METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PREDICTIVE EDGE RESOURCES

• US 20200136978A1
• Filed: 10/30/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Yuk Lun, Sen, Indraneel, Dong, Yuexin
• Granted Patent: US 10,931,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• 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 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation

Abstract

Systems and methods described herein provide a multi-access edge computing (MEC) prediction service. A network device in a MEC network receives a predicted MEC route for an end device executing an application instance. The predicted MEC route identifies a projected time when the end device will connect to the network device for services and a service requirement for the application instance. The network device reserves resources to service the application instance at the projected time, based on the predicted MEC route. The network device provides a computing service for the application instance using the reserved resources when the end device initiates a data session with the network device.

Claims

1. A first network device, comprising:

a first communications interface for exchanging data with a wireless station;

a second communications interface for exchanging data with a second network device in a multi-access edge computing (MEC) network;

one or more memories to store instructions; and

one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to;

receive, from the second network device, a predicted MEC route for an end device executing an application instance, wherein the predicted MEC route is derived from a first intended travel plan provided by the end device, and wherein the predicted MEC route identifies;

a projected time when the end device will connect to the first network device for services, and

a service requirement for the application instance,

reserve, based on the predicted MEC route, resources to service the application instance at the projected time, and

provide a computing service for the application instance using the reserved resources when the end device initiates a data session with the first network device.

2. The first network device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:

receive, from another end device, a second intended travel plan and service requirements for another application instance, and

generate, based on the second intended travel plan, another predicted MEC route for the other end device.

3. The first network device of claim 2, wherein the service requirements for the other application instance include one or more of a maximum latency, a minimum bandwidth, or a quality-of-service (QoS) requirement for the other application instance.

4. The first network device of claim 2, wherein the other predicted MEC route further comprises time estimates for multiple hops, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:

forward, to a third network device in the MEC network, the other predicted MEC route.

5. The first network device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:

update the predicted MEC route, and

forward the updated predicted MEC route to a third network device that includes a next hop of the updated predicted MEC route.

6. The first network device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:

release the reserved resources when the end device does not connect to the first network device within a timeout period.

7. The first network device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:

receive, from the second network device, state information for the application instance.

8. The first network device of claim 1, wherein, when reserving the resources, the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to:

redirect an existing data session with the first network device to a third network device in the MEC network, or

prepare to redirect a session for the application instance to the third network device.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first network device in a multi-access edge computing (MEC) network and from a second network device in the MEC network, a predicted MEC route for an end device executing an application instance, wherein the predicted MEC route is derived from a first intended travel plan provided by the end device, and wherein the predicted MEC route identifies;

a projected time when the end device will connect to the first network device for services, and

a service requirement for the application instance;

reserving, by the first network device and based on the predicted MEC route, resources to service the application instance at the projected time; and

providing, by the first network device, a computing service for the application instance using the reserved resources when the end device initiates a data session with the first network device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the second network device and from the end device, a second intended travel plan and service requirements for another application instance;

generating, by the second network device and based on the second intended travel plan, the predicted MEC route; and

forwarding, by the second network device and to the first network device, the predicted MEC route.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the service requirement includes one or more of a maximum latency, a minimum bandwidth, or a quality-of-service (QoS) requirement for the application instance.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the predicted MEC route comprises time estimates for multiple hops, and wherein the method further comprises:

forwarding, by the first network device and to a third network device in the MEC network, the predicted MEC route.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the first network device and from the second network device, state information for the application instance, and

forwarding, by the first network device and to the third network device, updated state information for the application instance.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving, by the first network device and from the end device, updated geographic travel path information;

updating, by the first network device, the predicted MEC route based on the updated geographic travel path information; and

forwarding, by the first network device, the updated predicted MEC route to a third network device that includes a next hop of the updated predicted MEC route.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

releasing, by the first network device, the reserved resources when the end device does not connect to the first network device within a timeout period.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein reserving the resources further comprises:

redirect an existing data session with the first network device to a third network device in the MEC network, or

prepare to redirect a session for the application instance to the third network device.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the first network device and the second network device are part of a mesh network that includes a distributed prediction orchestrator for generating the predicted MEC route.

18. Non-transitory, computer-readable storage media storing instructions executable by one or more processors of one or more devices, which when executed cause the one or more devices to:

receive, from a first network device in a multi-access edge computing (MEC) network, a predicted MEC route for an end device executing an application instance, wherein the predicted MEC route is derived from a first intended travel plan provided by the end device, and wherein the predicted MEC route identifies;

a projected time when the end device will connect to a second network device, in the MEC network, for services, and

a service requirement for the application instance,

reserve, based on the predicted MEC route, resources to service the application instance by the second network device at the projected time, and

provide, by the second network device, a computing service for the application instance using the reserved resources when the end device initiates a data session with the second network device.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 18, further comprising instructions to:

receive a second intended travel plan and service requirements for another application instance, and

generate, based on the second intended travel plan, another predicted MEC route for the other application instance.

20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage media of claim 19, further comprising instructions to:

assign a unique identifier to the application instance; and

send, to a wireless station, the unique identifier associated with an identifier for the first network device.