Method and system for managing a radio-based private network

Abstract

Various embodiments for managing a radio-based private network are disclosed. In one embodiment, a cellular network includes at least one cell that provides radio-based private network coverage to a site of an organization. The system also includes at least one computing device in a cloud provider network that implements one or more network functions for an associated core network of the radio-based private network.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese patent application number 2021800921705 (corresponding to PCT international application number PCT / US2021 / 062795), filed on December 10, 2021, entitled "Managing a Radio-Based Private Network".

[0002] Cross-reference to related applications

[0003] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 118,563, filed on December 10, 2020, entitled “MANAGINGRADIO-BASED PRIVATE NETWORKS”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0004] 5G is the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, and is planned to eventually replace the fourth-generation (4G) standard of Long Term Evolution (LTE). 5G technology will significantly increase bandwidth, thus expanding the cellular market beyond smartphones to provide last-mile connectivity for desktops, set-top boxes, laptops, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and more. Some 5G cells may use spectrum similar to 4G, while others may use millimeter-wave spectrum. Millimeter-wave cells have relatively smaller coverage areas but significantly higher throughput than 4G. Attached Figure Description

[0005] Many aspects of this disclosure can be better understood by referring to the following figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale; rather, the focus is on clearly illustrating the principles of this disclosure. Furthermore, the same reference numerals in the figures designate corresponding portions throughout multiple views.

[0006] Figure 1A This is a diagram illustrating examples of communication networks deployed and managed according to various implementation schemes of this disclosure.

[0007] Figure 1B Examples of radio-based private networks used on an organizational campus with multiple buildings and deployed according to various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0008] Figure 2A Examples of networking environments including a cloud provider network and further including various provider underlying extensions of the cloud provider network according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are shown, which can be used in various locations within the communication network of Figure 1.

[0009] Figure 2B An example of the cellular and geographic distribution of the communication network in Figure 1 is depicted for providing highly available User Plane Functions (UPF).

[0010] Figure 3 Some embodiments according to this disclosure are shown. Figure 2A An example of a networked environment that includes geographically dispersed provider underlying extensions.

[0011] Figure 4 It is based on the various implementation schemes of this disclosure. Figure 2A A schematic block diagram of a networked environment.

[0012] Figures 5 to 7 This illustrates various embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example of the functionality implemented as part of a radio-based private network management service within a networked computing environment.

[0013] Figure 8 This illustrates various embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating an example of the functionality implemented as part of a capacity management service within a networked computing environment.

[0014] Figure 9 Based on the various embodiments provided in this disclosure Figure 4 A schematic block diagram illustrating an example computing environment used in a networked environment. Detailed Implementation

[0015] This disclosure relates to the automated deployment, modification, and management of radio-based private networks (such as 4G and 5G radio access networks) or portions of such radio-based networks, as well as their associated core networks, using cloud provider network infrastructure. Previous radio-based network deployments relied on manual deployment and configuration at each step of the process. This proved extremely time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, in previous generations, software was inherently tied to vendor-specific hardware, preventing customers from deploying alternative software. In contrast, for 5G, the hardware and software stacks are decoupled, allowing for greater flexibility and enabling components of radio-based networks to run on cloud provider infrastructure. Using a cloud distribution model for radio-based networks (such as 5G networks) can facilitate handling network traffic from hundreds to billions of connected devices and compute-intensive applications, while delivering faster speeds, lower latency, and greater capacity compared to other types of networks.

[0016] Historically, enterprises have had to choose between performance and price when evaluating their enterprise connectivity solutions. Cellular networks can offer high performance, good indoor and outdoor coverage, and advanced Quality of Service (QoS) connectivity features, but dedicated cellular networks can be expensive and complex to manage. While Ethernet and Wi-Fi require less upfront investment and are easier to manage, enterprises often find them less reliable, require significant effort to achieve optimal coverage, and do not provide QoS features such as guaranteed bit rates, latency, and reliability.

[0017] The disclosed radio-based private network service offers enterprises the best of both worlds: the performance, coverage, and QoS of carrier-grade cellular networks, and the ease and cost of deployment and operation associated with Wi-Fi. The service provides suitable hardware in various form factors that enterprises can deploy at their sites, integrated with software that runs the entire network, from small cell sites to internet distribution points. Enterprises can freely deploy various 5G devices and sensors throughout their operations (factory floors, warehouses, lobbies, and communication centers), managing these devices, registering users, and assigning QoS through a management console. Using the disclosed technology, customers can allocate a constant bit rate throughput to all their devices (e.g., cameras, sensors, or IoT devices), providing reliable low-latency connectivity for devices operating on the factory floor, and assigning broadband connectivity to all handheld devices. The service manages all the software required to provide connectivity that meets specified constraints and requirements. This enables a completely new set of applications with stringent QoS or high IoT device density requirements that traditionally cannot run on Wi-Fi networks.

[0018] The disclosed services support multiple deployment scenarios. In cloud-only deployments, the service provides enterprise customers with small radio cells that can be placed on-site, while network functions and other network software run in the nearest cloud provider's availability zone or edge location (or one of several nearest cloud provider availability zones or edge locations). For enterprises wanting on-premises deployment, the disclosed services provide cloud provider hardware, such as the underlying extensions described herein. In this mode, the network and applications remain on-premises, enabling enterprises to securely store and process data that needs to remain on-premises (e.g., for regulatory compliance, security considerations, etc.). Furthermore, the disclosed services allow any compute and storage not used for running radio-based networks to run any on-premises workload via the same APIs that customers can use to run workloads in traditional cloud provider zones. Advantageously, because of this, enterprises don't need to worry about oversizing and wasting capacity, as the service will enable any excess capacity to be used for on-premises processing and will provision new hardware and software as network needs change. Additionally, the disclosed services provide application development APIs that expose and manage 5G capabilities such as QoS, enabling customers to build applications that fully utilize their network's latency and bandwidth capabilities without needing to understand the network details.

[0019] Additionally, the exposed services offer private zones for running native applications within the cloud provider's network. This private zone can connect to and become an effective part of a wider regional zone, allowing customers to manage the private zone using the same APIs and tools used within the cloud provider's network. Similar to Availability Zones, Virtual Private Network (VPN) subnets can be assigned to private zones. APIs are available to create subnets and assign them to any zone a customer wishes to use, including private zones and other existing zones. A management console provides a simplified process for creating private zones. Virtual machine instances and containers can be launched in private zones just as they would in regional zones. Customers can configure network gateways to define routes, assign IP addresses, set up Network Address Translation (NAT), and more. Autoscaling can be used to scale the capacity of virtual machine instances or containers according to the needs within the private zone. The same management and authentication APIs used within the cloud provider's network can be used within the private zone. In some cases, cloud services available in regional zones can be accessed remotely from the private zone via a secure connection, eliminating the need to upgrade or modify on-premises deployments.

[0020] Various embodiments of this disclosure introduce methods that allow customers to order and deploy radio-based private networks and associated core networks in an automated manner. Customers may include enterprises and organizations wishing to establish radio-based networks for internal use (e.g., private 5G networks). Through various user interfaces, customers can specify their network planning or requirements (e.g., physical site layout and device / application types and quantities), and various components required for implementing a radio-based private network can be automatically identified and pre-provisioned for the customer. Hardware such as antennas, radios, and computer servers can be pre-configured for the customer's radio-based private network and shipped to the customer. The process of installing pre-configured hardware is largely plug-and-play, and the radio-based private network can be activated via a user interface or API. In addition to deploying radio-based private networks (such as all or part of a new radio access network), various embodiments of this disclosure facilitate the modification and management of radio-based private networks, including the deployment of pre-configured equipment for additional cells and the allocation of QoS constraints for specific devices or applications on their radio-based private networks.

[0021] Various embodiments of this disclosure can also introduce the concepts of elastic and utility computing from the cloud computing model into radio-based private networks and associated core networks. For example, the disclosed techniques can run core and radio access network functions, along with associated control plane management functions, on cloud provider infrastructure, thereby creating a cloud-native core network and / or a cloud-native radio access network (RAN). In some embodiments, such core and RAN network functions can be based on 3GPP specifications. By providing cloud-native radio-based networks, customers can dynamically scale their radio-based private networks based on utilization, latency requirements, and / or other factors. In some cases, the hardware sent to customers includes sufficient capacity to run programs for operating and managing the radio-based network and other workloads of the customer (e.g., their applications), such that any capacity not intended for the radio-based network is accessible to run workloads under the utility computing model. Advantageously, the customer's radio-based network can be scaled up to this excess capacity as needed, for example, allowing increased hardware usage requirements for the radio-based network even before new physical hardware is provisioned to the customer. Customers can also configure thresholds to receive alerts related to radio-based network usage and excess capacity usage of their provisioned infrastructure, enabling them to more effectively manage the provisioning of new infrastructure or the deprovisioning of existing infrastructure based on their dynamic network and workload requirements.

[0022] Those skilled in the art will understand from this disclosure that certain embodiments may achieve certain advantages, including some or all of the following: (1) improving user experience by allowing organizations to deploy their own radio-based private networks in a highly automated, plug-and-play manner; (2) increasing the flexibility of computer systems by allowing computing hardware previously dedicated to network functions of the radio-based network and associated core network to be reused for other applications; (3) increasing the flexibility of computer systems by allowing computing hardware previously dedicated to the first radio-based private network to be automatically reused for the second radio-based private network (or reused as needed between the RAN and core network functions of the same radio-based network); and (4) improving the user's deployment of radio-based private networks by pre-configuring antennas, radios, and other hardware. (5) Improve the performance of radio-based private networks by optimizing cell deployment and spectrum utilization; (6) Improve the performance and management of radio-based networks by monitoring performance metrics and adding, removing and reconfiguring cells as needed to maintain acceptable performance; (7) Improve the scalability and overall performance of radio-based private networks by migrating network functions previously provided by proprietary hardware to virtual machine instances operated by resilient cloud computing providers under a utility computing model; (8) Reduce latency in radio-based private networks by migrating network functions to virtual machine instances executed on the computing devices of cloud service providers at cell sites; (9) Improve the security of radio-based private networks by configuring network function workloads to remain at the customer's premises; and so on.

[0023] One of the benefits of this disclosure is the ability to deploy and link network functions together to deliver end-to-end services that meet specified constraints and requirements. According to this disclosure, network functions organized into microservices work together to provide end-to-end connectivity. One set of network functions is part of a radio network, operating in cellular towers and performing radio-to-IP conversion. Other network functions operate in large data centers, performing subscriber-related business logic and routing IP traffic to and from the Internet. For applications using new 5G features such as low-latency communication and reserved bandwidth, both types of network functions need to work together to properly schedule and reserve radio spectrum and perform real-time computing and data processing. The currently disclosed technology provides edge positioning hardware (described further below) that integrates with network functions operating across the entire network, from cell sites to Internet breakpoints, and orchestrates these network functions to meet required Quality of Service (QoS) constraints. This enables a completely new set of applications with stringent QoS requirements, ranging from factory-based Internet of Things (IoT) to augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), game streaming, and autonomous navigation support for connected vehicles—applications previously impossible to run on mobile networks.

[0024] The described “Resilient 5G” service provides and manages all the hardware, software, and network functions required to build a network. In some implementations, network functions may be developed and managed by a cloud service provider; however, the described control plane can manage network functions from a range of providers, allowing customers to use a single set of APIs to invoke and manage their selection of network functions on their cloud infrastructure. The Resilient 5G service beneficially automates the creation of an end-to-end 5G network, from hardware to network functions, thereby reducing the time required to deploy the network and the operational costs of operating it. By providing APIs that expose network capabilities, the exposed Resilient 5G service enables applications to simply specify the required QoS as constraints and then deploy and link network functions together to deliver an end-to-end service that meets the specified requirements, making it easy to build new applications.

[0025] This disclosure describes implementation schemes related to the creation and management of cloud-native 5G cores and / or cloud-native 5G RANs and associated control plane components. Cloud-native refers to a method of building and running applications that leverages the advantages of cloud computing distribution models, such as dynamic scalability, distributed computing, and high availability (including geographic distribution, redundancy, and failover). Cloud-native refers to how these applications are created and deployed to suit deployment in the public cloud. While cloud-native applications can (and often) run in the public cloud, they can also run in on-premises data centers. Some cloud-native applications can be containerized, for example, by packaging different parts, functions, or sub-units of the application into their own containers, which can be dynamically orchestrated to actively schedule and manage each part to optimize resource utilization. These containerized applications can be built using a microservices architecture to improve the overall agility and maintainability of the application.

[0026] In a microservices architecture, an application is arranged as a series of smaller sub-units (“microservices”) that can be deployed and scaled independently of each other and can communicate with each other over a network. These microservices are typically fine-grained because they have specific technical and functional granularity and often implement lightweight communication protocols. The application’s microservices can perform different functions, can be deployed independently, and can use different programming languages, databases, and hardware / software environments. Decomposing an application into smaller services improves application modularity, enables on-demand replacement of individual microservices, and parallelizes development by allowing teams to develop, deploy, and maintain their microservices independently of each other. In some examples, microservices can be deployed using virtual machines, containers, or serverless functionality. The disclosed core and RAN software can follow a microservices architecture such that the described radio-based network consists of independent sub-units that can be deployed and scaled on demand.

[0027] Turn now Figure 1A This illustration shows examples of a communication network 100 deployed and managed according to various embodiments of this disclosure. The communication network 100 includes a radio-based private network 103, which may correspond to a cellular network such as a fourth-generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a fifth-generation (5G) network, a 4G-5G hybrid core with 4G and 5G RAN, or another network providing wireless network access. The radio-based private network 103 may be operated by a cloud service provider for a business, non-profit organization, school system, government entity, or other organization. Although referred to as a private network, the radio-based private network 103 may use private network addresses or public network addresses in various embodiments.

[0028] Various deployments of the radio-based private network 103 may include one or more of a core network and a RAN network, as well as a control plane for running the core and / or RAN networks on a cloud provider's infrastructure. As mentioned above, these components can be developed in a cloud-native manner, such as using a microservices architecture, enabling efficient scaling of traffic and transactions using centralized control and distributed processing. These components can be based on 3GPP specifications, following an application architecture that separates control plane and user plane processing (CUPS architecture).

[0029] A dedicated radio-based network 103 provides wireless network access to a plurality of wireless devices 106, which may be mobile devices or fixed-location devices. In various examples, wireless devices 106 may include smartphones, connected vehicles, IoT devices, sensors, machines (e.g., in manufacturing facilities), hotspots, and other devices. Such wireless devices 106 are sometimes referred to as user equipment (UE) or customer premises equipment (CPE).

[0030] The radio-based private network 103 may include a radio access network (RAN) that provides wireless network access to multiple wireless devices 106 through multiple cells 109. Each cell 109 may be equipped with one or more antennas and one or more radio units that transmit and receive radio data signals to and from the wireless device 106. The antennas may be configured for one or more frequency bands, and the radio units may be frequency-agile or frequency-tunable. The antennas may be associated with specific gain or beamwidth to focus signals within a specific direction or azimuth range, potentially allowing frequency reuse in different directions. Furthermore, the antennas may be horizontally polarized, vertically polarized, or circularly polarized. In some examples, the radio units may utilize multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology to transmit and receive signals. Thus, the RAN implements radio access technology to enable radio connectivity with the wireless device 106 and provides connectivity to the core network of the radio-based private network. The components of the RAN include base stations and antennas covering a given physical area, as well as the core network components required to manage connectivity to the RAN.

[0031] Data traffic is typically routed to the core network via a fiber optic transport network consisting of multiple hops of Layer 3 routers (e.g., at aggregation sites). The core network is typically housed in one or more data centers. The core network typically aggregates data traffic from end devices, authenticates subscribers and devices, applies personalization policies, and manages device mobility before routing traffic to carrier services or the internet. For example, a 5G core can be decomposed into multiple microservice elements, with the control plane and user plane separated. The 5G core may contain virtualized, software-based network functions (e.g., deployed as microservices) rather than physical network elements, and therefore can be instantiated within a multi-access edge computing (MEC) cloud infrastructure. The network functions of the core network may include user plane functions (UPF), access and mobility management functions (AMF), and session management functions (SMF), which will be described in more detail below. For data traffic destined for locations outside the communication network 100, network functions typically include firewalls through which traffic can enter or leave the communication network 100 to reach external networks, such as the internet or cloud provider networks. Note that in some implementations, the communications network 100 may include facilities that allow traffic to enter or leave from sites further downstream of the core network (e.g., at aggregation sites or radio-based private networks 103).

[0032] UPF provides the interconnection point between mobile infrastructure and data networks (DN), specifically encapsulation and decapsulation of the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) tunneling protocol for the user plane (GTP-U). UPF can also provide session anchors for providing mobility within the RAN, including sending one or more end-marked packets to the RAN base station. UPF can also handle packet routing and forwarding, including directing traffic to specific data networks based on traffic matching filters. Another feature of UPF includes per-flow or per-application QoS processing, including transport-level packet marking for uplink (UL) and downlink (DL), as well as rate limiting. UPF can be implemented as a cloud-native network function using modern microservices approach, for example, it can be deployed within a serverless framework (by abstracting the underlying infrastructure on which code runs via managed services).

[0033] The Access Provider (AMF) can receive connection and session information from Radio Device 106 or the RAN and can handle connection and mobility management tasks. For example, the AMF can manage handover between base stations in the RAN. In some examples, by terminating certain RAN control plane and Radio Device 106 traffic, the AMF can be considered an access point for the 5G core. The AMF can also implement encryption and integrity protection algorithms.

[0034] SMF can handle session establishment and modification, such as by creating, updating, and deleting Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions and managing session contexts within a UPF. SMF can also implement Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and IP Address Management (IPAM). SMF can be implemented as a cloud-native network function using modern microservices methodologies.

[0035] Various network functions of a radio-based private network 103 can be deployed and implemented in a distributed computing device 112, which may correspond to a general-purpose computing device configured to perform network functions. For example, the distributed computing device 112 may run one or more virtual machine instances, which are configured to perform one or more services that perform network functions. In one embodiment, the distributed computing device 112 is a ruggedized machine deployed at each cell site.

[0036] In contrast, one or more centralized computing devices 115 can perform various network functions at a central site operated by the client. For example, the centralized computing device 115 can be located centrally in a client's premises in a well-equipped server room. The centralized computing device 115 can run one or more virtual machine instances, which are configured to perform one or more services that perform network functions.

[0037] In one or more embodiments, network traffic from the radio-based private network 103 is backhauled to one or more core computing units 118, which may be located in one or more data centers remote from customer sites. The core computing units 118 may also perform various network functions, including routing network traffic to and from network 121, which may correspond to the Internet and / or other external public or private networks. The core computing units 118 may perform functions related to the management of the communication network 100 (e.g., billing, mobility management, etc.) and the function of relaying traffic between the communication network 100 and other networks.

[0038] Move to Figure 1B Examples of radio-based private networks 150 used and deployed according to various embodiments of this disclosure are shown in organizational campuses (such as premises of businesses, schools, or other organizations) having multiple buildings 153. Although Figure 1B An example with multiple buildings is depicted, but it should be understood that the disclosed techniques can be similarly applied to any layout of the site, which may include one or more buildings and / or one or more outdoor spaces (such as stadiums or other outdoor venues).

[0039] The radio-based private network 150 in this non-limiting example includes four cells 156a, 156b, 156c, and 156d to fully cover the organization's campus. Cells 156 may slightly overlap to provide extensive coverage within each building 153. Adjacent or overlapping cells 156 are configured to operate on non-interfering frequencies. For example, cell 156a may use frequency A, cell 156b may use frequency B, and cell 156c may use frequency C, all at different frequencies when the coverage areas of the respective cells 156a, 156b, and 156c overlap. However, cell 156d may use, for example, frequency A or B, because the coverage area of ​​cell 156d does not overlap with that of cells 156a or 156b.

[0040] Note that, depending on usage or other network metrics, cell 156 can be added to or removed from the radio-based private network 150. In some cases, signal strength to cell 156 can be increased to reduce the number of cells 156, or signal strength to cell 156 can be decreased to increase the number of cells 156, while allowing spectrum reuse among cells 156. Additionally, computing capacity can be added within the geographical area of ​​the organization's campus or within the cloud provider's network to reduce latency, maintain security, and increase reliability of the radio-based private network 150 as needed. In some cases, the computing capacity of the software implementing the radio-based private network 150 can be largely or entirely provisioned within the cloud provider's network rather than at the customer's premises (e.g., in the cloud service provider's regional data center). This software can implement various network functions, such as UPF, AMF, SMF, etc., which can correspond to core network functions, central unit network functions, and distributed unit network functions. Some network functions, such as distributed unit network functions, can be retained at the cell site.

[0041] Figure 2A Examples of networking environments 200, including a cloud provider network 203 and further including various provider underlying extensions of the cloud provider network, are shown according to some implementation schemes. These networking environments can be used in conjunction with local customer deployments within the communications network 100 of Figure 1. The cloud provider network 203 (sometimes simply referred to as the "cloud") refers to a network-accessible pool of computing resources (such as compute, storage, and networking resources, applications, and services), which may be virtualized or bare metal. The cloud can provide convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be programmatically provisioned and released in response to customer commands. These resources can be dynamically provisioned and reconfigured to adapt to variable loads. Therefore, cloud computing can be viewed as applications delivered as a service over a publicly accessible network (e.g., the Internet, cellular communication networks) and the hardware and software in the cloud provider's data center providing those services.

[0042] Cloud provider network 203 can provide users with on-demand, scalable computing platforms via the network, for example, allowing users to have scalable “virtual computing devices” available to them via computing servers (which provide computing instances via one or both of a central processing unit (CPU) and a graphics processing unit (GPU) optionally used with local storage devices) and block storage servers (which provide virtualized persistent block storage for specified computing instances). These virtual computing devices have the attributes of a personal computing device, including hardware (various types of processors, local memory, random access memory (RAM), hard disk and / or solid-state drive (“SSD”) storage devices), operating system options, networking capabilities, and pre-loaded application software. Each virtual computing device can also virtualize its console input and output (e.g., keyboard, monitor, and mouse). This virtualization allows users to connect to their virtual computing devices using computer applications such as browsers, APIs, and software development kits (SDKs) to configure and use their virtual computing devices like personal computing devices. Unlike personal computing devices, which have a fixed amount of hardware resources available to the user, the hardware associated with a virtual computing device can be scaled up or down depending on the resources the user needs.

[0043] As indicated above, users can connect to virtualized computing devices and other cloud provider network 203 resources and services via intermediate network 212 using various interfaces 206 (e.g., APIs), and configure and manage telecommunications networks such as 5G networks. An API refers to an interface and / or communication protocol between a client device 215 and a server, such that if a client issues a request in a predefined format, the client should receive a response in a specific format or cause a defined action to be initiated. In the context of a cloud provider network, an API provides a gateway for customers to access cloud infrastructure by allowing customers to obtain data from or cause actions within the cloud provider network, thereby enabling the development of applications that interact with resources and services hosted within the cloud provider network. APIs can also enable different services within the cloud provider network to exchange data with each other. Users can choose to deploy their virtual computing systems to provide network-based services for their own use and / or for use by their customers or clients.

[0044] The cloud provider network 203 may include a physical network referred to as the underlying layer (e.g., metal enclosures, cables, rack hardware). The underlying layer can be viewed as a network structure containing the physical hardware running the provider network's services. The underlying layer may be isolated from the rest of the cloud provider network 203; for example, it may not be possible to route from the underlying network address to addresses in the production network running the cloud provider services, or to customer networks hosting customer resources.

[0045] The cloud provider network 203 may also include an overlay network of virtualized computing resources running on the underlying layer. In at least some embodiments, a hypervisor or other device or process on the network layer may use encapsulation protocol technology to encapsulate and route network packets (e.g., client IP packets) between client resource instances on different hosts within the provider network via the network layer. Encapsulation protocol technology may be used on the network layer to route encapsulated packets (also referred to as network layer packets) between endpoints on the network layer via overlay network paths or routes. Encapsulation protocol technology can be viewed as providing a virtual network topology overlay on the network layer. Thus, network packets can be routed along the underlying network based on the construction in the overlay network (e.g., a virtual network that may be referred to as a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), a port / protocol firewall configuration that may be referred to as a security group). A mapping service (not shown) may coordinate the routing of these network packets. The mapping service may be a regionally distributed lookup service that maps a combination of overlay Internet Protocol (IP) and network identifiers to the underlying IP, enabling distributed underlying computing devices to find out where to send packets.

[0046] For illustration, each physical host device (e.g., compute server, block storage server, object storage server, control server) can have an IP address in the underlying network. Hardware virtualization technology enables multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on a host computer, for example, as virtual machines (VMs) on a compute server. A hypervisor or virtual machine monitor (VMM) on the host allocates the host's hardware resources among the various VMs on the host and monitors the execution of the VMs. Each VM can be configured with one or more IP addresses in the overlay network, and the VMM on the host is aware of the IP addresses of the VMs on the host. The VMM (and / or other devices or processes at the network layer) can use encapsulation protocol technology to encapsulate network packets (e.g., client IP packets) and route said network packets between virtualized resources on different hosts within the cloud provider network 203 via the network layer. Encapsulation protocol technology can be used at the network layer to route encapsulated packets between endpoints at the network layer via overlay network paths or routes. Encapsulation protocol technology can be viewed as providing a virtual network topology overlayed on the network layer. Encapsulation protocol technology may include a mapping service that maintains a mapping directory that maps IP overlay addresses (e.g., IP addresses visible to clients) to underlying IP addresses (IP addresses not visible to clients), which can be accessed by various processes on the cloud provider network 203 for routing packets between endpoints.

[0047] As shown in the figure, in various implementations, the traffic and operations at the underlying layer of the cloud provider network can be broadly subdivided into two categories: control plane traffic carried on the logical control plane 218 and data plane operations carried on the logical data plane 221. While the data plane 221 represents the movement of user data through the distributed computing system, the control plane 218 represents the movement of control signals through the distributed computing system. The control plane 218 typically includes one or more control plane components or services distributed across and implemented by one or more control servers. Control plane traffic typically includes administrative operations such as establishing isolated virtual networks for various customers, monitoring resource utilization and health, identifying the specific host or server to launch a requested compute instance, provisioning additional hardware as needed, and so on. The data plane 221 includes customer resources implemented on the cloud provider network (e.g., compute instances, containers, block storage volumes, databases, file storage). Data plane traffic typically includes non-administrative operations such as transferring data to and from customer resources.

[0048] Control plane components are typically implemented on a separate set of servers from the data plane servers, and control plane traffic and data plane traffic can be sent over separate / different networks. In some implementations, control plane traffic and data plane traffic may be supported by different protocols. In some implementations, messages (e.g., packets) sent over the cloud provider network 203 include flags indicating whether the traffic is control plane traffic or data plane traffic. In some implementations, the payload of the traffic can be examined to determine its type (e.g., control plane or data plane). Other techniques for distinguishing traffic types are possible.

[0049] As shown in the figure, data plane 221 may include one or more compute servers, which may be bare metal (e.g., a single tenant) or may be virtualized by a hypervisor to run multiple VMs (sometimes referred to as "instances") or microVMs for one or more clients. These compute servers may support virtualized compute services (or "hardware virtualization services") of a cloud provider network. Virtualized compute services may be part of control plane 218, allowing clients to issue commands via interface 206 (e.g., API) to launch and manage compute instances (e.g., VMs, containers) of their applications. Virtualized compute services may provide virtual compute instances with different compute and / or memory resources. In one embodiment, each of the virtual compute instances may correspond to one of several instance types. Instance types may be characterized by their hardware type, compute resources (e.g., the number, type, and configuration of CPUs or CPU cores), memory resources (e.g., the capacity, type, and configuration of local memory), storage resources (e.g., the capacity, type, and configuration of locally accessible storage devices), network resources (e.g., the characteristics of their network interfaces and / or network capabilities), and / or other suitable descriptive characteristics. Using instance type selection functionality, instance types can be selected for customers, for example (at least in part) based on input from the customer. For instance, a customer can choose an instance type from a set of predefined instance types. As another example, a customer can specify the desired resources for the instance type and / or the workload requirements for the instance, and the instance type selection functionality can select the instance type based on such a specification.

[0050] Data plane 221 may also include one or more block storage servers, which may include persistent storage devices for storing customer data volumes and software for managing these volumes. These block storage servers may support managed block storage services on a cloud provider network. The managed block storage service may be part of control plane 218, allowing customers to issue commands via interface 206 (e.g., API) to create and manage volumes of applications running on their compute instances. Block storage servers include one or more servers on which data is stored as blocks. A block is a sequence of bytes or bits, typically containing a certain integer number of records, with a maximum length of block size. Block data is typically stored in a data buffer and read or written to the entire block at a time. Typically, a volume may correspond to a logical collection of data, such as a set of data maintained on behalf of a user. A user volume (which may be considered, for example, an individual hard drive ranging in size from 1 GB to 1 terabyte (TB) or larger) consists of one or more blocks stored on a block storage server. While considered as an individual hard drive, it should be understood that a volume may be stored as one or more virtualized devices implemented on one or more underlying physical host devices. A volume can be partitioned several times (e.g., up to 16 times), with each partition hosted by a different host. Volume data can be replicated across multiple devices within a cloud provider's network to provide multiple copies of the volume (where such copies can collectively represent the volume on the computing system). Volume replicas in a distributed computing system can beneficially provide automatic failover and recovery, for example, by allowing users access to a primary copy of the volume or secondary copies of the volume synchronized with the primary copy at the block level, so that failure of the primary or secondary copy does not prevent access to volume information. The primary copy's role can be to facilitate reads and writes on the volume (sometimes referred to as "input / output operations" or simply "I / O operations") and propagate any writes to the secondary copy (preferably synchronously along the I / O path, but asynchronous replication can also be used). The secondary copy can be updated synchronously with the primary copy and provide a seamless transition during failover operations, whereby the secondary copy assumes the role of the primary copy, and the former primary copy is designated as the secondary copy or provisioned as a new replacement secondary copy. While some examples in this document discuss primary and secondary copies, it should be understood that a logical volume can include multiple secondary copies. Compute instances can virtualize their I / O to the volume via clients. The client represents instructions that enable compute instances to connect to remote data volumes (e.g., data volumes stored on physically separate compute devices accessible over a network) and perform I / O operations at the remote data volume. The client can be implemented on an offload card of a server that includes the processing units (e.g., CPUs or GPUs) of the compute instances.

[0051] Data plane 221 may also include one or more object storage servers, which represent another type of storage device within a cloud provider network. Object storage servers include one or more servers on which data is stored as objects within resources called buckets and can be used to support managed object storage services within the cloud provider network. Each object typically includes the stored data, variable metadata enabling the object storage server to analyze various aspects of the stored object, and a globally unique identifier or key that can be used to retrieve the object. Each bucket is associated with a given user account. Customers can store numerous objects in their buckets, can write, read, and delete objects in their buckets, and can control access to their buckets and the objects contained therein. Furthermore, in implementations with multiple different object storage service servers distributed across different regions described above, users can select the region (or multiple regions) of the storage bucket, for example, to optimize latency. Customers can use buckets to store various types of objects, including machine images that can be used to boot VMs, and snapshots representing point-in-time views of volume data.

[0052] Provider Underlying Extension 224 (“PSE”) provides the resources and services of Cloud Provider Network 203 within a separate network (such as a telecommunications network), thereby extending the functionality of Cloud Provider Network 203 to a new location (e.g., for reasons related to latency in communication with customer devices, legal compliance, security, etc.). In some implementations, PSE 224 may be configured to provide capacity for cloud-based workloads to run within a telecommunications network. In some implementations, PSE 224 may be configured to provide core and / or RAN functions of the telecommunications network and may be configured with additional hardware (e.g., radio access hardware). Some implementations may be configured to allow both, for example by allowing unused capacity in core and / or RAN functions to run cloud-based workloads.

[0053] As indicated, such provider underlying extensions 224 may include provider underlying extensions 227 managed by cloud provider networks (e.g., formed by servers located in cloud provider-managed facilities separate from those facilities associated with cloud provider network 203), communication service provider underlying extensions 230 (e.g., formed by servers associated with communication service provider facilities), customer-managed provider underlying extensions 233 (e.g., formed by servers located on-premises in customer or partner facilities), and other possible types of underlying extensions.

[0054] As illustrated in the exemplary provider underlying extension 224, provider underlying extension 224 may similarly include a logical separation between a control plane 236 and a data plane 239, which extend the control plane 218 and data plane 221 of the cloud provider network 203, respectively. Provider underlying extension 224 may be pre-configured by the cloud provider network operator with appropriate combinations of hardware and software and / or firmware elements to support various types of compute-related resources and in a manner that reflects the experience of using the cloud provider network. For example, one or more provider underlying extension location servers may be provisioned by the cloud provider to be deployed within provider underlying extension 224. As described above, cloud provider network 203 may provide a set of predefined instance types, each with different types and quantities of underlying hardware resources. Each instance type may also be provided in various sizes. To enable customers to continue using the same instance types and sizes they use in the region within provider underlying extension 224, the servers may be heterogeneous servers. Heterogeneous servers may simultaneously support multiple instance sizes of the same type and may also be reconfigured to host any instance type supported by their underlying hardware resources. The reconfiguration of heterogeneous servers can occur instantly using the available capacity of the servers, that is, while other VMs are still running and consuming additional capacity on the provider's underlying extended location servers. This can improve the utilization of compute resources within edge locations by allowing for better packaging of running instances on the servers, and also provides a seamless experience regarding instance usage on the provider's underlying extension 227 managed by the cloud provider network 203.

[0055] The provider's underlying extension server can host one or more compute instances. A compute instance can be a VM, or a container that packages code and all its dependencies, allowing applications to run quickly and reliably across compute environments, including VMs and microVMs. Additionally, the server can host one or more data volumes if needed by the customer. In the region of cloud provider network 203, such volumes can be hosted on dedicated block storage servers. However, due to the possibility of significantly smaller capacity at provider underlying extension 224 compared to the region, optimal utilization may not be provided if provider underlying extension 224 includes such dedicated block storage servers. Therefore, block storage services can be virtualized within provider underlying extension 224, allowing one of the VMs to run block storage software and store the volume's data. Similar to the operation of block storage services in the region of cloud provider network 203, volumes within provider underlying extension 224 can be replicated for persistence and availability. Volumes can be provisioned in their own isolated virtual network within provider underlying extension 224. The compute instances and any volumes together constitute the provider network data plane 221 extended to data plane 239 within provider underlying extension 224.

[0056] In some implementations, servers within provider underlying extension 224 may host certain local control plane components, such as those that enable provider underlying extension 224 to continue operating in the event of an interruption in the connection back to cloud provider network 203. Examples of such components include: a migration manager that can move compute instances between provider underlying extension servers if availability needs to be maintained; and a key value data store that indicates the location of volume copies. However, the functionality of control plane 236, typically used for provider underlying extensions, will remain in cloud provider network 203 to allow customers to utilize as much of the provider underlying extension's resource capacity as possible.

[0057] A migration manager may have a centralized coordination component running in a region, and a local controller running on a PSE server (and servers in the cloud provider's data center). When a migration is triggered, the centralized coordination component can identify the target edge location and / or target host, while the local controller can coordinate data transfer between the source host and the target host. The described resource movement between hosts in different locations can take one of several forms of migration. Migration refers to moving virtual machine instances (and / or other resources) between hosts in a cloud computing network or between hosts outside the cloud computing network and hosts within the cloud. Different types of migration exist, including live migration and restart migration. During a restart migration, the customer experiences an interruption and effective power cycling of their virtual machine instances. For example, a control plane service can coordinate a restart migration workflow that involves tearing down the current domain on the source host and then creating a new domain for the virtual machine instances on the new host. The instances are restarted by shutting down on the source host and then restarting on the new host.

[0058] Live migration refers to the process of moving a running virtual machine or application between different physical machines without significantly disrupting the availability of the virtual machine (e.g., the end user will not notice the downtime). When the control plane performs a live migration workflow, it can create a new "inactive" domain associated with the instance, while the instance's original domain continues to run as the "active" domain. The virtual machine's memory (including any state in memory of the running application), storage, and network connectivity are transferred from the original host with the active domain to the destination host with the inactive domain. The virtual machine may be briefly paused to prevent state changes while transferring the memory contents to the destination host. The control plane can transition the inactive domain to become an active domain and demote the original active domain to an inactive domain (sometimes called "flipping"), after which the inactive domain can be discarded.

[0059] Technologies used for various types of migration involve managing a critical phase: the time virtual machine instances are unavailable to clients, which should be kept as short as possible. This can be particularly challenging in currently disclosed migration technologies because resources are being moved between hosts in geographically separated locations that can be connected via one or more intermediate networks. For live migration, disclosed technologies can dynamically determine, for example, the amount of memory state data to be pre-copied (e.g., while the instance is still running on the source host) and post-copied (e.g., after the instance starts running on the destination host) based on latency between locations, network bandwidth / usage patterns, and / or based on which memory pages the instance most frequently uses. Furthermore, the specific time for transferring memory state data can be dynamically determined based on network conditions between locations. This analysis can be performed by a migration management component in a region or by a migration management component running locally in a source edge location. If the instance already has access to virtualized storage, both the source and destination domains can be attached to the storage device simultaneously to enable uninterrupted access to its data during migration and in the event of a rollback to the source domain.

[0060] The server software running on Provider Underlying Extension 224 may be designed by the cloud provider to run on the cloud provider's underlying network, and this software may be able to create a private copy of the underlying network ("shadow underlying") within the edge location by running unmodified in Provider Underlying Extension 224 using a local network manager 242. The local network manager 242 may run on the Provider Underlying Extension 224 server and bridge the shadow underlying network with Provider Underlying Extension 224, for example, by acting as a Virtual Private Network (VPN) endpoint or an endpoint between Provider Underlying Extension 224 and proxies 245, 248 in the cloud provider network 203, and by implementing a mapping service (for traffic encapsulation and decapsulation) to associate data plane traffic (from data plane proxy 248) and control plane traffic (from control plane proxy 245) with appropriate servers. By implementing a local version of the provider network's underlying overlay mapping service, the local network manager 242 allows resources in Provider Underlying Extension 224 to communicate seamlessly with resources in the cloud provider network 203. In some implementations, a single local network manager 242 may perform these actions for all servers hosting compute instances in Provider Underlying Extension 224. In other implementations, each of the servers hosting the compute instances may have a dedicated local network manager 242. In a multi-rack edge location, inter-rack communication can be achieved through the local network manager 242, which maintains open tunnels between each other.

[0061] The provider's underlying extension location can utilize secure networking tunnels through the provider's underlying extension 224 network to the cloud provider network 203, for example, to maintain the security of customer data when traversing the provider's underlying extension 224 network and any other intermediate networks (potentially including the public internet). Within the cloud provider network 203, these tunnels consist of virtual infrastructure components including isolated virtual networks (e.g., in an overlay network), control plane agents 245, data plane agents 248, and underlying network interfaces. Such agents 245, 248 can be implemented as containers running on compute instances. In some implementations, each server in the provider's underlying extension 224 location hosting compute instances can utilize at least two tunnels: one tunnel for control plane traffic (e.g., Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) traffic) and one tunnel for encapsulated data plane traffic. A connectivity manager (not shown) within the cloud provider network 203 manages their cloud provider network-side lifecycle, for example, by automatically provisioning these tunnels and their components as needed and maintaining them in a healthy operational state. In some implementations, a direct connection between the provider's underlying extension 224 location and the cloud provider network 203 can be used for control and data plane communication. Compared to VPNs that go through other networks, direct connections can provide constant bandwidth and more consistent network performance because their network path is relatively fixed and stable.

[0062] A control plane (CP) proxy 245 can be provisioned in cloud provider network 203 to represent a specific host in an edge location. CP proxy 245 acts as an intermediary between the control plane 218 in cloud provider network 203 and the control plane 236 in provider underlying extension 224. Specifically, CP proxy 245 provides the infrastructure for tunneling management API traffic destined for provider underlying extension servers from the regional layer to provider underlying extension 224. For example, the virtualized compute service of cloud provider network 203 can issue commands to the VMM of the server in provider underlying extension 224 to start compute instances. CP proxy 245 maintains a tunnel (e.g., VPN) to the local network manager 242 of provider underlying extension. Software implemented in CP proxy 245 ensures that only well-formed API traffic leaves and returns to the underlying layer. CP proxy 245 provides a mechanism to expose remote servers on the cloud provider underlying layer while still protecting underlying security materials (e.g., encryption keys, security tokens) from leaving cloud provider network 203. The unidirectional control plane traffic tunnel imposed by CP Proxy 245 also prevents any (potentially compromised) device from calling back to the underlying layer. CP Proxy 245 can be instantiated one-to-one with a server at the provider's underlying extension 224, or may be able to manage control plane traffic for multiple servers within the same provider's underlying extension.

[0063] Data plane (DP) proxy 248 can also be provisioned in cloud provider network 203 to represent a specific server in provider underlying extension 224. DP proxy 248 acts as a shadow or anchor point for the server and can be used by services within cloud provider network 203 to monitor the health of the host (including its availability, used / idle compute and capacity, used / idle storage and capacity, and network bandwidth utilization / availability). DP proxy 248 also allows isolated virtual networks to cross provider underlying extension 224 and cloud provider network 203 by acting as proxies for servers in cloud provider network 203. Each DP proxy 248 can be implemented as a packet-forwarding compute instance or container. As shown, each DP proxy 248 can maintain a VPN tunnel with local network manager 242, which manages traffic to the server represented by the DP proxy 248. This tunnel can be used to send data plane traffic between the provider underlying extension server and cloud provider network 203. Data plane traffic flowing between provider underlying extension 224 and cloud provider network 203 can be routed through a DP proxy 248 associated with provider underlying extension 224. For data plane traffic flowing from provider underlying extension 224 to cloud provider network 203, DP proxy 248 can receive encapsulated data plane traffic, verify its correctness, and allow it into cloud provider network 203. DP proxy 248 can then forward the encapsulated traffic directly from cloud provider network 203 to provider underlying extension 224.

[0064] Local network manager 242 can provide secure network connectivity with agents 245, 248 established in cloud provider network 203. Once a connection is established between local network manager 242 and agents 245, 248, the customer can issue commands via interface 206 to instantiate (and / or perform other operations using) compute instances in a manner similar to how such commands would be issued to compute instances hosted within cloud provider network 203. From the customer's perspective, the customer can now seamlessly use local resources within the provider underlying extension (and resources located in cloud provider network 203, if needed). Compute instances hosted on servers at provider underlying extension 224 can communicate with electronic devices located on the same network, and, as needed, with other resources hosted in cloud provider network 203. Local gateway 251 can be implemented to provide network connectivity between provider underlying extension 224 and networks associated with said extension (e.g., the communication service provider network in the example of communication service provider underlying extension 230).

[0065] There may be situations where data needs to be transferred between the object storage service and the provider underlying extension (PSE) 224. For example, the object storage service may store machine images used to launch VMs, as well as snapshots representing point-in-time backups of volumes. The object gateway may be provided on a PSE server or dedicated storage device and provide customers with configurable bucket-by-bucket caching of the contents of object storage buckets in its PSE 224 to minimize the impact of PSE region latency on customer workloads. The object gateway may also temporarily store snapshot data from snapshots of volumes in the PSE 224 and then synchronize it with the object server in the region, where possible. The object gateway may also store machine images that customers specify for use within the PSE 224 or at the customer's premises. In some implementations, data within the PSE 224 may be encrypted with a unique key, and for security reasons, the cloud provider may restrict the sharing of the key from the region to the PSE 224. Therefore, data exchanged between the object storage server and the object gateway may utilize encryption, decryption, and / or re-encryption to maintain secure boundaries regarding encryption keys or other sensitive data. The transformation intermediary can perform these operations and can create PSE buckets (on the object storage server) using PSE encryption keys to store snapshot data and machine image data.

[0066] In this manner, PSE 224 forms an edge location because it provides the resources and services of the cloud provider network 203 outside of and closer to the customer's equipment, outside of the traditional cloud provider's data center. Edge locations, as referred to herein, can be structured in various ways. In some implementations, an edge location can be an extension of the underlying cloud provider network, including a limited amount of capacity provided outside of an availability zone (e.g., in a small data center of the cloud provider or in other facilities located near the customer's workload and potentially far from any availability zone). Such edge locations can be referred to as "far zones" (due to their distance from other availability zones) or "near zones" (due to their proximity to the customer's workload). Near zones can be connected to publicly accessible networks such as the Internet in various ways (e.g., directly, via another network, or via a dedicated connection to the region). While near zones typically have more limited capacity than a region, in some cases, a near zone can have a considerable capacity, such as thousands or more racks.

[0067] In some implementations, an edge location can be an extension of the underlying layer of a cloud provider network, consisting of one or more servers located locally at a customer's or partner's facility, where such servers communicate with nearby availability zones or areas of the cloud provider network via a network (e.g., a publicly accessible network, such as the Internet). This type of underlying extension located outside the cloud provider network's data center can be referred to as an "outpost" of the cloud provider network. Some outposts can be integrated into a communications network, for example, as multi-access edge computing (MEC) sites, whose physical infrastructure is distributed across telecommunications data centers, telecommunications aggregation sites, and / or telecommunications base stations within the telecommunications network. In a local example, the limited capacity of an outpost may be available only to the customer who owns the premises (and any other accounts permitted by the customer). In a telecommunications example, the limited capacity of an outpost can be shared among multiple applications (e.g., games, virtual reality applications, healthcare applications) sending data to users on the telecommunications network.

[0068] Edge locations may include data plane capacity that is at least partially controlled by the control plane of a nearby availability zone within the provider network. Thus, an availability zone group may include a “parent” availability zone and any “child” edge locations belonging to the parent availability zone (e.g., at least partially controlled by its control plane). Certain limited control plane functionality (e.g., features requiring low-latency communication with customer resources, and / or features enabling the edge location to continue operating when disconnected from the parent availability zone) may also exist in some edge locations. Therefore, in the example above, an edge location refers to an extension of at least the data plane capacity located at the edge of the cloud provider network, close to customer devices and / or workloads.

[0069] exist Figure 1A In the example, distributed computing device 112 ( Figure 1A ), centralized computing device 115 ( Figure 1A ) and core computing device 118 ( Figure 1A This can be implemented as a provider underlying extension 224 of the cloud provider network 203. The installation or location of the provider underlying extension 224 within the communication network 100 may vary depending on the specific network topology or architecture of the communication network 100. The provider underlying extension 224 can typically be connected to any location on the communication network 100 where packet-based traffic (e.g., IP-based traffic) can be interrupted. Furthermore, communication between a given provider underlying extension 224 and the cloud provider network 203 is typically securely relayed to at least a portion of the communication network 100 (e.g., via a secure tunnel, virtual private network, direct connection, etc.).

[0070] In 5G wireless network development, edge locations can be considered a possible implementation of Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC). Such edge locations can connect to various points in the 5G network that provide interruption for data traffic as part of the User Plane Function (UPF). Older wireless networks can also include edge locations. For example, in a 3G wireless network, an edge location can connect to the packet-switched network portion of communication network 100, such as connecting to the Serving General Packet Radio Service Support Node (SGSN) or the Gateway General Packet Radio Service Support Node (GGSN). In a 4G wireless network, an edge location can connect to the Serving Gateway (SGW) or Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW) as part of the core network or Evolved Packet Core (EPC). In some implementations, traffic between the Provider Underlying Extension 224 and the Cloud Provider Network 203 can be interrupted from communication network 100 without routing through the core network.

[0071] In some implementations, provider underlying extension 224 may connect to more than one communication network associated with a given customer. For example, provider underlying extension 224 may connect to two networks when the given customer's two communication networks share or route traffic through a common point. For example, each customer may assign a portion of its network address space to the provider underlying extension, and the provider underlying extension may include a router or gateway that can distinguish traffic exchanged with each of the communication networks 100. For example, traffic destined for provider underlying extension 224 from one network may have different destination IP addresses, source IP addresses, and / or virtual LAN (VLAN) labels compared to traffic received from another network. Traffic originating from the provider underlying extension and destined for a destination on one of the networks can similarly be encapsulated with appropriate VLAN labels, source IP addresses (e.g., from a pool of destination network address space assigned to the provider underlying extension), and destination IP addresses.

[0072] Figure 2B Example 253 depicts the cellular and geographic distribution of a communication network 100 (Figure 1) for providing highly available User Plane Functions (UPF). Figure 2BIn this process, user device 254 communicates with request router 255 to route the request to one of multiple control plane cells 257a and 257b. Each control plane cell 257 may include a network services API gateway 260, network slice configuration 262, network services monitoring functionality 264, site planning data 266 (including a description of the layout, device type, number of devices, etc., of the customer site requirements), a network services / function catalog 268, orchestration functionality 270, and / or other components. A large control plane can be divided into multiple cells to reduce the possibility of large-scale errors affecting a wide range of customers, for example, by having one or more cells per customer, per network, or per independently operating area.

[0073] The Network Service / Function Catalog 268 is also known as the NF Repository Function (NRF). In a Service-Based Architecture (SBA) 5G network, control plane functions and a common data repository can be delivered through a set of interconnected network functions built using a microservices architecture. The NRF can maintain a record of available NF instances and the services they support, allowing other NF instances to subscribe and be notified of registrations from NF instances of a given type. Therefore, the NRF can support service discovery by receiving discovery requests from NF instances and details of which NF instances support specific services. The Network Function Orchestrator 270 can perform NF lifecycle management, including instantiation, outward / inward scaling, performance measurement, event association, and termination. The Network Function Orchestrator 270 can also load new NFs, manage migrations to new or updated versions of existing NFs, identify NF sets suitable for specific network slices or larger networks, and orchestrate NFs among different computing devices and sites constituting the radio-based private network 103.

[0074] Control plane cell 257 can communicate with one or more cell sites 272, one or more customer local data centers 274, one or more local zones 276, and one or more regional zones 278. Cell site 272 includes computing hardware 280 that performs one or more distributed unit (DU) network functions 282. Customer local data center 274 includes computing hardware 283 that performs one or more DU or central unit (CU) network functions 284, a network controller, a UPF 286, one or more edge applications 287 corresponding to customer workloads, and / or other components.

[0075] This region 276 (which may be located in a data center operated by a cloud service provider) may perform one or more core network functions 288, such as AMF, SMF, Network Open Function (NEF) which securely exposes services and capabilities of other network functions, and Unified Data Management (UDM) functions that manage subscriber data used for authorization, registration, and mobility management. This region 276 may also perform UPF 286, metric processing services 289, and one or more edge applications 287.

[0076] A regional zone 278 (which may be located in a data center operated by a cloud service provider) may perform one or more core network functions 288; a UPF 286; an operations support system (OSS) 290 that supports network management systems, service delivery, service implementation, service assurance, and customer service; an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) 291; a business support system (BSS) 292 that supports product management, customer management, revenue management, and / or order management; one or more portal applications 293, and / or other components.

[0077] In this example, the communication network 100 employs a cellular architecture to reduce the blast radius of individual components. At the top level, the control plane resides in multiple control plane cells 257 to prevent a single control plane failure from affecting all deployments.

[0078] Within each control plane cell 257, multiple redundant stacks can be provided, where the control plane can offload traffic to secondary stacks as needed. For example, cell site 272 can be configured to utilize the nearby local area 276 as its default core network. In the event of an outage in local area 276, the control plane can redirect cell site 272 to use a backup stack in regional area 278. Traffic typically routed from the Internet to local area 276 can be offloaded to endpoints in regional area 278. Each control plane cell 278 can implement a stateless architecture that shares a common session database across multiple sites, such as across availability zones or edge sites.

[0079] Figure 3 This illustrates, according to some implementation schemes, the underlying extensions of geographically dispersed providers 224 ( Figure 2AAn exemplary cloud provider network 203 (or "edge location 303") is shown. As illustrated, cloud provider network 203 can be structured as multiple regions 306, where a region is a separate geographical area in which a cloud provider has one or more data centers 309. Each region 306 may include two or more Availability Zones (AZs) interconnected via a dedicated high-speed network, such as a fiber optic communication connection. An Availability Zone is an isolated fault domain comprising one or more data center facilities that have separate power, separate networking, and separate cooling relative to other Availability Zones. Cloud providers may endeavor to position Availability Zones within a region, spaced sufficiently far apart that natural disasters, widespread power outages, or other unforeseen events do not simultaneously take down more than one Availability Zone. Customers can connect to resources within an Availability Zone of the cloud provider network via a publicly accessible network (e.g., the Internet, cellular networks, or a communications service provider network). A switching center (TC) is the primary backbone location linking customers to the cloud provider network and may co-located within other network provider facilities (e.g., an Internet service provider, or a telecommunications provider). Each region may operate two or more TCs for redundancy. Region 306 is connected to a global network comprising private networking infrastructure (e.g., fiber optic connections controlled by the cloud service provider) connecting each region 306 to at least one other region. The cloud provider network 203 can deliver content from points of presence (PoPs) outside but networked to these regions 306 via edge locations 303 and regional edge caching servers. This partitioning and geographical distribution of computing hardware enables the cloud provider network 203 to provide customers with low-latency resource access globally with high fault tolerance and stability.

[0080] The number of edge locations 303 can be much higher than the number of regional data centers or availability zones. This widespread deployment of edge locations 303 can provide low-latency connectivity to the cloud for a much larger group of end-user devices (compared to those groups of end-user devices that happen to be very close to a regional data center). In some implementations, each edge location 303 may peer to a portion of the cloud provider network 203 (e.g., a parent availability zone or regional data center). This peering allows various components operating within the cloud provider network 203 to manage the computing resources of the edge location 303. In some cases, multiple edge locations 303 may be located or installed in the same facility (e.g., a separate rack for a computer system) and managed by different zones or data centers to provide additional redundancy. It should be noted that while edge locations 303 are generally described herein as being in a communications service provider network or a radio-based private network 103 ( Figure 1AHowever, in some cases, such as when the cloud provider network facility is relatively close to the communication service provider facility, the edge location 303 may remain within the physical premises of the cloud provider network 203 while being connected to the communication service provider network via fiber optic or other network links.

[0081] Edge location 303 can be structured in several ways. In some implementations, edge location 303 can be an extension of the underlying cloud provider network, including a limited amount of capacity provided outside of an availability zone (e.g., in a small data center of the cloud provider or in other settings located near customer workloads and potentially far from any availability zone). Such an edge location 303 can be referred to as a local region (and therefore more local or closer to a set of users than a traditional availability zone). Local regions can be connected to publicly accessible networks such as the Internet in various ways (e.g., directly, via another network, or via a dedicated connection to region 306). While local regions typically have more limited capacity than region 306, in some cases, local regions may have considerable capacity, such as thousands or more racks. Some local regions may use infrastructure similar to that of a typical cloud provider data center, rather than the edge location 303 infrastructure described herein.

[0082] As indicated herein, cloud provider network 203 can be structured as multiple regions 306, each region 306 representing a geographical area in which the cloud provider clusters its data centers. Each region 306 may also include multiple (e.g., two or more) Availability Zones (AZs) interconnected via dedicated high-speed networks such as fiber optic communication connections. AZs can provide isolated fault domains comprising one or more data center facilities, which have separate power supplies, separate networking, and separate cooling relative to those data center facilities in another AZ. Preferably, the AZs within region 306 are sufficiently far apart that the same natural disaster (or other fault-inducing event) will not simultaneously affect or take down more than one AZ. Customers can connect to the AZs of the cloud provider network via publicly accessible networks (e.g., the Internet, cellular communication networks).

[0083] The parenting of an edge location 303 as an Availability Zone (AZ) or Region 306 of a cloud provider network 203 can be based on a number of factors. One such parenting factor is data sovereignty. For example, to keep data originating from a communication network in a country within that country, an edge location 303 deployed in that communication network can serve as the parent of an AZ or Region 306 in that country. Another factor is service availability. For example, some edge locations 303 may have different hardware configurations, such as the presence of components like local non-volatile storage devices (e.g., solid-state drives), graphics accelerators, etc., for customer data. Some AZs or Regions 306 may lack services that utilize these additional resources; therefore, the edge location can serve as the parent of an AZ or Region 306 that supports the use of these resources. Another factor is latency between an AZ or Region 306 and the edge location 303. While deploying an edge location 303 in a communication network has latency benefits, those benefits may be offset by the edge location 303 serving as the parent of a distant AZ or Region 306, which can introduce significant latency to traffic from the edge location 303 to the region. Therefore, edge location 303 is typically the parent of the nearby (in terms of network latency) AZ or region 306.

[0084] refer to Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a networking environment 400 according to various implementation schemes. The networking environment 400 includes a computing environment 403, one or more client devices 406, one or more pre-deployed devices 409, a spectrum reservation service 410, and one or more radio-based private networks 103, which communicate with each other via a network 412. The network 412 includes, for example, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a wired network, a wireless network, a cable television network, a satellite network, or other suitable networks, or any combination of two or more such networks.

[0085] Computing environment 403 may include, for example, server computers or any other system providing computing capacity. Optionally, computing environment 403 may employ multiple computing devices, which may be arranged, for example, in one or more server groups or computer groups or other arrangements. Such computing devices may reside in a single device or may be distributed across many different geographical locations. For example, computing environment 403 may include multiple computing devices, which together may include hosted computing resources, grid computing resources, and / or any other distributed computing arrangements. In some cases, computing environment 403 may correspond to elastic computing resources, where the allocated capacity of processing, networking, storage, or other computing-related resources may vary over time. For example, computing environment 403 may correspond to cloud provider network 203 ( Figure 2A The utility-based computing model charges customers based on their computing resource usage.

[0086] In some implementations, computing environment 403 may correspond to a virtualized private network within a physical network, including, for example, virtual machine instances executed on physical computing hardware via a hypervisor. The virtual machine instances and any containers running on these instances can obtain network connectivity through virtualized network components enabled by physical network components such as routers and switches.

[0087] According to various implementation schemes, various applications and / or other functions can be executed in the computing environment 403. Furthermore, various data are stored in data storage areas 415 accessible to the computing environment 403. It is understood that multiple data storage areas 415 may be represented. The data stored in the data storage areas 415 is associated, for example, with the operation of the various applications and / or functional entities described below.

[0088] Computing environment 403, as part of a cloud provider network offering utility computing services, includes computing devices 418 and other types of computing devices. Computing devices 418 may correspond to different types of computing devices 418 and may have different computing architectures. Computing architectures may differ due to the use of processors with different architectures, such as x86, x86_64, ARM, Scalable Processor Architecture (SPARC), PowerPC, etc. For example, some computing devices 418 may have x86 processors, while others may have ARM processors. Computing devices 418 may also differ in terms of available hardware resources, such as local storage, graphics processing units (GPUs), machine learning extensions, and other features.

[0089] Computing device 418 can have various forms of allocated computing capacity 421, which may include virtual machine (VM) instances, containers, serverless functions, and so on. VM instances can be instantiated from VM images. For this purpose, customers can specify that VM instances should be launched in a specific type of computing device 418, rather than in other types of computing devices 418. In various examples, a single VM instance may run on a specific computing device 418, or multiple VM instances may run on a specific computing device 418. Furthermore, a specific computing device 418 can run different types of VM instances, which can provide different amounts of available resources via the computing device 418. For example, some types of VM instances may provide more memory and processing power than other types of VM instances.

[0090] Components executing on computing environment 403 include, for example, Radio-Based Private Network (RBPN) management service 424, RBPN hardware configuration service 427, RBPN hardware deployment service 430, capacity management service 433, and other applications, services, processes, systems, engines, or functions not discussed in detail herein.

[0091] RBPN management service 424 is executed to manage, configure, and monitor the radio-based private network 103 operated by the cloud service provider on behalf of the customer. For this purpose, RBPN management service 424 can generate multiple user interfaces that allow the customer to order new radio-based private networks 103, expand or shrink existing radio-based private networks 103, modify the operation of existing radio-based private networks 103, and configure wireless devices 106 allowed to use the radio-based private network 103. Figure 1A The RBPN management service 424 provides statistics and metrics on the operation of the radio-based private network 103, reserves spectrum for customers' private networks via spectrum reservation service 410, and so on. For example, the RBPN management service 424 can generate one or more network pages, such as web pages, including a user interface. Furthermore, the RBPN management service 424 can support this functionality through an API that can be called by the client application 436. In addition to facilitating user interaction, the RBPN management service 424 also orchestrates the deployment and configuration changes of the radio-based private network 103 and continuously monitors performance parameters. In some cases, the RBPN management service 424 can generate network plans 439 for customers based at least in part on customer location specifications, automated site surveys by unmanned aerial vehicles, and / or other input parameters.

[0092] The RBPN hardware configuration service 427 is executed to implement configuration changes to the hardware implementing the radio-based private network 103. This may include radio units, antennas, VM instances or containers performing network functions, routers, switches, fiber optic terminal equipment, and so on. For example, an antenna may be configured to operate at a specific frequency. A radio unit may be programmed to operate at a specific frequency, join a specific radio-based private network 103, and backhaul traffic to a specific VM instance or container.

[0093] In some scenarios, RBPN hardware configuration service 427 is executed to reconfigure hardware already existing in the radio-based private network 103. In other scenarios, RBPN hardware configuration service 427 is executed to preconfigure groups of hardware to be deployed to existing or new radio-based private networks 103. For this purpose, RBPN hardware configuration service 427 can be implemented on one or more pre-deployment devices 409 temporarily connected to network 412 to facilitate pre-configuration before the pre-deployment devices 409 are shipped to customers for deployment in the radio-based private network 103.

[0094] The RBPN hardware deployment service 430 performs hardware deployment to automate and arrange the deployment of hardware, thereby implementing a radio-based private network 103. Based on a network plan 439 submitted by or generated for a customer, the RBPN hardware deployment service 430 can arrange the procurement of hardware components required to implement the radio-based private network 103 according to the network plan 439. This may involve automatically placing orders with vendors for new equipment, retaining equipment already in the vendor's inventory, or reallocating equipment already existing at a customer site or other customer sites (where the equipment to be reallocated is no longer in use). In this regard, the RBPN hardware deployment service 430 can send instructions to customers to return unused equipment, where the equipment can be directly sent to other customers for use in another deployment. In another scenario, the RBPN hardware deployment service 430 can send instructions to customers to move a device from a site where the device is no longer in use to another site where the device will be used. The RBPN hardware deployment service 430 can manage the device's connection to network 412 to pre-configure it as a pre-deployed device 409. RBPN Hardware Deployment Service 430 can also arrange for the delivery of equipment to customer locations, including multiple customer locations that may correspond to various cell sites.

[0095] Capacity management service 433 is performed to manage computing capacity in the radio-based private network 103 and the associated core network. This may involve transferring computing capacity from network function workloads to customer workloads and vice versa. Furthermore, unused computing capacity can be transferred from one customer to another. Moreover, network function workloads can be transferred within cell 109 (…). Figure 1A Distributed computing device 112 at the site, centralized computing device 115 at the customer site. Figure 1A ) and the core computing unit 118 in the data center ( Figure 1A Transfer between )

[0096] The data stored in the data storage area 415 includes, for example, one or more network plans 439, one or more cellular topologies 442, one or more spectrum allocations 445, device data 448, one or more RBPN metrics 451, customer billing data 454, radio unit configuration data 457, antenna configuration data 460, network function configuration data 463, one or more network function workloads 466, one or more customer workloads 469, and other possible data.

[0097] Network planning 439 is a specification for a radio-based private network 103 to be deployed for a customer. For example, network planning 439 may include the location or geographic area to be covered, the number of cells, device identification information and licenses, the expected maximum network latency, the expected bandwidth or network throughput for one or more classes of devices, one or more quality of service parameters for applications or services, and / or other parameters that can be used to create the radio-based private network 103. Customers can manually specify one or more of these parameters via a user interface. One or more parameters can be pre-populated as default parameters. In some cases, network planning 439 may be generated for customers based at least in part on automated site surveys using unmanned aerial vehicles. The parameter values ​​defining network planning 439 can be used as the basis for cloud service providers to bill customers under a utility calculation model. For example, in a service level agreement (SLA), customers may be charged higher fees for lower latency targets and / or higher bandwidth targets, and may be charged per device, per cell, geographic area based on service, spectrum availability, etc. In some cases, network planning 439 may include thresholds and reference parameters determined at least in part based on automated detection of the customer’s existing private network.

[0098] Cellular topology 442 includes the arrangement of multiple cells for customers, taking into account spectrum reuse given the location of the cells. Cellular topology 442 can be automatically generated given a site survey. In some cases, the number of cells in cellular topology 442 can be automatically determined based on the desired geographic area to be covered, the availability of backhaul connections at each site, signal propagation, available spectrum, and / or other parameters. For radio-based private networks 103, cellular topology 442 can be developed to cover one or more buildings in an organization's campus, one or more schools in a school district, one or more buildings in a university or university system, and other areas.

[0099] Spectrum allocation 445 includes spectrum available for allocation to the radio-based private network 103, as well as spectrum currently allocated to the radio-based private network 103. Spectrum may include spectrum that is publicly accessible without restriction, spectrum owned or leased by individual customers, spectrum owned or leased by providers, spectrum available for free use but requiring a reservation, etc.

[0100] Device data 448 corresponds to data describing the device 106 that is permitted to connect to the radio-based private network 103. Device data 448 includes the corresponding user, account information, billing information, data plan, permitted applications or uses, indication of whether the wireless device 106 is mobile or fixed, location, current cell, network address, device identifier (e.g., International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, device serial number (ESN), Media Access Control (MAC) address, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) number, etc.), and so on.

[0101] RBPN metric 451 includes various metrics or statistics indicating the performance or health of the radio-based private network 103. Such RBPN metric 451 may include bandwidth metrics, packet drop metrics, signal strength metrics, delay metrics, etc. RBPN metric 451 can be aggregated on a per-device, per-cell, per-customer, or similar basis.

[0102] Customer billing data 454 specifies the charges incurred by a customer for the provider's operation of the radio-based private network 103 for the customer. Charges may include fixed costs based on the equipment deployed to the customer and / or usage costs based on utilization determined by tracked usage metrics. In some cases, the customer may purchase the equipment upfront and may only need to pay for bandwidth or backend network costs. In other cases, the customer may not incur any upfront costs and may be charged only based on usage. By providing equipment to customers based on a utility calculation model, cloud service providers can select the optimal configuration of the equipment to meet the customer's target performance metrics while avoiding over-provisioning unnecessary hardware.

[0103] The radio unit configuration data 457 can correspond to the configuration settings of radio units deployed in the radio-based private network 103. Such settings may include the frequency to be used, the protocol to be used, modulation parameters, bandwidth, network routing and / or backhaul configuration, etc.

[0104] Antenna configuration data 460 may correspond to antenna configuration settings, including the frequency to be used, azimuth angle, vertical or horizontal orientation, beam tilt, and / or other parameters that can be automatically controlled or manually controlled by instructing the user to install the antenna in a certain way or to make physical changes to the antenna (e.g., via a motor connected to the network and controls on the antenna).

[0105] Network function configuration data 463 corresponds to configuration settings for configuring various network functions for the operation of the radio-based private network 103. In various implementations, network functions may be deployed in VM instances or containers located in computing devices 418, situated at a cell site, customer aggregation site, or data center remote from customers. Non-limiting examples of network functions may include access and mobility management functions, session management functions, user plane functions, policy control functions, authentication server functions, unified data management functions, application functions, network openness functions, network function repositories, network slice selection functions, and / or other functions. Network function workload 466 corresponds to a machine image, container, or function to be launched in the allocated computing capacity 421 to execute one or more network functions.

[0106] Customer workloads 469 correspond to customer machine images, containers, or functions that may be executed alongside or in place of network function workloads 466 in the allocated computing capacity 421. For example, customer workloads 469 may provide or support customer applications or services. In various examples, customer workloads 469 relate to factory automation, autonomous robots, augmented reality, virtual reality, design, monitoring, and so on.

[0107] Client device 406 represents a plurality of client devices 406 that can be coupled to network 412. Client device 406 may include, for example, a processor-based system, such as a computer system. Such a computer system may be embodied in the following forms: desktop computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant, cellular phone, smartphone, set-top box, music player, network board, tablet computer system, game console, e-book reader, smartwatch, head-mounted display, voice interface device, or other device. Client device 406 may include a display, which includes, for example, one or more devices, such as liquid crystal display (LCD), gas plasma-based flat panel display, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, electrophoretic ink (E ink) display, LCD projector, or other types of display device, etc.

[0108] Client device 406 can be configured to execute various applications, such as client application 436 and / or other applications. Client application 436 can execute in client device 406, for example, to access network content provided by computing environment 403 and / or other servers, thereby presenting a user interface on a display. For this purpose, client application 436 may include, for example, a browser, a dedicated application, etc., and the user interface may include web pages, application screens, etc. Client device 406 can be configured to execute applications other than client application 436, such as, for example, email applications, social networking applications, word processors, spreadsheets, and / or other applications.

[0109] In some implementations, spectrum reservation service 410 provides spectrum reservation for a customer's private network. In one scenario, spectrum reservation service 410 is operated by an entity such as a third party to manage reservations and coexistence in publicly accessible spectrum. An example of such spectrum is the Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS). In another scenario, spectrum reservation service 410 is operated by a telecommunications service provider to sell or sublicense portions of spectrum owned or licensed by that provider.

[0110] Next reference Figure 5 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an example of the operation of providing RBPN management services 424 according to various implementation schemes. It can be understood that... Figure 5 The flowchart only provides examples of many different types of functional layouts that can be used to implement parts of the RBPN Management Service 424 as described herein. Alternatively, Figure 5 The flowchart can be viewed as depicting a computing environment 403 according to one or more implementation schemes. Figure 4 Examples of elements of the methods implemented in ).

[0111] Starting with box 503, RBPN management service 424 generates information for ordering or provisioning RBPN103. Figure 1A The user interface. For example, the user interface may include a method for specifying network planning 439 ( Figure 4 ) or network planning parameters 439. Such parameters may include, for example, the number of cells, customer locations or maps or site plans of the geographic area to be covered, target bandwidth, and information about wireless device 106 ( Figure 1A This includes user information, target minimum latency, expected cost, and / or other parameters. The user interface may include components for uploading one or more data files containing this information. The user interface may be transmitted via network 412 (or other network data). Figure 4 ) sent for use on client device 406 ( Figure 4The client application 436 executed in ) Figure 4 The client application 436 may make one or more API calls to place an order with the provider or provision an RBPN.

[0112] In box 506, the RBPN management service 424 receives a request to provision an RBPN from the organization. For example, a user can submit a form or otherwise interact with the user interface to have the request submitted. Optionally, the client application 436 can make one or more API calls to request RBPN provisioning.

[0113] In box 507, the RBPN management service 424 can automatically initiate probing of an organization's existing private networks. For example, an organization may have existing networks such as wired, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or other types of networks. Upon receiving appropriate security credentials and access to endpoints on the network, the RBPN management service 424 can automatically probe the network to determine customer needs for the new RBPN 103 and the associated core network. For example, the RBPN management service 424 can automatically determine the number of user devices on the existing network, the network bandwidth and request volume associated with various applications or services, existing latency observed for accessing various applications or services, the reliability of existing systems, and so on. These observations can be used to set initial thresholds for latency, bandwidth, etc., in the RBPN to be deployed.

[0114] In box 509, RBPN management service 424 determines cell 109 in RBPN 103 ( Figure 1A The arrangement of the RBPN management service 424 can be determined to optimally cover one or more buildings of the organization. Both internal and external areas of the buildings can be covered as needed. This determination may include receiving information about the coverage area, including indoor and outdoor coverage areas, the number of devices to be connected, and the layout of physical network connections and power supplies. In this regard, the RBPN management service 424 can determine the number of cells 109 based on network planning 439. Alternatively, given the customer area and / or premises to be covered, the RBPN management service 424 can automatically determine the optimal number of cells 109 based at least in part on parameters such as target latency, bandwidth, signal strength, and reliability. In one implementation, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be used to conduct site surveys of the area to be covered, potentially recording signal strength to observe the state of the spectrum to determine available frequencies. The RBPN management service 424 can record the cellular topology 442 ( Figure 4The deployment of cell 109 in RBPN 103. In some scenarios, RBPN management service 424 can use machine learning to determine the optimal deployment of cell 109 by deploying various deployments of RBPN 103 and evaluating their performance. Over time, by observing these deployments, RBPN management service 424 can learn which deployments perform better or worse than others and use these results to train machine learning models.

[0115] In box 512, RBPN management service 424 automatically reserves spectrum allocation for RBPN 103. To this end, RBPN management service 424 can automatically determine the available frequencies for cellular topology 442 from publicly available frequencies, customer-owned frequencies, and / or provider-owned frequencies. Frequency determination may take into account polarization, directivity, beam tilt, and / or other factors that may allow or interfere with frequency reuse. RBPN management service 424 may record the reservation in spectrum allocation 445 ( Figure 4 In addition, RBPN management service 424 can communicate with external services implementing the spectrum reservation system (such as spectrum reservation service 410) via network 412. Figure 4 )) Communication to reserve and / or determine available frequencies.

[0116] In box 515, RBPN management service 424 identifies the equipment required to implement RBPN 103. This may include antennas, radio units, and equipment for implementing provider underlying extensions 224. Figure 2A The computing devices, cables, switches, routers, fiber optic termination devices, etc., are included. In some cases, the computing devices may be included in external units to be installed outside the customer's building. In some examples, such units may be standalone, except for power and network connections. In some scenarios, RBPN Management Service 424 can use machine learning to determine the optimal device placement by deploying various arrangements of the RBPN 103 and evaluating their performance. Over time, by observing these deployments, RBPN Management Service 424 can learn which arrangements perform better or worse than others and use these results to train machine learning models.

[0117] RBPN Management Service 424 can also use machine learning to determine the optimal distribution of devices for each customer. For example, in the data center core computing unit 118 ( Figure 1A ) for running network function workloads for specific types of customers 466 ( Figure 4 This might be meaningful for another type of customer, in distributed computing device 112 ( Figure 1A ) or centralized computing device 115 ( Figure 1ARunning network function workload 466 at this location is likely optimal. Therefore, RBPN management service 424 can determine that computing devices 112 or 115 should not be deployed, but rather a cloud-only deployment of computing device 118 is preferable.

[0118] In box 518, RBPN management service 424 is accessed via RBPN hardware deployment service 430. Figure 4 Initiate the procurement of equipment for RBPN103. This may include automatically reserving equipment from the supplier’s existing inventory and / or issuing one or more equipment orders to one or more suppliers.

[0119] In box 521, RBPN management service 424 enables RBPN hardware configuration service 427 ( Figure 4 One or more devices are pre-configured, such as computing devices, radio units, antennas, routers, etc., for implementing network functions. Such devices can be used as pre-deployment devices 409. Figure 4 Connect to network 412. RBPN hardware configuration service 427 uses radio unit configuration data 457. Figure 4 Antenna configuration data 460 ( Figure 4 ) and network function configuration data 463 ( Figure 4 To implement pre-configuration.

[0120] In box 522, RBPN management service 424 can configure one or more network slices for the radio-based private network 103, which can provide differentiated quality of service (QoS) levels for different user devices, applications, or services. QoS levels can provide different latency, bandwidth / throughput, signal strength, reliability, and / or other service factors. For example, a customer may have a group of devices requiring very low latency, so RBPN management service 424 can configure network slices to provide below-threshold latency for these devices. In another example, a first QoS level can be provided for a first application, and a second QoS level can be provided for a second application.

[0121] In box 524, RBPN management service 424 enables RBPN hardware deployment service 430 to deliver a device, including a pre-configured pre-deployment device 409, to the customer. Various instructions for installing the device can be transmitted to the customer via client application 436. After this, part of the operation of RBPN management service 424 ends.

[0122] Move to Figure 6 This illustrates a flowchart of an example of the operation of providing another part of the RBPN management service 424 according to various implementation schemes. It can be understood that... Figure 6The flowchart only provides examples of many different types of functional layouts that can be used to implement parts of the RBPN Management Service 424 as described herein. Alternatively, Figure 6 The flowchart can be viewed as depicting a computing environment 403 according to one or more implementation schemes. Figure 4 Examples of elements of the methods implemented in ).

[0123] Starting from box 603, the RBPN management service 424 receives activated RBPN 103 from the client. Figure 1A ) requests. For example, a client user can interact with the user interface generated by the RBPN management service 424 to select the option to activate RBPN 103. Optionally, client application 436 ( Figure 4 You can make an API call to activate RBPN 103.

[0124] In box 606, RBPN management service 424 enables one or more network function workloads 466 of RBPN 103. Figure 4 ) in the allocated computing capacity of 421 ( Figure 4 Start in ). Note that the network function workload 466 can be hosted on computing device 418 ( Figure 4 The computing device is located on the provider's underlying extension 224 ( ). Figure 2A The provider's underlying extensions can be located at cell sites, customer sites, and / or data centers for core network functions.

[0125] In some scenarios, customers may prefer to provision the entire core network or all network function workloads of the core network in a data center operated by a cloud service provider. This reduces the number of devices maintained at the customer's site, potentially reducing the customer's need for IT personnel. In other scenarios, customers may prefer to be on-site as much as possible to ensure they have control over their data. In some scenarios, customers may choose to offload network function workloads from the cloud provider's network. Figure 2A The network function workload 466 can be migrated to or from the customer's premises to the cloud provider network 203. An application programming interface (API) can be provided to the customer to manage where the network function workload 466 is hosted. Therefore, a customer can request to move the network function workload 406 from the cloud provider network 203 to the provider underlying extension 224 at the customer's premises, and the cloud provider network 203 can implement the transfer in response to the request. Similarly, a customer can request to move the network function workload 406 from the provider underlying extension 224 at the customer's premises to the cloud provider network 203, and the cloud provider network 203 can implement the transfer in response to the request. In some scenarios, region 306 ( Figure 3Traffic within the region can be directed to the allocated computing capacity 421 in the data center within region 306, while local network traffic can remain at the customer's location.

[0126] In box 609, RBPN management service 424 determines whether the devices and equipment on RBPN 103 are correctly connected. Since the devices and equipment can be configured by the customer for plug-and-play operation, RBPN management service 424 can perform diagnostic assessments to confirm that instructions are being followed and that the devices are powered and accessible via a network connection. In box 612, RBPN management service 424 continues to activate RBPN 103, enabling wireless device 106 to communicate with other hosts on RBPN 103 and / or with hosts on the Internet. After this, part of the operation of RBPN management service 424 ends.

[0127] continue Figure 7 This illustrates a flowchart of an example of the operation of providing another part of the RBPN management service 424 according to various implementation schemes. It can be understood that... Figure 7 The flowchart only provides examples of many different functional layouts that can be used to implement other parts of the RBPN management service 424 as described herein. Alternatively, Figure 7 The flowchart can be viewed as depicting a computing environment 403 according to one or more implementation schemes. Figure 4 Examples of elements of the methods implemented in ).

[0128] Starting from box 703, RBPN management service 424 monitors RBPN 103 ( Figure 1A ) performance and utilization metrics. For example, the RBPN management service 424 can collect and drop packets, latency values, bandwidth utilization, signal strength, interference, and other related RBPN metrics 451 during the operation of RBPN 103. Figure 4 In box 706, the RBPN management service 424 determines to modify RBPN 103 based at least in part on performance metrics and / or utilization metrics and / or customer requests to modify RBPN 103. For example, the RBPN management service 424 may determine that observed performance falls below a minimum threshold, or observed utilization exceeds a maximum threshold. In this case, the RBPN management service 424 may automatically scale VM instances, containers, functions, or other allocated compute capacity 421 performing network functions in RBPN 103. Figure 4The number of devices on the RBPN 103. Optionally, customers can submit requests to modify the RBPN 103 via a user interface or API. Such requests can include OSS and BSS management requests to specify the access level for a particular device or group of devices on the RBPN 103. The RBPN management service 424 can run network bandwidth and verification tests to provide monitoring and alerting capabilities for full visibility into how the RBPN 103 is used.

[0129] In box 709, RBPN management service 424 identifies cell 109 in RBPN 103. Figure 1A The updated deployment of RBPN management service 424 can be based on the updated network plan 439. Figure 4 The number of cells 109 is determined. Optionally, given the customer area and / or location to be covered, the RBPN management service 424 may automatically determine the updated optimal number of cells 109 based at least in part on parameters such as target latency, bandwidth, signal strength, and reliability. In one implementation, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may be used to perform an updated site survey of the area to be covered, potentially recording signal strength to observe the state of the spectrum to determine available frequencies or to determine where cells 109 may exhibit poor performance. The RBPN management service 424 may record cellular topology 442 ( Figure 4 The updated layout of community 109 in the )

[0130] In box 712, RBPN management service 424 can automatically identify and / or reserve updated spectrum allocations for RBPN 103. To this end, RBPN management service 424 can automatically determine available frequencies for cellular topology 442 from publicly available frequencies, customer-owned frequencies, and / or provider-owned frequencies. Frequency determination may take into account polarization, directivity, beam tilt, and / or other factors that may allow or interfere with frequency reuse. RBPN management service 424 can record the updated reservations in spectrum allocation 445 ( Figure 4 In addition, RBPN management service 424 can be accessed via network 412 ( Figure 4 It communicates with external services implementing the spectrum reservation system (such as spectrum reservation service 410) to update reservations and / or determine available frequencies. Updated reservations may include releasing previously reserved spectrum and / or changing to different spectrum in various scenarios.

[0131] In box 715, RBPN management service 424 identifies the equipment required to implement the modified RBPN 103. This may include an antenna, radio unit, and equipment for implementing provider underlying extension 224. Figure 2AThe computing devices, cables, switches, routers, fiber optic termination devices, etc. In box 718, the RBPN management service 424 is deployed via the RBPN hardware deployment service 430. Figure 4 Initiate the procurement of equipment for the updated RBPN 103. This may include automatically reserving equipment from the supplier's existing inventory and / or issuing one or more equipment orders to one or more suppliers. Some or all of the existing equipment may be reused.

[0132] In box 721, RBPN management service 424 enables RBPN hardware configuration service 427 ( Figure 4 Pre-configure one or more new devices, such as computing devices implementing network functions, radio units, antennas, routers, etc. Such devices can be used as pre-deployment devices 409. Figure 4 Connect to network 412. RBPN hardware configuration service 427 uses radio unit configuration data 457. Figure 4 Antenna configuration data 460 ( Figure 4 ) and network function configuration data 463 ( Figure 4 Pre-configuration can be implemented by installing software, initializing software, configuring software to communicate with one or more services, setting frequencies, setting modulation types, setting signal strength, setting directivity, and other types of pre-configuration. In block 724, RBPN management service 424 enables RBPN hardware deployment service 430 to deliver a device including a pre-configured pre-deployment device 409 to a customer. Various instructions for installing the device can be transmitted to the customer via client application 436.

[0133] In box 727, the RBPN management service 424 can initiate the reconfiguration of existing equipment and devices via the RBPN hardware configuration service 427. For example, existing radio units and / or antennas can have their frequency, signal strength, and / or other parameters changed. Furthermore, existing allocated computing capacity 421 for network function workloads 466 can be reprogrammed or terminated to be replaced by other allocated computing capacity 421 to perform network functions. In some cases, this can be done via cloud provider network 203 (… Figure 2A This can be used to deploy or provision additional computing capacity.

[0134] In box 730, RBPN management service 424 activates the modified RBPN 103. The correct status of the modified radio-based private network 103 and the associated core network can be verified before activation. After this, the operation of part of RBPN management service 424 concludes.

[0135] Next reference Figure 8The diagram illustrates a flowchart of an example of the operation of providing capacity management services 433 according to various implementation schemes. It can be understood that... Figure 8 The flowchart only provides examples of many different types of functional arrangements that can be used to implement the portion of the capacity management service 433 described herein. Alternatively, Figure 8 The flowchart can be viewed as depicting a computing environment 403 according to one or more implementation schemes. Figure 4 Examples of elements of the methods implemented in ).

[0136] Starting from box 803, Capacity Management Service 433 monitors RBPN 103 ( Figure 1A The utilization rate of ) including 109 in each community ( Figure 1A The utilization rate of the device and / or communication links. In box 806, the capacity management service 433 determines the capacity to be released from RBPN 103. For example, the capacity may be released at least in part based on underutilization or in response to a request from a customer. Requests from customers may be received via a user interface or via API calls.

[0137] In some scenarios, the capacity of RBPN 103 can be released (or moved to another location) to provide workloads for customers with higher priority or those associated with additional costs. Figure 4 Provisioned capacity. For example, a customer may have applications that are highly latency-sensitive and have a high priority for the customer, and the capacity management service 433 can determine that the optimal allocation will be from server hardware mobile network function workloads 466 at the edge location. Figure 4 This frees up space for applications running at the edge. After releasing capacity, the capacity management service 433 can perform one or more actions to reclaim and reuse that capacity.

[0138] In box 809, capacity management service 433 may determine to remove one or more cells 109 from RBPN 103. For example, capacity management service 433 may identify a specific cell 109 that is underutilized relative to a threshold or relatively underutilized compared to other cells 109 in RBPN 103. In box 812, capacity management service 433 may automatically disable cell equipment (e.g., radio, antenna) or capacity management service 433 may transfer the equipment for use by another customer. In some cases, capacity management service 433 may request the customer to return the equipment to the provider and / or ship the equipment to another customer so that the equipment can be used by another customer. Capacity management service 433 may also automatically reduce bandwidth or reconfigure communication links to release bandwidth that is no longer needed and was previously reserved for RBPN 103.

[0139] In box 815, capacity management service 433 can terminate one or more network function workloads 466 that are performing one or more network functions for RBPN 103. Figure 4 The capacity management service 433 can determine the allocated computing capacity 421. Figure 4 VM instances, containers, or functions in RBPN 103 are no longer required due to RBPN 103 utilization or performance, or have a lower priority than customer workload 469.

[0140] In box 818, capacity management service 433 initiates the reallocation of computing capacity previously occupied by terminated network function workloads 466. The computing capacity can be located at the customer's location or at the provider's data center. Figure 4 In this regard, the capacity management service 433 can use the freed capacity to launch VM instances, containers, or functions to provide network functionality to another customer or another RBPN 103.

[0141] Optionally, the capacity management service 433 can use the released capacity to launch customer workloads 469 for customer applications other than network functions. For example, the capacity management service 433 can use the released compute capacity to launch VM instances, containers, or functions of customer workloads 469. Such VM instances, containers, or functions may be independent of the functionality of RBPN103. VM instances, containers, or functions can be extended at the provider's underlying infrastructure 224, which is already located at the cell site or otherwise at the customer's premises. Figure 2A This allows computing capacity to be used without being wasted, or instead used for higher-priority workloads.

[0142] In box 821, capacity management service 433 can automatically reallocate released spectrum to other customers or other cells 109 in RBPN 103. Capacity management service 433 can also reallocate already released network bandwidth.

[0143] In box 824, given the release of computing resources, capacity management service 433 reduces charges to customers associated with RBPN 103. In some cases, charges may remain the same or increase if a higher level of service is provided to the customer or a higher priority workload is performed on the reclaimed capacity. After this, the operation of portion 433 of capacity management service ends.

[0144] refer to Figure 9A schematic block diagram of a computing environment 403 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The computing environment 403 includes one or more computing devices 900. Each computing device 900 includes at least one processor circuitry, for example, having a processor 903 and a memory 906, both coupled to a local interface 909. For this purpose, each computing device 900 may include, for example, at least one server computer or similar device. The local interface 909 may include, for example, a data bus with an accompanying address / control bus or other understandable bus structure.

[0145] The memory 906 stores data and several components executable by the processor 903. Specifically, the RBPN management service 424, RBPN hardware configuration service 427, RBPN hardware deployment service 430, capacity management service 433, and other possible applications are stored in the memory 906 and executable by the processor 903. The memory 906 may also store data storage area 415 and other data. Furthermore, the operating system may be stored in the memory 906 and executable by the processor 903.

[0146] It should be understood that other applications may exist, stored in memory 906 and executable by processor 903. Where any component discussed herein is implemented in software form, it may be implemented in any of a variety of programming languages, such as C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Java. ® JavaScript ® Perl, PHP, Visual Basic ® Python ® Ruby, Flash ® Or other programming languages.

[0147] Many software components are stored in memory 906 and can be executed by processor 903. In this respect, the term "executable" refers to a program file in a form that can ultimately be run by processor 903. Examples of executable programs can be, for example, compiled programs that can be translated into machine code, the format of which can be loaded into the random access portion of memory 906 and executed by processor 903; source code, which can be expressed in a suitable format, such as object code that can be loaded into the random access portion of memory 906 and executed by processor 903; or source code, which can be interpreted by another executable program to generate instructions in the random access portion of memory 906 that will be executed by processor 903, and so on. Executable programs can be stored in any part or component of memory 906, including, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk drives, solid-state drives, USB flash drives, memory cards, optical discs such as CDs or DVDs, floppy disks, magnetic tapes, or other storage components.

[0148] Memory 906 is defined herein as including volatile and non-volatile memory and data storage components. Volatile components are those that do not retain data values ​​when power is off. Non-volatile components are those that retain data when power is off. Therefore, memory 906 may include, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk drive, solid-state drive, USB flash drive, memory card accessed via a memory card reader, floppy disk accessed via an associated floppy disk drive, optical disk accessed via an optical disk drive, magnetic tape accessed via a suitable magnetic tape drive, and / or other memory components, or any two or more combinations of these memory components. Furthermore, RAM may include, for example, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or magnetic random access memory (MRAM), and other such devices. ROM may include, for example, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other similar memory devices.

[0149] Furthermore, processor 903 may represent multiple processors 903 and / or multiple processor cores, while memory 906 may represent multiple memories 906 operating in parallel processing circuitry. In this case, local interface 909 may be a suitable network facilitating communication between any two of the multiple processors 903, between any processor 903 and any memory 906, or between any two memories 906, etc. Local interface 909 may include additional systems designed to coordinate this communication, including, for example, performing load balancing. Processor 903 may be electrical or some other available construction.

[0150] While the RBPN Management Service 424, RBPN Hardware Configuration Service 427, RBPN Hardware Deployment Service 430, Capacity Management Service 433, and various other systems described herein can be embodied in software or code executed by the general-purpose hardware described above, they can also, alternatively, be embodied in dedicated hardware or a combination of software / general-purpose and dedicated hardware. If embodied in dedicated hardware, each can be implemented as a circuit or state machine employing any one or a combination of various technologies. These technologies may include, but are not limited to, discrete logic circuits with logic gates for implementing various logical functions when one or more data signals are applied, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) with appropriate logic gates, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other components. Such technologies are generally well known to those skilled in the art and therefore will not be described in detail here.

[0151] Figures 5 to 8 The flowchart illustrates the functionality and operation of partial implementations of the RBPN management service 424 and capacity management service 433. If embodied in software, each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, comprising program instructions for implementing specified logical functions. These program instructions may be embodied in source code, comprising human-readable statements written in a programming language, or machine code, comprising digital instructions recognizable by a suitable execution system such as a processor 903 in a computer system or other system. The machine code may be derived from source code, etc. If embodied in hardware, each block may represent a circuit or multiple interconnected circuits to implement specified logical functions.

[0152] although Figures 5 to 8 The flowchart illustrates a specific execution order, but it is understood that the execution order may differ from the depicted order. For example, the execution order of two or more blocks may be shuffled relative to the order shown. Furthermore, Figures 5 to 8 Two or more blocks shown consecutively can be executed simultaneously or partially simultaneously. Furthermore, in some implementations, Figures 5 to 8 One or more of the blocks shown may be skipped or omitted. Furthermore, any number of counters, state variables, warning semaphores, or messages may be added to the logic flow described herein for purposes such as enhancing utility, accounting, performance measurement, or providing troubleshooting assistance. It is understood that all such variations are within the scope of this disclosure.

[0153] Furthermore, any logic or application program (including RBPN management service 424, RBPN hardware configuration service 427, RBPN hardware deployment service 430, and capacity management service 433) described herein, comprising software or code, may be contained in any non-transitory computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, such as, for example, a processor 903 in a computer system or other system. In this sense, logic may include, for example, statements comprising instructions and declarations that can be extracted from a computer-readable medium and executed by an instruction execution system. In the context of this disclosure, "computer-readable medium" can be any medium that can contain, store, or maintain the logic or application program described herein for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system.

[0154] Computer-readable media can include any of a number of physical media, such as, for example, magnetic, optical, or semiconductor media. More specific examples of suitable computer-readable media will include, but are not limited to, magnetic magnetic disks, magnetic hard disks, memory cards, solid-state drives, USB flash drives, or optical discs. Furthermore, computer-readable media can be random access memory (RAM), including, for example, static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or magnetic random access memory (MRAM). Additionally, computer-readable media can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other types of storage devices.

[0155] Furthermore, any logic or application described herein, including RBPN management service 424, RBPN hardware configuration service 427, RBPN hardware deployment service 430, and capacity management service 433, can be implemented and constructed in a variety of ways. For example, one or more applications described herein can be implemented as modules or components of a single application. Furthermore, one or more applications described herein can execute in shared or separate computing devices or combinations thereof. For example, multiple applications described herein can execute in the same computing device 900, or in multiple computing devices 900 within the same computing environment 403.

[0156] Unless otherwise specified, disjunctive languages ​​such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y or Z” should be understood in the context as commonly used to indicate that an item, term, etc., can be X, Y or Z or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y and / or Z). Therefore, such disjunctive languages ​​are generally not intended and should not imply that certain embodiments require the presence of at least one of X, at least one of Y or at least one of Z respectively.

[0157] The implementation of this disclosure can be described by at least the following terms:

[0158] Clause 1. A system comprising: at least one computing device in a cloud provider network; and instructions executable in the at least one computing device, wherein, when executed, the instructions cause the at least one computing device to at least: receive from an organization a request to provision a radio-based private network to cover one or more buildings of the organization, the radio-based private network including a radio access network and an associated core network; determine an arrangement of a plurality of cells to cover the one or more buildings; automatically identify the spectrum of the plurality of cells via a spectrum reservation service; cause the cell equipment to be pre-configured to implement the plurality of cells prior to delivery of the cell equipment to the organization; and pre-provision at least a portion of the associated core network for the organization in the cloud provider network.

[0159] Clause 2. The system according to Clause 1, wherein, when executed, the instructions also cause the at least one computing device to at least automatically probe the organization’s existing private networks to determine at least one requirement for the radio-based private network or the associated core network.

[0160] Clause 3. The system according to Clauses 1 to 2, wherein, when executed, the instructions also cause the at least one computing device to at least scale the amount of resources allocated to the associated core network in the cloud provider network based at least in part on at least one of a utilization metric or a latency metric.

[0161] Clause 4. The system according to Clauses 1 to 3, wherein, when executed, the instructions also cause the at least one computing device to implement a differentiated quality of service level at least in the radio-based private network.

[0162] Clause 5. A cellular network comprising: at least one cell providing radio-based private network coverage for at least one site of an organization; and at least one computing device in a cloud provider network implementing at least one network function for an associated core network of the radio-based private network.

[0163] Clause 6. The cellular network as described in Clause 5, wherein the radio-based private network provides a first quality of service level for a first application of the organization and a second quality of service level for a second application of the organization.

[0164] Clause 7. The cellular network according to Clauses 5 to 6 further includes at least one other computing device in a cloud provider underlying extension of the cloud provider network located at the premises of the organization, the at least one other computing device implementing the at least one network function.

[0165] Clause 8. The cellular network according to Clause 7 further includes instructions executable in the at least one computing device, which, when executed, cause the at least one computing device to at least: receive from the organization a request to transfer the at least one network function from the at least one computing device to the at least another computing device; and, in response to the request, cause the at least one network function to transfer from the at least one computing device to the at least another computing device.

[0166] Clause 9. A cellular network as described in Clauses 5 to 8, wherein at least one radio unit and at least one antenna implementing the at least one cell are operated by a cloud service provider that also operates the cloud provider network.

[0167] Clause 10. The cellular network as described in Clauses 5 through 9, wherein a cloud service provider tracks usage metrics for the organization corresponding to the use of the radio-based private network.

[0168] Clause 11. The cellular network according to Clauses 5 to 10, further comprising a radio-based private network management service executable in the at least one computing device, wherein, when executed, the radio-based private network management service causes the at least one computing device to at least: monitor at least one of the utilization or latency of the radio-based private network; and, in response to determining that the at least one of the utilization or the latency meets a threshold criterion, preconfigure the device to implement additional cells for the radio-based private network before delivering the device to the organization.

[0169] Clause 12. The cellular network pursuant to Clause 11, wherein, when executed, the radio-based private network management service also causes the at least one computing device to at least automatically identify the additional spectrum of the additional cell.

[0170] Clause 13. The cellular network as described in Clauses 11 to 12, wherein, when executed, the radio-based private network management service also causes the at least one computing device to automatically allocate additional computing capacity in the at least one computing device for the at least one network function.

[0171] Clause 14. A method comprising: receiving from an organization a request by at least one computing device to provision a provider-based private network and an associated core network to cover a site of the organization; determining an arrangement of one or more cells to cover the site; causing the at least one computing device to pre-configure the cell equipment to implement the one or more cells prior to delivery of the cell equipment to the organization; and pre-provisioning at least a portion of the associated core network for the organization in a cloud provider network by the at least one computing device.

[0172] Clause 15. The method according to Clause 14 further comprises: determining, by the at least one computing device, to add an additional cell to the radio-based private network; and, by the at least one computing device, pre-configuring the additional cell device to implement the additional cell prior to delivery of the additional cell device to the organization.

[0173] Clause 16. The method according to Clauses 14 to 15 further includes, by means of the at least one computing device, scaling the amount of computing resources allocated to one or more network functions of the associated core network in the cloud provider network.

[0174] Clause 17. The method according to Clauses 14 to 16 further includes reserving spectrum for the one or more cells by the at least one computing device via a spectrum reservation service.

[0175] Clause 18. The method according to Clauses 14 to 17 further includes using the at least one computing device to probe the organization’s existing private networks to determine at least one requirement for the radio-based private network.

[0176] Clause 19. The method according to Clauses 14 to 18 further comprises: implementing a first quality of service level for a first device type on the radio-based private network by the at least one computing device; and implementing a second quality of service level for a second device type on the radio-based private network by the at least one computing device.

[0177] Clause 20. The method described in Clauses 14 to 19, wherein the associated core network is provisioned in the cloud provider network.

[0178] It should be emphasized that the above embodiments of this disclosure are merely examples of possible implementations for the purpose of clearly understanding the principles of this disclosure. Many variations and modifications can be made to the above embodiments without substantially departing from the spirit and principles of this disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure and are protected by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: A request is received from an entity organization by at least one computing device, the request being for a provider to provision a radio-based private network and an associated core network to cover the organization's sites; The at least one computing device determines the arrangement of one or more cells to cover the site; Prior to delivering the cell device to the entity, the cell device is pre-configured by the at least one computing device to implement the one or more cells; as well as The associated core network is pre-configured for the entity organization by the at least one computing device.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the cell device includes a computer server.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the associated core network is pre-configured at the location of the entity organization.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the associated core network is pre-configured in the provider underlying extension of the cloud provider network.

5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising: Determine whether to add additional cells to the radio-based private network; as well as Before the additional cell equipment is delivered to the entity, the additional cell equipment is pre-configured to implement the additional cell.

6. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising: Spectrum is reserved for one or more cells via spectrum reservation service.

7. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising: A first quality of service level is implemented for the first device type on the radio-based dedicated network; as well as A second quality of service level is implemented for the second device type on the radio-based dedicated network.

8. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprising: The at least one computing device probes the entity's existing private networks to determine at least one requirement for the radio-based private network, wherein the at least one requirement for the radio-based private network includes an initial threshold for at least one performance metric of the radio-based private network.

9. A computer-implemented system, comprising: At least one computing device is configured to at least: Receive a request from an entity organization, the request being for the provider to provision a radio-based private network and associated core network to cover the entity organization's sites; Before delivering the cell equipment to the entity, the cell equipment is pre-configured to implement one or more cells; and Pre-configure the associated core network for the entity organization.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to determine the arrangement of the one or more cells for covering the site.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to scale the amount of resources allocated to the associated core network based at least in part on one of a utilization metric or a latency metric.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to implement differentiated quality of service levels, at least in the radio-based private network.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one computing device is configured to at least probe the entity's existing private networks to determine at least one requirement for the radio-based private network, wherein the at least one requirement for the radio-based private network includes an initial threshold for at least one performance metric of the radio-based private network.

14. A computer-implemented system, comprising: At least one computing device is configured to at least: Receive a request from an entity organization, the request being for a provider to provision a dedicated radio-based network to cover the entity organization's sites; Before the equipment is delivered to the organization, it is pre-configured to implement the radio-based private network; as well as Pre-configure the core network for the organization.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to reserve spectrum allocation for the radio-based private network at least using a spectrum reservation service.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to at least determine the arrangement of the devices for covering the site.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one computing device is further configured to pre-configure one or more network slices on at least the radio-based private network to provide differentiated quality of service.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the core network is pre-configured in the cloud provider network.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of the core network is pre-configured in servers at the premises of the entity organization.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the device includes a computer server.

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