WO2018024204A1

WO2018024204A1 - Method and apparatus for managing virtual network element

Info

Publication number: WO2018024204A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/095517
Authority: WO
Inventors: 祝伟宏
Original assignee: 中兴通讯股份有限公司
Priority date: 2016-08-04
Filing date: 2017-08-01
Publication date: 2018-02-08
Also published as: CN107689879A

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for managing a virtual network element, said method comprising: determining that a fault has occurred on a virtual network element, said virtual network element being implemented by means of network function virtualization (NFV) technology; according to a preset policy, switching a service borne by said virtual network element to a backup network element. The embodiments of the present invention solve the technical problem in the related art of it being impossible to switch a virtual network element, and thus improve the self-healing capability of the virtual network element.

Description

Virtual network element management method and device

Technical field

The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for managing a virtual network element.

Background technique

In the field of wireless communication system management, the interface between the Network Management System (NMS) and the Element Management System (EMS) is called the northbound interface (Itf-N). EMS mainly completes the network element management layer (EML) function in the ITU (International Telecommunication Union – International Telecommunications Union) TMN, which completes the management functions of one or more mobile communication devices, usually different devices. EMS between vendors cannot be universal. The NMS mainly performs the network management layer (NML) function in the ITU TMN and is responsible for the management of all network elements in a managed network. In the case of multiple device vendors in a managed network (called a subnet), the entire subnet can be managed through its own EMS management.

In the related art, in order to improve the flexibility of the communication network and reduce the management cost, the operator proposes the concept of Network Functions Virtualization (NFV). In the case of using the NFV technology, the original physical network element device is Instead of decoupling the network function from the specific hardware, the virtualized network function (VNF) is decoupled from the underlying network function virtualization infrastructure (NFVI). For the management of VNF, the traditional maintenance management function of the VNF instance is performed by the EMS, and the life cycle management function of the VNF is completed by the VNF manager VNFM. The underlying virtual infrastructure is managed by the Virtual Infrastructure Manager (VIM). The specific network service is generally completed by one or more VNF instances. The management of the network service is carried out by the NFV arranger NFVO. After the virtualization of the network function is realized, from the application level, when a network service instance is to be established, an instance of the VNF required by the network service is required, and then one or more VNF instances are formed. A network service instance provides network services through network service instances.

For the network in the related art, the self-healing function can be implemented by methods such as active/standby switching and cell compensation. It is realized by using professional hardware, the cost is relatively high, and the active/standby switch cannot be universally applied. For a virtualized network environment, since there is no physical hardware, it cannot be implemented by hardware switching, and there is no effective solution for the self-healing function of the network.

In view of the above problems in the related art, no effective solution has been found yet.

Summary of the invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a method and a device for managing a virtual network element, so as to at least solve the technical problem that the virtual network element cannot be switched in the related art.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for managing a virtual network element includes: determining that a virtual network element is faulty, wherein the virtual network element is implemented by virtualizing NFV technology by using a network function; The service assumed by the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element.

Optionally, the switching of the service carried by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy includes one of: determining a backup network element corresponding to the virtual network element, and undertaking the virtual network element The service is switched to the backup network element; a backup network element is determined from the backup network element group corresponding to the virtual network element, and the service undertaken by the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element; The backup network element corresponding to the virtual network element switches the service assumed by the virtual network element to the multiple backup network elements.

Optionally, after the service of the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the method further includes: restarting the virtual network element, deleting the virtual network element, and rebuilding the The virtual network element.

Optionally, before the switching the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the method further includes: a virtual network function descriptor VNFD and/or a network service description in the virtual network element. A specified policy for indicating whether the virtual network element needs to be backed up is added to the NSD. During the instantiation of the virtual network element, related data of the preset policy is configured according to the specified policy.

Optionally, determining, by the backup network element group corresponding to the virtual network element, that one backup network element includes one of the following: determining, by using the network element with the least current traffic among all the network elements of the backup network element group, The backup network element is determined, and the network element closest to the virtual network element among all the network elements of the backup network element group is determined as the backup network element.

Optionally, before the switching the service of the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the method further includes: establishing a backup relationship table for the virtual network element, where the backup relationship table is used to describe The corresponding relationship between the virtual network element and the backup network element; or the information of the backup network element is added to the management object of the virtual network element.

Optionally, the backup relationship table includes: an identifier of the virtual network element, an identifier of the backup network element, and a corresponding relationship between the virtual network element and the backup network element.

Optionally, when the virtual network element corresponds to one backup network element, the information of the backup network element includes: identifier information of the backup network element of the virtual network element; or the backup network corresponding to the virtual network element The information of the backup network element includes: identifier information of each backup network element in the backup network element group of the virtual network element.

Optionally, the information about the backup network element further includes: attribute information for indicating whether the virtual network element has a backup network element.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a management device for a virtual network element is provided, including: a determining module, configured to determine that a virtual network element is faulty, wherein the virtual network element is implemented by a network function virtualization NFV technology; The switching module is configured to switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy.

Optionally, the switching module includes one of the following: a first switching unit, configured to determine a backup network element corresponding to the virtual network element, and switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network The second switching unit is configured to determine a backup network element from the backup network element group corresponding to the virtual network element, and switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element; And the unit is configured to determine a plurality of backup network elements corresponding to the virtual network element, and switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the multiple backup network elements.

Optionally, the device further includes: a processing module, configured to be in the switching module according to the pre After the policy is configured to switch the service of the virtual network element to the backup network element, perform one of the following operations: restarting the virtual network element, deleting the virtual network element, and reconstructing the virtual network element.

Optionally, the device further includes: a first adding module, configured to be virtualized in the virtual network element before the switching module switches the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy a specified policy for indicating whether the virtual network element needs to be backed up is added to the network function descriptor VNFD and/or the network service descriptor NSD; the configuration module is configured to be in the instantiation process of the virtual network element, according to the Specifies the policy to configure related data of the preset policy.

Optionally, the second switching unit is further configured to determine, as the backup network element, a network element that has the least amount of current traffic in all network elements of the backup network element group; or, the backup network element group The network element closest to the virtual network element among all the network elements is determined as the backup network element.

Optionally, the device further includes: an establishing module, configured to establish a backup relationship table for the virtual network element, before the switching the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the backup The relationship table is used to describe the correspondence between the virtual network element and the backup network element. Alternatively, the second adding module is configured to add the information of the backup network element to the management object of the virtual network element.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a storage medium is also provided. The storage medium is arranged to store program code for performing the following steps:

Determining that the virtual network element is faulty, where the virtual network element is implemented by virtualizing the NFV technology through the network function;

The service assumed by the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element according to a preset policy.

According to the present invention, it is determined that the virtual network element is faulty, wherein the virtual network element is implemented by the network function virtualized NFV technology; and the service assumed by the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element according to the preset policy. By transferring the services of the virtual network element to the backup network element, the technical problem that the virtual network element cannot be switched in the related technology can be solved, and the self-healing capability of the virtual network element is improved.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are intended to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are intended to be a part of the invention. In the drawing:

1 is a network function virtualization architecture diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a flowchart of a method for managing a virtual network element according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a structural block diagram of a management apparatus of a virtual network element according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a self-healing method of a virtual network element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings in conjunction with the embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

It is to be understood that the terms "first", "second" and the like in the specification and claims of the present invention are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or order.

Example 1

The embodiment of the present application can be run on the network architecture shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a network function virtualization architecture diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the network architecture includes: NFVI, VNF, EMS, and NMS. (including, Business Support System (BSS), Operation Support System (OSS)), NFV Orchestrator (NFVO), VNF Manager (VNFM), Virtual Infrastructure Manager ( VIM), in which each module is previously connected through an interface, such as Os-Ma, Se-Ma, and the like.

In this embodiment, a method for managing a virtual network element running in the network architecture is provided. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for managing a virtual network element according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the process includes The following steps:

Step S202, determining that the virtual network element is faulty, wherein the virtual network element is implemented by virtualizing the NFV technology by using a network function;

Step S204: Switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy.

Through the foregoing steps, it is determined that the virtual network element is faulty, and the virtual network element is implemented by the network function virtualized NFV technology; and the service assumed by the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element according to the preset policy. By transferring the services of the virtual network element to the backup network element, the technical problem that the virtual network element cannot be switched in the related technology can be solved, and the self-healing capability of the virtual network element is improved.

The backup network element in this embodiment may also be a virtual network element. Of course, it may also be a physical device that can implement the same function.

Optionally, the execution body of the foregoing step may be a control end of the virtual network element, but is not limited thereto.

Optionally, switching the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy includes the following strategies:

Determining a backup network element corresponding to the virtual network element, and switching the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element;

Determining a backup network element from the backup network element group corresponding to the virtual network element, and switching the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element;

The backup network element corresponding to the virtual network element is determined, and the service assumed by the virtual network element is switched to multiple backup network elements. Optionally, you can split the service and switch to multiple backup NEs.

Optionally, after the service of the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the embodiment may also: restart the virtual network element, delete the virtual network element, and reconstruct the virtual network element.

Optionally, before the service of the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the method further includes:

S11, adding a specified policy for indicating whether the virtual network element needs to be backed up in a virtual network function descriptor (VNFD) and/or a network service descriptor (NSD) of the virtual network element;

S12: During the instantiation of the virtual network element, configure related data of the preset policy according to the specified policy.

The filling of the specific data in the backup switching policy (preset policy) may be manually configured or filled in automatically when the VNF is instantiated; Whether the VNF needs to be backed up in the VNFD and/or the NSD, so that when the VNF is instantiated, the VNFD or NSD policy can be used to determine whether the relevant data in the backup switching policy needs to be filled in, and when needed, Instantiate the VNF instance for backup.

Optionally, determining a backup network element from the backup network element group (including multiple backup network elements) corresponding to the virtual network element can be implemented in the following manner:

The network element with the smallest current traffic among all the NEs of the backup NE group is determined as the backup network element.

The network element closest to the virtual network element among all the NEs of the backup NE group is determined as the backup network element.

Optionally, before the switching of the service of the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the method further includes: establishing a backup relationship table for the virtual network element, where the backup relationship table is used to describe the virtual network element and the backup network element. Correspondence relationship; or, add information of the backup network element to the management object of the virtual network element.

Optionally, the backup relationship table includes: a virtual network element identifier, a backup network element identifier, and a corresponding relationship between the virtual network element and the backup network element, for example, one or more network elements are simultaneously used as a backup of one network element. That is, the service of one network element can be shared at the same time.

In an optional implementation manner of this embodiment, when the virtual network element corresponds to one backup network element, the information of the backup network element includes: the identifier information of the backup network element of the virtual network element; and the backup network element group corresponding to the virtual network element The information of the backup network element includes: identifier information of each backup network element in the backup network element group of the virtual network element. Further, the information of the backup network element further includes: attribute information for indicating whether the virtual network element has a backup network element.

Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and of course, by hardware, but in many cases, the former is A better implementation. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, which is essential or contributes to the prior art, may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium (such as ROM/RAM, disk, The optical disc includes a plurality of instructions for causing a terminal device (which may be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform various embodiments of the present invention. The method described.

Example 2

In this embodiment, a management device for a virtual network element is also provided. The device is used to implement the foregoing embodiments and preferred embodiments, and details are not described herein. As used below, the term "module" may implement a combination of software and/or hardware of a predetermined function. Although the apparatus described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

FIG. 3 is a structural block diagram of a management apparatus of a virtual network element according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the apparatus includes:

The determining module 30 is configured to determine that the virtual network element is faulty, wherein the virtual network element is implemented by virtualizing the NFV technology by using a network function;

The switching module 32 is configured to switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy.

The switching module 32 may further include: a first switching unit configured to determine a backup network element corresponding to the virtual network element, and switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element; and the second switching unit is set to be virtual and virtual The backup network element corresponding to the network element determines a backup network element, and switches the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element; the third switching unit is configured to determine multiple backup network elements corresponding to the virtual network element, and The service assumed by the virtual NE is switched to multiple backup NEs.

Optionally, the second switching unit is further configured to: determine, as the backup network element, the network element with the smallest current traffic among all the network elements of the backup network element group; or, the virtual network of all the network elements of the backup network element group The nearest NE is determined as the backup NE.

Optionally, the device further includes: a processing module, configured to: after the switching module switches the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy, perform one of the following operations: restarting the virtual network element, deleting the virtual network element, Rebuild the virtual network element.

Optionally, the device further includes: a first adding module, configured to: before the switching module switches the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the virtual network function descriptor VNFD and/or in the virtual network element. Or added in the network service descriptor NSD to indicate that the virtual network element is The specified policy is required to be backed up. The configuration module is configured to configure related data of the preset policy according to the specified policy during the instantiation of the virtual network element.

Optionally, the device further includes: an establishing module, configured to establish a backup relationship table for the virtual network element before the service assumed by the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element according to the preset policy, where the backup relationship table is used to describe the virtual network element Corresponding relationship with the backup network element; or the second adding module is configured to add the information of the backup network element to the management object of the virtual network element.

It should be noted that each of the above modules may be implemented by software or hardware. For the latter, the foregoing may be implemented by, but not limited to, the foregoing modules are all located in the same processor; or, the above modules are in any combination. The forms are located in different processors.

Example 3

This embodiment is an optional embodiment according to the present invention, and is used to specifically describe the present application:

In the 5G (new radio) phase, the network technology virtualization (NFV) technology is adopted in the related art, and the virtual network element (virtualized network function) is a software function module running on a virtual network infrastructure built by a general hardware facility. Therefore, the self-healing of the virtual network element can be implemented by means of backup switching, that is, a virtual network element (network element B) for each virtual network element (network element A) that needs to support self-healing is allocated (network element B, C...), when the network element A fails, it directly switches its assumed service to a backup network element. In this way, the self-healing process is faster and has less impact on the user experience.

With the embodiment, the problem of how to implement the self-healing function of the network in the network function virtualization environment in the prior art is not overcome. To solve the above virtualization problem by proposing a network element self-healing method for giving a virtual network element (virtualized network function) a backup strategy for realizing virtual network elements (virtualized network functions) in a virtualized environment There is no mature network element self-healing solution in the network environment to provide an efficient and feasible solution.

The technical solution adopted in this embodiment is as follows. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a self-healing method of a virtual network element according to an embodiment of the present invention, including:

Develop a backup switching strategy for self-healing (equivalent to the preset policy in the above embodiment), That is, each virtual network element that needs to support self-healing is assigned one or more virtual network elements for backup, namely:

1-to-1 backup scheme; or, 1-to-many backup scheme;

When a virtual network element that needs to support self-healing fails, determine a network element for backup according to a predetermined backup switching policy;

The backup switching operation is performed, including but not limited to, switching the service assumed by the faulty network element to the backup network element.

Optionally, the faulty network element is subjected to subsequent processing, and the specific operations include, but are not limited to, one of the following: restarting the faulty network element, deleting the faulty network element, and reconstructing the faulty network element;

The specific data in the backup switching policy can be filled in manually, or automatically filled in when the VNF is instantiated. When the automatic filling is performed, the VNF can be added to the VNFD and/or NSD. In this way, when the VNF is instantiated, the VNFD or NSD policy can be used to determine whether the relevant data in the backup switching policy needs to be filled in. When necessary, the VNF instance used for backup can also be instantiated.

When using a 1-to-1 backup scheme, the specific steps are as follows:

A backup switching policy for self-healing is defined, that is, each virtual network element that needs to support self-healing is assigned a virtual network element for backup;

When a virtual network element A that needs to support self-healing fails, determine a network element B for backup according to a predetermined backup switching policy;

Performing a backup switching operation, including but not limited to switching the service assumed by the faulty network element A to the backup network element B;

Optionally, the faulty network element A is subjected to subsequent processing, and the specific operations include, but are not limited to, one of the following: restarting the faulty network element, deleting the faulty network element, and reconstructing the faulty network element;

When using a one-to-many backup scheme, the specific steps are as follows:

A backup switching policy for self-healing is configured, that is, each virtual network element A that needs to support self-healing is allocated a plurality of virtual network elements for backup, that is, a backup network element group is created;

When a virtual network element A that needs to support self-healing fails, a network element B for backup is selected from the predetermined backup network element group according to a predetermined backup switching policy. The selection policy of the backup network element includes but is not limited to A combination of one or more of the following:

The selected NE is the least amount of traffic in all NEs in the backup NE group.

The selected NE is the closest to all faulty NEs in all NEs in the backup NE group.

For the backup strategy, you can use one of the following options:

Create a dedicated backup relationship table;

Add backup network element information to the NE management object.

When a backup strategy is established by establishing a dedicated backup relationship table, then

For a one-to-one backup policy, you can create a backup relationship list. Each element in the list includes the identifier of the NE to be backed up and the identifier of the NE used for backup.

For a one-to-many backup strategy, you can do one of the following:

Create a backup relationship list with the elements in the list:

ID of the NE to be backed up

a list of all the identifiers of the network elements available for backup;

Create a backup relationship list with the elements in the list:

A list containing the identifiers of the NEs to be backed up and the identifiers of all the NEs that can be used for backup; that is, the NEs in this list can be backed up to each other, or one or more of the lists. A network element serves as a backup of one network element at the same time, that is, it can simultaneously share the services of one network element.

When the backup network element information is added to the network element management object, the backup policy is expressed. When, then:

For a one-to-one backup strategy, you can choose one of the following options:

In the virtual network element (VNF instance) management object (VNFInfo): add an attribute indicating whether it has the attribute of the backup network element and the identifier of the backup network element; or

In the virtual network element (VNF instance) management object (VNFInfo): only the attribute of the identifier of the backup network element is added. When the value of this attribute is empty, it indicates that there is no backup. When it is not empty, it indicates that there is a backup network element.

For a one-to-many backup strategy, you can choose one of the following options:

In the virtual network element (VNF instance) management object (VNFInfo): add an attribute indicating whether it has a backup network element, and a backup network element list attribute, where the backup network element group list includes all network elements that can be backed up. Identification; or

In the virtual network element (VNF instance) management object (VNFInfo): only add the backup network element list attribute. This backup network element group list contains the identifiers of all the network elements that can be backed up. When this attribute value is empty, it indicates There is no backup. When it is not empty, it indicates that there is a backup NE.

The method of the present embodiment is used to overcome the problem that the self-healing function of the network does not have a mature solution in the network function virtualization environment in the prior art. A network element self-healing method based on a virtual network element (virtualized network function) backup policy for implementing virtual network element (virtualized network function) self-healing in a virtualized environment is proposed to solve the above virtualization There is no mature network element self-healing solution in the network environment to provide an efficient and feasible solution.

This embodiment further includes the following specific embodiments for explaining the present embodiment in detail:

Specific embodiment 1:

A self-healing method for a virtual network element (virtualized network function), the specific steps are as follows:

A backup switching policy for self-healing is defined, that is, each virtual network element that needs to support self-healing is assigned one or more virtual network elements for backup.

When a virtual network element that needs to support self-healing fails, it is switched according to a predetermined backup policy. Slightly determine a network element for backup;

Perform backup switchover, including but not limited to operations such as switching the service assumed by the faulty NE to the backup NE.

Optionally, performing subsequent processing on the faulty network element, including but not limited to one of the following: deleting and restarting;

Specific embodiment 2:

A virtual network element (virtualized network function) self-healing method (1 to 1), the specific steps are as follows:

Specific Example 3:

A self-healing method (one-to-many) of virtual network elements (virtualized network functions), the specific steps are as follows:

A backup switching policy for self-healing is configured, that is, one or more virtual network elements for backup are allocated for each virtual network element that needs to support self-healing, that is, a backup network element group is created;

Perform backup switching operations, including but not limited to switching the services undertaken by the faulty network element A to the standby Network element B;

Specific Example 4:

Create a backup switchover policy list, which is used to store the self-healing backup switchover policy. Each element in the list includes the identifier of the NE to be backed up and the ID of the NE to be backed up. The more virtual network element allocates a virtual network element for backup;

When a virtual network element A that needs to support self-healing fails, search for the backup switching relationship policy list. If the identifier of the network element A is found to match the identifier of the network element that needs to be backed up by an element of the list, The network element A has a backup network element, and then the network element B for backup is determined;

Specific embodiment 5:

A backup switching policy for self-healing is established, that is, a backup relationship list backupPolicyList is created. Each element in the list includes: a list onePolicy, the list contains the identifier of the network element to be backed up, and all the network elements that can be used for backup. The identifier, that is, the network elements in the onePolicy of this list can be backed up by each other;

When a virtual network element A that needs to support self-healing fails, one or more network elements for backup are selected from the predetermined backup network element group according to a predetermined backup switching policy, and the selection policy of the backup network element includes but It is not limited to a combination of one or more of the following:

Performing a backup switching operation, including but not limited to switching the service assumed by the faulty network element A to the backup network element;

Specific Example 6:

A virtual network element (virtualized network function) self-healing method (1 to 1, self-healing module in NMS (OSS)), the specific steps are as follows:

The NMS creates a backup switchover policy list, which is used to store the self-healing backup switchover policy. Each element in the list includes the identifier of the NE to be backed up and the ID of the NE to be backed up. The self-healing virtual network element allocates a virtual network element for backup;

When the NMS detects that a virtual network element A is faulty, the NMS searches for the backup switching relationship policy list. If the identifier of the network element A is found to match the identifier of one network element B recorded by an element of the list, the network is Element A has a backup network element B;

The NMS performs a backup switching operation. Specifically, the operations performed include but are not limited to:

The operation of the heal network service is invoked through the interface of the NMS (OSS) and the NFVO (Os-Ma-Nfvo), and an operation indication for replacing the network element A with the network element B is given in the input parameter healNSData or healVNFData. Specific instructions include but are not limited to:

Switching the service assumed by the faulty network element A to the backup network element B;

Specific Example 7:

A virtual network element (virtualized network function) self-healing method (1-to-many, self-healing module in NMS (OSS)), the specific steps are as follows:

The NMS establishes a backup switching policy for self-healing, that is, creates a backup relationship list backupPolicyList. Each element in the list includes: a list onePolicy, the list contains the identifier of the network element to be backed up, and all the network elements that can be used for backup. Logo, that is to say this The network elements in the list onePolicy can be backed up to each other;

When the NMS detects that a virtual network element A is faulty, the NMS searches for each element onePolicy in the backup switching policy list backupPolicyList, and if it can find the identifier of the network element A and an element record of one of the onePolicy list (onePolicyX). If a network element identifier matches, the network element A has a backup network element group onePolicyX. According to the predetermined backup switching policy, a network element B for backup is selected from the backup network element group onePolicyX, and the selection policy of the backup network element is selected. This includes, but is not limited to, a combination of one or more of the following:

The NMS performs backup switching operations, including but not limited to:

The NMS (OSS) and the NFVO interface (Os-Ma-Nfvo) are used to invoke the network service scaling (Scale Network Service) operation to expand the capacity. The backup network element B is added to the network service where the network element A is located, and the faulty network element A is assumed. The service is switched to the backup network element B.

Optionally, the NMS (OSS) and the NFVO interface (Os-Ma-Nfvo) invokes a Scale Network Service operation to perform the capacity reduction, and the faulty network element A is moved out of the network service where the network element is located;

Specific Example 8:

A virtual network element (virtualized network function) self-healing method (1 to 1, self-healing module in EMS), the specific steps are as follows:

The NMS creates a backup switching relationship policy on the EMS through the northbound interface. The main function is to add the attribute of the backup NE instance (BackupNE) to the management object of the virtual NE. If the value is empty, the NMS has no backup NE. If it is not empty, its value is the backup NE instance identifier);

When the EMS detects that a virtual network element A is faulty, the EMS checks the value of the BackupNE attribute in the management object of the network element A. If the value is not empty, the network element B corresponding to the backup NE attribute value is the faulty network element A. Backup network element;

The EMS performs a backup switching operation. Specifically, the operations performed include, but are not limited to:

The operation of the Heal Network Service is invoked through the interface of the EMS and the NFVO (or the EMS through the NMS), and an operation indication for replacing the network element A with the network element B is given in the input parameter healNSData or healVNFData. Specific instructions include but are not limited to:

Specific Example 9:

A virtual network element (virtualized network function) self-healing method (1 to many, self-healing module in VNFM), the specific steps are as follows:

The NMS establishes a backup switching policy for self-healing in the VNFM through the EMS. A backup relationship list backupPolicyList is added to the management object VNFInfo that records the VNF instance information corresponding to the virtual network element. The list includes all VNFs that can be used for backup. The identifier of the instance, that is, the VNF instance in the list can be used as a backup of the VNF instance; if the list is empty, the VNF instance is not backed up;

When the VNFM detects that a VNF instance A is faulty, the VNFM searches for the backup switching relationship policy list backupPolicyList in the management object VNFInfo corresponding to the faulty VNF instance. If the list is not empty, it indicates that the faulty VNF instance A has a backup, according to the reservation. The backup switching policy selects a network element B for backup from the backup network element backupPolicyList. The selection policy of the backup network element includes but is not limited to one or more combinations of the following manners:

The VNFM performs backup switching operations, including but not limited to:

The network service expansion (Scale Network Service) operation is invoked through the interface of the VNFM and the NFVO to expand the capacity, and the backup network element B is added to the network service where the network element A is located. The service undertaken by the element A is switched to the backup network element B;

Optionally, the scale network service operation is invoked through the interface of the VNFM and the NFVO to perform the capacity reduction, and the faulty network element A is removed from the network service where the network element is located;

Specific Example 10:

A virtual network element (virtualized network function) self-healing method (1 to many, self-healing module in NFVO), the specific steps are as follows:

In NFVO, a backup switching policy for self-healing is established. A backup relationship list backupPolicyList is added to the management object VNFInfo that records the VNF instance information corresponding to the virtual network element. The list contains the identifiers of all VNF instances corresponding to the network elements that can be used for backup. That is, the VNF instance in the list can be used as a backup of the VNF instance; if the list is empty, the VNF instance is not backed up;

When the NFVO detects that a VNF instance A is faulty, the NFVO searches for the backup switching relationship policy list backupPolicyList in the management object VNFInfo corresponding to the faulty VNF instance. If the list is not empty, it indicates that the faulty VNF instance A has a backup, according to the reservation. The backup switching policy selects a network element B for backup from the backup network element backupPolicyList. The selection policy of the backup network element includes but is not limited to one or more combinations of the following manners:

NFVO performs backup switching operations, including but not limited to:

The network service of the network element A is added to the network service where the network element A is located, and the service assumed by the faulty network element A is switched to the backup network element B;

Optionally, the network service is scaled down by the Scale Network Service operation, and the faulty network element A is removed from the network service where the network element is located;

Example 4

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a storage medium. Optionally, in the embodiment, the foregoing storage medium may be configured to store program code for performing the following steps:

S1, determining that the virtual network element is faulty, wherein the virtual network element is implemented by virtualizing the NFV technology by using a network function;

S2: Switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy.

Optionally, in this embodiment, the foregoing storage medium may include, but not limited to, a USB flash drive, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, and a magnetic memory. A variety of media that can store program code, such as a disc or a disc.

Optionally, in this embodiment, the processor determines that the virtual network element is faulty according to the stored program code in the storage medium, where the virtual network element is implemented by the network function virtualization NFV technology;

Optionally, in this embodiment, the processor performs to switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy according to the stored program code in the storage medium.

For example, the specific examples in this embodiment may refer to the examples described in the foregoing embodiments and the optional embodiments, and details are not described herein again.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various modules or steps of the present invention described above can be implemented by a general-purpose computing device that can be centralized on a single computing device or distributed across a network of multiple computing devices. Alternatively, they may be implemented by program code executable by the computing device such that they may be stored in the storage device by the computing device and, in some cases, may be different from the order herein. The steps shown or described are performed, or they are separately fabricated into individual integrated circuit modules, or a plurality of modules or steps thereof are fabricated as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, the invention is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention. Where in the essence of the invention Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the principles of God and the principles are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Industrial applicability

As described above, the method and apparatus for managing a virtual network element provided by this embodiment have the following beneficial effects: by transferring the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element, the virtual network element cannot be solved in the related technology. The technical problem of switching improves the self-healing capability of the virtual network element.

Claims

A method for managing a virtual network element includes:

Determining that the virtual network element is faulty, where the virtual network element is implemented by virtualizing the NFV technology through the network function;

The service assumed by the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element according to a preset policy.
The method of claim 1, wherein switching the service undertaken by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy comprises one of the following:

Determining a backup network element corresponding to the virtual network element, and switching the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element;

Determining a backup network element from the backup network element group corresponding to the virtual network element, and switching the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element;

Determining a plurality of backup network elements corresponding to the virtual network element, and switching the service assumed by the virtual network element to the multiple backup network elements.
The method of claim 1, wherein after the service of the virtual network element is switched to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the method further includes one of: restarting the virtual network element, deleting the Describe the virtual network element and reconstruct the virtual network element.
The method according to claim 1, wherein before the switching of the service undertaken by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the method further includes:

Adding a specified policy for indicating whether the virtual network element needs to be backed up in the virtual network function descriptor VNFD and/or the network service descriptor NSD of the virtual network element;

During the instantiation of the virtual network element, the related data of the preset policy is configured according to the specified policy.
The method according to claim 2, wherein determining one backup network element from the backup network element group corresponding to the virtual network element comprises one of the following:

Determining, as the backup network element, the network element with the smallest current traffic among all the network elements of the backup network element group;

The network element closest to the virtual network element among all the network elements of the backup network element group is determined as the backup network element.
The method according to claim 1, wherein before the switching of the service undertaken by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the method further includes:

Establishing a backup relationship table for the virtual network element, where the backup relationship table is used to describe a correspondence between the virtual network element and the backup network element; or

Adding information of the backup network element to the management object of the virtual network element.
The method of claim 6, wherein the backup relationship table comprises: an identifier of the virtual network element, an identifier of the backup network element, and a corresponding relationship between the virtual network element and the backup network element.
The method of claim 6 wherein

When the virtual network element corresponds to one backup network element, the information of the backup network element includes: identifier information of the backup network element of the virtual network element; or

When the virtual network element corresponds to the backup network element group, the information of the backup network element includes: identifier information of each backup network element in the backup network element group of the virtual network element.
The method of claim 8, wherein the information of the backup network element further comprises: attribute information for characterizing whether the virtual network element has a backup network element.
A management device for a virtual network element, comprising:

Determining a module, configured to determine that the virtual network element is faulty, wherein the virtual network element is implemented by virtualizing the NFV technology by using a network function;

The switching module is configured to switch the service of the virtual network element according to the preset policy. Go to the backup network element.
The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said switching module comprises one of:

The first switching unit is configured to determine a backup network element corresponding to the virtual network element, and switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element;

The second switching unit is configured to determine a backup network element from the backup network element group corresponding to the virtual network element, and switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element;

The third switching unit is configured to determine a plurality of backup network elements corresponding to the virtual network element, and switch the service assumed by the virtual network element to the multiple backup network elements.
The device of claim 10, wherein the device further comprises:

The processing module is configured to: after the switching module switches the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy, perform one of the following operations: restarting the virtual network element, deleting the virtual network element, Rebuilding the virtual network element.
The device of claim 10, wherein the device further comprises:

a first adding module, configured to: before the switching module switches the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy, the virtual network function descriptor VNFD and/or the network service in the virtual network element Adding a specified policy for indicating whether the virtual network element needs to be backed up in the descriptor NSD;

The configuration module is configured to configure related data of the preset policy according to the specified policy during the instantiation of the virtual network element.
The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the second switching unit is further configured to:

Determining, as the backup network element, the network element with the smallest current traffic among all the network elements of the backup network element group; or

The network element closest to the virtual network element among all the network elements of the backup network element group is determined as the backup network element.
The device of claim 10, wherein the device further comprises:

Establishing a module, configured to establish a backup relationship table for the virtual network element, where the backup relationship table is used to describe the virtual network element, before switching the service assumed by the virtual network element to the backup network element according to the preset policy. Correspondence relationship with the backup network element; or

The second adding module is configured to add the information of the backup network element to the management object of the virtual network element.