Datapath triggered on-demand NFV service activation
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorsMuthumayan Madhayyan, Ganesh Sundaram, Chiajen Tsai, Larry T. Chang
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for triggering service activation include starting a vCPE instance in response to a request for a service, instantiating a service container for the requested service and starting the service in the service container, installing a fast path entry for the service container in a local bridge table, detecting an idle timeout of the service and labeling the local bridge table entry for the corresponding service container as inactive, notifying a cloud services manager that the service container is inactive, and removing the service container.
Claims20
A method for triggering network function virtualization service activation for consumer equipment, comprising:
- receiving, at a virtual Customer Premises Equipment (vCPE) instance, a first request for a service;
- sending, from the vCPE instance to a container manager, a first indication to instantiate by the container manager a service container for the service and start the service in the service container;
- directing traffic from the vCPE instance to the service container for application of the service;
- receiving, at the vCPE instance from a datapath engine, a second indication of an idle timeout of the service;
- sending from the vCPE instance a third indication notifying the container manager that the service container is inactive and to remove the service container;
- and
- maintaining the vCPE instance to instantiate a new service container in response to a second request for the service.
A network device for triggering service activation comprising:
- one or more network interfaces;
- and
- one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:
- instantiate a virtual Customer Premises Equipment (vCPE) instance;
- receive, via the one or more network interfaces, a first request for a service;
- send, via the one or more network interfaces to a container manager, a first indication to instantiate a service container and start the service at the service container;
- direct, via the one or more network interfaces, traffic from the vCPE instance to the service container for application of the service;
- receive, from a datapath engine via the one or more network interfaces, a second indication of a timeout of the service;
- send, via the one or more network interfaces, a third indication notifying the container manager that the service container is idle and to remove the service container;
- and
- maintain the vCPE instance to instantiate a new service container in response to a second request for the service.
A computer-readable non-transitory medium comprising one or more instructions, for on-demand network function virtualization service activation, that when executed on one or more processors, configure the one or more processors to perform one or more operations comprising:
- instantiating a virtual Customer Premises Equipment (vCPE) instance in response to a first request for a service;
- receiving a first request for a service;
- sending, to a container manager, a first indication to instantiate a service container for the service and start the service in the service container;
- directing traffic from the vCPE instance to the service container for application of the service;
- receiving, at the vCPE instance from a datapath engine, an indication of an idle timeout of the service;
- sending from the vCPE instance a third indication notifying the container manager that the service container is inactive and to remove the service container;
- and
- maintaining the vCPE instance to instantiate a new service container in response to a second request for the service.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.