Method and apparatus for managing wireless communications network

Abstract

A method in a domain manager for managing a wireless communications network operating at least one network slice. A network slice comprises a logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions. The method comprises populating (202) a first Information Object Class instance representing the network slice, adding (204) the populated first Information Object Class instance to a generic Network Resource Model and exposing (206) the modified generic Network Resource Model.

Claims

1. A method in a domain manager for managing a wireless communications network operating at least one network slice, said network slice comprising a logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions, the method comprising: populating a first Information Object Class instance representing the logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions of said network slice; adding the populated first Information Object Class instance to a generic Network Resource Model to produce a modified generic Network Resource Model; exposing the modified generic Network Resource Model receiving an event report from a Managed Element; determining, using the modified generic Network Resource Model, whether the Managed Element is part of a network slice; and performing a management operation in response to the received event report and the result of said determining.

2. The method according to claim 1 comprising implementing changes in the network in response to the modifications made to the generic Network Resource Model.

3. The method according to claim 1 comprising: determining, using the modified generic Network Resource Model, whether the Managed Element is a physical network function or a virtual network function; performing a management operation in response to the received event report and the result of said determining.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein if the Managed Element is implemented as a first virtual network function, the management operation comprises: instantiating a second virtual network function as a second instance of the Managed Element; moving traffic from said first virtual network function to said second virtual network function.

5. The method according to claim 4 comprising inactivating said first virtual network function.

6. A network manager for managing a wireless communications network operating at least one network slice, said network slice comprising a logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions, the network manager comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing instructions executable by the processor such that the network manager is operative to: receive from a domain manager a modified generic Network Resource Model comprising a first Information Object Class instance, said first Information Object Class instance representing the logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions of said network slice; receive from the domain manager messages comprising information related to operation of Managed Elements managed by the domain manager, said messages complying with an interface defined by said modified generic Network Resource Model; carry out a management operation on said at least one network slice; receive an event report from a Managed Element; determine, using the modified generic Network Resource Model, whether the Managed Element is part of a network slice; and perform a management operation in response to the received event report and the result of said determining.

7. The network manager according to claim 6, wherein the received modified generic Network Resource Model comprises a second Information Object Class instance representing a Managed Element, wherein the second Information Object Class instance comprises information identifying whether said Managed Element is a physical network function or a virtual network function.

8. The network manager according to claim 6, operative to: determine, using the modified generic Network Resource Model, whether the Managed Element is a physical network function or a virtual network function; perform a management operation in response to the received event report and the result of said determining.

9. The network manager according to claim 8, wherein if the Managed Element is implemented as a first virtual network function, the network manager is operative to: instantiate a second virtual network function as a second instance of the Managed Element; move traffic from said first virtual network function to said second virtual network function.

10. The network manager according to claim 9 operative to inactivate said first virtual network function after the traffic has been moved to said second virtual network function.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an architecture of a wireless communications network operating two network slices;

(3) FIG. 2 to FIG. 7 are flowcharts illustrating a method for managing a wireless communications network operating at least one network slice in various embodiments of the present invention;

(4) FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a domain manager in one embodiment of the present invention;

(5) FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a network manager in one embodiment of the present invention;

(6) FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a generic network resource model known from 3GPP TS 28.622 v14.0.0;

(7) FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are diagrams illustrating a modified generic network resource model in embodiments of the present invention;

(8) FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating relation between a network manager and domain managers;

(9) FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a domain manager in an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

(10) FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a network manager in an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(11) In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth such as particular architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the invention with unnecessary details.

(12) Reference throughout the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearance of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

(13) In order to meet the evolving requirements on network management in a 5G context, there is now a need to be able to deploy and manage logical networks for a particular business purpose. Such logical networks formed of Managed Elements (ME) Group (network slices) create the need to be able to manage the associated group of network elements as a collective entity. Additionally, the manner in which network element will be managed may differ depending on whether they are physical network functions (PNFs) or virtual network functions (VNFs).

(14) Today 3GPP IRPs on Itf-N interface do not support the capability of network function type (physical or virtual) or ME Group (i.e. network slice).

(15) The generic Network Resource Model illustrated in FIG. 10 is the structure known from 3GPP TS 28.622 v14.0.0. The inventor realised that in order to achieve efficient network management in future 5G network deployments the generic Network Resource Model must be modified.

(16) A network slice is composed of a subnetwork instance or multiple subnetwork instances (e.g. Radio Access Network, transport network, packet core, etc.). A subnetwork instance (SNI) is managed by a Domain Manager whereas a network slice (which is an end-to-end logical entity) is managed by a Network Manager. It must be noted, however, that management operations performed on a network slice by a Network Manager or management operations performed on a subnetwork instance by a Domain Manager affect operation of the network of which the network slice and the subnetwork instance are parts.

(17) With reference to FIG. 2 an embodiment of a method for managing a wireless communications network operating at least one network slice, is now to be described. The network slice comprises a logically grouped subset of network resources (managed elements, ME). The method in this embodiment is performed in a domain manager (DM). In this embodiment the method comprises populating, 202, a first Information Object Class instance, in a preferred embodiment called ManagedGroup, with information representing the logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions of said network slice. For example, a Packet Core Subnetwork Instance would consist of a vMME (virtual Mobility Management Entity), vEPG (virtual Evolved Packet Gateway) and vSAPC (virtual Service-Aware Policy Controller) nodes (or Managed Elements). The method also comprises adding, 204, the populated first Information Object Class instance to a generic Network Resource Model to produce a modified generic Network Resource Model. The generic Network Resource Model describes instances of Information Object Classes representing managed network resources and/or managed network functions. The modified generic NRM in one embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 11. In this embodiment, the ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, is associated with (or connected to) the IRP Agent IOC, 1108, MeContext IOC, 1106, and ManagedElement IOC, 1104. Compared to the generic NRM from FIG. 10, the ManagedElement IOC, 1104 is now associated with only the newly introduced ManagedGroup IOC, 1102. Finally, the modified generic Network Resource Model is exposed, 206.

(18) The term modified generic Network Resource Model used throughout this document refers to a generic Network Resource Model comprising an instance of Information Object Class instance representing the logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions, which is denoted in this document as ManagedGroup IOC.

(19) Populating the first Information Object Class instance and adding said instance to the generic Network Resource Model in one embodiment may be carried out as a single operation, 208, which results in a modified generic NRM comprising a populated first Information Object Class. In this embodiment, the populating is performed directly in the data structure of the generic Network Resource Model. In an alternative embodiment, the operation of populating creates a data structure of the first Information Object Class instance outside of the generic NRM and the first Information Object Class instance is then added to the generic NRM.

(20) The other instances of Information Object Classes illustrated in FIG. 11 are also populated with relevant data as it is known from earlier solutions based on the generic NRM.

(21) FIG. 11 illustrates one possible implementation in which the ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, is added in a specific place of the generic NRM. It must be noted, however, that adding the ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, in some other location in the generic NRM would also be possible.

(22) In one alternative embodiment the ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, may be added to the generic NRM at the same level as the ManagedElement IOC, 1104, and the ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, may be associated with MeContext IOC, 1106, and with the ManagedElement IOC, 1104. This embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 12. In this embodiment it is advantageous that an instance of the ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, can be created at any time, can contain any number of associations to instances of ManagedElement IOC, 1104. The ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, instance may be deleted at any time, as long as there is no association with instances of ManagedElement IOC, 1104, remaining. An instance of the ManagedElement IOC, 1104, can be created without any connection (association) to a ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, instance or it may be associated with (included in) a ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, instance. An instance of the ManagedElement IOC, 1104, can also be moved to another instance of ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, deleted from an instance of ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, or deleted altogether once there is no association to an instance of ManagedGroup IOC, 1102.

(23) In a preferred embodiment, before the operation of exposing, 206, the method also comprises extending, 302, a second Information Object Class instance of the generic Network Resource Model, the second Information Object Class instance representing a Managed Element, 1104, by adding information identifying whether said Managed Element is a physical network function or a virtual network function. The method in this embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 3. The modified generic NRM including the extended instance of ManagedElement IOC, 1104, is illustrated in FIG. 11 and in FIG. 12. Extending the second Information Object Class instance as described above is optional, but provides a clear advantage for the network manager now being able to identify character of the managed element in question (physical or virtual) and carry out appropriate management operations. This is illustrated explained in more detail in description of FIG. 7.

(24) Extending the ManagedElement IOC, 1104, is an optional feature of the modified generic NRM. This is why the word “extended” has been added in brackets in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12. In its basic embodiment, the method only populates and adds the ManagedGroup IOC instance, 1102, and the word “extended” in 1104 can be ignored.

(25) Preferably, in the step of exposing, 206, the modified generic Network Resource Model is made available by the domain manager via an Itf-N interface to a network manager for use in carrying out a management operation on said at least one network slice.

(26) In operation, at this stage (i.e. after the operation of exposing, 206, of the modified generic NRM), the domain manager, 1304, sends, 306, to the network manager, 1302, messages comprising information related to operation (or operations) of Managed Elements managed by the domain manager, 1304, using an interface defined by said modified generic Network Resource Model.

(27) The method implemented in a domain manager can be initiated by populating, 202, the first Information Object Class instance, i.e. the ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, and then after performing the steps of adding, 204, and exposing, 206, the method in this embodiment comprises the step of implementing, 304, a change (or changes) in the network in response to the modifications made to the generic Network Resource Model as illustrated in FIG. 3. In an alternative embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 4, the operation of populating the ManagedGroup IOC, 1102, instance is triggered by a change in the network resulting in instantiation (creation), 402, of said at least one network slice.

(28) After the operation of adding, 204, the modified generic NRM is exposed, 206. Once the modified generic NRM is exposed, 206, via the Itf-N interface it is available to the network manager (e.g. a Network Management System, 1302, depicted in FIG. 13) and ready to use. In operation, at this stage, the domain manager, 1304, sends, 306, to the network manager, 1302, messages comprising information related to operation (or operations) of Managed Elements managed by the domain manager, 1304, using an interface defined by said modified generic Network Resource Model.

(29) In a preferred embodiment, before the operation of exposing, 206, the method also comprises an operation of extending, 302, a second Information Object Class instance of the generic Network Resource Model, the second Information Object Class instance representing a Managed Element, 1104. The second Information Object Class instance is extended by adding information identifying whether said Managed Element is a physical network function or a virtual network function. The modified generic NRM including the extended instance of ManagedElement IOC, 1104, is illustrated in FIG. 11 and in FIG. 12. Extending the second Information Object Class instance is optional, but provides a clear advantage for the network manager now being able to identify character of the managed element in question (physical or virtual) and carry out appropriate management operations. This is illustrated explained in more detail in description of FIG. 7.

(30) FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of the invention as from a network manager's perspective.

(31) In a preferred embodiment, a method for managing a wireless communications network operating at least one network slice performed in a network manager, 1302, comprises receiving, 502, from a domain manager, 1304, a modified generic Network Resource Model. The modified generic NRM describes instances Information Object Classes representing managed network resources and/or managed network functions including a first Information Object Class instance representing a logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions of said network slice. In a preferred embodiment, the first Information Object Class instance is called ManagedGroup, 1102, and its location in the structure of the modified generic NRM is illustrated in FIG. 11 and was described earlier.

(32) In the following step the network manager 1302, receives, 504, from the domain manager, 1304, messages comprising information related to operation of Managed Elements managed by the domain manager. Said messages comply with an interface defined by said modified generic Network Resource Model. Because the messages received from the domain manager comply with the interface defined by said modified generic NRM the network manager, 1302, distinguishes individual Manage Elements from a managed group of elements (i.e. a network slice) and then may carry out, 506, a management operation on said at least one network slice.

(33) Preferably, the received modified generic Network Resource Model comprises a second Information Object Class instance representing a Managed Element, ManagedElement IOC 1104, comprising information identifying whether said Managed Element is a physical network function or a virtual network function.

(34) Preferably, the modified generic Network Resource Model is received from the domain manager, 1304, via an Itf-N interface.

(35) In a preferred embodiment the method comprises implementing, 508, changes in the wireless communications network in response to the modifications made to the generic Network Resource Model. In one embodiment the change may be instantiation (creation) of a network slice.

(36) After the network manager, 1302, received the modified generic NRM it is possible to manage the network in a way that takes into account network slice (or network slices) rather than only individual managed elements. In this embodiment, shown in FIG. 6, the network manager receives, 602, an event report from a Managed Element and determines, 604, using the modified generic Network Resource Model, whether the Managed Element is part of a network slice. The operation of determining is relatively simple—because the messages comply with the interface defined by the modified generic NRM the information about a network slice is explicitly identified in the message. The event report from a Managed Element preferably will be sent to the Network Manager via a Domain Manager. In an alternative embodiment the event report may go directly from a Managed Element to the Network Manager. This alternative embodiment is not ad advantageous because the former allows for, so called, “separation of concerns”. Finally, the method comprises performing, 606, 608, a management operation in response to the received event report and the result of said determining. If the event report is from an individual Managed Element, 604—No—606, then the management operation is designed for an individual Managed element. If, on the other hand, the event report is from a Managed Element which is part of a network slice, 604—Yes—608, then the management operation considers not only the individual Managed Element, but also the network slice it is part of.

(37) As explained earlier, the modified generic NRM may comprise extended instance of the ManagedElement IOC, 1104. In this embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 7, the method comprises receiving, 702, an event report from a Managed Element and determining, 704, using the modified generic Network Resource Model, whether the Managed Element is a physical network function or a virtual network function. To determine whether the Managed Element is a physical or virtual network function the Network Manager consults the event report and checks the extended instance of the ManagedElement IOC, 1104. In response to the received event report and in accordance with the result of said determining the Network Manager performs, 706-712, a necessary management operation.

(38) If in step 704 it is determined that the Managed Element is implemented as a first virtual network function the management operation comprises instantiating, 706 a second virtual network function as a second instance of the Managed Element and then moving, 708, traffic from said first virtual network function to said second virtual network function. After moving the traffic is completed the method, preferably, comprises inactivating, 710, said first virtual network function. The benefit of inactivating the first virtual network function is that the physical resources used for instantiating the first virtual network function are released and may be re-used for something else by the network manager, 1302.

(39) If in step 704 it is determined that the Managed Element is implemented as a physical network function (PNF) the management operation would be one of the traditional and well known management operations performed on PNFs, for example: reboot, software upgrade, hardware upgrade.

(40) FIG. 8 illustrates a domain manager, 800, 1304, which implements the method for managing a wireless communications network operating at least one network slice described earlier. In a preferred embodiment, the domain manager, 800, 1304, is implemented as a physical apparatus operating in the wireless communications network.

(41) Preferably, the domain manager, 800, 1304, comprises a processor, 802, and a memory 804, the memory, 804, contains instructions executable by the processor, 802. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8 the domain manager also comprises an interface, 806, for communicating with other elements of the network. The interface, 806, processor, 802 and memory, 804, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8 are connected in series, however, other architectures of the apparatus, 800, 1304, are also possible and would be envisaged by those skilled in the art. For example, the elements 802-806 could be connected to a bus.

(42) In operation, when the instructions stored in the memory, 804, are executed by the processor, 802, the domain manager, 800, 1304, is operative to populate a first Information Object Class instance representing the logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions of said network slice. The domain manager, 800, 1304, is also operative to modify a generic Network Resource Model by adding the populated first Information Object Class instance into said generic Network Resource Model and then to expose the modified generic Network Resource Model.

(43) Preferably, the domain manager, 800, 1304, is also adapted to extend a second Information Object Class instance of the generic Network Resource Model representing a Managed Element, ManagedElement IOC, 1104. To extend the ManagedElement IOC, 1104, instance the domain manager, 800, 1304, is operative to add information identifying whether said Managed Element is a physical network function or a virtual network function.

(44) As explained in the description of embodiments of the method in order to expose the modified generic Network Resource Model the domain manager, 800, 1304, is operative to made the modified generic Network Resource Model available via an Itf-N interface to a network manager, 900, 1302, for use in carrying out a management operation on said at least one network slice.

(45) Depending on embodiment it may be that either the at least one network slice is created first and only then the domain manager modifies the generic NRM or it may be that the modification of the generic NRM is performed first and then in response to the modification of the NRM said at least one network slice is created.

(46) In operation, once the generic NRM is modified (with or without extending the instance of the ManagedElement IOC, 1104) the domain manager, 800, 1304, is operative to send messages to the network manager, 900, 1302, comprising information related to operation of Managed Elements managed by the domain manager (800, 1304), using the interface defined by said modified generic Network Resource Model.

(47) FIG. 9 illustrates a network manager, 900, 1302, which implements the method for managing a wireless communications network operating at least one network slice described earlier. In a preferred embodiment, the network manager, 900, 1302, is implemented as a physical apparatus operating in the wireless communications network.

(48) Preferably, the network manager, 900, 1302, comprises a processor, 902, and a memory 904, the memory, 904, contains instructions executable by the processor, 902. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 the network manager also comprises an interface, 906, for communicating with other elements of the network. The interface, 906, processor, 902 and memory, 904, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9 are connected in series, however, other architectures of the apparatus, 900, 1302, are also possible and would be envisaged by those skilled in the art. For example, the elements 902-906 could be connected to a bus.

(49) In operation, when the instructions stored in the memory, 904, are executed by the processor, 902, the network manager, 900, 1302, is operative to receive from a domain manager, 800, 1304, a modified generic Network Resource Model comprising a first Information Object Class instance representing the logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions of said network slice. The network manager is also operative to receive from the domain manager, 800, 1304, messages comprising information related to operation of Managed Elements managed by the domain manager, 800, 1304, wherein the messages comply with an interface defined by said modified generic Network Resource Model. The network manager, 900, 1302, is also operative to carry out a management operation on said at least one network slice.

(50) In a preferred embodiment, the received modified generic Network Resource Model comprises a second Information Object Class instance representing a Managed Element, ManagedElement IOC, 1104, comprising information identifying whether said Managed Element is a physical network function or a virtual network function.

(51) Preferably, the modified generic Network Resource Model is received from the domain manager, 800, 1304, via an Itf-N interface.

(52) When the network manager, 900, 1302, receives the modified generic Network Resource Model it implements changes in the network in response to these modifications. For example, the network manager, 900, 1302, may implement changes necessary to instantiate the at least one network slice.

(53) The network manager, 900, 1302, in its preferred embodiment is operative to receive an event report from a Managed Element and determine, using the modified generic Network Resource Model, whether the Managed Element is part of a network slice. Because the messages comply with the interface defined by the modified generic NRM the information about a network slice is explicitly identified in the message. In response to the received event report and the result of said determining the network manager, 900, 1302, performs a management operation when needed.

(54) In a preferred embodiment, when the generic NRM comprises extended instance of ManagedElement IOC, 1104, the network manager, 900, 1302, is operative to receive an event report from a Managed Element and determine, using the modified generic Network Resource Model, whether the Managed Element is a physical network function or a virtual network function. When it is known whether the Managed Element is physical or virtual the network manager is operative to perform a management operation in response to the received event report and the result of said determining.

(55) If the Managed Element is implemented as a first virtual network function, the network manager, 900, 1302, is operative to instantiate a second virtual network function as a second instance of the Managed Element and move traffic from said first virtual network function to said second virtual network function. Preferably, the network manager is also operative to inactivate said first virtual network function after the traffic has been moved to said second virtual network function. This enables re-use of the resources freed after inactivation of said first virtual network function.

(56) FIG. 14 is a schematic drawing of a domain manager apparatus 1400 according to further embodiments of the disclosure. The domain manager 1400 may be configured to perform the method of FIGS. 2-4.

(57) In one embodiment the domain manager, 1400, for managing a wireless communications network operating at least one network slice comprises a module for populating, 1402, a first Information Object Class instance, which represents logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions of the network slice. The domain manager also comprises a modifier, 1404, for adding the populated first Information Object Class instance to a generic Network Resource Model and a publisher, 1406, for exposing the modified generic Network Resource Model.

(58) The apparatus, 1400, also comprises an interface, 1408, for connecting to the network and via said network to other elements of the network. Although FIG. 14 illustrates one embodiment in which the components of the domain manager 1400 are connected to a bus it would be clear for a person skilled in the art that alternative embodiments are also possible, e.g. connecting the components in series.

(59) FIG. 15, on the other hand, is a schematic drawing of a network manager apparatus 1500 according to further embodiments of the disclosure. The network manager 1500 may be configured to perform the method of FIGS. 5-7.

(60) In one embodiment the network manager, 1500, for managing a wireless communications network operating at least one network slice comprises a first receiver, 1502, for receiving from a domain manager, 1400, a modified generic Network Resource Model describing instances of Information Object Classes representing managed network resources and/or managed network functions. Said modified generic Network Resource Model comprises a first Information Object Class instance representing logically grouped subset of network resources and/or network functions of the network slice. The network manager, 1500, also comprises a second receiver, 1504, for receiving from the domain manager, 1400, messages comprising information related to operation of Managed Elements managed by the domain manager, 1400. The messages comply with an interface defined by the modified generic Network Resource Model. The network manager, 1500, further comprises a management module, 1506, for carrying out a management operation on said at least one network slice.

(61) In an alternative embodiment the first and second receivers, 1502 and 1504, are implemented as a single receiver, 1510.

(62) The apparatus, 1500, also comprises an interface, 1508, for connecting to the network and via said network to other elements of the network. Although FIG. 15 illustrates one embodiment in which the components of the network manager 1500 are connected to a bus it would be clear for a person skilled in the art that alternative embodiments are also possible, e.g. connecting the components in series.

(63) Once the solution is implemented northbound systems (network managers, e.g. Network Management System/Network Slice Management Function) will be able to identify such logical networks thus simplifying optimization and prioritization activities from an enterprise customer management perspective. Another advantage is that NOC (Network Operation Center) OPEX (Operational Expenditure) costs will also be reduced as engineers will be able to leverage of this new grouping capability to prioritize daily operations. Thanks to a standardized interface, this new grouping, i.e. ManagedGroup IOC, will enable operators to offer dedicated network management capabilities to enterprise customers (subject to certain agreed constraints). Moreover, the modified Generic NRM, comprising the extended information in the ManagedElement IOC, will enable Network Management System/Network Slice Management Function, in shared subnetwork management scenarios, to execute management and instance lifecycle management in accordance with the 5G requirement of separation of concerns.

(64) Additionally, integration with northbound systems over a standardized interface has lower system integration (SI) costs and gives operator more freedom in vendor selection.