SERVICE SCALING IN COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20160344640A1
• Filed: 02/04/2014
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uatc, LLC (Uber Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: SDERLUND, Jani Olavi, HIETALA, Erkki Juhani, SAHA, Sumanta, SAVOLAINEN, Niko Markus, LINDGREN, Tommy Johannes
• Granted Patent: US 10,243,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1403 Architecture for metering, charging or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2483 involving identification of individual flows
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/73 Validating charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/74 Backing up
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/82 Criteria or parameters used for performing billing operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8214 Data or packet based
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

A method is disclosed for downscaling a deep packet inspection service in a network apparatus. The method comprises receiving data flow in a gateway virtual machine via a software defined networking switch, and keeping track of data flow and control flow and their state per subscriber. If needed, a new deep packet inspection virtual machine is selected for the data flow. The software defined networking switch is informed on the selection of the new deep packet inspection virtual machine. The new deep packet inspection virtual machine is instructed to re-create a flow identification for the data flow to ensure deep packet inspection service continuity.

Claims

1. A method for downscaling a deep packet inspection service in a network apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving data flow in a gateway virtual machine via a software defined networking switch;

keeping track of data flow and control flow and their state per subscriber;

selecting, if needed, a new deep packet inspection virtual machine for the data flow;

informing the software defined networking switch on the selection of the new deep packet inspection virtual machine; and

instructing the new deep packet inspection virtual machine to re-create a flow identification for the data flow to ensure deep packet inspection service continuity.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a data packet forwarded from the gateway virtual machine to the deep packet inspection virtual machine includes information regarding current service identification as additional metadata.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said metadata is included in a proprietary header extension, additional tunnel header, or as standard metadata such as a network service header.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the new deep packet inspection virtual machine is selected by means of a specific algorithm

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the new deep packet inspection virtual machine for the data flow is selected based on receiving, in the gateway virtual machine from a cluster controller, information on the cluster controller'"'"'s decision to shut down a deep packet inspection virtual machine, the decision being based on monitoring resource usage levels of the deep packet inspection virtual machine

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising informing the software defined networking switch on the selection of the new deep packet inspection virtual machine via a software defined networking controller.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising forwarding a data packet to the new deep packet inspection virtual machine via the software defined networking switch.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising forwarding a data packet to the new deep packet inspection virtual machine, wherein a metadata header is stripped off in the new deep packet inspection virtual machine before the data packet is analysed in the new deep packet inspection virtual machine and forwarded to the software defined networking switch.

9. An apparatus comprising at least one processor;

and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform any of the method steps of claim 1.

11. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, said product comprising executable code that when executed, causes execution of functions of a method according to claim 1.

10. An apparatus comprising at least one processor;

and at least one memory including a computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to

when receiving a data packet with a metadata header, re-create a data flow and a flow identification in its own database.