WO2018184504A1

WO2018184504A1 - Virtual resource allocation method, nfvo, and system

Info

Publication number: WO2018184504A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/081379
Authority: WO
Inventors: 夏海涛
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2017-04-06
Filing date: 2018-03-30
Publication date: 2018-10-11
Also published as: CN108696373A; CN108696373B

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications, and discloses a virtual resource allocation method, an NFVO and a system for reducing a time delay of an NFV MANO operation. The virtual resource allocation method comprises: an NFVO receives from an OSS/BSS a first NS instantiation request comprising instruction information, a first VNF instantiation parameter and/or a first nested NS instantiation parameter, wherein the first VNF instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement for a VNF instance in a first NS instance, and the first nested NS instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement for a nested NS instance in the first NS instance; if the instruction information instructs real-time processing, then, according to NS instantiation limiting conditions and the first VNF instantiation parameter, a VNF instance is selected from a NS instance resource pool, and according to the NS instantiation limiting conditions and the first nested NS instantiation parameter, a nested NS instance is selected from the NS instance resource pool; and the selected VNF instances and/or nested NS instances are packaged and/or configured to perform instantiation on the first NS instance. Embodiments of the present application are used in 5G slice management scenarios.

Description

Virtual resource allocation method, NFVO and system

The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 200910226931.7, entitled "Virtual Resource Allocation Method, NFVO and System" on April 6, 2017, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. in.

Technical field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a virtual resource allocation method, an NFVO, and a system.

Background technique

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is a software network operator that uses telecommunications technology in the field of Information Technology (IT) to implement some telecommunications network functions in general cloud servers, switches and storage. Decoupled from hardware to achieve rapid and efficient deployment of Network Service (NS) while achieving operational goals of saving investment costs and operating costs.

In the context of NFV, NS is a complete function of presenting network connectivity features consisting of a set of Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) and/or a set of nested Network Services (Nested NS). NS is defined by its functional and behavioral characteristics, and implements a set of lifecycle management in the Network Function Virtualization Management and Orchestration (NFV MANO) standard of the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). (Life Cycle Management, LCM) features. Currently, NS LCM operations are not real-time. For example, when instantiating, flexing, or updating an NS instance on demand, the time is typically as short as a few minutes and as long as tens of minutes. The allocation of virtual resources is a major part of the time consuming.

In addition, the introduction of the fifth generation mobile communication (5th Generation, 5G) slice management (Slice Management) scenario brings new features of NS LCM management diversity in the NFV environment, requiring NS LCM operations to enhance real-time response and processing capabilities. Typical scenarios include: autonomous driving applications, telemedicine, entertainment and gaming. The NFV MANO operation delay of the management plane needs to be reduced to the second or lower, in order to cope with the need of NFV technology to support vertical applications that are very sensitive to delay in the 5G slice management scenario. However, the existing NFV MANO function cannot achieve this goal.

Summary of the invention

Embodiments of the present application provide a virtual resource allocation method, NFVO, and system for reducing the delay of NFV MANO operations.

To achieve the above objective, the embodiment of the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

In a first aspect, a virtual resource allocation method is provided, including: a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO receives a first network service NS instantiation request from an operation and a business support system OSS/BSS, wherein the first NS instantiation request is used The first NS instance is instantiated, and the first NS instantiation request includes indication information, a first virtualized network function VNF instantiation parameter, and/or a first nested NS instantiation parameter, where the indication information is used to indicate whether to proceed The real-time processing, the first VNF instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement of the VNF instance in the first NS instance, and the first nested NS instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement of the nested NS instance in the first NS instance; When the indication information indicates that the real-time processing is performed, the NFVO selects the VNF instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the NS instantiation restriction condition, the first VNF instantiation parameter, and/or the NFVO instantiates the restriction condition according to the NS, the first nesting The NS instantiation parameter selects a nested NS instance from the NS instance resource pool, where the NS instance resource pool includes VNF instances and/or nested NS instances using different resource specifications; NFVO pairs the selected VNFs The instances and/or nested NS instances are assembled and/or configured to instantiate the first NS instance. The virtual resource allocation method provided by the embodiment of the present application, when there is a real-time requirement, selects a VNF instance and/or a nested NS instance that meets the requirements from the NS instance resource pool according to the NS instantiation restriction condition and the instantiation parameter, and performs assembly. And/or configured to instantiate an NS instance. Since the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool are allocated with virtual resources in advance, the virtual resources need not be allocated again in the NS LCM operation, which saves the operation response time, thereby reducing the delay of the NS LCM operation.

In one possible design, the method further includes the NFVO marking the usage status information of the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance as being occupied. This design can distinguish whether a VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool and/or a nested NS instance is occupied.

In a possible design, before the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO receives the first network service NS instantiation request from the operation and business support system OSS/BSS, the method further comprises: the NFVO receiving the second NS from the OSS/BSS Instantiating the request, the second NS instantiation request is for instantiating the NS instance resource pool, and the second NS instantiation request includes one or more sets of second VNF instantiation parameters and/or one or more sets of second nested NSs The instantiating parameters, a set of second VNF instantiation parameters are used to determine the virtual resource specifications to be used by the VNF instance in the instantiated NS instance resource pool, and a set of second nested NS instantiation parameters are used to determine the instantiated NS instance resource pool. The virtual resource specification to be used by the nested NS instance; the NFVO sends a VNF instantiation request to the virtual network function manager VNFM, and the VNF instantiation request is used to instantiate the VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool, and the VNF instantiation request includes The VNF instance identification information and the second VNF instantiation parameter; the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool are not connected to each other through the virtual link. This design provides a way to create an NS instance resource pool.

In a possible design, the method further includes: NFVO receiving an NS elastic scaling request from the OSS/BSS, where the NS elastic scaling request is used for elastically scaling the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance, The NS elastic scaling request includes the indication information, the identifier information of the first NS instance, the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter, and/or the nested NS instance elastic scaling parameter, and the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter is used to indicate the VNF instance to be flexibly stretched. The target resource specification, the nested NS instance elastic scaling parameter is used to indicate the target resource specification to be used for the nested NS instance to be flexibly stretched. When the indication information indicates real-time processing, the NFVO uses the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter from the NS instance resource. The VNF instance is selected in the pool, and/or NFVO selects a nested NS instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the nested NS instance elastic scaling parameter; NFVO assembles and configures the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance to Determining a second NS instance after performing elastic scaling; NFVO migrating the service of the first NS instance to the second NS instance; NFVO embedding the VNF instance in the first NS instance and/or The NS instance is reclaimed to the NS instance resource pool, and the usage status information of the reclaimed VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance is marked as unoccupied, and the VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool used in the second NS instance is/ Or the usage status information of the nested NS instance is marked as occupied. This design provides a way to flexibly scale an NS instance.

In a possible design, the method further includes: the NFVO receiving the first NS termination request from the OSS/BSS, where the first NS termination request includes the identifier information of the first NS instance; and the NFVO is based on the identifier information of the first NS instance, The VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance is recycled to the NS instance resource pool, and the usage status information of the recycled VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance is marked as unoccupied. The design provides a way to recycle VNF instances and/or nested NS instances in an NS instance to an NS instance resource pool.

In a possible design, the second NS instantiation request further includes the identifier information of the NS instance resource pool, the method further includes: the NFVO receiving the second NS termination request from the OSS/BSS, where the second NS termination request includes the NS instance resource The NFVO sends a VNF termination request to the VNFM. The VNF termination request includes the identifier information of the VNF instance of the NS instance resource pool corresponding to the identifier information of the NS instance resource pool, and is used to release the resources of the corresponding VNF instance. This design provides a way to release the NS instance resource pool.

In a possible design, the method further includes: the NFVO sending the usage status information of the VNF instance to the virtual network function manager VNFM. This design allows VNFM to know the state of use of VNF instances in the NS instance resource pool.

In one possible design, instantiation constraints include: location constraints, affinity, and anti-affinity rules between VNF instances and/or nested NS instances. This design provides a specific content of instantiation constraints.

In one possible design, the operational and business support system OSS/BSS is a slice manager or a network slice manager. This design provides a specific implementation of the OSS/BSS for operational and business support systems.

In a possible design, the method further includes: the NFVO receives an NS update request from the OSS/BSS, and the NS update request is used to update the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance, and the NS update request The indication information, the identifier information of the first NS instance, the VNF instance update parameter, and/or the nested NS instance update parameter are included, and the VNF instance update parameter is used to determine the target resource in the NS instance resource pool to be used by the VNF instance to be updated. The NS instance update parameter is used to determine the target resource specification in the NS instance resource pool to be used for the nested NS instance to be updated. When the indication information indicates real-time processing, the NFVO updates the parameter from the NS instance according to the VNF instance. The VNF instance is selected in the resource pool, and/or NFVO selects a nested NS instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the nested NS instance update parameter; NFVO assembles and configures the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance to Determining a third NS instance after performing the update; NFVO migrating the service of the first NS instance to the third NS instance; NFVO recovering the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance to the NS instance Pool, and mark the usage status information of the reclaimed VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance as unoccupied, and use the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool used in the third NS instance. Status information is marked as occupied. This design provides a way to update an NS instance.

In a second aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO, including: a receiving unit, configured to receive a first network service NS instantiation request from an operation and business support system OSS/BSS, where The NS instantiation request is used to instantiate the first NS instance, where the first NS instantiation request includes indication information, a first virtualized network function VNF instantiation parameter, and/or a first nested NS instantiation parameter, and the indication information The first VNF instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement of the VNF instance in the first NS instance, and the first nested NS instantiation parameter is used to indicate a nested NS instance in the first NS instance. An instantiation request; a selection unit, configured to select a VNF instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the NS instantiation restriction condition, the first VNF instantiation parameter, and/or according to the NS instance, when the indication information indicates real-time processing The NS instance resource pool includes a VNF instance using different resource specifications and/or a nested NS realm, and the first nested NS instantiation parameter selects a nested NS instance from the NS instance resource pool. ; Instantiating unit for VNF the selected instances and / or nested instances NS assembly and / or the first NS is configured to instantiate instances. The NFVO provided by the embodiment of the present application, when there is a real-time requirement, selects a VNF instance and/or a nested NS instance that meets the requirements from the NS instance resource pool according to the NS instantiation restriction condition and the instantiation parameter, and performs assembly and/or assembly. Configure to instantiate an NS instance. Since the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool are allocated with virtual resources in advance, the virtual resources need not be allocated again in the NS LCM operation, which saves the operation response time, thereby reducing the delay of the NS LCM operation. Based on the same inventive concept, the principle and the beneficial effects of the device can be referred to the first aspect and the possible method embodiments of the first aspect and the beneficial effects. Therefore, the implementation of the device can be referred to the first The aspects and implementations of the various possible methods of the first aspect are not repeated here.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO, including: a processor, a memory, a bus, and a communication interface; the memory is configured to store a computer execution instruction, and the processor is connected to the memory through the bus. ???When the NFVO is running, the processor executes the computer-executed instructions stored in the memory to cause the NFVO to perform the method of any of the above first aspects; based on the same inventive concept, the processor invokes an instruction stored in the memory to To implement the solution in the method design of the above first aspect, due to the implementation and beneficial effects of the NFVO problem solving, reference may be made to the implementation manner and the beneficial effects of the above first aspect and each possible method of the first aspect, and thus the implementation of the NFVO See the implementation of the method, and the repetition will not be repeated.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium, including instructions, when executed on a computer, causing a computer to perform a virtual resource allocation method according to the first aspect.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform a virtual resource allocation method as in the first aspect.

In addition, the technical effects brought by the design mode of any one of the second aspect to the fifth aspect can be referred to the technical effects brought by different design modes in the first aspect, and details are not described herein again.

In a sixth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a virtual resource allocation method, including: an operation and a business support system OSS/BSS sends a first network service NS instantiation request to a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO, where the first NS The instantiation request is used to instantiate the first NS instance, where the first NS instantiation request includes indication information, a first virtualized network function VNF instantiation parameter, and/or a first nested NS instantiation parameter, and the indication information is used. The first VNF instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement of the VNF instance in the first NS instance, and the first nested NS instantiation parameter is used to indicate the nested NS instance in the first NS instance. Instantiation requirements. The virtual resource allocation method provided by the embodiment of the present application, when there is a real-time requirement, selects a VNF instance and/or a nested NS instance that meets the requirements from the NS instance resource pool according to the NS instantiation restriction condition and the instantiation parameter, and performs assembly. And/or configured to instantiate an NS instance. Since the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool are allocated with virtual resources in advance, the virtual resources need not be allocated again in the NS LCM operation, which saves the operation response time, thereby reducing the delay of the NS LCM operation.

In a possible design, before the operation and business support system OSS/BSS sends the first network service NS instantiation request to the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO, the method further comprises: the OSS/BSS has an ultra-low latency Or a real-time type of vertical application needs to create a slice instance; the OSS/BSS sends a second NS instantiation request to the NFVO, the second NS instantiation request is used to instantiate the NS instance resource pool, and the second NS instantiation request includes One or more sets of second VNF instantiation parameters and/or one or more sets of second nested NS instantiation parameters, a set of second VNF instantiation parameters are used to determine that the VNF instance in the instantiated NS instance resource pool is to be used The virtual resource specification, a set of second nested NS instantiation parameters are used to determine the virtual resource specification to be used by the nested NS instance in the instantiated NS instance resource pool; the VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool and/or the nested NS Instances are not connected to each other through a virtual link. This design provides a way to create an NS instance resource pool.

In a possible design, the method further includes: the OSS/BSS sends an NS elastic scaling request to the NFVO, wherein the NS elastic scaling request is used to flex the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance. The NS elastic scaling request includes the indication information, the identification information of the first NS instance, the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter, and/or the nested NS instance elastic scaling parameter. The VNF instance elastic scaling parameter is used to determine the VNF instance to be flexibly stretched. The target resource specification in the NS instance resource pool used. The nested NS instance elastic scaling parameter is used to determine the target resource specification in the NS instance resource pool to be used in the nested NS instance to be flexibly scaled. This design provides a way to flexibly scale an NS instance.

In a possible design, the method further includes: the OSS/BSS sending an NS update request to the NFVO, wherein the NS update request is used to update the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance, NS The update request includes the indication information, the identifier information of the first NS instance, the VNF instance update parameter, and/or the nested NS instance update parameter, and the VNF instance update parameter is used to determine the NS instance resource pool to be used by the VNF instance to be updated. The target resource specification, the nested NS instance update parameter, is used to determine the target resource specification in the NS instance resource pool to be used for the nested NS instance to be updated. This design provides a way to update an NS instance.

In a possible design, the method further includes: the OSS/BSS sending a first NS termination request to the NFVO; wherein the first NS termination request is used to send the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance Released back to the NS instance resource pool. The design provides a way to recycle VNF instances and/or nested NS instances in an NS instance to an NS instance resource pool.

In a possible design, the method further comprises: the OSS/BSS terminating the slice instance according to the requirement of a type of vertical application with ultra-low latency or real-time; the OSS/BSS sends a second NS termination request to the NFVO, wherein The second NS termination request includes the identifier information of the NS instance resource pool, and is used to terminate (release) the NS instance resource pool. This design provides a way to release the NS instance resource pool.

In a seventh aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides an operation and business support system OSS/BSS, including: a sending unit, configured to send a first network service NS instantiation request to a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO, where The NS instantiation request is used to instantiate the first NS instance, where the first NS instantiation request includes indication information, a first virtualized network function VNF instantiation parameter, and/or a first nested NS instantiation parameter, and the indication information The first VNF instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement of the VNF instance in the first NS instance, and the first nested NS instantiation parameter is used to indicate a nested NS instance in the first NS instance. Instantiation requirements. The OSS/BSS provided in the embodiment of the present application, when there is a real-time requirement, selects a VNF instance and/or a nested NS instance that meets the requirements from the NS instance resource pool according to the NS instantiation restriction condition and the instantiation parameter, and performs assembly and / or configured to instantiate an NS instance. Since the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool are allocated with virtual resources in advance, the virtual resources need not be allocated again in the NS LCM operation, which saves the operation response time, thereby reducing the delay of the NS LCM operation. Based on the same inventive concept, the principles and benefits of the device can be solved by referring to the possible method embodiments of the sixth and sixth aspects and the beneficial effects. Therefore, the implementation of the device can be referred to the sixth. Aspects and implementations of the various possible methods of the sixth aspect are not repeated here.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an operation and business support system OSS/BSS, including: a processor, a memory, a bus, and a communication interface; the memory is configured to store a computer execution instruction, and the processor and the memory pass the bus Connected, when the OSS/BSS is running, the processor executes the computer-executed instructions stored by the memory to cause the OSS/BSS to perform the method of any of the above sixth aspects; based on the same inventive concept, the processor call is stored in The instructions in the memory to implement the solution in the method design of the sixth aspect above, and the implementation manner and the beneficial effects of the OSS/BSS problem solving can be referred to the embodiments of the sixth and sixth possible methods, and beneficial. The effect, therefore the implementation of the OSS/BSS can refer to the implementation of the method, and the repetition will not be repeated.

In a ninth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium, including instructions, when executed on a computer, causing a computer to execute the virtual resource allocation method according to the sixth aspect.

In a tenth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product comprising instructions, when executed on a computer, causing the computer to execute the virtual resource allocation method according to the sixth aspect.

In addition, the technical effects brought by the design mode of any one of the seventh aspect to the tenth aspect can be referred to the technical effects brought by different design modes in the sixth aspect, and details are not described herein again.

In an eleventh aspect, a network function virtualization NFV system is provided, comprising the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO according to the second aspect, and the operation and business support system OSS/BSS according to the seventh aspect, or The NFVO according to the third aspect and the OSS/BSS according to the eighth aspect are included. The OSS/BSS described above is used to create or terminate a slice instance based on the need for a vertical application with very low latency or real time, supported by NFVO real-time network service lifecycle management NS LCM operations. The technical effects brought about by the eleventh aspect can be seen in the technical effects brought about by the different design modes in the first aspect and the sixth aspect, and are not described herein again.

DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly described below.

1 is a schematic structural diagram of an NFV system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

2 is a schematic structural diagram of hardware of each server in an NFV system according to an embodiment of the present application;

3 is a schematic flowchart of a virtual resource allocation method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic flowchart diagram of another virtual resource allocation method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic flowchart of a method for creating an NS instance resource pool according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart diagram of an NS elastic expansion method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart diagram of an NS update method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of a method for recovering a first NS instance according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of a method for releasing an NS instance resource pool according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of an NFVO according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of another NFVO according to an embodiment of the present application; FIG.

FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of still another NFVO according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of an OSS/BSS according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of another OSS/BSS according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of still another OSS/BSS according to an embodiment of the present application.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments.

The NFV system architecture provided by the embodiment of the present application is as shown in FIG. 1. The NFV system 100 includes: NFV management and orchestration (NFV MANO) 101; NFV Infrastructure (NFVI) 102; At least one virtual network function 103; at least one Element Manager (EM) 104; and Operations and Business Support Systems (OSS/BSS) 105. The NFV management and orchestration system 101 includes an NFV Orchestrator (NFVO) 1011, at least one VNF Manager (VNFM) 1012, and a Virtualized Infrastructure Manager (VIM) 1013.

The NFV MANO 101 is used to perform monitoring and management of the VNF 103 and NFVI 102.

NFVO 1011 can realize the management and processing of Network Service Descriptor (NSD), Virtual Network Function Forwarding Graph (VNFFG), management of network service life cycle, and VNFM to realize VNF lifecycle management and virtualization. The global view feature of the resource.

VNFM 1012 can implement lifecycle management of virtualized network function VNF, including management of virtualized network function descriptor (VNFD), instantiation of VNF, and elastic scaling of VNF instances (including Scaling out/up). Scaling in/down), healing of VNF instances, and termination of VNF instances. The VNFM 1012 also supports the elastic scaling policy delivered by NFVO 1011 to implement automated VNF elastic scaling.

The VIM 1013 is responsible for the management of the hardware resources of the infrastructure layer, the management of the virtualized resources (including reservation and allocation), the monitoring and fault reporting of the virtual resource status, and the provision of virtualized resource pools for the upper-layer applications.

OSS/BSS 105 refers to the operator's existing operation and maintenance system OSS/BSS.

The EM 104 performs the functions of the traditional fault, configuration, user, performance, and security management (Fault Management, Account Management, Performance Management, Security Management, FCAPS).

The VNF corresponds to a Physical Network Function (PNF) in a traditional non-virtualized network, such as a virtualized Evolved Packet Core (EPC) node (for example, a Mobile Management Entity (MME)). , Serving GateWay (SGW), Packet Data Network GateWay (PGW), etc. The functional behavior and state of network functions are independent of virtualization. NFV technology requires that VNF and PNF have the same functional behavior and external interfaces.

The VNF can be composed of a plurality of lower level components (VNF Component, VNFC). Therefore, one VNF 103 can be deployed on multiple VMs 104, each of which carries the function of one VNF 103 component; multiple VNFs 103 also It can be deployed on one VM 104.

The NFVI 102 includes a hardware resource layer 1021, a virtual resource layer (software resource) 1022, and a virtualization layer 1023. The virtual resource layer 1022 includes at least one virtual machine (VM) 1021. From a VNF perspective, virtualization layer 1023 and hardware resource layer 1021 appear to be a complete entity capable of providing the required virtual resources.

The data for NFV MANO 101 is stored in the following repository:

NFV instance: Includes all running network service instances and VNF instances.

NFVI resources: Includes all NFVI resource status, available/reserved/allocated NFVI resources.

Referring to FIG. 2, it is a schematic diagram of a hardware structure of a server provided by an embodiment of the present application. The server 200 includes at least one processor 201, a communication bus 202, a memory 203, and at least one communication interface 204.

The processor 201 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more programs for controlling the execution of the program of the present application. integrated circuit.

Communication bus 202 can include a path for communicating information between the components described above.

The communication interface 204 uses a device such as any transceiver for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, Radio Access Network (RAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), etc. .

The memory 203 can 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 203 is used to store application code for executing the solution of the present application, and is controlled by the processor 201 for execution. The processor 201 is configured to execute the application code stored in the memory 203, thereby implementing the downlink signal transmission method described in the embodiment of the present application.

In a particular implementation, as an embodiment, processor 201 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in the figure.

In a particular implementation, as an embodiment, server 200 can include multiple processors, such as processor 201 and processor 208 in the figures. 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 specific implementation, as an embodiment, the server 200 may further include an output device 205 and an input device 206. Output device 205 is in communication with processor 201 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 205 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. Wait. Input device 206 is in communication with processor 201 and can accept user input in a variety of ways. For example, input device 206 can be a mouse, keyboard, touch screen device or sensing device, and the like.

The server 200 described above may be a general purpose server or a dedicated server. Or a device with a similar structure. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of the server 200. For example, the server 200 may be the VNFO 1011, VNFM 1012, VIM 1013, NFVI 102, OSS/BSS 105 server, etc. shown in FIG. It should be noted that, although the embodiments of the present application are described in terms of each function corresponding to one server, those skilled in the art may understand that in the actual product, multiple functions may be implemented on one server, which are all implemented in the present application. Within the scope of protection.

The invention provides a virtual resource allocation method, device and system, and preassembles virtual machine or container resources of the NFVI layer into different specifications of VNFC according to typical service characteristics of a vertical application with ultra-low latency or real-time requirements. The VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance, when the NFVO performs the NS LCM operation, selects to assemble or update the NS instance to be operated directly from the available semi-finished VNFC, VNF instance, and/or nested NS instance.

The following example illustrates how typical business characteristics of vertical industry applications implemented with 5G slices determine VNFCs, VNF instances, and/or nested NS instances of different specifications that meet ultra-low latency or real-time requirements. For example, a stadium holds a popular game, in which viewers share on a circle of friends or Twitter via mobile video. In this process, uploading video is not allowed to be stuck, and it has strong real-time interaction. The analysis of business resource characteristics is as follows:

1. Before half an hour before the competition, the business traffic was very small, and the main end users were the site staff.

2. The opening of the game within half an hour before the game, the business traffic is gradually increasing, and mainly the downlink data, which is reflected in the audience and the audience around the venue to download and refresh the game-related news, promotional advertisements or pre-game predictions.

3. After the start of the game, as the game progresses, the upstream business flow gradually increases, and the downstream business flow remains unchanged or reduced, which is reflected in the fact that the viewer continuously uploads the video and uploads it to the network to share with friends.

4. At the end of the game, the upstream business flow peaked, reflecting the highest level of audience sentiment, while the number of admission video uploading networks reached its peak.

5. Half an hour after the end of the game, the audience gradually dispersed. The business traffic is decremented and finally restored to the state before the game.

According to the typical traffic flow characteristics of the above application, the application provider can assemble VNFC or VNF instances of different virtual resource specifications that match different service flow models in advance. For example, for the virtualized packet switching gateWay (vPGW) that needs to be deployed in the gym in the above example (which can be understood as a VNF instance), five different resource specifications can be determined:

Specification 1: VNF (low computing resources, low storage resources, low network resources) with low resource allocation.

Specification 2: VNF (incoming computing resources, medium storage resources, medium uplink network resources, and low downlink network resources) with higher uplink network resources.

Specification 3: VNF (high computing resources, high storage resources, high uplink network resources, and medium and downlink network resources) with high uplink resource allocation.

Specification 4: VNF (medium computing resources, medium storage resources, medium and downlink network resources, and low uplink network resources) with higher downlink network resources.

Specification 5: VNF (high computing resources, high storage resources, high downlink network resources, and medium uplink network resources) with high downlink resource allocation.

After the NFVO monitors that the dynamic change of the virtual resource occupied by the NS exceeds a predetermined threshold, or when the NFVO receives the specific NS LCM operation request initiated by the OSS/BSS, the NFVO directly from the VNF instance including the different virtual resource specifications and/or embedded In the resource pool of the NS instance, select a semi-finished VNF instance and/or a nested NS instance that meets the resource requirements of the NS LCM operation request to assemble or update the NS instance.

The embodiment of the present application provides a virtual resource allocation method, as shown in FIG. 3, including:

S101. The OSS/BSS sends a first NS instantiation request to the NFVO, where the first instantiation request is used to instantiate the first NS instance, where the first NS instantiation request includes the indication information and the first virtualized network function. The VNF instantiation parameter and/or the first nested NS instantiation parameter, the indication information is used to indicate whether to perform real-time processing, and the first VNF instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement of the VNF instance in the first NS instance, first The nested NS instantiation parameter is used to indicate the instantiation requirements of the nested NS instance in the first NS instance.

Exemplarily, the OSS/BSS may be a Slice Manager, or a Network Slice Manager.

Optionally, the identifier information of the first NS instance may also be included in the first NS instantiation request.

S102. The NFVO receives the first NS instantiation request from the OSS/BSS.

S103. When the indication information in the first NS instantiation request indicates that the real-time processing is performed, the NFVO selects the VNF instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the NS instantiation restriction condition, the first VNF instantiation parameter, and/or the NFVO according to The NS instantiation constraint, the first nested NS instantiation parameter selects a nested NS instance from the NS instance resource pool, wherein the NS instance resource pool includes a VNF instance and/or a nested NS instance that use different resource specifications.

NS instantiation constraints include, but are not limited to, qualifications such as location constraints, affinity, anti-affinity rules, etc. between VNF instances and/or nested NS instances.

An NS instance resource pool can be considered as a simulated NS instance. It is a special NS instance formed by a normal NS instance after resource clipping and function tailoring. The NS instance resource pool contains a set of VNF instances and/or nested NS instances that reflect different virtual resource specifications. These VNF instances and/or nested NS instances are oriented to a vertical industry with ultra-low latency and/or real-time performance. Tailored by the business characteristics of the application. For example, the service provider can create an NS instance resource pool for the specific application. The NS instance resource pool contains five customized VNF instances, and the virtual resources allocated by each VNF instance are respectively Corresponding to one of specifications 1 to 5. In view of the fact that the stadium is a kind of regular traffic change feature that occurs in a fixed place or place, the resources used by the VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool can be in the same resource location (for example, the same data center). The resource zone and the host are allocated, or the VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool does not need to be defined by the affinity and/or anti-affinity rules. For an NS instance resource pool, its most important feature is to have VNF instances and/or nested NS instances that reflect different resource specifications that have been assigned virtual resources. These VNF instances and/or nested NS instances There is no connection through the virtual link, and it can be flexibly invoked by the actual NS instance in the vertical application to assemble or update its own instance.

The first VNF instantiation parameter or the first nested NS instantiation parameter is not used to explicitly indicate the corresponding VNF instance resource specification or the nested NS instance resource specification, but the NFVO needs to instantiate the parameter and the NS instance according to the first VNF. The VNF instance resource specification in the NS instance resource pool is selected to meet the VNF instantiation requirements described in the first VNF instantiation parameter, for example, the size of the instantiated capacity. Similarly, NFVO needs to select a nested NS instance resource specification in the NS instance resource pool according to the first nested NS instantiation parameter and the NS instantiation constraint to meet the first nested NS instantiation parameter. The described requirements for nested NS instantiation.

It should be noted that if the indication information indicates that the NS instantiation operation does not require real-time processing, the NFVO is performed according to a conventional NS instantiation process.

S104. The NFVO assembles and/or configures the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance to instantiate the first NS instance.

The virtual resource allocation method provided by the embodiment of the present application, when there is a real-time requirement, selects a VNF instance and/or a nested NS instance that meets the requirements from the NS instance resource pool according to the NS instantiation restriction condition and the instantiation parameter, and performs assembly. And/or configured to instantiate an NS instance. Since the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool are allocated with virtual resources in advance, the virtual resources need not be allocated again in the NS LCM operation, which saves the operation response time, thereby reducing the delay of the NS LCM operation.

Optionally, referring to FIG. 4, the method further includes:

S105. The NFVO returns a first NS instantiation response to the OSS/BSS.

S106. The NFVO marks the usage status information of the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance as being occupied.

S107. The NFVO sends a VNF state change notification to the VNFM corresponding to the selected VNF instance.

The identifier of the selected VNF instance and the usage status information of the VNF instance are included in the VNF state change notification message.

It should be noted that when multiple VNF instances are selected, and each VNF instance corresponds to a different VNFM, respectively, a VNF state change notification needs to be sent to each corresponding VNFM.

Optionally, referring to FIG. 5, before step S101, the method further includes the step of creating an NS instance resource pool:

S201, OSS/BSS creates a slice instance according to the requirements of a vertical application with ultra-low latency or real-time performance.

This slice instance needs to be further supported by NFVO real-time NS LCM operations.

S202. The OSS/BSS sends a second NS instantiation request to the NFVO.

The second NS instantiation request is used to instantiate the NS instance resource pool, and the second NS instantiation request includes one or more sets of second VNF instantiation parameters and/or one or more sets of second nested NS instantiation parameters, A set of second VNF instantiation parameters are used to determine a virtual resource specification to be used by the VNF instance in the instantiated NS instance resource pool, and a set of second nested NS instantiation parameters are used to instantiate the nested NS in the NS instance resource pool. The virtual resource specification to be used by the instance, the VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool and/or the nested NS instance are not connected to each other through the virtual link.

S203. The NFVO receives the second NS instantiation request from the OSS/BSS.

S204. The NFVO returns a second NS instantiation response to the OSS/BSS.

S205. The NFVO sends an NS lifecycle change notification to the OSS/BSS.

A start message is set in the notification message to inform the OSS/BSS to start the instantiation process of the asynchronous VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance.

S206. The NFVO sends a VNF instantiation request to the VNFM corresponding to the VNF instance of the NS instance resource pool.

The VNF instantiation request is used to instantiate the VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool, and the VNF instantiation request includes the VNF instance identification information and the second VNF instantiation parameter.

It should be noted that when multiple VNF instances need to be instantiated, and each VNF instance corresponds to a different VNFM, then a VNF instantiation request needs to be sent to each corresponding VNFM.

S207. The VNFM returns a VNF instantiation response to the NFVO.

S208. The NFVO sends an NS lifecycle change notification to the OSS/BSS.

The result information is set in the notification message to inform the OSS/BSS that the asynchronous VNF instance and/or the instantiation process of the nested NS instance ends, and the execution result information is carried in the result.

Optionally, referring to FIG. 6, after step S104, the method further includes the step of NS elastic stretching:

S301. The OSS/BSS sends an NS elastic scaling request to the NFVO.

The NS elastic scaling request is used to perform the elastic scaling of the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance. The NS elastic scaling request includes the indication information, the identifier information of the first NS instance, the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter, and/or Or the nested NS instance elastic scaling parameter. The VNF instance elastic scaling parameter is used to determine the target resource specification in the NS instance resource pool to be used in the VNF instance to be flexibly stretched. The nested NS instance elastic scaling parameter is used to determine the elastic scaling. The target resource specification in the NS instance resource pool to be used for nested NS instances.

S302. The NFVO receives the NS elastic scaling request from the OSS/BSS.

S303: When the indication information indicates that the real-time processing is performed, the NFVO selects the VNF instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter, and/or the NFVO selects the embedded NS instance resource pool according to the nested NS instance elastic scaling parameter. Set of NS instances.

If the indication information indicates that the NS elastic scaling operation does not require real-time processing, the NFVO is performed according to a conventional NS elastic scaling process.

S304. The NFVO assembles and configures the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance to determine a second NS instance after performing the elastic scaling.

S305. The NFVO migrates the service of the first NS instance to the second NS instance.

S306. The NFVO recovers the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance to the NS instance resource pool, and marks the used VNF instance and/or the usage status information of the nested NS instance as unoccupied. The usage status information of the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool used in the second NS instance is marked as occupied.

S307. The NFVO returns a response of the NS elastic extension to the OSS/BSS.

S308. The NFVO sends a VNF state change notification to the VNFM corresponding to the VNF instance involved in the elastic scaling operation.

The VNF status change notification includes the identity of the VNF instance and corresponding status information (occupied or unoccupied).

Optionally, referring to FIG. 7, after step S104, the method further includes the step of updating the NS:

S401. The OSS/BSS sends an NS update request to the NFVO.

The NS update request is used to update the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance, where the NS update request includes the indication information, the identifier information of the first NS instance, the VNF instance update parameter, and/or the nested NS. The instance update parameter, the VNF instance update parameter is used to determine the target resource specification in the NS instance resource pool to be used by the VNF instance to be updated, and the nested NS instance update parameter is used to determine the NS instance to be used for the nested NS instance to be updated. The target resource specification in the resource pool.

S402. The NFVO receives the NS update request from the OSS/BSS.

S403. When the indication information indicates that the real-time processing is performed, the NFVO selects the VNF instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the VNF instance update parameter, and/or the NFVO selects the nested NS from the NS instance resource pool according to the nested NS instance update parameter. Example.

If the indication information indicates that the NS update operation does not require real-time processing, the NFVO proceeds in accordance with the conventional NS update procedure.

S404. The NFVO assembles and configures the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance to determine a third NS instance after performing the update.

S405. The NFVO migrates the service of the first NS instance to the third NS instance.

S406. The NFVO recovers the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance to the NS instance resource pool, and marks the used VNF instance and/or the usage status information of the nested NS instance as unoccupied. The usage status information of the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool used in the third NS instance is marked as occupied.

S407. The NFVO returns an NS update response to the OSS/BSS.

S408. The NFVO sends a VNF state change notification to the VNFM corresponding to the VNF instance involved in the update operation.

Optionally, referring to FIG. 8, after the step S104, the method further includes the step of releasing the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance to the NS instance resource pool:

S501. The OSS/BSS sends a first NS termination request to the NFVO.

The first NS termination request is used to release the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance back to the NS instance resource pool.

The identification information of the first NS instance to be released is included in the first NS termination request.

S502. The NFVO receives the first NS termination request from the OSS/BSS.

S503. The NFVO recovers the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance to the NS instance resource pool according to the identifier information of the first NS instance, and uses the recycled VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance. Status information is marked as unoccupied.

S504. The NFVO returns an NS termination response to the OSS/BSS.

S505. The NFVO sends a VNF state change notification to the VNFM corresponding to the VNF instance of the original first NS instance.

The identifier of the VNF instance and the usage status information of the corresponding VNF instance are included in the VNF state change notification.

Optionally, referring to FIG. 9, after step S208, the method further includes the step of releasing the NS instance resource pool:

S601, OSS/BSS terminates the slice instance according to the requirements of a type of vertical application with ultra-low latency or real-time performance.

S602. The OSS/BSS sends a second NS termination request to the NFVO.

The second NS termination request includes the identifier information of the NS instance resource pool, and is used to terminate (release) the NS instance resource pool.

S603. The NFVO receives the second NS termination request from the OSS/BSS.

S604. The NFVO returns a second NS termination response to the OSS/BSS.

S605. The NFVO sends an NS lifecycle change notification to the OSS/BSS.

A start message is set in the notification message to inform the OSS/BSS to start the asynchronous VNF instance and/or the finalization process of the nested NS instance.

S606. The NFVO sends a VNF termination request to the VNFM corresponding to the VNF instance of the NS instance resource pool.

The VNF termination request includes the identifier information of the VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool corresponding to the identifier information of the NS instance resource pool, and is used to release the virtual resource corresponding to the VNF instance.

S607. The VNFM returns a VNF termination response to the NFVO.

S608. The NFVO sends an NS lifecycle change notification to the OSS/BSS.

The result information is set in the notification message to inform the OSS/BSS that the asynchronous VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance terminates, and carries the execution result information in the result.

The embodiment of the present application provides an NFVO for performing the foregoing virtual resource allocation method. The embodiment of the present application can divide the function module of the NFVO according to the above method example. For example, each function module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of the module in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and the actual implementation may have another division manner.

FIG. 10 shows a possible structural diagram of the NFVO involved in the foregoing embodiment, where the NFVO 30 includes: a receiving unit 3011, a selecting unit 3012, and an instantiating unit 3013. The transmitting unit 3014, the marking unit 3015, and the migration unit 3016. The receiving unit 3011 is configured to support the NFVO 30 to perform the process S102 in FIG. 3, the process S102 in FIG. 4, the process S203 in FIG. 5, the process S302 in FIG. 6, the process S402 in FIG. 7, and the process S502 in FIG. Process S603 in FIG. 9; the selection unit 3012 is configured to support the NFVO 30 to perform the process S103 in FIG. 3, the process S103 in FIG. 4, the process S303 in FIG. 6, and the process S403 in FIG. 7; the instantiation unit 3013 uses The process 710 in FIG. 3, the process S104 in FIG. 4, the process S304 in FIG. 6, and the process S404 in FIG. 7 are performed to support the NFVO 30; the transmitting unit 3014 is configured to support the NFVO 30 to execute the processes S105 and S107 in FIG. Processes S204, S205, S206, and S208 in FIG. 5, processes S307 and S308 in FIG. 6, processes S407 and S408 in FIG. 7, processes S504 and S505 in FIG. 8, and processes S604, S605 in FIG. S606 and S608; the marking unit 3015 is configured to support the NFVO 30 to perform the process S106 in FIG. 4, the process S306 in FIG. 6, the process S406 in FIG. 7, the process S503 in FIG. 8, and the migration unit 3016 is configured to support the NFVO 30 execution. Process S305 in FIG. 6, and process S405 in FIG. All the related content of the steps involved in the foregoing method embodiments may be referred to the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and details are not described herein again.

In the case of employing an integrated unit, Fig. 11 shows a possible structural diagram of the NFVO involved in the above embodiment. The NFVO 30 includes a processing module 3022 and a communication module 3023. The processing module 3022 is configured to control and manage the actions of the NFVO 30. For example, the processing module 3022 is configured to support the NFVO 30 to perform the processes S103 and S104 in FIG. 3, the processes S103, S104 and S106 in FIG. 4, and the process in FIG. S303-S306, processes S403-S406 in Fig. 7, and process S503 in Fig. 8. Communication module 3023 is used to support communication of NFVO with other entities, such as with the functional modules or network entities shown in FIG. The NFVO 30 may also include a storage module 3021 for storing program code and data of the NFVO.

The processing module 3022 may be a processor or a controller, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and an application-specific integrated circuit (Application-specific). Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 3023 can be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a communication interface, or the like. The storage module 3021 can be a memory.

When the processing module 3022 is a processor, the communication module 3023 is a transceiver, and the storage module 3021 is a memory, the NFVO involved in the embodiment of the present application may be an NFVO as described below.

Referring to FIG. 12, the NFVO 30 includes a processor 3032, a transceiver 3033, a memory 3031, and a bus 3034. The transceiver 3033, the processor 3032, and the memory 3031 are connected to each other through a bus 3034. The bus 3034 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. Wait. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is shown in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The embodiment of the present application provides an OSS/BSS for performing the foregoing virtual resource allocation method. The embodiment of the present application may divide the function module into the OSS/BSS according to the foregoing method example. For example, each function module may be divided according to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of the module in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and the actual implementation may have another division manner.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a possible structure of the OSS/BSS involved in the foregoing embodiment, and the OSS/BSS 40 includes: a sending unit 4011, a creating unit 4012, and a case where each function module is divided by a corresponding function. Termination unit 4013. The transmitting unit 4011 is configured to support the OSS/BSS 40 to perform the process S101 in FIG. 3, the process S101 in FIG. 4, the process S202 in FIG. 5, the process S301 in FIG. 6, the process S401 in FIG. 7, and the process in FIG. Process S501, process S602 in FIG. 9; creation unit 4012 for supporting OSS/BSS 40 to perform process S201 in FIG. 5; termination unit 4013 for supporting OSS/BSS 40 to perform process S601 in FIG. All the related content of the steps involved in the foregoing method embodiments may be referred to the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and details are not described herein again.

In the case of employing an integrated unit, FIG. 14 shows a possible structural diagram of the OSS/BSS involved in the above embodiment. The OSS/BSS 40 includes a processing module 4022 and a communication module 4023. The processing module 4022 is configured to perform control management on the actions of the OSS/BSS 40. For example, the processing module 4022 is configured to support the OSS/BSS 40 to perform the process S201 in FIG. 5 and the process S601 in FIG. Communication module 4023 is used to support communication of OSS/BSS with other entities, such as with the functional modules or network entities shown in FIG. The OSS/BSS 40 may also include a storage module 4021 for storing program codes and data of the OSS/BSS.

The processing module 4022 may be a processor or a controller, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and an application-specific integrated circuit (application-specific). Integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 4023 can be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a communication interface, or the like. The storage module 4021 can be a memory.

When the processing module 4022 is a processor, the communication module 4023 is a transceiver, and the storage module 4021 is a memory, the OSS/BSS involved in the embodiment of the present application may be an OSS/BSS as described below.

Referring to FIG. 15, the OSS/BSS 40 includes a processor 4032, a transceiver 4033, a memory 4031, and a bus 4034. The transceiver 4033, the processor 4032, and the memory 4031 are connected to each other through a bus 4034; the bus 4034 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. Wait. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is shown in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

It should be understood that, in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence numbers of the foregoing processes does not mean the order of execution sequence, and the order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not be applied to the embodiment of the present application. The implementation process constitutes any limitation.

In the above embodiments, it may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, it may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in accordance with embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions can be from a website site, computer, server or data center Transmission to another website site, computer, server, or data center by wire (eg, coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (eg, infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer readable storage medium can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device that includes one or more servers, data centers, etc. that can be integrated with the media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a Solid State Disk (SSD)) or the like.

The foregoing is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application. It should be covered by the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

A virtual resource allocation method, comprising:

The network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO receives the first network service NS instantiation request from the operation and business support system OSS/BSS, wherein the first NS instantiation request is used to instantiate the first NS instance, the first An NS instantiation request includes indication information, a first virtualization network function VNF instantiation parameter, and/or a first nested NS instantiation parameter, the indication information is used to indicate whether to perform real-time processing, the first VNF The instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement of the VNF instance in the first NS instance, and the first nested NS instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement of the nested NS instance in the first NS instance;

When the indication information indicates that the real-time processing is performed, the NFVO selects a VNF instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the NS instantiation restriction condition, the first VNF instantiation parameter, and/or the NFVO according to the The NS instantiation restriction, the first nested NS instantiation parameter, selects a nested NS instance from the NS instance resource pool, where the NS instance resource pool includes a VNF instance and/or embedded using different resource specifications. Set of NS instances;

The NFVO assembles and/or configures the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance to instantiate the first NS instance.
The method of claim 1 further comprising:

The NFVO marks the usage state information of the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance as being occupied.
The method of claim 1, wherein before the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO receives the first network service NS instantiation request from the operations and business support system OSS/BSS, the method further comprises:

The NFVO receives a second NS instantiation request from the OSS/BSS, the second NS instantiation request is used to instantiate the NS instance resource pool, and the second NS instantiation request includes one or more groups a second VNF instantiation parameter and/or one or more sets of second nested NS instantiation parameters, the set of second VNF instantiation parameters being used to determine to instantiate a VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool to use a virtual resource specification, where the set of second nested NS instantiation parameters is used to determine a virtual resource specification to be used to instantiate a nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool;

The NFVO sends a VNF instantiation request to the virtual network function manager VNFM, where the VNF instantiation request is used to instantiate a VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool, where the VNF instantiation request includes an identifier of the VNF instance. Information and the second VNF instantiation parameter;

The VNF instances and/or the nested NS instances in the NS instance resource pool are not connected to each other through a virtual link.
The method of claim 1 further comprising:

The NFVO receives an NS elastic scaling request from the OSS/BSS, where the NS elastic scaling request is used to elastically scale the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance, and the NS elastic scaling The request includes the indication information, the identifier information of the first NS instance, the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter, and/or the nested NS instance elastic scaling parameter, where the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter is used to indicate a VNF instance to be elastically stretched. The target resource specification to be used, the embedded NS instance elastic scaling parameter is used to indicate the target resource specification to be used by the nested NS instance to be flexibly stretched;

When the indication information indicates that the real-time processing is performed, the NFVO selects a VNF instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter, and/or the NFVO is flexible according to the nested NS instance. The scaling parameter selects a nested NS instance from the NS instance resource pool;

The NFVO assembles and configures the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance to determine a second NS instance after performing the elastic scaling;

The NFVO migrates the service of the first NS instance to the second NS instance;

The NFVO recovers the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance to the NS instance resource pool, and marks the usage status information of the recycled VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance as Occupied, the usage status information of the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool used in the second NS instance is marked as occupied.
The method of claim 1 further comprising:

Receiving, by the NFVO, a first NS termination request from the OSS/BSS, where the first NS termination request includes identifier information of the first NS instance;

The NFVO recovers the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance to the NS instance resource pool according to the identifier information of the first NS instance, and the recovered VNF instance and/or The usage status information of the nested NS instance is marked as unoccupied.
The method of claim 3, wherein the second NS instantiation request further includes identification information of the NS instance resource pool, the method further comprising:

The NFVO receives a second NS termination request from the OSS/BSS, where the second NS termination request includes identifier information of the NS instance resource pool;

The NFVO sends a VNF termination request to the VNFM, where the VNF termination request includes the identifier information of the VNF instance of the NS instance resource pool corresponding to the identifier information of the NS instance resource pool, and is used to release the resource of the corresponding VNF instance.
The method of any of claims 2, 4, or 5, wherein the method further comprises:

The NFVO sends usage state information of the VNF instance to the virtual network function manager VNFM.
The method of claim 1, wherein the instantiation constraints comprise: location constraints, affinity, anti-affinity rules between VNF instances and/or nested NS instances.
The method of claim 1 wherein the operations and business support system OSS/BSS is a slice manager or a network slice manager.
A network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive a first network service NS instantiation request from an operation and business support system OSS/BSS, wherein the first NS instantiation request is used to instantiate a first NS instance, the first NS The instantiation request includes indication information, a first virtualized network function VNF instantiation parameter, and/or a first nested NS instantiation parameter, the indication information is used to indicate whether to perform real-time processing, the first VNF instantiation The parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement of the VNF instance in the first NS instance, where the first nested NS instantiation parameter is used to indicate an instantiation requirement of the nested NS instance in the first NS instance;

a selecting unit, configured to: when the indication information indicates that the real-time processing is performed, select a VNF instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the NS instantiation restriction condition, the first VNF instantiation parameter, and/or, according to the NS Instantiating constraints, the first nested NS instantiation parameter selecting a nested NS instance from the NS instance resource pool, wherein the NS instance resource pool includes VNF instances and/or nesting using different resource specifications NS instance;

An instantiation unit for assembling and/or configuring the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance to instantiate the first NS instance.
The NFVO according to claim 10, wherein the NFVO further comprises:

A marking unit for marking usage state information of the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance as occupied.
The NFVO according to claim 10, characterized in that

The receiving unit is further configured to: before receiving the first network service NS instantiation request from the operation and business support system OSS/BSS, receive a second NS instantiation request from the OSS/BSS, where the second NS instantiates Requesting to instantiate the NS instance resource pool, the second NS instantiation request including one or more sets of second VNF instantiation parameters and/or one or more sets of second nested NS instantiation parameters, Determining a set of second VNF instantiation parameters for determining a virtual resource specification to be used by a VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool, the set of second nested NS instantiation parameters being used to determine to instantiate the NS The virtual resource specification to be used by nested NS instances in the instance resource pool;

The NFVO further includes a sending unit, configured to send a VNF instantiation request to the virtual network function manager VNFM, where the VNF instantiation request is used to instantiate a VNF instance in the NS instance resource pool, the VNF instance The request includes the identification information of the VNF instance and the second VNF instantiation parameter;

The VNF instances and/or the nested NS instances in the NS instance resource pool are not connected to each other through a virtual link.
The NFVO according to claim 10, characterized in that

The receiving unit is further configured to receive an NS elastic scaling request from the OSS/BSS, where the NS elastic scaling request is used to perform elastic scaling on the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance. The NS elastic scaling request includes the indication information, the identifier information of the first NS instance, the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter, and/or the nested NS instance elastic scaling parameter, where the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter is used to indicate to be The target resource specification to be used by the VNF instance. The embedded NS instance elastic scaling parameter is used to indicate the target resource specification to be used by the nested NS instance to be flexibly scaled.

The selecting unit is further configured to: when the indication information indicates that the real-time processing is performed, select a VNF instance from the NS instance resource pool according to the VNF instance elastic scaling parameter, and/or, according to the nested NS The instance elastic scaling parameter selects a nested NS instance from the NS instance resource pool;

The instantiation unit is further configured to assemble and configure the selected VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance to determine a second NS instance after performing the elastic scaling;

The NFVO further includes a migration unit, configured to migrate the service of the first NS instance to the second NS instance;

The NFVO further includes a marking unit, configured to recycle the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance to the NS instance resource pool, and reclaim the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance. The usage status information is marked as unoccupied, and the usage status information of the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the NS instance resource pool used in the second NS instance is marked as occupied.
The NFVO according to claim 10, characterized in that

The receiving unit is further configured to receive a first NS termination request from the OSS/BSS, where the first NS termination request includes identifier information of the first NS instance;

The NFVO further includes a marking unit, configured to recycle the VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance in the first NS instance to the NS instance resource pool according to the identifier information of the first NS instance, and The usage status information of the recycled VNF instance and/or the nested NS instance is marked as unoccupied.
The NFVO according to claim 12, wherein the second NS instantiation request further includes identification information of the NS instance resource pool,

The receiving unit is further configured to receive a second NS termination request from the OSS/BSS, where the second NS termination request includes identifier information of the NS instance resource pool;

The NFVO further includes a sending unit, configured to send a VNF termination request to the VNFM, where the VNF termination request includes identifier information of a VNF instance of the NS instance resource pool corresponding to the identifier information of the NS instance resource pool, where Release the resources corresponding to the VNF instance.
The NFVO according to any one of claims 11, 13, and 14, wherein

The NFVO further includes a sending unit, configured to send usage state information of the VNF instance to the virtual network function manager VNFM.
The NFVO of claim 10, wherein the instantiation constraints comprise: location constraints, affinity, anti-affinity rules between VNF instances and/or nested NS instances.
The NFVO of claim 10, wherein the operations and business support system OSS/BSS is a slice manager or a network slice manager.
A network function virtualization NFV system, comprising the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO and the operation and business support system OSS/BSS according to any one of claims 10-18, wherein the OSS/BSS is used A slice instance is created or terminated according to the requirements of a vertical application with ultra-low latency or real-time strength, the slice instance being supported by the NFVO real-time network service lifecycle management NS LCM operation.
The system of claim 19, wherein the operations and business support system OSS/BSS is a slice manager or a network slice manager.