SDN-BASED API CONTROLLER

• US 20180139109A1
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Published: 05/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Deutschland GmbH (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Deutschland GmbH (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Zuerner, Helmut
• Granted Patent: US 10,523,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• 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 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5051 Service on demand, e.g. definition and deployment of services in real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5054 Automatic deployment of services triggered by the service manager, e.g. service implementation by automatic configuration of network components

Abstract

Techniques, described herein, may enable a software defined network (SDN) to determine application program interfaces (APIs) for providing network services. For instance, when a customer submits a request to access media content (e.g., images, music, videos, etc.), the SDN may determine the APIs to enable the network service to be provided to the user with little or no operator involvement. In some implementations, the APIs may be derived by the network dynamically. In some implementations, the APIs may be derived from API records that are stored by the SDN. Additionally, when new APIs are derived for a network service, the APIs may be recorded in case the same request for network services is later received (e.g., from another customer) in which case the record may be promptly used to determine the appropriate APIs for the requested network service.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable memory device storing processor-executable instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein execution of the processor-executable instructions, by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to;

receive, by an application program interface (API) controller of a software defined network (SDN) node that is hosted in a cloud computing environment, a request for a network service to be provided to a customer of a wireless telecommunications network;

determine, based on the request, API characteristics that correspond to the network service;

determine APIs for implementing the network service by comparing the API characteristics to API records of a repository of API records;

generate an API chain that indicates the APIs for implementing the network service; and

provide the API chain to a SDN architecture, to which the SDN node corresponds, that is configured to implement the APIs to provide the network service to the customer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to determine the APIs for implementing the network service, causes the one or more processors to:

determine, based on the API characteristics, characteristic codes corresponding to the network service; and

compare the characteristic codes to the API records of the repository to determine the APIs for implementing the network service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions,

to determine the APIs for implementing the network service, causes the one or more processors to:

determine that the repository includes an API record that includes a completed API chain corresponding to the network service, and

to generate the API chain, the circuitry is to;

copy the completed API chain from the API record.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions to generate the API chain, causes the one or more processors to:

create a sequence of API identifiers that correspond to the APIs for implementing the network service.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the one or more processors to:

create an API record that associates the request to the API chain; and

store the API record in the repository,

the API record being used to provide API chains for subsequent requests for network services.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to determine the APIs for implementing the network service, causes the one or more processors to:

determine, based on the request, that an existing API chain exists for the network service,

determine, based on the request, that the existing API chain is to be modified, and

modify, based on the request, the existing API chain to create an updated API chain.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the one or more processors to:

delete an existing API record corresponding to the existing API chain.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the request is incomplete as to parameters used to match the request to the API records, and

executing the processor-executable instructions, to

when the request corresponds to a unique API record, of the API records, generate the API chain based on the unique API record, and

when the request corresponds to multiple API records, of the API records, provide an error message or multiple API chains, based on the multiple API records, in response to the request.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, by an application program interface (API) controller of a software defined network (SDN) node that is hosted in a cloud computing environment, a request for a network service to be provided to a customer of a wireless telecommunications network;

determining, based on the request, API characteristics that correspond to the network service;

determining APIs for implementing the network service by comparing the API characteristics to API records of a repository of API records;

generating an API chain that indicates the APIs for implementing the network service; and

providing the API chain to a SDN architecture, to which the SDN node corresponds, that is configured to implement the APIs to provide the network service to the customer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

determining the APIs for implementing the network service includes;

determining, based on the API characteristics, characteristic codes corresponding to the network service; and

comparing the characteristic codes to the API records of the repository to determine the APIs for implementing the network service.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the API chain includes:

creating a sequence of API identifiers that correspond to the APIs for implementing the network service.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein:

determining the APIs for implementing the network service includes;

determining that the repository includes an API record that includes a completed API chain corresponding to the network service, and

generating the API chain, the circuitry is to;

copy the completed API chain from the API record.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

creating create an API record that associates the request to the API chain; and

storing the API record in the repository,

wherein the API record is used to provide API chains for subsequent requests for network services.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the APIs for implementing the network service includes:

determining, based on the request, that an existing API chain exists for the network service,

determining, based on the request, that the existing API chain is to be modified, and

modifying, based on the request, the existing API chain to create an updated API chain.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

deleting an existing API record corresponding to the existing API chain.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the request is incomplete as to parameters used to match the request to the API records, and the method further comprising:

when the request corresponds to a unique API record, of the API records, generating the API chain based on the unique API record, and

when the request corresponds to multiple API records, of the API records, providing an error message or multiple API chains, based on the multiple API records, in response to the request.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes one or more processors to:

receive, by an application program interface (API) controller of a software defined network (SDN) node that is hosted in a cloud computing environment, a request for a network service to be provided to a customer of a wireless telecommunications network;

determine, based on the request, API characteristics that correspond to the network service;

determine APIs for implementing the network service by comparing the API characteristics to API records of a repository of API records;

generate an API chain that indicates the APIs for implementing the network service; and

provide the API chain to a SDN architecture, to which the SDN node corresponds, that is configured to implement the APIs to provide the network service to the customer.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein, to determine the APIs for implementing the network service, the processor-executable instructions causes the one or more processors to:

determine, based on the API characteristics, characteristic codes corresponding to the network service; and

compare the characteristic codes to the API records of the repository to determine the APIs for implementing the network service.

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

to determine the APIs for implementing the network service, the processor-executable instructions causes the one or more processors to;

determine that the repository includes an API record that includes a completed API chain corresponding to the network service, and

to generate the API chain, the processor-executable instructions causes the one or more processors to;

copy the completed API chain from the API record.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein to generate the API chain, the processor-executable instructions causes the one or more processors to:

create a sequence of API identifiers that correspond to the APIs for implementing the network service.