Systems, devices and methods of decomposing service requests into domain-specific service requests

• US 9,641,403 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2012
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Openet Telecom Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Openet Telecom Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lehane, Bart, McNamee, Alan, Dunne, Cameron Ross, Hogan, Joe
• Primary Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cousins, Joseph M
• Application Number:
  US13/452,682
• Publication Number:
  US 20120278378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,838 Days
• Field of Search: 709201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• 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 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1031 Controlling of the operation of servers by a load balancer, e.g. adding or removing servers that serve requests

Abstract

The various embodiments include methods, computers and communication systems that enable decomposing abstract service requests into resources rules, which may include receiving an abstract service request (e.g., a request specifying a functional requirement) via an exposed public interface, generating domain-specific resource rules based on the received abstract service request, identifying relevant components in a telecommunications domain for enforcing the generated domain-specific resource rules, and send the domain-specific resource rules to the identified components (e.g., on-line charging server, policy management server, etc.) for enforcement. Generating domain-specific resource rules based on the received abstract service request may include generating the rules consistent with the existing resource rules of the domain.

Claims

1. A method of communicating information in a telecommunications system that is organized into a plurality of heterogeneous telecommunication domains, the method comprising:

receiving, in a processor of a first domain orchestrator component, an implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from a continuum orchestrator component, wherein;

all components in the telecommunications system involved in delivery of a first service are grouped into at least one of a plurality of domains,

each domain in the plurality of domains includes different components than every other domain in plurality of domains,

the plurality of domains includes at least a first domain and a second domain,

each of the components in the first domain implement domain-specific rules that are specific to the first domain,

the components in the first domain collectively provide a first functionality for the delivery of the first service,

the components in the second domain collectively provide a second functionality for the delivery of the first service,

each of the components in the second domain implement domain-specific rules that are specific to the second domain,

the first domain includes the first domain orchestrator component,

the second domain includes a second domain orchestrator component, and

the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message includes information identifying a functional service requirement for the delivery of the first service

generating, by the processor of the first domain orchestrator component, implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules based on information included in the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message, the generated implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules including at least one domain-specific charging rule that is specific to the first domain;

identifying, by the processor of the first domain orchestrator component, a policy component and a charging component in the first domain for enforcing the generated implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules; and

sending at least one of the generated implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules to each of the identified policy and charging components.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving at least one of the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules in at least of the identified policy or charging components; and

enforcing the received implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving:

an implementation agnostic event-based service request message;

an implementation agnostic session based service creation request message;

an implementation agnostic session based service modification request message;

an implementation agnostic session based service termination request message;

or

an implementation agnostic service request message containing policy information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules comprises generating resource rules for an instance of a domain type selected from a hierarchy of domain types.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first domain is a user equipment domain.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the second domain orchestrator component via the continuum orchestrator component.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving a request message generated in response to detecting a change in circumstances in the first domain.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving a request message sent in response to a service request message being received by the continuum orchestrator component.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules comprises generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules based on domain capabilities identified in the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying existing resource rules in the first domain, wherein generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules comprises generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules such that they are consistent with the identified resource rules.

11. A domain orchestrator computing device, comprising:

first communication circuitry for communicating with components in a first domain in a telecommunications system that is organized into a plurality of heterogeneous telecommunication domains;

second communication circuitry for communicating with a second domain in the telecommunications system;

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the first and second communication circuitry and to the memory, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving an implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from a continuum orchestrator component, wherein;

all components in the telecommunications system involved in delivery of a first service are grouped into at least one of a plurality of domains,

each domain in the plurality of domains includes different components than every other domain in plurality of domains,

the plurality of domains includes at least the first domain and a second domain,

each of the components in the first domain implement domain-specific rules that are specific to the first domain,

the components in the first domain collectively provide a first functionality for the delivery of the first service,

the components in the second domain collectively provide a second functionality for the delivery of the first service,

each of the components in the second domain implement domain-specific rules that are specific to the second domain,

the first domain includes the domain orchestrator computing device,

the second domain includes a second domain orchestrator computing device, and

the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message includes information identifying a functional service requirement for the delivery of the first service;

generating implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules based on information included in the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message, the generated implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules including at least one domain-specific charging rule that is specific to the first domain;

identifying a policy component and a charging component in the first domain for enforcing the generated implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules; and

sending at least one of the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules to each of the identified policy and charging components via the first communication circuitry.

12. The domain orchestrator computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving:

an implementation agnostic event-based service request message;

an implementation agnostic session based service creation request message;

an implementation agnostic session based service modification request message;

an implementation agnostic session based service termination request message;

or

an implementation agnostic service request message containing policy information.

13. The domain orchestrator computing device of claim 11, wherein the first domain is a user equipment domain.

14. The domain orchestrator computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the second domain orchestrator computing device via the continuum orchestrator component.

15. The domain orchestrator computing device of claim 14, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving a request message generated in response to detecting a change in circumstances in the first domain.

16. The domain orchestrator computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving a request message sent in response to a service request message being received by the continuum orchestrator component.

17. The domain orchestrator computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules comprises generating resource rules for an instance of a domain type selected from a hierarchy of domain types.

18. The domain orchestrator computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules comprises generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules based on domain capabilities identified in the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message.

19. The domain orchestrator computing device of claim 11, wherein:

the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising identifying existing resource rules in the first domain, and

the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions such that generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules comprises generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules such that they are consistent with the identified resource rules.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor to perform operations for communicating information in a telecommunications system that is organized into a plurality of heterogeneous telecommunication domains, the operations comprising:

establishing first communication links for communicating with components in a first domain in the telecommunications system;

establishing second communication links for communicating with one a second domain in the telecommunications system;

receiving an implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from a continuum orchestrator component, wherein;

all components in the telecommunications system involved in delivery of a first service are grouped into at least one of a plurality of domains,

each domain in the plurality of domains includes different components than every other domain in plurality of domains,

the plurality of domains includes at least the first domain and a second domain,

each of the components in the first domain implement domain-specific rules that are specific to the first domain,

the components in the first domain collectively provide a first functionality for the delivery of the first service,

the components in the second domain collectively provide a second functionality for the delivery of the first service,

each of the components in the second domain implement domain-specific rules that are specific to the second domain,

the first domain includes the domain orchestrator computing device,

the second domain includes a second domain orchestrator computing device, and

the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message includes information identifying a functional service requirement for the delivery of the first service;

generating implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules based on information included in the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message, the generated implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules including at least one domain-specific charging rule that is specific to the first domain;

identifying a policy component and a charging component in the first domain for enforcing the generated implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules; and

sending at least one of the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules to each of the identified policy and charging components.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving:

an implementation agnostic event-based service request message;

an implementation agnostic session based service creation request message;

an implementation agnostic session based service modification request message;

an implementation agnostic session based service termination request message;

or

an implementation agnostic service request message containing policy information.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the first domain is a user equipment domain.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the second domain orchestrator computing device via the continuum orchestrator component.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving a request message generated in response to detecting a change in circumstances in the first domain.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that receiving the implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from the continuum orchestrator component comprises receiving a request message sent in response to a service request message being received by a continuum orchestrator.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules comprises generating resource rules for an instance of a domain type selected from a hierarchy of domain types.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules comprises generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules based on domain capabilities identified in the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein:

the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations comprising identifying existing resource rules in the first domain, and

the stored processor-executable software instructions are configured to cause a processor to perform operations such that generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules comprises generating the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules such that they are consistent with the identified resource rules.

29. A communication system, comprising:

a computing device comprising a memory, and a device processor coupled to the memory; and

a communications server comprising;

first communication circuitry for communicating with components in a first domain in a telecommunications system that is organized into a plurality of heterogeneous telecommunication domains;

second communication circuitry for communicating with a second domain in the telecommunications system;

a server memory; and

a server processor coupled to the first and second communication circuitry and to the server memory,

wherein the server processor is configured with server-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving an implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message from a continuum orchestrator component, wherein;

all components in the telecommunications system involved in delivery of a first service are grouped into at least one of a plurality of domains,

each domain in the plurality of domains includes different components than every other domain in plurality of domains,

the plurality of domains includes at least the first domain and a second domain,

each of the components in the first domain implement domain-specific rules that are specific to the first domain,

the components in the first domain collectively provide a first functionality for the delivery of the first service,

the components in the second domain collectively provide a second functionality for the delivery of the first service,

each of the components in the second domain implement domain-specific rules that are specific to the second domain,

the first domain includes the domain orchestrator computing device

the second domain includes a second domain orchestrator computing device, and

the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request message includes information identifying a functional service requirement for the delivery of the first service;

generating implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules based on information included in the received implementation agnostic policy-charging service request, the generated implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules including at least one domain-specific charging rule that is specific to the first domain;

identifying a policy component and a charging component within the first domain for enforcing the generated implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules; and

sending at least one of the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules to each of the identified policy and charging components, and

wherein the device processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving at least one of the implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules; and

enforcing the received implementation-and-domain-specific resource rules.