Method and system for managing one or more services

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for managing one or more services The present disclosure encompasses: sending, by a processing unit [304] from a policy execution engine (PEEGN) [1088], an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM) [1042] for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface [306]; receiving, by the processing unit [304] at the PEEGN [1088], from the VLM [1042], an event acknowledgement as a response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF; storing, by the processing unit [304] at a data storage unit [302], data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment; and sending, by the processing unit [304] from the PEEGN, a response associated with the event trigger to a NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA) [1096].

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING ONE OR MORE SERVICESFIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to network performance management systems. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and systems for managing one or more services.BACKGROUND

[0002] The following description of the related art is intended to provide background information pertaining to the field of the disclosure. This section may include certain aspects of the art that may be related to various features of the present disclosure. However, it should be appreciated that this section is used only to enhance the understanding of the reader with respect to the present disclosure, and not as admissions of the prior art.

[0003] In communication network such as 5G communication network, different microservices (hereinafter may be referred as to “MS”) perform different services, jobs, and tasks in the network. For example, a Policy Execution Engine (PE / PEEGN) provides a Network Function Virtualization Software-Defined Network (NVF SDN) Platform functionality to support dynamic requirements of resource management and network service orchestration in the virtualized and containerized network. Also, PE service stores and provides policies for Resource, Security, Availability, and Scalability of Virtual network functions (VNFs). It executes automatic scaling and healing functionality of the VNF(s) and Network Service(s).

[0004] Moreover, for achieving instantiate / terminate / scale functionality in Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) platform, the VLM (VNF Lifecycle Manager) micro service is developed which is responsible for lifecycle management of VNF instances. In the existing systems there is no real time communication of the VLM with the policy execution engine (PE / PEEGN). The Policy Execution Engine (PE / PEEGN) therefore currently failed to send in real time, VNF Scaling / Healing event to the VLM (VNF Lifecycle Manager) and currently PEEGN also failed to receive response from the VNF in real time.

[0005] Thus, there exists an imperative need in the art to provide an efficient system and method that can overcome the limitation of the existing systems and provide a method and system formanaging one or more services that can perform its operations efficiently. The present disclosure provides such a method and system and thus overcome the limitations of the existing arts.SUMMARY

[0006] This section is provided to introduce certain aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify the key features or the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] An aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a method for managing one or more services. The method includes sending, by a processing unit from a policy execution engine (PEEGN), an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM) for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface. The method further includes receiving, by the processing unit at the PEEGN, from the VLM, an event acknowledgement as a response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF. The method further includes storing, by the processing unit at a data storage unit, data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment. The method further includes sending, by the processing unit from the PEEGN, a response associated with the event trigger to a NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA).

[0008] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more services comprises at least: the virtual network function life manager (VLM), and the PEEGN.

[0009] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more actions comprises at least one of: scaling of the VNF, healing of the VNF, and termination of the VNF.

[0010] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the interface is a PE VN interface wherein, PE VN interface is used when the one or more actions on the VNF are being performed.

[0011] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the healing of the VNF corresponds to restoring of a failed VNF based on one or more healing policies.

[0012] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, for the healing of the VNF, the method further comprises transmitting, by the PEEGN, one or more healing policies to the VLM to oneof: restart or migrate a VNF instance to a host upon sending the event trigger for healing the VNF; and sending, from the PEEGN, an update instance status event to the VLM for healing.

[0013] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the scaling of the VNF corresponds to optimizing utilization of one or more resources for the VNF, wherein the scaling comprises scalein action and scale-out action for the VNF.

[0014] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, for the termination of the VNF, the method further comprises sending, from the VLM, a free VNF resource event to the PEEGN to unreserve one or more resources at a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM); sending, from the PEEGN, a free allocated resource event to the PVIM for requesting the one or more resources from an allocation pool to a free pool related to the VNF; receiving, at the PEEGN, from the PVIM, an event acknowledgment, after releasing the one or more resources for the VNF; and sending, from the PEEGN, a response back to the VLM, upon receiving the event acknowledgement from the PVIM.

[0015] Another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a system for managing one or more services. The system comprises a data storage unit. The system further comprises a processing unit connected with the data storage unit. The processing unit is configured to send, from a policy execution engine (PEEGN), an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM) for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface. The processing unit is further configured to receive, at the PEEGN, from the VLM, an event acknowledgement as a response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF. The processing unit is further configured to store, at the data storage unit, data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment. The processing unit is further configured to send, from the PEEGN, a response associated with the event trigger to a NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA).

[0016] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions for managing one or more services, the instructions include executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system, causes: a processing unit to send, from a policy execution engine (PEEGN), an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM) for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface. The executable code when executed further causes the processing unit to receive, at the PEEGN, from the VLM, an event acknowledgement as aresponse after performing the one or more actions on the VNF. The executable code when executed further causes the processing unit to store, at the data storage unit, data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment. The executable code when executed further causes the processing unit to send, from the PEEGN, a response associated with the event trigger to a NF V Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA).OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0017] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment disclosed herein satisfies are listed herein below.

[0018] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method that provides an interface (referred herein as a PE_VN interface) between a VLM (VNF Lifecycle Manager) and a policy execution engine (PE or PEEGN) by which various operation at the PE can be performed.

[0019] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for providing a communication between a VLM and a policy execution engine (PE / PEEGN).

[0020] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method that can enable the PEEGN to 1) send VNF Scaling / Healing event to VLM (VNF Lifecycle Manager), 2) receive response to the VNF Scaling / Healing event accordingly, 3) store the received response, and 4) send the response back to NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA) in case of Healing and Scaling.

[0021] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method that can provide an interface that can be used during VNF termination to instruct a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM) to free VNF resources.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosed methods and systems in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the different drawings. Components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Also, the embodiments shown in the figures are not to beconstrued as limiting the disclosure, but the possible variants of the method and system according to the disclosure are illustrated herein to highlight the advantages of the disclosure. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that disclosure of such drawings includes disclosure of electrical components or circuitry commonly used to implement such components.

[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary an exemplary block diagram representation of a management and orchestration (MANO) architecture, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computing device upon which the features of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for managing one or more services, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 4 illustrates a method flow diagram for managing one or more services in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system architecture for managing one or more services, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 6 an exemplary process flow diagram for managing one or more services for the termination of the VNF.

[0029] FIG. 7 illustrates a process flow diagram for managing one or more services in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0030] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, various specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.It will be apparent, however, that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. Several features described hereafter may each be used independently of one another or with any combination of other features. An individual feature may not address any of the problems discussed above or might address only some of the problems discussed above.

[0032] The ensuing description provides exemplary embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the disclosure. Rather, the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiments will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth.

[0033] Specific details are given in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, circuits, systems, processes, and other components may be shown as components in block diagram form in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail.

[0034] Also, it is noted that individual embodiments may be described as a process which is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of the operations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when its operations are completed but could have additional steps not included in a figure.

[0035] The word “exemplary” and / or “demonstrative” is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by such examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” and / or “demonstrative” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to preclude equivalent exemplary structures and techniques known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes,” “has,” “contains,” and other similar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive — in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as an open transition word — without precluding any additional or other elements.

[0036] As used herein, a “processing unit” or “processor” or “operating processor” includes one or more processors, wherein processor refers to any logic circuitry for processing instructions. A processor may be a general-purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a Digital Signal Processing (DSP) core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits, Field Programmable Gate Array circuits, any other type of integrated circuits, etc. The processor may perform signal coding data processing, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the working of the system according to the present disclosure. More specifically, the processor or processing unit is a hardware processor.

[0037] As used herein, “a user equipment”, “a user device”, “a smart-user-device”, “a smartdevice”, “an electronic device”, “a mobile device”, “a handheld device”, “a wireless communication device”, “a mobile communication device”, “a communication device” may be any electrical, electronic and / or computing device or equipment, capable of implementing the features of the present disclosure. The user equipment / device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, smart phone, laptop, a general-purpose computer, desktop, personal digital assistant, tablet computer, wearable device or any other computing device which is capable of implementing the features of the present disclosure. Also, the user device may contain at least one input means configured to receive an input from unit(s) which are required to implement the features of the present disclosure.

[0038] As used herein, “storage unit” or “memory unit” refers to a machine or computer-readable medium including any mechanism for storing information in a form readable by a computer or similar machine. For example, a computer-readable medium includes read-only memory (“ROM”), random access memory (“RAM”), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices or other types of machine-accessible storage media. The storage unit stores at least the data that may be required by one or more units of the system to perform their respective functions.

[0039] As used herein “interface” or “user interface” refers to a shared boundary across which two or more separate components of a system exchange information or data. The interface may also be referred to a set of rules or protocols that define communication or interaction of one or more modules or one or more units with each other, which also includes the methods, functions, or procedures that may be called.

[0040] All modules, units, components used herein, unless explicitly excluded herein, may be software modules or hardware processors, the processors being a general-purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array circuits (FPGA), any other type of integrated circuits, etc.

[0041] As used herein the transceiver unit include at least one receiver and at least one transmitter configured respectively for receiving and transmitting data, signals, information or a combination thereof between units / components within the system and / or connected with the system.

[0042] As used herein, the virtual network function (VNF) refers to a network function module that operates in virtualized environments such as virtual machines or containers. This virtualization allows for dynamic scaling and rapid adaptation to changing network conditions, improving reducing hardware requirement.

[0043] As used herein, the virtual network function component (VNFC) refers to a sub-component within a virtual network function (VNF) that performs a specific task or set of tasks related to the overall network function. VNFCs reduces VNFs into smaller units, each responsible for unique functions, such as packet inspection, policy enforcement, etc.

[0044] As used herein, the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the set of rules for transferring files such as text, images, sound, video, and other multimedia files over the web.

[0045] As discussed in the background section, the current known solutions have several shortcomings. The present disclosure aims to overcome the above-mentioned and other existing problems in this field of technology by providing method and system for providing communication between a virtual network function life manager (VLM) and a policy execution engine (PEEGN).

[0046] Referring to FIG. 1 an exemplary block diagram representation of a management and orchestration (MANO) architecture

[0100] , in accordance with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure is illustrated. The MANO architecture

[0100] is developed for managing telecom cloud infrastructure automatically, managing design or deployment design, managing instantiation of a network node(s) etc. The MANO architecture

[0100] deploys the network node(s) in the form of Virtual Network Function (VNF) and Cloud-native / Container Network Function (CNF). TheMANO architecture

[0100] is used to auto-instantiate the VNFs into the corresponding environment of the present disclosure so that it could help in onboarding other vendor(s) CNFs and VNFs to the platform.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, the MANO architecture

[0100] comprises a user interface layer

[0102] , a network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined network (SDN) design function module

[0104] ; a platform foundation services module

[0106] , a platform core services module

[0108] and a platform resource adapters and utilities module

[0112] , wherein all the components are assumed to be connected to each other in a manner as obvious to the person skilled in the art for implementing features of the present disclosure.

[0048] The NFV and SDN design function module

[0104] further comprises a VNF lifecycle manager (compute)

[1042] ; a VNF catalog

[1044] ; a network services catalog

[1046] ; a network slicing and service chaining manager

[1048] ; a physical and virtual resource manager

[1050] and a CNF lifecycle manager

[1052] , The VNF lifecycle manager (compute)

[1042] is responsible for determining on which server of the communication network the microservice will be instantiated. The VNF lifecycle manager (compute)

[1042] will manage the overall flow of incoming / outgoing requests during interaction with the user. The VNF lifecycle manager (compute)

[1042] is responsible for determining which sequence to be followed for executing the process. For e.g., in an AMF network function of the communication network (such as a 5G network), sequence for execution of processes Pl and P2 etc. The VNF catalog

[1044] stores the metadata of all the VNFs (also CNFs in some cases). The network services catalog

[1046] stores the information of the services that need to be run. The network slicing and service chaining manager

[1048] manages the slicing (an ordered and connected sequence of network service / network functions (NFs) that must be applied to a specific networked data packet. The physical and virtual resource manager

[1050] stores the logical and physical inventory of the VNFs. In an example, logical inventory of VNFs include virtualized instances of network functions like firewalls, load balancers, and routers. In an example, physical inventory includes hardware such as servers, storage devices, and network equipment that host VNFs. Also, physical inventory includes software OpenStack that allows multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server. Just like the VNF lifecycle manager (compute)

[1042] , the CNF lifecycle manager

[1052] is similarly used for the CNFs lifecycle management.

[0049] The platform foundation services module

[0106] further comprises a microservices edge load balancer

[1062] ; an identity & access manager

[1064] ; a command line interface (CLI)

[1066] ; a central logging manager

[1068] ; and an event routing manager (ERM)

[1070] (alternatively referred to as ERM unit

[1070] herein). The microservices elastic load balancer

[1062] is used for maintaining the load balancing of the request for the services. The identity & access manager

[1064] is used for logging purposes. The command line interface (CLI)

[1066] is used to provide commands to execute certain processes which require changes during the run time. The central logging manager

[1068] is responsible for keeping the logs of every service. The logs are generated by the MANO architecture

[0100] , The logs are used for debugging purposes. The ERM unit

[1070] is responsible for routing the events i.e., the application programming interface (API) hits to the corresponding services.

[0050] The platform core services module

[0108] further comprises NFV infrastructure monitoring manager

[1082] ; an assure manager

[1084] ; a performance manager

[1086] ; a policy execution engine (PEEGN)

[1088] ; a capacity monitoring manager (CP)

[1090] ; a release management (mgmt.) repository

[1092] ; a configuration manager & Golden Configuration Template (GCT)

[1094] ; an NFV platform decision analytics

[1096] ; a platform NoSQL DB

[1098] ; a platform schedulers and cron jobs (PSC) service

[1100] ; a VNF backup & upgrade manager

[1102] ; a microservice auditor

[1104] ; and a platform operations, administration and maintenance manager

[1106] , The NFV infrastructure monitoring manager

[1082] monitors the infrastructure part of the NFs. For e.g., any metrics such as CPU utilization by the VNF. The assure manager

[1084] is responsible for supervising the alarms the vendor is generating. The performance manager

[1086] is responsible for manging the performance counters. The PEEGN

[1088] is responsible for creating and managing all the policies. In an example, the PEEGN

[1088] may be responsible for policies such as scaling policies, corrective policies, alarm policies, resource threshold policies, other examples may be like policies related to instantiation process, healing process and the like. The capacity monitoring manager (CP)

[1090] is responsible for sending the request to the PEEGN

[1088] , The capacity monitoring manager (CP)

[1090] is capable of monitoring usage of network resources such as but not limited to CPU utilization, RAM utilization and storage utilization across all the instances of the virtual infrastructure manager (VIM) or simply the NFV infrastructure monitoring manager

[1082] , The capacity monitoring manager (CP)

[1090] is also capable of monitoring said network resources for each instance of the VNF. The capacity monitoring manager (CP)

[1090] is responsible for constantly tracking the network resource utilization. The release management (mgmt.) repository

[1092] is responsible for managing the releases and the images of all the vendor network nodes. The configuration manager & GCT

[1094] manages the configuration and GCT of all the vendors. The NFV platform decision analytics

[1096] helps in deciding the priority of using the network resources. It is further noted that the PEEGN

[1088] ,the configuration manager & GCT

[1094] and the NFV platform decision analytics

[1096] work together. The platform NoSQL DB

[1098] is a database for storing all the inventory (both physical and logical) as well as the metadata of the VNFs and CNF. The platform schedulers and cron jobs (PSC) service

[1100] schedules the task such as but not limited to triggering of an event, traversing the network graph etc. The VNF backup & upgrade manager

[1102] takes backup of the images, binaries of the VNFs and the CNFs and produces those backups on demand in case of server failure. The microservice auditor

[1104] audits the microservices. For e.g., in a hypothetical case, instances not being instantiated by the MANO architecture

[0100] and using the network resources then the microservice auditor

[1104] audits and informs the same so that resources can be released for services running in the MANO architecture

[0100] , thereby assuring the services only run on the MANO architecture

[0100] , The platform operations, administration, and maintenance manager

[1106] is used for newer instances that are spawning.

[0051] The platform resource adapters and utilities module

[0112] further comprises a platform external API adaptor and gateway

[1122] ; a generic decoder and indexer (XML, CSV, JSON)

[1124] ; a docker service adaptor

[1126] ; an API adapter

[1128] ; and a NFV gateway

[1130] , The platform external API adaptor and gateway

[1122] is responsible for handling the external services (to the MANO architecture

[0100] ) that require the network resources. The generic decoder and indexer (XML, CSV, JSON)

[1124] directly gets the data of the vendor system in the XML, CSV, JSON format. The docker service adaptor

[1126] is the interface provided between the telecom cloud and the MANO architecture

[0100] for communication. The API adapter

[1128] is used to connect with the virtual machines (VMs). The NFV gateway

[1130] is responsible for providing the path to each service going to / incoming from the MANO architecture

[0100] ,

[0052] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a computing device

[0200] upon which the features of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. In an implementation, the computing device

[0200] may also implement a method for managing one or more services utilising the system

[0300] , In another implementation, the computing device

[0200] itself implements the method for managing one or more services using one or more units configured within the computing device

[0200] , wherein said one or more units are capable of implementing the features as disclosed in the present disclosure.

[0053] The computing device

[0200] may include a bus

[0202] or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and a hardware processor

[0204] coupled with bus

[0202] for processing information. The hardware processor

[0204] may be, for example, a general-purposemicroprocessor. The computing device

[0200] may also include a main memory

[0206] , such as a random-access memory (RAM), or other dynamic storage device, coupled to the bus

[0202] for storing information and instructions to be executed by the processor

[0204] , The main memory

[0206] also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of the instructions to be executed by the processor

[0204] , Such instructions, when stored in non-transitory storage media accessible to the processor

[0204] , render the computing device

[0200] into a special-purpose machine that is customized to perform the operations specified in the instructions. The computing device

[0200] further includes a read only memory (ROM)

[0208] or other static storage device coupled to the bus

[0202] for storing static information and instructions for the processor

[0204] ,

[0054] A storage device

[0210] , such as a magnetic disk, optical disk, or solid-state drive is provided and coupled to the bus

[0202] for storing information and instructions. The computing device

[0200] may be coupled via the bus

[0202] to a display

[0212] , such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), Liquid crystal Display (LCD), Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, Organic LED (OLED) display, etc. for displaying information to a computer user. An input device

[0214] , including alphanumeric and other keys, touch screen input means, etc. may be coupled to the bus

[0202] for communicating information and command selections to the processor

[0204] , Another type of user input device may be a cursor controller

[0216] , such as a mouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys, for communicating direction information and command selections to the processor

[0204] , and for controlling cursor movement on the display

[0212] , The input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes, a first axis (e.g., x) and a second axis (e.g., y), that allow the device to specify positions in a plane.

[0055] The computing device

[0200] may implement the techniques described herein using customized hard-wired logic, one or more ASICs or FPGAs, firmware and / or program logic which in combination with the computing device

[0200] causes or programs the computing device

[0200] to be a special-purpose machine. According to one implementation, the techniques herein are performed by the computing device

[0200] in response to the processor

[0204] executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in the main memory

[0206] , Such instructions may be read into the main memory

[0206] from another storage medium, such as the storage device

[0210] , Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in the main memory

[0206] causes the processor

[0204] to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative implementations of the present disclosure, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.

[0056] The computing device

[0200] also may include a communication interface

[0218] coupled to the bus

[0202] , The communication interface

[0218] provides a two-way data communication coupling to a network link

[0220] that is connected to a local network

[0222] , For example, the communication interface

[0218] may be an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card, cable modem, satellite modem, or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. As another example, the communication interface

[0218] may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN. Wireless links may also be implemented. In any such implementation, the communication interface

[0218] sends and receives electrical, electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information.

[0057] The computing device

[0200] can send messages and receive data, including program code, through the network(s), the network link

[0220] and the communication interface

[0218] , In the Internet example, a server

[0230] might transmit a requested code for an application program through the Internet

[0228] , the ISP

[0226] , the local network

[0222] , a host

[0224] and the communication interface

[0218] , The received code may be executed by the processor

[0204] as it is received, and / or stored in the storage device

[0210] , or other non-volatile storage for later execution.

[0058] The computing device

[0200] encompasses a wide range of electronic devices capable of processing data and performing computations. Examples of computing device

[0200] include, but are not limited only to, personal computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, servers, and embedded systems. The devices may operate independently or as part of a network and can perform a variety of tasks such as data storage, retrieval, and analysis. Additionally, computing device

[0200] may include peripheral devices, such as monitors, keyboards, and printers, as well as integrated components within larger electronic systems, showcasing their versatility in various technological applications.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary block diagram of a system

[0300] for managing one or more services, is shown, in accordance with the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. The system

[0300] comprises at least one data storage unit

[0302] , at least one processing unit

[0304] , and at least one interface

[0306] , Also, all of the components / units of the system

[0300] are assumed to be connected to each other unless otherwise indicated below. As shown in the figures all units shown within the system

[0300] should also be assumed to be connected to each other. Also, in FIG. 3 only a few units are shown, however, the system

[0300] may comprise multiplesuch units or the system

[0300] may comprise any such numbers of said units, as required to implement the features of the present disclosure. Further, in an implementation, the system

[0300] may be present in a user device / user equipment to implement the features of the present disclosure. The system

[0300] may be a part of the user device or may be independent of but in communication with the user device (may also referred herein as a UE). In another implementation, the system

[0300] may reside in a server or a network entity. In yet another implementation, the system

[0300] may reside partly in the server / network entity and partly in the user device.

[0060] The system

[0300] is configured for providing communication between a virtual network function life manager (VLM) and a policy execution engine (PEEGN), with the help of the interconnection between the components / units of the system

[0300] ,

[0061] The system

[0300] comprises a data storage unit

[0302] , The system further comprises a processing unit

[0304] connected with the data storage unit

[0302] , The processing unit

[0304] is configured to send, from a policy execution engine (PEEGN)

[1088] , an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM)

[1042] for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface

[0306] ,

[0062] The processing unit sends from the PEEGN

[1088] to the VLM

[1042] , the event trigger for performing one or more actions on the VNF. In one example, event triggers are sent when a specific event has occurred, for example if there is high CPU or random-access memory usage associated with Virtual Network Function (VNF) etc. In an exemplary aspect, when a specific event has occurred the network administrator inputs the event trigger using the interface for performing one or more actions in order to resolve the issues caused by the event.

[0063] In an exemplary aspect, the one or more services comprises at least: the virtual network function life manager (VLM)

[1042] , and the PEEGN

[1088] ,

[0064] As used herein, the VNF lifecycle manager

[1042] is responsible for determining on which server of the communication network the microservice will be instantiated. The VNF lifecycle manager

[1042] will manage the overall flow of incoming / outgoing requests during interaction with the user.

[0065] As used herein, the PEEGN

[1088] is responsible for managing all the policies associated with VNF.

[0066] In an exemplary aspect, the one or more actions comprises at least one of: scaling of the VNF, healing of the VNF, and termination of the VNF.

[0067] In one example, scaling of the VNF means adjusting the resources allocated to a VNF. The resources may include such as but not limited only to CPU, RAM, storage, etc.

[0068] In an exemplary aspect, the scaling of the VNF corresponds to optimizing utilization of one or more resources for the VNF, wherein the scaling comprises scale-in action and scale-out action for the VNF.

[0069] In an exemplary aspect, the scaling includes scale-in action for the VNF which refers to the action of reducing the number of resources, such as CPU, memory, or storage, allocated to the VNF, if there decrease in demand or workload.

[0070] Similarly, the scaling includes scale-out action for the VNF which refers to the action of increasing the number of resources such as CPU, memory, or storage, allocated to the VNF, in order to handle increased demand for the VNF.

[0071] In an exemplary aspect, the resources may be associated with VNF itself. In another example, resources may be associated with virtual network function components (VNFC) / containerized network function (CNF) / containerized network function components (CNFC) and further for each of them CPU, memory or storage can be reduced using scale-in action and enhanced using scale-out action.

[0072] In an exemplary aspect, the healing of the VNF corresponds to restoring of a failed VNF based on one or more healing policies.

[0073] In an exemplary aspect, healing of VNF means to automatically recovering or restoring virtual network function (VNF) when it encounters issues or failures in order to restore normal operations quickly and minimize downtime or performance degradation.

[0074] In an exemplary aspect, a fault tolerance for any event failure, the interface

[0306] works in a high availability mode and if one policy execution engine (PEEGN)

[1088] instance went down during request processing then next available instance will take care of the request.

[0075] In an exemplary aspect, to perform the healing of the VNF, the processing unit

[0304] is further configured to transmit, by the PEEGN

[1088] , one or more healing policies to the VLM

[1042] to one of: restart or migrate a VNF instance to a host upon sending the event trigger for healing the VNF.

[0076] The processing unit

[0304] transmits one or more healing policies to the VLM

[1042] to either restart or migrate the VNF Instance to host upon sending the event trigger for healing the VNF. In one example, restarting involves starting the failed VNF instance again. In another example, migrating or switching the VNF instance involves shifting the VNF instance from one host to another e.g., from an overloaded server to a less utilized one to balance the load and improve the overall performance of the system

[0300] ,

[0077] The processing unit

[0304] is further configured to send, from the PEEGN

[1088] , an update instance status event to the VLM

[1042] for the healing.

[0078] Upon receiving the healing policies from the PEEGN, the processing unit

[0304] sends the update instance status event for the healing from the PEEGN

[1088] to the VLM

[1042] ,

[0079] In an exemplary aspect, for the termination of the VNF, the processing unit

[0304] is further configured to send, from the VLM

[1042] , a free VNF resource event to the PEEGN

[1088] to unreserve one or more resources at a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM)

[1050] ,

[0080] In an exemplary aspect, if a VNF is to be terminated, the processing unit

[0304] sends from the VLM

[1042] to the PEEGN

[1088] , the free VNF resource event suggesting that the VNF is not in use and thus there is the need to unreserve the resources that were allocated to it.

[0081] In an exemplary aspect, the processing unit

[0304] is further configured to send, from the PEEGN

[1088] , a free allocated resource event to the PVIM

[1050] for requesting the one or more resources from an allocation pool to a free pool related to the VNF.

[0082] On receiving the free VNF resource event at the PEEGN

[1088] , the processing unit

[0304] further sends from the PEEGN

[1088] to the PVIM

[1050] the free allocated resource event for releasing resources that were previously allocated to a VNF in order to be terminated. In an exemplary aspect, the free allocated resource event suggests that certain resources such as but notlimited to CPU, RAM, storage etc. that were dedicated to the VNF are no longer needed, needs to be moved from an allocation pool i.e. the VNF instances where resources are currently assigned to active services to a free pool are readily available as and when required.

[0083] In an exemplary aspect, the processing unit

[0304] is further configured to receive, at the PEEGN

[1088] , from the PVIM

[1050] , an event acknowledgment to the PEEGN

[1088] after releasing the one or more resources for the VNF.

[0084] On receiving the free allocated resource event at the PVIM

[1050] and releasing the one or more resources for the VNF, the processing unit [304 receives from the PVIM

[1050] at the PEEGN

[1088] , an event acknowledgement confirming that the resources have been successfully released and are readily available as and when required for the other VNF instances.

[0085] In an exemplary aspect, the processing unit

[0304] is further configured to send, from the PEEGN

[1088] , a response back to the VLM

[1042] , upon receiving the event acknowledgement from the PVIM

[1050] ,

[0086] On receiving the event acknowledgement at PEEGN

[1088] from the PVIM

[1050] , the processing unit

[0304] sends the response back to the VLM

[1042] indicating that the termination process is complete and that the resources have been freed.

[0087] In one example, the termination further involves migrating or switching the VNF instance involves shifting the VNF instance from one host to another e.g., from an overloaded server to a less utilized one to balance the load and improve the overall performance of the system

[0300] ,

[0088] In an exemplary aspect, the interface is a PE VN interface wherein, PE VN interface is used when the one or more actions on the VNF are being performed.

[0089] In one example, PE VN interface acts as a communication bridge between VLM

[1042] and PEEGN

[1088] where one or more actions on the VNF are performed.

[0090] In an exemplary aspect, the PE VN interface uses async event-based implementation to utilize interface efficiently using HTTP based request which includes such as but not limited to JSON / XML type to carry information via HTTP.

[0091] Furthermore, the PEEGN

[1088] and VLM

[1042] are communicatively coupled using PE VN interface. The PE VN interface can comprise at least one of HTTP and web-socket based connections. In an embodiment, the PE VN interface is configured to facilitate exchange of information using hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) rest application programming interface (API). In an embodiment, the HTTP rest API is used in conjunction with JSON and / or XML communication media. In another embodiment, the PE VN interface is configured to facilitate exchange of information by establishing a web-socket connection between the PEEGN

[1088] , and the VLM

[1042] , A web-socket connection may involve establishing a persistent connectivity between the PEEGN

[1088] , and the VLM

[1042] , An example of the web-socket based communication includes, without limitation, a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection. In such a connection, information, such as operational status, health, etc. of different components may be exchanged through the interface using a ping-pong based communication.

[0092] The processing unit

[0304] is further configured to receive, at the PEEGN

[1088] , from the VLM

[1042] , an event acknowledgement as a response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF.

[0093] The processing unit

[0304] receives, at the PEEGN

[1088] , from the VLM

[1042] the event acknowledgement as the response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF. In an exemplary aspect, the acknowledgment serves as feedback that requested actions on the VNF have been successfully completed.

[0094] The processing unit

[0304] is further configured to store, at the data storage unit

[0302] , data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment.

[0095] The processing unit

[0304] stores data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment at the data storage unit

[0302] for troubleshooting any event that may arise in the future for quick resolution.

[0096] The processing unit

[0304] is further configured to send, from the PEEGN

[1088] , a response associated with the event trigger to a NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA)

[1096] ,

[0097] The processing unit

[0304] send the response associated with the event trigger from the PEEGN

[1088] to NPDA

[1096] for performing one or more actions specifically actions related to scaling and healing.

[0098] In an exemplary aspect, all the requests and responses are in JSON format using REST API.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary method flow diagram

[0400] for managing one or more services, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure is shown. In an implementation the method

[0400] is performed by the system

[0300] , Further, in an implementation, the system

[0300] may be present in a server device to implement the features of the present disclosure. Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the method

[0400] starts at step

[0402] ,

[0100] At step 404, the method

[0400] comprises sending, by the processing unit

[0304] from a policy execution engine (PEEGN)

[1088] , an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM)

[1042] for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface

[0306] ,

[0101] The processing unit sends from the PEEGN

[1088] to the VLM

[1042] , the event trigger for performing one or more actions on the VNF. In one example, event triggers are sent when a specific event has occurred, for example if there is high CPU or random-access memory usage associated with Virtual Network Function (VNF) etc. In an exemplary aspect, when a specific event has occurred the network administrator inputs the event trigger using the interface for performing one or more actions in order to resolve the issues caused by the event.

[0102] In an exemplary aspect, the one or more services comprises at least: the virtual network function life manager (VLM)

[1042] , and the PEEGN

[1088] ,

[0103] As used herein, the VNF lifecycle manager

[1042] is responsible for determining on which server of the communication network the microservice will be instantiated. The VNF lifecycle manager

[1042] will manage the overall flow of incoming / outgoing requests during interaction with the user.

[0104] As used herein, the PEEGN

[1088] is responsible for managing all the policies associated with VNF.

[0105] In an exemplary aspect, the one or more actions comprises at least one of: scaling of the VNF, healing of the VNF, and termination of the VNF.

[0106] In one example, scaling of the VNF means adjusting the resources allocated to the VNF. The resources may include such as but not limited only to CPU, RAM, storage, etc.

[0107] In an exemplary aspect, the scaling of the VNF corresponds to optimizing utilization of one or more resources for the VNF, wherein the scaling comprises scale-in action and scale-out action for the VNF.

[0108] In an exemplary aspect, the scaling includes scale-in action for the VNF which refers to the action of reducing the number of resources, such as CPU, memory, or storage, allocated to the VNF, if there decrease in demand or workload.

[0109] Similarly, the scaling includes scale-out action for the VNF which refers to the action of increasing the number of resources such as CPU, memory, or storage, allocated to the VNF, in order to handle increased demand for the VNF.

[0110] In an exemplary aspect, the resources may be associated with VNF itself. In another example, resources may be associated with virtual network function components (VNFC) / containerized network function (CNF) / containerized network function components (CNFC) and further for each of them CPU, memory or storage can be enhanced using scale-in action and reduced using scale-out action.[OHl] In an exemplary aspect, the healing of the VNF corresponds to restoring of a failed VNF based on one or more healing policies.

[0112] In an exemplary aspect, healing of VNF means to automatically recovering or restoring virtual network function (VNF) when it encounters issues or failures in order to restore normal operations quickly and minimize downtime or performance degradation.

[0113] In an exemplary aspect, a fault tolerance for any event failure, the interface

[0306] works in a high availability mode and if one policy execution engine (PEEGN)

[1088] instance went down during request processing then next available instance will take care of the request.

[0114] In an exemplary aspect, for the healing of the VNF, the method further comprises transmitting, by the PEEGN

[1088] , one or more healing policies to the VLM

[1042] to one of: restart or migrate a VNF instance to a host upon sending the event trigger for healing the VNF.

[0115] The processing unit

[0304] transmits one or more healing policies to the VLM

[1042] to either restart or migrate the VNF Instance to host upon sending the event trigger for healing the VNF. In one example, restarting involves starting the failed VNF instance again. In another example, migrating the VNF instance involves shifting the VNF instance from one host to another e.g., from an overloaded server to a less utilized one to balance the load and improve the overall performance of the system

[0300] ,

[0116] The method further comprises sending, from the PEEGN, an update instance status event to the VLM for healing.

[0117] Upon receiving the healing policies from the PEEGN, the processing unit

[0304] sends the update instance status event for the healing from the PEEGN

[1088] to the VLM

[1042] ,

[0118] In an exemplary aspect, for the termination of the VNF, the method

[0400] further comprises sending, from the VLM

[1042] , a free VNF resource event to the PEEGN

[1088] to unreserve one or more resources at a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM)

[1050] ,

[0119] In an exemplary aspect, if a VNF is to be terminated, the processing unit

[0304] sends from the VLM

[1042] to the PEEGN

[1088] , the free VNF resource event suggesting that the VNF is not in use and thus there is the need to unreserve the resources that were allocated to it.

[0120] The method

[0400] further comprises sending, from the PEEGN

[1088] , a free allocated resource event to the PVIM

[1050] for requesting the one or more resources from an allocation pool to a free pool related to the VNF.

[0121] On receiving the free VNF resource event at the PEEGN

[1088] , the processing unit

[0304] further sends from the PEEGN

[1088] to the PVIM

[1050] the free allocated resource event for releasing resources that were previously allocated to a VNF in order to be terminated. In an exemplary aspect, the free allocated resource event suggests that certain resources such as but not limited to CPU, RAM, storage etc. that were dedicated to the VNF are no longer needed, needs tobe moved from an allocation pool i.e. the VNF instances where resources are currently assigned to active services to a free pool are readily available as and when required.

[0122] The method

[0400] further comprises receiving, at the PEEGN

[1088] , from the PVIM

[1050] , an event acknowledgment, after releasing the one or more resources for the VNF.

[0123] On receiving the free allocated resource event at the PVIM

[1050] and releasing the one or more resources for the VNF, the processing unit

[0304] receives from the PVIM

[1050] at the PEEGN

[1088] , an event acknowledgement confirming that the resources have been successfully released and are readily available as and when required for the other VNF instances.

[0124] The method

[0400] further comprises sending, from the PEEGN

[1088] , a response back to the VLM

[1042] , upon receiving the event acknowledgement from the PVIM

[1050] ,

[0125] On receiving the event acknowledgement at PEEGN

[1088] from the PVIM

[1050] , the processing unit

[0304] sends the response back to the VLM

[1042] indicating that the termination process is complete and that the resources have been freed.

[0126] In one example, the termination further involves migrating or switching the VNF instance involves shifting the VNF instance from one host to another e.g., from an overloaded server to a less utilized one to balance the load and improve the overall performance of the system

[0300] ,

[0127] On receiving the event acknowledgement at PEEGN

[1088] from the PVIM

[1050] , the processing unit

[0304] sends the response back to the VLM

[1042] indicating that the termination process is complete and that the resources have been freed.

[0128] In an exemplary aspect, the interface is a PE VN interface. The PE VN interface is used when the one or more actions on the VNF are being performed.

[0129] In one example, the PE VN interface acts as a communication bridge between VLM

[1042] and PEEGN

[1088] where one or more actions on the VNF are performed. In addition, the PE VN interface uses async event-based implementation to utilize interface efficiently using HTTP based request which includes such as but not limited to JSON / XML type to carry information via HTTP.

[0130] Furthermore, the PEEGN

[1088] and VLM

[1042] are communicatively coupled using PE VN interface. The PE VN interface can comprise at least one of HTTP and web-socket based connections. In an embodiment, the PE VN interface is configured to facilitate exchange of information using hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) rest application programming interface (API). In an embodiment, the HTTP rest API is used in conjunction with JSON and / or XML communication media. In another embodiment, the PE VN interface is configured to facilitate exchange of information by establishing a web-socket connection between the PEEGN

[1088] , and the VLM

[1042] , A web-socket connection may involve establishing a persistent connectivity between the PEEGN

[1088] , and the VLM

[1042] , An example of the web-socket based communication includes, without limitation, a transmission control protocol (TCP) connection. In such a connection, information, such as operational status, health, etc. of different components may be exchanged through the interface using a ping-pong-based communication.

[0131] At step

[0406] , the method

[0400] further comprises receiving, by the processing unit

[0304] at the PEEGN

[1088] , from the VLM

[1042] , an event acknowledgement as a response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF.

[0132] The processing unit

[0304] receives, at the PEEGN

[1088] , from the VLM

[1042] the event acknowledgement as the response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF. In an exemplary aspect, the acknowledgment serves as feedback that requested actions on the VNF have been successfully completed.

[0133] At step

[0408] , the method

[0400] further comprises storing, by the processing unit

[0304] at a data storage unit

[0302] , data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment.

[0134] The processing unit

[0304] stores data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment at the data storage unit

[0302] for troubleshooting any event that may arise in the future for quick resolution.

[0135] At step

[0410] , the method

[0400] further comprises sending, by the processing unit

[0304] from the PEEGN, a response associated with the event trigger to a NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA)

[1096] ,

[0136] The processing unit

[0304] send the response associated with the event trigger from the PEEGN

[1088] to NPDA

[1096] for performing one or more actions specifically actions related to scaling and healing.

[0137] In an exemplary aspect, all the requests and responses are in JSON format using REST APT

[0138] At step

[0412] , the method

[0400] terminates.

[0139] Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary block diagram of a system architecture

[0500] for managing one or more services, is shown, in accordance with the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0140] The system architecture

[0500] comprises a PEEGN

[1088] provided to send an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM)

[1042] for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface

[0306] , In an exemplary aspect, the one or more actions comprises at least one of: scaling of the VNF, healing of the VNF, and termination of the VNF.

[0141] The VLM

[1042] send the response to the PEEGN

[1088] an event acknowledgement as a response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF.

[0142] The system architecture

[0500] further comprises the database (also referred to herein as the data storage unit

[0302] ) provided to store data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment for troubleshooting any event that may arise in the future for quick resolution.

[0143] The PEEGN

[1088] further send a response back associated with the event trigger to VLM

[1042] which further sends it to the NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA)

[1096] for performing one or more actions specifically actions related to scaling and healing.

[0144] Referring to FIG. 6, an exemplary process flow diagram

[0600] for managing one or more services for the termination of the VNF.

[0145] At step SI, the process

[0600] comprises sending, from VLM

[1042] , the free VNF resource event to the PEEGN

[1088] to unreserve or free one or more resources at a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM)

[1050] in case of termination of the VNF.

[0146] At step S2, the process

[0600] further comprises sending, from the PEEGN

[1088] , a free allocated resource event to the PVIM

[1050] for requesting the one or more resources from an allocation pool to a free pool related to the VNF.

[0147] At step S3, the process

[0600] further comprises receiving, from the PVIM

[1050] , the event acknowledgment response after releasing the one or more resources for the VNF at the PEEGN

[1088] ,

[0148] At step S4, upon receiving the event acknowledgement from the PVIM

[1050] , the process

[0600] further comprises sending, from the PEEGN

[1088] , a response back to the VLM

[1042] ,

[0149] Referring to FIG. 7, an exemplary process flow diagram

[0400] for managing one or more services, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure is shown. Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the process

[0700] starts at step

[0702] ,

[0150] At step

[0704] , the process

[0700] comprises performing one or more actions such as healing and scaling action on the resources associated with the VNF. In an exemplary aspect, PE VN interface is provided which acts as a communication bridge between VLM

[1042] and PEEGN

[1088] where one or more actions on the VNF are performed.

[0151] At step

[0706] , for this PEEGN

[1088] the process

[0700] comprises sending an event trigger in the form of TRIGGER VNF SCALING / TRIGGER VNFC SCALING to VLM for scaling VNF / VNFC.

[0152] Furthermore, the process

[0700] comprises updating VNF instance by imputing a command in the form of UPDATE VNF INSTANCE STATUS for healing VNF.

[0153] At step

[0708] , the process

[0700] comprises sending by the VLM

[1042] send event ack as response to PEEGN

[1088] after scale or heal the VNF.

[0154] At step

[0710] , the process

[0700] comprises storing by the PEEGN

[1088] the details / data in its Database (DB) (data storage unit

[0302] ) and further sending scaling response to NPDA

[1096] ,

[0155] At step

[0712] , the process

[0700] terminates.

[0156] The present disclosure further discloses a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions for managing one or more services, the instructions include executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system, causes: a processing unit to send, from a policy execution engine (PEEGN), an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM) for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface. The executable code when executed further causes the processing unit to receive, at the PEEGN, from the VLM, an event acknowledgement as a response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF. The executable code when executed further causes the processing unit to store, at the data storage unit, data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment. The executable code when executed further causes the processing unit to send, from the PEEGN, a response associated with the event trigger to a NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA).

[0157] As is evident from the above, the present disclosure provides a technically advanced solution for managing one or more service. The present invention provides a solution for enabling the PEEGN to send VNF / VNFC scaling request to the VLM at run time using PE_VN interface between the PEEGN and the VLM after successfully reserving resources at the PVIM. Furthermore, the present invention provides a solution for enabling the PEEGN to 1) send VNF healing event to the VLM, and 2) instructing the VLM to do required action(s) for the VNF based on a healing policy. Furthermore, the present invention provides a solution for decreasing time consumption at the PEEGN while performing certain operations by providing direct communication with the VLM at a run time. Furthermore, the present invention provides a solution for deleting VNF resources at the PVIM side which was instructed by the PEEGN micro service during termination of VNF instance on cloud infrastructure (VIM).

[0158] Further, in accordance with the present disclosure, it is to be acknowledged that the functionality described for the various components / units can be implemented interchangeably. While specific embodiments may disclose a particular functionality of these units for clarity, it is recognized that various configurations and combinations thereof are within the scope of thedisclosure. The functionality of specific units as disclosed in the disclosure should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Consequently, alternative arrangements and substitutions of units, provided they achieve the intended functionality described herein, are considered to be encompassed within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0159] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the disclosed implementations, it will be appreciated that many implementations can be made and that many changes can be made to the implementations without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. These and other changes in the implementations of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, whereby it is to be understood that the foregoing descriptive matter to be implemented is illustrative and non-limiting.

Claims

We claim:

1. A method for managing one or more services, the method comprises: sending, by a processing unit [304] from a policy execution engine (PEEGN) [1088], an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM) [1042] for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface [306];- receiving, by the processing unit [304] at the PEEGN [1088], from the VLM [1042], an event acknowledgement as a response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF; storing, by the processing unit [304] at a data storage unit [302], data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment; and sending, by the processing unit [304] from the PEEGN [1088], a response associated with the event trigger to a NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA) [1096],2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more services comprises at least: the virtual network function life manager (VLM) [1042], and the PEEGN [1088],3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more actions comprises at least one of: scaling of the VNF, healing of the VNF, and termination of the VNF.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the interface is a PE VN interface wherein, PE VN interface is used when the one or more actions on the VNF are being performed.

5. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the healing of the VNF corresponds to restoring of a failed VNF based on one or more healing policies.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein, for the healing of the VNF, the method further comprises:- transmitting, by the PEEGN [1088], one or more healing policies to the VLM [1042] to one of: restart or migrate a VNF instance to a host upon sending the event trigger for healing the VNF; and sending, from the PEEGN [1088], an update instance status event to the VLM [1042] for healing.

7. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the scaling of the VNF corresponds to optimizing utilization of one or more resources for the VNF, wherein the scaling comprises scalein action and scale-out action for the VNF.

8. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein for the termination of the VNF, the method further comprises:- sending, from the VLM [1042], a free VNF resource event to the PEEGN [1088] to unreserve one or more resources at a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM) [1050];- sending, from the PEEGN [1088], a free allocated resource event to the PVIM [1050] for requesting the one or more resources from an allocation pool to a free pool related to the VNF;- receiving, at the PEEGN [1088], from the PVIM [1050], an event acknowledgment, after releasing the one or more resources for the VNF; and sending, from the PEEGN [1088], a response back to the VLM [1042], upon receiving the event acknowledgement from the PVIM [1050],9. A system for managing one or more services, the system comprises: a data storage unit [302]; and a processing unit [304] connected with the data storage unit [302], wherein the processing unit [304] is configured to: send, from a policy execution engine (PEEGN) [1088], an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM) [1042] for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface; receive, at the PEEGN [1088], from the VLM [1042], an event acknowledgement as a response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF; store, at the data storage unit [302], data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment; and send, from the PEEGN [1088], a response associated with the event trigger to a NFV Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA) [1096],10. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the one or more services comprises at least: the virtual network function life manager (VLM) [1042], and the PEEGN [1088],11. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the one or more actions comprises at least one of: scaling of the VNF, healing of the VNF, and termination of the VNF.

12. The system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the interface is a PE VN interface, wherein the PE VN interface is used when the one or more actions on the VNF are being performed.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the healing of the VNF corresponds to restoring of a failed VNF based on one or more healing policies.

14. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein, to perform the healing of the VNF, the processing unit [304] is further configured to:- transmit, by the PEEGN [1088], one or more healing policies to the VLM [1042] to one of: restart or migrate a VNF instance to a host upon sending the event trigger for the healing the VNF; and send, from the PEEGN [1088], an update instance status event to the VLM [1042] for the healing.

15. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the scaling of the VNF corresponds to optimizing utilization of one or more resources for the VNF, wherein the scaling comprises scalein action and scale-out action for the VNF.

16. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein for the termination of the VNF, the processing unit is further configured to:- send, from the VLM [1042], a free VNF resource event to the PEEGN [1088] to unreserve one or more resources at a physical and virtual inventory manager (PVIM) [1050] in case of termination of the VNF;- send, from the PEEGN [1088], a free allocated resource event to the PVIM [1050] for requesting the one or more resources from an allocation pool to a free pool related to the VNF;- receive, at the PEEGN [1088], from the PVIM [1050], an event acknowledgment to the PEEGN after releasing the one or more resources for the VNF; and send, from the PEEGN [1088], a response back to the VLM [1042], upon receiving the event acknowledgement from the PVIM.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instruction for managing one or more services comprising executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system, causes: a processing unit to: - send, from a policy execution engine (PEEGN), an event trigger to a virtual network function lifecycle manager (VLM) for performing one or more actions on a virtual network function (VNF) through an interface;- receive, at the PEEGN, from the VLM, an event acknowledgement as a response after performing the one or more actions on the VNF; - store, at the data storage unit, data related to the event trigger and event acknowledgment; and- send, from the PEEGN, a response associated with the event trigger to a NF V Platform Decision Analytics (NPDA).

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