Method and system for managing closed control loops in communication network

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a 5G or 6G communication system for supporting a higher data transmission rate. CCL(s) are deployed and running, the producer checks for the conflict. This will include checking for both implicit and explicit conflicts based on which the system will decide which CCL is to be deleted, among the conflicting CCL. The producer sends a notification to the consumer providing details on the conflict. This notification will also identify the CCL which needs to be deleted in order to mitigate the conflict. Based on the recommendation, the consumer may delete a CCL. The consumer sends a delete MOI request for the same and the producer sends a reply, the producer also requests MNO to release all the resources being used by the CCL. The MANO sends a response, alternative to the above steps, consumer may decide to modify the CCL instead of deleting it in such case, it sends modifyMOIattribute request and the producer sends a response.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING CLOSED CONTROL LOOPS IN COMMUNICATION NETWORK

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to communication technology, and more specifically, relates to a method and system for enhanced loop management.

[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] 5G system consists of 5G Access Network (AN), 5G core network and User Equipment (UE), see TS 23.501. 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; Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) services and the 5G system aims to enhance its capability to meet Key performance indicators (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 Enhanced Mobile Broadband　 (eMBB) is 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) and 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, such as, massive Internet of Things (mIoT) connections. More specifically, support for mIoT brings many new requirements in addition to Mobile Broadband (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 systems. 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.

[0009] The present work on CSI SLS assurance is undergoing as part of Closed Loop Service Level Specification (SLS) Assurance (eCOSLA) work in 3GPP SA5 working group. The closed control loops are being defined where there is no direct involvement of a human operator or other management entity in the control loop, the control loop is fully automated. The human operator or management entity is not directly controlling the details inside the process steps but provides control outside the loop. For example, configuring goals for the control loop to make autonomous decisions within the boundaries of the set goal. Once the control loop is configured with the goal, the controlled entity is adjusted according to the set goals. In a closed control loop the input to the control loop provided by human operator or other management entity may include the goal or policies. Further, the output of the closed control loop may include closed control loop status to a human operator or other management entity. Typically, the goal is set within certain parameter boundaries, the closed control loop can automatically monitor the network and ascertain if the defined goals are being breached. If the goal is breached the loop can re-configure the network to mitigate the breach.

[0010] The existing closed control loop (CCL) mechanism has no means to mitigate conflict between multiple CCL. The existing mechanism of using priorities and preemptions [x] works only in the situation when a requested CCL has come in conflict with an existing CCL. Two existing CCL may also come in conflict due to updated goals and targets. The action coming out of execute step of two different CCL may be conflicting. The existing mechanism is not capable of handling such situations. Therefore, there is a need for a method and system for enhanced loop management.

[0011] The existing closed control loop (CCL) mechanisms have no means to enable historical CCL information that can be used to predict potential network issues and take proactive measures to prevent them. In addition, historical CCL information serves as a valuable data source for machine learning models and predictive analytics within the CCL system. It enables the system to move from a reactive mode, where it responds to current issues, to a proactive mode, where it anticipates and prevents problems based on historical trends and patterns. This proactive approach enhances network reliability, minimizes downtime, and improves the overall efficiency of network operations. The absence of historical CCL information can be a significant limitation in network automation.

[0012] The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

[0013] The purpose of this application is to be able to solve at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art.

[0014] There is a need to mitigate conflict between multiple CCL and to enable historical CCL information for predicting potential network issues.

[0015] Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method and system for enhanced loop management.

[0016] In an embodiment, the present disclosure relates to a method for managing conflicts in Closed Control Loop (CCL) in a communication network. The method comprises obtaining, by a Management Service (MnS) producer, configuration information of a first CCL and a second CCL, wherein the configuration information comprises at least, priority of the first CCL and the second CCL and resources associated with the first CCL and the second CCL; detecting, by the MnS producer, a conflict between the first CCL and the second CCL based on the configuration information of the first CCL and the second CCL; identifying, by the MnS producer, one of the first CCL and the second CCL as a target CCL based on the priority of the first CCL and the second CCL; and notifying, by the MnS producer, the detected conflict by providing the target CCL to one or more MnS consumers.

[0017] In an embodiment, a Management Service (MnS) producer for managing conflicts in Closed Control Loop (CCL) in a communication network, comprising:

[0018] a memory; and a processor. The processor is configured to obtain configuration information of a first CCL and a second CCL, wherein the configuration information comprises at least, priority of the first CCL and the second CCL and resources associated with the first CCL and the second CCL; detect a conflict between the first CCL and the second CCL based on the configuration information of the first CCL and the second CCL; identify one of the first CCL and the second CCL as a target CCL based on the priority of the first CCL and the second CCL; and notify the detected conflict by providing the target CCL to one or more MnS consumers.

[0019] In an embodiment, the method includes introducing an Information Object Class (IOC) to contain conflict related information and mechanism to mitigate any conflict between CCL that may arise during instantiation of a new CCL or between two existing CCL. The IOC includes initiation conflict information for explicit conflict, execution conflict information for implicit conflict.

[0020] In an embodiment, initiation conflict information includes existing and new CCL identification, conflict information (conflicting goals / target), conflict resolution information and target CCL which is the identification of the CCL that needs to be deleted. This will be decided as per the conflict resolution information.

[0021] In an embodiment, conflict resolution information in initiation conflict information includes priority, OverridingCapable (whether the CCL can override other CCL) and OverrideProtect (whether CCL can be overridden) information.

[0022] In an embodiment, execution conflict information in execution conflict information includes conflicting CCLs identification, conflict information, conflict resolution information and target CCL which is the identification of the CCL that needs to be deleted. This will be decided as per the conflict resolution information.

[0023] In an embodiment, conflict information in execution conflict information includes conflicting goals and conflicting execute actions. The conflict resolution information includes priority and GoalBreachPercentage. GoalBreachPercentage defines the breach percentage per goal in terms of how bad the goal(s) is breached. For example, if the goal of guaranteed throughput is 200mbps and the actual throughput is coming to be 100mbps then the breach percentage would be 50%. The CCL that has a higher percentage of breach will be prioritized. The target CCL is the identification of the CCL that needs to be deleted. This will be decided as per the conflict resolution information.

[0024] In an embodiment, the present disclosure relates to for enabling historical information in a Closed Control Loop (CCL) in a communication network. The method comprises receiving, by a Management Service (MnS) producer, a trigger input to generate historical CCL information, wherein the historical CCL information comprises at least one of, CCL configuration information, goal breach information and feedback information for a plurality of CCL; generating, by the MnS producer, the historical CCL information based on the trigger input; and providing, by the MnS producer, the historical CCL information that is generated for analysis.

[0025] The subject matter includes methods and systems for Control Loop Management. Specifically, the present disclosure involves introducing an Instance Object Class (IOC) to contain historical CCL information that can be queried by the consumer to understand the information related with previous CCL including the following. This IOC will be name-contained in SubNetwork IOC.

[0026] The CCL Information may include CCL identification, initial goals and targets, intermediate goals and targets, last goals and targets and CCL scope. The breach information may include time of breach, breached goals and targets and action taken. Feedback information may include: satisfaction score.

[0027] Embodiments of the present disclosure provides methods and apparatus for enabling automatic conflict resolution based on the policies submitted by the consumer. Therefore, enhanced automation, adaptability, reduction in disruptions and resource efficiency can be improved.

[0028] Embodiments of the present disclosure provides methods and apparatus for capture the historical information on the CCL. This will serves as a valuable data source for machine learning models and predictive analytics within the CCL system. It enables the system to move from a reactive mode to a proactive mode, where it anticipates and prevents problems based on historical trends and patterns.

[0029] The embodiments of the disclosure itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0030] FIG.1 illustrates a sequence flow diagram of a method for enhanced loop management, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG.2 illustrates internal architecture of a MnS producer for managing conflicts in a CCL in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method for managing conflicts in a CCL, in accordance with an embodiment of present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed flow chart of a method for conflict resolution, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 5 illustrates a procedural flow that allows a producer to instantiate or modify the historical CCL information based on option-1, in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 6 illustrates a procedural flow that allows producer to instantiate or modify the historical CCL information based on option-2, in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 7 illustrates a NRM fragment that is required to enable the proposed solution, in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating enabling historical information in CCL, in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] FIG. 9 is a general purpose computer system for performing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] 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.

[0040] The foregoing has broadly outlined the features and technical advantages of the present disclosure in order that the detailed description of the disclosure that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the disclosure, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present disclosure.

[0041] 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.

[0042] Various embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method and system for enhanced loop management. In an embodiment, the method includes introducing an Information Object Class (IOC) to contain conflict related information and mechanism to mitigate any conflict between CCL that may arise during instantiation of a new CCL or between two existing CCL. The IOC includes initiation conflict information for explicit conflict, execution conflict information for implicit conflict. In an embodiment, initiation conflict information includes existing and new CCL identification, conflict information (conflicting goals / target), conflict resolution information and target CCL which is the identification of the CCL that needs to be deleted. This will be decided as per the conflict resolution information.

[0043] In an embodiment, conflict resolution information in initiation conflict information includes priority, OverridingCapable (whether the CCL can override other CCL) and OverrideProtect (whether CCL can be overridden) information. In an embodiment, execution conflict information in execution conflict information includes conflicting CCLs identification, conflict information, conflict resolution information and target CCL which is the identification of the CCL that needs to be deleted. This will be decided as per the conflict resolution information.

[0044] In an embodiment, conflict information in execution conflict information includes conflicting goals and conflicting execute actions (the actions taken by the Execute step of the CCL). The conflict resolution information includes priority, GoalBreachPercentage and Target CCL. GoalBreachPercentage defines the breach percentage per goal in terms of how bad the goal(s) is breached. For example, if the goal of guaranteed throughput is 200mbps and the actual throughput is coming to be 100mbps then the breach percentage would be 50%. The CCL that has a higher percentage of breach will be prioritized. The target CCL is the identification of the CCL that needs to be deleted. This will be decided as per the conflict resolution information.

[0045] FIG.1 illustrates a sequence flow diagram of a method 100 for enhanced loop management, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] In step 102, the CCL(s) are deployed and running.

[0047] In step 104, the Management Service (MnS) producer checks for the conflict. This will include checking for both implicit and explicit conflicts. The MnS producer will decide which CCL is to be deleted, among the conflicting CCL, as per the conflict resolution logic provided below.

[0048] In step 106, the MnS producer sends a notification to the consumer providing details on the conflict. This notification will also identify the CCL which needs to be deleted in order to mitigate the conflict.

[0049] In step 108, based on the recommendation the MnS consumer may delete a CCL. The MNS consumer sends a delete management object instance (MOI) request for the same.

[0050] In step 110, the MnS producer sends a reply.

[0051] In step 112, The MnS producer also requests Mobile Network Operators (MNO) to release all the resources being used by the CCL.

[0052] In step 114, Management and Orchestration (MANO) sends a response.

[0053] In step 116, alternative to above 4 steps, the MnS consumer may decide to modify the CCL instead of deleting it. It sends modifyMOIattribute request.

[0054] In step 118, the MnS producer sends a response.

[0055] Network Resource Model (NRM) Enhancements

[0056] The following Table 1 provides the NRM that are required by the proposed solution.

[0057] NameSupportCardinalityDescriptionexplictConflictThis provide information about the conflict between an existing CCL and a requested CCL.>conflicitingCCLIdM1This indicates the existing CCL that will get in conflict with the requested CCL.>conflictInformationM1This provides the goals and target of the CCL that may be in conflict.>conflictResolutionM1This provides the information that is required to mitigate the conflict.>> priorityM1This provides the priority of the CCL. This will be the numerical value between 1 to 10, with 1 being the least priority.>> overridingCapableM1This dictates whether the CCL can override other CCL>> overrideProtectM1This dictates whether CCL can be overridden.>targetCCLM1The identification of the CCL that needs to be deleted. This will be decided as per the conflict resolution information.implictConflictThis provides information about the conflict between two existing CCL.>conflictInformationM1...2This provides information about a CCL that is in conflict. Every occurrence of this attribute provides details on each conflicting CCL.>>conflictingGoalsO1This provides the goals and target of the CCL that are in conflict.>>conflictingCCLIdM1This indicates the CCL identification>>conflictingActionsM1This provides the set of actions that have been taken by the CCL as part of the Execute step.>conflictResolutionM1This provides the information that is required to mitigate the conflict.>> PriorityM1This provides the priority of the CCL. This will be the numerical value between 1 to 10, with 1 being the least priority.>> goalBreachPercentageM1It defines the breach percentage per goal in terms of how bad the goal(s) is breached. For example, if the goal of guaranteed throughput is 200mbps and the actual throughput is coming to be 100mbps then the breach percentage would be 50%. The CCL that have higher percentage of breach will be prioritized>targetCCLM1The identification of the CCL that need to be deleted. This will be decided as per the conflict resolution information.

[0058] The MnS producer 200 includes an Input-Output (I / O) interface 201, a processor 203, and a memory 205. In the present embodiment, data 207 is stored within the memory 205. In some embodiments the MnS producer 200 may be implemented as a hardware such as a server or a software such a network function. In some implementations the MnS producer may be implemented in the MANO plane.

[0059] The I / O interface 201 is configured to receive the input (configuration information of a first CCL and a second CCL). In some embodiments the configuration information of the first CCL and the second CCL were provided by the MnS consumer during instantiation of the first CCL and the second CCL. For example, the MnS producer 200 may receive Service Level Specification (SLS) assurance CCL creation request with SLS SLS assurance requirements for one or more managed entity such as network slice or network slice subnet from the MnS consumer. The SLS assurance requirements may include information of which SLS should be assured (e.g. latency should be assured), the SLS assurance granularity (e.g. per UE, per Network Slice, per S-NSSAI), SLS assurance condition (e.g. SLS assurance duration time, SLS assurance fulfilment requirements (e.g. the ratio of the SLS assurance time during the whole service usage time)), the MnS producer 200 create SLS closed loop managed object instance contained by the specified managed Entity (i.e. NetworkSlice, NetworkSliceSubnet) and configure the received SLS assurance requirements in the created SLS closed loop managed object instances. The MnS producer 200 performs the network and / or service management to satisfy the SLS assurance requirements by adjusting the network (e.g. adjust the network topology) to satisfy the required SLS assurance requirements.

[0060] The I / O interface 201 employs communication protocols or methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, monoaural, Radio Corporation of America (RCA) connector, stereo, IEEE®-1394 high speed serial bus, serial bus, Universal Serial Bus (USB), infrared, Personal System / 2 (PS / 2) port, Bayonet Neill-Concelman (BNC) connector, coaxial, component, composite, Digital Visual Interface (DVI), High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI®), Radio Frequency (RF) antennas, S-Video, Video Graphics Array (VGA), IEEE® 802.11b / 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®), Worldwide interoperability for Microwave access (WiMax®), or the like.

[0061] The memory 205 is communicatively coupled to the processor 203 of the system 100 for generating multimodal content. The memory 205, also, stores processor-executable instructions which cause the processor 203a to execute the instructions for generating multimodal content. The memory 205 includes, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, 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.

[0062] The processor 203 includes at least one data processor for generating multimodal content. The processor 203 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.

[0063] The data 207 includes, for example, the input 101 received from the MnS consumer. The miscellaneous data 211 stores data, including meta data, and temporary files, generated by the units of the MnS producer 200 for performing the various Management Functions (MF).

[0064] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the data 207 in the memory 205 are processed by the one or more units 213 (also, referred as units) of the MnS producer 200. In an embodiment, the one or more units 213 may be implemented as software and may be implemented as virtual functions. In another embodiment, the one or more units 213 may be implemented as dedicated hardware units (e.g., circuits). As used herein, the term unit refers to, for example, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a Programmable System-on-Chip (PSoC), a combinational logic circuit, and / or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more units 213 are communicatively coupled to the processor 203 for managing conflicts in a communication network. The one or more units 213 when configured with the functionality defined in the present disclosure results in a novel hardware.

[0065] In one implementation, the one or more units 213 include, but are not limited to, a communication unit 215, a conflict detection unit 219, a conflict resolution unit 217, a notification unit 221 and a miscellaneous unit 223.

[0066] In an embodiment, the communication unit 215 is configured to communicate with at least the MnS consumer. In some embodiments the communication unit 215 may receive the input data including the configuration information of the first CCL and the second CCL.

[0067] In an embodiment, the conflict detection unit 219 is configured to detect a conflict between the first CCL and the second CCL. The conflict detection unit 219 may be configured to monitor the managed entity to detect a conflict between the first CCL and the second CCL (e.g. CCL A and CCL B). Further, the conflict detection unit 219 is configured to identify one of the first CCL and the second CCL as a target CCL based on the priority of the first CCL and the second CCL. Furthermore, the conflict detection unit 219 is configured to notify the detected conflict by providing the target CCL to one or more MnS consumers.

[0068] In an embodiment, the conflict detection unit 219 may further be configured to detect a type of conflict using the configuration information. The conflict detection unit 219 may determine the type of conflict as implicit conflict or explicit conflict. The conflict detection unit 219 classifies the conflict as explicit conflict when a conflict is identified between the assurance goal of the first CCL and the second CCL. The conflict detection unit 219 classifies the conflict as implicit conflict when a conflict is identified between execute actions associated with the first CCL and the second CCL. An explicit conflict may indicate conflicts in the assurance goals of the CCLs. For example, the goals of CCL A may be to maintain 900Mbps throughput for slice 1 and CCL B may have a goal to maintain throughput of 350Mbps for slice 1. Hence, there is a conflict of goals between CCL A and CCL B. An implicit conflict may indicate conflicts in the resources used by two CCLs. For example, CCL A is required to maintain power consumption of a gNode B at 1.5kW and CCL B is required to maintain power consumption of the gNode B at 2kW. Here the goals are different for the two CCLs, however, the resources used by the two CCLs are the same, hence resulting in conflicting nature of utilising the resources.

[0069] In an embodiment, the conflict resolution unit 217 is configured to provide resolution to the detected conflicts. In some embodiments the conflict resolution unit 217 is configured to identify the target CCL. The conflict resolution unit 217 is configured to determine a priority of the first CCL and the second CCL and identify a CCL having lower priority value as the target CCL. In some embodiments, the priority value for the first CCL and the second CCL may be provided by the MnS consumer in the configuration information while instantiating the CCL.

[0070] In some embodiments, when an explicit conflict is identified and when the priority value of the first CCL and the second CCL is same, the conflict resolution unit 217 determines override capable status and override protections status of the first CCL and the second CCL. Override capable status indicates if a CCL can override another CCL and override protect status indicates if a CCL can be overridden by another CCL. For example, CCL A may have override protect as 1, which indicates that CCL A cannot be overridden by other CCL. CCL B may have override capable status as 1 which indicates that CCL B can override other CCLs. When an explicit conflict between CCL A and CCL B is identified, override protect status may be take precedence and the CCL B may be identified as the target CCL.

[0071] In an embodiment, when an implicit conflict is identified and when the priority value of the first CCL and the second CCL is same, the conflict resolution unit 217 determines a goal breach value for the first CCL and the second CCL. The goal breach value indicates percentage breach of the assurance goal. The assurance goal may be provided in the configuration information by the MnS consumer during instantiation of the CCL. Examples of assurance goal may be to attain 900Mbps throughput in a slice or achieving latency of 1 millisecond. Consider CCL A has achieved 200Mbps and CCL B has achieved 250Mbps. CCL A has breached 50% of the assurance goal and CCL B has breached 62.5%. Hence, CCL B has a higher goal breach percentage therefore the conflict resolution unit 217 determines the CCL A as the target CCL.

[0072] In some embodiment, the notification unit 221 notifies the detected conflict and the target CCL to the MnS consumer as conflict information and conflict resolution information. In further embodiments, the conflict resolution unit 217 recommends deleting or modifying the target CCL for resolving the conflict between the first CCL and the second CCL. The MnS consumer may provide input to either delete or modify the target CCL configuration information. Upon receiving the input, the conflict resolution unit 217 is configured to delete or modify the target CCL. In some embodiments, deleting or modifying the target CCL includes deleting or modifying the network resources associated with the target CCL.

[0073] In some embodiments, the miscellaneous unit 223 includes a priority unit configured to assign priority to the first CCL and the second CCL during instantiation of the CCLs. For example, the priority unit assigns higher priority to CCL A over CCL B taking into account the severity of the assurance goal of the CCL A. In another example, the priority unit assign higher priority to CCL B considering the resources associated in implementing the CCL B.

[0074] Fig. 3 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for managing conflicts in CCLs in a communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0075] As illustrated in Fig. 3, the method 300 includes one or more operation steps for managing conflicts in CCLs in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 300 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 particular functions or implement particular abstract data types.

[0076] The order in which the method 300 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method operation steps can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual operation steps may be deleted from the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

[0077] At step 301, obtaining configuration information of a first CCL and a second CCL. The configuration information may be obtained from the memory 205. The configuration information may be stored in the memory 205 during the instantiation of the first CCL and the second CCL.

[0078] At step 301, detecting a conflict between the first CCL and the second CCL. In some embodiments, CCLs may include various phases including monitor, analyze, decide and execute. In some embodiments, detecting the conflict may occur during decide phase. However, the conflict may be detected in other phases such as analyze phase or monitor phase. The conflict between the first CCL and the second CCL is detected when there are conflict in assurance goals or assurance resources associated with the first CCL and the second CCL.

[0079] At step 302, identifying one of the first CCL and the second CCL as the target CCL based on the priority of the first CCL and the second CCL. The priority of the first CCL and the second CCL is provided with corresponding configuration information while instantiating the CCL. In some embodiments, the MnS consumer instantiating the CCL may provide the assurance goal, the assurance resources and the priority associated with the CCL. In some other embodiment, the MnS producer 200 may provide the priority to the first CCL and the second CCL. A MnS producer in an entity providing the MnS and the MnS consumer is an entity consuming the MnS. For example, in a 5G network, the MnS producer 200 may be a MANO server and the MnS consumer may be a 3rdparty vendor accessing the communication network.

[0080] At step 303, notifying the detected conflict by providing the target CCL to the MnS consumer.

[0081] Fig. 4 illustrate the method steps in details. Figure 4 is described by making reference to CCL A and CCL B. Consider CCL A and CCL B were instantiated by the MnS consumer by providing configuration information for each of the CCL A and the CCL B.

[0082] The detection of conflict is described above and is further described in detail. A conflict between the CCL A and the CCL B is detected by monitoring at least one of the assurance goal and the resources associated with the CCL A and the CCL B. In some instances the conflict may be determined at the monitor phase. In some other instances the conflict may be detected at the analysis phase and in some other instances the conflict may be detected at the decide phase. When there is conflicting goal and / or resources the conflict is detected.

[0083] Further, the priority associated with the CCL A and the CCL B is determined. The priority information is obtained from the configuration information provided while instantiating the CCL. The priority may be provided by the MnS consumer or in some instances the MnS producer 200 may have assigned. The CCL B is identified as the target CCL when the priority of CCL A is more than the priority of CCL B. For example, CCL A may be instantiated to provide QoS assurance to emergency services and the CCL B may be instantiated to minimize energy consumption. In this example, the priority associated with CCL A is much higher than the priority associated with CCL B. A conflict is identified in the usage of resources as CCL A tries to utilize the resources to maximum extent for meeting the QoS requirements and the CCL B tries to minimize the resource usage. Upon comparing the priority, CCL B is identified as target CCL as the priority of CCL A is higher than CCL B. In a scenario where the priority of the CCL A and the CCL B are the same, the type of conflict is determined to provide conflict resolution.

[0084] The type of conflict between the CCL A and the CCL B is determined to be either an explicit conflict or implicit conflict. The conflict is classified as explicit conflict when there are conflicting assurance goals and the conflict is classified as implicit conflict when there are conflicting resources. An example of explicit conflict is when CCL A has as assurance goal to maintain energy consumption for a network slice 1 at 1.5kW and CCL B has an assurance goal to maintain the energy consumption of the network slice 1 at 1.7kW. In this scenario, the goals set on the network slice 1 with the CCL A and the CCL B are different and the goals are conflicting. When it is determined that the priority assigned to CCL A and the CCL B are also same, the override capability status and override protect status of the conflicting CCLs are analyzed. The override capability status and the override protect status information are obtained from the configuration information associated with the respective CCLs. If CCL B does not have override capability, then CCL B is identified as target CCL. When CCL B has override capability then override protect status of CCL A is determined. If CCL A is override protected then CCL B is identified as the target CCL. If the CCL A is not override protected then the CCL A is identified as the target CCL. In such cases the override protect status may take precedence over the override capable status. Thus, CCL B is identified as target CCL.

[0085] In some instances the conflict type is classified as implicit conflict. When the resources managed by the CCL A and the CCL B are conflicting such conflict type is classified as implicit conflict. For example CCL A is instantiated to maintain energy consumption value of a gNode B at 1.5kW and CCL B is instantiated to maintain the energy consumption of the gNode B at 1.7kW. Here, although the goals are different, the resources assigned to the CCL A and the CCL B to manage the goal are in conflict. When an implicit conflict is identified and the priority associated with the CCL A and the CCL B are also same, the goal breach percentage is determined to provide conflict resolution. For example, if the actual energy consumed is 1.6kW, then the goal breach percentage for CCL A is low as the CCL A has failed to maintain the energy below 1.5kW. However, the goal breach for CCL B is high as the actual energy consumed is within a.7kW. Hence, CCL A is identified as the target CCL.

[0086] The present disclosure will enable automatic conflict resolution based on the policies submitted by the MnS consumer. Such mechanism extends with the following advantages: (1) Enhanced Automation: By automating conflict resolution procedures within the CCL, the need for manual intervention in reduced, thereby improving the overall efficiency of the automation system, (2) Adaptability: Conflict mitigation strategies can adapt to changing network conditions, ensuring that CCL operations remain effective even as goals, targets, and actions evolve, (3) Reduction in Disruptions: Swift conflict resolution minimizes disruptions to network services, maintaining service continuity and reducing the impact on end-users, (4) Resource Efficiency: By preventing conflicts, the CCL contributes to resource efficiency and optimal network performance, reducing wasted resources caused by conflicts and (5) Conflict History: The IOC maintains a historical record of conflicts and their resolutions, providing valuable data for trend analysis, reporting, and continuous improvement.

[0087] In an embodiment, some key applications of such conflict resolution NRM in the network slicing context are Slice Resource Allocation and Slice Quality of Service (QoS) Management. Slice Resource Allocation: In a network slicing environment, various slices may compete for the same physical resources. This approach can help manage conflicts related to resource allocation based on slice priorities and requirements. Slice Quality of Service (QoS) Management: Conflicts can arise when different network slices demand specific QoS levels that cannot be simultaneously guaranteed due to resource limitations. This approach can mediate conflicts by adjusting override and goal breach percentage, to meet the needs of each slice while optimizing overall network performance.

[0088] FIG. 5 illustrates a procedural flow that allows producer to instantiate or modify the historical CCL information based on option-1. This information can be queried by the consumer for machine learning models and predictive analytics within the CCL system.

[0089] MnS producer 200 instantiates and provisions a CCL as defined in 3GPP TS 28.536. The MnS consumer sends DeleteMOI request for a CCL. The MnS producer 200 sends a response where the MnS producer 200 either instantiates or modifies the HistoricalCCLInfo MOI with the information related with CCL being deleted. The MnS consumer may decide to initiate a CCL. Hence, MnS consumer would like to understand the historical CCL information. The MnS consumer sends getMOIAttributes for HistoricalCCLInfo MOI to read the information captured. The MnS producer 200 send a response. The MnS consumer develops the learning based on the historical CCL information received. Based on the learning, the MnS consumer sends a createMOI request to create a new CCL. It enables the newly created CCL to move from a reactive mode to a proactive mode, where it anticipates and prevents problems based on historical trends and patterns. This proactive approach enhances network optimization, issue prevention and improves the overall efficiency of network operations. The MnS producer sends a response.

[0090] FIG. 6 illustrates a procedural flow that allows the MnS producer 200 to instantiate or modify the historical CCL information based on option-2. This information can be queried by the consumer for machine learning models and predictive analytics within the CCL system. The MnS producer 200 instantiates and provisions a CCL as defined in 3GPP TS 28.536. The MnS consumer may also choose to create / update the HistoricalCCLInfo MOI without getting triggered by deletion of a CCL. In this case it sends a CreateMOI request. The MnS producer 200 sends a response and the MnS consumer may decide to initiate a CCL. Before that the MnS consumer would like to understand the historical CCL information. The MnS consumer sends getMOIAttributes for HistoricalCCLInfo MOI to read the information captured. The MnS producer 200 sends a response and the MnS consumer develops the learning based on the historical CCL information received. Based on the learning the MnS consumer sends a createMOI request to create a new CCL. It enables the newly created CCL to move from a reactive mode to a proactive mode, where it anticipates and prevents problems based on historical trends and patterns. This proactive approach enhances network optimization, issue prevention and improves the overall efficiency of network operations. The MnS producer 200 sends a response.

[0091] NRM Enhancements

[0092] FIG. 7 illustrates relationships and NRM enhancements required for implementing the proposed solutions. Following are class descriptions.

[0093] HistoricalCCLInfo: This IOC defines the generic information about the historical CCL information included. This IOC will be name contained in SubNetwork. This will serve as a container of all the historical information captured for CCLs.

[0094] Attribute NameDescriptionadministrativeStateIt indicates the administrative state of this IOC. It describes the permission to use or prohibition against using the historical infomration, imposed through the OAM services.allowedValues: LOCKED, SHUTTING DOWN, UNLOCKED.The meaning of these values is as defined in ITU-T Recommendation X.731

[0018] .operationalStateIt indicates the operational state of this IOC instance. It describes whether the resource is installed and partially or fully operable (Enabled) or the resource is not installed or not operable (Disabled).numberOfCCLRecordsIt indicates the total number of historical records present.maxNoOfCCLRecordsIt indicates the maximum number of historical records that can be included.

[0095] HistoricalCCLRecord: This IOC defines the historical information specific for a particular CCL.

[0096] Attribute NameDescriptioncCLObjectClassIt indicates the class of the IOC. This will be present if the CCL is not running.cCLInstanceIdentifierIt indicates the instance of an active CCL. This will be present if the CCL is not active and runningcCLScopeIt indicates the scope of CCL in terms of a location.goalInformation>initialGoalsIt provides the initial goal set provisioned for the CCL.>intermediateGoalsIt provides the set if intermediate goal set provisioned for the CCL.>lastGoalsIt provides the last goal set provisioned for the CCL.breachInformation>breachTimeThe time at which the breach happened>breachedGoalThe goal which got breached>mitigationActionThe action(s) that was taken to mitigate the breach. This will provide the list of operations performed.<OperationName><TargetMOI><attribute1><attribute2>...<attributeN>.<OperationName>: Will identify the name of the provisioning MnS operations<TargetMOI>: Will identify the object which was targeted by the operation<attributeX>: set of name / value pair for the various attributes provided as part of the Operation.satisfactionScoreThe numerical value from 1 to 10 (1 being the worst), providing the consumer satisfaction with the CCL.

[0097] In an aspect, the following may be regarded as core aspects of the present disclosure. The HistoricalCCLInfo and HistoricalCCLRecord IOC. The provisioning procedure for the HistoricalCCLInfo IOC.

[0098] FIG. 8 illustratesa flowchart illustrating enabling historical information in a CCL.

[0099] At step 801, receiving, by a Management Service (MnS) producer 200, a trigger input to generate historical CCL information, where the historical CCL information comprises at least one of, CCL configuration information, goal breach information and feedback information for a plurality of CCLs.

[0100] At step 802, generating, by the MnS producer 200, the historical CCL information based on the trigger input.

[0101] At step 803, providing, by the MnS producer 200, the historical CCL information that is generated for analysis.

[0102] In an embodiment the trigger input is one of, a delete CCL request or create historical CCL information request.

[0103] In an embodiment the historical CCL information is generated by: obtaining the historical CCL information of the plurality of CCL stored in a database.

[0104] In an embodiment, the historical CCL information is created by periodically storing CCL information in the database.

[0105] In an embodiment, the analysis is performed by a consumer, wherein the consumer is at least one of a user or an analytical system.

[0106] In an embodiment, the CCL configuration information comprises at least CCL ID, initial goals and targets, intermediate goals and targets, last goals and targets and CCL scope.

[0107] In an embodiment, the goal breach information comprises at least time of breach, breached goals and targets, and action taken.

[0108] In an embodiment, the feedback information comprises at least satisfaction score. The satisfaction score may be provided by the MnS consumer.

[0109] The present disclosures enable management system to capture the historical information about the CCLs. This will serve as a valuable data source for machine learning models and predictive analytics within the CCL system. It enables the system to move from a reactive mode to a proactive mode, where it anticipates and prevents problems based on historical trends and patterns. The historical CCL information can be leveraged for various purposes (as follows):

[0110] Pattern Recognition: By collecting historical data on network performance, traffic patterns, and incidents, CCL systems can employ pattern recognition algorithms. These algorithms analyze historical trends and identify recurring patterns that may lead to network issues. For example, if certain types of network traffic tend to spike at specific times, the system can predict when similar spikes might occur in the future.

[0111] Anomaly Detection: Historical data can be used to establish baselines for normal network behavior. When deviations from these baselines are detected, it may indicate potential network issues. For instance, if latency suddenly increases beyond historical norms, the system can proactively investigate and address the underlying causes before users notice a problem.

[0112] Capacity Planning: Historical data is invaluable for capacity planning. CCL systems can analyze historical usage trends to anticipate when network resources might be exhausted or overloaded. This foresight allows for proactive resource allocation and scaling to accommodate growing demand.

[0113] Predictive Maintenance: In addition to network performance, historical data can be used to predict equipment failures. By monitoring the performance of network devices and their historical failure patterns, CCL systems can schedule maintenance or replacement of equipment before it fails, reducing downtime and disruptions.

[0114] Service-Level Agreement (SLA) Adherence: Historical data can be used to track and predict SLA compliance. If historical data indicates that SLAs are consistently violated during certain periods or under specific conditions, the CCL system can take preemptive actions to avoid SLA breaches.

[0115] Traffic Engineering: Historical traffic data helps CCL systems optimize traffic engineering decisions. By understanding historical traffic patterns and congestion points, the system can route traffic more efficiently to prevent bottlenecks.

[0116] Resource Allocation: CCL systems can analyze historical resource usage patterns to allocate resources more effectively. If certain resources are consistently underutilized or over utilized during specific timeframes, the system can adjust resource allocation accordingly.

[0117] Security Threat Prediction: Historical data can be used to identify patterns of network intrusions or security breaches. CCL systems can leverage this information to predict potential security threats and implement preemptive security measures.

[0118] In an embodiment, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. 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., be non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, Compact Disc (CD) ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

[0119] In some embodiments, FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 900 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the computer system 900 may be the system 200 that comprises a processor (also referred as a processor 902 in this FIG. 9) that is used for enabling historical information in a CCL and / or manage conflicts between CCLs. The processor 902 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.

[0120] The processor 902 may be disposed in communication with input devices 910 and output devices 911 via I / O interface 901. The I / O interface 901 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.

[0121] Using the I / O interface 901, computer system 900 may communicate with input devices 910 and output devices 911.

[0122] In some embodiments, the processor 902 may be disposed in communication with a communication network 909 via a network interface 903. The network interface 903 may communicate with the communication network 909. The network interface 903 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 903 and the communication network 909, the computer system 900 may communicate with a VAL server 101.

[0123] The communication network 909 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 909 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.

[0124] Further, the communication network 909 may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc. In some embodiments, the processor 902 may be disposed in communication with a memory 905 (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM), ROM, etc. not shown in FIG. 9) via a storage interface 904. The storage interface 904 may connect to memory 905 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.

[0125] The memory 905 may store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, a user interface 906, an operating system 907, a web browser 908 etc. In some embodiments, the computer system　900 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.

[0126] Operating system　907　may facilitate resource management and operation of computer system　900. 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　906　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　900, 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.

[0127] The computer system　900　may implement web browser　908　stored program components. Web browser　908　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 908 may utilize facilities such as AJAX, DHTML, ADOBE® FLASH®, JAVASCRIPT®, JAVA®, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc. The computer system 900　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 900 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.

[0128] 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), Read-Only Memory (ROMs), Digital Video Disc (DVDs), flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

[0129] The described operations may be implemented as a method, system or article of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. The described operations may be implemented as code maintained in a "non-transitory computer readable medium", where a processor may read and execute the code from the computer readable medium. The processor is at least one of a microprocessor and a processor capable of processing and executing the queries. A non-transitory computer readable medium may include media such as magnetic storage medium (e.g., hard disk drives, floppy disks, tape, etc.), optical storage (CD-ROMs, DVDs, optical disks, etc.), volatile and non-volatile memory devices (e.g., EEPROMs, ROMs, PROMs, RAMs, DRAMs, SRAMs, Flash Memory, firmware, programmable logic, etc.), etc. Further, non-transitory computer-readable media may include all computer-readable media except for a transitory. The code implementing the described operations may further be implemented in hardware logic (e.g., an integrated circuit chip, Programmable Gate Array (PGA), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), etc.).

[0130] While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the scope of the inventions.

[0131] The terms "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the embodiment", "the embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments", and "one embodiment" mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)" unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0132] The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to", unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0133] The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0134] The terms "a", "an" and "the" mean "one or more", unless expressly specified otherwise.

[0135] 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 disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

[0136] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1.A method performed by a Management Service (MnS) producer for managing conflicts in Closed Control Loop (CCL) in a communication network, the method comprising:obtaining configuration information of a first CCL and a second CCL, wherein the configuration information comprises priority of the first CCL and the second CCL and resources associated with the first CCL and the second CCL;detecting a conflict between the first CCL and the second CCL based on the configuration information of the first CCL and the second CCL;identifying one of the first CCL and the second CCL as a target CCL based on the priority of the first CCL and the second CCL; andnotifying the detected conflict by providing the target CCL to one or more MnS consumers.2.The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information further comprises assurance goal and execute actions.3.The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the conflict further comprises:classifying the conflict as one of an explicit conflict or an implicit conflict using the configuration information of the first CCL and the second CCL,wherein classifying the conflict as explicit conflict comprises identifying a conflict between the assurance goal of the first CCL and the second CCL,wherein classifying the conflict as implicit conflict comprises identifying a conflict between execute actions associated with the first CCL and the second CCL.4.The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the target CCL comprises:determining a priority of the first CCL and the second CCL; andidentifying a CCL from the first CCL as the target CCL in case that the CCL has a lower priority value.5.The method of claim 3, wherein identifying the target CCL for an explicit conflict comprises:determining the priority of first CCL and the second CCL is same;determining override capable status and override protection status of the first CCL and the second CCL, wherein the override capable status indicates if a CCL can override another CCL, wherein the override protect status indicates if a CCL can be overridden by another CCL; andidentifying a CCL from the first CCL and the second CCL as the target CCL in case that the CCL not override protected and other CCL from the first CCL and the second CCL is override capable.6.The method of claims 3, wherein identifying the target CCL for an implicit conflict comprises:determining the priority of first CCL and the second CCL is same;determining a goal breach value for the first CCL and the second CCL, wherein the goal breach value indicates percentage breach of the assurance goal; andidentifying a CCL from the first CCL and the second CCL as the target CCL when the CCL has lower goal breach value.7.The method of claim 1, wherein notifying the detected conflict comprises:sending a notification including conflict information and conflict resolution information.8.The method of claim 1, further comprising:assigning the priority for the first CCL and the second CCL at the time of CCL instantiation as provided by the one or more MnS consumers.9.A Management Service (MnS) producer for managing conflicts in Closed Control Loop (CCL) in a communication network, the MnS producer comprising:a memory; anda processor configured to:obtain configuration information of a first CCL and a second CCL, wherein the configuration information comprises priority of the first CCL and the second CCL and resources associated with the first CCL and the second CCL;detect a conflict between the first CCL and the second CCL based on the configuration information of the first CCL and the second CCL;identify one of the first CCL and the second CCL as a target CCL based on the priority of the first CCL and the second CCL; andnotify the detected conflict by providing the target CCL to one or more MnS consumers.10.The MnS producer of claim 9, wherein the configuration information further comprises assurance goal and execute actions.11.The MnS producer of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to when detecting the conflict:classify the conflict as one of an explicit conflict or an implicit conflict using the configuration information of the first CCL and the second CCL,wherein the conflict is classified as explicit conflict, wherein a conflict is identified between the assurance goal of the first CCL and the second CCL,wherein the conflict is classified as implicit conflict, wherein a conflict is identified between execute actions associated with the first CCL and the second CCL.12.The MnS producer of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to when identifying the target CCL:determine a priority of the first CCL and the second CCL; andidentify a CCL from the first CCL as the target CCL in case that the CCL has a lower priority value.13.The MnS producer of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to when identifying the target CCL for an explicit conflict:determine the priority of first CCL and the second CCL is same;determine override capable status and override protection status of the first CCL and the second CCL, wherein the override capable status indicates if a CCL can override another CCL, wherein the override protect status indicates if a CCL can be overridden by another CCL; andidentify a CCL from the first CCL and the second CCL as the target CCL in case that the CCL is not override protected and other CCL from the first CCL and the second CCL is override capable.14.The MnS producer of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to when identifying the target CCL for an implicit conflict:determine the priority of first CCL and the second CCL is same;determine a goal breach value for the first CCL and the second CCL; wherein the goal breach value indicates percentage breach of the assurance goal; andidentify a CCL from the first CCL and the second CCL as the target CCL when the CCL has lower goal breach value.15.The MnS producer of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to notify the detected conflict, wherein the processor is configured to:sending a notification including conflict information and conflict resolution information.

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