Methods of Operating Service Control Nodes

A method of operating a service controller of a communication network, the method comprising:

• receiving an operation request for a service, wherein the operation request is for a consumer node of the communication network, and wherein the operation request includes a context identifier referring to a context related to the operation request;
• forwarding the operation request for the service to a first service instance set, wherein the first service instance set is identified by the service controller as handling the context related to the operation request;
• and
• responsive to determining that the first service instance set is unreachable or unavailable, selecting a second service instance set as a candidate to handle the context related to the operation request;
• and
• forwarding the operation request for the service to the second service instance set based on selecting the second service instance set.

A method of operating a service instance set node for a service of a communication network, the method comprising:

• receiving an operation request for the service from a service controller, wherein the request includes a context identifier;
• responsive to receiving the operation request including the context identifier, transmitting a context data request to a service storage resource node, wherein the context data request includes the context identifier;
• after transmitting the context data request, receiving a context data response from the service storage resource node, wherein the context data response includes context data corresponding to the context identifier;
• and
• transmitting an operation response to the service controller based on the operation request and based on the context data.

A method of operating a service storage resource (SSR), the method comprising:

• receiving context data from a first service instance set;
• receiving a context data request from a second service instance set;
• and
• transmitting a context data response to the second service instance set responsive to receiving the context data request, wherein the context data response includes at least a portion of the context data.

A service controller for a communication network, wherein the service controller is adapted to

• receive an operation request for a service, wherein the operation request is for a consumer node of the communication network, and wherein the operation request includes a context identifier referring to a context related to the operation request;
• forward the operation request for the service to a first service instance set, wherein the first service instance set is identified by the service controller as handling the context related to the operation request;
• and
• responsive to determining that the first service instance set is unreachable or unavailable, select a second service instance set as a candidate to handle the context related to the operation request;
• and
• forward the operation request for the service to the second service instance set based on selecting the second service instance set.

A service controller for a communication network, the service controller comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• memory coupled with the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
• receive an operation request for the service from a service controller, wherein the request includes a context identifier;
• responsive to receiving the operation request including the context identifier, transmit a context data request to a service storage resource node, wherein the context data request includes the context identifier;
• after transmitting the context data request, receive a context data response from the service storage resource node, wherein the context data response includes context data corresponding to the context identifier;
• and
• transmit an operation response to the service controller based on the operation request and based on the context data.

A service instance set node for a communication network, the service instance set node comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• memory coupled with the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
• receive context data from a first service instance set;
• receive a context data request from a second service instance set;
• and
• transmit a context data response to the second service instance set responsive to receiving the context data request, wherein the context data response includes at least a portion of the context data.