Edge service deployment with network slice calls

Abstract

Edge service deployment with a network slice call is provided that includes obtaining one or more service-related parameters for the network slice call to support an edge service instance, and requesting a network slice from a network based on the obtained one or more service-related parameters. The request to the network is via a collaboration platform. Further, the edge service deployment and network slice invocation include receiving a network slice invocation code from the network based on the request for the network slice, and initiating activation of the edge service instance on the network slice of the network using the network slice invocation code.

Description

Background Art

[0001] One or more aspects generally relate to edge computing and, more particularly, to improving edge computing across networks through enhanced edge service deployment and network slice invocation.

[0002] In a cloud environment, edge computing (i.e., computing at or near an edge) enables processing and / or storage of data to be provided at or closer to the device where the operation is being performed. Thus, edge computing can eliminate the need for data to be processed or stored to be sent to a central location (e.g., a central cloud server), which can be physically located at a considerable distance from the device(s). Although from the perspective of an individual device, such a configuration may not provide a substantial change to the services provided, the massive growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) and other electronic devices, including mobile devices, has exponentially increased network demands when utilizing cloud services, which can result in increased latency, potentially leading to lower quality of service, higher bandwidth costs, etc. Advantageously, edge computing can help alleviate these problems.

[0003] As an example, multi-access edge computing (MEC) provides a computing approach in which cloud computing capabilities in an information technology (IT) service environment are provided at the edge of a network. MEC provides an ecosystem in which applications and services can be flexibly and quickly deployed.

[0004] In cellular communications, 5G is the next generation of broadband cellular networks that allow for significantly increased communication rates. MEC has implementations for various networks, and 5G implementations have been expanded as service providers adopt this most current and technologically advanced system for their customers. When combined, MEC and 5G can be a powerful force in the computing world. The advent of 5G network capabilities continues to increase with the number of devices connected on the network, which has stimulated the need for edge computing to help distribute networking needs. Applications that rely heavily on consistent network connectivity, rapid deployment, and low latency include emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), etc. MEC and 5G networking together allow a large number of connected technologies to be used simultaneously without network interruptions due to information traffic bottlenecks. Summary of the invention

[0005] Certain disadvantages of the prior art are overcome and additional advantages are provided herein by providing a computer program product for facilitating processing within a computing environment. The computer program product includes one or more computer-readable storage media and program instructions contained therein. The program instructions are readable by a processing circuit to cause the processing circuit to perform a method, the method comprising: obtaining one or more service-related parameters for a network slice call to support an edge service instance, and based on the obtained one or more service-related parameters, requesting a network slice from a network, wherein the request to the network is via a collaboration platform. The method also includes receiving a network slice call code from the network based on the request for the network slice, and initiating activation of the edge service instance on a network slice of the network using the network slice call code.

[0006] Computer-implemented methods and computer systems related to one or more aspects are also described and claimed herein. Services related to one or more aspects are further described and claimed herein.

[0007] Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques described herein.Other embodiments and aspects are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] One or more aspects are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as examples in the claims at the end of the specification. The foregoing and objects, features and advantages of one or more aspects will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Figure 1 An example of a computing environment that includes and / or uses one or more aspects of the present invention is shown;

[0010] Figure 2 An embodiment of an edge service instance deployment and network slice invocation workflow according to one or more aspects of the present invention is shown;

[0011] Figure 3 Another embodiment of a computing environment incorporating and / or using one or more aspects of the present invention is illustrated; and

[0012] Figure 4 According to one or more aspects of the present invention, Figure 3 An embodiment of an edge service instance deployment and network slice invocation workflow for a computing environment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and form a part of this specification, which further illustrate the present invention and are used to explain various aspects of the present invention together with the specific embodiments of the present invention. Note that at this point, descriptions of well-known systems, devices, processing techniques, etc. are omitted so as not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention in detail. However, it should be understood that the specific embodiments and this particular example, although indicating various aspects of the present invention, are given only by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. In light of this disclosure, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that various substitutions, modifications, additions and / or other arrangements within the scope of the basic inventive concept are possible. It should also be noted that many inventive aspects or features are disclosed herein, and unless inconsistent, each aspect or feature disclosed may be combined with any other disclosed aspect or feature as required for a specific application of the disclosed concept.

[0014] Note also that the illustrative embodiments are described below using specific code, designs, architectures, protocols, layouts, schematics, or tools, which are examples only and not limitations. In addition, for clarity of description, in some cases, only specific software, tools, or data processing environments are used as examples to describe the illustrative embodiments. The illustrative embodiments can be used in conjunction with other comparable or similar purpose structures, systems, applications, or architectures. One or more aspects of the illustrative embodiments can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0015] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, program code referenced in this application may include software and / or hardware. For example, program code in certain embodiments of the present invention may utilize software-based implementations of the functions described, while other embodiments may include fixed-function hardware. Some embodiments combine both types of program code. Examples of program code, also referred to as one or more programs, are described in Figure 1 113 and an edge service instance utilizing network slicing code 126, and in Figure 1 1 , a cloud orchestration module 141 , a set of virtual machines 143 , and a set of containers 144 as part of a public cloud 105 in the example computing environment 100 .

[0016] As context, containerization is the packaging of software code (e.g., implementing a service or microservice) with its dependent code (e.g., operating system libraries and / or other dependent code) to run the software code to create a single, lightweight executable file called a container. The container is portable because it runs consistently and reliably on any information technology infrastructure. In one or more embodiments, the software code may be an application, such as an edge application or edge service instance in the case of edge-based computing. A container is created from a container image, which is a static file including executable program code that can run as an isolated process on a computing or information technology (IT) infrastructure. An image can be used to run one or more containers, which are runtime instances of a container image. Containers are lightweight (e.g., they share the machine's operating system), efficient, easy to manage, secure, and portable.

[0017] An example of a product for provisioning and managing containers is It is an open source system for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. ( is a registered trademark of the Linux Foundation in at least one jurisdiction. )Kubernetes groups the containers that make up an application into logical units for ease of management and discovery. In operation, Kubernetes orchestrates containerized applications to run on a cluster of hosts (or nodes) and automates the deployment and management of cloud-native applications using either on-premises infrastructure or public cloud platforms. The Kubernetes system is designed to run containerized applications across a cluster of nodes (or servers or devices), which may be at a single geographic location or distributed across multiple geographic locations. In one or more implementations, a cluster is a group of nodes (whether physical or virtual computing resources) running a Kubernetes agent, which is managed by the Kubernetes control plane.

[0018] Container orchestration is the automation of much of the operational work required to run containerized workloads and services. Orchestration includes a wide variety of processes required to maintain the lifecycle of containers, including provisioning, deployment, scaling (scaling up and down), networking, load balancing, and more. Note that Kubernetes is only one example of an orchestration platform that can be used to manage deployment of services such as those disclosed herein. In one or more embodiments, other platforms, such as Docker, can be used in accordance with one or more aspects disclosed herein. TM , Function as a Service (FaaS), etc., can be used to manage service deployment. (Docker TM are trademarks or registered trademarks of Docker, Inc., San Francisco, California, USA)

[0019] The use of edge-based computing including edge application services advantageously reduces the amount of data to be transmitted and the subsequent information traffic and the distance that the data must be transmitted. This results in lower latency and reduces transmission costs. Computation offloading to the edge (e.g., to one or more edge devices or systems on a network such as a cellular network) can advantageously benefit the response time of real-time applications. In one or more implementations, edge-based containers are decentralized computing resources located near or at an end-user device (e.g., a device or system) to, for example, reduce latency, save bandwidth, and enhance the overall digital experience.

[0020] As described above, 5G is a next-generation broadband cellular network that allows significantly increased communication rates. In one or more implementations, the cellular network includes a plurality of edge sites, each of which has a corresponding cell tower for wirelessly docking with various types of user equipment within the range of the cell tower. In one embodiment, each edge site may include a radio access network (RAN) that interfaces with any edge site computing infrastructure and a next-generation (5G) core network. As discussed herein, the core network may (in one embodiment) facilitate communication with one or more cloud-based computing resources. In one implementation, the next-generation core network may include, for example, a user plane function (UPF) that connects a radio access network (RAN) and a data network (e.g., a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or a combination thereof). The data network may include one or more wired and / or wireless networks capable of receiving and sending data (e.g., data associated with one or more edge services or applications cited herein). In addition, the core network may include, for example, an access mobility function (AMF), which, in one embodiment, interfaces the radio access network (RAN) of the edge site with a session management function (SMF) facility and a unified data management (UDM) facility. In one embodiment, the session management function (SMF) also interfaces with the policy control function (PCF), as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. In operation, in one or more embodiments, the user device (or edge device) accessing the cellular network may be one or more wireless user devices, such as a smart phone, a mobile device, a gaming device, a wireless vehicle device / system, a wireless computer, etc.

[0021] With the advent of 5G networks, certain cloud computing capabilities, such as for information technology (IT) service environments, can be provided at the edge of the network, especially in latency-sensitive applications, such as enterprise applications, manufacturing applications, IoT applications, health care applications, etc., which are increasingly running as edge services or microservices. For example, in one or more embodiments, a container orchestrator interfaces with multiple nodes or edge devices including an edge service of one or more service applications or host services.

[0022] Application orchestration for edge site deployments, such as discussed herein, balances two often conflicting requirements. The first requirement is to maximize quality of service (QoS) by, for example, minimizing the response time for each edge user. This means, for example, that more application replication is required by moving applications closer to the edge. The second requirement is to minimize the cluster resources required due to resource constraints at the edge, and thereby reduce overhead, by, for example, optimizing application placement to, for example, have fewer application run replications. Balancing these two requirements can be challenging.

[0023] Currently, if an end user requires an application service outside of the current configuration of the network, it may be difficult to reconfigure the network to align with the inherent edge computing benefits that drive the service request. Disclosed herein are computer program products, computer-implemented methods, and computer systems in which program code executed on one or more processors uses secure collaboration platform calls coordinated with a next-generation network or network provider to perform a novel hybrid edge provisioning process. For example, in order to capture the power of narrowband-based network slicing, a framework for building virtualized network functions (or services) from existing (or previous) instances of edge services is provided. In one or more implementations, activation of a new edge service instance may include cloning a new edge service instance from an existing or previous instance of an edge service, which has a specification for modifying (e.g., scaling up or down) the resource edge service to match the bandwidth provided in the network slice. In addition, in one or more implementations, a solution for cloning edge service instances is provided that is capable of requesting precise network slices from the next-generation network to match the needs of the edge service.

[0024] Before further describing the embodiments of the present invention, Figure 1 Examples of computing environments that include and / or use one or more aspects of the present invention are discussed.

[0025] Various aspects of the present disclosure are described by narrative text, flow charts, block diagrams of computer systems, and / or block diagrams of machine logic included in computer program product (CPP) embodiments. With respect to any flow chart, depending on the technology involved, the operations may be performed in an order different from the order shown in a given flow chart. For example, again depending on the technology involved, two operations shown in consecutive flow chart blocks may be performed in reverse order, as a single integrated step, simultaneously, or in a manner that at least partially overlaps in time.

[0026] Computer program product embodiments ("CPP embodiments" or "CPP") are terms used in this disclosure to describe any collection of one or more storage media (also referred to as "media") collectively included in a collection of one or more storage devices that collectively include machine-readable code corresponding to instructions and / or data for performing the computer operations specified in a given CPP claim. A "storage device" is any tangible device that can hold and store instructions for use by a computer processor. Without limitation, a computer-readable storage medium may be an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, an electromagnetic storage medium, a semiconductor storage medium, a mechanical storage medium, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Some known types of storage devices that include these media include: magnetic disks, hard disks, random access memories (RAM), read-only memories (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROM or flash memory), static random access memories (SRAM), compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile disks (DVDs), memory sticks, floppy disks, mechanical encoding devices (such as punch cards or pits / land formed in a major surface of a disk), or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Computer-readable storage media, as the term is used in this disclosure, should not be construed as storing in the form of transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through waveguides, light pulses through fiber optic cables, electrical signals transmitted through wires and / or other transmission media. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, data is typically moved at certain occasional points in time during normal operation of the storage device, such as during access, defragmentation, or garbage collection, but this does not make the storage device transitory because the data is not transitory while it is stored.

[0027] The computing environment 100 includes an example of an environment for executing at least some of the computer codes involved in performing the methods of the present invention, such as an edge service instance 126 utilizing network slicing code. In addition to the block 126, the computing environment 100 includes, for example, a computer 101, a wide area network (WAN) 102, an end user device (EUD) 103, a remote server 104, a public cloud 105, and a private cloud 106. In this embodiment, the computer 101 includes a processor set 110 (including a processing circuit 120 and a cache 121), a communication structure 111, a volatile memory 112, a permanent storage device 113 (including an operating system 122 and a block 126, as described above), a peripheral device set 114 (including a user interface (UI) device set 123, a storage device 124, and an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor set 125), and a network module 115. The remote server 104 includes a remote database 130. The public cloud 105 includes a gateway 140 , a cloud coordination module 141 , a host physical machine set 142 , a virtual machine set 143 , and a container set 144 .

[0028] Computer 101 may take the form of a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, smart phone, smart watch or other wearable computer, mainframe computer, quantum computer, or any other form of computer or mobile device now known or developed in the future that is capable of running programs, accessing a network, or querying a database such as remote database 130. As is well known in the art of computer technology, and depending on the technology, the performance of computer-implemented methods may be distributed among multiple computers and / or among multiple locations. On the other hand, in this presentation of computing environment 100, the detailed discussion focuses on a single computer, particularly computer 101, to keep the presentation as simple as possible. Computer 101 may be located in the cloud, even though it is not yet fully understood. Figure 1 1 is not shown in the cloud, on the other hand, computer 101 need not be in the cloud except to any extent that can be positively indicated.

[0029] Processor set 110 includes one or more computer processors of any type known now or to be developed in the future. Processing circuit 120 can be distributed over multiple packages, such as multiple coordinated integrated circuit chips. Processing circuit 120 can implement multiple processor threads and / or multiple processor cores. Cache 121 is a memory located in the processor chip package and is generally used for data or code that should be quickly accessed by threads or cores running on processor set 110. Cache memory is generally organized into multiple levels according to relative proximity to the processing circuit. Alternatively, some or all of the caches of the processor set may be located "off chip". In some computing environments, processor set 110 may be designed to work with qubits and perform quantum computing.

[0030] Computer readable program instructions are typically loaded onto the computer 101 to cause the processor set 110 of the computer 101 to perform a series of operating steps to implement a computer-implemented method, so that the instructions so executed will instantiate the method specified in the flow chart and / or the narrative description of the computer-implemented method included in this document (collectively referred to as the "method of the present invention"). These computer readable program instructions are stored in various types of computer readable storage media, such as cache 121 and other storage media discussed below. The program instructions and related data are accessed by the processor set 110 to control and direct the execution of the method of the present invention. In the computing environment 100, at least some of the instructions for performing the method of the present invention may be stored in the box 126 of the permanent storage device 113.

[0031] Communications fabric 111 is the signaling pathways that allow the various components of computer 101 to communicate with each other. Typically, the fabric is comprised of switches and conductive pathways, such as those that make up a bus, a bridge, physical input / output ports, etc. Other types of signal communication pathways may be used, such as fiber optic communication pathways and / or wireless communication pathways.

[0032] The volatile memory 112 is any type of volatile memory now known or developed in the future. Examples include dynamic random access memory (RAM) or static RAM. Typically, volatile memory is characterized by random access, but this is not required unless expressly stated. In the computer 101, the volatile memory 112 is located in a single package and is internal to the computer 101, but, alternatively or additionally, the volatile memory can be distributed in multiple packages and / or located externally relative to the computer 101.

[0033] Permanent memory 113 is any form of non-volatile memory for computers known now or developed in the future. The non-volatility of the memory means that the stored data is maintained regardless of whether power is supplied to the computer 101 and / or directly to the permanent memory 113. Permanent memory 113 can be a read-only memory (ROM), but usually at least a portion of permanent memory allows the writing of data, the deletion of data, and the rewriting of data. Some common forms of persistent storage include disks and solid-state storage devices. Operating system 122 can take several forms, such as various known proprietary operating systems or operating systems of open source portable operating system interface types using a kernel. The code included in box 126 generally includes at least some of the computer codes involved in the execution of the method of the present invention.

[0034] The peripheral device set 114 includes a peripheral device set of the computer 101. The data communication connection between the peripheral device and other components of the computer 101 can be implemented in various ways, such as a Bluetooth connection, a near field communication (NFC) connection, a connection made by a cable (such as a universal serial bus (USB) type cable), a plug-in type connection (e.g., a secure digital (SD) card), a connection made through a local area communication network, and even a connection made through a wide area network such as the Internet. In various embodiments, the UI device set 123 may include components such as display screens, speakers, microphones, wearable devices (such as goggles and smart watches), keyboards, mice, printers, touchpads, game controllers, and tactile devices. The storage device 124 is an external storage device, such as an external hard drive, or a pluggable storage device, such as an SD card. The storage device 124 can be permanent and / or volatile. In some embodiments, the storage device 124 can take the form of a quantum computing storage device for storing data in the form of quantum bits. In embodiments where the computer 101 needs to have a large amount of storage (e.g., where the computer 101 locally stores and manages a large database), the storage may be provided by a peripheral storage device designed to store very large amounts of data, such as a storage area network (SAN) shared by multiple geographically distributed computers. The IoT sensor set 125 consists of sensors that can be used in IoT applications. For example, one sensor may be a thermometer, while another sensor may be a motion detector.

[0035] The network module 115 is a collection of computer software, hardware, and firmware that allows the computer 101 to communicate with other computers via the WAN 102. The network module 115 may include hardware such as a modem or a Wi-Fi signal transceiver, software for packetizing and / or depacketizing data transmitted over a communication network, and / or web browser software for transmitting data over the Internet. In some embodiments, the network control function and the network forwarding function of the network module 115 are executed on the same physical hardware device. In other embodiments (e.g., embodiments utilizing software defined networks (SDN)), the control function and the forwarding function of the network module 115 are executed on physically separated devices so that the control function manages several different network hardware devices. Computer-readable program instructions for executing the method of the present invention can typically be downloaded to the computer 101 from an external computer or an external storage device via a network adapter card or a network interface included in the network module 115.

[0036] WAN 102 is any wide area network (e.g., the Internet) capable of transmitting computer data over non-local distances by any technology now known or developed in the future for transmitting computer data. In some embodiments, the WAN may be replaced and / or supplemented by a local area network (LAN) designed to transmit data between devices located in a local area (e.g., a Wi-Fi network). A WAN and / or LAN typically includes computer hardware, such as copper transmission cables, fiber optic transmission, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and edge servers.

[0037] End-user device (EUD) 103 is any computer system used and controlled by an end-user (e.g., a customer of an enterprise operating computer 101), and may take any of the forms discussed above in connection with computer 101. EUD 103 typically receives useful and usable data from the operation of computer 101. For example, in the hypothetical case where computer 101 is designed to provide recommendations to an end-user, the recommendations would typically be transmitted from network module 115 of computer 101 to EUD 103 via WAN 102. In this manner, EUD 103 may display or otherwise present the recommendations to the end-user. In some embodiments, EUD 103 may be a client device, such as a thin client, a heavy client, a mainframe computer, a desktop computer, etc.

[0038] Remote server 104 is any computer system that provides at least some data and / or functionality to computer 101. Remote server 104 may be controlled and used by the same entity that operates computer 101. Remote server 104 represents a machine that collects and stores useful and usable data for use by other computers, such as computer 101. For example, in the hypothetical case where computer 101 is designed and programmed to provide recommendations based on historical data, then that historical data may be provided to computer 101 from remote database 130 of remote server 104.

[0039] The public cloud 105 is any computer system available for use by multiple entities that provides on-demand availability of computer system resources and / or other computer capabilities, particularly data storage (cloud storage) and computing capabilities, without direct active management by users. Cloud computing typically utilizes the sharing of resources to achieve consistency and economy of scale. The direct and active management of the computing resources of the public cloud 105 is performed by computer hardware and / or software of the cloud coordination module 141. The computing resources provided by the public cloud 105 are typically implemented by virtual computing environments running on various computers that constitute the host physical machine set 142, which is the universe of physical computers in and / or available for the public cloud 105. Virtual computing environments (VCEs) typically take the form of virtual machines from a virtual machine set 143 and / or containers from a container set 144. It should be understood that these VCEs can be stored as images and can be transferred between various physical machine hosts as images or after instantiation of the VCEs. Cloud orchestration module 141 manages the transfer and storage of images, deploys new instantiations of VCEs, and manages active instantiations of VCE deployments. Gateway 140 is a collection of computer software, hardware, and firmware that allows public cloud 105 to communicate over WAN 102 .

[0040] Some further explanation of a virtualized computing environment (VCE) will now be provided. A VCE can be stored as an "image". A new active instance of the VCE can be instantiated from the image. Two common types of VCEs are virtual machines and containers. Containers are VCEs that use operating system-level virtualization. This refers to an operating system feature in which the kernel allows the existence of multiple isolated user space instances, called containers. From the perspective of the programs running in them, these isolated user space instances typically behave like actual computers. Computer programs running on a normal operating system can utilize all of the resources of the computer, such as connected devices, files and folders, network shares, CPU capabilities, and quantifiable hardware capabilities. However, programs running within a container can only use the contents of the container and the devices assigned to the container, a feature known as containerization.

[0041] Private cloud 106 is similar to public cloud 105, except that the computing resources are only available to a single enterprise. Although private cloud 106 is depicted as communicating with WAN 102, in other embodiments, the private cloud may be completely disconnected from the Internet and accessible only through a local / private network. A hybrid cloud is a combination of multiple clouds of different types (e.g., private, community, or public cloud types), typically implemented by different vendors. Each of the multiple clouds remains an independent and discrete entity, but the larger hybrid cloud architecture is bound together by standardized or proprietary technologies that enable coordination, management, and / or data / application portability between the multiple constituent clouds. In this embodiment, both public cloud 105 and private cloud 106 are part of a larger hybrid cloud

[0042] As discussed, embodiments of the present invention include computer program products, computer-implemented methods, and computer systems in which program code executed on one or more processors utilizes a network slice invocation method to perform edge service deployment, such as Figure 2 . As shown, in one embodiment, the method 200 may include obtaining, by one or more processors, one or more service-related parameters 202 for a network slice call to support an edge service instance, and requesting, by one or more processors, a network slice 204 from the network based on the obtained one or more service-related parameters. The request may be, for example, via a collaboration platform, such as a secure subscription-based collaboration platform. In one or more embodiments, the collaboration platform may be separate from the service provider and the network provider. In one embodiment, the method also includes receiving a network slice call code 206 from the network based on the request for the network slice. In addition, the method includes (in one embodiment) initiating activation of the edge service instance on a network slice of the network using the network slice call code 208.

[0043] In one or more embodiments, obtaining one or more service-related parameters is a reference to service-related parameters of a previous instance of the edge service. In addition, in one or more embodiments, initiating activation of the edge service instance may include cloning the edge service instance from another previous instance of the edge service. In one embodiment, activation of the edge service instance is initiated at an edge device, and cloning the edge service instance includes cloning the edge service instance from another instance of the edge service of another edge device, such as another instance of the edge service that is geographically located near an edge device or node edge to deploy the service.

[0044] In one or more embodiments, the one or more service-related parameters obtained for the network slice call include the expected bandwidth required by the edge service instance and the expected execution time of the edge service instance. In addition, in one implementation, the one or more service-related parameters obtained also include the expected time for cloning the edge service instance from another instance of the edge service. In one embodiment, requesting a network slice from the network includes requesting a network slice from the network that is adapted to the expected bandwidth required by the edge service instance, the expected execution time of the edge service instance, and the expected time for cloning another instance of the edge service.

[0045] Many inventive aspects are disclosed herein with the concepts presented. For example, computer program products, systems, and methods are provided for edge service deployment utilizing network slicing invocations, wherein a collaborative platform separate from a next generation network is used to request an identified channel point-to-point network slice of a given bandwidth and a given time interval at runtime. In addition, runtime identification and cloning of edge services or applications (e.g., binary code or executable code functions) that are geographically closer to edge devices requesting services are provided. In one or more embodiments, real-time provisioning of requests for optimized and derived narrow bandwidth network slices is disclosed to allow efficient cloning of edge services or edge service binaries.

[0046] Also provided are methods that allow for validation of service requests and host edge transaction provisioning that transfers processing control from a previously known host service (e.g., executed on a cloud-based resource) to a newly incubated edge service (based on, for example, a geospatial filter). In one or more embodiments, program products, systems, and methods are disclosed herein that allow for cloning edge services (or edge service binary code) to a node edge device or edge server, for example, from a node edge source, via provisioning edge service cloning and the precise network slice required for edge service implementation from a next-generation (5G) network provider, which adapts network costs to the expected edge service usage. Certain aspects disclosed herein are referred to as hybrid edge service provisioning, in which a framework for cloning edge services is provided based on invocations of a collaborative platform or a secure subscription-based platform, through which the service provider and the network provider communicate securely. For example, a requesting system or device triggers a request for a service via a collaborative platform, and an activation process provides a transfer of a vertical slice of a referenced architecture with a determined bandwidth, which facilitates obtaining the exact amount of network slice bandwidth required for an edge service instance from the next-generation network.

[0047] In one or more implementations, the hybrid edge provisioning disclosed herein includes a method for invoking a clone based on, for example, a collaborative platform. A requester system (e.g., a node incubator) triggers a request for a service, publishing the identification of a service hosted in a marketplace of the collaborative platform. The activation process provides a vertical slice of the architecture referenced by the calculated bandwidth delivery, which facilitates obtaining the exact amount of network slice bandwidth required for the edge service instance from the next generation network.

[0048] The service provider needs to ensure the synchronization state of the services available at the edge device. Depending on the resource requirements, runtime provisioning can be determined. Based on the defined allowable delay, the process can configure the service at the NodalEdgeSource (edge ​​provisioning server) or at the edge device (NodalEdge or edge server). In one or more implementations, the waiting time for providing edge services will be minimized. In one embodiment, the system can transfer one or more binary codes from the host service (e.g., NodalEdgeSource) only if the nearby edge server in the same geographic area or region does not have binary code that can be cloned to deploy a new edge service instance at the edge device. After the identification of the service provider during the activation process phase, node supplementation can help identify whether new binary code is needed. In one or more embodiments, a state manager can be used in which the state details of the edge service binary code are stored. Based on the initial and final configuration states on the edge device, the migration or deletion of the partition (binary code) copy is performed. In one or more embodiments, a solution is provided for effectively cloning the binary code to the required edge device by the NodalSpawner, NodalReplicangVector, and NodalEdgeSource components of the host service, which calls a network slice request for the 5G network.

[0049] Advantageously, disclosed herein is an enhancement to the edge computing paradigm that utilizes certain novel hybrid edge provisioning processes to create network slices from a 5G network. In one or more embodiments, multiple edge nodes (or edge devices) running similar services (or binary codes) are envisioned, where the services or functions are maintained via a central host service (such as a cloud-based service provider). When a specific edge device is identified for update to perform an edge service, the central host (which maintains a repository of edge service updates) uses the process and system framework as disclosed herein to determine the call parameters required to create a network slice that is customized for a specific edge service function to be run on the edge device. An entire set of parameters, configurations, and updates to the operating system can be set for the edge device. Real-time provisioning requests for optimized and exported narrowband network slices are disclosed, which are also combined with the ability to clone edge services or binaries so that edge services can be activated to stabilize new hybrid edges and support end-to-end transactions as cloud functions for specific end users on the edge. The entire transaction can be supported by using a commercially available enabling platform, referred to herein as a collaboration platform, through which the network slice can be invoked as a service from the 5G network provider, where (for example) the entire history of the transaction configuration is maintained centrally at the master service.

[0050] Figure 3 Another embodiment of a computing environment 300 incorporating and / or using one or more aspects of the present invention is depicted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in one or more embodiments, certain aspects of the computing environment 300 may be combined with the above. Figure 1The computing environment 300 is the same or similar to those described in the computing environment 100, and the computing environment 300 depicts, as an example, a technical environment or system in which various aspects of some embodiments of the present invention may be implemented. As an example, the computing environment 300 includes a next-generation cellular network, represented as 305, such as a 5G network, for wirelessly interfacing with various types of edge devices or systems 320. In one embodiment, the next-generation network 305 facilitates edge devices to communicate with and / or transmit data to one or more computing resources 310, such as one or more cloud-based computing resources. In the illustrated embodiment, (one or more) computing resources 310 execute program code that implements one or more aspects of a service provider 311, including, for example, a host service 312 and a database containing one or more binary codes, or executable code, to implement virtualized functions and / or services of the service provider 311, such as one or more edge services. As depicted, in one embodiment, the program code implementing the host service 312 may also include program code implementing a node incubator (NodalSpawner) 313, a node replicator (NodalReplication Vector) 314, and a node scheduler (NodalEdgeSource) 315, which will be referenced below. Figure 4 These modules are further described in the process embodiments of FIG.

[0051] exist Figure 3 In an embodiment, the next generation (5G) network 305 provides network slicing 306. As understood in the art, network slicing is a network configuration that allows multiple networks (virtualized and independent) to be created on top of a common physical infrastructure. In an embodiment, each virtual or logical network can be designed to serve an identified function and can include all required network resources, configured and connected end-to-end.

[0052] In one embodiment, the edge device(s) 310 include edge service instances (or node edges) 321 to perform, for example, edge computing functions at or near an end-user device. In one or more embodiments, the edge device(s) 310 may also include one or more binary codes 322, such as saved virtualized functions and / or services. For example, in one embodiment, an edge device such as edge device 320 may include a previously executed instance of an edge service as binary code in persistent memory.

[0053] As shown, the computing environment 300 also includes a collaboration platform 330, which in one embodiment is a secure subscription-based collaboration platform such as that available for purchase from various sources. For example, in one or more embodiments, the collaboration platform 330 is a distributed platform or market based on blockchain for digital assets and services. In one or more other embodiments, the collaboration platform 330 can be a secure data exchange with artificial intelligence (AI) and / or a machine learning orchestration with blockchain. As used herein, the data market securely facilitates data transactions and exchange processing. In one or more embodiments, encryption and decryption processes and persistent encryption objects are used to provide security between service providers and network providers to enable edge service deployments such as those described herein that utilize network slicing calls.

[0054] exist Figure 3 In an embodiment, the network 305 also includes encryption and decryption (crypt / decrypt) program code 307 and one or more persistent, encrypted (crypt) objects 308 for use when communicating with, for example, a service provider across the collaboration platform 330. In addition, the collaboration platform 330 includes encryption / decryption (crypt / decrypt) code 331 and persistent encrypted (crypt) objects 332 for facilitating secure communications across the collaboration platform 330 between, for example, a service provider 311 and the network 305. In one or more embodiments, the collaboration platform 330 provides a framework for allowing edge service instances to be cloned to desired edge devices or servers through, for example, NodalSpawner313, NodalReplication Vector 314, and NodalEdgeSource 315 (in one embodiment), which invoke network slice requests to third-party 5G network 305 providers.

[0055] In one or more embodiments, such as disclosed herein, a collaborative platform framework / interface is used for hybrid edge provisioning. The disclosed methods and frameworks provide solutions based on collaborative platform calls, decision binders, orchestrators, and collaborative platform encrypted objects that assist in digitally autonomous deployment of edge service instances that utilize network slice calls. A requestor system (e.g., a host system) triggers a request for a service, and a decision binder identifies that the service is appropriate and available in a marketplace supported by the collaborative platform. Service providers and network providers implement the guidance required to make services available in the collaborative platform's marketplace. In one or more embodiments, a decision binding element is added and a protocol is established to allow automated deployment.

[0056] The service provider ensures that the state of edge services available at the edge devices meets the requirements, as latency may negatively impact edge applications. Computationally intensive operations can be performed at the edge provisioning server (or NodalEdgeSource), and relatively less intensive operations can be performed at the edge devices. Depending on the resource requirements at runtime, resources such as Figure 4 . For example, runtime parameters may be determined depending on latency requirements. In one or more embodiments, during provisioning of services at the edge, the framework may consider how much data, computing capacity, bandwidth, etc. are needed. Based on the defined allowable latency, the framework configures the service at a host service (e.g., cloud-based) or at an edge device (e.g., hybrid edge). In one or more implementations, the waiting time for the end user should be close to zero. The framework disclosed herein ensures transaction consistency across a computing environment system including host services, networks, and edge devices.

[0057] In one or more implementations, the method and framework for hybrid edge provisioning and computing are based on a collaborative platform that is used in association with protocol calls, decision bindings, orchestration, cryptographic objects, etc. to facilitate the digital autonomous deployment of edge service instances and the invocation of customized network slices. The protocol framework for executing edge services or edge cloud functions may depend on the type of quality of service (QoS) requirements (e.g., agreed latency, available bandwidth, etc.), which can be determined at runtime. Depending on this point of view, the runtime can change between the host service (i.e., edge provisioning server) and the edge device. The service provider provides services by implementing the agreement protocol through the collaborative platform. The client request may be received by a third-party provider through a caller to request a specific service and / or profile, thereby ensuring that the appropriate service and / or profile is called from the various available services supported by the collaborative platform. The third-party provider / caller passes the request object to a third-party binder, i.e., a decision binder, which ensures that after cracking the cryptographic object under the protocol, the profile selection of the registered service provider is available in the market at the collaborative platform. After a successful call and security verification by cracking the cryptographic object, the third-party binder can call a qualified call after adding the cryptographic object, so the framework ensures that the security constraints are not completely violated. Once the service provider (or host service) receives the request, it is redirected to the host boot orchestrator, which (after successful verification of the cryptographic object) sends a confirmation, which in turn confirms agreement to the transaction agreed upon with the third-party provider entity.

[0058] Depending on the edge device, edge cloud functions or edge service instances may or may not be provided with replication. The framework introduces virtualized functions or virtualized edge services, which execute on demand context and availability. By determining the possible partitioning of the function runtime, the possibility of losing quality of service (QoS) can be mitigated. The capacitor data model can be considered advantageous due to the sequential unstructured schema definition for persistence, allowing selected blocks to be replicated on file-driven replication. Edge service instance calls can be implemented by making changes to the required state of the virtualized function, which is called the configuration of the replica of the partition. If the server has a replica of the partition in the initial and final configurations and no action is required, the replica of the partition should not be migrated to the edge device. However, this can be used for a small subset of scenarios. In the case where the server (edge ​​device) does not have a replica of the partition in the initial configuration, the need for replica migration is captured.

[0059] One embodiment of this process is Figure 4 , and described below. Depending on the type of quality of service (QoS) required (e.g., agreed latency), the required bandwidth is determined at runtime. In one or more embodiments, the host service 312 ( Figure 3 ) Provision edge services using the collaboration platform 330 to achieve, for example, service registration, service identification, and / or service provisioning. As described above, the disclosed process provides a framework for cloning vertical fragments of the referenced architecture to edge devices to provision edge service instances. Figure 4 As shown, certain aspects of the process may be managed by a node replicator 314 (or NodalReplicatingVector) on request of a node spawner (NodalSpawner) 313. NodalReplicatingVector 314 is a program code agent or tool that (in one embodiment) provides the required bandwidth, previous clone partition time and size, and the expected time of the current cloning process for an edge service instance.

[0060] Based on the available bandwidth, the previous partition cloning time, and the estimated cloning time of the edge service instance, NodalSpawner313 requests the bandwidth and time of the network slice call from NodalEdgeSource 315. NodalEdgeSource (or server) 315 receives the request from NodalSpawner and, to ensure the validity of the request, cracks (or decrypts) the cryptographic object at NodalEdgeSource 315. As described above, NodalSpawner 313 passes the desired bandwidth required for cloning to NodalEdgeSource 315, and based on these inputs, NodalEdgeSource calls the 5G network 305 and virtualization functions via the collaboration platform to provide a narrowband activation slice, which (in one embodiment) is a customized or tailored network slice of the required bandwidth provided by NodalSpawner after the 5G network cracks the encryption object. Once cracked, the 5G network 305 returns the virtualized network slice call code to NodalEdgeSource 315. NodalEdgeSource 315 clones and activates a NodalEdge (or edge service instance) on the network slice, where the clone is activated as a service instance provided to the edge device (NodalEdge) 320. In one or more embodiments, the edge device or server updates SSH into the root and executes the edge service instance activation code, i.e. vertical scaling. Once activated, NodalEdge 320 passes the encrypted object back to NodalSpawner 313 along with its configuration. After successfully cracking the encrypted object, NodalSpawner313 updates the state of the binary code in the database maintained by NodalReplication Vector 314 for future reference.

[0061] In one or more embodiments, the edge service instance being cloned is a virtualized function or service, such as a cloud function to be executed at an edge device. In one embodiment, in order to clone an edge service instance, the context and availability (e.g., determined by NodalSpawner and NodalReplicationVector) are determined to make the process effective. As an example, a partition (P) may refer to a vertical slice of a necessary layer virtualized in the referenced architecture. The partition is similar to an executable binary (or edge service instance) customized for the desired service. As shown in the following definition, processing efficiency can be improved by determining where the service instance for cloning is available based on the initial configuration. In addition, bandwidth can be determined and created for where or to where edge service instance cloning needs to be transferred geographically, and how much time is required to achieve cloning.

[0062] Edge Segmentation – Entity Definition:

[0063] S = the set of servers across all data centers, (1)

[0064] in,

[0065] S={s1,s2,...,s i ,...,s k ,...,s |S|}

[0066] C I =|S|×|P| matrix represents the initial configuration

[0067] in, β = scalar – delay constant (3) Z = |S| × |P| × T represents the matrix of replica placement

[0068] in, R = |S| × |P| × |S| × T matrix,

[0069] Among them, (5)

[0070] ri,j,k,t represents the bandwidth allocated for migrating the replica of pj from si

[0071] Identify / Participate:

[0072] In the initial configuration, we limit the servers participating in the partition p to the j In the replica migration of the replica, keep the partition p at time t j The server si of the replica is identified as coming from z i,j,t (which indicates a potential source of copies).

[0073]

[0074] When the server saves a copy of the replica,

[0075] The sum of all bandwidths allocated to partition migration r i,j,k,t’ (via graph traversal),)

[0076] From the source j To Targets k Partition p j A copy of

[0077] ·In the previous moment

[0078] μ is equal to partition p j size.

[0079] Therefore, to identify possible partitions that can be migrated during the migration phase, consider the following formula:

[0080]

[0081] Here, a lower bound is found for formula (7) as formula (8), which restricts participants to only those geographic regions from which edge service instances (or binaries) can be cloned at a given time:

[0082]

[0083] bandwidth:

[0084] The bandwidth allocated for replica migration depends on the v i,k,t For the variable s i to k The capacity of the shortest path,

[0085]

[0086] Those skilled in the art will note from the description provided herein that a hybrid edge provisioning process and framework are provided in which secure collaboration platform calls are used to coordinate between service providers, network providers, and (one or more) edge devices. For example, in order to capture the power of narrowband network slicing, a framework for building virtualized network functions (or services) from existing (or previous) instances of edge services is provided. In one or more implementations, activation of a new edge service instance includes cloning a new edge service instance from an existing or previous instance of an edge service, potentially with a specification that modifies (e.g., scales up or scales down) resources for the edge service to match the bandwidth provided in the network slice. In addition, in one or more implementations, a solution for cloning edge service instances is provided that is capable of requesting precise network slices from next-generation networks (e.g., 5G networks) to match the needs of edge services.

[0087] The term used herein is only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, rather than to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular "one", "an" and "the" are intended to also include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "include" (and any form of including, such as "include (present tense)" and "include (progressive)"), "have" (and any form of having, such as "have (present tense)" and "have (progressive)"), "include" (and any form of including, such as "include (present tense)" and "include (progressive)") and "contain" (and any form of containing, such as "contain (present tense)" and "contain (progressive)") are open-ended linking verbs. Therefore, the method or device of "include", "have", "include" or "contain" one or more steps or elements has those one or more steps or elements, but is not limited to only having those one or more steps or elements. Similarly, the step or element of the method of "include", "have", "include" or "contain" one or more features has those one or more features, but is not limited to only having those one or more features. Furthermore, a device or structure configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but may also be configured in ways that are not listed.

[0088] If present, the corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step plus function elements in the claims below are intended to include any structure, material, or act for performing the function in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of one or more embodiments has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but the description is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed forms. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments are selected and described in order to best explain the various aspects and practical applications, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the various embodiments with various modifications suitable for the particular use contemplated.

Claims

1. A computer program product for facilitating processing within a computing environment, the computer program product comprising: One or more computer-readable storage media and program instructions contained therein, the program instructions being readable by a processing circuit to cause the processing circuit to perform a method comprising: obtaining one or more service-related parameters for a network slice invocation to support an edge service instance; Based on the obtained one or more service-related parameters, request a network slice from a network, the request to the network being via a collaboration platform; Based on the request for the network slice, receiving a network slice invocation code from the network; and Initiate activation of the edge service instance on the network slice of the network using the network slice invocation code.

2. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein: Obtaining the one or more service-related parameters is by referring to service-related parameters of a previous instance of the edge service.

3. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein: Initiating activation of the edge service instance includes: cloning the edge service instance from another instance of the edge service.

4. The computer program product according to claim 3, wherein: Initiating activation of the edge service instance is at an edge device, and cloning the edge service instance includes: cloning the edge service instance from the other instance of the edge service of another edge device.

5. The computer program product according to claim 3, wherein: The one or more service-related parameters obtained for network slice invocation include the expected bandwidth required by the edge service instance and the expected execution time of the edge service instance.

6. The computer program product according to claim 5, wherein: The obtained one or more service-related parameters further include an expected time for cloning the edge service instance from the other instance of the edge service.

7. The computer program product according to claim 6, wherein: Requesting the network slice from the network includes requesting the network slice adjusted to the expected bandwidth required by the edge service instance, the expected execution time of the edge service instance, and the expected time for cloning the other instance of the edge service.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein: The collaboration platform comprises a subscription-based platform separate from the network.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising: Obtaining, by one or more processors, one or more service-related parameters for a network slice to invoke to support an edge service instance; The one or more processors request a network slice from a network based on the obtained one or more service-related parameters, wherein the request to the network is via a collaboration platform; Based on the request for the network slice, receiving a network slice invocation code from the network; as well as Initiate activation of the edge service instance on the network slice of the network using the network slice invocation code.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein: Obtaining the one or more service-related parameters is by referring to service-related parameters of a previous instance of the edge service.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein: Initiating activation of the edge service instance includes: cloning the edge service instance from another instance of the edge service.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein: Initiating activation of the edge service instance is at an edge device, and cloning the edge service instance includes: cloning the edge service instance from the other instance of the edge service of another edge device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein: The one or more service-related parameters obtained for network slice invocation include the expected bandwidth required by the edge service instance and the expected execution time of the edge service instance.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein: The obtained one or more service-related parameters further include an expected time for cloning the edge service instance from the other instance of the edge service.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein: Requesting the network slice from the network includes requesting the network slice adjusted to the expected bandwidth required by the edge service instance, the expected execution time of the edge service instance, and the expected time for cloning the other instance of the edge service.

16. A computer system for facilitating processing within a computing environment, the computer system comprising: Memory; as well as at least one processor in communication with the memory, wherein the computer system is configured to perform a method comprising: obtaining one or more service-related parameters for a network slice invocation to support an edge service instance; Based on the obtained one or more service-related parameters, request a network slice from a network, the request to the network being via a collaboration platform; Based on the request for the network slice, receiving a network slice invocation code from a network; and Initiate activation of the edge service instance on the network slice of the network using the network slice invocation code.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein: Obtaining the one or more service-related parameters is by referring to service-related parameters of a previous instance of the edge service.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein: Initiating activation of the edge service instance includes: cloning the edge service instance from another instance of the edge service.

19. The computer system of claim 18, wherein: Initiating activation of the edge service instance is at an edge device, and cloning the edge service instance includes: cloning the edge service instance from the other instance of the edge service of another edge device.

20. The computer system of claim 19, wherein: The one or more service-related parameters obtained for network slice invocation include the expected bandwidth required by the edge service instance and the expected execution time of the edge service instance.

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