virtual billing system provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment, and

a virtual load balancing system provided by the resources of the cloud computing environment.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive an identifier associated with the user,

determine, based on the identifier, a particular virtual core network, virtual network resource, or virtual system from the selected at least one of the virtual core network, the virtual network resource, and the virtual system, and

provide the traffic to the particular virtual core network, virtual network resource, or virtual system.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, where the identifier includes an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI).