System, method, and computer program for managing fault recovery in network function virtualization (NFV) based networks

• US 9,645,899 B1
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Issued: 05/09/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amdocs Development Limited (Amdocs Ltd.), Amdocs Software Systems Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Amdocs Development Limited (Amdocs Ltd.), Amdocs Software Systems Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Felstaine, Eyal, Hermoni, Ofer, Sandlerman, Nimrod
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, LOAN
• Application Number:
  US14/572,726
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/008 Reliability or availability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2002 where interconnections or communication control functionality are redundant flexible arrangements for bus networks involving redundancy H04L12/40176
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2025 using centralised failover control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2035 without idle spare hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3433 for load management allocation of a server based on load conditions G06F9/505; load rebalancing G06F9/5083; redistributing the load in a network by a load balancer H04L67/1029
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/815 Virtual middleware or OS functionality using virtual machines to implement generic software techniques for error detection or fault masking G06F11/1484
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0668 by dynamic selection of recovery network elements, e.g. replacement by the most appropriate element after failure
• 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 41/0897 by horizontal or vertical scaling of resources, or by migrating entities, e.g. virtual resources or entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a system, method, and computer program product for recovering from a network failure in a communication network using network function virtualization (NFV-based network), the method including: selecting a first network component of the NFV-based network, detecting at least one probable failure of the first network component, identifying at least one virtual network function (VNF) instance using the first network component, selecting a second network component to be used by same VNF for replacing the VNF instance in the first network component when the first network component is faulty, and securing at least one resource of the second network component for the VNF.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

selecting a first network component of a network function virtualization (NFV) based network, the first network component being a first hardware unit having one or more computer processors for executing an instance of a VNF on a virtual machine of the first hardware unit;

detecting at least one probable failure of the first network component;

prior to a failure of the first network component, selecting a second network component to be used for replacing the instance of the VNF in the first network component when the first network component is faulty, the second network component being a second hardware unit having one or more computer processors for executing another instance of the VNF on a virtual machine of the second hardware unit;

securing at least one resource of the selected second network component for the other instance of the VNF;

maintaining, in the selected second network component, an updated copy of data associated with the instance of the VNF in the first network component;

responsive to detecting that the first network component is faulty, using the secured at least one resource of the selected second network component and the updated copy of data maintained in the selected second network component to initiate in the second network component the other instance of the VNF that replaces in the NFV based network the instance of the VNF in the faulty first network component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated copy of data maintained in the selected second network component enables initiating the other instance of the VNF in the selected second network component with minimal delay.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the second network component and securing the at least one resource of the second network component are performed as part of creating a plan for replacing, upon failure of the first network component, the instance of the VNF operating in the first network component with the other instance of the VNF operating in the second network component.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for a third network component of the NFV-based network that is a third hardware unit having one or more computer processors for executing a third instance of the VNF on a virtual machine of the third hardware unit:

detecting at least one probable failure of the third network component;

prior to a failure of the third network component, selecting the second network component to be used for replacing the third instance of the VNF in the third network component when the third network component is faulty;

securing the at least one resource of the selected second network component for the third instance of the VNF.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer code executable by a computer processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

selecting a first network component of a network function virtualization (NFV) based network, the first network component being a first hardware unit having one or more computer processors for executing an instance of a VNF on a virtual machine of the first hardware unit;

detecting at least one probable failure of the first network component;

prior to a failure of the first network component, selecting a second network component to be used for replacing the instance of the VNF in the first network component when the first network component is faulty, the second network component being a second hardware unit having one or more computer processors for executing another instance of the VNF on a virtual machine of the second hardware unit;

securing at least one resource of the selected second network component for the other instance of the VNF;

maintaining, in the selected second network component, an updated copy of data associated with the instance of the VNF in the first network component;

responsive to detecting that the first network component is faulty, using the secured at least one resource of the selected second network component and the updated copy of data maintained in the selected second network component to initiate in the second network component the other instance of the VNF that replaces in the NFV based network the instance of the VNF in the faulty first network component.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the updated copy of data maintained in the selected second network component enables initiating the other instance of the VNF in the selected second network component with minimal delay.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein selecting the second network component and securing the at least one resource of the second network component are performed as part of creating a plan for replacing, upon failure of the first network component, the instance of the VNF operating in the first network component with the other instance of the VNF operating in the second network component.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, further comprising:

detecting at least one probable failure of a third network component of the NFV based network that is a third hardware unit having one or more computer processors for executing a third instance of the VNF on a virtual machine of the third hardware unit;

prior to a failure of the third network component, selecting the second network component to be used for replacing the third instance of the VNF in the third network component when the third network component is faulty;

securing the at least one resource of the selected second network component for the third instance of the VNF.

9. A system comprising:

a memory system; and

one or more processing cores coupled to the memory system and that are each configured to;

select a first network component of a network function virtualization (NFV) based network, the first network component being a first hardware unit having one or more computer processors for executing an instance of a VNF on a virtual machine of the first hardware unit;

detect at least one probable failure of the first network component;

prior to a failure of the first network component, select a second network component to be used for replacing the instance of the VNF in the first network component when the first network component is faulty, the second network component being a second hardware unit having one or more computer processors for executing another instance of the VNF on a virtual machine of the second hardware unit;

secure at least one resource of the selected second network component for the other instance of the VNF;

maintain, in the selected second network component, an updated copy of data associated with the instance of the VNF in the first network component;

responsive to detecting that the first network component is faulty, use the secured at least one resource of the selected second network component and the updated copy of data maintained in the selected second network component to initiate in the second network component the other instance of the VNF that replaces in the NFV based network the instance of the VNF in the faulty first network component.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processing cores coupled to the memory system are further each configured to initiate wherein the updated copy of data maintained in the selected second network component enables initiating the other instance of the VNF in the selected second network component with minimal delay.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein selecting the second network component and securing the at least one resource of the second network component are performed to create a plan for replacing, upon failure of the first network component, the VNF instance operating in the first network component with a VNF instance operating in the second network component.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more processing cores coupled to the memory system are further each configured to:

detect at least one probable failure of a third network component that is a third hardware unit having one or more computer processors for executing a third instance of the VNF on a virtual machine of the third hardware unit;

prior to a failure of the third network component, select the second network component to be used for replacing the third instance of the VNF in the third network component when the third network component is faulty;

secure the at least one resource of the selected second network component for the third instance of the VNF.