COEXISTENCE OF SOFTWARE DEFINED NETWORK, NETWORK FUNCTION VIRTUALIZATION AND LEGACY NETWORKS

• US 20180098246A1
• Filed: 02/17/2016
• Published: 04/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks GmbH & Co. KG (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Solutions And Networks Management International Gmbh (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: HOFFMANN, Klaus
• Granted Patent: US 10,555,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• 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: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0268 using specific QoS parameters for wireless networks, e.g. QoS class identifier [QCI] or guaranteed bit rate [GBR] negotiating SLA or negotiating QoS H04W28/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0289 Congestion control load shedding arrangements in network planning H04W16/08; performing reselection for handling the traffic H04W36/22; wireless traffic scheduling H04W72/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/084 among network function virtualisation [NFV] entities; among edge computing entities, e.g. multi-access edge computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/385 of the core network

Abstract

The present invention addresses method, apparatus and computer program product for enabling improved coexistence of Software Defined Network, Network Function Virtualization, and legacy networks. Thereby, information about characteristics of available core network nodes is obtained, it is determined, upon receiving a signaling request from a network node, which type of network node the signaling network node is, among at least a legacy network node, a virtualized network node and a software defined networking network node, and at least one network node to be used as gateway is selected from the available core network nodes, according to the determined type of signaling/originating network node and a policy set in advance for minimizing traffic load.

Claims

1. A method performed in a core network selection function, comprising:

obtaining information about characteristics of available core network nodes;

determining, upon receiving a signaling request from a network node, which type of network node the signaling network node is, among at least a legacy network node, a virtualized network node and a software defined networking network node; and

selecting at least one network node to be used as a gateway from the available core network nodes, according to the determined type of signaling network node and a policy set in advance for minimizing traffic load.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the available core network nodes comprise legacy type network nodes, virtualized type network nodes, and software defined networking based network nodes.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signaling request comprises an information element indicating the type of the signaling network node, wherein the type of the signaling network node is determined based on the information element.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the information element comprises information regarding the geographic location of the signaling network node.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein in case the signaling network node is of the virtualized type, information including the name/ID of the cloud where the virtualized signaling network node or the control plane of the signaling network node is located is provided by the signaling network node.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein information regarding the type of signaling network node is provided via at least one of a global network orchestrator, the orchestrator of the network function virtualization, and a database.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein in case the signaling network node is located at least partly in a cloud, a signaling partner is placed in or selected from the same cloud in order to minimize the additional transport impact.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein in case the signaling network node is a legacy type network node or the signaling network node is decomposed into control plane and user plane, the user plane traffic is not transmitted into the cloud to a virtualized network function, but the payload is kept within a legacy type core network node or decomposed core network node on the network node user level.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one network node to be used as gateway is selected based on subscription information of the user in question, by selecting a legacy type packet network node or by selecting a decomposed packet network node where the control plane is hosted in the cloud, but the user plane is located outside the cloud.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signaling network node is a base station, the at least one selected network node acting as gateway is at least on of a serving gateway and packet gateway, and the core network selection function is performed in a mobility management entity.

25. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, said product comprising code means for performing a method according to claim 1 when run on a processing means or module.

4. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

13. An apparatus including a core network selection function, comprising:

at least one processor, and

at least one memory for storing instructions to be executed by the processor,

wherein the at least one memory and the instructions are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform;

obtaining information about characteristics of available core network nodes;

determining, upon receiving a signaling request from a network node, which type of network node the signaling network node is, among at least a legacy network node, a virtualized network node and a software defined networking network node; and

selecting at least one network node to be used as a gateway from the available core network nodes, according to the determined type of signaling network node and a policy set in advance for minimizing traffic load.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the characteristics of the available core network nodes comprise legacy type network nodes, virtualized type network nodes, and software defined networking based network nodes.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the signaling request comprises an information element indicating the type of the signaling network node, wherein the type of the signaling network node is determined based on the information element.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the information element comprises information regarding the geographic location of the signaling network node.

18. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein in case the signaling network node is of the virtualized type, information including the name/ID of the cloud where the virtualized signaling network node or the control plane of the signaling network node is located is provided by the signaling network node.

20. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein information regarding the type of signaling network node is provided via at least one of a global network orchestrator, the orchestrator of the network function virtualization, and a database.

21. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein in case the signaling network node is located at least partly in a cloud, a signaling partner is placed in or selected from the same cloud in order to minimize the additional transport impact.

22. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein in case the signaling network node is a legacy type network node or the signaling network node is decomposed into control plane and user plane, the user plane traffic is not transmitted into the cloud to a virtualized network function, but the payload is kept within a legacy type core network node or decomposed core network node on the network node user level.

23. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the at least one network node to be used as gateway is selected based on subscription information of the user in question, by selecting a legacy type packet network node or by selecting a decomposed packet network node where the control plane is hosted in the cloud, but the user plane is located outside the cloud.

24. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the signaling network node is a base station, the at least one selected network node acting as gateway is at least on of a serving gateway and packet gateway, and the core network selection function is performed in a mobility management entity.

16. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

26. (canceled)

27. (canceled)