5G dynamic slice and network identity instantiation, termination, and access management system and method

• US 10,824,454 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2017
• Issued: 11/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2017
• 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: Shaw, Venson, Dowlatkhah, Sangar
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dinh
• Application Number:
  US15/623,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20180367997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• 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 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

Systems and methods provide for management of virtual instances in networks which are at least partially software defined networks. Virtual instances can include network slices, virtual network functions, virtual machines, network resources, and others. Management can include use of a virtualization management registry in conjunction with controllers and gateways.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a virtualization management registry configured to store one or more virtual instance profiles,

wherein a virtual instance profile among the virtual instance profiles is associated with a network slice virtualizing an instance of a logical network in a mobile network,

wherein the virtual instance profile comprises utilization information, permissions information, and service level requirements information,

wherein the network slice is allocated resources satisfying a performance requirement of a class of use, and

wherein the virtualization management registry tracks an activity of the virtual instance and tracks a virtual instance utilization using the virtual instance profile;

a software defined network controller configured to instantiate, modify, or terminate the network slice;

a register module of the virtualization management registry, wherein the register module is configured to generate the virtual instance profile before the software defined network controller instantiates the network slice;

an authenticate module, wherein the authenticate module confirms, based on a query or traffic, that the virtual instance is associated with a valid virtual instance profile in the virtualization management registry before using the virtual instance to send or receive traffic from a client or a network element;

a de-register module of the virtualization management registry, wherein the de-register module is configured to remove the virtual instance profile before the software defined network controller terminates the network slice; and

a management gateway configured to communicate with the software defined network controller based on traffic of the mobile network, wherein the traffic is associated with the class of use, wherein the management gateway is configured to direct the traffic to the network slice based on a specification associated with the traffic, wherein the specification satisfies the performance requirement for the class of use.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a change module of the virtualization management registry, wherein the change module is configured to modify the network slice.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a profile store module of the virtualization management registry, wherein the profile store module is configured to store the virtual instance profiles, wherein the virtual instance profiles include at least a virtual instance identity and instance resources associated with the network slice.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the register module validates the virtual instance profile to the mobile network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the class of use is for a virtual service.

6. The system of claim 1,

wherein the virtualization management registry is configured to store a second virtual instance profile associated with a second network slice,

wherein the network slice is isolated from the second network slice on at least a control plane and a data plane of the mobile network, and

wherein the specification includes different network resources than a second specification associated with the second network slice.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the software defined network controller is configured to grow or de-grow the network slice by adding or removing resources based on the specification.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the management gateway is further configured to direct traffic to a second network slice based on at least one different specification among the specification associated with the traffic.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the resources allocated to the logical network include one or more of specified computing, storage, and networking resources.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the resources allocated to the logical network affect one or more of specified availability, data capability, voice capability, latency, throughput, data rate, and security level.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein validation includes determining the network slice is associated with an existing and active virtual instance profile before routing traffic to or from the network slice.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein validation includes confirming one or more of the resources, utilization, or permissions associated with the network slice.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the software defined network controller creates additional capacity by instantiating a new virtual instance in response to the virtual instance reaching a utilization capacity.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the software defined network controller modifies the virtual instance to adjust a capacity for the virtual instance in response to the virtual instance reaching a utilization capacity.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the software defined network controller modifies a virtual instance by monitoring virtual instance profiles within the virtualization management registry and based on an associated utilization for the virtual instance modifies the virtual instance by changing virtual instance parameters associated with the virtual instance.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising a matching module configured to compare the query or traffic to a virtual instance profile from the virtualization management registry.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the network slice is allocated resources satisfying a performance requirement of a class of device.