Method, system and medium for improved operation of broadband access networks

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods, systems and media for improved operation of a broadband access network. The broadband access network comprises a central office delivery point having a switching structure, the switching structure comprising a plurality of spine network nodes and a plurality of leaf network nodes, wherein the central office delivery point and / or the broadband access network comprises a central power management entity or functionality and a session management entity or functionality, and wherein the plurality of spine network nodes and the plurality of leaf network nodes respectively comprise a local power management entity or functionality, wherein for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of the central office delivery point and with respect to a considered leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an improved operation of a broadband access network for a telecommunications network and / or a method for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of a broadband access network, wherein the broadband access network comprises a central office delivery point having a switching structure comprising a plurality of spine network nodes and a plurality of leaf network nodes.

[0002] Furthermore, the present invention relates to methods for improving a broadband access network or a telecommunications network, for improved operation of a broadband access network and / or for more energy efficient operation of a broadband access network, the broadband access network comprising a central office delivery point having a switching fabric.

[0003] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a spine network node or a leaf network node or a central power management entity or functionality or a session management entity or functionality for improved operation of a broadband access network of a telecommunication network and / or for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of the broadband access network of the invention or the telecommunication network of the invention.

[0004] In addition, the present invention relates to a system for improved operation of a broadband access network and / or for improved and / or more energy-efficient operation of a broadband access network, wherein the broadband access network includes a central office delivery point having a switching structure, the switching structure including a plurality of spine network nodes and a plurality of leaf network nodes.

[0005] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a program and a computer-readable medium for improved operation of a broadband access network and / or for improved and / or more energy-efficient operation of a broadband access network. Background Art

[0006] The exchange of packet information in broadband communication systems or telecommunication networks, used in both fixed line and wireless communication systems (or in both fixed line communication networks and mobile communication networks) has grown tremendously and will most likely grow in the future due to the rapid proliferation of different data services in such communication networks.

[0007] In conventionally known or current central office delivery point design architectures, power management is typically not a focus of architectural design decisions or scope. Therefore, there is a need for efficient power management for such central office delivery point design architectures, preferably dependent on traffic and load conditions. Summary of the invention

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a technically simple, effective and cost-effective solution for improved operation of a broadband access network of a telecommunication network and / or for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of a broadband access network, the broadband access network comprising a central office delivery point with a switching structure comprising a plurality of spine network nodes and a plurality of leaf network nodes. Another object of the present invention is to provide a corresponding broadband access network or a telecommunication network, a corresponding spine network node or leaf network node or a central power management entity or functionality or a session management entity or functionality, and a corresponding system for improved operation of a broadband access network and / or for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of a broadband access network.

[0009] The objects of the invention are achieved by a method for improved operation of a broadband access network of a telecommunications network and / or for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of a broadband access network, said broadband access network comprising a central office delivery point having a switching fabric comprising a plurality of spine network nodes and a plurality of leaf network nodes,

[0010] wherein the central office delivery point and / or the broadband access network comprises a central power management entity or functionality and a session management entity or functionality, and wherein the plurality of spine network nodes and the plurality of leaf network nodes respectively comprise a local power management entity or functionality, wherein for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of the central office delivery point and with respect to a considered leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes, the method comprises the following steps:

[0011] In a first step, a traffic load information message about the current load condition of the leaf network node under consideration is transmitted by the local power management entity or functionality of the leaf network node under consideration to the central power management entity or functionality,

[0012] In a second step, subsequent to said first step, said central power management entity or functionality transmits a session transfer request message to said session management entity or functionality, said session transfer request message corresponding to a request for permission to transfer one or more sessions handled by the leaf network node under consideration to another leaf network node of said plurality of leaf network nodes,

[0013] In a third step, after the second step, the session management entity or functionality transmits a session transfer answer message to the central power management entity or functionality, the session transfer answer message corresponding to the session transfer request message,

[0014] In a fourth step, following the third step, the central power management entity or functionality transmits a traffic load execution message to the local power management entity or functionality of the leaf network node under consideration, wherein depending on the content of the traffic load execution message, the leaf network node under consideration is controlled for improved and / or more energy efficient operation.

[0015] It is thus advantageously possible according to the invention to provide a solution for determining or supplying decisions (i.e. relating to switching on or off components or network nodes of a broadband access network, in particular a central office delivery point), in particular using software defined networking principles or techniques. By requesting (if applicable) to transfer in a controlled manner a session handled by a network node (in particular a leaf network node hosting service edge functionality) which has a relatively low load and is therefore likely to be switched off (or transferred to a lower power consumption state) to another network node (in particular another leaf network node hosting service edge functionality), it is advantageously possible to control the powering on and off of network nodes in a manner that depends on ongoing or active sessions or communication links.

[0016] According to the present invention, the broadband access network generally comprises a central office delivery point having a switching structure, the switching structure comprising a plurality of spine network nodes and a plurality of leaf network nodes. In addition, there are generally further servers or nodes, in particular Kubernetes hosts and workers. In addition, according to the present invention, the central office delivery point and / or the broadband access network comprises a central power management entity or functionality and a session management entity or functionality, and the plurality of spine network nodes and the plurality of leaf network nodes respectively comprise a local power management entity or functionality. According to the present invention, for improved operation and / or more energy-efficient operation of the central office delivery point, and with respect to the leaf network node under consideration among the plurality of leaf network nodes, the above steps are performed to control the leaf network node under consideration, in particular with respect to improved and / or more energy-efficient operation.

[0017] According to the present invention, it is advantageously possible to provide centralized power management. Preferably, the centralized power management receives information or message fragments directed to the central office delivery point centralized power management (MPC-Master Power Control, or central power management entity or functionality) from a monitoring function (LDF, load detection function) inside the central office delivery point (i.e., within a network node of the central office delivery point), and the central office delivery point centralized power management determines the shutdown and / or restart procedures of the relevant network nodes depending on the traffic situation. This depends on the rules of the traffic load (for example, a threshold below 40% of the link capacity). In addition, according to the present invention, it is advantageously possible to implement a centralized session state (within the session management entity or functionality), which is required in the case where a session needs to be handed over or transferred from one service edge node (or leaf network node) to a second service edge node (or leaf network node). According to the present invention, centralized power management (MPC - Master Power Control, or central power management entity or functionality) can be implemented as a standalone function (i.e., implemented in a separate hardware component or network node or entity) or integrated into a software-defined network framework or technology (i.e., as a part or instance (e.g., a virtual machine) on a server or network node that is part of a central office delivery point).

[0018] The telecommunication network according to the invention may be a fixed line telecommunication network or a mobile communication network, but may also have both aspects, i.e. parts of a fixed line telecommunication network (or within these parts a fixed line telecommunication network) and parts of a mobile communication network (or within these parts a mobile communication network); such networks are also known under the term Fixed-Mobile-Converged networks (FMC networks).

[0019] Furthermore, according to the invention, it is advantageously possible and preferred to consider that the leaf network nodes are controlled such that:

[0020] One or more sessions previously handled by the leaf network node under consideration are transferred to another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes, and / or

[0021] The leaf network node under consideration is turned off or switched to a standby state or switched to a power saving state, and / or

[0022] One or more sessions previously handled by another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes are transferred to the leaf network node under consideration.

[0023] By controlling the leaf network node under consideration so that one or more sessions previously handled by the leaf network node under consideration are transferred (or handed over) to another leaf network node among the multiple leaf network nodes, and / or the leaf network node under consideration is turned off or switched to a standby state or to a power-saving state, it is advantageously possible according to the present invention that the leaf network node under consideration can be powered off or shut down in a safe manner, i.e. without negatively interfering with the communication flow of an ongoing or active communication session (especially an end-user communication session) handled by the leaf network node under consideration.

[0024] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the central office delivery point and / or the broadband access network comprises a plurality of line termination nodes, wherein each of the plurality of line termination nodes is connected to at least two leaf network nodes among the plurality of leaf network nodes.

[0025] By connecting at least a part (if not all) of the multiple line terminal nodes to at least two leaf network nodes (rather than just one leaf network node) of the multiple leaf network nodes, respectively, according to the present invention, it is advantageously possible, firstly, to avoid single point failures in the telecommunications network or within the broadband access network, and secondly, it is advantageously possible to power off or shut down one of the leaf network nodes to which the line terminal nodes among the leaf network nodes are respectively connected.

[0026] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of leaf network nodes is connected to at least two of the plurality of spine network nodes, wherein

[0027] In a fifth step, a further traffic load information message about the current load condition of the considered spine network node is transmitted by the local power management entity or functionality of the considered spine network node to the central power management entity or functionality, and

[0028] In a sixth step, following the fifth step, the central power management entity or functionality transmits a further traffic load execution message to the local power management entity or functionality of the spine network node under consideration, wherein depending on the content of the further traffic load execution message, the spine network node under consideration is controlled for improved and / or more energy efficient operation, in particular causing the spine network node under consideration to be shut down or switched to a standby state or to a power saving state.

[0029] Thus, it is advantageously possible to power off or shut down spine network nodes in a safe manner (i.e., without negatively interfering with communication flows within a central office delivery point or within a switching fabric).

[0030] In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a traffic load information message about the current load condition of the leaf network node under consideration and / or another traffic load information message about the current load condition of the spine network node under consideration corresponds to or is related to actual load information, or corresponds to or is related to whether a predefined load threshold is currently reached.

[0031] It is thus advantageously possible to flexibly and efficiently adjust or adapt the communication between the leaf network node or nodes under consideration and / or the spine network node or nodes under consideration (i.e., more precisely, the local power management entities or functionalities within each leaf network node or spine network node) on the one hand and the central power management entity or functionality on the other hand: this information exchange, or more precisely, the flow of information from the local power management entities or functionalities within each leaf or spine network node to the central power management entity or functionality may be only on demand (e.g., in the event that the traffic load at one of the network nodes under consideration drops below a predetermined threshold (e.g., 60% or 50% or 40% or 30% or 20% of the peak performance capacity)), thereby advantageously reducing the overhead traffic used for such communication, or this information flow may be carried out almost continuously, so that the central power management entity or functionality is advantageously provided with a complete picture of the load conditions at or within the different network nodes of the central office delivery point or switching structure, ideally (and in a timely manner).

[0032] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention,

[0033] controlling of the leaf network node under consideration for improved and / or more energy efficient operation and depending on the traffic load performing the content of the message, and / or

[0034] For improved and / or more energy-efficient operation and depending on the content of the further traffic load execution message, the control of the considered spine network node

[0035] This includes applying different decision parameters, in particular at least one threshold and / or at least one time interval, to allow for a hysteresis behavior when shutting down a considered leaf network node and / or a considered spine network node.

[0036] It is thereby advantageously possible to allow efficient, in particular energy-efficient, but stable operation of telecommunication networks and broadband access networks, in particular central office delivery points. The goal of maximum energy efficiency will lead to de-energizing network nodes as quickly as possible (under load conditions below certain load thresholds); however, such operation may involve a reduction in the stability of the operation of the system, since even a slight increase in traffic load may trigger the provision of additional capacity, thereby powering on one or more network nodes. In order to avoid such oscillatory behavior, it is advantageously possible and preferred according to the invention to apply different decision parameters, in particular at least one threshold value and / or at least one time interval, in order to allow a hysteresis behavior when switching off network nodes, in particular a leaf network node under consideration and / or a spine network under consideration, in order to avoid such oscillatory behavior. The switching hysteresis should be determined by an adaptive selection of the time interval according to the typical behavior of the system in the past; this also involves applying different threshold values ​​and / or different time constants, for example at different points in time (for example during a day or a week or a month). In particular, historical data on the traffic development may influence the switching hysteresis, in particular in order to detect anomalies in the traffic development and thereby react faster, for example in extreme cases: disaster situations with a sharp and rapid increase in traffic at night. In particular, a compromise often needs to be made between the goals of "power reduction" on the one hand and higher availability and / or redundancy on the other. Decisions on this are often part of a policy rule node or entity or functionality, typically located in the resource control and decision logic of a central office delivery point; where it is possible, for example, that a specified shutdown or power reduction may only be possible for leaf network nodes, but not for spine network nodes.

[0037] According to yet another embodiment of the present invention, the central power management entity or functionality is part of or implemented in a central management switch of the broadband access network and / or of the central office delivery point.

[0038] Therefore, the method of the present invention can advantageously be implemented easily and efficiently.

[0039] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the local power management entity or functionality within each of the multiple spine network nodes and within each of the multiple leaf network nodes includes or interacts with a corresponding load detection function, and the corresponding load detection function is also part of the multiple spine network nodes and the multiple leaf network nodes, respectively.

[0040] Thereby, it is advantageously possible to efficiently detect relevant traffic load situations and conditions and to communicate or propagate respective information or message segments to a central power management entity or functionality.

[0041] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a broadband access network or telecommunication network for improved operation of a broadband access network and / or for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of a broadband access network, the broadband access network comprising a central office delivery point having a switching fabric comprising a plurality of spine network nodes and a plurality of leaf network nodes,

[0042] wherein the central office delivery point and / or the broadband access network comprises a central power management entity or functionality and a session management entity or functionality, and wherein the plurality of spine network nodes and the plurality of leaf network nodes respectively comprise a local power management entity or functionality, wherein for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of the central office delivery point and with respect to a considered leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes, the broadband access network and / or the telecommunications network is configured such that:

[0043] a traffic load information message about the current load condition of the leaf network node under consideration is transmitted by the local power management entity or functionality of the leaf network node under consideration to the central power management entity or functionality,

[0044] the central power management entity or functionality transmitting a session transfer request message to the session management entity or functionality, the session transfer request message corresponding to a request for permission to transfer one or more sessions handled by the leaf network node under consideration to another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes,

[0045] the session management entity or functionality transmitting a session transfer answer message to the central power management entity or functionality, the session transfer answer message corresponding to the session transfer request message,

[0046] The central power management entity or functionality transmits a traffic load enforcement message to the local power management entity or functionality of the leaf network node under consideration, wherein depending on the content of the traffic load enforcement message, the leaf network node under consideration is controlled for improved and / or more energy efficient operation.

[0047] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a spine network node or a leaf network node or a central power management entity or functionality or a session management entity or functionality for improved operation of a broadband access network of a telecommunication network and / or for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of the broadband access network of the invention or the telecommunication network of the invention.

[0048] Additionally, the present invention relates to a system for improved operation of a broadband access network and / or for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of a broadband access network, the broadband access network comprising a central office delivery point having a switching fabric comprising a plurality of spine network nodes and a plurality of leaf network nodes,

[0049] wherein the central office delivery point and / or the broadband access network comprises a central power management entity or functionality and a session management entity or functionality, and wherein the plurality of spine network nodes and the plurality of leaf network nodes respectively comprise a local power management entity or functionality, wherein for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of the central office delivery point and with respect to a considered leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes, the system is configured such that:

[0050] a traffic load information message about the current load condition of the leaf network node under consideration is transmitted by the local power management entity or functionality of the leaf network node under consideration to the central power management entity or functionality,

[0051] the central power management entity or functionality transmitting a session transfer request message to the session management entity or functionality, the session transfer request message corresponding to a request for permission to transfer one or more sessions handled by the leaf network node under consideration to another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes,

[0052] the session management entity or functionality transmitting a session transfer answer message to the central power management entity or functionality, the session transfer answer message corresponding to the session transfer request message,

[0053] The central power management entity or functionality transmits a traffic load enforcement message to the local power management entity or functionality of the leaf network node under consideration, wherein depending on the content of the traffic load enforcement message, the leaf network node under consideration is controlled for improved and / or more energy efficient operation.

[0054] In addition, the present invention relates to a program comprising a computer-readable program code, which, when executed on a computer and / or on a network node of a switching structure or on a central power management entity or on a session management entity, or partially on a network node of the switching structure and / or partially on the central power management entity and / or partially on a session management entity, causes the computer and / or the network node of the switching structure or the central power management entity or the session management entity to perform the method of the present invention.

[0055] In addition, the present invention relates to a computer-readable medium comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer and / or on a network node of a switching structure or on a central power management entity or on a session management entity, or partially on a network node of the switching structure and / or partially on the central power management entity and / or partially on the session management entity, cause the computer and / or the network node of the switching structure or the central power management entity or the session management entity to perform the method of the present invention.

[0056] These and other characteristics, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the principles of the present invention are illustrated in an exemplary manner. This description is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The reference figures cited below are referenced to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] Figure 1 A telecommunication network with a broadband access network having a central office delivery point according to the invention is schematically shown.

[0058] Figure 2 A central office delivery point and other entities and / or network nodes connected to the central office delivery point are schematically shown in more detail and include a number of components, entities and / or network nodes.

[0059] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Schematically shows a block diagram or flow chart for implementing control of various entities or network nodes, especially leaf network nodes or spine network nodes under consideration ( Figure 3 ) and communication diagrams ( Figure 4 ). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] The present invention will be described with respect to specific embodiments and with reference to certain drawings, but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are merely schematic and non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn to scale for illustrative purposes.

[0061] When referring to a singular noun an indefinite or definite article is used, for example "a", "an", "the" include plural forms of that noun unless something else is stated.

[0062] Furthermore, the terms first, second, third, etc. in the description and claims are used to distinguish between similar elements and not necessarily to describe a sequential or chronological order; this is especially true for the terms "first step," "second step," etc. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operation in different sequences than described or illustrated herein.

[0063] exist Figure 1 In the figure, a telecommunication network 100 according to the invention is schematically shown as preferably having at least one fixed line part. As part of the telecommunication network 100, there may also be a mobile (or cellular) part, but it is not shown in FIG. Figure 1. The user equipment or client devices 51, 52 are connected to the telecommunication network 100 via a (broadband) access network 120. In particular, as part of the broadband access network 120, the telecommunication network 100 comprises at least one logical or physical central office delivery point 110, which is preferably implemented within a data center and in particular handles different access requirements, in particular different access possibilities, of the client devices 51, 52 to network functions provided by or via the telecommunication network 100. The client devices 51, 52 are typically connected to the logical or physical central office delivery point 110 via customer premises equipment 50, 50' or via customer premises equipment functionality that may be built into the client devices 51, 52. Preferably, but not necessarily, the central office delivery point 110 comprises a switching fabric 115, which comprises a plurality of spine network nodes and typically also comprises a plurality of nodes that are not in the central office delivery point 115. Figure 1 Multiple leaf network nodes are explicitly represented in .

[0064] Figure 2 A central office delivery point 110 is schematically shown in more detail as part of a broadband access network 120 of a telecommunications network 100, and other entities and / or network nodes connected to the central office delivery point, the central office delivery point 110 comprising a number of components, entities and / or network nodes. The illustrated portion of the telecommunications network 100 comprises a switch fabric 115 comprising a plurality of spine network nodes 171, 172 and typically also a plurality of leaf network nodes 161, 162. In this exemplary representation of the telecommunications network 100, the leaf network nodes 161, 162 typically comprise or host the functionality of a service edge node or entity; thus, the independent service edge nodes are in the Figure 2 In addition, Figure 2 A plurality of access nodes 151, 152 are shown; examples of such access nodes 151, 152 include line termination nodes, wherein typically each of the line termination nodes 151, 152 has one or more access node ports ( Figure 2 Line termination nodes 151, 152 or access nodes 151, 152 may be provided to support access to home gateways or customer premises equipment 50, 50' (in Figure 1 shown in Figure 2 1 and 1 ). In this case, the client device 51 is connected to the optical network via the customer premises equipment 50 (or the home gateway device 50, refer to Figure 1 ) and, where appropriate, network endpoints ( Figure 2The customer premises equipment 50 (or home gateway device 50, refer to Figure 1 ) and the functionality of the network end node 75 can also be integrated into one device or "box". Even the functionality of the client device 51, the functionality of the customer premises equipment 50 (or home gateway device 50) and the functionality of the network end node 75 can also be integrated into one device or "box". In addition to the switching fabric 115, the central office delivery point 110 also includes a central power management entity or functionality 180, a central management switch 182 (or a bottom of rack switch 182) and a plurality of servers or Kubernetes master and worker entities 165.

[0065] According to the present invention, there is provided a method for improved operation of a broadband access network 120 of a telecommunications network 100 and / or for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of the broadband access network 120. The broadband access network 120 comprises a central office delivery point 110 having a switching fabric 115, the switching fabric 115 comprising a plurality of spine network nodes 171, 172 and a plurality of leaf network nodes 161, 162, and the central office delivery point 110 and / or the broadband access network 120 comprises a central power management entity or functionality 180 and a session management entity or functionality 190 ( Figure 2 not shown).

[0066] According to the present invention, a plurality of spine network nodes 171, 172 and a plurality of leaf network nodes 161, 162 include local power management entities or functionalities 171', 172', 161', 162', respectively. In addition to the respective local power management entities or functionalities 171', 172', 161', 162', the spine network nodes 171, 172 and the leaf network nodes 161, 162 may also include load detection functions or load detection functionalities, respectively, however, these functions are not necessarily limited to the local power management entities or functionalities 171', 172', 161', 162'. Figure 2 Likewise, multiple servers or Kubernetes master entities and worker entities 165 typically include a local power management entity or functionality 165', respectively.

[0067] exist Figure 4 In , a communication diagram is schematically shown for implementing the control of various entities or network nodes, in this case representing the leaf network node 161 under consideration. Figure 4The communication diagram shown in illustrates the communication between the load detection functionality 161″ of the leaf network node 161 under consideration, the local power management entity or functionality 161′ of the leaf network node 161 under consideration, the central power management entity or functionality 180, and the session management entity or functionality 190. In a first processing step 201, threshold information is transmitted to the local power management entity or functionality 161′ of the leaf network node 161 under consideration via the load detection functionality 161″ of the leaf network node 161 under consideration. Figure 4 Different steps according to the invention are also shown: for an improved and / or more energy-efficient operation of the central office delivery point 110, and with respect to the considered leaf network node 161 (i.e. the “first” leaf network node 161) of the plurality of leaf network nodes 161, 162, the method according to the invention comprises the following steps:

[0068] In a first step, a traffic load information message about the current load condition of the leaf network node 161 under consideration is transmitted by the local power management entity or functionality 161' of the leaf network node 161 under consideration to the central power management entity or functionality 180 (at Figure 4 , which is illustrated by the second processing step 202),

[0069] In a second step, following the first step, the central power management entity or functionality 180 transmits a session transfer request message to the session management entity or functionality 190, the session transfer request message (or session continuation request message) corresponding to a request for permission to transfer one or more sessions handled by the leaf network node 161 under consideration to another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes 161, 162 (this is in the case of Figure 4 ), as shown by the third processing step 203,

[0070] In a third step, after the second step, the session management entity or functionality 190 transmits a session transfer answer message to the central power management entity or functionality 180, the session transfer answer message corresponding to the session transfer request message (which is in Figure 4 ), as shown by the fourth processing step 204,

[0071] In a fourth step, after the third step, the central power management entity or functionality 180 transmits a traffic load enforcement message to the local power management entity or functionality 161' of the leaf network node 161 under consideration (this is done in Figure 4), wherein, depending on the content of the traffic load execution message, the leaf network node 161 under consideration is typically controlled by powering off the leaf network node 161 under consideration or switching this network node to a state corresponding to lower power consumption for improved and / or more energy efficient operation. The session transfer request message may, for example, refer to an access session (of a client device such as a user equipment) and / or an IP session and / or a voice session. By requesting (if applicable) to transfer in a controlled manner a session handled by a network node (especially a leaf network node hosting service edge functionality) that has a relatively low load and is therefore likely to be powered off (or transferred to a lower power consumption state) to another network node (especially another leaf network node hosting service edge functionality), it is advantageously possible to control powering on and off of network nodes in a manner that depends on ongoing or active sessions or communication links.

[0072] exist Figure 3In the figure, a block diagram or flow chart for implementing the control of the respective entities or network nodes, in particular the leaf network node 161 or the spine network node 171 under consideration is schematically shown. The local power management entities or functionalities 171', 172', 161', 162', 165' (of the respective leaf network nodes 161, 162, or the respective spine network nodes 171, 172, or the respective servers or Kubernetes master and worker entities 165) provide information or messages (corresponding in the case of the leaf network node 161 under consideration to traffic load information messages about the current load situation of the leaf network node 161 under consideration, but corresponding to similar traffic load information messages about other network nodes) to the central power management entity or functionality 180. Within or as part of the central power management entity or functionality 180, a load information collecting entity or component 183 is provided, collecting load information (or traffic load information messages from the respective network nodes 161, 162, 171, 172, 165). This collected information is processed by the processing entity or component 184 and provided (or the processing results are provided) to the central office delivery point resource control and / or decision entity or component 185. Where applicable (and in particular where an ongoing communication session or active (user) communication link may need to be transferred, i.e. in particular where decisions are made by the leaf network node 161 hosting the service edge functionality), the decisions made by the central office delivery point resource control and / or decision entity or component 185 are informed by the information requested by the central power management entity or functionality 180 from the session management entity or functionality 190. From the central office delivery point resource control and / or decision entity or component 185, the corresponding control or command information is transmitted to the network and service preparation entity or component 186, and forwarded from there to the execution entity or component 187, thereby providing the traffic load execution message to each local power management entity or functionality 171', 172', 161', 162', 165' (of each leaf network node 161, 162, or each spine network node 171, 172, or each server or Kubernetes master entity and working entity 165). The network and service preparation entity or component 186 also transmits information to the software defined network controller 189.

[0073] According to the present invention, the service edge functionality typically (but not necessarily) resides on the leaf network nodes 161, 162 and terminates the retail customers. Routing towards the IP core (at Figure 2171, 172). The components within the central office delivery point 110 are typically connected via bottom-of-rack switches for network and device management. It is particularly preferred according to the present invention that the access nodes 151, 152 are "dual-homed" (i.e., have redundancy) connected to leaf network nodes and / or service edge network nodes. Each network node typically has a local power management entity or functionality 171', 172', 161', 162', 165' (also called SPC functionality, slave power control) to request and receive execution requests from the master power controller (or central power management entity or functionality 180).

[0074] Advantageously, according to the present invention, the access nodes 151, 152 have or apply a load balancing function (LBF) in order to distribute traffic on the dual-homed link (i.e., each of the access nodes 151, 152 is connected to two (or more) leaf network nodes 161, 162). The load balancing function (which can be separate from, included together with, or integrated with the traffic or load detection function) resides on the leaf network nodes 161, 162 (or service edge network nodes) and reports traffic load information to the central power management entity or functionality 180 (Master POD Power Control, MPC); this information can be actual load information (the calculation is then done centrally at the MPC level), or it can be information about loads below or above predefined thresholds. Based on this information, the central power management entity or functionality 180 or MPC processes these data, requests POD resource control and requests the session management entity or functionality 190 (SMF, Session Management Function) to notify the expected session handover from the considered service edge node or the considered leaf network node that is expected to be shut down, so as to transfer the session to another service edge node or leaf network node. After the session management entity or functionality 190 commits, the central power management entity or functionality 180 (MPC) requests the leaf network node 161 (or serving edge network node) in question to reduce power or shut down.

[0075] If the traffic conditions anticipate a higher load than before, the leaf network node 161 (or service edge network node) under consideration and previously shut down (or powered off) will be activated again. The means implemented to provide hysteresis behavior should avoid severe oscillating behavior or rotation between shutdown and powered-on operating states of such network nodes (i.e., in particular leaf network nodes 161, 162, service edge network nodes, spine network nodes 171, 172 or servers or Kubernetes master entities and working entities 165). Therefore, the above-mentioned timing interval (before it actually implements or executes the power-off decision) needs to be long enough. In the case where the spine network nodes 171, 172 are shut down or powered off, the routing table needs to be transplanted before the switching of active communication sessions; however, the same timing considerations apply here as well. The same considerations also apply to the case of shutdown (or power off) of servers or Kubernetes master entities and working entities 165 within a server cluster: each server hosts a Kubernetes master node and a working node, which enables two of the three servers to be shut down (or powered off).

Claims

1. A method for improved operation of a broadband access network (120) of a telecommunications network (100), the broadband access network (120) comprising a central office delivery point (110) having a switching fabric (115), the switching fabric (115) comprising a plurality of spine network nodes (171, 172) and a plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), wherein the central office delivery point (110) and / or the broadband access network (120) comprises a central power management entity or functionality (180) and a session management entity or functionality (190), and wherein the plurality of spine network nodes (171, 172) and the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162) respectively comprise local power management entities or functionality, wherein for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of the central office delivery point (110), and with respect to a considered leaf network node (161) of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), the method comprises the following steps: In a first step, a traffic load information message about the current load condition of the leaf network node (161) under consideration is transmitted by the local power management entity or functionality (161') of the leaf network node (161) under consideration to the central power management entity or functionality (180), In a second step, subsequent to said first step, said central power management entity or functionality (180) transmits a session transfer request message to said session management entity or functionality (190), said session transfer request message corresponding to a request for permission to transfer one or more sessions handled by the leaf network node (161) under consideration to another leaf network node of said plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), In a third step, after said second step, said session management entity or functionality (190) transmits a session transfer answer message to said central power management entity or functionality (180), said session transfer answer message corresponding to said session transfer request message, In a fourth step, following said third step, said central power management entity or functionality (180) transmits a traffic load enforcement message to a local power management entity or functionality (161') of the leaf network node (161) under consideration, wherein depending on the content of said traffic load enforcement message, the leaf network node (161) under consideration is controlled such that: One or more sessions previously handled by the leaf network node (161) under consideration are transferred to another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), and / or The leaf network node (161) under consideration is switched off or switched to a standby state or switched to a power saving state, and / or One or more sessions previously handled by another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162) are transferred to the leaf network node (161) under consideration.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The central office delivery point (110) and / or the broadband access network (120) includes a plurality of line termination nodes (151, 152, 153), wherein each of the plurality of line termination nodes (151, 152, 153) is connected to at least two of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162).

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162) are connected to at least two of the plurality of spine network nodes (171, 172), wherein In a fifth step, a further traffic load information message about the current load condition of the spine network node (171) under consideration is transmitted by the local power management entity or functionality (171') of the spine network node (171) under consideration to the central power management entity or functionality (180), and In a sixth step, following the fifth step, the central power management entity or functionality (180) transmits a further traffic load execution message to the local power management entity or functionality (171') of the spine network node (171) under consideration, wherein depending on the content of the further traffic load execution message, the spine network node (171) under consideration is controlled for improved operation such that the spine network node (171) under consideration is shut down or switched to a standby state or to a power saving state.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that A traffic load information message about the current load condition of the leaf network node (161) under consideration and / or another traffic load information message about the current load condition of the spine network node (171) under consideration corresponds to or is related to actual load information, or corresponds to or is related to whether a predefined load threshold is currently reached.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Control of the leaf network node (161) under consideration is performed for improved operation and depending on the traffic load the content of the message, and / or For improved operation and depending on the content of the further traffic load execution message, the control of the spine network node (171) under consideration Included is applying different decision parameters to provide hysteresis behavior when shutting down a considered leaf network node (161) and / or a considered spine network node (171).

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The decision parameters include at least one threshold value and / or at least one time interval.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The central power management entity or functionality (180) is part of or implemented in a central management switch of the broadband access network (120) and / or the central office delivery point (110).

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The local power management entity or functionality (161', 162', 171', 172') within each of the multiple spine network nodes (171, 172) and within each of the multiple leaf network nodes (161, 162) includes or interacts with a corresponding load detection function, which is also part of the multiple spine network nodes (171, 172) and the multiple leaf network nodes (161, 162), respectively.

9. A broadband access network (120) for improved operation of a broadband access network (120), the broadband access network (120) comprising a central office delivery point (110) having a switching fabric (115), the switching fabric (115) comprising a plurality of spine network nodes (171, 172) and a plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), wherein the central office delivery point (110) and / or the broadband access network (120) comprises a central power management entity or functionality (180) and a session management entity or functionality (190), and wherein the plurality of spine network nodes (171, 172) and the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162) respectively comprise local power management entities or functionality, wherein for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of the central office delivery point (110), and with respect to a considered leaf network node (161) of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), the broadband access network (120) is configured such that: a traffic load information message about the current load condition of the leaf network node (161) under consideration is transmitted by the local power management entity or functionality (161') of the leaf network node (161) under consideration to the central power management entity or functionality (180), the central power management entity or functionality (180) transmitting a session transfer request message to the session management entity or functionality (190), the session transfer request message corresponding to a request for permission to transfer one or more sessions handled by the leaf network node (161) under consideration to another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), The session management entity or functionality (190) transmits a session transfer answer message to the central power management entity or functionality (180), the session transfer answer message corresponding to the session transfer request message, The central power management entity or functionality (180) transmits a traffic load enforcement message to a local power management entity or functionality (161') of a leaf network node (161) under consideration, wherein depending on the content of the traffic load enforcement message, the leaf network node (161) under consideration is controlled such that: One or more sessions previously handled by the leaf network node (161) under consideration are transferred to another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), and / or The leaf network node (161) under consideration is switched off or switched to a standby state or switched to a power saving state, and / or One or more sessions previously handled by another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162) are transferred to the leaf network node (161) under consideration.

10. A system for improved operation of a broadband access network (120), the broadband access network (120) comprising a central office delivery point (110) having a switch fabric (115), the switch fabric (115) comprising a plurality of spine network nodes (171, 172) and a plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), wherein the central office delivery point (110) and / or the broadband access network (120) comprises a central power management entity or functionality (180) and a session management entity or functionality (190), and wherein the plurality of spine network nodes (171, 172) and the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162) respectively comprise local power management entities or functionality, wherein for improved and / or more energy efficient operation of the central office delivery point (110), and with respect to a considered leaf network node (161) of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), the system is configured such that: a traffic load information message about the current load condition of the leaf network node (161) under consideration is transmitted by the local power management entity or functionality (161') of the leaf network node (161) under consideration to the central power management entity or functionality (180), the central power management entity or functionality (180) transmitting a session transfer request message to the session management entity or functionality (190), the session transfer request message corresponding to a request for permission to transfer one or more sessions handled by the leaf network node (161) under consideration to another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), The session management entity or functionality (190) transmits a session transfer answer message to the central power management entity or functionality (180), the session transfer answer message corresponding to the session transfer request message, The central power management entity or functionality (180) transmits a traffic load enforcement message to a local power management entity or functionality (161') of a leaf network node (161) under consideration, wherein depending on the content of the traffic load enforcement message, the leaf network node (161) under consideration is controlled such that: One or more sessions previously handled by the leaf network node (161) under consideration are transferred to another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162), and / or The leaf network node (161) under consideration is switched off or switched to a standby state or switched to a power saving state, and / or One or more sessions previously handled by another leaf network node of the plurality of leaf network nodes (161, 162) are transferred to the leaf network node (161) under consideration.

11. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of one of claims 1 to 8.

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