Network slice management
AssigneeNokia Solutions and Networks Oy
InventorsFrederic Guilbeault, Yves Beauville
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage mediums provide virtual network slicing without duplicating network configuration data (also referred to as network configuration information) on a slice-by-slice basis by maintaining a single physical network datastore including network configuration information for all network entities in the physical network, but generating slice views for respective virtual network slices as needed over time. Methods, apparatuses and computer readable storage mediums also enable configuration of a plurality of virtual network slices sharing a physical network infrastructure.
Claims16
A network management system for managing a plurality of virtual network slices in a physical network, the network management system comprising:
- at least one memory storing computer readable instructions;
- and
- at least one processor configured to execute the computer readable instructions to cause the network management system to, in response to receiving a request message from a first slice owner,
- filter the request message from the first slice owner by applying at least one transformation to the request message to generate a transformed request message, the request message being encoded in XML,
- generate filtered network information by filtering first network information in response to the transformed request message, the first network information including network information for a first plurality of network entities, the first plurality of network entities including at least one or more network entities assigned to a first virtual network slice from among the plurality of virtual network slices, the filtering including filtering the first network information such that the filtered network information includes network information for only one or more network entities assigned to the first virtual network slice from among the plurality of virtual network slices, the first network information including at least one of (i) operational information obtained from the physical network or (ii) network configuration information obtained from a physical network datastore, and
- provide the filtered network information to the first slice owner of the first of the plurality of virtual network slices.
A method for managing a plurality of virtual network slices in a physical network, the method comprising:
- in response to a request message from a first slice owner, the request message being encoded in XML,
- filtering the request message by applying at least one transformation to the request message to generate a transformed request message;
- generating filtered network information by filtering first network information in response to the transformed request message, the first network information including network information for a first plurality of network entities, the first plurality of network entities including at least one or more network entities assigned to a first virtual network slice from among the plurality of virtual network slices, the filtering including filtering the first network information such that the filtered network information includes network information for only one or more network entities assigned to the first virtual network slices from among the plurality of virtual network slices, the first network information including at least one of (i) operational information obtained from the physical network or (ii) network configuration information obtained from a physical network datastore;
- and
- providing the filtered network information to a first slice owner of the first of the plurality of virtual network slices.
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a network management system, cause the network management system to perform a method for managing a plurality of virtual network slices in a physical network, the method comprising:
- in response to a request message from a first slice owner, the request message being encoded in XML,
- filtering the request message by applying at least one transformation to the request message to generate a transformed request message;
- generating filtered network information by filtering first network information in response to the transformed request message, the first network information including network information for a first plurality of network entities, the first plurality of network entities including at least one or more network entities assigned to a first virtual network slice from among the plurality of virtual network slices, the filtering including filtering the first network information such that the filtered network information includes network information for only one or more network entities assigned to the first virtual network slices from among the plurality of virtual network slices, the first network information including at least one of (i) operational information obtained from the physical network or (ii) network configuration information obtained from a physical network datastore;
- and
- providing the filtered network information to a first slice owner of the first of the plurality of virtual network slices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.