WO2017196040A1

WO2017196040A1 - Method and device for automatically managing network

Info

Publication number: WO2017196040A1
Application number: PCT/KR2017/004760
Authority: WO
Inventors: 라마사미부파티
Original assignee: 삼성전자 주식회사
Priority date: 2016-05-09
Filing date: 2017-05-08
Publication date: 2017-11-16

Abstract

The present invention is a method for allowing a network system to automatically perform a configuration of a network management server without user intervention, and a method for allowing a load distribution device to manage the network management server comprises the steps of: receiving information indicating that a new base station is added to a network; transmitting the information on the new base station to at least one network management server; receiving processing time information on the new base station from the at least one network management server; and determining a network management server to which the new base station is to be allocated, on the basis of the processing time information.

Description

Methods and devices for automatically managing your network

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing a network in a communication system.

In order to manage network elements, a network management server may be added to the set of network elements. At this point, user intervention is required to assign a network management server to all network elements. Especially in the case of a large number of base stations (which can be eNodeBs (eNBs)), setting up a network management server is very important for efficient communication. If the current network management server is configured, a new network management server must be configured whenever the cell capacity of the network element increases. The user must manually perform a new network management server configuration, especially moving data from one network management server to another network management server, requiring data movement and effort.

In one example, when 10,000 base stations are managed by a single network management server, and each base station has three cells, the total number of managed cells is 30,000. In this case, if the number of cells increases to 9, the capacity increases by 300%, thus requiring two additional management servers. Current technology requires user intervention to scale up as capacity increases.

However, as the cell capacity of the network element increases, the user needs to manually set the network management server, so there is a need to automatically perform the network management server setting. Therefore, the present invention discloses a method in which a network system automatically performs setting of a network management server without user intervention.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of managing a network management server by a load balancer, the method comprising: receiving information that a new base station has been added to a network; Transmitting information on the new base station to at least one network management server; Receiving processing time information for the new base station from the at least one network management server; And determining a network management server to which the new base station is allocated based on the processing time information. And receiving load balancing related information from the at least one network management server; And determining whether to load balance the at least one network management server based on the load balancing related information.

In addition, a load balancer for managing a network management server, comprising: a transceiver for transmitting and receiving signals with at least one network management server; A storage unit for storing data; And receive information that a new base station has been added to the network, transmit information about the new base station to at least one network management server, and receive processing time information for the new base station from the at least one network management server. And a controller configured to control a transceiver and to determine a network management server to which the new base station is allocated based on the processing time information. The controller may further control the transceiver to receive load balancing related information from the at least one network management server, and further determine whether to load balance the at least one network management server based on the load balancing related information. Characterized in that.

According to the network management server setting method according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to automatically and efficiently manage the network management server without user intervention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a network structure including a current network management server (hereinafter, compatible with an MS).

2 is a diagram illustrating a network structure including an MS according to the present invention.

3 is a diagram illustrating a network for selecting an optimal network management server according to the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting an optimal network management server according to the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of calculating operational efficiency.

6 is a diagram illustrating a case where the load is adjusted when the load of the system CPU and / or memory exceeds a preset threshold.

7 is a diagram illustrating an example of load balancing.

8A and 8B show specific examples of load balancing.

9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a base station.

10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network management server (or server node) or a load balancer.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with the accompanying drawings. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in the present invention, and may be changed according to intentions or customs of users or operators. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

In addition, in describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail, the main subject matter of the present invention can be applied to other communication systems having a similar technical background and channel form with a slight modification without departing from the scope of the present invention. And, this will be possible in the judgment of a person skilled in the art of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various forms, and only the embodiments of the present invention make the disclosure of the present invention complete and the general knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. It is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

At this point, it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and combinations of flowchart illustrations may be performed by computer program instructions. Since these computer program instructions may be mounted on a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing equipment, those instructions executed through the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing equipment may be described in flow chart block (s). It creates a means to perform the functions. These computer program instructions may be stored in a computer usable or computer readable memory that can be directed to a computer or other programmable data processing equipment to implement functionality in a particular manner, and thus the computer usable or computer readable memory. It is also possible for the instructions stored in to produce an article of manufacture containing instruction means for performing the functions described in the flowchart block (s). Computer program instructions may also be mounted on a computer or other programmable data processing equipment, such that a series of operating steps may be performed on the computer or other programmable data processing equipment to create a computer-implemented process to create a computer or other programmable data. Instructions for performing the processing equipment may also provide steps for performing the functions described in the flowchart block (s).

In addition, each block may represent a portion of a module, segment, or code that includes one or more executable instructions for executing a specified logical function (s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of order. For example, the two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending on the corresponding function.

In this case, the term '~ part' used in the present embodiment refers to software or a hardware component such as an FPGA or an ASIC, and '~ part' performs certain roles. However, '~' is not meant to be limited to software or hardware. '~ Portion' may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium or may be configured to play one or more processors. Thus, as an example, '~' means components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, and processes, functions, properties, procedures, and the like. Subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functionality provided within the components and the 'parts' may be combined into a smaller number of components and the 'parts' or further separated into additional components and the 'parts'. In addition, the components and '~' may be implemented to play one or more CPUs in the device or secure multimedia card.

According to the present invention, when a new network element or cell capacity increases or decreases in a network, a new virtual management server is automatically automated in the background based on primary managed server operational efficiency key performance indicator (KPI). Can be added or removed. The virtual management server performs network monitoring without moving network elements to other servers or shrinking or expanding base stations, which can replace the primary management server that users can now interact with or manipulate. Through such a virtual management server, the cell capacity of the network can be increased without shrinking, expanding, or moving base stations to other management servers. No user intervention is required to manage the virtual management server, and the system automatically manages the virtual management server based on self-learning KPI-based operational efficiency.

According to FIG. 1, an element management system (EMS) may include a client 160, a master controller (MC) 150, and an

MS

120, 130, and 140. The client provides various interface functions (eg, a graphical user interface (GUI)) for network management and operation, the MC is a server for integrated management of the MS, and the MS is a server for providing a base station interface and managing a base station.

At this time, when the new base station 110 is added to the network (s100), the user must directly select the MS, and add the necessary settings (s120). At this time, when the load of the MS becomes high, the user must manually move a specific base station from the MS currently managing the specific base station to another MS (s120).

According to FIG. 2, as in the case of FIG. 1, the EMS may include a client, an MC, and an MS. In this case, however, the MS may not exist as a server managing a plurality of base stations as in the case of FIG. 1, but may exist as a virtual server 220. The virtual server may be a server or computer capable of performing a service such as the MS of FIG. 1, a personal computer, another system capable of supporting the functions of the MS, or a cloud.

When a new base station 210 is added to the network (s200), load balancing based on the operational efficiency KPI is performed (s210). As a result, the virtual server may be registered in the network (s230).

Features of the present invention according to the system of FIG. 2 are as follows. When a base station is added to the network or cell capacity increases at the base station, the base station to which the system (which may be a separate load balancer or network management server) is automatically added according to the operational efficiency KPI, i.e., to maximize the operational efficiency. Or determine a network management server to handle the task according to the increased cell capacity. The user does not need to select a network management server directly to add a base station. The network management server may be a virtual server. In addition, according to the present invention, even when the base station is removed from the network or the cell capacity is reduced, the remaining work may be redistributed among the network management servers in a manner of maximizing operational efficiency.

According to the present invention, the system can add any number of virtual servers at any time, even if the user does not change the base station connection with the network management server, so that the system works in a management server or virtual server that can support the service as needed. Can be flexibly scaled or managed according to operational efficiency KPIs. The user does not have to change the settings directly to expand or reduce capacity.

The following describes a detailed network management method according to the present invention.

First, a method of selecting an optimal network management server (or server node) for a base station is described.

Once the base station is added to the network, the load balancer can monitor the network performance statistics data of the server node by checking the communication time between the base station and the server node, the location of the base station and the server node, and the current server load. Select the server node that is located, and determine the best server node for the base station. The load balancer may store the order of server nodes for the added base station. In one example, if there is sufficient load for the first server node, a second server node may be allocated for the added base station. In order to achieve high operational efficiency, this information is maintained by the load balancer.

3 is a diagram illustrating a network for selecting an optimal network management server according to the present invention. According to FIG. 3, the network comprises a load balancer 300 and a network A 320, a network B 322 and a network C 324, which may include a plurality of base stations and network elements, respectively. A plurality of manageable server nodes (first server node 310, second server node 312, and third server node 314), which may be an element management system (EMS) or a network management system (NMS) have. When the base station is added to the network (S300), this fact is notified to the load balancer (S310), and the load balancer notifies all server nodes of this information (information about the added base station) (S320). All server nodes check the processing time and respond to the load balancer (S330). Thereafter, the load balancer selects an optimal server node based on the response, and maintains a preference list based on the response (S340).

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for selecting an optimal network management server according to the present invention. Hereinafter, a specific embodiment in which the method of FIG. 4 is performed in the network of FIG. 3 will be described.

When a new base station 330 is added to the network, the load balancer 300 is notified that the new base station has been added (400). The load balancer 300 transmits the information on the new base station to all the server nodes in order to check the management task processing time (that is, the communication time between the base station and the server node) of each base station (410). Each server node receives the information, checks the processing time, and transmits the information to the load balancer (420).

For example, processing time for each network of each server node may be as follows.

Table 1

	Network A	Network B	Network C
First server node	T	2T	3T
Second server node	2T	T	2T
3rd server node	3T	2T	T

If a new base station 330 is added to network A 320, the processing time for the new base station per server node is T for the first server node, 2T for the second server node, and 3T for the third server node. 3T.

Thereafter, the load balancer selects an optimal server node based on the processing time information, allocates an optimal server node to manage a new base station, and stores the processing time information (430). In the case of FIG. 3, the server node capable of processing the new base station of the network A fastest is the first server node, and thus assigns the new base station to the first server node.

If the optimal server node already has sufficient load, the load balancer stores and maintains the order of the server nodes for each base station and assigns the base station to the next optimal server node based on the processing time value. Specifically, in the case of FIG. 3, a new base station is first assigned to the first server node, and if the load of the first server node is already sufficient, it is assigned to the second server node, which is the next server node. This processing time information will also be used for load balancing.

As an example, assume that the load on the network is as shown in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2

network	Number of base stations
Network A	10,000
Network B	10,000
Network C	10,000

In this case, the load distribution distribution according to the present invention will occur as shown in Table 3 below.

TABLE 3

	Network A	Network B	Network C
First server node	10000	0	0
Second server node	0	10000	0
3rd server node	0	0	10000

The processing time distribution in each server node is shown in Table 4 below.

Table 4

	Network A	Network B	Network C	Total (CT)
First server node	10000T	0T	0T	10000T
Second server node	0T	10000T	0T	10000T
3rd server node	0T	0T	10000T	10000T

Assuming that the total time taken for communication in each interval is CT, the parsing time for a file required for management of one base station at each server node is P, and the total number of base stations per node is N, The total processing time S for the performance statistical data in one interval period S may be a time obtained by adding the time required for communication with the base station and the parsing time of the base station data. That is, it may be as shown in Equation 1 below.

[Equation 1]

S = N × P + CT

Here, for example, if N is 10000, S may be 10,000 P + CT. The total processing time S for network A of the first server node is 10000 P + 10000 T.

At this time, according to the server node selection method of the present invention, the server node manages the base stations of each network irrespective of the processing time (for example, each server node manages the base stations of networks A, B, and C by 1/3) For the first server node, the CT is 50% better than the traditional method (CT = 20000T), for the second server node is 39% better than the conventional method (CT = 16500T), and the third server node This is a 51% improvement over the conventional method (CT = 20500T).

Second, it describes how to calculate operational efficiency and manage load.

After the base station is added to the management target of the server node, the server node can calculate its operational efficiency and send the detailed information to the load balancer. If necessary, the server node or the load balancer may determine load balancing, and the load balancer may perform load balancing.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of calculating operational efficiency.

According to FIG. 5, the server node determines a fixed interval (FI) that will be an operational efficiency to be performed (500). The fixed interval may be determined by the load balancer or the network, or may be based on a predetermined value. The server node obtains the total number N_initial of base stations managed by the server node at the start of the fixed period (505). N_initial means the sum of the total number of base stations managed by the server node and N3, which is the number of base stations of the previous section whose processing is delayed to the current fixed section because the processing is not completed in the previous fixed section. Thereafter, the server node calculates the elapsed time (E) and the remaining time (R) based on the current in the fixed section (510). At this time, E + R = FI may be. The server node calculates the number N1 of base stations that have already been processed for the current fixed period (N1) and the number N2 of base stations that have not been processed (515). At this time, N_initial is N1 + N2.

In addition, if the server node performs the base station processing and the load of at least one of the system CPU or memory of the server node is greater than a preset threshold, after checking the memory or CPU load of the server node, the number of base stations to be processed simultaneously is reduced by 5%. Can be. 5% is an exemplary value, the server node can adjust the number to reduce the number of base stations to be processed simultaneously. This process is repeated until the system is normal, i.e., the load on the system CPU or memory is lower than the preset threshold. If the system returns to normal, proceed to the next step. This process can affect operational efficiency.

The server node calculates the operational efficiency (O) to be achieved for the remaining time according to Equation 2 below (520).

[Equation 2]

O = N / R

R may be in units of minutes. N means the number of unprocessed base stations remaining to be monitored by the server node at the current time. The server node then calculates the operational efficiency (G) already achieved at the elapsed time, according to Equation 3 below.

[Equation 3]

G = N1 / E

E may be in minutes. This is the number of base stations already processed, divided by the elapsed time, which can be regarded as the efficiency during the elapsed time.

Load balancing related information including the FI, E, R, N, N1, N2, N3, O and G is calculated at the server node and passed to the load balancer, or some information is passed to the load balancer to load balance Can be calculated on the device. The server node or load balancer determines whether G is greater than 0 (530). If the achieved operational efficiency (G) is greater than the operational efficiency (O) to be achieved, the server node or load balancer does not need to perform load balancing. If not, load balancing should be performed as follows.

When load balancing is to be performed, the server node or the load balancer calculates the number of base stations N4 necessary for load balancing as shown in Equation 4 below (535).

[Equation 4]

N4 = N_initial- (N1 + (G × R)) = N2-G × R

N_initial is the total number of base stations to be processed during this fixed interval, N1 + G * R is the number of base stations already processed and the number of base stations that can be processed for the remaining time. N4 must be processed by another server node for load balancing. It means the number of base stations.

The server node or load balancer then calculates the lack of operational degradation (D) according to Equation 5 below.

[Equation 5]

D = N4 / N_initial × 100

Operational degradation rate D is calculated in%. Based on the D value, the server node or load balancer determines 544 whether to load balance. In addition, the server node or the load balancer may determine whether to load balance in consideration of the D values of the plurality of fixed intervals. This has the effect of preventing unwanted load balancing. For example, if D values of a plurality of sections are considered, load balancing will not be performed if only one section has a load and the other sections are normal. If the continuous load appears within the fixed section, the load balancer performs load balancing (550).

When D is adjusted by performing load balancing, the server node observes the next fixed section (FI) and updates the number of base stations that have not been processed in the previous fixed section to N2. The server node transmits to the load balancer information N4 (number of base stations to be distributed) information of the base stations which are not monitored in the base station list. At this time, as many base stations as N4 are removed from the server node's processing list for other server nodes to process, the value of N1 + N2 becomes the limit value of N4 where load balancing is performed at the value of N_initial. (In particular, there is an effect that N1 to N4 base stations are removed.) The server node will then reset 0 to a load balancing list of size N4.

The above steps are repeated for each section of the operation. The set section may be a section existing within the fixed section or may be any set value from 1 to S.

Hereinafter, a method of calculating operating efficiency through specific embodiments will be described.

6 is a diagram illustrating a case where the load is adjusted when the load of the system CPU and / or memory exceeds a preset threshold. According to FIG. 6, the preset threshold is 90% (this is only an example) and when the system CPU or / or memory load is greater than 90%, the system adjusts the load to maintain the balance and stability of the system. In this case, the server node may request the load balancer to load balance.

7 is a diagram illustrating an example of load balancing. According to FIG. 7, the fixed interval FI is t1-t0 700, and all data of N eNBs must be processed in the interval. However, if in fact N eNBs were not processed (i.e., operational degradation was identified), then load balancing is performed at 710. At this point, if the operational degradation is higher than the set threshold, load balancing is performed. Since the system load is adjusted in the t2-t3 section and the t3-t4 section, the data of N eNBs can be processed in the fixed section.

8A and 8B show specific examples of load balancing. According to FIG. 8A, the fixed period FI is 15 minutes, and the number N of base stations to be processed per fixed period is 10,000. In this case, since the number of unprocessed eNBs N3 in the last section is 0, the N_initial of the fixed section 1 800 becomes 10,000. As the data of the base station is processed every minute, the number N1 of the processed base stations increases, the number N2 of the unprocessed base stations decreases, and N1 + N2 becomes 10,000.

At 10:15 minutes 810, the fixed period ends, but at this time, the number N2 812 of base stations whose processing is not completed is 556. At this time, N3 of the next fixed section (the number of base stations of the previous section, which has not been processed in the previous fixed section and has been delayed to the current fixed section) is 556.

In fixed interval 2 (850), N_initial becomes 10,000 + 556 to 10,556. Thereafter, every minute, the number of base stations N1 whose data has been processed by the base station is increased, the number of base stations whose processing is not completed, N2 is decreased, and N1 + N2 is 10,556. The server node or load balancer then calculates the operational efficiency O to be achieved according to FIG. 5, the operational efficiency G already achieved and the number of base stations N4 required for load balancing, and finally the operational degradation rate D. Assuming that the threshold of D is set to 15%, then at 10:25 (860), when the operational deterioration rate D is greater than 15% (862), load balancing will be performed. At this time, the load is distributed 864 for 1597 base stations, and then the N1 value 872 becomes a limit value for the number of the base stations to which the load is distributed. Operational deterioration rate D is then lowered to less than 15% (874). That is, the system load is normal.

According to FIGS. 8A and 8B, the system is overloaded after time 10:01, but the system is optimal to check the operating degradation rate to avoid unwanted load balancing and to perform load balancing based on a determination of whether the operating degradation rate is above a threshold. Will determine the time.

9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a base station.

According to FIG. 9, the base station 900 may include a transceiver 910 and a controller 920. The transceiver 910 transmits and receives data and control information between the base station and the network management server (or server node) according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the controller 920 controls the operation.

According to FIG. 10, the network management server (or server node) or the load balancer 1000 may include a transceiver 1010, a controller 1020, and a storage 1030. The transceiver 1010 of the network management server transmits and receives data and control information with the base station, and the controller 1020 controls the operation. In addition, the storage unit 1030 may store data for the base station. In addition, the controller 1010 may calculate processing time for each base station (or network) and perform calculation related to load balancing. Specifically, the procedure disclosed in FIG. 5 may be performed. The transceiver 1020 may transmit the processing time information to the load balancer, and calculate a value related to load balancing and notify the load balancer. The storage unit 1030 may store the data to be transmitted and received.

The controller 1020 of the load balancer may control the transceiver 1010 to transmit information about the new base station to the network management server when a new base station is added to the network. In addition, the optimal network management server for the base station can be determined based on the communication time between the base station and the network management server, the location of the network management server, the load of the current network management apparatus, and the like. In addition, it is possible to determine whether to perform load balancing by receiving values related to operational efficiency from the network management server. In more detail, the controller may directly perform calculation according to the embodiment of FIG. 5 or receive parameters from the network management server from the network management server to determine whether to load balance. The transceiver 1020 may receive the information from the network management server, and notify the network management server of load balancing and the number of base stations to be distributed. In addition, the storage unit 1030 may store the information and parameters to be transmitted and received.

According to the present invention, no user intervention is required when the base station is added or the capacity is increased in the network element, and the system is automatically processed to prevent data loss. In addition, no user intervention is required, which reduces operating costs and allows self-resilience to make efficient use of resources.

Claims

In the method that the load balancer manages the network management server,

Receiving information that a new base station has been added to the network;

Transmitting information on the new base station to at least one network management server;

Receiving processing time information for the new base station from the at least one network management server; And

And determining a network management server to which the new base station is to be allocated, based on the processing time information.
The method of claim 1,

Receiving load balancing related information from the at least one network management server; And

And determining whether or not to load balance the at least one network management server based on the load balancing related information.
The method of claim 2,

The load balancing related information is an operation deterioration rate of the at least one network management server, and determining whether to load balance is performed based on a result of comparing the operation deterioration rate with a predetermined threshold value.
The method of claim 3,

The operation deterioration rate is determined by the ratio of the number of base stations to be processed by one network management server and the number of base stations required for load balancing within one fixed period.
The method of claim 4, wherein

The number of base stations required for the distribution is a number limiting the number of base stations already processed from the number of base stations to be processed by the one network management server and the number of base stations that can be processed within the remaining time of the fixed period. How to manage a network management server.
The method of claim 3,

The determining whether the load balancing is performed when the operation degradation rate exceeds the predetermined threshold for a plurality of time intervals.
The method of claim 1,

And receiving a load balancing request from the at least one network management server when the load of at least one of each CPU or memory of the at least one network management server exceeds a predetermined threshold.
A load balancer for managing a network management server,

Transmitting and receiving unit for transmitting and receiving a signal with at least one network management server;

A storage unit for storing data; And

The transmission and reception to receive information that a new base station has been added to the network, to transmit information about the new base station to at least one network management server, and to receive processing time information about the new base station from the at least one network management server. And a control unit for controlling a unit to determine a network management server to which the new base station is allocated based on the processing time information.
The method of claim 8, wherein the controller controls the transceiver to receive load balancing related information from the at least one network management server, and determines whether to load balance the at least one network management server based on the load balancing related information. And further control to determine the load balancer.
The method of claim 9,

The load balancing related information is an operation deterioration rate of the at least one network management server, and the load balancing is determined based on a result of comparing the operation deterioration rate with a predetermined threshold value.
The method of claim 10,

The operation deterioration rate is a load balancing device, characterized in that determined by the ratio of the number of base stations that the network management server to process and the number of base stations required for load balancing within one fixed interval.
The method of claim 11,

The number of base stations required for the distribution is a load balancing, characterized by limiting the number of base stations already processed from the number of base stations to be processed by the network management server and the number of base stations that can be processed within the remaining time of the fixed period. Device.
The method of claim 10,

Determining whether or not the load balancing is performed when the operation degradation rate exceeds the predetermined threshold for a plurality of time intervals.
The method of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a load balancing request from the at least one network management server when at least one load of each CPU or memory of the at least one network management server exceeds a predetermined threshold. A load balancing device for controlling the wealth.