SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR INTER-MODULE COMMUNICATION IN A NETWORK BASED ON NETWORK FUNCTION VIRTUALIZATION (NFV)

• US 20150180730A1
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amdocs Development Limited (Amdocs Ltd.), Amdocs Software Systems Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Amdocs Software Systems Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hermoni, Ofer, Sandlerman, Nimrod, Felstaine, Eyal, Kitroser, Itzik
• Granted Patent: US 9,838,265 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2023 Failover techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• 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 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/00 Network traffic management; Network resource management

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a system, method, and computer program product for communicating information in a communication network using network function virtualization (NFV-based communication network), the method including: sending a communication from a first entity of the NFV-based communication network, the first entity being a sender, and receiving the communication by a second entity of the NFV-based communication network, the second entity being a receiver, where the communication includes: an identification of the sender of the communication, and an identification of the receiver of the communication, an identification of a function associated with the NFV-based communication network, and an authorization associating one or more of the sender and the receiver with the function.

Claims

1. A method for communicating information in a communication network using network function virtualization (NFV-based communication network), said method comprising:

sending a communication from a first entity of said NFV-based communication network, said first entity being a sender; and

receiving said communication by a second entity of said NFV-based communication network, said second entity being a receiver;

wherein said communication comprises;

an identification of said sender of said communication, and an identification of said receiver of said communication;

an identification of a function associated with said NFV-based communication network; and

an authorization associating at least one of said sender and said receiver with said function.

2. A method according to claim 1, said communication additionally comprising:

a record indicating an information type, said information type being at least one of said;

identification of said sender, identification of said receiver, identification of said function, and authorization; and

a value corresponding to said information type;

wherein said information type and said value comprise alphanumeric characters.

3. A method according to claim 1, said communication additionally comprising:

an indication that a following value is an identifier of a virtual network function (VNF) followed by a value identifying said virtual network function; and

an indication that a following value is an identifier of a VNF instance followed by a value identifying said virtual network function instance.

4. A method according to claim 1, said communication additionally comprising at least one of:

an indication that a following value is a particular parameter of said virtual network function followed by a value of said parameter; and

an indication that a following value is a particular parameter of said virtual network function and a request for a current value of said parameter.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said function is at least one of:

an instruction to initiate a function associated with said virtual network function;

an instruction to initiate an instance of said virtual network function;

a request for a resource associated with said virtual network function; and

a procedure associated with a plurality of virtual network functions.

6. A method according to claim 1, said communication additionally comprising at least one of:

an identification of a vendor of said virtual network function; and

an identification of a release of said virtual network function.

7. A method according to claim 1, said communication additionally comprising at least one of:

an indication that a following value is an identifier of a sender of said communication followed by a value identifying said sender; and

an indication that a following value is an identifier of a receiver of said communication followed by a value identifying said receiver.

8. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for communicating information in a communication network using network function virtualization (NFV-based communication network), said computer program product comprising:

computer code for sending a communication from a first entity of said NFV-based communication network, said first entity being a sender; and

computer code for receiving said communication by a second entity of said NFV-based communication network, said second entity being a receiver;

wherein said communication comprises;

an identification of said sender of said communication, and an identification of said receiver of said communication;

an identification of a function associated with said NFV-based communication network; and

an authorization associating at least one of said sender and said receiver with said function.

9. A computer program product according to claim 8, said communication additionally comprising:

a record indicating an information type, said information type being at least one of said;

identification of said sender, identification of said receiver, identification of said function, and authorization; and

a value corresponding to said information type;

wherein said information type and said value comprise alphanumeric characters.

10. A computer program product according to claim 8, said communication additionally comprising:

an indication that a following value is an identifier of a virtual network function (VNF) followed by a value identifying said virtual network function; and

an indication that a following value is an identifier of a VNF instance followed by a value identifying said virtual network function instance.

11. A computer program product according to claim 8, said communication additionally comprising at least one of:

an indication that a following value is a particular parameter of said virtual network function followed by a value of said parameter; and

an indication that a following value is a particular parameter of said virtual network function and a request for a current value of said parameter.

12. A computer program product according to claim 8, wherein said function is at least one of:

an instruction to initiate a function associated with said virtual network function;

an instruction to initiate an instance of said virtual network function;

a request for a resource associated with said virtual network function; and

a procedure associated with a plurality of virtual network functions.

13. A computer program product according to claim 8, said communication additionally comprising at least one of:

an identification of a vendor of said virtual network function; and

an identification of a release of said virtual network function.

14. A computer program product according to claim 8, said communication additionally comprising at least one of:

an indication that a following value is an identifier of a sender of said communication followed by a value identifying said sender; and

an indication that a following value is an identifier of a receiver of said communication followed by a value identifying said receiver.

15. A system for communicating information in a communication network using network function virtualization (NFV-based communication network), said system comprising:

a memory system; and

one or more processing cores coupled to the memory system and that are each configured to;

send a communication from a first entity of said NFV-based communication network, said first entity being a sender; and

receive said communication by a second entity of said NFV-based communication network, said second entity being a receiver;

wherein said communication comprises;

an identification of said sender of said communication, and an identification of said receiver of said communication;

an identification of a function associated with said NFV-based communication network; and

an authorization associating at least one of said sender and said receiver with said function.

16. A system according to claim 15, said communication additionally comprising:

a record indicating an information type, said information type being at least one of said;

identification of said sender, identification of said receiver, identification of said function, and authorization; and

a value corresponding to said information type;

wherein said information type and said value comprise alphanumeric characters.

17. A system according to claim 15, said communication additionally comprising:

an indication that a following value is an identifier of a virtual network function (VNF) followed by a value identifying said virtual network function; and

an indication that a following value is an identifier of a VNF instance followed by a value identifying said virtual network function instance.

18. A system according to claim 15, said communication additionally comprising at least one of:

an indication that a following value is a particular parameter of said virtual network function followed by a value of said parameter; and

an indication that a following value is a particular parameter of said virtual network function and a request for a current value of said parameter.

19. A system according to claim 15, wherein said function is at least one of:

an instruction to initiate a function associated with said virtual network function;

an instruction to initiate an instance of said virtual network function;

a request for a resource associated with said virtual network function; and

a procedure associated with a plurality of virtual network functions.

20. A system according to claim 15, said communication additionally comprising at least one of:

an identification of a vendor of said virtual network function; and

an identification of a release of said virtual network function.