5G DYNAMIC SLICE AND NETWORK IDENTITY INSTANTIATION, TERMINATION, AND ACCESS MANAGEMENT SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20180367997A1
• Filed: 06/15/2017
• Published: 12/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: SHAW, Venson, DOWLATKHAH, Sangar
• Granted Patent: US 10,824,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• 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 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Systems and methods provide for management of virtual instances in networks which are at least partially software defined networks. Virtual instances can include network slices, virtual network functions, virtual machines, network resources, and others. Management can include use of a virtualization management registry in conjunction with controllers and gateways.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying one or more specifications associated with a service supported by a mobile network;

generating a virtual instance profile in a virtualization management registry configured to manage virtual instance profiles, wherein the virtual instance profile includes instance resources based on the one or more specifications, and wherein the virtual instance profile is used to authorize access to the instance resources via a virtual instance described by the virtual instance profile;

after generating the virtual instance profile, instantiating the virtual instance in the mobile network, wherein the virtual instance is configured to support the service within the mobile network; and

associating the instance resources with the virtual instance, wherein the instance resources are based on the one or more specifications.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to the service at a management gateway, wherein the one or more specifications are based on the request;

interrogating a service layer of the mobile network using the management gateway to determine no existing virtual instances can meet the one or more specifications; and

commanding the virtualization management registry to generate the virtual instance profile based on determining no existing virtual instances can meet the one or more specifications.

3-9. -9. (canceled)

10. A system, comprising:

a virtualization management registry configured to store one or more virtual instance profiles, wherein a virtual instance profile among the virtual instance profiles is associated with a virtual instance in a mobile network;

a software defined network controller configured to instantiate, modify, or terminate the virtual instance; and

a management gateway configured to communicate with the software defined network controller based on traffic of the mobile network, wherein the management gateway is configured to direct traffic to the virtual instance based on one or more specifications associated with the traffic, wherein each of the one or more specifications associated with the traffic define service characteristics expressing a level of service.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a register module of the virtualization management registry, wherein the register module is configured to generate the virtual instance profile before the software defined network controller instantiates the virtual instance.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

an authenticate module of the virtualization management registry, wherein the authenticate module is configured to authenticate the virtual instance profile to one or more nodes of the mobile network.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a change module of the virtualization management registry, wherein the change module is configured to modify the network instance.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a de-register module of the virtualization management registry, wherein the de-register module is configured to remove the virtual instance profile before the software defined network controller terminates the virtual instance.

15. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a profile store module of the virtualization management registry, wherein the profile store module is configured to store the virtual instance profiles, wherein the virtual instance profiles include at least a virtual instance identity and instance resources associated with the virtual instance.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the virtual instance profiles include utilization information associated with the virtual instance.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the register module validates the virtual instance profile to the mobile network concurrent with generation of the virtual instance profile.

22. The system of claim 10, wherein the virtual instance is a network slice virtualizing an instance of a logical network, and wherein a respective specification among the one or more specifications and associated with the network slice describes resources allocated to the logical network.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the network slice is dedicated to a virtualized service.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the network slice is isolated from another network slice on at least a control plane and a data plane of the mobile network, and wherein the respective specification includes different network resources than another specification among the one or more specifications associated with the other network slice.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the software defined network controller is configured to grow or de-grow the network slice by adding or removing resources based on the respective specification.

26. The system of claim 10, wherein the management gateway is further configured to direct traffic to another virtual instance based on at least one different specification among the one or more specifications associated with the traffic.

27. The system of claim 10, wherein the level of service includes one or more of specified computing, storage, and networking resources.

28. The system of claim 10, wherein the the level of service includes one or more of specified availability, data capability, voice capability, latency, throughput, data rate, and security level.

17. A method, comprising:

identifying one or more specifications associated with a service supported by a mobile network; and

searching a virtualization management registry for a virtual instance profile matching the one or more specifications, wherein the virtual instance profile is associated with a virtual instance on the mobile network.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

validating the virtual instance profile matching the one or more specifications; and

after validating the virtual instance, modifying the virtual instance to support the one or more specifications.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

registering the virtual instance profile matching the one or more specifications; and

after registering the virtual instance profile, instantiating the virtual instance.

18. (canceled)