Referent system for devices of an NFV network

• US 9,887,882 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2015
• Issued: 02/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Higgins, Robert M., Foladare, Mark Jeffrey, Bragg, Dean, Ng, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ling, Amy
• Application Number:
  US14/737,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20160366023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45591 Monitoring or debugging support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• 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 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/122 of virtualised topologies, e.g. software-defined networks [SDN] or network function virtualisation [NFV]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/20 the monitoring system or the monitored elements being virtualised, abstracted or software-defined entities, e.g. SDN or NFV
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

A network functions virtualization (NFV) network can be configured to operate according to NFV protocols that decouple software functionality from specific hardware elements. A referent system can be provided that identifies a precise physical location of devices associated with the NFV network relative to other equipment or devices associated with the NFV network.

Claims

1. A network device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

executing a network function according to a network functions virtualization protocol that defines rules relating to functions of network devices of a network being provided in a virtual environment generated by the network device;

assigning the network function with referent identifier data of a referent system, wherein the referent identifier data comprises;

device data that identifies the network device relative to equipment other than the network device associated with the network; and

reference data indicative of the equipment associated with the network, wherein the reference data comprises a location identifier that identifies a building structure and a floor structure, an aisle identifier that identifies an aisle structure, a bay identifier that identifies a bay structure, and a shelf identifier that identifies a shelf structure; and

facilitating transmission of status data to a monitoring device in response to a determination that a criterion has been satisfied, wherein the status data comprises the referent identifier data.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the referent identifier data is indicative of a physical location of the network device and the equipment.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining move data indicative of a move associated with the network function.

4. The network device of claim 3, wherein the network device is a first network device, and wherein the move associated with the network function relates to transferring execution of the network function from the first network device to a second network device that differs from the first network device, and updating the referent identifier data in accordance with information indicative of a physical location of the second network device.

5. The network device of claim 3, wherein the move associated with the network function relates to a change in a physical location associated with the network device that is executing the network function and updating the referent identifier data in accordance with information indicative of the change of the physical location of the network device.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein the equipment comprises the floor structure associated with the floor identifier of the building structure and the floor structure comprising a first group of devices associated with the network, wherein the equipment comprises the aisle structure comprising a second group of devices associated with the network, wherein the equipment comprises the bay structure comprising a third group of devices associated with the network, and wherein the equipment comprises a shelf structure comprising a fourth group of devices associated with the network.

7. The network device of claim 1, wherein the reference data and the device data represent non-unique identifiers within the referent system.

8. The network device of claim 1, wherein the referent identifier data, comprising a combination of the reference data and the device data, represents a unique identifier within the referent system.

9. The network device of claim 1, wherein the the determination that the criterion has been satisfied is in response to determining that the network device has spare computing capacity, and wherein the status data indicates the network device has spare computing capacity.

10. The network device of claim 1, wherein the the determination that the criterion has been satisfied is in response to determining that the network device requires maintenance, and wherein the status data indicates the network device requires maintenance.

11. A monitoring device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving status data from a network device configured to execute a network function according to a network functions virtualization protocol that defines rules relating to functions of network devices of a network being provided in a virtual environment instantiated by the network device;

receiving referent identifier data that is assigned to the network function and is indicative of a referent system, wherein the referent identifier data comprises device data that identifies the network device relative to equipment, other than the device, associated with the network and reference data that identifies the equipment associated with the network, and wherein the reference data comprises a location identifier that identifies a building structure and a floor structure, an aisle identifier that identifies an aisle structure, a bay identifier that identifies a bay structure, and a shelf identifier that identifies a shelf structure;

determining location data indicative of a physical location of the network device based on the referent identifier data; and

transmitting a message that indicates a status of a first device, wherein the first device is identified by the referent system and is at a physical location defined by the referent system.

12. The monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the reference data is indicative of a physical location of the equipment and the equipment comprises:

the floor structure associated with the floor identifier of the building structure, wherein the floor structure comprising a first group of devices associated with the network, the aisle structure comprising a second group of devices associated with the network, the bay structure comprising a third group of devices associated with the network, or the shelf structure comprising a fourth group of devices associated with the network.

13. The monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise receiving move data indicative of a move associated with the network function and updating the location data in accordance with the move data.

14. The monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise receiving move request data indicative of a request to change a physical location associated with the network function and determining target location data indicative of a target for the physical location based on the referent system.

15. The monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the reference data and the device data are, within the referent system, non-unique identifiers and the referent identifier data, comprising a combination of the reference data and the device data, is, within the referent system, a unique identifier.

16. The monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the message is a spare capacity message that indicates the first device has spare capacity.

17. The monitoring device of claim 11, wherein the message is a maintenance message that indicates the first device potentially requires service.

18. A method, comprising:

executing, by a network device comprising a processor, a network function according to a network functions virtualization protocol that defines rules relating to functions of network devices of a network being provided in a virtual environment constructed by the device;

receiving, by the processor, a first portion of referent identifier data associated with a referent system, wherein the first portion comprises reference data that identifies equipment of the network other than the network device and comprises a location identifier that identifies a building structure and a floor structure, an aisle identifier that identifies an aisle structure, a bay identifier that identifies a bay structure, and a shelf identifier that identifies a shelf structure;

receiving, by the processor, a second portion of the referent identifier data comprising device data that identifies the network device relative to the equipment identified by the reference data;

assigning, by the network device, the referent identifier data to the network function; and

facilitating, by the network device, transmission of a status message to a monitoring device, wherein the status message comprises the referent identifier data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the status message is transmitted in response to a determination that the network device has spare computing capacity, and wherein the status data indicates the network device has spare computing capacity.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the status message is transmitted in response to a determination that the network device requires service, and wherein the status data indicates the network device requires service.