VNF instantiation method and device

Abstract

The present application provides a VNF instantiation method and device, which can solve the problem that the VNF defined based on the VNFD model shown in Figure 1 cannot be realized, and can be applied to various NFV systems. The method includes: NFVO obtains VNFD; VNFD is used to instantiate VNF, VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of the first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is visible externally. Then, NFVO sends an external network instantiation request to VIM; the external network instantiation request is used by VIM to instantiate the external network connected to the VNF according to the resource requirement information of the first internal network. Afterwards, NFVO sends a VNF instantiation request to VNFM; the VNF instantiation request is used by VNFM to instantiate VNF according to VNFD.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a VNF instantiation method and device. Background Art

[0002] Network function virtualization (NFV) uses general hardware devices and virtualization technology to implement the functions of dedicated devices in traditional networks, and can quickly deploy new network services (NS) through resource sharing to reduce network deployment costs and improve network operation efficiency. A NS can be implemented by several virtualized network functions (VNF). Among them, a VNF can include modules such as virtualisation deployment unit (VDU), connection point (CP), virtual link (VL), etc., which can be defined in VNF descriptor (VNFD).

[0003] For example, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the VNF structure defined by an existing VNFD model. Figure 1 As shown, the VNF includes two internal networks Int-VL1 and Int-VL2, two virtual deployment units VDU-A and VDU-B, three internal connection points VduCp-a2, VduCp-b1 and VduCp-b2, and one external connection point ExtCp. Among them, ExtCp is used to establish a connection between the external network Ext-VL and the internal network Int-VL1, that is, ExtCp is a relay node between the external network Ext-VL and the internal network Int-VL1. Specifically, ExtCp is connected to the external network Ext-VL as a port on the internal network Int-VL1, or is connected to a port on the external network Ext-VL as a port on the internal network Int-VL1.

[0004] However, from the current network implementation, ExtCp is just a port without forwarding function and cannot be used as a relay node between the Ext-VL external network and the internal network Int-VL1. Figure 1 The VNF defined by the VNFD model shown is currently unrealizable. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present application provides a VNF instantiation method and device, which can solve the problem of Figure 1 The VNF defined by the VNFD model shown cannot be implemented.

[0006] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a VNF instantiation method is provided. The method comprises: a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO receives virtualized network function description information VNFD from an operation support system / business support system OSS / BSS; VNFD is used to instantiate a virtualized network function VNF, and VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of a first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible. Then, NFVO sends an external network instantiation request to a virtual infrastructure manager VIM; the external network instantiation request is used by VIM to instantiate an external network connected to the VNF according to the resource requirement information of the first internal network. Afterwards, NFVO sends a VNF instantiation request to a virtual network function manager VNFM; the VNF instantiation request is used by VNFM to instantiate the VNF according to VNFD.

[0008] Based on the VNF instantiation method described in the first aspect, NFVO can obtain the first indication information in VNFD, and the first indication information indicates that the resource requirement information of the first internal network in VNFD is externally visible, that is, the external network can be instantiated according to the resource requirement information of the first internal network. In this way, NFVO can request VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and request VNFM to instantiate VNF according to VNFD, thereby establishing direct communication between VNF and the external network, which can solve the problem that the internal network and the external network cannot be connected at the same time through the same external connection point in VNF, thereby causing the communication connection between the internal network and the external network to be unable to be established, and there is no need to instantiate the entities corresponding to the external connection point and the internal network in VNF, which can improve the instantiation efficiency of VNF.

[0009] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also be instantiated when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0010] Optionally, the first indication information may be defined in a capability field of the first internal network in the VNFD.

[0011] In a possible design, the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource requirement information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD. That is, the resource requirement information of the first internal network can be provided to the external network by the external connection point in the VNFD.

[0012] Optionally, the above-mentioned external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, which may include: VNFD may also include second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible.

[0013] Among them, the virtual node can be understood as not needing to instantiate an external connection point in the VNF. The external connection point is only used to provide resource demand information of the first internal network to the external network, and is not used to establish a communication connection between the internal network and the external network.

[0014] Optionally, the second indication information may be defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

[0015] In another possible design, the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource requirement information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD. That is, the resource requirement information of the first internal network can be provided by the first internal network to the external network. In other words, it is also possible not to define an external connection point in the VNFD model, but to directly set the resource requirement information of the first internal network to be externally visible, so as to further simplify the VNF instantiation operation process, thereby improving the VNF instantiation efficiency.

[0016] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD may also include third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0017] Optionally, the third indication information may be defined in a capability field in a replacement map in the VNFD.

[0018] In a possible design scheme, VNFD may also include information of a virtual deployment unit connection point VDUCP in the VNF connected to the internal network. There may be multiple VDUCPs connected to the internal network. VNFM applies to VIM for instantiation of a first port in the external network. The first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through VDUCP, and the number of the first ports is the same as the number of VDUCPs connected to the internal network, thereby avoiding the mismatch problem caused by the inconsistency between the number of ports of the external network and the number of ports of the internal network.

[0019] In a possible design solution, the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO receives virtualized network function description information VNFD from an operation support system / business support system OSS / BSS, which may include: NFVO receives a VNF package file from the OSS / BSS, wherein the VNF package file is used to obtain the VNFD.

[0020] It should be noted that the same VNFD may correspond to one or more VNF package files, and the one or more VNF package files may be carried by one or more messages. NFVO may parse one or more messages received from OSS / BSS to obtain the VNF package files carried by the one or more messages.

[0021] Furthermore, NFVO can also send a response message of the one or more messages to OSS / BSS to inform OSS / BSS whether the VNF package file is successfully received. If the reception fails, the response message can be used to request OSS / BSS to resend the VNF package file that failed to be received last time to improve the reliability of transmitting VNF package files.

[0022] Alternatively, the NFVO may also read the VNF package file from its local cache. This embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0023] In a possible design scheme, the VNF instantiation method described in the first aspect may also include: NFVO receives network service descriptor (NSD) from OSS / BSS. Wherein, NSD includes the identifier of VNFD and fourth indication information. Wherein, the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the external connection information of VNF is the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and there is no need to define the resource requirement of the external network in NSD. In other words, the resource requirement of the external network can be determined based on the resource requirement information of the first internal network to instantiate the external network, so as to reduce the amount of NSD data that needs to be transmitted, thereby further improving the efficiency of VNF instantiation.

[0024] Optionally, the fourth indication information may be defined in a requirement field in the VNF in the NSD and in a capability field in the external network.

[0025] Alternatively, optionally, the fourth indication information may also be defined in the capability field in the VNF in the NSD and in the requirement field in the external network.

[0026] In the second aspect, a VNF instantiation method is provided. The method includes: an operation support system / business support system OSS / BSS sends virtualized network function description information VNFD to a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO. VNFD is used to instantiate a virtualized network function VNF, and VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of a first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible. Then, OSS / BSS sends network service description information NSD to NFVO. NSD includes an identifier of VNFD and fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the external connection information of VNF is the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and there is no need to define the resource requirement of the external network in NSD.

[0027] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also be instantiated when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0028] Optionally, the first indication information may be defined in a capability field of an internal network in the VNFD.

[0029] In a possible design scheme, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external link point information in the VNFD.

[0030] Optionally, the above-mentioned external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD also includes second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible.

[0031] Optionally, the second indication information may be defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

[0032] In another possible design scheme, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD.

[0033] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD may also include third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0034] Optionally, the third indication information may be defined in a capability field in a replacement map in the VNFD.

[0035] In a possible design scheme, VNFD may also include information of a virtual deployment unit connection point VDUCP in the VNF connected to the internal network. There may be multiple VDUCPs connected to the internal network. VNFM applies to VIM for instantiating a first port in the external network. The first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through VDUCP, and the number of first ports is the same as the number of VDUCPs connected to the internal network.

[0036] Optionally, the fourth indication information may be defined in a requirement field in the VNF in the NSD and in a capability field in the external network.

[0037] Alternatively, optionally, the fourth indication information may also be defined in the capability field in the VNF in the NSD and in the requirement field in the external network.

[0038] In a possible design solution, the operation support system / business support system OSS / BSS sends the virtualized network function description information VNFD to the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO, which may include: the OSS / BSS sends a VNF package file to the NFVO, wherein the VNF package file is used to obtain the VNFD.

[0039] It should be noted that the VNF package file corresponding to the same VNFD may be one or more, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0040] Optionally, the OSS / BSS may send the VNF package file to the NFVO via one or more messages.

[0041] Furthermore, the OSS / BSS may receive a response message to the one or more messages to learn whether the NFVO has successfully received the VNF package file. If not, the OSS / BSS may send the VNF package file that failed to be received last time to the NFVO again to improve the reliability of transmitting the VNF package file.

[0042] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the second aspect can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0043] In a third aspect, a VNF instantiation method is provided. The method includes: a virtual infrastructure manager VIM receives an external network instantiation request from a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO. The external network instantiation request includes resource requirement information of a first internal network, and the resource requirement information of the first internal network is used by the VIM to instantiate an external network connected to the virtualized network function VNF.

[0044] In a possible design scheme, the VNF instantiation method described in the third aspect may further include: the VIM receives a port instantiation request from the virtual network function manager VNFM. The port instantiation request is used by the VIM to instantiate a first port in an external network, and the first port is used for the external network to communicate with the first internal network through the VDUCP.

[0045] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the third aspect can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0046] In a fourth aspect, a VNF instantiation method is provided. The method includes: a virtual network function manager VNFM receives a virtual network function VNF instantiation request from a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO. The VNF instantiation request includes an instance identifier of the VNF, the instance identifier is used to obtain virtualized network function description information VNFD, the VNFD is used by the VNFM to instantiate the VNF, the VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of a first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible.

[0047] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also be instantiated when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0048] Optionally, the first indication information may be defined in a capability field of an internal network in the VNFD.

[0049] In a possible design, the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource requirement information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD. That is, the resource requirement information of the first internal network can be provided to the external network by the external connection point in the VNFD.

[0050] Optionally, the above-mentioned external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, which may include: VNFD may also include second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible.

[0051] Among them, the virtual node can be understood as not needing to instantiate an external connection point in the VNF. The external connection point is only used to provide resource demand information of the first internal network to the external network, and is not used to establish a communication connection between the internal network and the external network.

[0052] Optionally, the second indication information may be defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

[0053] In another possible design, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD. That is, the resource demand information of the first internal network can be provided by the first internal network to the external network.

[0054] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0055] Optionally, the third indication information may be defined in a capability field in a replacement map in the VNFD.

[0056] In a possible design scheme, VNFD may also include information of a virtual deployment unit connection point VDUCP in the VNF connected to the internal network. There may be multiple VDUCPs connected to the internal network. VNFM applies to VIM for instantiating a first port in the external network. The first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through VDUCP, and the number of first ports is the same as the number of VDUCPs connected to the internal network.

[0057] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the fourth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0058] In a fifth aspect, a VNF instantiation device is provided. The device includes: a transceiver module. The transceiver module is used to receive virtualized network function description information VNFD from an operation support system / business support system OSS / BSS. VNFD is used to instantiate a virtualized network function VNF, and VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of a first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible. The transceiver module is also used to send an external network instantiation request to a virtual infrastructure manager VIM. The external network instantiation request is used by VIM to instantiate an external network connected to the VNF according to the resource requirement information of the first internal network. The transceiver module is also used to send a VNF instantiation request to a virtual network function manager VNFM; the VNF instantiation request is used by VNFM to instantiate the VNF according to VNFD.

[0059] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also be instantiated when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0060] Optionally, the first indication information may be defined in a capability field of an internal network in the VNFD.

[0061] In a possible design, the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource requirement information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD. That is, the resource requirement information of the first internal network can be provided to the external network by the external connection point in the VNFD.

[0062] Optionally, the above-mentioned external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, which may include: VNFD may also include second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible.

[0063] Among them, the virtual node can be understood as not needing to instantiate an external connection point in the VNF. The external connection point is only used to provide resource demand information of the first internal network to the external network, and is not used to establish a communication connection between the internal network and the external network.

[0064] Optionally, the second indication information may be defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

[0065] In another possible design, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD. That is, the resource demand information of the first internal network can be provided by the first internal network to the external network.

[0066] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD may also include third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0067] Optionally, the third indication information may be defined in a capability field in a replacement map in the VNFD.

[0068] In a possible design scheme, VNFD may also include information of a virtual deployment unit connection point VDUCP in the VNF connected to the internal network. There may be multiple VDUCPs connected to the internal network. VNFM applies to VIM for instantiating a first port in the external network. The first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through VDUCP, and the number of first ports is the same as the number of VDUCPs connected to the internal network.

[0069] In a possible design scheme, the transceiver module is also used to receive a VNF package file from the OSS / BSS, and the VNF package file is used to obtain the VNFD.

[0070] Optionally, the VNF instantiation device described in the fifth aspect can also read the VNF package file from its local cache. This embodiment of the application does not specifically limit this.

[0071] In a possible design scheme, the transceiver module is also used to receive network service description information NSD from OSS / BSS. The NSD includes the identifier of the VNFD and the fourth indication information. The fourth indication information is used to indicate that the external connection information of the VNF is the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and there is no need to define the resource requirements of the external network in the NSD.

[0072] Optionally, the fourth indication information may be defined in the requirement field in the VNF in the NSD and in the capability field of the external network. Alternatively, the fourth indication information may also be defined in the capability field in the VNF in the NSD and in the requirement field of the external network. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0073] Optionally, the VNF instantiation device described in the fifth aspect may further include a processing module and a storage module, wherein the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module executes the program or instruction, the VNF instantiation device described in the fifth aspect may execute the VNF instantiation method described in the first aspect.

[0074] It should be noted that the VNF instantiation device described in the fifth aspect may be an NFVO or a chip (system) or other parts or components that may be set in the NFVO, and this application does not limit this.

[0075] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation device described in the fifth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0076] In a sixth aspect, a VNF instantiation device is provided. The device includes: a transceiver module. The transceiver module is used to send virtualized network function description information VNFD to the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO. VNFD is used to instantiate the virtualized network function VNF, and VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of the first internal network. The first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible. The transceiver module is also used to send network service description information NSD to NFVO. NSD includes an identifier of VNFD and fourth indication information. The fourth indication information is used to indicate that the external connection information of VNF is the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and there is no need to define the resource requirement of the external network in NSD.

[0077] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also be instantiated when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0078] Optionally, the first indication information may be defined in a capability field of an internal network in the VNFD.

[0079] In a possible design scheme, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external link point information in the VNFD.

[0080] Optionally, the above-mentioned external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD also includes second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible.

[0081] Optionally, the second indication information may be defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

[0082] In another possible design scheme, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD.

[0083] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD may also include third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0084] Optionally, the third indication information may be defined in a capability field in a replacement map in the VNFD.

[0085] In a possible design scheme, VNFD may also include information of a virtual deployment unit connection point VDUCP in the VNF connected to the internal network. There may be multiple VDUCPs connected to the internal network. VNFM applies to VIM for instantiating a first port in the external network. The first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through VDUCP, and the number of first ports is the same as the number of VDUCPs connected to the internal network.

[0086] Optionally, the fourth indication information may be defined in a requirement field in the VNF in the NSD and in a capability field in the external network.

[0087] Alternatively, optionally, the fourth indication information may also be defined in the capability field in the VNF in the NSD and in the requirement field in the external network.

[0088] In a possible design solution, the transceiver module is further used to send a VNF package file to the NFVO, wherein the VNF package file is used to obtain the VNFD.

[0089] It should be noted that the same VNFD may correspond to one or more VNF package files, and the one or more VNF package files may be carried by one or more messages.

[0090] Furthermore, the transceiver module is also used to receive a response message of the one or more messages from the NFVO to learn whether the NFVO successfully receives the VNF package file. If not, the transceiver module is also used to send the VNF package file that failed to be received last time to the NFVO again to improve the reliability of transmitting the VNF package file.

[0091] Optionally, the VNF instantiation device described in the sixth aspect may also include a processing module and a storage module, wherein the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module executes the program or instruction, the VNF instantiation device described in the sixth aspect may execute the VNF instantiation method described in the second aspect.

[0092] It should be noted that the VNF instantiation device described in the sixth aspect can be a BSS / OSS or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the BSS / OSS, and this application does not limit this.

[0093] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation device described in the sixth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0094] In the seventh aspect, a VNF instantiation device is provided. The device includes: a transceiver module. The transceiver module is used to receive an external network instantiation request from a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO. The external network instantiation request includes resource requirement information of a first internal network, and the resource requirement information of the first internal network is used by the VIM to instantiate an external network connected to the virtualized network function VNF. The transceiver module is also used to send instance information of the external network to the NFVO. The instance information of the external network is determined by the resource requirement information of the first internal network.

[0095] In a possible design, the transceiver module is further used to receive a port instantiation request from the virtual network function manager VNFM, wherein the port instantiation request is used by the VIM to instantiate a first port in the external network, and the first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through the VDUCP.

[0096] Optionally, the VNF instantiation device described in the seventh aspect may further include a processing module and a storage module, wherein the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module executes the program or instruction, the VNF instantiation device described in the seventh aspect may execute the VNF instantiation method described in the third aspect.

[0097] It should be noted that the VNF instantiation device described in the seventh aspect can be a VIM or a chip (system) or other parts or components that can be set in the VIM, and this application does not limit this.

[0098] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation device described in the seventh aspect can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0099] In an eighth aspect, a VNF instantiation device is provided. The device includes: a transceiver module. The transceiver module is used to receive a virtualized network function VNF instantiation request from a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO. The VNF instantiation request includes virtualized network function description information VNFD, the VNFD is used by the VNFM to instantiate the VNF, and the VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of a first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0100] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also be instantiated when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0101] Optionally, the first indication information may be defined in a capability field of an internal network in the VNFD.

[0102] In a possible design, the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource requirement information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD. That is, the resource requirement information of the first internal network can be provided to the external network by the external connection point in the VNFD.

[0103] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD may also include second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible. Among them, the virtual node can be understood as the external connection point does not need to be instantiated in the VNF, and the external connection point is only used to provide the resource demand information of the first internal network to the external network, and is not used to establish a communication connection between the internal network and the external network.

[0104] Optionally, the second indication information may be defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

[0105] In another possible design, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD. That is, the resource demand information of the first internal network can be provided by the first internal network to the external network.

[0106] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0107] Optionally, the third indication information may be defined in a capability field in a replacement map in the VNFD.

[0108] In a possible design scheme, VNFD may also include information of a virtual deployment unit connection point VDUCP in the VNF connected to the internal network. There may be multiple VDUCPs connected to the internal network. VNFM applies to VIM for instantiating a first port in the external network. The first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through VDUCP, and the number of first ports is the same as the number of VDUCPs connected to the internal network.

[0109] Optionally, the VNF instantiation device described in the eighth aspect may further include a processing module and a storage module, wherein the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module executes the program or instruction, the VNF instantiation device described in the eighth aspect may execute the VNF instantiation method described in the fourth aspect.

[0110] It should be noted that the VNF instantiation device described in the eighth aspect may be a VNFM or a chip (system) or other parts or components that may be set in the VNFM, and this application does not limit this.

[0111] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation device described in the eighth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0112] In a ninth aspect, a VNF instantiation device is provided. The VNF instantiation device comprises: a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program; the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the VNF instantiation device performs the VNF instantiation method as described in any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fourth aspect.

[0113] In a possible design, the VNF instantiation device described in the ninth aspect may also include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an input / output port. The transceiver may be used for the VNF instantiation device to communicate with other VNF instantiation devices.

[0114] In the present application, the VNF instantiation device described in the ninth aspect may be NFVO, BSS / OSS, VIM, VNFM, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that may be set in NFVO, BSS / OSS, VIM, VNFM.

[0115] The technical effects of the VNF instantiation device described in the ninth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in any implementation method in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0116] In the tenth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes a processor and an input / output port, wherein the processor is used to implement the processing functions involved in the first to fourth aspects, and the input / output port is used to implement the transceiver functions involved in the first to fourth aspects.

[0117] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data for implementing the functions involved in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0118] The chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0119] In an eleventh aspect, a NFV system is provided, which includes NFVO, BSS / OSS, VIM, VNFM, NFVI, one or more VNFs, and one or more EMs.

[0120] In the twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising: the computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer executes the VNF instantiation method described in any possible implementation method of the first to fourth aspects.

[0121] In the thirteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the VNF instantiation method described in any possible implementation method of the first to fourth aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0122] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a VNF defined by an existing VNFD model;

[0123] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the architecture of the NFV system provided in the embodiment of the present application;

[0124] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the VNF instantiation device provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0125] Figure 4 A flowchart of a VNF instantiation method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0126] Figure 5A schematic diagram of the structure of a VNF defined by a VNFD model provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0127] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the VNF instantiation device provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0128] The technical solution in this application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0129] The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to various NFV systems, such as various NFV systems that comply with the NFV standards established by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI).

[0130] The present application will present various aspects, embodiments or features around a system that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the figures. In addition, combinations of these schemes may also be used.

[0131] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art should understand that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0132] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the architecture of an NFV system applicable to the VNF instantiation method provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 2As shown, the NFV system 200 includes a network function virtualization orchestrator (NFV orchestrator, NFVO) 202, one or more virtualized network function managers (virtualized network function managers, VNFM) 204, a virtualized infrastructure manager (virtualized infrastructure manager, VIM) 206, a network functions virtualization infrastructure (network functions virtualization infrastructure, NFVI), operations support system and business support system (operations support system and business support system, OSS / BSS) 224, one or more equipment management systems (equipment manager, EM) 210, and one or more VNF208.

[0133] Among them, NFVO202 is mainly responsible for handling the life cycle management of virtualized services, as well as the allocation and scheduling of virtual resources in VIM206 and NFVI. NFVO202 can communicate with one or more VNFM204 to execute VNF208 related requests, send configuration information to VNFM204, and collect status information of VNF208. In addition, NFVO202 can also communicate with VIM206 to perform resource allocation and / or reservation, and exchange virtualized hardware resource configuration and status information.

[0134] VNFM204 is responsible for the lifecycle management of one or more VNF208, such as instantiation, updating, querying, scaling, and terminating of VNF208. Specifically, VNFM204 can communicate with VNF208 to complete the lifecycle management of VNF208, as well as exchange configuration information and status information. It should be understood that there can be multiple VNFMs in the same NFV system, each responsible for lifecycle management of different types of VNFs.

[0135] VIM206 is responsible for controlling and managing the interaction between VNF208 and computing hardware 212, storage hardware 214, network hardware 216, virtual computing 218, virtual storage 220, and virtual network 222. For example, VIM206 can perform resource management functions, including managing infrastructure resources, allocation (e.g., adding resources to virtual containers), and operation functions (e.g., collecting NFVI fault information). VNFM204 and VIM206 can communicate with each other, request resource allocation, and exchange virtualized hardware resource configuration information and status information.

[0136] NFVI is the infrastructure layer of NFV, which includes hardware components, software components or a combination of the two to establish a virtualized environment, deploy, manage and implement VNF208. The hardware resources and virtualization layer are used to provide virtualized resources for VNF208, such as virtual machines and other forms of virtual containers. Hardware resources include computing hardware 212, storage hardware 214, and network hardware 216. In one embodiment, the resources of computing hardware 212 and storage hardware 214 can be deployed together. The virtualization layer in NFVI is used to abstract hardware resources into virtual resources to decouple VNF208 from the underlying physical network layer.

[0137] EM 210 is a system used to configure and manage devices in traditional telecommunication systems. In NFV system 200, EM 210 can also be used to configure and manage VNF 208, and initiate lifecycle management operations such as new VNF instantiation to VNFM 204.

[0138] OSS / BSS224 is used to support various telecommunication services. The management functions supported by OSS include network configuration, service provision, fault management, etc. BSS processes orders, payments, revenue, etc. and supports product management, order management, revenue management and customer management.

[0139] In the NFV system 200, a party that can receive a virtualization request and virtualize the corresponding network service according to the virtualization request is called a virtualization service provider, and a party that initiates a virtualization request is called a virtualization service requester. The virtualization service may be an Internet Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network service, an evolved packet core (EPC) service, etc., which is not limited in the present embodiment of the application.

[0140] The above virtualization request may include network service description information (network service descriptor, NSD, also known as NS deployment template) corresponding to the requested virtualized service. Among them, NSD is used to describe the topology structure of the network service and the VNFD of each VNF included. Virtual link descriptor (VLD) is used in the topology structure information to describe the connection between VNFs.

[0141] VNFD may include the following information: description information of one or more VDUs, description information of one or more internal and / or external connection points CP (connection point), description information of one or more virtual connections VL (virtual link), etc. Among them, VDU can be regarded as a virtual machine with application software installed. The description of VDU includes the demand description of all virtual resources of the virtual machine. CP represents the connection information on the virtual machine, such as virtual network interface card (vNIC) information, which can be represented by Internet protocol (IP) address or media access control (MAC) address. VL is a virtual connection connecting multiple VDUs within VNF, which can be represented by connection type, bandwidth and other information. NFVO202 can instantiate VNF according to VNFD request VNFM204, such as Figure 1 The VNF shown in .

[0142] In the embodiments of the present application, "instantiate" and "establish" have the same meaning, which is to establish a certain network entity. For example, instantiating a VNF is to establish a VNF entity. For another example, creating an external network is to establish an external network entity.

[0143] At present, VNFD can be defined in the topology and orchestration specification for cloud applications (TOSCA) language developed by the organization for the advancement of Sstructured information standards (OASIS). For details, reference can be made to the prior art, and the embodiments of this application will not be repeated here.

[0144] It should be noted that the VNF instantiation method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to Figure 2 The NVF system shown shows communications between OSS / BSS 224 and NFVO 202 , between NFVO 202 and VNFM 204 , and between NFVO 202 and VIM 206 .

[0145] It should be understood that Figure 2 The simplified schematic diagram is only provided for ease of understanding. The NFV system 200 may also include other devices. Figure 2 Not drawn in.

[0146] For example, Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a VNF instantiation device that can be used to execute the VNF instantiation method provided in an embodiment of the present application Figure 1 The VNF instantiation device may be NFVO, OSS / BSS, VNFM, VIM, or a chip (system) or other parts or components that may be set in NFVO, OSS / BSS, VNFM, VIM.

[0147] like Figure 3 As shown, the VNF instantiation device 300 may include a processor 301. Optionally, the VNF instantiation device 300 may also include a memory 302 and / or a transceiver 303. The processor 301 is coupled with the memory 302 and the transceiver 303, such as being connected via a communication bus.

[0148] Combine the following Figure 3 The components of the VNF instantiation device 300 are described in detail:

[0149] The processor 301 is the control center of the VNF instantiation device 300, which can be a processor or a general term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 301 is one or more central processing units (CPUs), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of the present application, such as one or more microprocessors (digital signal processors, DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0150] Among them, the processor 301 can perform various functions of the VNF instantiation device 300 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 302, and calling data stored in the memory 302.

[0151] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 301 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 3 CPU0 and CPU1 are shown in the figure.

[0152] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the VNF instantiation device 300 may also include multiple processors, such as Figure 3 301 and processor 304 are shown in FIG. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). The processor here may refer to one or more communication devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0153] The memory 302 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage communication devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage communication devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage communication device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 302 may be integrated with the processor 301, or may exist independently, and may be accessed through the input / output port ( Figure 3 (not shown) is coupled to the processor 301, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0154] The memory 302 is used to store the software program for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 301. The above specific implementation can refer to the following method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0155] The transceiver 303 is used for communication with other VNF instantiation devices. For example, the VNF instantiation device 300 may be an NFVO, and the transceiver 303 may be used for communication between the NFVO and OSS / BSS, VNFM, and VIM. For another example, the VNF instantiation device 300 may be an OSS / BSS, and the transceiver 303 may be used for communication between the OSS / BSS and the NFVO.

[0156] It should be understood that the transceiver 303 may include a receiver and a transmitter ( Figure 3 The receiver is used to implement a receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement a sending function.

[0157] Optionally, the transceiver 303 may be integrated with the processor 301, or may exist independently and access the input / output port ( Figure 3 (not shown) is coupled to the processor 301, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0158] It should be noted that Figure 3 The structure of the VNF instantiation device 300 shown in the figure does not constitute a limitation of the VNF instantiation device. The actual VNF instantiation device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0159] The following will be combined Figure 4-Figure 5 The VNF instantiation method provided in the embodiment of the present application is explained in detail.

[0160] For example, Figure 4 A flowchart of a VNF instantiation method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The VNF instantiation method can be applied to Figure 2 The NFV system shown in .

[0161] like Figure 4 As shown, the VNF instantiation method includes the following steps:

[0162] S401, NFVO receives VNFD from OSS / BSS.

[0163] The VNFD is used to instantiate the VNF, and the VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of the first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0164] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also instantiate the first internal network when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network. For specific implementation, please refer to the relevant description in S404 and S409 below, which will not be repeated here.

[0165] For example, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a VNF provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 5As shown, the VNF includes: 2 internal networks Int-VL1 and Int-VL2, 2 virtual deployment units VDU-A and VDU-B, and 4 internal connection points VduCp-a1, VduCp-a2 and VduCp-b1, VduCp-b2. Among them, the first internal network can be Int-VL1, and the resource demand information of the first internal network can be the resource demand information of Int-VL1, such as the connection type (connectivity type), data rate, quality of service (quality of service, QoS), etc. For details, please refer to the following VNFD model 1 and VNFD model 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0166] In the embodiment of the present application, the first internal network refers to an internal network that has business needs with the external network. In other words, the first internal network refers to an internal network that the external network needs to access. In response to this demand, the VNF can be defined in the manner of the following VNFD model 1 or VNFD model 2 to simplify the VNF instantiation operation. For details, please refer to the relevant contents of the following VNFD model 1 or VNFD model 2, which will not be repeated here.

[0167] In addition to the first internal network, a second internal network may also exist in the VNF. The second internal network refers to an internal network that has no service requirements with the external network, such as Figure 5 The internal network Int-VL1 shown in . It should be understood that when there is a business demand between any second internal network and the external network, then any second internal network can be regarded as the first internal network, and can also be processed in the same way as the first internal network. Similarly, when the business demand between any first internal network and the external network no longer exists, such as the business corresponding to the business demand has been executed, then any first internal network can also be regarded as the second internal network, and can be processed in the same way as the second internal network. In other words, the internal network in the VNF can dynamically adjust the network type of the internal network depending on whether there is a business demand between it and the external network, such as switching between the first internal network and the second internal network.

[0168] Optionally, the VNF may also include an external connection point ExtCp ( Figure 5 (shown in dashed box).

[0169] In the embodiments of the present application, Figure 5 The VNF shown in the figure can be defined by the following two VNFD models based on the TOSCA language. They are described below.

[0170] The VNFD model 1 defined based on the TOSCA language is shown below, where the text after “#” is a comment.

[0171]

[0172]

[0173] The VNFD model 2 defined based on the TOSCA language is shown below, where the characters after “#” are comments.

[0174]

[0175]

[0176] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also be instantiated when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0177] Optionally, the first indication information may be defined in a capability field of the first internal network in the VNFD. Figure 5 As with the above two VNFD models, the first indication information may be “exposable” in the capabilities field of the internal network Int-VL1.

[0178] In a possible design, the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource requirement information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD. That is, the resource requirement information of the first internal network can be provided to the external network by the external connection point in the VNFD.

[0179] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD also includes second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible. In this way, the virtual node can be understood as not needing to instantiate the external connection point in the VNF, and the external connection point is only used to provide the resource demand information of the first internal network to the external network, and is not used to establish a communication connection between the internal network and the external network.

[0180] Optionally, the second indication information may be defined in the capability field of the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point. Figure 5As with the above-mentioned VNFD model 1, the second indication information may include “referable:[ExtCp,referable]” in the requirements field of the substitution_mappings, and “-exposable:Int-VL1” in the requirements field of the external connection point ExtCp.

[0181] In another possible design, the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource requirement information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD. That is, the resource requirement information of the first internal network can be provided by the first internal network to the external network. In other words, it is also possible not to define an external connection point in the VNFD model, but to directly set the resource requirement information of the first internal network to be externally visible, so as to further simplify the VNF instantiation operation process, thereby improving the VNF instantiation efficiency.

[0182] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD may also include third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0183] Optionally, the third indication information may be defined in a capability field in a replacement map in the VNFD. Figure 5 As with the above-mentioned VNFD model 2, the third indication information may be "exposable:[Int-VL1,exposable]" in the capabilities field of the replacement mapping.

[0184] In a possible design, the VNFD may also include information of a virtual deployment unit connection point VDUCP in the VNF connected to the internal network, such as Figure 5 As well as VdpCp-b1 connected to the internal network Int-VL1 in the above two VNFD models. It should be understood that Figure 5 In the above two VNFD models, only one VDUCP, namely VdpCp-b1, is connected to the internal network. In practical applications, multiple VDUCPs may be connected to the internal network, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0185] Optionally, VNFM applies to VIM to instantiate a first port in the external network. The first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through VDUCP, and the number of first ports is the same as the number of VDUCPs connected to the internal network, thereby avoiding the mismatch problem caused by the inconsistency between the number of ports in the external network and the number of ports in the internal network.

[0186] It should be noted that the definitions of the above two VNFD models only give Figure 5 The first internal network Int-VL1 in the VNF shown in FIG. 1 and the definition of network nodes connected to Int-VL1, such as VDU-B, VduCp-b1, and ExtCp, Figure 5 The definitions of other network nodes in the VNF shown in can refer to the existing implementation methods and will not be repeated in the embodiments of this application.

[0187] In addition, the above two VNFD models are examples defined based on the TOSCA language. In practical applications, other languages ​​and / or other methods may also be used to define the VNFD model, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0188] In a possible design, the above S401, NFVO receiving VNFD from OSS / BSS, may include: NFVO receiving a VNF package file from OSS / BSS. The VNF package file is used to obtain VNFD.

[0189] It should be noted that the same VNFD may correspond to one or more VNF package files, and the one or more VNF package files may be carried by one or more messages. NFVO may parse one or more messages received from OSS / BSS to obtain the VNF package files carried by the one or more messages.

[0190] Furthermore, NFVO can also send a response message of the one or more messages to OSS / BSS to inform OSS / BSS whether the VNF package file is successfully received. If the reception fails, the response message can be used to request OSS / BSS to resend the VNF package file that failed to be received last time to improve the reliability of transmitting VNF package files.

[0191] Or, optionally, the NFVO may also read the VNF package file from its local cache. For example, the NFVO may save the VNF package file obtained by parsing the above one or more messages in its local cache for backup, so as to reduce the signaling interaction between the NFVO and the OSS / BSS, thereby improving the VNF instantiation efficiency.

[0192] S402, NFVO receives NSD from OSS / BSS.

[0193] In a possible design scheme, NSD includes an identifier of VNFD and fourth indication information. The identifier of VNFD is used to indicate the VNFD model corresponding to the VNF, such as the identifier of VNFD model 1 or the identifier of VNFD model 2 in S401 above, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the external connection information of VNF is the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and there is no need to define the resource requirement of the external network in NSD. In other words, the resource requirement of the external network can be determined based on the resource requirement information of the first internal network to instantiate the external network, so as to reduce the amount of NSD data that needs to be transmitted, thereby further improving the efficiency of VNF instantiation.

[0194] Optionally, the fourth indication information may be defined in a requirement field in the VNF in the NSD and in a capability field in the external network.

[0195] Alternatively, optionally, the fourth indication information may also be defined in the capability field of the VNF in the NSD and in the requirement field of the external network. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0196] In the embodiment of the present application, corresponding NSD models can be defined for the above two VNFD models, respectively, as described below.

[0197] The NSD model 1 corresponding to the VNFD model 1 is shown below. The VNF1 in the NSD model 1 can be regarded as the VNF mentioned above, and the characters after “#” are comments.

[0198]

[0199] In combination with the above-mentioned NSD model 1, it can be known that the fourth indication information can be "-referable:Ext-VL" in the requirements field of VNF1 of the above-mentioned NSD model 1, and "-referable:" in the capabilities field of Ext-VL of the above-mentioned NSD model 1.

[0200] The NSD model 2 corresponding to the VNFD model 2 is shown below. Among them, VNF1 in the NSD model 2 can be regarded as the above VNF, and the text after "#" is a comment.

[0201]

[0202] In combination with the above-mentioned NSD model 2, it can be known that the fourth indication information can be "exposable:" in the capabilities field of VNF1 in the above-mentioned NSD model 2, and "-exposable:VNF1" in the requirements capability field of Ext-VL of the above-mentioned NSD model 2.

[0203] It should be noted that the above two NSD models are examples defined based on the TOSCA language. In practical applications, other languages ​​and / or other methods may also be used to define the VNFD model, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0204] In another possible design scheme, if the VNF is not defined using the VNFD model 1 or VNFD model 2 described in S401, it means that the external connection information of the VNF is defined separately. In this case, it is necessary to define the resource requirement information of the external network Ext-VL connected to the VNF in the NSD model. For details, please refer to the existing implementation method, and the embodiments of the present application will not go into details.

[0205] S403, NFVO receives a NS instantiation request from OSS / BSS. For specific implementation, reference may be made to the prior art, and this embodiment of the present application will not be described in detail.

[0206] S404, NFVO interacts with VIM to instantiate an external network.

[0207] Specifically, the NFVO sends an external network instantiation request to the VIM, and receives an external network instantiation response from the VIM.

[0208] Among them, the external network instantiation request is used by VIM to instantiate the external network connected to the VNF according to the resource requirement information of the first internal network. The external network instantiation request can carry a VNFD model, such as the resource requirement information of the first internal network in the above-mentioned VNFD model 1 or the above-mentioned VNFD model 2. VIM can instantiate the external network Ext-VL according to the resource requirement information of the first internal network.

[0209] Specifically, if the NFVO determines that the connection relationship between the VNF and the external network in the NSD model is "referable" or "exposable", the NFVO can query the resource requirement information of the first internal network of the VNF connected to the external network in the VNFD model, and use the resource requirement information of the first internal network to request the VIM to instantiate the external network. The resource requirement information of the first internal network of the VNF can be obtained by querying the NSD model and the corresponding VNFD model. The following is a detailed description using the above two NSD models and two VNFD models as examples.

[0210] With reference to the above-mentioned NSD model 1 and VNFD model 1, NFVO can learn that the connection relationship between VNF1 and Ext-VL is "referable" based on the content "-referable:Ext-VL" of the requirement field in VNF1 of NSD model 1 and the content "-referable:" of the capability field in Ext-VL, then NFVO queries VNFD model 1 based on the connection relationship "referable", specifically including: finding the external connection point ExtCp whose content of the requirement field includes "referable", and then finding the connection information of the internal network Int-VL1 connected to the external connection point based on the content "-exposable:Int-VL1" of another requirement field of the ExpCp, that is, the resource requirement information of the first internal network.

[0211] With reference to the above-mentioned NSD model 2 and VNFD model 2, NFVO can obtain that the connection relationship between VNF1 and Ext-VL is "exposable" based on the content "exposable" of the capability field in VNF1 of NSD model 2 and the content "-exposable:VNF1" of the demand field in Ext-VL. Then NFVO queries VNFD model 2 based on the connection relationship "exposable", specifically including: obtaining the connection information of the internal network Int-VL1 connected to the external network Ext-VL, that is, the resource demand information of the first internal network, based on the content "exposable:[Int-VL1,exposable]" of the replacement mapping field.

[0212] If the VIM successfully instantiates the external network, the external network instantiation response includes instantiation success information of the external network, and the NFVO may execute the following S405. It should be understood that if the VIM fails to instantiate the external network, the external network instantiation response includes instantiation failure information of the external network.

[0213] It should be noted that, since the external network is instantiated based on the resource demand information of the first internal network, in a possible design scheme, the VIM may also instantiate the first internal network based on the resource demand information of the first internal network. Figure 5 As shown, when VIM instantiates the external network Ext-VL, it can also instantiate the first internal network Int-VL1. In this way, it is not necessary for VNFM to instantiate the first internal network Int-VL1 when instantiating VNF in the following S409. In other words, the first internal network can be instantiated by VIM together with the external network Ext-VL when instantiating, or by VNFM when instantiating VNF, and this embodiment of the application does not specifically limit this.

[0214] S405, NFVO interacts with VIM to obtain instance information of the external network.

[0215] Specifically, the NFVO sends an external network instance information acquisition request to the VIM, and receives an external network instance information acquisition response from the VIM. The external network instance information acquisition request includes an identifier of the external network instance, and the external network instance information acquisition response includes the external network instance information, such as the external network identifier, network type, bandwidth, Internet protocol (IP) address pool, name, etc.

[0216] S406, NFVO interacts with VNFM to establish an instance identifier of the VNF.

[0217] Specifically, NFVO sends a VNF instance identification request to VNFM, and receives a VNF instance identification response from VNFM.

[0218] Among them, the VNF instance identification request includes the identification of the VNFD, and the VNF instance identification response includes the successful establishment information of the VNF instance identification.

[0219] Specifically, the VNFM may establish a binding relationship between the instance identifier of the VNF and the VNFD, where the binding relationship is used to indicate that the VNF corresponding to the instance identifier of the VNF is instantiated according to the VNFD.

[0220] S407, NFVO sends a VNF instantiation request to VNFM.

[0221] The VNF instantiation request includes the instance information of the external network received in S405 and the instance identifier of the VNF.

[0222] S408, VNFM obtains VNFD from NFVO.

[0223] Specifically, the VNFM sends a VNFD acquisition request to the NFVO, and receives a VNFD acquisition response from the NFVO. The VNFD acquisition request includes the instance identifier of the VNF, and the VNFD acquisition response includes the VNFD. The VNFM can obtain the VNFD by querying the binding relationship between the VNF and the VNFD according to the instance identifier of the VNF.

[0224] S409, VNFM instantiates VNF according to VNFD.

[0225] Specifically, VNFM instantiates the network nodes that need to be instantiated when VNFD instantiates VNF, such as VDU-A, VDU-B, VduCp-b1, Int-VL1, etc., and establishes a connection between VNF and the external network according to the instance information of the external network, thereby establishing a communication connection between the external network Ext-VL and the first internal network Int-VL1.

[0226] It should be noted that in the above two VNFD models and Figure 5 In the VNF shown, there is only one virtualized deployment node connected to the external network Ext-VL, namely VduCp-b1. In practical applications, there may be multiple virtualized deployment nodes connected to the external network Ext-VL, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0227] In addition, since the external network is also instantiated according to the resource demand information of the first internal network, the first internal network can also be instantiated together when the VIM instantiates the external network. The specific implementation method can refer to the above S404 and will not be repeated here.

[0228] Based on the VNF instantiation method provided in the embodiment of the present application, NFVO can obtain the first indication information in VNFD, and the first indication information indicates that the resource requirement information of the first internal network in VNFD is externally visible, that is, the external network can be instantiated according to the resource requirement information of the first internal network. In this way, NFVO can request VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and request VNFM to instantiate VNF according to VNFD, thereby establishing direct communication between VNF and the external network, which can solve the problem that the internal network and the external network cannot be connected at the same time through the same external connection point in VNF, thereby resulting in the inability to establish a communication connection between the internal network and the external network, and there is no need to instantiate the entities corresponding to the external connection point and the internal network in VNF, which can improve the instantiation efficiency of VNF.

[0229] Combination of the above Figure 4-Figure 5 The VNF instantiation method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail. Figure 6 Another VNF instantiation device provided in an embodiment of the present application is described in detail.

[0230] For example, Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the VNF instantiation device provided in the embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 .like Figure 6 As shown, the VNF instantiation device 600 includes: a transceiver module 601. For ease of explanation, Figure 6 Only the main components of the VNF instantiation device are shown.

[0231] In some embodiments, the VNF instantiation device 600 may be applicable to Figure 2 In the NFV system shown, execution Figure 4 The functionality of NFVO in the VNF instantiation method shown.

[0232] The transceiver module 601 is used to receive virtualized network function description information VNFD from the operation support system / business support system OSS / BSS. The VNFD is used to instantiate the virtualized network function VNF, and the VNFD includes first indication information and resource demand information of the first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0233] The transceiver module 601 is also used to send an external network instantiation request to the virtual infrastructure manager VIM, wherein the external network instantiation request is used by the VIM to instantiate an external network connected to the VNF according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0234] The transceiver module 601 is also used to send a VNF instantiation request to the virtual network function manager VNFM; the VNF instantiation request is used by the VNFM to instantiate the VNF according to the VNFD.

[0235] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also be instantiated when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0236] Optionally, the first indication information may be defined in a capability field of an internal network in the VNFD.

[0237] In a possible design, the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource requirement information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD. That is, the resource requirement information of the first internal network can be provided to the external network by the external connection point in the VNFD.

[0238] Optionally, the above-mentioned external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, which may include: VNFD may also include second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible.

[0239] Among them, the virtual node can be understood as not needing to instantiate an external connection point in the VNF. The external connection point is only used to provide resource demand information of the first internal network to the external network, and is not used to establish a communication connection between the internal network and the external network.

[0240] Optionally, the second indication information may be defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

[0241] In another possible design, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD. That is, the resource demand information of the first internal network can be provided by the first internal network to the external network.

[0242] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD may also include third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0243] Optionally, the third indication information may be defined in a capability field in a replacement map in the VNFD.

[0244] In a possible design scheme, VNFD may also include information of a virtual deployment unit connection point VDUCP in the VNF connected to the internal network. There may be multiple VDUCPs connected to the internal network. VNFM applies to VIM for instantiating a first port in the external network. The first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through VDUCP, and the number of first ports is the same as the number of VDUCPs connected to the internal network.

[0245] In a possible design, the transceiver module 601 is further configured to receive a VNF package file from the OSS / BSS, wherein the VNF package file is used to obtain the VNFD.

[0246] It should be noted that the same VNFD may correspond to one or more VNF package files, and the one or more VNF package files may be carried by one or more messages. NFVO may parse one or more messages received from OSS / BSS to obtain the VNF package files carried by the one or more messages.

[0247] Furthermore, the transceiver module 601 is also used to send a response message of the one or more messages to the OSS / BSS to notify the OSS / BSS whether the VNF package file is successfully received. If the reception fails, the response message can be used to request the OSS / BSS to resend the VNF package file that failed to be received last time to improve the reliability of transmitting the VNF package file.

[0248] Alternatively, optionally, the VNF instantiation device 600 may also read the VNF package file from its local cache. This embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0249] In a possible design scheme, the transceiver module 601 is also used to receive network service description information NSD from OSS / BSS. The NSD includes the identifier of the VNFD and the fourth indication information. The fourth indication information is used to indicate that the external connection information of the VNF is the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and there is no need to define the resource requirements of the external network in the NSD.

[0250] Optionally, the fourth indication information may be defined in a requirement field in the VNF in the NSD and in a capability field in the external network.

[0251] Alternatively, optionally, the fourth indication information may also be defined in the capability field of the VNF in the NSD and in the requirement field of the external network. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0252] Optionally, the VNF instantiation device 600 may further include a processing module 602 and a storage module ( Figure 6 (not shown in the figure), the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module 602 executes the program or instruction, the VNF instantiation device 600 can execute the VNF instantiation method described in the above method embodiment.

[0253] It should be noted that the VNF instantiation device 600 can be a NFVO or a VNF instantiation device 300, or can be set in a chip (system) or other parts or components of the NFVO or the above-mentioned VNF instantiation device 300, and this application does not limit this.

[0254] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation device 600 can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0255] In some other embodiments, the VNF instantiation device 600 may be applicable to Figure 2 In the NFV system shown, execution Figure 4 Functions of OSS / BSS in the VNF instantiation method shown.

[0256] The transceiver module 601 is used to send virtualized network function description information VNFD to the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO. The VNFD is used to instantiate the virtualized network function VNF, and the VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of the first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0257] The transceiver module 601 is also used to send network service description information NSD to the NFVO, wherein the NSD includes the VNFD identifier and fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the external connection information of the VNF is the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and there is no need to define the resource requirement of the external network in the NSD.

[0258] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also be instantiated when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0259] Optionally, the first indication information may be defined in a capability field of an internal network in the VNFD.

[0260] In a possible design scheme, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external link point information in the VNFD.

[0261] Optionally, the above-mentioned external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD also includes second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible.

[0262] Optionally, the second indication information may be defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

[0263] In another possible design scheme, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD.

[0264] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD may also include third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0265] Optionally, the third indication information may be defined in a capability field in a replacement map in the VNFD.

[0266] In a possible design scheme, VNFD may also include information of a virtual deployment unit connection point VDUCP in the VNF connected to the internal network. There may be multiple VDUCPs connected to the internal network. VNFM applies to VIM for instantiating a first port in the external network. The first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through VDUCP, and the number of first ports is the same as the number of VDUCPs connected to the internal network.

[0267] Optionally, the fourth indication information may be defined in a requirement field in the VNF in the NSD and in a capability field in the external network.

[0268] Alternatively, optionally, the fourth indication information may also be defined in the capability field of the VNF in the NSD and in the requirement field of the external network. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0269] In a possible design, the transceiver module 601 is further configured to send a VNF package file to the NFVO, wherein the VNF package file is used to obtain the VNFD.

[0270] It should be noted that the same VNFD may correspond to one or more VNF package files, and the one or more VNF package files may be carried by one or more messages.

[0271] Furthermore, the transceiver module 601 is also used to receive a response message of the one or more messages from the NFVO to learn whether the NFVO has successfully received the VNF package file. If the reception fails, the transceiver module 601 is also used to send the VNF package file that failed to be received last time to the NFVO again to improve the reliability of transmitting the VNF package file.

[0272] Optionally, the VNF instantiation device 600 may further include a processing module 602 and a storage module ( Figure 6 (not shown in the figure), the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module 602 executes the program or instruction, the VNF instantiation device 600 can execute the VNF instantiation method described in the above method embodiment.

[0273] It should be noted that the VNF instantiation device 600 can be BSS / OSS or the above-mentioned VNF instantiation device 300, or can be set in the chip (system) or other parts or components of BSS / OSS or the above-mentioned VNF instantiation device 300, and this application does not limit this.

[0274] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation device 600 can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0275] In some other embodiments, the VNF instantiation device 600 may be applicable to Figure 2 In the NFV system shown, execution Figure 4 The functionality of the VIM in the VNF instantiation method shown.

[0276] The transceiver module 601 is used to receive an external network instantiation request from the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO, wherein the external network instantiation request includes resource requirement information of the first internal network, and the resource requirement information of the first internal network is used by the VIM to instantiate an external network connected to the virtualized network function VNF.

[0277] The transceiver module 601 is further configured to send the instance information of the external network to the NFVO, wherein the instance information of the external network is determined by the resource requirement information of the first internal network.

[0278] In a possible design, the transceiver module 601 is further used to receive a port instantiation request from the virtual network function manager VNFM, wherein the port instantiation request is used by the VIM to instantiate a first port in the external network, and the first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through the VDUCP.

[0279] Optionally, the VNF instantiation device 600 may further include a processing module 602 and a storage module ( Figure 6 (not shown in the figure), the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module 602 executes the program or instruction, the VNF instantiation device 600 can execute the VNF instantiation method described in the above method embodiment.

[0280] It should be noted that the VNF instantiation device 600 can be a VIM or the above-mentioned VNF instantiation device 300, or can be set in a chip (system) or other parts or components of the VIM or the above-mentioned VNF instantiation device 300, and this application does not limit this.

[0281] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation device 600 can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0282] In some other embodiments, the VNF instantiation device 600 may be applicable to Figure 2 In the NFV system shown, execution Figure 4 The functionality of VNFM in the VNF instantiation method shown.

[0283] The transceiver module 601 is used to receive a virtualized network function VNF instantiation request from the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO. The VNF instantiation request includes virtualized network function description information VNFD, the VNFD is used by the VNFM to instantiate the VNF, and the VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of the first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible.

[0284] Optionally, the first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF. That is, the first internal network can also be instantiated when the NFVO requests the VIM to instantiate the external network according to the resource demand information of the first internal network.

[0285] Optionally, the first indication information may be defined in a capability field of an internal network in the VNFD.

[0286] In a possible design, the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource requirement information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD. That is, the resource requirement information of the first internal network can be provided to the external network by the external connection point in the VNFD.

[0287] Optionally, the above-mentioned external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, which may include: VNFD may also include second indication information, the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible.

[0288] Among them, the virtual node can be understood as not needing to instantiate an external connection point in the VNF. The external connection point is only used to provide resource demand information of the first internal network to the external network, and is not used to establish a communication connection between the internal network and the external network.

[0289] Optionally, the second indication information may be defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

[0290] In another possible design, the resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, which may include: the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD. That is, the resource demand information of the first internal network can be provided by the first internal network to the external network.

[0291] Optionally, the external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, which may include: the VNFD also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to indicate that the resource demand information of the first internal network is visible externally.

[0292] Optionally, the third indication information may be defined in a capability field in a replacement map in the VNFD.

[0293] In a possible design scheme, VNFD may also include information of a virtual deployment unit connection point VDUCP in the VNF connected to the internal network. There may be multiple VDUCPs connected to the internal network. VNFM applies to VIM for instantiating a first port in the external network. The first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through VDUCP, and the number of first ports is the same as the number of VDUCPs connected to the internal network.

[0294] Optionally, the VNF instantiation device 600 may further include a processing module 602 and a storage module ( Figure 6 (not shown in the figure), the storage module stores a program or instruction. When the processing module 602 executes the program or instruction, the VNF instantiation device 600 can execute the VNF instantiation method described in the above method embodiment.

[0295] It should be noted that the VNF instantiation device 600 can be a VNFM or the above-mentioned VNF instantiation device 300, or can be set in a chip (system) or other parts or components of the VNFM or the above-mentioned VNF instantiation device 300, and this application does not limit this.

[0296] In addition, the technical effects of the VNF instantiation device 600 can refer to the technical effects of the VNF instantiation method described in the above method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0297] The embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, which includes a processor and an input / output port, wherein the processor is used to implement the processing function involved in the above method embodiment, and the input / output port is used to implement the transceiver function involved in the above method embodiment.

[0298] In one possible design, the chip system also includes a memory, which is used to store program instructions and data for implementing the functions involved in the above method embodiments.

[0299] The chip system may be composed of chips, or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0300] The embodiment of the present application provides a NFV system. The NFV system includes NFVO, BSS / OSS, VIM, VNFM, NFVI, one or more VNFs, and one or more EMs.

[0301] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, including a computer program or instructions; when the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the VNF instantiation method described in the above method embodiment.

[0302] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed on a computer, the computer executes the VNF instantiation method described in the above method embodiment.

[0303] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0304] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0305] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware or any other combination. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center by wired (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that contains one or more available media sets. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (for example, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (for example, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state hard disk.

[0306] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship, but it may also indicate an "and / or" relationship. Please refer to the context for specific understanding.

[0307] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can be represented by: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple.

[0308] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0309] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

[0310] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0311] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0312] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0313] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0314] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or partly embodied in the form of a software product that contributes to the prior art. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: various media that can store program codes, such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memories (ROM), random access memories (RAM), magnetic disks or optical disks.

[0315] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A VNF instantiation method, characterized in that: include: The network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO receives virtualized network function description information VNFD from an operation support system / business support system OSS / BSS; the VNFD is used to instantiate a virtualized network function VNF, the VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of a first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible; The NFVO sends an external network instantiation request to the virtual infrastructure manager VIM; the external network instantiation request is used by the VIM to instantiate an external network connected to the VNF according to the resource demand information of the first internal network; The NFVO sends a VNF instantiation request to a virtual network function manager VNFM; the VNF instantiation request is used by the VNFM to instantiate the VNF according to the VNFD.

2. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF.

3. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first indication information is defined in a capability field of the first internal network in the VNFD.

4. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, including: The external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD.

5. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The external network obtains resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, including: The VNFD also includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible.

6. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second indication information is defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

7. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, including: The external network obtains resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD.

8. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The external network obtains resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, including: The VNFD also includes third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate that resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible.

9. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The third indication information is defined in a capability field in a replacement mapping in the VNFD.

10. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The VNFD also includes the number of virtual deployment unit connection points VDUCP in the VNF connected to the first internal network, the number of VDUCPs is used by the VNFM to request the VIM to instantiate a first port in the external network, the first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through the VDUCP, and the number of the first ports is the same as the number of the VDUCPs.

11. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO receives virtualized network function description information VNFD from an operation support system / business support system OSS / BSS, including: The NFVO receives a VNF package file from the OSS / BSS, where the VNF package file is used to obtain the VNFD.

12. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The VNF instantiation method further includes: The NFVO receives network service description information NSD from the OSS / BSS, and the NSD includes an identifier of the VNFD and fourth indication information, and the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the external connection information of the VNF is the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and there is no need to define the resource requirement of the external network in the NSD.

13. The VNF instantiation method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The fourth indication information is defined in the requirement field in the VNF in the NSD and in the capability field of the external network; or, The fourth indication information is defined in the capability field in the VNF in the NSD and in the requirement field of the external network.

14. A VNF instantiation device, characterized in that: include: Transceiver module; wherein, The transceiver module is used to receive virtualized network function description information VNFD from an operation support system / business support system OSS / BSS; the VNFD is used to instantiate a virtualized network function VNF, and the VNFD includes first indication information and resource requirement information of a first internal network, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the resource requirement information of the first internal network is externally visible; The transceiver module is further used to send an external network instantiation request to the virtual infrastructure manager VIM; the external network instantiation request is used by the VIM to instantiate an external network connected to the VNF according to the resource demand information of the first internal network; The transceiver module is also used to send a VNF instantiation request to the virtual network function manager VNFM; the VNF instantiation request is used by the VNFM to instantiate the VNF according to the VNFD.

15. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 14, characterized in that: The first indication information is also used to indicate that the VNFM does not need to instantiate the first internal network when instantiating the VNF.

16. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: The first indication information is defined in a capability field of the first internal network in the VNFD.

17. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: The resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, including: The external network obtains the resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD.

18. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 17, characterized in that: The external network obtains resource demand information of the first internal network through the external connection point information in the VNFD, including: The VNFD also includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the external connection point in the VNF is a virtual node, and the external connection point is used to set the resource demand information of the first internal network to be externally visible.

19. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 18, characterized in that: The second indication information is defined in the capability field in the replacement mapping in the VNFD and the requirement field of the external connection point.

20. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: The resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible, including: The external network obtains resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD.

21. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 20, characterized in that: The external network obtains resource demand information of the first internal network through the internal network information in the VNFD, including: The VNFD also includes third indication information, where the third indication information is used to indicate that resource demand information of the first internal network is externally visible.

22. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 21, characterized in that: The third indication information is defined in a capability field in a replacement mapping in the VNFD.

23. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: The VNFD also includes the number of virtual deployment unit connection points VDUCP in the VNF connected to the first internal network, the number of VDUCPs is used by the VNFM to request the VIM to instantiate a first port in the external network, the first port is used for the external network to communicate with the internal network through the VDUCP, and the number of the first ports is the same as the number of the VDUCPs.

24. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: The transceiver module is also used to receive a VNF package file from the OSS / BSS, and the VNF package file is used to obtain the VNFD.

25. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that: The transceiver module is also used to receive network service description information NSD from the OSS / BSS, the NSD including the identifier of the VNFD and fourth indication information, the fourth indication information is used to indicate that the external connection information of the VNF is the resource requirement information of the first internal network, and there is no need to define the resource requirement of the external network in the NSD.

26. The VNF instantiation device according to claim 25, characterized in that: The fourth indication information is defined in the requirement field in the VNF in the NSD and in the capability field of the external network; or, The fourth indication information is defined in the capability field in the VNF in the NSD and in the requirement field of the external network.

27. A VNF instantiation device, characterized in that: The VNF instantiation device includes: a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory; The memory is used to store computer programs; The processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory so that the VNF instantiation device performs the VNF instantiation method as described in any one of claims 1-13.

28. A chip system, characterized in that: The chip system includes a processor and an input / output port, wherein the processor is used to implement the processing function involved in any one of claims 1-13, and the input / output port is used to implement the transceiver function involved in any one of claims 1-13.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the VNF instantiation method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes: a computer program or instructions, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute the VNF instantiation method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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