SELECTION OF VIRTUAL NETWORK ELEMENTS

• US 20140146673A1
• Filed: 11/26/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2012
• 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 9,270,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control

Abstract

A server may be configured to: receive a network selection query, associated with a user device. The network selection query may include information relating to a geographic location of the user device. The server may also select, based on information included in the network selection query, a virtual network element that services the geographic location of the user device and functions as a physical network element of an evolved packet core (EPC) network or an internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network. The server may also enable use of the selected virtual network element by the user device; receive a data packet destined for the selected virtual network element; provide the data packet to the selected virtual network element; and prevent the data packet from being sent to a non-selected virtual network element.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first server, a network selection query, associated with a user device,

the network selection query including information relating to a geographic location of the user device;

selecting, by the first server and based on the network selection query, a virtual network element,

the virtual network element servicing the geographic location of the user device and functioning as a physical network element of an evolved packet core (EPC) network or an internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network;

enabling, by the first server, use of the selected virtual network element by the user device;

receiving, by the first server and from the user device, a data packet destined for the selected virtual network element; and

providing, by the first server, the data packet to the selected virtual network element.

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

a virtual mobility management entity (MME),

a virtual serving gateway (SGW),

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

a virtual domain name server (DNS),

a virtual tunnel termination gateway (TTG), or

a virtual firewall.

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

a virtual policy and charging rule function (PCRF),

a virtual home subscriber server (HSS), or

a virtual call service control function (CSCF) server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining analytics data associated with the virtual network element,

the analytics data including network activity data associated with the virtual network element; and

providing the analytics data to a second server,

the second server determining an overloaded virtual network element based on the analytics data and directing a third server to add a virtual network element to receive the data packet on behalf of the overloaded network element.

5. The method of claim 4, where the second server determines an under-loaded virtual network element based on the analytics data and directs the third server to remove the under-loaded virtual network element.

6. The method of claim 1, where the network selection query includes information relating to a network resource demand of an application of the user device, the method further comprising:

determining that the network element includes capacity to satisfy the network resource demand,

where the selection of the network element being further based on determining that the virtual network element includes capacity to satisfy the network resource demand.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the network element is performing in accordance with a performance parameter,

where the selection of the network element being further based on determining that the network element is performing in accordance with the performance parameter.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an identifier, associated with the user device, as part of the network query,

where selecting the network element is further based on the identifier associated with the user device.

9. A system comprising:

a first server to;

receive a network selection query, associated with a user device,

the network selection query including information relating to a geographic location of the user device or relating to a network resource demand of an application of the user device;

select, based on information included in the network selection query, a virtual network element,

the virtual network element servicing the geographic location of the user device or having capacity to satisfy the network resource demand and functioning as a physical network element of an evolved packet core (EPC) network or an internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network;

enable use of the selected virtual network element by the user device;

receive a data packet destined for the selected virtual network element; and

provide the data packet to the selected virtual network element.

10. The system of claim 9, where the virtual network element includes at least one of:

a virtual mobility management entity (MME),

a virtual serving gateway (SGW),

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

a virtual domain name server (DNS),

a virtual tunnel termination gateway (TTG), or

a virtual firewall.

11. The system of claim 9, where the virtual network element includes one or more of:

a virtual policy and charging rule function (PCRF),

a virtual home subscriber server (HSS), or

a virtual call service control function (CSCF) server.

12. The system of claim 9, where the first server is further to:

determine analytics data associated with the virtual network element,

the analytics data including network activity data associated with the virtual network element; and

provide the analytics data to a second server,

the second server determining an overloaded virtual network element based on the analytics data and directing a third server to add a virtual network element to receive the data packet on behalf of the overloaded network element.

13. The system of claim 12, where the second server determines an under-loaded virtual network element based on the analytics data and directs the third server to remove the under-loaded virtual network element.

14. The system of claim 9, where the first server is further to:

determine that the network element is performing in accordance with a performance parameter; and

select the network element further based on determining that the network element is performing in accordance with the performance parameter.

15. The system of claim 9, where the first server is further to:

receive an identifier, associated with the user device, as part of the network query; and

select the virtual network element further based on the identifier associated with the user device.

16. A computer-readable medium for storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

a plurality of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors associated with a first server, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a network selection query, associated with a user device,

the network selection query including information relating to a geographic location of the user device or an identifier associated with the user device;

select, based on information included in the network selection query, a virtual network element,

the virtual network element servicing the geographic location of the user device and functioning as a physical network element of an evolved packet core (EPC) network or an internet protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) network;

enable use of the selected virtual network element by the user device;

receive a data packet destined for the selected virtual network element;

provide the data packet to the selected virtual network element.

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

a virtual mobility management entity (MME),

a virtual serving gateway (SGW),

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

a virtual domain name server (DNS),

a virtual tunnel termination gateway (TTG), or

a virtual firewall.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the virtual network element includes one or more of:

a virtual policy and charging rule function (PCRF),

a virtual home subscriber server (HSS), or

a virtual call service control function (CSCF) server.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

determine analytics data associated with the network element,

the analytics data including network activity data associated with the network element; and

provide the analytics data to a second server,

providing the analytics to the second server allowing the second server to;

determine an overloaded network element based on the analytics data and directing a third server to add a virtual network element to receive the data packet on behalf of the overloaded network element or

determine an under-loaded virtual network element based on the analytics data and directs the third server to remove the under-loaded virtual network element.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the network selection query includes information relating to a network resource demand of an application of the user device, the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

determine that the network element includes capacity to satisfy the network resource demand; and

select the network element further based on determining that the network element includes capacity to satisfy the network resource demand.