# US 2026/0074967 A1 · Virtual network function deployment method and deployment apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2026/0074967 A1 - Document ID: US20260074967A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 19/392,515 - Filed: 2025-11-18 - Published: 2026-03-12 - Earliest claimed: 2023-05-19 - Assignees: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Hao Zhang; Hai Xia - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260074967A1 ## CPC - H04L 41/40: using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities - G06F 9/5077: {Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources (specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455)} - H04L 41/0806: for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play - H04L 41/0895: Configuration of virtualised networks or elements, e.g. virtualised network function or OpenFlow elements - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract This application provides a virtual network function deployment method and deployment apparatus. According to the deployment method provided in this application, when resources are allocated to VDUs required by a to-be-deployed VNF, all of the required VDUs are used as an entire group, to compute, in one computation periodicity at a granularity of a group, resources required for scheduling all the VDUs, until the corresponding resources are obtained for scheduling the entire group of VDUs or scheduling of the entire group of VDUs fails. When deployment locations of the VDUs for the to-be-deployed VNF are computed at the granularity of a group, an allocation manner that is not conducive to overall deployment is recomputed and adjusted, so that a success rate of VNF deployment is improved. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for deploying virtual network functions comprising: receiving first request information sent by a virtual network function manager (VNFM), wherein the first request information is for requesting to deploy a virtual deployment unit (VDU) for a first virtual network function (VNF); creating M VDUs for the first VNF, wherein the M VDUs are associated as VDUs in a same group, and M is a positive integer; and deploying the VDUs in the same group by using a group scheduling method, allocating a resource to each of the VDUs in the same group in one computation periodicity, until each of the VDUs in the same group obtains the corresponding resource or allocation of resources to entire group of the VDUs in the same group fails, and the computation periodicity is for computing the corresponding resource for each of the VDUs in the same group. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the first request information carries first information, indicating that a workload group object identifier associated with the VDU required by the first VNF is a first workload group object identifier indicating a workload group object, and the workload group object comprises following attribute information: a maximum quantity of VDUs associable with the workload group object identifier, a scheduling policy when the VDU associated with the workload group object identifier is deployed by using the group scheduling method, a scheduling priority when the VDU associated with the workload group object identifier is deployed by using the group scheduling method, and scheduling timeout duration when the VDU associated with the workload group object identifier is deployed by using the group scheduling method; creating the M VDUs for the first VNF comprises: creating the M VDUs, wherein each of the M VDUs is associated with the first workload group object identifier; and deploying the M VDUs by using the group scheduling method comprises: deploying, by using the group scheduling method based on the attribute information of the workload group object indicated by the first workload group object identifier, the VDU associated with the first workload group object identifier. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein deploying, the VDU associated with the first workload group object identifier comprises: obtaining a VDU that is not deployed; when a workload group object identifier associated with the VDU that is not deployed is the first workload group object identifier, adding the VDU that is not deployed to an obtained scheduling queue associated with the first workload group object identifier; and deploying the VDU in the scheduling queue by using the group scheduling method based on the attribute information of the workload group object indicated by the first workload group object identifier. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein deploying, the VDU in the scheduling queue based on the attribute information of the workload group object indicated by the first workload group object identifier comprises: when a quantity of VDUs in the scheduling queue is equal to the maximum quantity of the workload group object indicated by the first workload group object identifier, deploying, by using the group scheduling method, the VDU in the scheduling queue according to the scheduling policy and the scheduling priority of the workload group object indicated by the first workload group object identifier, until each VDU in the scheduling queue is successfully deployed or deployment duration exceeds the scheduling timeout duration of the workload group object indicated by the first workload group object identifier. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the method further comprises: receiving second information from the VNFM, wherein the second information indicates to create a workload group object whose identifier is the first workload group object identifier. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method according to claim 5, wherein the method further comprises: sending a workload group object list to the VNFM; and receiving the second information from the VNFM comprises: when the workload group object list does not comprise the workload group object whose identifier is the first workload group object identifier, receiving the second information from the VNFM. ### Claim 7 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the method further comprises: receiving third information from the VNFM, wherein the third information indicates to update the attribute information of the workload group object whose identifier is the first workload group object identifier. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the method further comprises: sending a workload group object list to the VNFM; and receiving the third information from the VNFM comprises: when the workload group object list comprises the workload group object whose identifier is the first workload group object identifier, receiving the third information from the VNFM. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method according to claim 6, wherein before sending the workload group object list to the VNFM, the method further comprises: receiving second request information from the VNFM, wherein the second request information is for requesting to query the workload group object list. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The method according to claim 3, wherein deploying the VDU in the scheduling queue by using the group scheduling method based on the attribute information of the workload group object indicated by the first workload group object identifier comprises: associating a group scheduling label with a first node via a first scheduler, wherein the first node comprises a candidate deployment node of the VDU in the scheduling queue, and the first scheduler is configured to allocate a resource to the VDU; and deploying the VDU in the scheduling queue via a second scheduler by using the group scheduling method based on the attribute information of the workload group object indicated by the first workload group object identifier, wherein the second scheduler is a copy of the first scheduler. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method according to claim 10, wherein deploying the VDU in the scheduling queue by using the group scheduling method based on the attribute information of the workload group object indicated by the first workload group object identifier comprises: associating the group scheduling label with the first node via the first scheduler, wherein the first node comprises the candidate deployment node of the VDU in the scheduling queue, and the first scheduler is configured to allocate the resource to the VDU; and deploying the VDU in the scheduling queue via at least one schedule solver by using the group scheduling method based on the attribute information of the workload group object indicated by the first workload group object identifier, wherein the schedule solver is an independent third-party scheduler. ### Claim 12 A virtual network function deployment method; applied to a virtual network function manager (VNFM), wherein the method comprises: receiving third request information, for triggering deployment of a virtual deployment unit (VDU) for a first virtual network function (VNF); and sending first request information to an infrastructure service manager, wherein the first request information is for requesting to deploy the VDU for the first VNF. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the third request information and the first request information carry first information, indicating that a workload group object identifier associated with the VDU required by the first VNF is a first workload group object identifier, indicating a workload group object, and the workload group object comprises following attribute information: a maximum quantity of VDUs that are associable with the workload group object identifier, a scheduling policy when the VDU associated with the workload group object identifier is deployed by using a group scheduling method, a scheduling priority when the VDU associated with the workload group object identifier is deployed by using the group scheduling method, and scheduling timeout duration when the VDU associated with the workload group object identifier is deployed by using the group scheduling method. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the method further comprises: sending second information to the infrastructure service manager, wherein the second information indicates to create a workload group object whose identifier is the first workload group object identifier. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method according to claim 14, wherein the method further comprises: receiving a workload group object list from the infrastructure service manager; and sending the second information to the infrastructure service manager comprises: when the workload group object list does not comprise the workload group object whose identifier is the first workload group object identifier, sending the second information to the infrastructure service manager. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The method according to claim 13, wherein the method further comprises: sending third information to the infrastructure service manager, wherein the third information indicates to update the attribute information of the workload group object whose identifier is the first workload group object identifier. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method according to claim 16, wherein the method further comprises: receiving a workload group object list from the infrastructure service manager; and sending the third information to the infrastructure service manager comprises: when the workload group object list comprises the workload group object whose identifier is the first workload group object identifier, sending the third information to the infrastructure service manager. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein before receiving the workload group object list from the infrastructure service manager, the method further comprises: sending second request information to the infrastructure service manager, wherein the second request information is for requesting to query the workload group object list. ### Claim 19 (depends on 12) The method according to claim 12, wherein the third request information is for requesting to instantiate the first VNF; or the third request information is for requesting to scale out the VDU for the first VNF. ### Claim 20 An apparatus for deploying virtual network functions comprising: a processor, and a memory coupled to the processor to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to: receive first request information sent by a virtual network function manager (VNFM), wherein the first request information is for requesting to deploy a virtual deployment unit (VDU) for a first virtual network function (VNF); create M VDUs for the first VNF, wherein the M VDUs are associated as VDUs in a same group, and M is a positive integer; and deploy the VDUs in the same group by using a group scheduling method, allocating a resource to each of the VDUs in the same group in one computation periodicity, until each of the VDUs in the same group obtains the corresponding resource or allocation of resources to the entire group of the VDUs in the same group fails, and the computation periodicity is for computing the corresponding resource for each of the VDUs in the same group.