System and Method for Enabling Service Lifecycle Based Policy, Licensing, and Charging in a Network Function Virtualization Ecosystem

• US 20170104609A1
• Filed: 10/11/2016
• Published: 04/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Openet Telecom Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Openet Telecom Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Haraszti, Peter, Fitzpatrick, John, MCNAMEE, Alan, Lehane, Bart
• Granted Patent: US 10,348,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0895 Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0897 by horizontal or vertical scaling of resources, or by migrating entities, e.g. virtual resources or entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• 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 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/66 Policy and charging system
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing

Abstract

Systems and computing devices may be configured to intelligently apply service-level policy, charging, licensing, and authorization controls in a telecommunication system that implements or uses network function virtualization technologies. A server computing device deployed in the telecommunication network may be configured to receive a policy request message relating to a network service lifecycle event from another network component, use the information included in the received policy request message to make a service-level policy decision, generate a trigger definition relating to the network service lifecycle event based on the policy decision, generate a policy response message that includes the trigger definition, and send the generated policy response message to the network component.

Claims

1. A method of applying service-level controls in a telecommunication system that implements network function virtualization (NFV), the method comprising:

receiving, in a processor of a server computing device, a policy request message relating to a network service lifecycle event from an orchestrator component that is deployed in the telecommunication system;

using the information included in the received policy request message to make a service-level policy decision;

generating at least one trigger definition relating to the network service lifecycle event based on the policy decision;

generating a policy response message that includes the at least one trigger definition; and

sending the generated policy response message to the orchestrator component.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a unique common service key, wherein generating the at least one trigger definition relating to the network service lifecycle event based on the policy decision comprises generating the at least one trigger definition to include the unique common service key.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the unique common service key is a hierarchical key that includes a top-level portion and at least one sub-level portion;

the value of the top-level portion identifies all virtualized network functions (VNFs) and their associated virtual machines (VMs) that are associated with the network service;

the value of the at least one sub-level portion identifies a specific VNF and all of the VMs that are associated with that specific VNF.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a trigger from a virtualized network function.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, via an orchestrator processor of the orchestrator component, the network service lifecycle event;

generating, via the orchestrator processor, the policy request message in response to detecting the network service lifecycle event;

sending the generated policy request message to the server computing device;

receiving, in the orchestrator processor, the policy response message from the server computing device in response to sending the generated policy request message;

extracting the at least one trigger definition from the received policy response message; and

setting a trigger based on the information included in the extracted trigger definition.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein setting the trigger based on the information included in the extracted trigger definition comprises:

setting a local trigger in the orchestrator component.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein setting the trigger based on the information included in the extracted trigger definition comprises:

setting a remote trigger in one or more of;

an instance of a virtualized network function (VNF) in a virtualized services layer of the telecommunication system;

a VNF manger in a management and orchestration (MANO) layer of the telecommunication system;

a virtualized infrastructure manager in the MANO layer of the telecommunication system;

a software defined networking controller; and

a software defined networking resource.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein using the information included in the received policy request message to make the service-level policy decision further comprises querying a licensing system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein using the information included in the received policy request message to make the service-level policy decision comprises:

determining a first value that identifies costs associated with increasing the network service;

determining a second value that identifies costs associated with penalties of breaching a service licensing agreement; and

making the service-level policy decision based on a result of comparing the first value to the second value.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a trigger that was generated by a network component in response to the network component loading a procedure that causes a trigger event;

using a common service key to determine whether to allow the procedure to perform an operation associated with the trigger event;

generating a trigger response message that indicates whether to allow performance of the operation associated with the trigger event; and

sending the trigger response message to the network component.

11. A server computing device deployed in a telecommunication system that implements network function virtualization (NFV), comprising:

a processor configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving a policy request message relating to a network service lifecycle event from an orchestrator component that is deployed in the telecommunication system;

using the information included in the received policy request message to make a service-level policy decision;

generating at least one trigger definition relating to the network service lifecycle event based on the policy decision;

generating a policy response message that includes the at least one trigger definition; and

sending the generated policy response message to the orchestrator component.

12. The server computing device of claim 11, wherein:

the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising generating a unique common service key; and

the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that generating the at least one trigger definition relating to the network service lifecycle event based on the policy decision comprises generating the at least one trigger definition to include the unique common service key.

13. The server computing device of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that:

the unique common service key is a hierarchical key that includes a top-level portion and at least one sub-level portion;

the value of the top-level portion identifies all virtualized network functions (VNFs) and their associated virtual machines (VMs) that are associated with the network service;

the value of the at least one sub-level portion identifies a specific VNF and all of the VMs that are associated with that specific VNF.

14. The server computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a trigger from a virtualized network function.

15. The server computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations such that sending the generated policy response message to the orchestrator component causes the orchestrator component to set a remote trigger in one or more of:

an instance of a virtualized network function (VNF) in a virtualized services layer of the telecommunication system;

a VNF manger in a management and orchestration (MANO) layer of the telecommunication system;

a virtualized infrastructure manager in the MANO layer of the telecommunication system;

a software defined networking controller; and

a software defined networking resource.

16. The server computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a trigger that was generated by a network component in response to the network component loading a procedure that causes a trigger event;

using a common service key to determine whether to allow the procedure to perform an operation associated with the trigger event;

generating a trigger response message that indicates whether to allow performance of the operation associated with the trigger event; and

sending the trigger response message to the network component.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor to in a server computing device that is deployed in a telecommunication system that implements network function virtualization (NFV) to perform operations comprising:

receiving a policy request message relating to a network service lifecycle event from an orchestrator component that is deployed in the telecommunication system;

using the information included in the received policy request message to make a service-level policy decision;

generating at least one trigger definition relating to the network service lifecycle event based on the policy decision;

generating a policy response message that includes the at least one trigger definition; and

sending the generated policy response message to the orchestrator component.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein:

the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising generating a unique common service key; and

the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that generating the at least one trigger definition relating to the network service lifecycle event based on the policy decision comprises generating the at least one trigger definition to include the unique common service key.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that:

the unique common service key is a hierarchical key that includes a top-level portion and at least one sub-level portion;

the value of the top-level portion identifies all virtualized network functions (VNFs) and their associated virtual machines (VMs) that are associated with the network service; and

the value of the at least one sub-level portion identifies a specific VNF and all of the VMs that are associated with that specific VNF.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a trigger from a virtualized network function.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that sending the generated policy response message to the orchestrator component causes the orchestrator component to set a remote trigger in one or more of:

an instance of a virtualized network function (VNF) in a virtualized services layer of the telecommunication system;

a VNF manger in a management and orchestration (MANO) layer of the telecommunication system;

a virtualized infrastructure manager in the MANO layer of the telecommunication system;

a software defined networking controller; and

a software defined networking resource.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations further comprising:

receiving a trigger that was generated by a network component in response to the network component loading a procedure that causes a trigger event;

using a common service key to determine whether to allow the procedure to perform an operation associated with the trigger event;

generating a trigger response message that indicates whether to allow performance of the operation associated with the trigger event; and

sending the trigger response message to the network component.