System, method, and computer program for inter-module communication in a network based on network function virtualization (NFV)

• US 9,838,265 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• 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, Kitroser, Itzik
• Primary Examiner(s): Eskandarnia, Arvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Thao
• Application Number:
  US14/572,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20150180730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,085 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0709 in a distributed system consisting of a plurality of standalone computer nodes, e.g. clusters, client-server systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0793 Remedial or corrective actions recovery from an exception in an instruction pipeline G06F9/3861; by retry G06F11/1402; for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2023 Failover techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/022 Multivendor or multi-standard integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/20 Network management software packages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• 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: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/00 Network traffic management; Network resource management

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a system, method, and computer program product for communicating information in a communication network using network function virtualization (NFV-based communication network), the method including: sending a communication from a first entity of the NFV-based communication network, the first entity being a sender, and receiving the communication by a second entity of the NFV-based communication network, the second entity being a receiver, where the communication includes: an identification of the sender of the communication, and an identification of the receiver of the communication, an identification of a function associated with the NFV-based communication network, and an authorization associating one or more of the sender and the receiver with the function.

Claims

1. A method for communicating information in a communication network using network function virtualization (NFV-based communication network), said method comprising:

creating, by a computer system including a first entity of said NFV-based communication network, a communication in accordance with a predefined virtual network function (VNF) protocol, wherein said communication is generated in accordance with said VNF protocol to include;

an identification of a sender of said communication, and an identification of a chain of receivers of said communication,

authentication data that enables said sender to verify that only said chain of receivers can decrypt said communication,

an identification of a procedure associated with said NFV-based communication network,

an authorization of at least one of said sender and said chain of receivers to perform said procedure,

a work-flow for the procedure that includes for each receiver in the chain of receivers;

(a) one or more instructions to be executed by the receiver,

(b) an indication of data to upload to the communication, and

(c) an indication of a next receiver in the chain of receivers to which the communication is to be forwarded,

a history for the procedure that tracks an execution status of the procedure;

sending said communication through said computer system from said first entity of said NFV-based communication network, said first entity being said sender;

receiving said communication by a second entity of said NFV-based communication network, said second entity being included within said computer system or within another computer system, and said second entity being a first receiver in the chain of receivers; and

processing said communication, by said second entity through said computer system or through said other computer system including said second entity, based on said authorization.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the work-flow further includes:

(d) conditions for executing the one or more instructions, and

(e) an order of execution for the one or more instructions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each receiver in the chain of receivers verifies an authenticity of the communication, including verifying that the communication originated from the sender and that the sender is authorized to issue the command.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data is uploaded to the communication by the receiver such that the data is made accessible to a next receiver in the chain receivers for further processing the procedure.

2. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for communicating information in a communication network using network function virtualization (NFV-based communication network), said computer program product comprising:

computer code for creating, by a computer system including a first entity of said NFV-based communication network, a communication in accordance with a predefined virtual network function (VNF) protocol, wherein said communication is generated in accordance with said VNF protocol to include;

an identification of a sender of said communication, and an identification of a chain of receivers of said communication,

authentication data that enables said sender to verify that only said chain of receivers can decrypt said communication,

an identification of a procedure associated with said NFV-based communication network,

an authorization of at least one of said sender and said chain of receivers to perform said procedure,

a work-flow for the procedure that includes for each receiver in the chain of receivers;

(a) one or more instructions to be executed by the receiver,

(b) an indication of data to upload to the communication, and

(c) an indication of a next receiver in the chain of receivers to which the communication is to be forwarded,

a history for the procedure that tracks an execution status of the procedure;

computer code for sending said communication through said computer system from said first entity of said NFV-based communication network, said first entity being said sender;

computer code for receiving said communication by a second entity of said NFV-based communication network, said second entity being included within said computer system or within another computer system, and said second entity being a first receiver in the chain of receivers; and

processing said communication, by said second entity through said computer system or through said other computer system including said second entity, based on said authorization.

3. A system for communicating information in a communication network using network function virtualization (NFV-based communication network), said system comprising:

at least one computer system including a first entity of said NFV-based communication network and a second entity of said NFV-based communication network for;

creating a communication in accordance with a predefined virtual network function (VNF) protocol, wherein said communication is generated in accordance with said VNF protocol to include;

an identification of a sender of said communication, and an identification of a chain of receivers of said communication,

authentication data that enables said sender to verify that only said chain of receivers can decrypt said communication,

an identification of a procedure associated with said NFV-based communication network,

an authorization of at least one of said sender and said chain of receivers to perform said procedure,

a work-flow for the procedure that includes for each receiver in the chain of receivers;

(a) one or more instructions to be executed by the receiver,

(b) an indication of data to upload to the communication, and

(c) an indication of a next receiver in the chain of receivers to which the communication is to be forwarded,

a history for the procedure that tracks an execution status of the procedure;

sending said communication through said at least one computer system from said first entity of said NFV-based communication network, said first entity being said sender;

receiving said communication by said second entity of said NFV-based communication network, said second entity being a first receiver in the chain of receivers; and

processing said communication, by said second entity through said at least one computer system including said second entity, based on said authorization.