Method and apparatus for enhanced edge federation in a wireless communication system

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a 5G or 6G communication system for supporting a higher data transmission rate. Disclosed subject matter relates to a method and an edge network node of a leading operator for edge federation in a federated network. The present disclosure includes receiving a response to a request for instantiating an edge federation instance at a participating operator. The response comprises one or more attributes associated with the participating operator. The one or more attributes comprises an offeredEDN attribute, an acceptedEDN attribute, and a resourceQuota attribute. Followed by determining one or more EDNs from the list of EDNs based on the offeredEDN attribute and the resourceQuota attribute associated with the participating operator. Further, updating the acceptedEDN attribute based on the determined one or more EDNs. Thereafter, sending updated acceptedEDN attribute to the participating operator for establishing a federation relationship between the leading operator and the participating operator based on the updated acceptedEDN attribute.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENHANCED EDGE FEDERATION IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies. Particularly, but not exclusively, the present disclosure relates to a method and a system for edge federation in a federated network.

[0002] 5G mobile communication technologies define broad frequency bands such that high transmission rates and new services are possible, and can be implemented not only in “Sub 6GHz” bands such as 3.5GHz, but also in “Above 6GHz” bands referred to as mmWave including 28GHz and 39GHz. In addition, it has been considered to implement 6G mobile communication technologies (referred to as Beyond 5G systems) in terahertz bands (for example, 95GHz to 3THz bands) in order to accomplish transmission rates fifty times faster than 5G mobile communication technologies and ultra-low latencies one-tenth of 5G mobile communication technologies.

[0003] At the beginning of the development of 5G mobile communication technologies, in order to support services and to satisfy performance requirements in connection with enhanced Mobile BroadBand (eMBB), Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive Machine-Type Communications (mMTC), there has been ongoing standardization regarding beamforming and massive MIMO for mitigating radio-wave path loss and increasing radio-wave transmission distances in mmWave, supporting numerologies (for example, operating multiple subcarrier spacings) for efficiently utilizing mmWave resources and dynamic operation of slot formats, initial access technologies for supporting multi-beam transmission and broadbands, definition and operation of BWP (BandWidth Part), new channel coding methods such as a LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) code for large amount of data transmission and a polar code for highly reliable transmission of control information, L2 pre-processing, and network slicing for providing a dedicated network specialized to a specific service.

[0004] Currently, there are ongoing discussions regarding improvement and performance enhancement of initial 5G mobile communication technologies in view of services to be supported by 5G mobile communication technologies, and there has been physical layer standardization regarding technologies such as V2X (Vehicle-to-everything) for aiding driving determination by autonomous vehicles based on information regarding positions and states of vehicles transmitted by the vehicles and for enhancing user convenience, NR-U (New Radio Unlicensed) aimed at system operations conforming to various regulation-related requirements in unlicensed bands, NR UE Power Saving, Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) which is UE-satellite direct communication for providing coverage in an area in which communication with terrestrial networks is unavailable, and positioning.

[0005] Moreover, there has been ongoing standardization in air interface architecture / protocol regarding technologies such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) for supporting new services through interworking and convergence with other industries, IAB (Integrated Access and Backhaul) for providing a node for network service area expansion by supporting a wireless backhaul link and an access link in an integrated manner, mobility enhancement including conditional handover and DAPS (Dual Active Protocol Stack) handover, and two-step random access for simplifying random access procedures (2-step RACH for NR). There also has been ongoing standardization in system architecture / service regarding a 5G baseline architecture (for example, service based architecture or service based interface) for combining Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) technologies, and Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) for receiving services based on UE positions.

[0006] As 5G mobile communication systems are commercialized, connected devices that have been exponentially increasing will be connected to communication networks, and it is accordingly expected that enhanced functions and performances of 5G mobile communication systems and integrated operations of connected devices will be necessary. To this end, new research is scheduled in connection with eXtended Reality (XR) for efficiently supporting AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), MR (Mixed Reality) and the like, 5G performance improvement and complexity reduction by utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), AI service support, metaverse service support, and drone communication.

[0007] Furthermore, such development of 5G mobile communication systems will serve as a basis for developing not only new waveforms for providing coverage in terahertz bands of 6G mobile communication technologies, multi-antenna transmission technologies such as Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas and large-scale antennas, metamaterial-based lenses and antennas for improving coverage of terahertz band signals, high-dimensional space multiplexing technology using OAM (Orbital Angular Momentum), and RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surface), but also full-duplex technology for increasing frequency efficiency of 6G mobile communication technologies and improving system networks, AI-based communication technology for implementing system optimization by utilizing satellites and AI (Artificial Intelligence) from the design stage and internalizing end-to-end AI support functions, and next-generation distributed computing technology for implementing services at levels of complexity exceeding the limit of UE operation capability by utilizing ultra-high-performance communication and computing resources.

[0008] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication systems and, more specifically, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for enhanced edge federation.

[0009] One or more shortcomings of the prior art may be overcome, and additional advantages may be provided through the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages may be realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.

[0010] In a non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, a method of edge federation in a federated network is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a response to a request for instantiating an edge federation instance at a participating operator, from the participating operator. The response comprises one or more attributes associated with the participating operator. The one or more attributes comprises an offeredEDN attribute indicative of a list of EDNs offered by the participating operator, an acceptedEDN attribute, and a resourceQuota attribute. The method comprising determining one or more Edge Data Networks (EDNs) from the list of EDNs based on the offeredEDN attribute and the resourceQuota attribute associated with the participating operator. The method further comprising updating the acceptedEDN attribute based on the determined one or more EDNs. Thereafter, the method comprising sending updated acceptedEDN attribute to the participating operator for establishing a federation relationship between the leading operator and the participating operator based on the updated acceptedEDN attribute.

[0011] In a non-limiting embodiment of the disclosure, an edge network node of a leading operator for edge federation in a federated network is disclosed. The edge network node of the leading operator comprises a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, where the memory stores processor executable instructions, which, on execution, may cause the edge network node of the leading operator to receive a response to a request for instantiating an edge federation instance at a participating operator, from the participating operator. The response comprising one or more attributes associated with the participating operator. The one or more attributes comprises an offeredEDN attribute indicative of a list of EDNs offered by the participating operator, an acceptedEDN attribute, and a resourceQuota attribute. Followed by determining one or more Edge Data Networks (EDNs) from the list of EDNs based on the offeredEDN attribute and the resourceQuota attribute associated with the participating operator. Further, updating the acceptedEDN attribute based on the determined one or more EDNs. Thereafter, sending updated acceptedEDN attribute to the participating operator for establishing a federation relationship between the leading operator and the participating operator based on the updated acceptedEDN attribute.

[0012] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

[0013] In one embodiment, a method is provided. The method is performed by a leading operator (LO) for an establishment of an edge federation in a communication system, the method comprising: transmitting, to a participating operator (PO), a request message to instantiate an edgefederation information object class (IOC); determining an edge data network (EDN) to be accepted, based on an offered EDN list provided by an operatoredgefederation IOC; and updating a value of an accepted EDN attribute to the determined EDN.

[0014] In another embodiment, a method is provided. The method is performed by a participating operator (PO) for an establishment of an edge federation in a communication system, the method comprising: receiving, from a leading operator (LO), a request message to instantiate an edgefederation information object class (IOC); and instantiating an operatoredgefederation IOC to provide an offered edge data network (EDN) list; wherein an EDN is determined to be accepted, based on the offered EDN list, and wherein a value of an accepted EDN attribute is updated to the determined EDN.

[0015] In another embodiment, a leading operator (LO) is provided. The leading operator (LO) for an establishment of an edge federation in a communication system, the LO comprising: a memory; and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit, to a participating operator (PO), a request message to instantiate an edgefederation information object class (IOC), determine an edge data network (EDN) to be accepted, based on an offered EDN list provided by an operatoredgefederation IOC, and update a value of an accepted EDN attribute to the determined EDN.

[0016] In another embodiment, a participating operator (PO) is provided. The participating operator (PO) for an establishment of an edge federation in a communication system, the PO comprising: a memory; and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, from a leading operator (LO), a request message to instantiate an edgefederation information object class (IOC), and instantiate an operatoredgefederation IOC to provide an offered edge data network (EDN) list, wherein an EDN is determined to be accepted, based on the offered EDN list, and wherein a value of an accepted EDN attribute is updated to the determined EDN.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a wireless communication can be performed efficiently. Especially, a edge federation can be performed efficiently.

[0018] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and / or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

[0019] Fig. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment for edge federation in a federated network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0020] Fig. 2 shows a detailed block diagram of an edge network node of a leading operator, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0021] Fig. 3 shows a sequence diagram for edge federation in a federated network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for edge federation in a federated network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Fig. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure; and

[0024] Fig. 6 shows an Entity-Relationship (ER) diagram for edge federation in a federated network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

[0026] Communication services associated with massive Internet of Things (IoT) connections require a support of a large number and high-density IoT devices to be efficient and cost effective. Operators use one or more network slice instances to provide these communication services, which require similar network characteristics, to different vertical industries. 3rd Generation Partnership Project　(3GPP) TS 28.530 and 28.531 define management of network slices in 5th Generation (5G) networks. It also defines the concept of Communication Services, which are provided using one or multiple network slices. A Network Slice Instance (NSI) may support multiple Communication Service Instances (CSI). Similarly, a CSI may utilize multiple NSIs.

[0027] 3GPP SA6 is working on an architecture for enabling edge computing (3GPP TR 23.558), which specifies an application framework or an enabling layer platform to support edge computing in 3GPP specified networks, (for e.g., discovery of edge services, authentication of the clients, and the like). Further, 3GPP SA5 has defined management aspect of edge network including lifecycle management, provisioning, performance, and fault management for edge nodes. It has defined the edge Network Resource Model (NRM) as part of TS 28.538 consisting of EdgeDataNetwork Instant Object Class (IOC) representing an edge data network as defined by SA6. The EdgeDataNetwork <<IOC>> serves a defined location and contain multiple Edge Application Server (EAS) and Edge Enabler Server (EES).

[0028] Edge Federation (EF) is considered to be a crucial requirement for Fifth Generation (5G) edge network management. 3GPP 5G network management is performed based on model driven approach where everything to be managed must be supported by a 5G NRM. The existing 5G NRM does not support federation of edge networks from different operators. The federation of the edge networks requires inclusion of edge networks provided by different operators in a particular implementation of the 5G NRM. Further, the existing 3GPP 5G NRM does not define the federation of the edge networks with different operators and their corresponding constituents, i.e. EDN. Therefore, existing edge federation management procedures require an enhancement such that the federation of the edge networks from different operators is supported in a federated network.

[0029] The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the disclosure and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

[0030] In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[0031] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.

[0032] The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes” or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device, or method that includes a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.

[0033] The present invention generally relates to wireless communication. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and method for for enhanced federation management.

[0034] A fifth generation (5G) system consists of 5G Access Network (AN), 5G Core Network and UE. 5G system is expected to be able to provide optimized support for a variety of different communication services, different traffic loads, and different end user communities. For example, the communication services using network slicing may include V2X services. The 5G system aims to enhance its capability to meet KPIs that emerging V2X applications require. For these advanced applications, the requirements, such as data rate, reliability, latency, communication range and speed, are made more stringent, 5G seamless eMBB- As one of the key technologies to enable network slicing, fixed mobile convergence (FMC) which includes wireless-to-the-everything (WTTx) and fibre-to-the-everything (FTTx), is expected to provide native support for network slicing. For optimization and resource efficiency, the 5G system will select the most appropriate 3GPP or non-3GPP access technology for a communication service, potentially allowing multiple access technologies to be used simultaneously for one or more services active on a UE, massive IoT connections- Support for massive Internet of Things (mIoT) brings many new requirements in addition to MBB enhancements. Communication services with massive IoT connections such as smart households, smart grid, smart agriculture, and smart meter will require the support of a large number and high-density IoT devices to be efficient and cost effective. Operators can use one or more network slice instances to provide these communication services, which require similar network characteristics, to different vertical industries. 3GPP TS 28.530 and 28.531 defines the management of Network Slice in 5G networks. It also defined the concept of Communication Services, which are provided using one or multiple Network Slice. A Network Slice Instance (NSI) may support multiple Communication Service Instances (CSI). Similarly, a CSI may utilize multiple NSIs.

[0035] Further, 3GPP SA6 is working on an architecture for enabling edge computing (3GPP TR 23.558), which specifies an application framework or an enabling layer platform to support Edge Computing in 3GPP specified networks, (e.g., discovery of edge services, authentication of the clients). The work includes the interactions between the UE and the enabling layer platform, and the interactions between the applications deployed over edge and the enabling layer platform. Further, the work is to facilitate integration with the underlying 3GPP core network. The work defines Edge Application Server (EAS) or Edge Application as a piece of software running and deployed on virtual infrastructure at the edge of the 3GPP network.

[0036] Edge Federation is considered to be the crucial requirement for 5G edge network management. 3GPP 5G network management is done using model driven approach where everything to be managed should be supported by the 5G Network Resource Model (NRM). The existing edge NRM does not support federation of edge networks from different operators. The federation of edge networks requires inclusion of edge networks provided by different operators in a particular implementation of 5G edge NRM. The NRM for Federation and its constituents, i.e. EDN, is not defined in 3GPP 5G NRM.

[0037] Therefore, there exists a need for a method and system for enhanced federation management that supports federation of edge networks from different operators.

[0038] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the present subject matter describes a method and system for enhanced edge federation management. The Network Resource Model (NRM) fragment defines the federation of edge networks maintained by the Participating Operator Platfrom (P-OP). The P-OP is the operator who provides its EDN to be shared with Leading Operator Platform (L-OP). The method for establishing edge federation with the P-OP includes requesting the Provisioning MnS Producer (P-OP) by the Provisioning MnS consumer (L-OP) by sending createMOI request to instantiate EdgeFederation IOC. Responding by the Provisioning MnS Producer by sending a response based on the received request. Instantiate the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC by providing details on the offered EDN by the Producer. Notifying consumer about the instantiation of the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC. Reading the OperatorEdgeFederation MOI using GetMOIAttributes operation to know the offered EDN and other related information by the consumer. Sending GetMOIAttributes OperatorEdgeFederation response by the producer. Further, based on the offered EDN list consumer decides on to which EDN it want to accept. The consumer, then updates the value of acceptedEDN attribute, indicating the accepted EDN, using ModifyMOIAttributes operation. The producer then responds by sending ModifyMOIAttributes (OperatorEdgeFederation) response. At this point the federation establishment is completed.

[0039] Further, the Producer instantiate the OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC to represent the accepted EDN which is shared with the L-OP.

[0040] Further, the Producer may decide to modify or delete the OperatorEdgeFederation MOI in order to update the federation relationship. The modification may be necessary in order to update the shared EDN. Wherein, the deletion may be done in order to un-share an EDN.

[0041] Further, a notification will be sent to the consumer using the notification defined in 3GPP TS 28.532.

[0042] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an operator can have the option of sharing their edge network and services with another operator. The operator can also have the option of deploying an application on a separate operator's edge network. It will be possible to represent edge federation with 5G NRM and further, using generic provisioning MnS, the edge federation may be managed.

[0043] The present disclosure proposes an NRM fragment to manage the edge federation. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the present subject matter describes a method and system for enhanced edge federation management. The federation of edge networks supports inclusion of edge networks provided by different operators in a particular implementation of 5G edge NRM.

[0044] Fig. 6 depicts a NRM fragment that, defines the federation of edge networks maintained by a Participating Operator Platform (P-OP). The NRM fragment defines the federation of edge networks maintained by a P-OP. The P-OP is the operator who provides its EDN to be shared with Operator Platform (L-OP). The present disclosure provides the following additional features of the IOCs such as EdgeFederation IOC, OperatorEdgeFederation IOC and OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC.

[0045] The EdgeFederation IOC is defined as the IOC representing the set of federation maintained by the P-OP. The EdgeFederation IOC in the present disclosure contains 　exemplary attributes. The OperatorEdgeFederation IOC will contain exemplary attributes. The OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC is, optionally defined to contain attributes to support an edge data network available. An instance of OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC should be created and configured for each EDN shared with another operator. When configured the attributes override those in the associated EdgeDataNetwork instance. The attribute of this IOC are same as defined for EdgeDataNetwork IOC in 3GPP TS 28.538. This IOC when instantiated represents a particular EDN shared with the L-OP.

[0046] The OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC is optionally defined to contain attributes to support an edge data network available. An instance of OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC should be created and configured for each EDN shared with another operator. When configured the attributes override those in the associated EdgeDataNetwork instance. The attributes of this IOC are same as defined for EdgeDataNetwork IOC in 3GPP TS 28.538. This IOC, when instantiated represents a particular EDN shared with the L-OP.

[0047] According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in Fig. 3 in step 1 of method, includes requesting the Provisioning MnS Producer by the Provisioning MnS consumer by sending createMOI request to instantiate EdgeFederation IOC. In step 2 of method, the producer sends the response based on the received request to the consumer. The EdgeFederation MOI will have attribute leadingOPiD only.

[0048] Further, in step 3 of the method, the producer instantiates the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC by providing details on the offered EDN. In step 4 of the method, the producer send notification for creation of the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC using notifyMOICreation as defined in 3GPP TS 28.532. In step 5 of the method, the consumer reads the OperatorEdgeFederation MOI using GetMOIAttributes operation to know the offered EDN and other related information. In step 6 of the method, the producer sends GetMOIAttributes response to the consumer. In step 7 of the method, based on the offered EDN list consumer decides on to which EDN it want to accept. In step 8 of the method, the consumer updates the value of accepted EDN attribute, indicating the accepted EDN, using ModifyMOIAttributes operation. In step 8 of the method, the producer sends ModifyMOIAttributes (OperatorEdgeFederation) response and at this point the federation establishment is completed. In step 9 of the method, the producer send the response.

[0049] Further, the Producer instantiate the OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC to represent the accepted EDN which is shared with the L-OP.

[0050] Further, the consumer, behaving as Provisioning MnS Producer, instantiate the FederationIOC, OperatorEdgeFederation IOC and OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC with the same attributes and value as indicated above in step 1, 3 and 10 respectively except the EdgeFederation MOI will have attribute participatingOPiD only.

[0051] Further, The Producer may decide to modify or delete the OperatorEdgeFederation MOI in order to update the federation relationship. The modification may be necessary in order to update the shared EDN. Wherein, the deletion may be done in order to un-share an EDN.

[0052] Further, a notification of the updates will be sent to the consumer using the notification defined in 3GPP TS 28.532.

[0053] Further, the L-OP, behaving as Provisioning MnS Producer, update the FederationIOC, OperatorFederation IOC and OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC for each update notification received.

[0054] Disclosed herein is a method and a system for edge federation in a federated network. Existing techniques associated with 5G Network Resource Model (NRM) do not support federation of edge networks from different operators. The federation of the edge networks requires inclusion of edge networks provided by different operators in a particular implementation of the 5G NRM. Further, the existing 3GPP 5G NRM does not define the federation of the edge networks with different operators and their corresponding constituents, i.e. Edge Data Network (EDN). Therefore, this corresponds to inefficiency in managing edge federation mechanisms. Hence, existing edge management procedures require an enhancement such that the federation of the edge networks from different operators is supported in a federated network.

[0055] Therefore, to solve the above problem, the present disclosure discloses a method and a system for edge federation in the federated network. The present disclosure facilitates a Leading Operator (L-OP) to request a Participating Operator (P-OP) to instantiate edge federation and create an NRM at the P-OP based on the request. According to the claimed invention, the P-OP is configured to share its edge network and resources with the L-OP. As a result, the L-OP is capable of deploying an application on the edge network (e.g. EDN) provided by the P-OP. The present disclosure establishes a federation relationship between the Leading operator (L-OP) and the participating operator (P-OP) based on predefined attributes associated with the participating operator related with the EDN it owns. According to the claimed invention, the EDNs are determined based on the predefined attributes which comprises an offeredEDN attribute indicative of a list of EDNs offered by the participating operator, an acceptedEDN attribute, and a resourceQuota attribute. Hence, in this manner, the present disclosure facilitates the P-OPs to share their edge network and services with the L-OPs which further facilitates in establishing the federation relationship between the leading operator and the participating operator.

[0056] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[0057] Fig. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment for edge federation in a federated network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0058] Fig.1 shows an environment 100 for edge federation in a federated network. As shown, the environment 100 includes a leading operator 101 and a Participating Operator 103. The leading operator 101 may comprise of an edge network node 104 and the participating operator may comprise of an edge network node 106. A person skilled in art may understand that only for illustration purposes one edge network node is shown in Fig. 1. The leading operator 101 and the participating operator 103 may comprise of a plurality of edge network nodes. The edge network node 104 of the leading operator 101 comprises an I / O interface 107, a memory 109 and a processor 111. In an embodiment, the environment 100 may be associated with a federated communication network. Herein, the edge network node 104 associated with the leading operator 101 may correspond to a Leading Operator Platform (L-OP) also referred to as a provisioning MnS consumer. Similarly, the edge network node 106 associated with the participating operator 103 may correspond to a Participating Operator Platform (P-OP) also referred to as a provisioning MnS producer. Both, the provisioning MnS consumer and the provisioning MnS producer are separate entities associated with different operators, such as leading operator associated with the L-OP and participating operator associated with the P-OP, respectively. In an embodiment, the L-OP and the P-OP are capable of performing various edge federation management procedures. For example, the provisioning MnS consumer performs requesting related operations for the leading operator. Whereas the other entity i.e. the provisioning MnS producer deals with providing resources of the participating operator to the leading operator. In an embodiment, the participating operator 103 comprises various edge resources which includes, but not limited to, Edge Application Server (EAS), Edge Enabler Server (EES), Edge Hosting Environment (EHE), and the like. These edge resources provide various edge services i.e. the services which are kept at the edge of the network which is near to the leading operator 101. The operators can provide edge services defined by 3GPP TS 23.558.

[0059] As described above, the edge network node 104 associated with the leading operator 101 is an operator who wishes to establish a federation relationship with the participating operator 103. Accordingly, the leading operator 101 can further use edge resources and corresponding EDNs associated with the participating operator 103.

[0060] The functioning of the edge network node 104 of the leading operator 101 with the edge network node 106 of the participating operator 103 is implemented in the environment 100 as shown in Fig. 1. Particularly, the edge network node 104 is configured to receive a response to a request for instantiating an edge federation instance (EdgeFederation IOC) at a participating operator, from the participating operator 103. In an embodiment, the request may be sent from the edge network node 104 in a form of a createMOI request operation and the response may be received in a form of a createMOI response operation for instantiating the EdgeFederation IOC as defined in 3GPP TS28.538. In an embodiment, when the request is received at the participating operator 103, a Network Resource Model (NRM) is created in response to the request being received. The NRM comprises the EdgeFederation IOC and an operator edge federation instance (OperatorEdgeFederation IOC) which are instantiated at the participating operator 103. The creation of EdgeFederation IOC and the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC associated with the participating operator 103 is notified to the leading operator 101. The EdgeFederation IOC and the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC comprises one or more attributes associated with the participating operator 103.

[0061] In an embodiment, the EdgeFederation IOC may comprise the one or more identifier attributes, including but not limited to, a participatingOPiD attribute and a leadingOPiD attribute. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the participating operator 103 may switch its role and functionalities with the leading operator 101. Therefore, as it is possible for an operator to switch the roles between the leading operator and the participating operator, the identifier attributes associated with the EdgeFederation IOC facilitate in identifying the operator which sends the request for instantiating the edge federation instance.

[0062] Table 1 below shows the one or more attributes associated with the EdgeFederation IOC.

[0063]

[0064] Table 1: Attributes of edge federation instance

[0065] In an embodiment, the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC may comprise the one or more attributes, including but not limited to, an offeredEDN attribute, an acceptedEDN attribute, and a resourceQuota attribute, and the like. The offeredEDN attribute being indicative of a list of EDNs offered by the participating operator 103, the acceptedEDN attribute being indicative of a list of EDNs accepted by the leading operator 101 and the resourceQuota being indicative of a predefined limit of resources assigned to the leading operator 101 by the participating operator 103. In an embodiment, when the response is received by the leading operator 101, the acceptedEDN attribute comprises a null value as the leading operator 101 is yet to determine the EDN among the list of EDNs offered.

[0066] Table 2 shows the one or more attributes and corresponding sub-attributes, associated with the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC.

[0067]

[0068]

[0069]

[0070]

[0071] Table 2: Attributes of operator edge federation instance

[0072] In an embodiment, the edge network node 104 and the edge network node 106 are associated with one or more Edge Data Networks (EDNs). Therefore, on receiving the one or more attributes, the edge network node 104 may first determine one or more EDNs from the list of EDNs based on the offeredEDN attribute and the resourceQuota attribute associated with the participating operator 103.

[0073] On determining the EDN from the list of EDNs associated with the participating operator 103, the edge network node 104 updates the acceptedEDN attribute based on the determined one or more EDNs. Post updating, the edge network node 104 sends the acceptedEDN attribute to the edge network node 106 for establishing the federation relationship between the leading operator 101 and the participating operator 103. The edge federation relationship is established based on the EDNs received in the acceptedEDN attribute. In an embodiment, establishing the federation relationship comprises instantiating an operator EDN instance (OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC) for each EDN of the one or more EDNs that are determined by the leading operator 101. In an embodiment, the OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC is optionally defined to comprise of attributes that support an available EDN. In an embodiment, updating the attributes associated with the OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC overrides the attributes associated with an EDN instance (EdgeDataNetwork IOC) which serves the participating operator 103 and comprises multiple Edge Application Servers (EAS) and Edge Enabler Servers (EES). The attribute of the OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC are same as defined for EdgeDataNetwork IOC in 3GPP TS 28.538. In an embodiment, when the OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC is instantiated, it is indicative of a particular EDN shared with the leading operator 101.

[0074] Further, upon establishing the federation relationship, the edge network node 104 creates a NRM at the leading operator 101 based on the EdgeFederation IOC, the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC and the OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC. In an embodiment, the NRM created at the leading operator 101 is identical to the NRM created at the participating operator 103. Furthermore, when the leading operator 101 wishes to update the federation relationship with the participating operator 103, the leading operator 101 modifies one or more OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOCs which are associated with respective EDN of the one or more EDNs.

[0075] A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.

[0076] Fig. 2 shows a detailed block diagram of an edge network node of a leading operator in a federated network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0077] Fig. 2 shows internal architecture of the edge network node of the leading operator in the federated network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The edge network node 104 may include at least one Central Processing Unit (“CPU” or “processor”) 111 and a memory 109 storing instructions executable by the at least one processor 111. The processor 111 may comprise at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user or system-generated requests. The memory 109 is communicatively coupled to the processor 111. The edge network node 104 further comprises an Input / Output (I / O) interface 107. The I / O interface 107 is coupled with the processor 111 through which an input signal or / and an output signal is communicated.

[0078] In some implementations, the edge network node 104 may include data 200 and modules 202. As an example, the data 200 may be stored within the memory 109 associated with the edge network node 104. In some embodiments, data 200 may include, for example, received data 204, Edge Data Network (EDN) data 206, updated attribute data 208, transmission data 210 and other data 212. In some embodiments, the data 200 may be stored in the memory 109 in form of various data structures.

[0079] The received data 204 includes information associated with response received from a participating operator 103. The response received may comprise of one or more attributes associated with an edge federation instance (EdgeFederation IOC) and an operator edge federation instance (OperatorEdgeFederation IOC). In an embodiment, the one or more attributes associated with the EdgeFederation IOC may comprise attributes including, but not limited to, a leadingOPiD attribute and an participatingOPiD attribute, and the like. In an embodiment, the one or more attributes associated with the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC may comprise attributes including, but not limited to, an offeredEDN attribute, an acceptedEDN attribute, and a resourceQuota attribute, and the like.

[0080] The EDN data 206 comprises one or more EDNs that are selected from a list of EDNs which are offered by the participating operator 103.

[0081] The updated attribute data 208 comprises information associated with the EDN data 206. The received data 204 comprising the one or more attributes is updated based on the EDN data 206 which corresponds to the updated attribute data 208.

[0082] The transmission data 210 comprises the updated attribute data 208 which is transmitted to the participating operator 103.

[0083] The other data 212 may be stored data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by the modules 202 for performing the various functions of the edge network node 104.

[0084] In an embodiment, the data 200 in the memory 109 are processed by the one or more modules 202 present within the memory 109 of the edge network node 104.

[0085] One or more modules 202 along with the data 200, functions to perform edge federation in the federated network. In one implementation, the one or more modules 202 may include, but are not limited to, a receiving module 214, an EDN determination module 216, an attribute updation module 218, a transmission module 220 and one or more other modules 222.

[0086] In an embodiment, the one or more modules 202 may be implemented as dedicated units. As used herein, the term module refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA),ProgrammableSystem-on-Chip　 (PSoC), a combinational logic circuit, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. In some implementations, the one or more modules 202 may be communicatively coupled to the processor 111 for performing one or more functions of the edge network node 104. The said modules 202 when configured with the functionality defined in the present disclosure will result in a novel hardware.

[0087] The receiving module 214 receives a response from the participating operator 103 for the request for instantiating the EdgeFederation IOC at the participating operator 103. In an embodiment, the request may be sent from the edge network node 104 of the leading operator 101 in a form of a createMOI request operation. Similarly, the receiving module 214 may receive the response from the participating operator 103 in a form of a createMOI response operation for instantiating the EdgeFederation IOC.

[0088] In an embodiment, when the participating operator 103 receives the request for instantiating the EdgeFederation IOC, the participating operator performs the instantiation and also creates a Network Resource Model (NRM) in response to the request being received. The NRM comprises the EdgeFederation IOC and the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC which are received by the receiving module 214 of the leading operator 101. The EdgeFederation IOC and the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC comprises one or more attributes associated with the participating operator 103.

[0089] The EdgeFederation IOC represents one or more federations maintained by the participating operator 103. In an embodiment, the EdgeFederation IOC may comprise the one or more identifier attributes including, but not limited to, a participatingOPiD attribute and a leadingOPiD attribute. For example, when the request is sent by the edge network node 104 of the leading operator 101 without switching its role, the identifier attribute may correspond to the leadingOPiD attribute. Whereas, in another example, when the request is sent by the edge network node 104 of the leading operator 101 with a switched role corresponding to the participating operator, then the identifier attribute may correspond to the participatingOPiD attribute. Therefore, the identifier attributes associated with the EdgeFederation IOC facilitate in identifying an operator which sends the request instantiating the edge federation instance. Table 1 above provides details and functionalities associated with the the EdgeFederation IOC.

[0090] Further, the the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC received by the receiving module 214 comprises the one or more attributes including, but not limited to, the offeredEDN attribute, the acceptedEDN attribute, and the resourceQuota attribute, and the like. The offeredEDN attribute, the acceptedEDN attribute and the resourceQuota attribute include one or more sub-attributes as described in Table 2 above. The offeredEDN attribute includes a list of EDNs offered by the participating operator 103, the acceptedEDN attribute includes a list of EDNs accepted by the leading operator 101 and the resourceQuota includes a predefined limit of resources assigned to the leading operator 101 by the participating operator 103.

[0091] As an example, Fig. 3 shows a sequence diagram for edge federation in the federated network. As seen from Fig. 3, step 1 corresponds to the leading operator 101 sending a CreatMOI (EdgeFederation) request to the participating operator 103. Further, as seen from step 2 of Fig. 3, a CreateMOI (EdgeFederation) response is received by the leading operator 101, from the participating operator 103, in response to the request sent in step 1. Particularly, the response received in step 2 is received by the receiving module 214 of the leading operator 101. Furthermore, as seen from step 3 of Fig. 3, when the request is sent to the participating operator 103, as a further response to the request sent by the leading operator 101, the participating operator 103 instantiates the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC. Further, the instantiation of the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC is notified to the leading operator 101, as seen from step 4 of Fig. 3. Accordingly, the receiving module 214 is configured to receive a notification regarding the instantiation of the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC, from the participating operator 103. Furthermore, as seen from step 5 of Fig. 3, on being notified regarding the instantiation of the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC, the receiving module 214 is configured to request for the one or more attributes associated with the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC. Furthermore, as seen from step 6 of Fig. 3, the receiving module 214 receives the one or more attributes from the participating operator 103. In an embodiment, the request for receiving the one or more attributes may be sent from the edge network node 104 in a form of a GetMOIAttributes request operation and the response comprising the one or more attributes may be received in a form of a GetMOIAttributes response operation on requesting to receive the one or more attributes associated with the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC.

[0092] Returning to Fig. 2, the EDN determination module 216 is configured to receive the one or more attributes received by the receiving module 214. On receiving the one or more attributes, the EDN determination module 216 determines one or more EDNs from the list of EDNs based on the offeredEDN attribute and the resourceQuota attribute. Particularly, the EDN determination module 216 selects one or more EDNs from the list of EDNs present in the offeredEDN attribute based on requirements needed by the leading operator 101 for performing the edge federation and establishing the federation relationship. Further, the EDN determination module 216 may select the one or more EDNs considering the predefined limit of resources which are assigned to it. For example, when the limit of resource required by the leading operator 101 is exceeding the limit as specified in the ResourceQuota, then the leading operator 101 does not consider the said EDN for establishing the federation relationship. In an embodiment, the list of EDNs may not comprise of all the EDNs associated with the participating operator 103. The participating operator 103 may not wish to share a few of its EDNs with the leading operators 101 due to resource constraints or when the EDN may correspond to a premium EDN which is specific to the operator it is associated with. For example, step 7 of Fig. 3 shows the determination of the EDN from the list of EDNs which are comprised in the offeredEDN attribute.

[0093] Returning to Fig. 2, the attribute updation module 218 is configured to receive the EDN data 206 from the EDN determination module 216. On receiving the EDN data 206, the attribute updation module 218 is configured to update the acceptedEDN attribute based on the one or more EDNs determined by the EDN determination module 216. In an embodiment, when the response is received by the receiving module 214, the acceptedEDN attribute comprises a null value as the EDN determination module 216 is yet to determine the EDN among the list of EDNs offered. Therefore, once the EDN is determined by the EDN determination module 216, the attribute updation module 218 is configured to update the acceptedEDN attribute from the null value to the number of EDNs accepted by the leading operator 101.

[0094] In an embodiment, the transmission module 220 is configured to receive the updated attribute data 208 from the attribute updation module 218. Upon receiving the updated attribute data 208, the transmission module 220 is configured to send a ModifyMOIAttribute request operation to the participating operator 103 and further configured to receive a ModifyMOIAttribute response form the participating operator 103. In an embodiment, the ModifyMOIAttribute response may correspond to an acknowledgement from the participation operator 103 indicating whether the modification is successful or unsuccessful at the participating operator 103. In an embodiment, the ModifyMOIAttribute response may be received in a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) response format. For example, referring back to Fig.3, steps 8 and 9 of which correspond to functions performed by the attribute updation module 218.

[0095] Further, once the updated acceptedEDN attribute is received by the participating operator 103, the operator EDN instance is instantiated at the participating operator. Furthermore, the participating operator 103 is configured to modify or delete the instantiated OperatorEdgeFederation IOC when a decision is made to either modify the predefined limits associated with the resources or to un-share previously shared EDNs. For example, steps 10 and 12 of Fig. 3 correspond to the functionalities performed by the participating operator 103.

[0096] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more other modules 222 may include a NRM creation module and a NRM updation module. On completion of the instantiation of the OperatorEdgeDataNetwork IOC, the NRM creation module creates an edge NRM based on the edge federation instance, the operator edge federation instance and the operator EDN instance. Particularly, the NRM creation module creates the NRM at the leading operator 101 based on all the instances and the NRM created at the participating operator 103. In an embodiment, the NRM created at the leading operator 101 is identical to the NRM created at the participating operator 103. Furthermore, the NRM updation module receives the NRM created by the NRM creation module. In an embodiment, when the participating operator 103 modifies or deletes the OperatorEdgeFederation IOC, the NRM updation module is notified regarding modification or deletion. Upon being notified regarding the modification and deletion, the NRM updation module is configured to update the NRM in order to reflect updation of each federation. For example, steps 11-14 of Fig, 3 describes the functionalities associated with the one or more modules 222.

[0097] Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for a primary edge network node for deploying application servers on a federated edge network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0098] As illustrated in Fig. 4, the method 400 comprises one or more blocks illustrating a method of edge federation in a federated network, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions. Generally, computer-executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform functions or implement abstract data types.

[0099] The order in which the method 400 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method 400. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method 400 can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

[0100] At block 401, the method 400 may include receiving, by an edge network node 104 of a leading operator 101, a response to a request for instantiating an edge federation instance at a participating operator 103, from the participating operator 103. The response comprises one or more attributes associated with the participating operator 103, the one or more attributes comprises an offeredEDN attribute indicative of a list of EDNs offered by the participating operator 103, an acceptedEDN attribute, and a resourceQuota attribute.

[0101] At block 403, the method 400 may include determining, by the edge network node 104, one or more Edge Data Networks (EDNs) from the list of EDNs based on the offeredEDN attribute and the resourceQuota attribute associated with the participating operator 103.

[0102] At block 405, the method 400 may include updating, by the edge network node 104, the acceptedEDN attribute based on the determined one or more EDNs.

[0103] At block 407, the method 400 may include sending, by the edge network node 104, updated acceptedEDN attribute to the participating operator 103 for establishing a federation relationship between the leading operator 101 and the participating operator 103 based on the updated acceptedEDN attribute.

[0104] Fig. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.

[0105] In some embodiments, FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 500 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the computer system 500 can be an edge network node of a leading operator 101 that comprises a processor (also referred as a processor 502 in this FIG. 5) that is used for performing edge federation in a federated network. The processor 502 may include at least one data processor for executing program components for executing user or system-generated business processes. The processor 502 may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc.

[0106] The processor 502 may be disposed in communication with input devices 510 and output devices 511 via I / O interface 501. The I / O interface 501 may employ communication protocols / methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), infrared, PS / 2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Radio Frequency (RF) antennas, S-Video, Video Graphics Array (VGA), IEEE 802.n / b / g / n / x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., Code-Division Multiple Access (CDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA+), Global System For Mobile Communications (GSM), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc.

[0107] Using the I / O interface 501, computer system 500 may communicate with input devices 510 and output devices 511.

[0108] In some embodiments, the processor 502 may be disposed in communication with a communication network 509 via a network interface 503. The network interface 503 may communicate with the communication network 509. The network interface 503 may employ connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10 / 100 / 1000 Base T), Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a / b / g / n / x, etc. Using the network interface 503 and the communication network 509, the computer system 500 may communicate with the participating operator 103.

[0109] The communication network 509 can be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet or Local Area Network (LAN) and such within the organization. The communication network 509 may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other.

[0110] Further, the communication network 509 may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc. In some embodiments, the processor 502 may be disposed in communication with a memory 505 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc. not shown in FIG. 5) via a storage interface 504. The storage interface 504 may connect to memory 505 including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fibre channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.

[0111] The memory 505 may store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, a user interface 506, an operating system 507, a web browser 508 etc. In some embodiments, the computer system　500 may store user / application data, such as the data, variables, records, etc. as described in this invention. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle or Sybase.

[0112] Operating system　507　may facilitate resource management and operation of computer system　500. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE® MACINTOSH® OS X®, UNIX®, UNIX-like system distributions (E.G., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION® (BSD), FREEBSD®, NETBSD®, OPENBSD, etc.), LINUX® DISTRIBUTIONS (E.G., RED HAT®, UBUNTU®, KUBUNTU®, etc.), IBM®OS / 2®, MICROSOFT® WINDOWS® (XP®, VISTA® / 7 / 8, 10 etc.), APPLE® IOS®, GOOGLETM ANDROIDTM, BLACKBERRY® OS, or the like. User interface　506　may facilitate display, execution, interaction, manipulation, or operation of program components through textual or graphical facilities. For example, user interfaces may provide computer interaction interface elements on a display system operatively connected to computer system　500, such as cursors, icons, check boxes, menus, scrollers, windows, widgets, etc. Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) may be employed, including, without limitation, Apple® Macintosh® operating systems' Aqua®, IBM® OS / 2®, Microsoft® Windows® (e.g., Aero, Metro, etc.), web interface libraries (e.g., ActiveX®, Java®,　Javascript®, AJAX, HTML, Adobe® Flash®, etc.), or the like.

[0113] The computer system　500　may implement web browser　508　stored program components. Web browser　508　may be a hypertext viewing application, such as MICROSOFT® INTERNET EXPLORER®, GOOGLETM CHROMETM, MOZILLA® FIREFOX®, APPLE® SAFARI®, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browsers 508 may utilize facilities such as AJAX, DHTML, ADOBE® FLASH®, JAVASCRIPT®, JAVA®, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc. The computer system 500　may implement a mail server stored program component. The mail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange, or the like. The mail server may utilize facilities such as ASP, ACTIVEX®, ANSI® C++ / C#, MICROSOFT®,. NET, CGI SCRIPTS, JAVA®, JAVASCRIPT®, PERL®, PHP, PYTHON®, WEBOBJECTS®, etc. The mail server may utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFT® exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In some embodiments, the computer system 500 may implement a mail client stored program component. The mail client may be a mail viewing application, such as APPLE® MAIL, MICROSOFT® ENTOURAGE®, MICROSOFT® OUTLOOK®, MOZILLA® THUNDERBIRD®, etc.

[0114] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present invention. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, Compact Disc (CD) ROMs, Digital Video Disc (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

[0115] An embodiment of the present disclosure facilitates the leading operator 101 to request a participating operator 103 to instantiate edge federation and create an NRM at the participating operator 103 based on the request. According to the claimed invention, the participating operator 103 is configured to share its edge network and resources with the leading operator 101. As a result, the leading operator 101 is capable of deploying an application on the edge network (e.g. EDN) provided by the participating operator 103. The present disclosure establishes a federation relationship between the leading operator 101 and the EDNs associated with the participating operator 103 based on predefined attributes associated with the participating operator. According to the claimed invention, the EDNs are determined based on the predefined attributes which comprises an offeredEDN attribute indicative of a list of EDNs offered by the participating operator, an acceptedEDN attribute, and a resourceQuota attribute. Hence, in this manner, the present disclosure facilitates the participating operator 103 to share their edge network and services with the leading operator 101 which further facilitates in establishing the federation relationship between the leading operator 101 and the EDNs associated with the participating operator 103.

[0116] Equivalents:

[0117] A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention. When a single device or article is described herein, it will be apparent that more than one device / article (whether or not they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device / article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it will be apparent that a single device / article may be used in place of the more than one device or article, or a different number of devices / articles　may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and / or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality / features. Thus, other embodiments of the invention need not include the device itself.

[0118] The specification has described a system and a method for performing edge federation in the federated network. The illustrated steps are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should be anticipated that on-going technological development will change the manner in which particular functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments. Also, the words "comprising," "having," "containing," and "including," and other similar forms are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open-ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0119] Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

[0120] Referral numerals

[0121]

[0122]

Claims

1.A method performed by a leading operator (LO) for an establishment of an edge federation in a communication system, the method comprising:transmitting, to a participating operator (PO), a request message to instantiate an edgefederation information object class (IOC);determining an edge data network (EDN) to be accepted, based on an offered EDN list provided by an operatoredgefederation IOC; andupdating a value of an accepted EDN attribute to the determined EDN.2.The method of claim 1,wherein the operatoredgefederation IOC includes at least one of an available EDN list attribute or the accepted EDN attribute.3.The method of claim 1,wherein the edgefederation IOC represents a set of federation maintained by the PO, andwherein the edgefederation IOC includes at least one of an attribute identifying the PO or an attribute identifying an originating operator.4.The method of claim 1,wherein an operatorEDN IOC is instantiated to represent the determined EDN.5.A method performed by a participating operator (PO) for an establishment of an edge federation in a communication system, the method comprising:receiving, from a leading operator (LO), a request message to instantiate an edgefederation information object class (IOC); andinstantiating an operatoredgefederation IOC to provide an offered edge data network (EDN) list;wherein an EDN is determined to be accepted, based on the offered EDN list, andwherein a value of an accepted EDN attribute is updated to the determined EDN.6.The method of claim 5,wherein the operatoredgefederation IOC includes at least one of an available EDN list attribute or the accepted EDN attribute.7.The method of claim 5,wherein the edgefederation IOC represents a set of federation maintained by the PO, andwherein the edgefederation IOC includes at least one of an attribute identifying the PO or an attribute identifying an originating operator.8.The method of claim 5,wherein an operatorEDN IOC is instantiated to represent the determined EDN.9.A leading operator (LO) for an establishment of an edge federation in a communication system, the LO comprising:a memory; andat least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit, to a participating operator (PO), a request message to instantiate an edgefederation information object class (IOC),determine an edge data network (EDN) to be accepted, based on an offered EDN list provided by an operatoredgefederation IOC, andupdate a value of an accepted EDN attribute to the determined EDN.10.The LO of claim 9,wherein the operatoredgefederation IOC includes at least one of an available EDN list attribute or the accepted EDN attribute.11.The LO of claim 9,wherein the edgefederation IOC represents a set of federation maintained by the PO, andwherein the edgefederation IOC includes at least one of an attribute identifying the PO or an attribute identifying an originating operator.12.The LO of claim 9,wherein an operatorEDN IOC is instantiated to represent the determined EDN.13.A participating operator (PO) for an establishment of an edge federation in a communication system, the PO comprising:a memory; andat least one processor, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:receive, from a leading operator (LO), a request message to instantiate an edgefederation information object class (IOC), andinstantiate an operatoredgefederation IOC to provide an offered edge data network (EDN) list,wherein an EDN is determined to be accepted, based on the offered EDN list, andwherein a value of an accepted EDN attribute is updated to the determined EDN.14.The PO of claim 13,wherein the operatoredgefederation IOC includes at least one of an available EDN list attribute or the accepted EDN attribute.15.The PO of claim 13,wherein the edgefederation IOC represents a set of federation maintained by the PO,wherein the edgefederation IOC includes at least one of an attribute identifying the PO or an attribute identifying an originating operator, andwherein an operatorEDN IOC is instantiated to represent the determined EDN.

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