Orchestrating wireless network operations

• US 9,311,108 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark Cummings
• Original Assignee: Mark Cummings
• Inventors: Cummings, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): LAM, YEE F
• Application Number:
  US13/290,736
• Publication Number:
  US 20120113868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,618 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/327 Logic synthesis; Behaviour synthesis, e.g. mapping logic, HDL to netlist, high-level language to RTL or netlist
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0215 based on user or device properties, e.g. MTC-capable devices services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC] H04W4/70; wireless resource selection or allocation plan definition based on terminal or device properties H04W72/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A wireless communication system is disclosed. A data store stores for each of a plurality of nodes, each node comprising a wireless communication system element, a node image data comprising metadata about or otherwise associated with the node. In various embodiments, the data store has the capability to create and support an organically changing schema, and provides a mechanism to propagate changes to the schema or data, but only as necessary. A processor receives an indication of an objective and uses node image data stored in the data store to identify programmatically from among the plurality of nodes a node to help achieve the objective and to determine the configuration of the node.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a data store configured to store a first node image of a plurality of node images using metadata expressed in meta-language description of a first node, wherein the first node image consisting of objectives, rules, algorithms, capabilities, configurations, and environment, wherein the first node comprises a base transceiver station, and wherein the data store is configured to derive from the meta-language description of the first node a schema to store the meta-language description of the first node, has a capability to support organic changes to the schema, and provides a mechanism to propagate changes dynamically to the schema or data;

a processor configured to;

receive an indication of an objective associated with a second node, wherein the second node comprises a mobile user device; and

discover the first node to help achieve the objective associated with a second node at least in part by searching the data store and identifying the first node based at least in part on the meta-language description of the first node comprising the first node image as having a capability required to help achieve the objective associated with the second node;

evaluate the capability of the first node by simulating a response of a network in an event the first node is connected to the second node, wherein the simulating includes combining the first node image with metadata associated with the second node; and

in an event the response falls within desired behaviors of the network, establish a connection between the first node and the second node, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to determine a mutually compatible set of configurations at least in part by exchanging one or more bids, wherein each bid comprises a set of parameters that will help achieve the objective associated with the second node; and

wherein the second node is configured to send to the first node a first bid comprising a first set of parameters to achieve the objective associated with a second node, receive from the first node a counter bid comprising a modified version of the first set of parameters comprising the first bid;

determine to accept the counter bid; and

communicate to the first node an acceptance of the counter bid.

2. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to perform one or more of the following:

exchange a respective description of the first node and the second node, configure the first node and the second node based at least in part on the mutually compatible set of configurations, initiate an operation between the first node and the second node to achieve the objective associated with a second node, maintain the operation, and discontinue the operation.

3. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to identify the first node to help achieve the objective associated with a second node at least in part by determining based on node environment data included in one or both of the first node image and a second node image that is associated with the second node that the first node and the second node are each in a physical or logical location relative to the other such that the first node can be configured to help achieve the objective associated with the second node.

4. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to negotiate with the first node on behalf of the second node at least in part by sending or receiving, on behalf of the second node, one or more bids comprising sets of parameters to or from the first node.

5. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first node is identified at least in part by applying one or both of an algorithm among the algorithms included in the first node image and an algorithm included a second node image associated with the second node.

6. The wireless communication system of claim 1, further comprising a bridge configured to translate between the meta-language description comprising the first node image as stored in the data store and a node-specific language used by the first node to communicate within the wireless communication system.

7. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the data store comprises an Interface for Metadata Access Points (“

IF-MAP”

) server.

8. The wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein the first node image includes the meta-language description as published to the IF-MAP server by the first node.

9. The wireless communication system of claim 7, wherein the first node, the second node, and a central conductor subscribe via the IF-MAP server to receive notification of changes to a node image.

10. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to identify a third node to which to handover from the first node an operation to achieve the objective associated with the second node.

11. The wireless communication system of claim 1, further comprising a simulation engine configured to simulate a result of using the first node to help achieve the objective associated with the second node.

12. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the processor is included in a central conductor system configured to coordinate the first node and the second node in achieving the objective associated with a second node.

13. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises an orchestration agent running on each of the first node and the second node.

14. The wireless communication system of claim 13, wherein the orchestration agent includes a filter configured to limit which and how often information is communicated.

15. The wireless communication system of claim 13, wherein the first node and the second node comprise, respectively, a first orchestration agent and a second orchestration agent, and wherein the first orchestration agent communicates with the second orchestration agent to achieve the objective associated with the second node.

16. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein the first orchestration agent and second orchestration agent respectively configure, based at least in part on the mutually compatible set of configurations, the first node and the second node to help achieve the objective associated with a second node.

17. The wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein the mutually compatible set of configurations is negotiated in order to optimize a combined ability of the first node and the second node to work together to achieve the objective associated with a second node.

18. The wireless communication system of claim 17, further comprising a third node that comprises a third orchestration agent, and wherein the respective orchestration agents are configured to communicate with one another to determine an optimal set of nodes to help achieve the objective associated with the second node and to negotiate with one another to determine a mutually compatible set of configurations to achieve the objective associated with the second node.

19. The wireless communication system of claim 18, further comprising a conductor agent configured to monitor the respective orchestration agents and intervene when necessary to create a global optimization.

20. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first node image includes data identifying an objective of the first node.

21. The wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first node image includes one or more rules among the rules that apply to the first node.

22. A method of orchestrating wireless network elements, comprising:

receiving an indication of an objective associated with a second node, wherein the second node comprises a mobile user device;

discovering a first node to help achieve the objective associated with a second node at least in part by searching a data store, the data store stores a first node image of a plurality of node images using metadata expressed in meta-language description of the first node, wherein the first node image consisting of objectives, rules, algorithms, capabilities, configurations, and environment;

identifying the first node based at least in part on the meta-language description of the first node comprising the first node image as having a capability required to help achieve the objective associated with the second node, wherein the first node comprises a base transceiver station;

evaluating the capability of the first node by simulating a response of a network in an event the first node is connected to the second node, wherein the simulating includes combining the first node image with metadata associated with the second node; and

in an event the response falls within desired behaviors of the network, establishing a connection between the first node and the second node, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to determine a mutually compatible set of configurations at least in part by exchanging one or more bids, wherein each bid comprises a set of parameters that will help achieve the objective associated with the second node; and

wherein the second node is configured to send to the first node a first bid comprising a first set of parameters to achieve the objective associated with a second node, receive from the first node a counter bid comprising a modified version of the first set of parameters comprising the first bid;

determine to accept the counter bid; and

communicate to the first node an acceptance of the counter bid;

wherein the data store is configured to derive from the meta-language description of the first node a schema to store the meta-language description of the first node, has a capability to support organic changes to the schema, and provides a mechanism to propagate changes dynamically to the schema or data.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising one or more of the following:

exchanging a respective description of the first node and the second node, configuring the first node and the second node based at least in part on the mutually compatible set of configurations, initiating an operation between the first node and the second node to achieve the objective associated with a second node, maintaining the operation, and discontinuing the operation.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the data store comprises an Interface for Metadata Access Points (“

IF-MAP”

) server.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the first node image includes metadata published to the IF-MAP server by the first node.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the first node, the second node, and a central conductor can subscribe via the IF-MAP server to receive notification of changes to a node image.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the first node and the second node comprise, respectively, a first orchestration agent and a second orchestration agent, and wherein the first orchestration agent communicates with the second orchestration agent to achieve the objective associated with the second node.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the mutually compatible set of configurations is negotiated in order to optimize a combined ability of the first node and the second node to work together to achieve the objective associated with the second node.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein a conductor agent monitors the first orchestration agent and the second orchestration agent, and intervenes when necessary to create a global optimization.

30. A computer program product to orchestrate mobile network elements, the computer program product being embodied in a tangible, non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an indication of an objective associated with a second node, wherein the second node comprises a mobile user device;

discovering a first node to help achieve the objective associated with a second node at least in part by searching a data store, the data store stores a first node image of a plurality of node images using metadata expressed in meta-language description of the first node, wherein the first node image consisting of objectives, rules, algorithms, capabilities, configurations, and environment;

identifying the first node based at least in part on the meta-language description of the first node comprising the first node image as having a capability required to help achieve the objective associated with the second node, wherein the first node comprises a base transceiver station;

evaluating the capability of the first node by simulating a response of a network in an event the first node is connected to the second node, wherein the simulating includes combining the first node image with metadata associated with the second node; and

in an event the response falls within desired behaviors of the network, establishing a connection between the first node and the second node, wherein the first node and the second node are configured to determine a mutually compatible set of configurations at least in part by exchanging one or more bids, wherein each bid comprises a set of parameters that will help achieve the objective associated with the second node; and

wherein the second node is configured to send to the first node a first bid comprising a first set of parameters to achieve the objective associated with a second node, receive from the first node a counter bid comprising a modified version of the first set of parameters comprising the first bid;

determine to accept the counter bid; and

communicate to the first node an acceptance of the counter bid;

wherein the data store is configured to derive from the meta-language description of the first node a schema to store the meta-language description of the first node, has a capability to support organic changes to the schema, and provides a mechanism to propagate changes dynamically to the schema or data.