U.S. patent application number 16/408448 was filed with the patent office on 2019-10-31 for managing virtual links in a network service instance.
This patent application is currently assigned to Intel Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is Intel Corporation. Invention is credited to Joey Chou, Yizhi Yao.
Application Number | 20190334783 16/408448 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 67843574 |
Filed Date | 2019-10-31 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190334783 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chou; Joey ; et al. |
October 31, 2019 |
MANAGING VIRTUAL LINKS IN A NETWORK SERVICE INSTANCE
Abstract
An apparatus of a Network Manager (NM) comprises one or more
processors to send a Network Service (NS) update request to a
Network Function Virtualization Orchestrator (NFVO) to add external
connectivity to a Physical Network Function (PNF) instance or a
Virtual Network Function (VNF) instance in an NS instance, to
receive an operation result containing a lifecycle operation
occurrence identifier from the NFVO, to receive a lifecycle change
notification from the NFVO indicating a start of an NS update, and
to receive an NS Lifecycle Change notification from the NFVO
indicating a result of the NS update. A memory is to store the
result of the NS update.
Inventors: |
Chou; Joey; (Scottsdale,
AZ) ; Yao; Yizhi; (Chandler, AZ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Intel Corporation |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Intel Corporation
Santa Clara
CA
|
Family ID: |
67843574 |
Appl. No.: |
16/408448 |
Filed: |
May 9, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16357959 |
Mar 19, 2019 |
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16408448 |
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62648131 |
Mar 26, 2018 |
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62665924 |
May 2, 2018 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 41/12 20130101;
H04L 41/082 20130101; H04L 41/0806 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04L 12/24 20060101
H04L012/24 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. An apparatus of a network manager (NM), comprising: one or more
processors to send a network service (NS) update request to a
network functions virtualization orchestrator (NFVO) to add a
virtual link to an NS instance, to receive from the NFVO an NM
lifecycle operation occurrence identifier, and to receive from the
NFVO an NM lifecycle change notification indicating a start of the
operation; and a memory to store the NM lifecycle change
notification.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are
to receive from the NFVO another NM lifecycle change notification
indicating a progress of the operation.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the one or more processors are
to receive from the NFVO another NM lifecycle change notification
indicating a result of the operation.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the virtual link is added to
the NS instance as the result of the operation.
6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the NM is subscribed to
receive NS lifecycle management (LCM) notifications.
7. An apparatus of a network functions virtualization orchestrator
(NFVO), comprising: one or more processors to receive a request
from a network manager (NM) to update a network service (NS) to add
a virtual link to an NS instance, to send to the NM an NM lifecycle
operation occurrence identifier, and to send to the NM an NM
lifecycle change notification indicating a start the NS update; and
a memory to store the request.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are
to send to the NM another NM lifecycle change notification
indicating a progress of the operation.
9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are
to send to the NM another NM lifecycle change notification
indicating a result of the operation.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the virtual link is added to
the NS instance as the result of the operation.
11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors
are to receive an NS update request from the NM to remove the
virtual link from the NS instance.
12. One or more non-transitory machine readable media having
instructions stored thereon that, when executed by an apparatus of
a network manager (NM), result in: sending a network service (NS)
update request to a network functions virtualization orchestrator
(NFVO) to add a virtual link to an NS instance; receiving from the
NFVO an NM lifecycle operation occurrence identifier for; and
receiving from the NFVO an NM lifecycle change notification
indicating a start of the operation.
13. The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim
12, wherein the instructions, when executed, further result in
receiving from the NFVO another NM lifecycle change notification
indicating a progress of the operation.
14. The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim
12, wherein the instructions, when executed, further result in
receiving from the NFVO another NM lifecycle change notification
indicating a result of the operation.
15. The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim
14, wherein the virtual link is added to the NS instance as the
result of the operation.
16. The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim
12, wherein the instructions, when executed, further result in
sending an NS update request to the NFVO to remove the virtual link
from the NS instance.
17. One or more non-transitory machine readable media having
instructions stored thereon that, when executed by an apparatus of
a network functions virtualization orchestrator (NFVO), result in:
receiving a request from a network manager (NM) to update a network
service (NS) to add a virtual link to an NS instance; sending to
the NM an NM lifecycle operation occurrence identifier; and sending
to the NM an NM lifecycle change notification indicating a start
the NS update.
18. The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim
17, wherein the instructions, when executed, result in sending to
the NM another NM lifecycle change notification indicating a
progress of the operation.
19. The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim
17, wherein the instructions, when executed, result in sending to
the NM another NM lifecycle change notification indicating a result
of the operation.
20. The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim
19, wherein the virtual link is added to the NS instance as the
result of the operation.
21. The one or more non-transitory machine readable media of claim
17, wherein it is assumed the NM is subscribed to receive NS
lifecycle management (LCM) notifications.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The preset application is a continuation of pending U.S.
application Ser. No. 16/357,959 filed Mar. 19, 2019, entitled
MANAGING VIRTUAL LINKS IN A NETWORK SERVICE INSTANCE, which in turn
claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/648,131
(AB0013-Z) filed Mar. 26, 2018 and U.S. Provisional Application No.
62/665,924 (AB1122-Z) filed May 5, 2018. Said application Ser. No.
16/357,959, said Application No. 62/648,131, and said Application
No. 62/665,924 are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their
entireties.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The architecture of Fifth Generation (5G) network
architecture consists of 5G core Network Functions (NFs) such as
User Plane Function (UPF), Session Management Function (SMF),
Network Slice Select Function (NSSF), and Network Exposure Function
(NEF). The architecture also consists of a Next Generation (NG)
Radio Access Network (RAN) where the functional split feature
splits a Next Generation NodeB (gNB) into a gNB Centralized Unit
(gNB) that implements the upper layer gNB function and a gNB
Distributed Unit (gNB-DU) that implements the lower layer gNB
function. The gNB-CU can be implemented as a Virtualized Network
Function (VNF), and the gNB-DU can be implemented as a Physical
Network Function (PNF). A network operator can create a virtualized
5G network by using European Telecommunications Standards Institute
(ETSI) Network Function Virtualization (NFV) lifecycle management
function to instantiate a Network Service (NS) in the cloud that
contains Virtual Network Functions (VFNs) such as 5G core NFs and
the gNB-CU, and PNFs such as the gNB-DU.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0003] Claimed subject matter is particularly pointed out and
distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification.
However, such subject matter may be understood by reference to the
following detailed description when read with the accompanying
drawings in which:
[0004] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a network service run-time view in
accordance with one or more embodiments.
[0005] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a Third Generation Partnership
Project (3GPP) management and a European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI) Network Function Virtualization (NFV)
Management and Orchestration (MANO) architecture in accordance with
one or more embodiments.
[0006] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a network service with two Virtual
Network Function Forwarding Graphs (VNFFGs) with different Network
Forwarding Paths (NFPs) in accordance with one or more
embodiments.
[0007] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a VNFFG update procedure to add,
delete, or modify an NFP to a VNFFG instance in accordance with one
or more embodiments.
[0008] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an NS update to add a VNFFG to an NS
instance in accordance with one or more embodiments.
[0009] FIG. 6 illustrates an architecture of a system of a network
in accordance with some embodiments.
[0010] FIG. 7 illustrates example components of a device in
accordance with some embodiments.
[0011] FIG. 8 illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry
in accordance with some embodiments.
[0012] It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of
illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not
necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of
some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements
for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals
have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding
and/or analogous elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] In the following detailed description, numerous specific
details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of
claimed subject matter. It will, however, be understood by those
skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced
without these specific details. In other instances, well-known
methods, procedures, components and/or circuits have not been
described in detail.
[0014] In the following description and/or claims, the terms
coupled and/or connected, along with their derivatives, may be
used. In particular embodiments, connected may be used to indicate
that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical
contact with each other. Coupled may mean that two or more elements
are in direct physical and/or electrical contact. However, coupled
may also mean that two or more elements may not be in direct
contact with each other, but yet may still cooperate and/or
interact with each other. For example, "coupled" may mean that two
or more elements do not contact each other but are indirectly
joined together via another element or intermediate elements.
Finally, the terms "on," "overlying," and "over" may be used in the
following description and claims. "On," "overlying," and "over" may
be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct
physical contact with each other. It should be noted, however, that
"over" may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct
contact with each other. For example, "over" may mean that one
element is above another element but not contact each other and may
have another element or elements in between the two elements.
Furthermore, the term "and/or" may mean "and", it may mean "or", it
may mean "exclusive-or", it may mean "one", it may mean "some, but
not all", it may mean "neither", and/or it may mean "both",
although the scope of claimed subject matter is not limited in this
respect. In the following description and/or claims, the terms
"comprise" and "include," along with their derivatives, may be used
and are intended as synonyms for each other.
[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a network service run-time view in
accordance with one or more embodiments. The core network functions
of Fifth Generation (5G) networks and the 5G NodeB Centralized Unit
(gNB-CU) can be implemented as Virtualized Network Functions
(VNFs), and the gNB Distributed Unit (gNB-DU) can be implemented as
a PNF (Physical Network Function). Network operators can create
virtualized 5G networks by using European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI) Network Function Virtualization (NFV)
lifecycle management function to instantiate a NS (Network Service)
in the cloud that contains Virtual Network Functions (VFNs) such as
5G core NFs and the gNB-CU, and PNFs such as the gNB-DU.
FIG. 1 shows the connectivity between VNF and PNF that is
implemented by a Network Service (NS) virtual link. For example, NS
run-time view 100 includes VNF/PNF run-time view 110 and NS Virtual
Link run-time view 112. As shown in FIG. 1, virtual network
function (VNF #1) 114 is connected to NS virtual link
(NsVirtualLink #3) 118 via VNF external connection point (VnfExtCP
#1) 120, and physical network function (PNF #2) 116 is connected to
NS virtual link (NsVirtualLink #3) 118 via PNF external connection
point (PnfExtCp #2). External link ports (ExtLinkPort #1) 124 and
(ExtLinkPort #2) 126 of VNF/PNF run-time view 110 couple to NS link
ports (NsLinkPort #1) 128 and (NsLinkPort #2) 130 of NS Virtual
Link run-time view 112.
[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a Third Generation Partnership
Project (3GPP) management and a European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI) Network Function Virtualization (NFV)
Management and Orchestration (MANO) architecture in accordance with
one or more embodiments. The 3GPP management system network
management architecture 200 is based on Fourth Generation (4G)
networks which may be subject to change in Fight Generation (5G)
networks. As used herein, the term "Network Management Function
(NM)" for 5G plays a similar role as the NM in 4G, and the scope of
the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, network management architecture 200 can
include an Operations Support System and/or Business Support System
(OSS/BSS) 210, Network Manager (NM) 212, Domain Manager (DM) 214,
and Element Manager (EM) 216. Where the NFV environment comprises a
Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network, the NM 212, DM
214, and EM 216 can comprise a 3GPP Management System 222. Such a
3GPP Management System can control one or more network elements
(NEs) that operate as a Physical Network Function (PNF) (gNB-DU)
218, and further can control one or more Virtual Network Functions
(VNFs), for example VNF (gNB-CU) 224 and/or VNF (5G NF) 226. An NFV
Infrastructure (NFVI) 228 comprises hardware and/or software to
realize the VNF blocks. In accordance with one or more embodiments,
network architecture 200 can operate in compliance with a 3GPP
standard, for example 3GPP Technical Standard 28.500 V14.1.0
(2017-03) or in compliance with European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI) Group Specification (GS) NFV 002 V1.1.1
(2013-10), although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not
limited in these respects.
[0018] In one or more embodiments, NFV Management and Orchestration
(NFV-MANO) 230 comprises and architectural framework to manage and
orchestrate the VNF blocks of NFV management architecture 200, for
example to implement one or more VNF blocks as one or more virtual
machines running on NFVI 228. The NFV-MANO 230 can include NFV
Orchestrator (NFVO) 232, VNF Manager (VNFM) 234, and/or Virtualized
Infrastructure Manager (VIM) 236. Furthermore, NVF-MANO 230 can
include one or more interfaces to couple with OSS/BSS 210, EM 216,
one or more VNF blocks, and NFVI 228.
[0019] In one or more embodiments, NM 212 can add external
connectivity to a PNF 218 or VNF instance in a NS. Such external
connectivity may be added when a VNF instance that has been
instantiated or added in a NS may not have enough external
connectivity, for example due the lack of an ExtVirtualLink 118 in
the action of instantiating new VNF instances in the NS instance,
when some NsVirtualLinkConnectivity is not ready for a VNFProfile
in the NSD when instantiating the NS. Such external connectivity
also can be added when some connectivity for a PNF instance in a NS
may have not been established yet. In addition. When the NS is
updated to have more PNF or VNF instances, new connectivity may be
needed between the existing PNF or VNF instances and the new PNF or
VNF instances. For instance, when some new eNBs are added to a NS,
some new connectivity may be needed for Mobility Management Entity
(MME) VNFs. The following use cases can be added to 3GPP TS 28.525
to enable operators to add external connectivity to a PNF or VNF
instance, for example section 6.4.3.18 of 3GPP TS 28.525 V15.0.0
(2018-06).
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Use Cases for adding external connectivity
to PNF or VNF instance Use Case Evolution/Specification Goal Add
external connectivity to a PNF or VNF instance. Actors and NM Roles
Telecom NFVO resources Assumptions NM is subscribed to receive the
NS LCM notifications. Pre- A PNF or VNF instance has been added or
instantiated in conditions an NS instance without the external
connectivity, or a new external connectivity is needed due to PNF
or VNF upgrade. Begins when NM determines (e.g. by operator's
request) that it is necessary to add the external connectivity to
an existing PNF or VNF instance. Step 1 (M) NM sends a request to
the NFVO to update the NS instance by adding the external
connectivity to an existing PNF or VNF instance. Step 2 (M) NFVO
returns to the NM lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId and processes the
request Step 3 (M) NFVO sends to NM Lifecycle Change Notification
indicating start of the operation. Step 4 (M) NFVO sends to NM
Lifecycle Change Notifications indicating progress of the
operation. Step 5 (M) NFVO sends to NM Lifecycle Change
Notification indicating result of the operation. Ends when All the
steps identified above are successfully completed. Exceptions One
of the steps identified above fails. Post- The external
connectivity has been added to the PNF or conditions VNF instance
according to the operator's needs. Traceability
REQ-NFV_LCM_Os-Ma-nfvo-FUN-x
[0020] For REQ-NFV_LCM_Os-Ma-nfvo-FUN-x, the Os-Ma-nfvo reference
point shall support a capability allowing NM to request the
addition of the external connectivity to a PNF or VNF instance as
part of NS update. The NM 212 can add a new virtual link instance
to a NS instance, for example when no virtual link is available for
use, or when a new virtual link is needed due to the update of NS.
The NM 212 also can remove a virtual link from a NS instance when
it is no longer needed.
[0021] The following lists use cases and requirements to be added
to 3GPP TS 28.525 to enable operators to add a virtual link to a NS
instance, and remove a virtual link from a NS instance.
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 6.4.3.x Add a virtual link to a NS instance
Use Case Evolution/Specification Goal Add a virtual link to a NS
instance. Actors and NM Roles Telecom NFVO resources Assumptions NM
is subscribed to receive the NS LCM notifications. Pre- The NS
where the virtual link is to be added has been conditions
instantiated. The virtual link descriptor and virtual link profile
for the virtual link to be added are available in the NSD either
on-boarded originally or updated. Begins when NM determines (e.g.
by operator's request) that it is necessary to add a virtual link
to an existing NS instance. Step 1 (M) NM sends a request to the
NFVO to update the NS instance to add a virtual link. Step 2 (M)
NFVO returns to the NM lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId and processes
the request Step 3 (M) NFVO sends to NM Lifecycle Change
Notification indicating start of the operation. Step 4 (M) NFVO
sends to NM Lifecycle Change Notifications indicating progress of
the operation. Step 5 (M) NFVO sends to NM Lifecycle Change
Notification indicating result of the operation. Ends when All the
steps identified above are successfully completed. Exceptions One
of the steps identified above fails. Post- A virtual link has been
added to the NS instance according conditions to the operator's
needs. Traceability REQ-NFV_LCM_Os-Ma-nfvo-FUN-x
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 6.4.3.y Remove a virtual link from a NS
instance Use Case Evolution/Specification Goal Remove a virtual
link from a NS instance. Actors and NM Roles Telecom NFVO resources
Assumptions NM is subscribed to receive the NS LCM notifications.
Pre- A virtual link in a NS instance is not used by conditions any
PNF or VNF instance, and is no longer needed. Begins when NM
determines (e.g. by operator's request) that it is necessary to
remove the virtual link from an existing NS instance. Step 1 (M) NM
sends a request to the NFVO to update the NS instance to remove a
virtual link. Step 2 (M) NFVO returns to the NM
lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId and processes the request Step 3 (M)
NFVO sends to NM Lifecycle Change Notification indicating start of
the operation. Step 4 (M) NFVO sends to NM Lifecycle Change
Notifications indicating progress of the operation. Step 5 (M) NFVO
sends to NM Lifecycle Change Notification indicating result of the
operation. Ends when All the steps identified above are
successfully completed. Exceptions One of the steps identified
above fails. Post- The virtual link has been removed from the NS
instance conditions according to the operator's needs. Traceability
REQ-NFV_LCM_Os-Ma-nfvo-FUN-y
[0022] For REQ-NFV_LCM_Os-Ma-nfvo-FUN-x, the Os-Ma-nfvo reference
point shall support a capability allowing NM 212 to request the
addition of virtual link to a NS instance as part of NS update. For
REQ-NFV_LCM_Os-Ma-nfvo-FUN-y, the Os-Ma-nfvo reference point shall
support a capability allowing NM to request the removal of virtual
link from a NS instance as part of NS update.
[0023] Referring now to FIG. 3, a diagram of a network service with
two Virtual Network Function Forwarding Graphs (VNFFGs) with
different Network Forwarding Paths (NFPs) in accordance with one or
more embodiments will be discussed. FIG. 3 shows a Network Service
(NS) 300 containing three Virtual Network Functions (VNFs), (VNF1)
310, (VNF2) 312, and (VNF3) 314 with two VNF Forwarding Graphs
(VNFFGs), (VNFFG1) 316 and (VNFFG2) 318 where each VNFFG can
contain one or more Network Forwarding Paths (NFPs).
[0024] The VNFFG is used to connect VNF instances in a NS via
Service Access Point (SAP) such as Connection Points (CPs) such as
(CP01) 320 and (CP02) 322 that are the entry point and exit point
of a NS. In the example of FIG. 3, VNFFG2:NFP1 traverses through
CP1, CP11, CP12, CP32, CP33, and CP02, VNFFG1:NFP1 traverses
through CP1, CP11, CP13, CP21, CP32, CP33, and CP02, and
VNFFG1:NFP2 traverses through CP1, CP11, CP13, CP32, CP33, and
CP02.
[0025] The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)
Group Specification (GS) NFV-IFA 013 defines Update NS operation
(see clause 7.3.5) to allow operators to create a VNFFG in a NS, or
update a VNFFG instance in a NS. The following two actions, however
in the Update NS operation are missing important information that
prevents VNFFG addition and update from working. In one or more
embodiments, the following information may be added to ETSI GS
NFV-IFA 013. One embodiment is to add VNFFG action to add a VNFFG
with NFP to a NS wherein the following parameters can be added.
Added input parameters include NFP data information that
characterizes the NFP, and added output parameters including NFP
identifier indicating the NFP instance being added to a VNFFG, and
VNFFG identifier indicating the VNFFG instance in which the NFP
instance is contained. Another embodiment is to update VNFFG action
to add an NFP to a given VNFFG wherein the following parameters can
be added. Added output parameter--NFP identifier, indicating the
NFP instance being added to the VNFFG.
[0026] The following shows the Update NS operation from ETSI GS
NFV-IFA013, with selected actions being impacted. Furthermore, the
subject matter discussed herein may added to 3GPP TS 28.525, for
example section 6.4.3.19 of 3GPP TS 28.525 V. 15.0.0 (2018-06) and
section 6.4.3.20 of 3GPP TS 28.525 V15.0.0 (2018-06).
7.3.5 Update NS Operation
7.3.5.1 Introduction
[0027] This operation updates an NS instance. This operation is
also used to embed VNF LCM operations in support of fine grained NS
LCM approach. See the informative message flows in annex C. Actions
that can be performed with an update include:
[0028] Adding existing VNF instances to the NS instance.
[0029] Removing VNF instances from the NS instance.
[0030] Instantiating new VNF instances and adding them to the NS
instance.
[0031] Changing the DF of VNF instances belonging to the NS
instance.
[0032] Changing the operational state of a VNF instance belonging
to the NS instance.
[0033] Modifying information data and/or the configurable
properties of a VNF instance belonging to the NS instance.
[0034] Changing the external connectivity of a VNF instance
belonging to the NS instance.
[0035] Adding SAPs to the NS instance.
[0036] Removing SAPs from the NS instance.
[0037] Adding existing NS instances to the NS instance.
[0038] Removing nested NS instances from the NS instance.
[0039] Associate a new NSD version to the NS instance.
[0040] Moving VNF instances from one NS instance to another NS
instance.
[0041] Adding VNFFGs to the NS instance.
[0042] Removing VNFFGs from the NS instance.
[0043] Update VNFFGs of the NS instance.
[0044] Changing the DF of the NS instance.
[0045] Adding PNFs to the NS instance.
[0046] Modifying PNFs in the NS instance.
[0047] Removing PNFs from the NS instance.
[0048] In the above list, adding VNFFGs to the NS instance and
updating VNFFGs of the NS instance are impacted. Only one type of
update shall be allowed per operation.
[0049] Table 4 below comprises Table 7.3.5.1-1 from ETSI GS
NFV-IFA013 which lists the information flow exchanged between the
OSS/BSS 210 and the NFVO 232. It is possible, however, to request
several updates of a given type in one Update NS operation as
indicated in the cardinalities in table 7.3.5.2-1.
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Table 7.3.5.1-1: Update NS operation Message
Requirement Direction UpdateNsRequest Mandatory OSS/BSS NFVO
UpdateNsResponse Mandatory NFVO OSS/BSS
[0050] The input parameters (7.3.5.2 Input parameters) sent when
invoking the operation shall follow the indications provided in
Table 5 below, which comprises table 7.3.5.2-1 from ETSI GS
NFV-IFA013.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 5 Table 7.3.5.2-1: Update NS operation input
parameters Parameter Qualifier Cardinality Content Description
nsInstanceId M 1 Identifier Identifier of the NS instance being
updated. updateType M 1 Enum Specifies the type of update. This
parameter determines also which one of the following parameter is
present in the operation. Possible values are: AddVnf (adding
existing VNF instance(s)), RemoveVnf (removing VNF instance(s)),
InstantiateVnf (instantiating new VNF(s)), ChangeVnfDf (Changing
VNF DF), OperateVnf (changing VNF state), ModifyVnfInformation
(modifying VNF information and/or the configurable properties of
VNF instance(s)), ChangeExtVnfConnectivity (changing the external
connectivity of VNF instance(s)), AddSap (adding SAP(s)), RemoveSap
(removing SAP(s)), AddNestedNs (adding existing NS instance(s) as
nested NS(s)), RemoveNestedNs (removing existing nested NS
instance(s)), AssocNewNsdVersion (associating a new NSD version to
the NS instance), MoveVnf (moving VNF instance(s) from one origin
NS instance to a another target NS instance), AddVnffg (adding
VNFFG(s)), RemoveVnffg (removing VNFFG(s)), UpdateVnffg (updating
VNFFG(s)), ChangeNsDf (changing NS DF), AddPnf (adding PNF),
ModifyPnf(modify PNF), RemovePnf (removing PNF). addVnfInstance M 0
. . . N VnfInstanceData Specify an existing VNF instance to be
added to the NS instance. This parameter shall be present only if
updateType = AddVnf. removeVnfInstanceId M 0 . . . N Identifier
Specify an existing VNF instance to be removed from the NS
instance. The parameter contains the identifier(s) of the VNF
instances to be removed. This parameter shall be present only if
updateType = RemoveVnf. See note 1. instantiateVnfData M 0 . . . N
InstantiateVnfData Specify the new VNF to be instantiated. This
parameter can be used e.g. for the bottom-up NS creation. This
parameter shall be present only if updateType = InstantiateVnf.
changeVnfFlavourData M 0 . . . N ChangeVnfFlavourData Specify the
new DF of the VNF instance to be changed to. This parameter shall
be present only if updateType = ChangeVnfDf. operateVnfData M 0 . .
. N OperateVnfData Specify the state of the VNF instance to be
changed. This parameter shall be present only if updateType =
OperateVnf. modifyVnfInfoData M 0 . . . N ModifyVnfInfoData Specify
the VNF Information parameters and/or the configurable properties
of VNF instance to be modified. This parameter shall be present
only if updateType = ModifyVnfInformation.
changeExtVnfConnectivityData M 0 . . . N
ChangeExtVnfConnectivityData Specify the new external connectivity
data of the VNF instance to be changed. This parameter shall be
present only if updateType = ChangeExtVnfConnectivity. addSap M 0 .
. . N SapData Specify a new SAP to be added to the NS instance.
This parameter shall be present only if updateType = AddSap.
removeSapId M 0 . . . N Identifier Specify an existing SAP to be
removed from the NS instance. The parameter shall be present only
if updateType = RemoveSap. addNestedNsId M 0 . . . N Identifier
Specify an existing nested NS instance to be added to (nested
within) the NS instance. This parameter shall be present only if
updateType = AddNestedNs. removeNestedNsId M 0 . . . N Identifier
Specify an existing nested NS instance to be removed from the NS
instance. The parameter shall be present only if updateType =
RemoveVnfNestedNs. assocNewNsdVersionData M 0 . . . 1
AssocNewNsdVersionData Specify the new NSD to be used for the NS
instance. This parameter shall be present only if updateType =
AssocNewNsdVersion. moveVnfInstanceData M 0 . . . N
MoveVnfInstanceData Specify existing VNF instance to be moved from
one NS instance to another NS instance. This parameter shall be
present only if updateType = MoveVnf. addVnffg M 0 . . . N
AddVnffgData Specify the new VNFFG to be created to the NS
Instance. This parameter shall be present only if updateType =
AddVnffg. removeVnffgId M 0 . . . N Identifier Identifier of an
existing VNFFG to be removed from the NS Instance. This parameter
shall be present only if updateType = RemoveVnffg. updateVnffg M 0
. . . N UpdateVnffgData Specify the new VNFFG Information data to
be updated for a VNFFG of the NS Instance. This parameter shall be
present only if updateType = UpdateVnffg. changeNsFlavourData M 0 .
. . 1 ChangeNsFlavourData Specifies the new DF to be applied to the
NS instance. It shall be present only if updateType = ChangeNsDf.
updateTime M 0 . . . 1 DateTime Timestamp indicating the update
time of the NS, i.e. the NS will be updated at this timestamp.
Cardinality "0" indicates the NS update takes place immediately.
addPnfData M 0 . . . N AddPnfData Information of the PNF(s) that
are being added into the NS instance. This parameter shall be
present only if updateType = AddPnf. modifyPnfData M 0 . . . N
ModifyPnfData Information on the PNF(s) that are being modified in
this NS instance. This parameter shall be present only if
updateType = ModifyPnf. See note 2 removePnfId M 0 . . . N
Identifier Identifier of the PNF(s) that are part of this NS
instance and that should be deleted from it. This parameter shall
be present only if updateType = RemovePnf. NOTE 1: If a VNF
instance is removed from an NS and this NS was the last one for
which this VNF instance was a part, the VNF instance is terminated
by the NFVO. NOTE 2: New CP addresses should be contained in the
element, if PNF CPs need to be changed.
[0051] The following shows the text being added to both input and
output parameters to support the Add VNFFG action.
8.3.4.21 AddVnffgData Information Element
8.3.4.21.1 Description
[0052] This information element specifies the parameters that are
needed for the creation of a new VNFFG instance.
8.3.4.21.2 Attributes
[0053] The attributes of the AddVnffgData information element shall
follow the indications provided in Table 6 which comprises Table
8.3.4.21.2 from ETSI GS NFV-IFA0131.
TABLE-US-00006 TABLE 6 Table 8.3.4.21.2-1: Attributes of the
AddVnffgData information element Attribute Qualifier Cardinality
Content Description vnffgdId M 1 Identifier(Reference Identifier of
the VNFFGD to Vnffgd) which defines the VNFFG to be added.
vnffgName M 1 String Human readable name for the VNFFG. description
M 1 String Human readable description for the VNFFG. nfp N 0 . . .
N NfpData Indicate the desired new NFP(s) for a given VNFFG after
the operations of addition/removal of NS components (e.g. VNFs,
VLs, etc.) have been completed, or indicate the NFP classification
and selection rule for the new NFP to be added to the VNFFG
instance.
7.3.5 Update NS Operation
7.3.5.3 Output Parameters
[0054] The output parameter returned by the operation shall follow
the indications provided in Table 7 comprising Table 7.3.5.3-1 from
ETSI GS NFV-IFA0131.
TABLE-US-00007 TABLE 7 Table 7.3.5.3-1: Update NS operation output
parameters Parameter Qualifier Cardinality Content Description
vnfInstanceId M 0 . . . N Identifier Identifier of the instance of
the instantiated VNF. This information shall be retuned as the
result of the operation if successful. pnfId M 0 . . . N Identifier
Identifier of the PNF assigned by OSS. It shall be present only if
updateType = AddPnf. This information shall be returned as the
result of the operation if successful. addedVnffgInfo M 0 . . . N
AddedVnffgInfo Information of the instance of the created VNFFG. It
shall be present only if updateType = AddVnffg. This information
shall be returned as the result of the operation if successful.
sapId M 0 . . . N Identifier Identifier of the instance of the
created SAP. It shall be present only if updateType = addSap. This
information shall be returned as the result of the operation if
successful. lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId M 1 Identifier The
identifier of the NS lifecycle operation occurrence. This
information shall be returned immediately before any notification,
message or operation is done
8.3.4.x AddedVnffgInfo Information Element
8.3.4.x.1 Description
[0055] This information element specifies the VNFFG instance being
added to a NS instance.
8.3.4.x.2 Attributes
[0056] The attributes of the AddedVnffgInfo information element
shall follow the indications provided in Table 8 comprising Table
8.3.4.x.2-1 1 from ETSI GS NFV-IFA0131.
TABLE-US-00008 TABLE 8 Table 8.3.4.x.2-1: Attributes of the
AddVnffgInfo information element Attribute Qualifier Cardinality
Content Description vnffgId M 0 . . . 1 Identifier Identifier of
the instance of the created VNFFG. nfpId M 0 . . . N Identifier
Identifier(s) of the (Reference NFP to be added to a to Nfp)) given
VNFFG.
[0057] The following shows the text being added to the output
parameters to support the Update VNFFG action.
7.3.5 Update NS Operation
7.3.5.3 Output Parameters
[0058] The output parameter returned by the operation shall follow
the indications provided in Table 9 comprising table 7.3.5.3-1 from
ETSI GS NFV-IFA0131.
TABLE-US-00009 TABLE 9 Table 7.3.5.3-1: Update NS operation output
parameters Parameter Qualifier Cardinality Content Description
vnfInstanceId M 0 . . . N Identifier Identifier of the instance of
the instantiated VNF. This information shall be retuned as the
result of the operation if successful. pnfId M 0 . . . N Identifier
Identifier of the PNF assigned by OSS. It shall be present only if
updateType = AddPnf. This information shall be returned as the
result of the operation if successful. vnffgId M 0 . . . N
Identifier Identifier of the instance of the created VNFFG. It
shall be present only if updateType = AddVnffg. This information
shall be returned as the result of the operation if successful.
sapId M 0 . . . N Identifier Identifier of the instance of the
created SAP. It shall be present only if updateType = addSap. This
information shall be returned as the result of the operation if
successful. lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId M 1 Identifier The
identifier of the NS lifecycle operation occurrence. This
information shall be returned immediately before any notification,
message or operation is done nfpId M 0 . . . N Identifier
Identifier(s) of the NFP being deleted to a given VNFFG. It shall
be present only if updateType = UpdateVnffg. This information shall
be returned as the result of the operation if successful.
[0059] The following use cases, requirements, and procedures are
added to TS 28.525 to describe how NM 212 or 3GPP operators can use
Add VNFFG and Update VNFFG actions in the NS update operation to
add VNFFG with NFP to a NS instance.
TABLE-US-00010 TABLE 10 6.4.3.x Add VNF forwarding graph to a NS
instance Use Case Evolution/Specification Goal Add VNF forwarding
graph to a NS instance. Actors and NM Roles Telecom NFVO resources
Assumptions NM is subscribed to receive the NS LCM notifications.
Pre- An NS instance, containing the VNF instances and all
conditions necessary components (e.g. VLs, CPs, SAPs, . . .) to
form a VNFFG, has been instantiated, VNFFGD for the VNFFG to be
added already exists. Begins when NM determines (e.g. by operator's
request) that it is necessary to add a VNFFG to a NS instance. Step
1 (M) NM sends a request to the NFVO to update the NS instance (see
clause 7.3.5 in [6]) by adding a VNFFG to a NS instance. Step 2 (M)
NFVO returns to the NM lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId and processes
the request Step 3 (M) NFVO sends to NM Lifecycle Change
Notification indicating start of the operation. Step 4 (M) NFVO
sends to NM Lifecycle Change Notifications indicating progress of
the operation. Step 5 (M) NFVO sends to NM Lifecycle Change
Notification indicating result of the operation. Ends when All the
steps identified above are successfully completed. Exceptions One
of the steps identified above fails. Post- The VNFFG has been added
to the NS instance according conditions to the operator's needs.
Traceability REQ-NFV_LCM_Os-Ma-nfvo-FUN-x
TABLE-US-00011 TABLE 11 6.4.3.x Update VNF forwarding graph in a NS
instance Use Case Evolution/Specification Goal Update VNF
forwarding graph in a NS instance. Actors and NM Roles Telecom NFVO
resources Assumptions NM is subscribed to receive the NS LCM
notifications. Pre- An NS instance with VNFFG already exists,
conditions VNFFGD for the VNFFG to be updated already exists.
Begins when NM determines (e.g. by operator's request) that it is
necessary to update the VNFFG in a NS instance. Step 1 (M) NM sends
a request to the NFVO to update the VNFFG (e.g. addition, deletion,
and modification of NFP) in a NS instance via the NS update
operation (see clause 7.3.5 in [6]). Step 2 (M) NFVO returns to the
NM lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId, and the identifier of new NFP if
the update is to add a NFP to the existing VNFFG, and processes the
request. Step 3 (M) NFVO sends to NM Lifecycle Change Notification
indicating start of the operation. Step 4 (M) NFVO sends to NM
Lifecycle Change Notifications indicating progress of the
operation. Step 5 (M) NFVO sends to NM Lifecycle Change
Notification indicating result of the operation. Ends when All the
steps identified above are successfully completed. Exceptions One
of the steps identified above fails. Post- The VNFFG has been
updated to the NS instance according conditions to the operator's
needs. Traceability REQ-NFV_LCM_Os-Ma-nfvo-FUN-x
[0060] For REQ-NFV_LCM_Os-Ma-nfvo-FUN-x, the Os-Ma-nfvo reference
point shall support a capability allowing NM 212 to request the
addition of the VNFFG as part of NS update (covered by requirement
Os-Ma-nfvo.NsLcm.027 in ETSI GS NFV-IFA 013 [6]).
[0061] FIG. 4 is a diagram of a VNFFG update procedure to add,
delete, or modify an NFP to a VNFFG instance in accordance with one
or more embodiments as discussed below. As shown in FIG. 4, in
VNFFG update procedure 400, NM 212 sends an
UpdateNsRequest--UpdateVnffg message to NFVO 212 at operation 410.
NFVO 232 responds to NM 212 with an UpdateNsResponse message at
operation 412. NFVO 232 sends Notify--NsLifecycleChangeNotification
(start) message to NM 212 at operation 414. NFVO 232 then sends
Notify--NsIndentifierChangeNotification (result) message to NM 212
at operation. Details of VNFFG update procedure 400 to add an NFP,
to delete an NFP, and to modify an NFP are presented below.
4.4.5 NS Instance Updating
4.4.5,x VNFFG Update to Add a NFP
[0062] Figure 4.4.5.x-1 depicts the procedure of VNFFG update to
add a NFP (Network Forwarding Path) to a VNFFG instance (see clause
7.3.5 [5]). [0063] 1. NM sends to NFVO an UpdateNsRequest (see
clause 7.3.5 of [5]) with the following parameters (see clause
7.3.5.2 of [5]) to on-board the NSD: [0064] nsInstanceId: the
identifier of the NS instance being updated. [0065]
updateType="UpdateVnffg" to indicate the type of update operation.
[0066] UpdateVnffgData: the information of VNFFG to be updated (see
clause 8.3.4.22.2 of [5]): [0067] vnffgId: Identifier of an
existing VNFFG information element to be updated for the NS
instance; [0068] nfp: Indicate the desired new NFP(s) for a given
VNFFG; [0069] nfpName: Human readable name for the NFP; [0070]
description: Human readable description for the NFP; [0071] cp:
Identifier(s) of the CPs and SAPs which the NFP passes by; [0072]
nfpRule: NFP classification and selection rule. [0073] 2. NFVO
sends to NM an UpdateNsResponse (see clause 7.3.5 of [5]) with the
attributes: [0074] lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId: the identifier
of the NS lifecycle operation occurrence; [0075] nfpId that is the
identifier of NFP being added to the given VNFFG; [0076] Note: the
nfpId: is currently not defined in clause 7.3.5.3 in [5]. [0077] 3.
NFVO sends to NM a Notify (see clause 7.4.3 [5]) carrying an
NsLifecycleChangeNotification information element with attributes
nsInstanceId, lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId, operation="NsUpdate",
and notificationType="start" to indicate the start of the NS
instantiation (see clause 8.3.2.2 [5]). [0078] 4. NFVO sends to NM
a Notify (see clause 7.4.3 [5]) carrying an
NsLifecycleChangeNotification information element with attributes
nsInstanceId, lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId, operation="NsUpdate",
and notificationType="result" to indicate the end result of the NS
instantiation (see clause 8.3.2.2 [5]).
4.4.5,x VNFFG Update to Delete a NFP
[0079] Figure 4.4.5.x-1 depicts the procedure of VNFFG update to
delete a NFP from a VNFFG instance (see clause 7.3.5 [5]). [0080]
1. NM sends to NFVO an UpdateNsRequest (see clause 7.3.5 of [5])
with the following parameters (see clause 7.3.5.2 of [5]) to
on-board the NSD: [0081] nsInstanceId: the identifier of the NS
instance being updated. [0082] updateType="UpdateVnffg" to indicate
the type of update operation. [0083] UpdateVnffgData: the
information of the external connectivity (see clause 8.3.4.22.2 of
[5]): [0084] vnffgId: Identifier of an existing VNFFG information
element to be updated for the NS instance; [0085] nfpId:
Identifier(s) of the NFP to be deleted from a given VNFFG. [0086]
2. NFVO sends to NM an UpdateNsResponse (see clause 7.3.5 of [5])
with the attribute nsInstanceId identifier of the
lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId that is the identifier of the NS
lifecycle operation occurrence, [0087] 3. NFVO sends to NM a Notify
(see clause 7.4.3 [5]) carrying an NsLifecycleChangeNotification
information element with attributes nsInstanceId,
lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId, operation="NsUpdate", and
notificationType="start" to indicate the start of the NS
instantiation (see clause 8.3.2.2 [5]). [0088] 4. NFVO sends to NM
a Notify (see clause 7.4.3 [5]) carrying an
NsLifecycleChangeNotification information element with attributes
nsInstanceId, lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId, operation="NsUpdate",
and notificationType="result" to indicate the end result of the NS
instantiation (see clause 8.3.2.2 [5]).
4.4.5,x VNFFG Update to Modify a NFP
[0089] Figure 4.4.5.x-1 depicts the procedure of VNFFG update to
modify a NFP (Network Forwarding Path) of a VNFFG instance (see
clause 7.3.5 [5]). [0090] 1. NM sends to NFVO an UpdateNsRequest
(see clause 7.3.5 of [5]) with the following parameters (see clause
7.3.5.2 of [5]) to on-board the NSD: [0091] nsInstanceId: the
identifier of the NS instance being updated. [0092]
updateType="UpdateVnffg" to indicate the type of update operation.
[0093] UpdateVnffgData: the information of the external
connectivity (see clause 8.3.4.22.2 of [5]): [0094] vnffgId:
Identifier of an existing VNFFG information element to be updated
for the NS instance; [0095] nfp: Indicate the desired new NFP(s)
for a given VNFFG, and may contain one or more of the following
attributes: [0096] nfpName: Human readable name for the NFP; [0097]
description: Human readable description for the NFP; [0098] cp:
Identifier(s) of the CPs and SAPs which the NFP passes by; [0099]
nfpRule: NFP classification and selection rule. [0100] nfpId:
Indicate the identifier of the NFP to be modified. [0101] 2. NFVO
sends to NM an UpdateNsResponse (see clause 7.3.5 of [5]) with the
attribute lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId that is the identifier of
the NS lifecycle operation occurrence. [0102] 3. NFVO sends to NM a
Notify (see clause 7.4.3 [5]) carrying an
NsLifecycleChangeNotification information element with attributes
nsInstanceId, lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId, operation="NsUpdate",
and notificationType="start" to indicate the start of the NS
instantiation (see clause 8.3.2.2 [5]). [0103] 4. NFVO sends to NM
a Notify (see clause 7.4.3 [5]) carrying an
NsLifecycleChangeNotification information element with attributes
nsInstanceId, lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId, operation="NsUpdate",
and notificationType="result" to indicate the end result of the NS
instantiation (see clause 8.3.2.2 [5]).
[0104] FIG. 5 is a diagram of an NS update to add a VNFFG to an NS
instance in accordance with one or more embodiments. As shown in
FIG. 5, in NS update procedure 500, NM 212 sends an
UpdateNsRequest--AddVnffg message to NFVO 232 at operation 510.
NFVO 232 sends an UpdateNsResponse message to NM 212 at operation
512. NFVO 232 then sends a Notify--NsLifecycleChangeNotification
(start) message to NM 212 at operation 514. NFVO 232 then sends a
Notify--NsIdentifierChangeNotification (result) message to NM 212
at operation 516. Details of NS update procedure 500 to add a VNFFG
are described below.
4.4.5,x NS Update to Add a VNFFG
[0105] Figure 4.4.5.x-1 depicts the procedure of NS update to add a
VNFFG to a NS instance (see clause 7.3.5 [5]). [0106] 1. NM sends
to NFVO an UpdateNsRequest (see clause 7.3.5 of [5]) with the
following parameters (see clause 7.3.5.2 of [5]) to on-board the
NSD: [0107] nsInstanceId: the identifier of the NS instance being
updated. [0108] updateType="AddVnffg" to indicate the type of
update operation. [0109] AddVnffgData: the information of the VNFFG
to be added (see clause 8.3.4.21.2 of [5]): [0110] vnffgdId:
Identifier of the VNFFGD which defines the VNFFG to be added;
[0111] vnffgName: Human readable name for the VNFFG. [0112]
description: Human readable description for the VNFFG. [0113] nfp:
indicate the NFP classification and selection rule for the new NFP
to be added to the VNFFG instance. [0114] Note: > nfp is
currently not defined in clause 5.3.4.22.2 in [5]. [0115] 2. NFVO
sends to NM an UpdateNsResponse (see clause 7.3.5 of [5]) with the
attribute: [0116] nsInstanceId: the identifier of the NS instance
lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId that is the identifier of the NS
lifecycle operation occurrence; [0117] addedVnffgInfo: Information
of the of the created VNFFG instance. [0118] vnffgId: Identifier of
the VNFFG instance in which the NFP instances are contained; [0119]
nfpId: Identifier(s) of the NFP to be added to a given VNFFG.
[0120] Note: addedVnffgInfo is currently not defined in clause
7.3.5.3 in [5]. [0121] 3. NFVO sends to NM a Notify (see clause
7.4.3 [5]) carrying an NsLifecycleChangeNotification information
element with attributes nsInstanceId,
lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId, operation="NsUpdate", and
notificationType="start" to indicate the start of the NS
instantiation (see clause 8.3.2.2 [5]). [0122] 4. NFVO sends to NM
a Notify (see clause 7.4.3 [5]) carrying an
NsLifecycleChangeNotification information element with attributes
nsInstanceId, lifecycleOperationOccurrenceId, operation="NsUpdate",
and notificationType="result" to indicate the end result of the NS
instantiation (see clause 8.3.2.2 [5]).
[0123] FIG. 6 illustrates an architecture of a system 600 of a
network in accordance with some embodiments. The system 600 is
shown to include a user equipment (UE) 601 and a UE 602. The UEs
601 and 602 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld
touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more
cellular networks) but may also comprise any mobile or non-mobile
computing device, such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), pagers,
laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, or any
computing device including a wireless communications interface.
[0124] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 601 and 602 can comprise
an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which can comprise a network access
layer designed for low-power IoT applications utilizing short-lived
UE connections. An IoT UE can utilize technologies such as
machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communications (MTC) for
exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a public land
mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or
device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or IoT
networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a
machine-initiated exchange of data. An IoT network describes
interconnecting IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable
embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure),
with short-lived connections. The IoT UEs may execute background
applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to
facilitate the connections of the IoT network.
[0125] The UEs 601 and 602 may be configured to connect, e.g.,
communicatively couple, with a radio access network (RAN) 610--the
RAN 610 may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network
(E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The
UEs 601 and 602 utilize connections 603 and 604, respectively, each
of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer
(discussed in further detail below); in this example, the
connections 603 and 604 are illustrated as an air interface to
enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular
communications protocols, such as a Global System for Mobile
Communications (GSM) protocol, a code-division multiple access
(CDMA) network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over
Cellular (POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications
System (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol,
a fifth generation (5G) protocol, a New Radio (NR) protocol, and
the like.
[0126] In this embodiment, the UEs 601 and 602 may further directly
exchange communication data via a ProSe interface 605. The ProSe
interface 605 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink
interface comprising one or more logical channels, including but
not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a
Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink
Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast
Channel (PSBCH).
[0127] The UE 602 is shown to be configured to access an access
point (AP) 606 via connection 607. The connection 607 can comprise
a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with
any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein the AP 606 would comprise a
wireless fidelity (WiFi.RTM.) router. In this example, the AP 606
is shown to be connected to the Internet without connecting to the
core network of the wireless system (described in further detail
below).
[0128] The RAN 610 can include one or more access nodes that enable
the connections 603 and 604. These access nodes (ANs) can be
referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs),
next Generation NodeBs (gNB), RAN nodes, and so forth, and can
comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or
satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area
(e.g., a cell). The RAN 610 may include one or more RAN nodes for
providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node 611, and one or more RAN
nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having
smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth
compared to macrocells), e.g., low power (LP) RAN node 612.
[0129] Any of the RAN nodes 611 and 612 can terminate the air
interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the
UEs 601 and 602. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 611 and
612 can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 610
including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC)
functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink
dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and
mobility management.
[0130] In accordance with some embodiments, the UEs 601 and 602 can
be configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency-Division
Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with
any of the RAN nodes 611 and 612 over a multicarrier communication
channel in accordance various communication techniques, such as,
but not limited to, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple
Access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink
communications) or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple
Access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and
ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the
embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can
comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.
[0131] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used
for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 611 and 612 to
the UEs 601 and 602, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar
techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a
resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is the
physical resource in the downlink in each slot. Such a
time-frequency plane representation is a common practice for OFDM
systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resource allocation.
Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to one
OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of
the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a
radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is
denoted as a resource element. Each resource grid comprises a
number of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain
physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block
comprises a collection of resource elements; in the frequency
domain, this may represent the smallest quantity of resources that
currently can be allocated. There are several different physical
downlink channels that are conveyed using such resource blocks.
[0132] The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user
data and higher-layer signaling to the UEs 601 and 602. The
physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information
about the transport format and resource allocations related to the
PDSCH channel, among other things. It may also inform the UEs 601
and 602 about the transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ
(Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink
shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control
and shared channel resource blocks to the UE 102 within a cell) may
be performed at any of the RAN nodes 611 and 612 based on channel
quality information fed back from any of the UEs 601 and 602. The
downlink resource assignment information may be sent on the PDCCH
used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs 601 and 602.
[0133] The PDCCH may use control channel elements (CCEs) to convey
the control information. Before being mapped to resource elements,
the PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into
quadruplets, which may then be permuted using a sub-block
interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH may be transmitted using
one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE may correspond to nine
sets of four physical resource elements known as resource element
groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols
may be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can be transmitted using one
or more CCEs, depending on the size of the downlink control
information (DCI) and the channel condition. There can be four or
more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers
of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).
[0134] Some embodiments may use concepts for resource allocation
for control channel information that are an extension of the
above-described concepts. For example, some embodiments may utilize
an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses
PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH
may be transmitted using one or more enhanced the control channel
elements (ECCEs). Similar to above, each ECCE may correspond to
nine sets of four physical resource elements known as an enhanced
resource element groups (EREGs). An ECCE may have other numbers of
EREGs in some situations.
[0135] The RAN 610 is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core
network (CN) 620--via an S1 interface 613. In embodiments, the CN
620 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet
Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment
the S1 interface 613 is split into two parts: the S1-U interface
614, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes 611 and 612
and the serving gateway (S-GW) 622, and the S1-mobility management
entity (MME) interface 615, which is a signaling interface between
the RAN nodes 611 and 612 and MMEs 621.
[0136] In this embodiment, the CN 620 comprises the MMEs 621, the
S-GW 622, the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 623, and a
home subscriber server (HSS) 624. The MMEs 621 may be similar in
function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet
Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MMEs 621 may manage
mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking
area list management. The HSS 624 may comprise a database for
network users, including subscription-related information to
support the network entities' handling of communication sessions.
The CN 620 may comprise one or several HSSs 624, depending on the
number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on
the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS 624 can
provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization,
naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.
[0137] The S-GW 622 may terminate the S1 interface 613 towards the
RAN 610, and routes data packets between the RAN 610 and the CN
620. In addition, the S-GW 622 may be a local mobility anchor point
for inter-RAN node handovers and also may provide an anchor for
inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful
intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement.
[0138] The P-GW 623 may terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN.
The P-GW 623 may route data packets between the EPC network 623 and
external networks such as a network including the application
server 630 (alternatively referred to as application function (AF))
via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface 625. Generally, the
application server 630 may be an element offering applications that
use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet
Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this
embodiment, the P-GW 623 is shown to be communicatively coupled to
an application server 630 via an IP communications interface 625.
The application server 630 can also be configured to support one or
more communication services (e.g., Voice-over-Internet Protocol
(VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social
networking services, etc.) for the UEs 601 and 602 via the CN
620.
[0139] The P-GW 623 may further be a node for policy enforcement
and charging data collection. Policy and Charging Enforcement
Function (PCRF) 626 is the policy and charging control element of
the CN 620. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF
in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a
UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN)
session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic,
there may be two PCRFs associated with a UE's IP-CAN session: a
Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within a HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF)
within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 626
may be communicatively coupled to the application server 630 via
the P-GW 623. The application server 630 may signal the PCRF 626 to
indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of
Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF 626 may provision
this rule into a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF)
(not shown) with the appropriate traffic flow template (TFT) and
QoS class of identifier (QCI), which commences the QoS and charging
as specified by the application server 630.
[0140] FIG. 7 illustrates example components of a device 700 in
accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the device
700 may include application circuitry 702, baseband circuitry 704,
Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 706, front-end module (FEM)
circuitry 708, one or more antennas 710, and power management
circuitry (PMC) 712 coupled together at least as shown. The
components of the illustrated device 700 may be included in a UE or
a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 700 may include less
elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry
702, and instead include a processor/controller to process IP data
received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device 700 may
include additional elements such as, for example, memory/storage,
display, camera, sensor, or input/output (I/O) interface. In other
embodiments, the components described below may be included in more
than one device (e.g., said circuitries may be separately included
in more than one device for Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementations).
[0141] The application circuitry 702 may include one or more
application processors. For example, the application circuitry 702
may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more
single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include
any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated
processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors,
etc.). The processors may be coupled with or may include
memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored
in the memory/storage to enable various applications or operating
systems to run on the device 700. In some embodiments, processors
of application circuitry 702 may process IP data packets received
from an EPC.
[0142] The baseband circuitry 704 may include circuitry such as,
but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core
processors. The baseband circuitry 704 may include one or more
baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals
received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 706 and to
generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF
circuitry 706. Baseband processing circuitry 704 may interface with
the application circuitry 702 for generation and processing of the
baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry
706. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704
may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 704A, a
fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 704B, a fifth generation
(5G) baseband processor 704C, or other baseband processor(s) 704D
for other existing generations, generations in development or to be
developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth
generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 704 (e.g., one or
more of baseband processors 704A-D) may handle various radio
control functions that enable communication with one or more radio
networks via the RF circuitry 706. In other embodiments, some or
all of the functionality of baseband processors 704A-D may be
included in modules stored in the memory 704G and executed via a
Central Processing Unit (CPU) 704E. The radio control functions may
include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation,
encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some
embodiments, modulation/demodulation circuitry of the baseband
circuitry 704 may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding,
or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some
embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry
704 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo,
Viterbi, or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder
functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and
encoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and
may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.
[0143] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 may include
one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 704F. The audio
DSP(s) 704F may be include elements for compression/decompression
and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing
elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry
may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or
disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some
embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the
baseband circuitry 704 and the application circuitry 702 may be
implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip
(SOC).
[0144] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 may provide
for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies.
For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 may
support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio
access network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area
networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless
personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband
circuitry 704 is configured to support radio communications of more
than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode
baseband circuitry.
[0145] RF circuitry 706 may enable communication with wireless
networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a
non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 may
include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the
communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 706 may
include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to
down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 708 and
provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 704. RF
circuitry 706 may also include a transmit signal path which may
include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the
baseband circuitry 704 and provide RF output signals to the FEM
circuitry 708 for transmission.
[0146] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF
circuitry 706 may include mixer circuitry 706a, amplifier circuitry
706b and filter circuitry 706c. In some embodiments, the transmit
signal path of the RF circuitry 706 may include filter circuitry
706c and mixer circuitry 706a. RF circuitry 706 may also include
synthesizer circuitry 706d for synthesizing a frequency for use by
the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the
transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a
of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF
signals received from the FEM circuitry 708 based on the
synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 706d. The
amplifier circuitry 706b may be configured to amplify the
down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 706c may be a
low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to
remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate
output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to
the baseband circuitry 704 for further processing. In some
embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency
baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some
embodiments, mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path may
comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is
not limited in this respect.
[0147] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the
transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband
signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the
synthesizer circuitry 706d to generate RF output signals for the
FEM circuitry 708. The baseband signals may be provided by the
baseband circuitry 704 and may be filtered by filter circuitry
706c.
[0148] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive
signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal
path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for
quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some
embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path
and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path may
include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection
(e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer
circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry
706a may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct
upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer
circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry
706a of the transmit signal path may be configured for
super-heterodyne operation.
[0149] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the
input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the
scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some
alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input
baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these
alternate embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 may include
analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter
(DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 704 may include a
digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry
706. In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry
may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although
the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.
[0150] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 706d may be a
fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer,
although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this
respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable.
For example, synthesizer circuitry 706d may be a delta-sigma
synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a
phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. The synthesizer
circuitry 706d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency
for use by the mixer circuitry 706a of the RF circuitry 706 based
on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some
embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 706d may be a fractional
N/N+1 synthesizer.
[0151] In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a
voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a
requirement. Divider control input may be provided by either the
baseband circuitry 704 or the applications processor 702 depending
on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider
control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table
based on a channel indicated by the applications processor 702.
[0152] Synthesizer circuitry 706d of the RF circuitry 706 may
include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a
phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual
modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital
phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be
configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g.,
based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In
some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded,
tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a
D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be
configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase,
where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this
way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the
total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.
[0153] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 706d may be
configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency,
while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple
of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four
times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with
quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple
signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases
with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output
frequency may be a LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF
circuitry 706 may include an IQ/polar converter.
[0154] FEM circuitry 708 may include a receive signal path which
may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received
from one or more antennas 710, amplify the received signals and
provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF
circuitry 706 for further processing. FEM circuitry 708 may also
include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry
configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF
circuitry 706 for transmission by one or more of the one or more
antennas 710. In various embodiments, the amplification through the
transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF
circuitry 706, solely in the FEM 708, or in both the RF circuitry
706 and the FEM 708.
[0155] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 708 may include a
TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode
operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and
a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM
circuitry may include an LNA to amplify received RF signals and
provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to
the RF circuitry 706). The transmit signal path of the FEM
circuitry 708 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input
RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 706), and one or more
filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g.,
by one or more of the one or more antennas 710).
[0156] In some embodiments, the PMC 712 may manage power provided
to the baseband circuitry 704. In particular, the PMC 712 may
control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging,
or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC 712 may often be included when the
device 700 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example,
when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 712 may increase the
power conversion efficiency while providing desirable
implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.
[0157] While FIG. 7 shows the PMC 712 coupled only with the
baseband circuitry 704. In other embodiments, however, the PMC 712
may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform
similar power management operations for, other components such as,
but not limited to, application circuitry 702, RF circuitry 706, or
FEM 708.
[0158] In some embodiments, the PMC 712 may control, or otherwise
be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device 700. For
example, if the device 700 is in an RRC_Connected state, where it
is still connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic
shortly, then it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception
Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the
device 700 may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save
power.
[0159] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period
of time, then the device 700 may transition off to an RRC_Idle
state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform
operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The
device 700 goes into a very low power state and it performs paging
where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and
then powers down again. The device 700 may not receive data in this
state, in order to receive data, it must transition back to
RRC_Connected state.
[0160] An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be
unavailable to the network for periods longer than a paging
interval (ranging from seconds to a few hours). During this time,
the device is totally unreachable to the network and may power down
completely. Any data sent during this time incurs a large delay and
it is assumed the delay is acceptable.
[0161] Processors of the application circuitry 702 and processors
of the baseband circuitry 704 may be used to execute elements of
one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, processors
of the baseband circuitry 704, alone or in combination, may be used
execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality, while
processors of the application circuitry 704 may utilize data (e.g.,
packet data) received from these layers and further execute Layer 4
functionality (e.g., transmission communication protocol (TCP) and
user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As referred to herein, Layer
3 may comprise a radio resource control (RRC) layer, described in
further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 2 may comprise a
medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC)
layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer,
described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 1
may comprise a physical (PHY) layer of a UE/RAN node, described in
further detail below.
[0162] FIG. 8 illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry
in accordance with some embodiments. As discussed above, the
baseband circuitry 704 of FIG. 7 may comprise processors 704A-704E
and a memory 704G utilized by said processors. Each of the
processors 704A-704E may include a memory interface, 804A-804E,
respectively, to send/receive data to/from the memory 704G.
[0163] The baseband circuitry 704 may further include one or more
interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuitries/devices,
such as a memory interface 812 (e.g., an interface to send/receive
data to/from memory external to the baseband circuitry 704), an
application circuitry interface 814 (e.g., an interface to
send/receive data to/from the application circuitry 702 of FIG. 7),
an RF circuitry interface 816 (e.g., an interface to send/receive
data to/from RF circuitry 706 of FIG. 7), a wireless hardware
connectivity interface 818 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data
to/from Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth.RTM.
components (e.g., Bluetooth.RTM. Low Energy), Wi-Fi.RTM.
components, and other communication components), and a power
management interface 820 (e.g., an interface to send/receive power
or control signals to/from the PMC 712.
[0164] Although the claimed subject matter has been described with
a certain degree of particularity, it should be recognized that
elements thereof may be altered by persons skilled in the art
without departing from the spirit and/or scope of claimed subject
matter. It is believed that the subject matter pertaining to
managing virtual links in a network service instance and many of
its attendant utilities will be understood by the forgoing
description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be
made in the form, construction and/or arrangement of the components
thereof without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the
claimed subject matter or without sacrificing all of its material
advantages, the form herein before described being merely an
explanatory embodiment thereof, and/or further without providing
substantial change thereto. It is the intention of the claims to
encompass and/or include such changes.
* * * * *