WO2018166398A1 - System for managing license in nfv network - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided are a method and system for managing a license in an NFV network, wherein flexible and automatic management of a license is performed by aligning a first license management server of a software provider and a second license management server deployed in an NFV network range; an NFVO acquires a license information description template issued by the first license management server; the NFVO applies for a license from the first license management server according to the template; the second license management server acquires a required license from the first license management server; and license information is sent to the NFVO, thereby realising flexible and automatic management of a license.

Description

License management system in NFV network

This application claims the priority of the Chinese Patent Application, filed on March 13, 2017, to the Chinese Patent Office, Application No. 201710147528.5, entitled "Management System for Licenses in NFV Networks", the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference. In this application.

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of NFV (Network Functions Virtualization), and more particularly to a license management system in an NFV network.

Background technique

A license is a way of selling software. It authorizes the use of the software according to its characteristics, version, capacity, and usage time. The customer obtains the corresponding rights and license authorization certificates promised by the software provider.

The network element deployed in the communication carrier is generally provided by the corresponding software provider. The current license loading process in the normal NE deployment process is:

1) License application. The device software installer obtains the license-related parameter information from the carrier, logs in to the software provider license website, enters the NE information, and installs the ESN of the NE (the device serial number, identifies the carrier's device), and the NE specifications. The license website generates a license file based on the information, such as the number of users and service processing capabilities.

2) License download. The device software installer downloads the license file from the software provider license website.

3) The license is loaded. The device installer loads the downloaded license file into the device and activates the license.

In October 2012, 13 Top operators (AT&T, Verizon, VDF, DT, T-Mobile, BT, Telefornica, etc.) initiated the establishment of ETSI NFV ISG (NFV: Network Functions Virtualization) with the goal of modernization. Virtualization technology, network equipment can be based on general-purpose hardware, such as standards-based high-capacity Server, storage and Ethernet. Applications from different software providers are deployed in software on a unified cloud virtualization infrastructure. Cost, increase efficiency, and increase agility.

The NFV ISG defines a reference framework, as shown in Figure 1. The responsibilities of each entity are as follows:

1) OSS, in addition to the traditional management functions, interacts with the Orchestrator for the operation and maintenance of the network for the virtualization application.

2) Service, VNF and Infrastructure Description: Data warehouse, including related templates and VNF software images.

3) NFVO, (NFV Orchestrator, NFV orchestrator) is mainly used to implement lifecycle management (such as deployment/expansion/reduction/downline) of NS (Network Service, such as IMS service) in the carrier domain. And NFVI (NFV Infrastructure, NFV infrastructure layer) resource scheduling, policy management and other functions; NFVO according to NSD (NS Descriptor, NS information model description template) to decompose each VNF (Virtual Network Function, virtualized network function) Requirements, with VNFM (VNF Manager, VNF Manager) to achieve VNF deployment.

4) VNFM (VNF Manager, VNF Manager), the main function is to realize the life cycle management of VNF, such as deployment/expansion/reduction/downline and other automation capabilities; VNFM decomposes virtual machines according to template and VNF capacity requirements. The need for virtual resources, in conjunction with Orchestrator, VIM (Virtualized Infrastructure Manager) to complete the instantiation of VNF.

5) VIM, the main function is to realize the management and monitoring of the entire infrastructure layer resources (including computing, storage, network resources).

The NFV network enables the network element function to run on various general-purpose hardware, and automates the network element deployment process through the MANO system. Operators can quickly and dynamically expand and shrink capacity according to service needs.

In the NFV network, the deployment of the network element (the network element in this document refers to the VNF, or VNF network element) also requires the software license provided by the software provider of the network element. In the current NFV network, the traditional license management method is adopted. When a VNF network element is enabled, the software service provider's customer service personnel must manually download the relevant license file from the software provider's license website. The activation of the VNF network element is implemented on the corresponding VNF network element. However, the traditional license management method is not flexible enough to implement automatic license management. Therefore, in the NFV network, a more flexible and automatic license management mode is required to improve the efficiency of management and use of the license.

Summary of the invention

In view of the above, the present invention provides a method and system for managing a license in an NFV network, which enables the operator to manage and use the license more flexibly, and improve the efficiency of the license to meet the flexible elastic scalability and resources of the NFV network. Provisioning.

The present application provides a system for managing a license in an NFV network, which includes a Global License Manager 201 (Global LM), which is a software provider's license delivery system, which may also be referred to herein as a first license management server. Also included is a Local License Manager 202 (Local LM), which is a node deployed in the NFV network and connected to the Global LM for performing license management in the NFV network, and may also be referred to as a second license management server herein. Local LM can be connected to Global LM of multiple software providers, or it can be a dedicated device that is specifically responsible for interfacing with a software provider's Global LM. In this case, the Local LM is generally also connected to it. Provided by the provider, Local LM can be used as a license management agent of Global LM in the carrier network to implement distribution and control of licenses within the carrier network. Since Global LM and Local LM are now provided by the same software provider, the communication security and information mutual trust between the two network elements is higher.

The Global LM is used to generate a license information description template (License Descriptor), and the license Descriptor is sent to the NFVO. The license Descriptor includes a license Descriptor ID, a VNFD ID, and a license information selection item. Including the operator to select a list of functions or features when purchasing a license, Global LM is also used to send a license to Local LM;

After receiving the license Descriptor, the NFVO submits a license application request to the Local LM according to the license Descriptor. The Local LM can send a license information to the NFVO according to the license obtained from the Global LM according to the NFVO license application request, so that the NFVO can use the license according to the license. Information, providing software licenses to VNF network elements. The license information can be the number, the feature, and the function of the license. If the VNF NE needs to be activated, the license information can include the activation code of the license file, the license ID, or the download address. Based on this information, the VNF can obtain or download a license file and activate the license based on the activation code. The license file is not directly sent to the NFVO. It is more beneficial for the software provider to control the license file and prevent the NFVO from obtaining the complete license file.

In this application, Global LM can issue License Descriptor to NFVO in various ways. For example, after signing an order with an operator customer, it can send a License Descriptor to NFVO through Local LM according to the order information, or in the software provider. When the NFV operator releases the VNF Package, the License Descriptor generated by the Global LM is sent together. In the VNF Package shelf-up process, the NFVO can obtain the License Descriptor. The NFVO can verify the License Descriptor. When the verification fails, NFVO can also apply for a License Descriptor from Local LM based on the License Descriptor ID or VNFD ID, and Local LM then applies for a License Descriptor from Global LM.

After the VNF Package and the License Descriptor are released, the process of loading the VNF Package and the process of applying the license are synchronized. The automatic synchronization between the license application and the NFV loading process is facilitated, and the efficiency of the license application is improved.

The time when the local LM obtains the license from the Global LM is also flexible. For example, after the order is signed, the Global LM can actively send the corresponding license to the Local LM according to the information received from the order management system, or deploy the VNF network element in the NFVO. During the process, the local LM is applied for a license. The local LM then applies to the global license to obtain a license. The Global LM can be connected to the software provider's order management system to automatically deliver the license.

In some cases, such as when Local LM communicates with Global LM and cannot obtain license from Global LM, Local LM can also act as a proxy for Global LM or Global LM-based authorization. Local LM generates license locally and will generate The license information is sent to NFVO to meet the needs of VNF network element deployment in time. After the communication between Local LM and Global LM is restored, Local LM reports the generated license to Global LM, and Global LM updates its record. License information provided to the NFV network for billing purposes. This application is not limited to the scenario of communication anomaly. Even in the case of normal communication, the Local LM can also act as a proxy for Global LM or a Global LM-based authorization. Local LM can generate licenses locally, which helps the system to provide more stable services and improve the stability and security of the system, so that Global LM can replace Global LM generation even if Global LM provides licenses for some reason. License to ensure the immediate deployment of VNF network elements.

During the process of triggering the application or releasing the license, the local LM can subscribe to the VNF LCM process to trigger the NFVO application or release the license. The NFVO can actively trigger the application and release of the license during the VNF LCM process.

Further, the management system of the license in the NFV network provided by the present application may further include NFVO, the NFVO acquires the License Descriptor, and the process of applying for the license has been described before. Further, the NFVO may receive the License Descriptor issued by the Global LM. Then, the correspondence between the license Descriptor ID and the VNFD ID is saved, so that when the NVF is deployed, the license Descriptor ID of the required application can be found according to the VNFD ID, thereby completing the license according to the License Descriptor corresponding to the License Descriptor ID. Application. Improve the efficiency of the search by saving the correspondence.

In addition, when NFVO determines that a license is required, NFVO can trigger the operator's OSS system to purchase the required license from the software provider's order management system.

Since the Local LM has the license information of the whole network on the NFV network, the NFV network operator can use the Local LM as a command center for network resource allocation, and flexibly perform the VNF according to the license information of the entire network and the needs of the network service. The application or release of the license, the allocation of license resources and distribution, in addition, NFVO can also obtain the license information of the entire network on the NFV network from the Local LM, so that NFVO can also be used as a command center for network resource allocation, flexible VNF license The application or release of the certificate, the allocation of license resources and distribution. Since NFVO controls the deployment of NFV network elements, NFVO is also familiar with the operation of the entire network. NFVO is more suitable for the application and release of flexible deployment of licenses in the center, thus adjusting the shrinkage and expansion of VNF.

Correspondingly, the present application also provides a method for managing a license in an NFV network. The process implemented by the method is basically the same as the system description process provided above, and the description is not repeated.

The present application also provides a license management server corresponding to the Global LM210, which includes a license template and license generation unit 2011, a license template issuance unit 2013, a license issuance unit 2015, a license template, and a license generation unit. 2011 can be connected to the software provider's order management system, generate the corresponding License Descriptor and license according to the customer's order information obtained from the software provider order management system, and issue the License Descriptor to NFVO through the license template issuing unit 2013. The license template receiving unit 2031 transmits the license to the license management unit 2023 of the Local LM through the license issuing unit 2015; the license template and the license generating unit 2011 can also receive from the license management unit 2023 of the Local LM The license from the Local LM is applied to generate the corresponding license and is sent to the Local LM.

The present application also provides a license management server, corresponding to the Local LM 202, including a license application receiving unit 2021, a license management unit 2023, and a license issuance unit 2025, which is used for license application from NFVO. The unit 2033 obtains the request for the license application, and then sends the license application request to the license management unit 2023. The license management unit 2023 is responsible for saving and updating the license information, and determining whether the currently available license can meet the requirements of the application. If yes, the corresponding license information is sent to the license receiving unit 2035 of the NFVO through the license issuing unit 2025. If the license is insufficient, the notification message for purchasing the license may be fed back to the NFVO, and the NFVO triggers the NFV network operation according to the notification message. The vendor's OSS system purchases the required licenses from the software provider's order management system.

The present application also provides an NFVO 203, including a license template receiving unit 2031, a license application unit 2033, and a license receiving unit 2035. The license template receiving unit 2031 can obtain a License Descriptor issued by Global LM from various channels, and a license. The application unit 2033 performs a license application according to the License Descriptor received by the license template receiving unit 2031. The license receiving unit 2035 receives the license information transmitted by the license issuing unit 2025 of the Local LM. The license application unit 2033 is further configured to save the correspondence between the license Descriptor ID and the VNFD ID, so that when the NVF is deployed, the license Descriptor ID of the required application can be found according to the VNFD ID, so that the license corresponding to the license Descriptor ID is obtained. Descriptor, complete the application for the license.

For further functions of the above-mentioned server and NFVO functional units, reference may be made to the description in the method and system embodiment, and the detailed description is not provided. Those skilled in the art have the ability to describe the method and system according to the embodiments of the present invention. Implement the specific functions of the above functional units.

The application also provides a computer program product for performing the methods performed by the Global LM, Local LM or NFVO described above when the computer product is executed.

The application further provides a computer readable storage medium having stored therein instructions for performing the methods performed by the Global LM, Local LM or NFVO described above.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the license management method and system in the NFV network implement the flexible and automatic management and use of the license in the NFV network, improve the efficiency of the license, and help the NFV operator further improve the network management efficiency. The license of the entire network, the rational planning and use of the license, and the adjustment of the network deployment are conducive to the development of the NFV network.

DRAWINGS

1 is a schematic diagram of a reference architecture of an NFV network;

2 is a schematic structural diagram of a license management system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic diagram of a license management system architecture and a logical unit structure of a network element according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a structural diagram of a computer hardware for performing a Global LM function according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a license Descriptor racking process according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

6 is a flowchart of a VNF network element instantiation process;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of triggering an application for a license by the Local LM during the VNF instantiation process according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a state machine for storing a license in a Local LM according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a process for releasing a license according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

10 is a schematic flowchart of a license application or release triggered by NFVO according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a process for expanding capacity according to VNF reporting information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, a license management system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a Global License Manager 201 (Global LM), a Local License Manager 202 (Local LM) logical function entity, and an NFVO 203. The system can further include two network elements, VNFM 204 and VNF 205.

The Global LM 201 is a software provider's license delivery system. It is used to implement the license delivery. The License Descriptor (license information description template) is distributed to the operator and the license is distributed to the Local LM. The License Descriptor can be sent to the NFVO through the Local LM. It can also be sent to NFVO through OSS or NFVO portal (NFVO portal or human machine interface) during the VNF Package shelf-up process;

The local LM 202 is deployed in the VNF network. As a node that manages the license in the carrier network, the local LM obtains the license purchased by the operator from the Global LM, receives the NFVO license application, and sends the corresponding license information to the NFVO. Local LM can be connected to Global LM of multiple software providers, or it can be a dedicated device that is specifically responsible for interfacing with a software provider's Global LM. In this case, the Local LM is generally also connected to it. Provided by the provider, Local LM can be used as a license management agent of Global LM in the carrier network to implement distribution and control of licenses within the carrier network. Since Global LM and Local LM are now provided by the same software provider, the communication security and information mutual trust between the two network elements is higher.

The NFVO 203 is used to obtain the license Descriptor. According to the license Descriptor, in the process of deploying the VNF network element, the local LM applies for the license information required for deploying the VNF network element, and sends a license application request to the Local LM, and receives the Local. License information sent by the LM.

The license description file is a description template of the license product information. It can be viewed as a list of function lists of the license.

Table 1

The License Descriptor may include a License Descriptor ID (a unique identifier of the License Descriptor file), software provider information, product information, a VNFD ID, and a list of functions or features that the customer can select, and may also include the geographic region or time of the license. The list of features or features that are available for customer selection can be collectively referred to as license information options. The content of the License Descriptor template format and license information options provided by different device providers may vary, such as software provider information and products. Information can be obtained in other ways, so it is optional in this form. The purpose of the License Descriptor is to enable the operator to apply for a license based on the License Descriptor. The license can be quickly generated based on the License Descriptor. License Descriptor is similar to other templates in NFV (such as VNFD). It can use Tosca, Yang and other models. The description language can be XML or Yaml.

The Global LM 201 is responsible for generating a License Descriptor that is distributed to the customer (in this document, the customer refers to the license purchaser, that is, the operator of the NFV network), and provides the generated License Descriptor to the NFVO in the carrier network. Global LM can issue License Descriptor to NFVO in a variety of ways. For example, Global LM can connect with the software provider's order management system, and issue the License Descriptor corresponding to the order information to Local LM according to the order information signed with the customer. Local LM then releases the License Descriptor to NFVO. It can also apply for the LMVO to obtain the License Descriptor from Global LM through Local LM. It can also send the VNF Package (including the software package of VNF network element) to the operator. When referring to the definition in the existing standard, the VNF Package is sent to the NFVO corresponding to the required License Descriptor, or the operator's OSS system applies to the Global LM, and the Global LM sends the License Descriptor to the OSS system. The OSS system is sent to NFVO or downloaded by the operator from the customer support website provided by the software provider.

After the NFVO obtains the License Descriptor, the NFVO can apply for the license according to the License Descriptor. Therefore, the NFVO can obtain the License Descriptor process, which is called the license process. After the NFVO obtains the License Descriptor, the license Descriptor is saved, and the correspondence between the License Descriptor ID and the VNFD ID in the License Descriptor can also be recorded. For example, the correspondence between the two is stored in a separate form, so that the VNF is instantiated in the subsequent VNF. If you need to apply for a corresponding license, you can quickly find the corresponding License Descriptor ID based on the VNFD ID of the VNF that you need to instantiate. You can find the license Descriptor required to apply for a license and apply for a quick license.

In some cases, such as when Local LM communicates with Global LM and cannot obtain license from Global LM, Local LM can also act as a proxy for Global LM or Global LM-based authorization. Local LM generates license locally and will generate The license information is sent to NFVO to meet the needs of VNF network element deployment in time. After the communication between Local LM and Global LM is restored, Local LM reports the generated license to Global LM, and Global LM updates its record. License information provided to the NFV network for billing purposes. This application is not limited to the scenario of communication anomaly. Even in the case of normal communication, the Local LM can also act as a proxy for Global LM or a Global LM-based authorization. Local LM can generate licenses locally, which helps the system to provide more stable services and improve the stability and security of the system, so that Global LM can replace Global LM generation even if Global LM provides licenses for some reason. License to ensure the immediate deployment of VNF network elements.

To illustrate the internal processing logic of Global LM, Local LM, and NFVO, Figure 3 further presents the logical units within three devices and their connections to implement the specific functions described above.

Wherein the Global LM 201 includes a license template and license generation unit 2011, a license template issuance unit 2013, a license issuance unit 2015, a license template and a license generation unit 2011 may be connected to the software provider's order management system, according to The customer's order information obtained in the software provider order management system, etc., generates a corresponding License Descriptor and License, and issues the License Descriptor to the NFVO license template receiving unit 2031 through the license template issuing unit 2013 (through the VNF Package) Sending, or through the license template forwarding unit 2027) of the Local LM, through the license issuance unit 2015, the license is sent to the license management unit 2023 of the Local LM; the license template and the license generation unit 2011 can also be from the Local LM The license management unit 2023 receives the license application from the Local LM, and generates a corresponding license, which is sent to the Local LM.

The Local LM 202 includes a license application receiving unit 2021, a license management unit 2023, and a license issuance unit 2021 for obtaining a request for a license application from the license application unit 2033 of the NFVO, and then applying for the license. The request is sent to the license management unit 2023. The license management unit 2023 is responsible for saving and updating the license information, and determining whether the currently available license can meet the requirements of the current application. If so, the corresponding license information is used. The description in the figure) is sent to the license receiving unit 2035 of the NFVO through the license issuing unit 2025; if the license is insufficient, the notification message for purchasing the license may be fed back to the NFVO (license application unit 2033), according to which the NFVO is based, The OSS system of the NFV network operator is triggered to purchase the required license from the software provider's order management system, or the license management unit 2023 sends a license application to the license template and license generation unit 2011 of Global LM to obtain the corresponding license. Or the license management unit 2023 can also function as Glo The agent of the LM, or the authorization of the Global LM, generates a license, and reports the generation of the license to the Global LM (for example, the license issuing unit 2015, which performs the license management of the license issuing unit 2015).

The NFVO 203 includes a license template receiving unit 2031, a license application unit 2033, and a license receiving unit 2035. The license template receiving unit 2031 can obtain a License Descriptor issued by the Global LM from various channels, and the license application unit 2033 receives the license template according to the license template. The license Descriptor received by the unit 2031 is used to apply for a license. The license receiving unit 2035 receives the license information transmitted by the license issuing unit 2025 of the Local LM. The license application unit 2033 is further configured to save the correspondence between the license Descriptor ID and the VNFD ID, so that when the NVF is deployed, the license Descriptor ID of the required application can be found according to the VNFD ID, so that the license corresponding to the license Descriptor ID is obtained. Descriptor, complete the application for the license.

The NFVO 203 may further include a license information receiving unit 2037 for obtaining the license information of the entire network from the Local LM (such as the license management unit 2023), so that the NFVO can be used as a command center for network resource allocation, and the VNF license is flexibly performed. The application or release of the certificate, the allocation of license resources and distribution.

It should be noted that the names of Global LM and Local LM do not constitute a limitation on their technical connotations, but only for the unification and aspects of the text. The so-called Global LM can be understood as the software provider's license system can provide license management services to carrier customers around the world. If it is a device that provides license services to Asian operators, it can also be named as Asia License Manager. The license server deployed on the software provider side is called the first license management server. If the local LM is independently built and connected to the license server of multiple software providers, it can also be called the license centralized management server of the carrier. In this document, a license server deployed in the carrier network and connected to the first license management server of the software provider may be collectively referred to as a second license management server.

Both Global LM and Local LM in this document describe the logical functions of the implementation. In the specific deployment, Global LM can be integrated into the software provider's web server or integrated with the software provider's order management and billing system. Together, the present invention is not limited; the Local LM may be an independently deployed network element in the NFV network, or may integrate the logic function of the Local LM in the NFVM or the NFVO, or be integrated in the operator's OSS system.

The related functions of Global LM, Local LM and NFVO described above can be implemented by hardware such as integrated circuits/ICs, or by computer software to execute corresponding computer programs.

As shown in FIG. 4, in order to implement the computer hardware structure of the Global LM function in the present invention, this application only takes the implementation of Global LM as an example, and the computer functions of Local LM and NFVO are implemented in the same manner, and the difference is only in the memory. Different software codes are stored in the memory, and the logic units and functions of the specific software code are described in the above embodiments, and the description will not be repeated again.

Computer device 400 includes at least one processor 401, a communication bus 402, a memory 403, and at least one communication interface 404.

The processor 401 can be a general purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more for controlling the execution of the program of the present invention. integrated circuit.

Communication bus 402 can include a path for communicating information between the components described above.

Communication interface 404, using any type of transceiver, for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), etc. .

The memory 403 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type that can store information and instructions. The dynamic storage device can also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, and a disc storage device. (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be Any other media accessed, but not limited to this. The memory can exist independently and be connected to the processor via a bus. The memory can also be integrated with the processor.

The memory 403 is used to store the application code for executing the solution of the present invention. As shown in the figure, it stores the logic code corresponding to the three functional units of the Global LM, and is controlled by the processor 401 for execution. The processor 401 is configured to execute application code stored in the memory 403 to implement the logical function of the Global LM.

In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 401 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG.

In a particular implementation, as an embodiment, computer device 400 can include multiple processors, such as processor 401 and processor 408 in FIG. Each of these processors can be a single-CPU processor or a multi-core processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data, such as computer program instructions.

In a particular implementation, as an embodiment, computer device 400 may also include an output device 405 and an input device 406. Output device 405 is in communication with processor 401 and can display information in a variety of ways. The computer device 400 described above can be a general purpose computer device or a special purpose computer device. In a specific implementation, the computer device 400 can be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, a communication device, an embedded device, or have FIG. A device of similar structure. Embodiments of the invention do not limit the type of computer device 400.

Through the license management system of the NFV network provided above, the application and release of the license can be automatically and flexibly. The NFVO can automatically complete the application of the license during the process of deploying the VNF network element, or automatically when the VNF network element is released. Release the license. The NFV network operator can perform more flexible network resource allocation based on the actual service requirements. The management efficiency of the license is greatly improved.

The management system and method of the license provided by the embodiment of the present invention are further described in the following, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the specific process of the application of the license Descriptor, the application of the license, the expansion, and the reduction/release.

As shown in Figure 5, a specific process for a License Descriptor is as follows:

501. When the software provider provides the VNF Package to the NFV network operator, the License Descriptor generated by the Global LM is packaged and distributed in the VNF Package. The steps in Figure 501 are only used to indicate that the Global LM is generating the License Descriptor. There are many ways for the VNF Package to be released to the operator. The present invention does not limit the delivery method of the VNF Package. The VNF Package includes the VNFD and the License Descriptor. For example, in this embodiment, the online support system of the software provider may be sent to the OSS system of the operator or the portal of the NFVO, or obtained from a CD-ROM containing the VNF Package provided by the software provider, or by the OSS system of the operator or NFVO's Portal is available from the online support system provided by the software provider or other websites that download the VNF Package.

502. The client uploads the license Descriptor issued by the software provider to the NFVO through the OSS system or the NFVO Portal (collectively referred to as Sender). The License Descriptor command can use the existing On-board VNF Package command to add a parameter identifier to the command. The tag is a shelf request of the License Descriptor, and carries the License Descriptor information, or adds a License Descriptor command;

503. The NFVO checks the license Descriptor (the license template receiving unit 2031), and the content of the verification includes but is not limited to:

· Is there a License Descriptor?

· Whether the VNFD defined in the License Descriptor is included in the software package or has been uploaded to NFVO

· Whether the description of the product information in the License Descriptor and VNFD is consistent, such as software provider information, product information, product version, etc.

504. When the verification is successful, the NFVO (the license template receiving unit 2031) saves the License Descriptor, and records the correspondence between the License Descriptor ID and the VNFD ID, so as to be based on the VNFD in the VNF LCM (Lifecycle Management) process. The ID quickly finds the required License Descriptor for the license application.

If the verification fails, the steps 506a and subsequent steps are performed. The reason for the verification failure may be that there is no License Descriptor information in the VNF Package, the description of the product information in the License Descriptor and the VNFD is inconsistent, or the VNFD defined in the License Descriptor is not included in the software. The package is medium.

505, NFVO (License Template Receiving Unit 2031) returns a successful notification response to the Sender, which may be an existing VNF Package response, and carries a parameter in the response to indicate that the License Descriptor is successfully presented, or may be added. The License Descriptor has a successful response message.

506. The NFVO notifies the Local LM that the License Descriptor has been uploaded, and the License Descriptor may be carried in the notification message, or only the License Descriptor ID and/or the VNFD ID may be carried. At this point, the License Descriptor is on the shelves. If the Local LM needs to verify the License Descriptor, you can obtain the License Descriptor from Global LM and save it with the License Descriptor obtained from Global LM. See steps 7 to 12.

506a, NFVO notifies the Local LM License Descriptor that the verification fails, and the failure reason and the VNFD ID may be carried in the verification failure notification message.

507. The Local LM may initiate a license Descriptor request to the Global LM according to the VNFD ID, where the carrier identifier information and the VNFD ID information may be carried in the request.

508. The Global LM determines whether the license Descriptor can be sent to the operator, for example, whether the operator purchases the corresponding product, and if so, sends a License Descriptor to the Local LM.

509. The Global LM returns a corresponding License Descriptor to the Local LM.

510. The Local LM maintains the License Descriptor information.

511. The Local LM returns the obtained License Descriptor to the NFVO.

512. The NFVO performs the same steps of saving the License Descriptor as in step 504, and sends a response to the SNF VNF Package to the sender in step 512a.

So far, the above embodiment describes the process of issuing a License Descriptor together with the VNF Package, or triggering the acquisition of the License Descriptor to the Local LM and Global LM by NFVO. After the VNF Package and the License Descriptor are released, the process of loading the VNF Package and the process of applying the license are synchronized. The automatic synchronization between the license application and the NFV loading process is facilitated, and the efficiency of the license application is improved.

The License Descriptor may be uploaded to the Local LM (License Template Forwarding Unit 2027) by Global LM (License Template Publishing Unit 2013). For example, according to the order signed with the customer, the LMVO is actively sent through the Local LM. License Descriptor, NFVO saves the corresponding License Descriptor. The specific process is similar to 508-512 in the above process, and the description will not be repeated.

The following describes the specific process of license management after the License Descriptor is put on the shelf.

The management and use of the license in the embodiment of the present invention may have multiple flexible manners according to different scenarios. In general, the software provider's Global LM sends the license to the Local LM, and the license is stored in the Local LM. When the NFVO needs to use the license, it submits the license application request to the Local LM, and the Local LM sends the license information to the NFVO. The application for the license is issued. When the license needs to be released, NFVO notifies Local LM to release or deactivate the license. Because there is no special hardware device in the NFV network, the software is loaded on the virtualized resources of the general hardware. Therefore, the license in the NFV does not need to be bundled with specific hardware device information. The license can be in multiple VNF network elements. The license is used in the shared resource pool. For example, the license corresponding to feature A of a 300,000 users is loaded on the VNF1 network element. After the VNF1 network element is released, the license can be allocated to the VNF2 network element.

For example, after the software provider has signed a purchase agreement with the operator's customer, Global LM can actively send the license corresponding to the network element purchased by the operator to the Local LM according to the information in the order, or the License Descriptor described in the above process. The sending process is sent to the customer. For example, if the customer purchases a license for a network element with 1 million users, Global LM will send the license of 1 million users to Local LM. Local LM saves the license of 1 million users (can be understood as centralized purchasing or package purchasing mode). In the process of instantiating the VNF, the Local LM can distribute the license according to the actual needs of the VNF. For example, the network element VNF1 applies for a license of 300,000 users. Based on this application, the Local LM sends a license to the NFVO that can support 300,000 users. Information, Local LM update available license for 700,000 users (1 million minus 300,000). Or, in the process of instantiating the VNF, the Local LM is requested to apply for the corresponding license to the Global LM according to the requirements of the network element deployment, and the Global license is then sent to the NFVO through the Local LM (which can be understood as a batch purchase). Or use the pay-as-you-go mode, or the Local LM can determine whether the current license can meet the deployment requirements of the VNF. If not, the NFVO needs to apply for an additional license to trigger the NFVO to apply for a new license to the Global LM. When using batch purchase or accompanying mode, the software provider's software is like the software in the Apple App Store. The operator uses a certain software and can order from the operator's OSS system to the software provider. The management system makes an online order application, and upon completion of the payment or the post-paid agreement, the order management system notifies Global LM that the customer's required license will be delivered to the customer in a timely manner.

The release of the license is similar. For example, the Global LM can issue a license to the Local LM to release the license according to the network planning change order with the customer. The Local LM performs the license update locally and releases the corresponding license resource. The NFVO, based on the detection of the network load, determines that the VNF network element can be released or contracted, and then sends a license release notification message to the local LM. The local LM updates the license and releases the license resource. The release notification notification message may include the corresponding VFND ID, the number of licenses to be released, and corresponding functions and features. After the local LM releases the license, it can notify Global LM so that the software provider can reasonably charge the operator's software usage according to the changed license usage.

The relocation of the license is the combination of the license release and the license application process. After the licenses of some VNF NEs are released, they are distributed to other required VNF NEs.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the Local LM has an overall view of the entire network license of the operator for a certain software provider. If the Local LM is connected to the Global LM of each software provider, the Local LM has multiple software providers. Overall license view. NFVO can also obtain the information of the entire network license purchased by the operator from the Local LM (such as the number of available licenses, etc.), for example, periodically send a license query request to Local LM, and Local LM periodically replies to NFVO with the latest license usage. The information of the situation, in this way, the operator can control the license information of the whole network on the local LM or NFVO, thereby expanding, shrinking, releasing or relocating the NFV network deployment according to the license information of the entire network and the network service requirements.

For example, taking China Mobile as an example, it has deployed NFV networks in many provinces in China, and can have one or several centralized NFVOs for unified license management of the entire network. For example, in the EPC network service, the EPC network element is deployed in various provinces and cities such as Guangdong and Shanghai. It is assumed that the license applied by the EPC network element deployed in Guangdong Province meets the needs of 5 million users, and the EPC network element of Shanghai The application for the license is to meet the needs of 3 million users. When Shanghai needs to release the license from Guangdong Province and load it into Shanghai due to major project needs or monitoring based on network dynamic load, NFVO can be based on its mastery. In the case of the network license, it is determined that the license of 1 million users will be released from Guangdong Province, and the license of the 1 million users will be transferred to Shanghai. Of course, the sharing of the license is subject to the geographical limitation of the license. If the license-limited license range of the license is limited to a certain province, the license cannot be shared across provinces, that is, the license must be restricted. Share within a geographical area.

The following describes the specific process of license management in combination with specific application scenarios.

In order to better understand the VNF instantiation process, Figure 6 is a specific description of the instantiation process. The VFN instantiation process can refer to the relevant standard texts, such as ETSI GS NFV-IFA 007V2, because of the prior art process. 1.1 (2016-10), hereinafter referred to as IFA 007.

601, NFVO initiates a request for Create VNF Identifier to VNFM (refer to IFA007Table 7.2.2.2-1)

602. The VNFM returns a vnfInstanceId to the NFVO (refer to IFA007 Table 7.2.2.3-1).

603. The VNFM sends a notification of VnfIdentifierCreationNotification to the NFVO (refer to IFA007Table 8.6.7.3-1)

604. NFVO initiates a request for Instantiate VNF to VNFM (refer to IFA007 Table 7.2.3.2-1)

605. VNFM returns VNF lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId to NFVO (refer to IFA007 Table7.2.3.3-1)

606. The VNFM finds the corresponding vnfdId according to the vnfInstanceId, obtains the VNFD, parses the resource information required for instantiating the VNF, and requests the operation and resource authorization from the NFVO (refer to IFA007Table 6.3.2.2-1).

607, NFVO returns the Grant lifecycle operation response to VNFM (refer to IFA007 6.3.2.3)

608, VNFM initiates the VNF instantiation process; and sends VNFLifecycleOperationChangeNotification to NFVO (refer to IFA007 8.6.2.3)

609. After the VNF is instantiated, the VNFM informs the NFVO that the instantiation operation of the VNF is completed (refer to IFA0078.6.2.3-1).

The application example triggered by the Local LM to perform the license application (including expansion) is specifically described below with reference to FIG. 7 .

701. The Local LM subscribes to the VNF LCM status change notification to the VNFM. According to the current standard definition, the VNFM sends a notification to the subscriber Local LM when the following event occurs:

Create VNF instance ID: VNF Identifier creation notification (ie step 601)

Lifecycle management operations (such as instantiation, expansion): VNF lifecycle state change notification (including instance ID, start or completion, lifecycle action "such as instantiation / expansion / termination", ....)

Delete VNF instance ID: VNF Identifier delete notification

702. The VNFM performs VNF instantiation (the process shown in FIG. 6) or VNF expansion;

703. According to the subscription request of the Local LM, the VNFM sends a lifecycle state change notification to the Local LM, and the Local LM can start the process of the license when receiving the notification of the start or end of the instantiation or the expansion.

At the beginning of the instantiation or expansion, you can apply for a license to ensure that the instantiated NEs can obtain sufficient license resources to avoid the VNF that cannot be instantiated or expanded due to the failure to obtain the license. You can also use the instantiation or expansion after the instantiation or expansion. Applying for a license, the application may be unsuccessful. The license may not be used because the application is not applied after the instantiation or expansion is complete.

704. The local LM obtains the license information required for the VNF to be instantiated/expanded to the NFVO.

705. The NFVO (the license template receiving unit 2031) obtains the corresponding VNFD ID according to the vnfInstanceId obtained in the instantiation/expansion process (step 402), and then searches for the previously saved VNFD ID and obtains the corresponding License Descriptor ID according to the VNFD ID. Correspondence relationship, quickly find the corresponding License Descriptor, combined with the needs of the business, determine the required functional characteristics and usage, and perform on-demand adaptation of the License Descriptor.

706, NFVO (License Template Receiving Unit 2033) returns the required license information (various control items, such as the functional characteristics of the required application license and the usage amount, etc.) to the Local LM (license application receiving unit 2021), in the application In, you need to add carrier information)

In this example, for example, the license information of the application is as shown in Table 2 below:

Table 2

707, Local LM (License Management Unit 2023) according to the NFVO license needs to determine whether the currently available license can meet the demand, if the demand can be met, then directly perform step 712;

In Local LM, the license can be dynamically managed by the state machine. As shown in Figure 8, the status of the license can be divided into active state and deactivated state. In the deactivated state, the state is further divided into substate 1 and state. 2, sub-state 1 indicates that the license has not been assigned to the NFV instance, and sub-state 2 is the temporary state, indicating that the NFV instance has been assigned, but the VNF instance has not completed the activation process. In substate 2, the license cannot be assigned to other instances. The purpose is to prevent other VNF instances from applying during the activation process.

In step 707, the Local LM can check whether the number of licenses in the sub-state 1 meets the requirements in the existing license library. If yes, the license is assigned to the instance and the status of the related license is updated to the sub-license. State 2, perform Step 712 operation.

If the number of the licenses in the sub-state 1 cannot meet the demand, the local LM checks whether the used usage exceeds the standard according to the number of licenses purchased by the customer. If the number is not exceeded, the Local LM triggers the license application process to the Global LM (step 708). If the standard is exceeded, you can tell NFVO that NFVO will decide whether to apply for a new license, and then apply for a new license to Global LM through Local LM.

Generally, when you need to use a license file to activate a VNF network element, you can use the state machine to perform fine-grained management of the license file to be used to prevent the same license file from being applied by two NFV instances. For the license pooling solution, you can also manage the license without using the state machine record. You only need to determine that the total number of active licenses is within the available license range. That is, save the current available in Local LM. After the VNF network element is instantiated, the number of licenses is deducted accordingly. After the VNF network element is released, the number of corresponding licenses is increased.

For example, as shown in Table 3 below, you can record the license usage in the Local LM. The current license number of the EPC MME V5.0 product NE is 100000 total users, the feature A is 50000, and the feature B is 30000. The license required to instantiate the EPC MMEV5.0 is the total number of users X, the usage of the feature A is A1, and the usage of the feature B is B1. If the license is less than the current number of licenses, the license can be assigned. The number of licenses will be deducted from the local LM. If the application of this instance exceeds the available license range, you can notify NFVO to apply for additional licenses.

table 3

708. The Local LM (License Management Unit 2023) triggers the license application process to the Global LM (License Template and License Generation Unit 2011).

709. The license generated by Global LM (License Template and License Generation Unit 2011) can be in various forms depending on the way the license is controlled. For example, for the license pooling solution, the generated license can be the license information such as the feature/function/user number used by the license. The information can be distributed in the form of a license file or in other forms, such as attached messages. Participate in the body to distribute. For the license control mode that can be used to implement the license activation through the license file to be sent to the VNF network element, the license generated by Global can be in the form of authorization certificate, license file, activation code, or the like. Each software provider can use its own mechanism. , do different combinations.

In the case of capacity expansion, Global LM can only provide the newly added license, and can also package the newly added license with the historically assigned license to synthesize a new license and release the original license.

710. The Global LM (License Issuance Unit 2015) returns a license to the Local LM (License Management Unit 2023). The Global LM generally needs to encrypt and transmit the license to ensure secure transmission of information.

711. The Local LM (the license management unit 2023) records the new license information, and updates the information such as the number of available licenses.

When Local LM and Global LM are connected abnormally, Local LM cannot apply for a new license to Global LM. At this time, Local LM can also act as a proxy for Global LM, or generate a license locally, such as a license based on the authorization of Global LM. The management unit 2023 cannot send a license application request to the Global LM, and cannot receive the license from the Global LM. The Local LM (the license management unit 2023) can generate a license and send the license information to the NFVO through the license issuance unit 2025. Subsequently, when the Local LM resumes communication with the Global LM, the Local LM (License Management Unit 2023) transmits the generated license to the Global LM (License Template and License Generation Unit 2011), such as the number, characteristics, functions, and the like. Information so that Global LM updates its recorded license information to the NFV network.

712. The Local LM (the license issuance unit 2025) notifies the NFVO (the license receiving unit 2035) of the license information that is requested, so that the NFVO can provide the software license to the VNF network element according to the license information.

For the license pooling solution, the license information can include the functions, characteristics, and corresponding quantity of the license. The local LM can perform certain processing or conversion on the license received from the Global LM. The NFVO is sent to the NFVO. In step 713, the NFVO sends a message to activate the license to the VNF according to the received license information, and notifies the VNF of the license information that can be used by the VNF.

If you need to activate the VNF through the license file, the license issued by the Global LM to the Local is the license file. The license file can include the activation code information. The license information provided by the local LM to the NFVO can include the activation code and the license file. The download address (such as the access address of the Local LM, such as the IP address, etc.) or the identifier of the license file, in step 713, the activation license and the license file are carried in the message that the NFVO sends the activation license to the VNF. Downloading the address or the identifier of the license file, etc., in step 714, the VNF network element downloads the corresponding license file from the Local LM according to the download address of the license file or the identifier of the license file, and uses the obtained activation code. Activate the license file to complete the activation of the license.

The Local LM can also send the license file and the activation code to the NFVO. The VNF network element can activate the license directly according to the license file and activation code provided by the NFVO.

For the license pooling solution, you do not need to provide a separate license file for the VNF network element. You only need to save the information about the license usage in the Local LM and notify the NFVO to assign the license information to the VNF network element. The VFN network element can obtain a specific license file. Step 714 can be omitted. However, the software provider can weaken the control of the license. The VNF network element can work beyond the limit number of licenses. At this time, the software provider can monitor whether the operator's client uses the software within the scope of the license specified by the VNF network element, or adjust the billing according to the usage of the license.

If the local LM is deployed in the same way as the VNFM, the local LM can directly notify the VNF instance of the license information.

715. The Local LM records the license activation information, and the license enters an active state.

716. The VNF instance notifies the NFVO activation information through the VNFM.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a process for releasing a license, as shown in Figure 9, including:

901. According to the subscription of Local LM (see 701), VNFM sends a VNF LCM status change notification (Terminate VNF or contraction) to Local LM when there is a termination NFV or a contraction NFV event.

902. The local LM obtains the license release mode corresponding to the instance from the NFVO.

903. The NFVO may determine to release the license completely or deactivate the license according to the service requirement, and notify the local LM of the released or deactivated license information. When deactivated, the operator may further use the license. If the VNF network element is released, the instance ID of the VNF network element to be released may be carried, and if it is a reduced capacity, the instance ID of the VNF network element and the reduced license information, such as the number of licenses, may be carried.

904. The local LM refreshes the license state. If the license is deactivated, the local LM adds the licenses to the number of available licenses. If the state machine manages, the status of the licenses can be set to the deactivated state-substate 1. If the license is completely released, the corresponding license resource is released locally, and Global LM can be notified to adjust the billing with Global LM based on the license usage.

905. The Local LM notifies the NFVO License release/deactivation to be completed.

906. When the license is released, the Local LM notifies the Global LM of the license release notification.

The application (including expansion) and release (including shrinkage) of the license described in the above procedure are triggered by the Local LM. In addition, the NFVO can also trigger the application and release of the license.

As shown in Figure 10 below, the process of applying for or releasing a license by NFVO triggers, including:

1001, NFVO based on VNF lifecycle management operations, such as instantiation, expansion or release, NFVO triggers the application or release process of the corresponding license file;

For example, in the various steps of steps 601 to 609, the NFVO triggers the application for the license file to the Local LM. In step 609, the instantiation can be completed, and the other steps are not completed. NFVO can apply for the corresponding license file to Local LM according to the needs of the VNF before or after instantiation.

1002, NFVO combined with the need of the service, determine the license operation behavior, for example, apply for a new license, perform step 903a, or release the license, perform step 903b, and send a request for the license or release the license to the Local LM. The specific process is similar to step 705.

The subsequent steps are basically the same as the above-mentioned embodiments. The main difference is that the license application/expansion or release triggering the NE body is different. The above two embodiments are used for the Local LM to trigger the application and release of the license, and this embodiment is the NFVO trigger. Since the specific implementation process after the triggering is basically the same as the implementation in the embodiment of FIG. 7 and FIG. 9, the description is not repeated.

The following is an example of implementing an expansion process according to the information reported by the VNF, including:

In the running process, the VNF statistics and the usage of the instance traffic related to the license control item (such as the feature or function usage, etc.) are sent to the Local LM according to the preset configuration timing, periodicity, or when the threshold is triggered. For example, a percentage of the licensed license usage (such as 90%, 100% or 120%, etc., the specific value is determined by the policy arrangement between the software provider and the operator) may be specified as a trigger threshold, and the statistics may include Various types of license usage statistics, such as statistics based on busy hours and idle hours, usage statistics based on functions or features, statistics of daily, weekly, or monthly users, and so on;

The local LM determines whether the usage of the license reaches the alarm threshold or exceeds the upper limit according to the statistics reported by the VNF.

1103. The Local LM sends an alert or a capacity expansion prompt to the NFVO according to its own control policy. The control policy may be sent to the Local LM by the Global LM, or configured on the Local LM, or sent by the operator's OSS system to the Local LM. For example, the control policy may be that the alarm threshold or the license upper limit is exceeded for three consecutive weeks;

1104. After receiving the alarm or expansion prompt of the local L, the NFVO determines whether to expand the capacity according to the service requirement, apply for additional license resources, or adjust the network resources according to the license view of the entire network and the overall operation of the service. The VNF with low network resource utilization is deleted, and the released license is added to the VNF with insufficient license.

If the VNF license is used at a low rate, Local LM can also notify NFVO, so that NFVO can perform corresponding shrinkage processing according to the prompt.

For the process of applying for the license, the process of capacity expansion, and the process of releasing and shrinking, refer to the foregoing description, for example, the application and release process of the specific license corresponding to FIG. 7 and FIG.

Similar to the process in Figure 11, the VNF can also report the statistics of the usage of the admission control items to the NFVO during operation, configure the control policy on the NFVO, and determine whether the additional license needs to be applied by the NFVO according to the control policy. Expand the capacity or release the license resource.

It should be understood that the flowcharts described in the above embodiments may be implemented by computer program instructions and/or hardware operations. The computer program instructions may be provided to a general purpose computer, a processor of a special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus such that the instructions are executed by a processor or other programmable data processing apparatus of the computer for implementation in the process The device of the function indicated in the figure.

The computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer usable or computer readable memory that can be booted by a computer or other programmable data processing device in a particular manner, such that instructions stored in a computer usable or computer readable memory produce such an article. The article of manufacture includes instructions for implementing the functions indicated in one or more of the blocks of the flowcharts.

The computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device to cause a series of operational steps on the computer or other programmable data processing device to produce a computer implemented process, thereby The instructions executed on a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions indicated in one or more of the flowcharts and/or block diagrams.

In the various exemplary designs described above, the above described functions described in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination of the three. If implemented in software, these functions can be stored on a computer readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code to a computer readable medium. Computer readable media includes computer storage media and communication media that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available media that any general purpose or special computer can access. For example, such computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other device or data structure that can be used for carrying or storing Other media that can be read by a general purpose or special computer, or a general purpose or special processor. In addition, any connection can be appropriately defined as a computer readable medium, for example, if the software is from a website site, server or other remote source through a coaxial cable, fiber optic computer, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) Or wirelessly transmitted in, for example, infrared, wireless, and microwave, is also included in the defined computer readable medium. The disks and discs include compact disks, laser disks, optical disks, DVDs, floppy disks, and Blu-ray disks. Disks typically replicate data magnetically, while disks typically optically replicate data with a laser. Combinations of the above may also be included in a computer readable medium.

Claims (33)

1. A license management system in an NFV (Network Function Virtualization) network, characterized in that the system includes a first license management server (201), a second license management server (202), and an NFV arranger NFVO ( 203), wherein the first license management server is a license management server of the software provider, and the second license management server is a license management server deployed in the NFV network and connected to the first license management server,

   The first license management server is configured to generate a license information description template (License Descriptor), and the license descriptor is sent to the NFVO, where the license Descriptor includes a license Descriptor ID, a VNFD ID, and a license information selection item, and the first license. The license management server is also used to issue a license to the second license management server;

   The NFVO is configured to obtain a license Descriptor delivered by the first license management server, and apply for a license required for deploying the NFV network element to the second license management server according to the license Descriptor;

   a second license management server, configured to receive a license application request of the NFVO, and send the license information to the NFVO according to the license issued by the first license management server, and the NFVO is based on the license information as a VNF (Virtual Network Function) , virtualized network function) provides software license.
2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first license management server is configured to send the license Descriptor to the second license management server, and the second license management server is configured to use the obtained license. Descriptor is sent to NFVO.
3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the software provider delivers the license descriptor generated by the first license management server together with the VNF Package when the VNF package is provided to the NFV operator, the NFVO. Used to obtain the License Descriptor during the VNF Package shelf process.
4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the NFVO is configured to perform a License Descriptor check after receiving the License Descriptor, and if the verification fails, send a notification message to the second license management server, carrying the License Descriptor ID. Or VNFD ID,

   The second license management server is configured to apply for a license Descriptor ID or a license Descriptor corresponding to the VNFD ID to the first license management server according to the License Descriptor ID or the VNFD ID, where the first license management server is configured to send the License Descriptor To the second license management server, the second license management server sends the License Descriptor to the NFVO.
5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first license management server is further configured to be connected to the software provider's order management system, after receiving the order purchase notification from the NFV network operator sent by the order management system, A license corresponding to the order information is transmitted to the second license management server based on the order information.
6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second license management server is configured to: upon receiving the license application request sent by the NFVO, determine that there is no local license that can satisfy the application requirement, to the first license management server Sending a license application request, the first license management server is configured to send a license to the second license management server after receiving the license application request sent by the second license management server.
7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second license management server is configured to receive a license application request sent by the NFVO, determine that there is no local license that can satisfy the application requirement, and return a purchase license to the NFVO. The notification message, the NFVO triggers the NFV network operator's OSS system to purchase the required license from the software provider's order management system according to the notification message; the first license management server is configured to receive the order After the order purchase notification sent by the management system, the license corresponding to the order information is sent to the second license management server.
8. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the NFVO is further configured to save a correspondence between a license Descriptor ID and a VNFD ID, and when the VNF is deployed, the required application is found according to the VNFD ID. The license Descriptor ID is used to complete the license application according to the License Descriptor corresponding to the License Descriptor ID.
9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the second license management server is configured to subscribe to a VNF LCM (Lifecycle Management) status change notification, and after receiving the subscription notification message, according to the VNF A change in state triggers an NFVO application or releases a license.
10. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second license management server determines the application or release of the license of the VNF according to the license information of the entire network and the network service requirement; or NFVO from The second license management server obtains the license information of the entire network, and the NFVO determines the application or release of the VNF license according to the license information of the entire network and the network service requirements.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second license management server is further configured to report a license usage to the first license management server for the software provider to perform billing according to the license usage.
12. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the NFVO is further configured to send a license release message to the second license management server when the VNF is reduced or released, the second license The management server is configured to release or deactivate the corresponding license according to the license release message.
13. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second license management server can be deployed independently or integrated in NFVO, NFVM (VNF Manager, VNF Manager) or OSS (Operation) Support system) in the system.
14. The system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the second license management server is further configured to generate a license as a proxy of the first license server or based on an authorization of the first license server. Proof that the license information is sent to the NFVO according to the generated license, and the second license management server is further configured to report the generation of the license to the first license server, where the first license server receives the license After the license is reported by the license management server, the license information provided to the NFV network recorded on the first license server is updated.
15. A method for managing licenses in an NFV network, characterized in that the method is applied to a management system including a first license management server (201), a second license management server (202), and a license constituted by NFVO Wherein the first license management server is a license management server of the software provider, and the second license management server is a license management server deployed within the NFV network and interfacing with the first license management server, the method comprising ,

    The NFVO obtains a license information description template sent by the first license management server, and the license Descriptor includes a license Descriptor ID, a VNFD ID, and a license information selection item;

    The NFVO applies to the second license management server for the license required to deploy the NFV network element according to the License Descriptor;

    The second license management server sends the license information to the NFVO according to the license issued from the first license management server;

    The NFVO provides a software license for the VNF based on the license information.
16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

    The second license management server receives the License Descriptor sent by the first license management server, and sends the obtained License Descriptor to the NFVO.
17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

    When the software provider provides the VNF Package to the NFV operator, the license Descriptor generated by the first license management server is sent together with the VNF Package, and the NFVO acquires the License Descriptor during the VNF Package shelf process.
18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

    After receiving the License Descriptor, the NFVO performs a License Descriptor check. If the verification fails, the NFVO sends a notification message to the second license management server, carrying the License Descriptor ID or the VNFD ID.

    The second license management server obtains a license Descriptor corresponding to the license descriptor ID or the VNFD ID from the first license management server according to the license ID or the VNFD ID, and obtains the license Descriptor delivered by the first license management server, and Send the License Descriptor to NFVO.
19. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

    The second license management server is configured to receive a license application request sent by the NFVO, determine that there is no local license that can satisfy the application requirement, send a license application request to the first license management server, and receive the first license. Manage the license issued by the server.
20. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

    The second license management server is configured to receive a license application request sent by the NFVO, determine that there is no local license that can satisfy the application requirement, and return a notification message to the NFVO that requires a purchase license, and the NFVO triggers the NFV according to the notification message. The network operator's OSS system purchases the required license from the software provider's order management system; the first license management server is configured to send the second license after receiving the order purchase notification sent by the order management system The license management server sends a license corresponding to the order information.
21. A method according to any of claims 15 to 20, further comprising

    The NFVO saves the correspondence between the license Descriptor ID and the VNFD ID. When the VNFNVF is deployed, the license Descriptor ID of the required application is found according to the VNFD ID, and the license application is completed according to the License Descriptor corresponding to the License Descriptor ID.
22. The method of claim 21, further comprising

    The second license management server is configured to subscribe to the VNF LCM status change notification, and after receiving the subscription notification message, trigger an NFVO application or release a license according to the NFV status change.
23. A method according to any of claims 15 to 20, further comprising

    The second license management server determines the application or release of the VNF license according to the license information of the entire network and the network service requirement, or the NFVO obtains the license information of the entire network from the second license management server, and the NFVO is based on the entire network. The license information and network business needs to determine the application or release of the VNF license.
24. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

    The second license management server reports the license usage status to the first license management server, so that the software provider performs charging according to the license usage.
25. A method according to any of claims 15 to 20, further comprising

    The NFVO, when the VNF is contracted or released, sends a license release message to the second license management server, the second license management server for releasing or deactivating the corresponding license according to the license release message.
26. A method according to any of claims 15 to 20, further comprising

    The second license management server generates a license as a proxy of the first license server or based on the authorization of the first license server, and transmits license information to the NFVO according to the generated license, the second license management The server reports to the first license server that the license is generated, and the first license server updates the NFV recorded on the first license server after receiving the license generated by the second license management server. License information provided by the network.
27. A management system for a license in an NFV (Network Function Virtualization) network, characterized in that the system includes a first license management server (201) and a second license management server (202), wherein the first license management The server is a license management server of the software provider, and the second license management server is a license management server deployed in the NFV network and connected to the first license management server.

    The first license management server is configured to generate a license information description template (License Descriptor), and the license descriptor is sent to the NFVO, where the license Descriptor includes a license Descriptor ID, a VNFD ID, and a license information selection item, and the first license. The license management server is also used to issue a license to the second license management server;

    The second license management server is configured to receive the license application request submitted by the NFVO according to the license Descriptor, and send the license information to the NFVO according to the license issued by the first license management server.
28. The system of claim 27 wherein:

    The first license management server is configured to send the license Descriptor to the second license management server, and the second license management server is configured to send the obtained License Descriptor to the NFVO.
29. The system according to claim 27, wherein the first license management server is further configured to be connected to the software provider's order management system, after receiving the order purchase notification from the NFV network operator sent by the order management system, A license corresponding to the order information is transmitted to the second license management server based on the order information.
30. The system according to claim 27, wherein the second license management server is configured to: upon receiving the license application request sent by the NFVO, determine that there is no local license that can satisfy the application request, to the first license management server Sending a license application request, the first license management server is configured to send a license to the second license management server after receiving the license application request sent by the second license management server.
31. The system according to claim 27, wherein the second license management server is configured to receive a license application request sent by the NFVO, determine that there is no local license that can satisfy the application requirement, and return a purchase license to the NFVO. The notification message, the NFVO triggers the NFV network operator's OSS system to purchase the required license from the software provider's order management system according to the notification message; the first license management server is configured to receive the order After the order purchase notification sent by the management system, the license corresponding to the order information is sent to the second license management server.
32. A system according to any one of claims 27 to 31, wherein the second license management server determines the application or release of the license of the VNF based on the license information of the entire network and the network service requirements.
33. A system according to any one of claims 27 to 31, wherein

    The second license management server is configured to generate a license as a proxy of the first license server or based on an authorization of the first license server, and send license information to the NFVO according to the generated license, the second license The certificate management server is used to report the generation of the license to the first license server;

    The first license server is configured to update the license information provided to the NFV network recorded on the first license server after receiving the situation of generating the license reported by the second license management server.

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