Method and system for service continuity of a network node

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for service continuity of a network node The present disclosure encompasses monitoring, by a monitoring unit [302], a health status of one or more processes [408] running inside a container [402] that is spawned using an image. A transceiver unit [304] receives a health indication regarding the one or more processes [408] running inside the container [402]. Then a high availability module [306] spawns a new process or restarts a process based on a restart policy stored within a configuration module [310] that stores container data, configuration related to processes and state data of the one or more processes [408]. The present disclosure further encompasses restarting, by a restarting unit [308], one or more supporting services [406] in the image of the container [402].

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SERVICE CONTINUITY OF A NETWORK NODEFIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to network service management systems. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and systems for service continuity of a network node.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 an admission of the prior art.

[0003] Wireless communication technology has rapidly evolved over the past few decades, with each generation bringing significant improvements and advancements. The first-generation of wireless communication technology was based on analog technology and offered only voice services. However, with the advent of the second-generation (2G) technology, digital communication and data services became possible, and text messaging was introduced. The third- generation (3G) technology marked the introduction of high-speed internet access, mobile video calling, and location-based services. The fourth-generation (4G) technology revolutionized wireless communication with faster data speeds, better network coverage, and improved security. Currently, the fifth-generation (5G) technology is being deployed, promising even faster data speeds, low latency, and the ability to connect multiple devices simultaneously. With each generation, wireless communication technology has become more advanced, sophisticated, and capable of delivering more services to its users.

[0004] The existing wireless communication systems may use containerized microservice architecture for providing services to the users. In a standard container network function (CNF), or the nodes in containerized architecture, a microservice or a process is running inside the container.

[0005] In the event of microservice failure / crash, service continuity may be provided by spawning a new container and / or restarting a new container. As would be understood, the spawning of the new container not only takes additional resources, but also requires additional time in restoration of the service provided by the microservice. In another option for restoring the service, the restarting of the container may be performed, however, due to bad health of the container due to certain ongoing issues, the process may be terminated within the container, and the container may keep crashing again causing to form a loop of crash and restart. Also, the supporting services which may support the process may also be restarted causing further issues. This required container restart time which may be considerably higher and may result in significant degradation in the quality of services. Thus, the solution for spawning a new process may be considered to be better than restarting the container, since the restart may take longer due to allocation of hardware and software issues. However, in cases of the spawning of the new process no allocation of resources is required, which may be done in a few seconds. For example, for images which are heavy sized, the container restart may even take a significant period of time which may be in seconds.

[0006] Telecommunication applications may not be able to afford this large amount of time for container restart. Since, during such procedure, there may be a downtime of the services which may not be acceptable due significant degradation in the overall quality of service. Also, any supporting service / process running inside the container also needs to be restarted on container restart which creates an additional burden of handling this specific case.

[0007] Thus, there exists an imperative need in the art to provide a method and a system for providing service continuity during microservice failure, which the present disclosure aims to address.SUMMARY

[0008] 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.

[0009] An aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a method for service continuity of a network node. The method comprises monitoring, by a monitoring unit, a health status of one or more processes running inside a container, wherein the container being spawned using an image of the container. The method further comprises receiving, by a transceiver unit, a health indicationregarding the one or more processes running inside the container. The method further comprises spawning, by a high availability module, a new process or restarting a process based on a restart policy stored within a configuration module, wherein the configuration module stores container data, configuration related to processes and state data of the one or more processes running inside the container. The method also comprises restarting, by a restarting unit, one or more supporting services in the image of the container.

[0010] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more supporting services are associated with the one or more processes running inside the container.

[0011] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the container is spawned using the image of the container.

[0012] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the receiving, by the transceiver unit, the image of the container comprises receiving the image of the container from a storage unit.

[0013] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the restarting, by the restarting unit, the one or more supporting services is based on an entry point.

[0014] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the restart policy is controlled by a configuration module.

[0015] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the restarting, by the restarting unit, the one or more supporting services based on an entry point running inside the container in an infinite loop.

[0016] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the method further comprises providing the service continuity in a containerized network function (CNF) environment.

[0017] In another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the network node is implemented as a microservice.

[0018] Another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a system for service continuity of a network node. The system comprises a monitoring unit, a transceiver unit, a high availability module, a configuration module, and a restarting module connected with each other. Themonitoring unit is configured to monitor a health status of one or more processes running inside a container, wherein the container being spawned using an image of the container. The transceiver unit is configured to receive a health indication regarding the one or more processes running inside the container. The high availability module is configured to spawn a new process or restarting a process based on the restart policy stored within a configuration module, wherein the configuration module stores container data, configuration related to processes and state data of the one or more processes running inside the container. The restarting unit is configured to restart one or more supporting services in the image of the container.

[0019] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure may relate to a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more instructions for service continuity of a network node, the one or more instructions include executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system, causes the one or more units to perform certain functions. The one or more instructions when executed causes a monitoring unit to monitor a health status of one or more processes running inside a container. The container being spawned using an image of the container. The one or more instructions when executed further causes a transceiver unit to receive a health indication regarding the one or more processes running inside the container. The one or more instructions when executed further causes a high availability module to spawn a new process or restarting a process based on the restart policy stored within a configuration module. The configuration module stores container data, configuration related to processes and state data of the one or more processes running inside the container. The one or more instructions when executed further causes a restarting unit to restart one or more supporting services in the image of the container.OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0020] Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment disclosed herein satisfies are listed herein below.

[0021] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for service continuity of a network node.

[0022] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a system and a method for providing service continuity during microservice failure which avoids container restart in an event of microservice malfunction.

[0023] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a solution that avoids the additional burden of managing supporting services inside the container.

[0024] It is yet another object of the present disclosure to provide a solution which does not require any support from the container for providing service continuity.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] 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 be construed 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.

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of 5thgeneration core (5GC) network architecture.

[0027] 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.

[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system for service continuity of a network node, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 4 illustrates a system architecture

[0400] used for service continuity of the network node, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a method flow diagram for service continuity of the network node, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure.

[0031] The foregoing shall be more apparent from the following more detailed description of the disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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 skills 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.

[0035] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", "primary", "secondary", "target" and the like, herein do not denote any order, ranking, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] As used herein the transceiver unit includes 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.

[0044] 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 of service continuity of a network node.

[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram representation of 5thgeneration core (5GC) network architecture, in accordance with exemplary implementation of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 1, the 5GC network architecture

[0100] includes a user equipment (UE)

[0102] , a radio access network (RAN)

[0104] , an access and mobility management function (AMF)

[0106] , a Session Management Function (SMF)

[0108] , a Service Communication Proxy (SCP)

[0110] , an Authentication Server Function (AUSF)

[0112] , a Network Slice Specific Authentication and Authorization Function (NSSAAF)

[0114] , a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF)

[0116] , a Network Exposure Function (NEF)

[0118] , a Network Repository Function (NRF)

[0120] , a PolicyControl Function (PCF)

[0122] , a Unified Data Management (UDM)

[0124] , an application function (AF)

[0126] , a User Plane Function (UPF)

[0128] , a data network (DN)

[0130] , 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.

[0046] Radio Access Network (RAN)

[0104] is the part of a mobile telecommunications system that connects user equipment (UE)

[0102] to the core network (CN) and provides access to different types of networks (e.g., 5G network). It consists of radio base stations and the radio access technologies that enable wireless communication.

[0047] Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)

[0106] is a 5G core network function responsible for managing access and mobility aspects, such as UE registration, connection, and reachability. It also handles mobility management procedures like handovers and paging.

[0048] Session Management Function (SMF)

[0108] is a 5G core network function responsible for managing session-related aspects, such as establishing, modifying, and releasing sessions. It coordinates with the User Plane Function (UPF) for data forwarding and handles IP address allocation and QoS enforcement.

[0049] Service Communication Proxy (SCP)

[0110] is a network function in the 5G core network that facilitates communication between other network functions by providing a secure and efficient messaging service. It acts as a mediator for service-based interfaces.

[0050] Authentication Server Function (AUSF)

[0112] is a network function in the 5G core responsible for authenticating UEs during registration and providing security services. It generates and verifies authentication vectors and tokens.

[0051] Network Slice Specific Authentication and Authorization Function (NSSAAF)

[0114] is a network function that provides authentication and authorization services specific to network slices. It ensures that UEs can access only the slices for which they are authorized.

[0052] Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF)

[0116] is a network function responsible for selecting the appropriate network slice for a UE based on factors such as subscription, requested services, and network policies.

[0053] Network Exposure Function (NEF)

[0118] is a network function that exposes capabilities and services of the 5G network to external applications, enabling integration with third-party services and applications.

[0054] Network Repository Function (NRF)

[0120] is a network function that acts as a central repository for information about available network functions and services. It facilitates the discovery and dynamic registration of network functions.

[0055] Policy Control Function (PCF)

[0122] is a network function responsible for policy control decisions, such as QoS, charging, and access control, based on subscriber information and network policies.

[0056] Unified Data Management (UDM)

[0124] is a network function that centralizes the management of subscriber data, including authentication, authorization, and subscription information.

[0057] Application Function (AF)

[0126] is a network function that represents external applications interfacing with the 5G core network to access network capabilities and services.

[0058] User Plane Function (UPF)

[0128] is a network function responsible for handling user data traffic, including packet routing, forwarding, and QoS enforcement.

[0059] Data Network (DN)

[0130] refers to a network that provides data services to user equipment (UE) in a telecommunications system. The data services may include but are not limited to Internet services, private data network related services.

[0060] 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 service continuity of the network node utilising the system

[0300] , In another implementation, the computing device

[0200] itself implements the method for service continuity of the network node 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.

[0061] The computing device

[0200] may include a bus

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

[0204] coupled with bus

[0202] for processing information. The processor

[0204] may be, for example, a general-purpose microprocessor. 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] ,

[0062] 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.

[0063] 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 ofthe present disclosure, hard-wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions.

[0064] 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.

[0065] 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.

[0066] Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary block diagram of a system

[0300] for service continuity of a network node, is shown, in accordance with the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. The system

[0300] may comprise at least one monitoring unit

[0302] , at least one transceiver unit

[0304] , at least one high availability module

[0306] , at least one restarting unit

[0308] , at least one configuration module

[0310] , and / or at least one storage unit

[0312] , 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 multiple such 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

[0102] to implement the features of the present disclosure. The system

[0300] may be a part of the user device

[0102] / or may be independent of but in communication with the user device

[0102] (may also referred herein as a UE). In another implementation, the system

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

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

[0067] Referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary block diagram of a system architecture

[0400] used for service continuity of the network node, is shown, in accordance with the exemplary implementations of the present disclosure. The system architecture

[0400] may comprise at least one container

[0402] , one or more entry points

[0404] , and / or the at least one high availability module

[0306] , Further, the container

[0402] using the one or more entry points

[0404] and the high availability module

[0306] may be used for one or more supporting services [406 A] [406B] (collectively referred to as one or more supporting services

[0406] herein), and one or more processes [408A] [408B] (collectively referred to as one or more processes

[0408] ). Also, all of the components / units of the system architecture

[0400] are assumed to be connected to each other unless otherwise indicated below. As shown in the figures all units shown within the system architecture

[0400] may also be assumed to be connected to each other. Also, in FIG. 4 only a few units are shown, however, the system architecture

[0400] may comprise multiple such units or the system architecture

[0400] may comprise any such numbers of said units, as required to implement the features of the present disclosure. Further, in an implementation, the system architecture

[0400] may be present in a user device / user equipment

[0102] to implement the features of the present disclosure. The system architecture

[0400] may be a part of the user device

[0102] / or may be independent of but in communication with the user device

[0102] (may also referred herein as a UE). In another implementation, the system architecture

[0400] may reside in a server or a network entity. In yet another implementation, the system architecture

[0400] may reside partly in the server / network entity and partly in the user device.

[0068] The system

[0300] is configured for service continuity of the network node, with the help of the interconnection between the components / units of the system

[0300] , Further, the system

[0300] is configured for service continuity of the network node, with the help of the interconnection between the system architecture

[0400] and its components / units. Accordingly, the FIG. 3 and FIG.4 are taken together for explanation / description of the present disclosure in the foregoing description.

[0069] As would be understood, the network node may refer to redistribution points or communication endpoints attached to a network that are capable of creating, receiving, or transmitting information. For example, the network nodes may be one or more network functions within the telecommunication network, the network nodes may for example, be responsible forproviding one or more services to a consumer. The consumer in such cases may be different UEs or network functions (NFs).

[0070] In an example, the network nodes may be running as a microservice in a container, where the container can have multiple services / processes running associated with different functionalities of the network functions. In such examples, the network node may be the AMF

[0106] or the SMF

[0108] , or the components performing the functions of the AMF

[0106] or the SMF

[0108] , In various implementations of the present disclosure, the network node may be implemented as a microservice. It may be noted that the container as shown in FIG. 4, only illustrates a container with entry point and the layout of the one or more processes running in the container

[0402] for illustration purposes, and may also contain other components / units as may be obvious to a person skilled in the art.

[0071] The entry points may refer to a set of executables for the container such as entry point scripts that may be used during the execution of the one or more processes and the one or more supporting services.

[0072] Further, service continuity may refer to a continuation of services provided by the network nodes without any interruption or issues. Due to various processes of the functionalities of the network nodes that are performed within the network node, different functionalities may be running within a microservices container. During the performance of a functionality of the NF, there may be various reasons which may cause interruption of services such as failure / crash of the microservice. Due to such failure / crash the container restart time may take various seconds for images with heavy size, which may cause significant degradation in the quality of service. Hence, the present solution ensures continuity of the services when the present solution is implemented, the procedure for which is described further below.

[0073] For ensuring service continuity of the network node, the monitoring unit

[0302] monitors the health status of one or more processes

[0408] running inside a container

[0402] , The container

[0402] may be spawned using an image of the container

[0402] , The health status may refer to a status or report indicating the presence or absence of any issues with the hardware or software components of the container or the one or more processes that are running within the container. The one or more processes may refer to the process for performing the functions of the network node. In an example, the one or more processes in case of NF being the AMF

[0106] may be such as a registration, mobility, authentication, accounting , etc. Further, as would be understood, incontainerized network architecture (i.e., the CNFs), the network functions are implemented to run within the containers, that may refer to a packaged software and hardware that are necessary to run the network function for example packaged applications, functions, microservices, etc. Further, the image may refer to an unchangeable, static file that includes executable code so it can run an isolated process on physical or virtual infrastructure. In another implementation of the present disclosure, the transceiver unit

[0304] may also receive the image of the container

[0402] from a storage unit

[0312] ,

[0074] After the health status is monitored, the transceiver unit

[0304] receives a health indication regarding the one or more processes

[0408] running inside the container

[0402] , The health indication may refer to an indication regarding the status such as a healthy status or an unhealthy status of the one or more processes

[0408] that may be running within the container.

[0075] The health indication and the health status may be used for determining whether the one or more processes running inside container are running healthily or not. Further, this monitoring of the health status and receiving of the health indication may enable taking a decision whether there is need for a restart of the one or more processes, or the one or more process is required to be started as a new process at a separate container for example. This helps in identifying whether there is an issue with the one or more processes or the one or more containers running the process. Also, in an example, the health status and the health indication may also be used for identification of the requirement of restarting of the one or more supporting services.

[0076] Continuing further, the high availability module

[0306] spawns a new process or restarting a process based on the restart policy stored within a configuration module

[0310] , The configuration module

[0310] stores container data, configuration related to processes and state data of the one or more processes

[0408] running inside the container

[0402] , The new process may refer to a separate process which may be initiated for performing the operations / functions of the network nodes. As would be understood, the restarting of the process based on the restart policy may refer to switching OFF and then switching ON of the process by ending the process and then running the same process again. The spawning of the new process or restarting of the process may lead to solving the issues caused due to crash or failure. When the new process is spawned and the process is restarted, the configuration module

[0310] stores the container data, the configuration related to the process, and the state data of the one or more processes

[0408] that are running inside the container. In an example, the container data may refer to information associated with the container which is running the one or more processes

[0408] , The configuration related to the process may refer to theone or more settings related to the performance of the one or more processes

[0408] , The state data may refer to the functioning of the one or more processes

[0408] , such as live, or dormant.

[0077] In an implementation of the present disclosure, the container

[0402] may be spawned using the image of the container

[0402] , In such implementations, the high availability module

[0306] may spawn the new process in a new container or the old container which may be determined based on the image of the container.

[0078] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the restart policy may be controlled by a configuration module

[0310] , The configuration module

[0310] may determine the restart policy and the form of execution of the restart policy. The restart policy may refer to a set of rules or guidelines for performing the restart of the containers

[0402] or the one or more processes within the container

[0402] , In an example, the restart policy may also be provided for the one or more supporting services

[0406] ,

[0079] After spawning of the new process and / or restarting the process, the restarting unit

[0308] restarts one or more supporting services

[0406] in the image of the container

[0402] , The one or more supporting services

[0406] may be restarted in order to cooperatively function with the one or more processes, the restart helps in coordination of the one or more supporting services

[0406] with the one or more processes.

[0080] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the high availability module

[0306] and the restarting unit

[0308] may simultaneously spawn the new process and restart the one or more supporting services. This helps in saving a lot of time which may be unnecessarily wasted in case of queueing the steps.

[0081] In one of the implementations of the present disclosure, the one or more supporting services

[0406] may be associated with the one or more processes

[0408] running inside the container

[0402] , In an example, the one or more supporting services

[0406] may refer to the one or more services that may be used along with the one or more processes such as for substituting the one or more processes or preferably for providing additional services along with the one or more processes. For example, the one or more supporting services

[0406] may be a cron service for scheduling jobs, and other supporting services such as SSH service, and a high availability service.

[0082] In an example, the restarting of a process or spawning of the new process may be that the high availability module

[0306] or the high availability service may utilize the health information for determining the issues such as determining if an instance of a process running within the container has been failed then the high availability service or the high availability module

[0306] may restart the same process in another container in the cluster which may be having the same process in a standby status. In another example, a new process may be directly initiated based on a failure of the container, and all of the services / process of the container has to be removed and then rejuvenated at another container. In such scenarios, the restarting unit

[0308] may terminate the existing one or more support services and may initiate the same in the image of another container.

[0083] In further implementations of the present disclosure, the restarting unit

[0308] is configured to restart the one or more supporting services

[0406] based on the entry point

[0404] , In certain exemplary implementations of the present disclosure, the restarting unit

[0308] may restart the one or more supporting services

[0406] based on the entry point

[0404] running inside the container

[0402] in an infinite loop.

[0084] In another exemplary implementation, the restarting unit

[0308] may provide the service continuity in a containerized Network Function (CNF) environment. As would be understood, the CNF environment may refer to an environment where the multiple NFs are performed based on the CNFs. In such cases, the restarting unit

[0308] using the other components of the system

[0300] and the system architecture

[0400] ensures the service continuity in the CNF environment.

[0085] In an implementation of the present disclosure, in case of the restarting of the one or more supporting services is required, then the one or more supporting services may be terminated. After the termination of the processes for the one or more supporting services, the one or more supporting services may be restarted with incorporation of additional desired changes. Such changes may be performed by a sysctl script or a mysysctl script that takes care to bring the one or more supporting services up with new desired changes. Further, in the present disclosure, the “sysctl script” or the “mysysctl script” may refer to the commands used in operating systems that may enables read operation and modify operation on the attributes of the system kernel such as its version number, maximum limits, and security settings and may act as a tool for examining and changing kernel parameters at runtime.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary method

[0500] flow diagram for service continuity of the network node, in accordance with exemplary implementations of the present disclosure is shown. In an implementation the method

[0500] 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. 5, the method

[0500] starts at step

[0502] ,

[0087] As would be understood, the network node may refer to redistribution points or communication endpoints attached to a network that are capable of creating, receiving, or transmitting information. For example, the network nodes may be one or more network functions within the telecommunication network, the network nodes may for example, be responsible for providing one or more services to a consumer. The consumer in such cases may be different UEs or network functions (NFs).

[0088] In an example, the network nodes may be running as a microservice in a container, where the container can have multiple services / processes running associated with different functionalities of the network functions. In such examples, the network node may be the AMF

[0106] or the SMF

[0108] , or the components performing the functions of the AMF

[0106] or the SMF

[0108] , In various implementations of the present disclosure, the network node may be implemented as a microservice.

[0089] The entry points may refer to a set of executables for the container such as entry point scripts that may be used during the execution of the one or more processes and the one or more supporting services.

[0090] Further, service continuity may refer to a continuation of services provided by the network nodes without any interruption or issues. Due to various processes of the functionalities of the network nodes that are performed within the network node, different functionalities may be running within a microservices container. During the performance of a functionality of the NF, there may be various reasons which may cause interruption of services such as failure / crash of the microservice. Due to such failure / crash the container restart time may take various seconds for images with heavy size, which may cause significant degradation in the quality of service. Hence, the present solution ensures continuity of the services when the present solution is implemented, the procedure for which is described further below.

[0091] At step

[0504] , the method

[0500] involves monitoring, by a monitoring unit

[0302] , the health status of one or more processes

[0408] running inside a container

[0402] , The container

[0402] being spawned using an image of the container

[0402] , The health status may refer to a status or report indicating the presence or absence of any issues with the hardware or software components of the container or the one or more processes that are running within the container. The one or more processes may refer to the process for performing the functions of the network node. In an example, the one or more processes in case of NF being the AMF

[0106] may be such as a registration, mobility, authentication, accounting , etc. Further, as would be understood, in containerized network architecture (i.e., the CNFs), the network functions are implemented to run within the containers, that may refer to a packaged software and hardware that are necessary to run the network function for example packaged applications, functions, microservices, etc. Further, the image may refer to an unchangeable, static file that includes executable code so it can run an isolated process on physical or virtual infrastructure.

[0092] In another implementation of the present disclosure, the method

[0500] also involves receiving by the transceiver unit

[0304] , the image of the container

[0402] from a storage unit

[0312] ,

[0093] Then at step

[0506] , the method

[0500] involves receiving, by a transceiver unit

[0304] , a health indication regarding the one or more processes

[0408] running inside the container

[0402] , The health indication may refer to an indication regarding the status such as a healthy status or an unhealthy status of the one or more processes

[0408] that may be running within the container.

[0094] The health indication and the health status may be used for determining whether the one or more processes running inside container are running healthily or not. Further, this monitoring of the health status and receiving of the health indication may enable taking a decision whether there is need for a restart of the one or more processes, or the one or more process is required to be started as a new process at a separate container for example. This helps in identifying whether there is an issue with the one or more processes or the one or more containers running the process. Also, in an example, the health status and the health indication may also be used for identification of the requirement of restarting of the one or more supporting services.

[0095] Then at step

[0508] , the method

[0500] involves spawning, by a high availability module

[0306] , a new process or restarting a process based on a restart policy stored within a configuration module

[0310] , The configuration module

[0310] stores container data, configuration related to processes and state data of the one or more processes

[0408] running inside the container

[0402] , Thenew process may refer to a separate process which may be initiated for performing the operations / functions of the network nodes. As would be understood, the restarting of the process based on the restart policy may refer to switching OFF and then switching ON of the process by ending the process and then running the same process again. The spawning of the new process or restarting of the process may lead to solving the issues caused due to crash or failure. When the new process is spawned and the process is restarted, the configuration module

[0310] stores the container data, the configuration related to the process, and the state data of the one or more processes

[0408] that are running inside the container. In an example, the container data may refer to information associated with the container which is running the one or more processes

[0408] , The configuration related to the process may refer to the one or more settings related to the performance of the one or more processes

[0408] , The state data may refer to the functioning of the one or more processes

[0408] , such as live, or dormant.

[0096] In an implementation of the present disclosure, the container

[0402] may be spawned using the image of the container

[0402] , In such implementations, the high availability module

[0306] may spawn the new process in a new container or the old container which may be determined based on the image of the container.

[0097] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the restart policy may be controlled by a configuration module

[0310] , The configuration module

[0310] may determine the restart policy and the form of execution of the restart policy. The restart policy may refer to a set of rules or guidelines for performing the restart of the containers

[0402] or the one or more processes within the container

[0402] , In an example, the restart policy may also be provided for the one or more supporting services

[0406] ,

[0098] Then at step

[0510] , the method

[0500] involves restarting, by a restarting unit

[0308] , one or more supporting services

[0406] in the image of the container

[0402] , The one or more supporting services

[0406] may be restarted in order to cooperatively function with the one or more processes, the restart helps in coordination of the one or more supporting services

[0406] with the one or more processes.

[0099] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, the high availability module

[0306] and the restarting unit

[0308] may simultaneously spawn the new process and restart the one or more supporting services, this helps in saving a lot of time which may be unnecessarily wasted in case of queueing the steps.

[0100] In one of the implementations of the present disclosure, the one or more supporting services

[0406] may be associated with the one or more processes

[0408] running inside the container

[0402] , In an example, the one or more supporting services

[0406] may refer to the one or more services that may be used along with the one or more processes such as for substituting the one or more processes or preferably for providing additional services along with the one or more processes. For example, the one or more supporting services may be a cron service for scheduling jobs, and other supporting services such as SSH service, and a high availability service.

[0101] In an example, the restarting of a process or spawning of the new process may be that the high availability module

[0306] or the high availability service may utilize the health information for determining the issues such as determining if an instance of a process running within the container has been failed then the high availability service or the high availability module

[0306] may restart the same process in another container in the cluster which may be having the same process in a standby status. In another example, a new process may be directly initiated based on a failure of the container, and all of the services / process of the container has to be removed and then rejuvenated at another container. In such scenarios, the restarting unit

[0308] may terminate the existing one or more support services and may initiate the same in the image of another container.

[0102] In an exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, in the method

[0500] the step of restarting, by the restarting unit

[0308] , the one or more supporting services

[0406] may be based on an entry point

[0404] , In another exemplary implementation of the present disclosure, in the method

[0500] the step of restarting, by the restarting unit

[0308] , the one or more supporting services

[0406] may be based on an entry point

[0404] running inside the container

[0402] in an infinite loop.

[0103] In another exemplary implementation, the method

[0500] also involves providing the service continuity in a containerized Network Function (CNF) environment. As would be understood, the CNF environment may refer to an environment where the multiple NFs are performed based on the CNFs. In such cases, the restarting unit

[0308] using the other components of the system

[0300] and the system architecture

[0400] ensures the service continuity in the CNF environment.

[0104] In an implementation of the present disclosure, in case of the restarting of the one or more supporting services is required, then the one or more supporting services may be terminated. After the termination of the processes for the one or more supporting services, the one or moresupporting services may be restarted with incorporation of additional desired changes. Such changes may be performed by a sysctl script or a mysysctl script that takes care to bring the one or more supporting services up with new desired changes. Further, in the present disclosure, the “sysctl script” or the “mysysctl script” may refer to the commands used in operating systems that may enables read operation and modify operation on the attributes of the system kernel such as its version number, maximum limits, and security settings and may act as a tool for examining and changing kernel parameters at runtime.

[0105] Thereafter, at step

[0512] , the method

[0500] is terminated.

[0106] The present disclosure further discloses a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more instructions for service continuity of the network node, the one or more instructions include executable code which, when executed by one or more units of a system

[0300] , causes the one or more units to perform certain functions. The one or more instructions when executed causes a monitoring unit

[0302] to monitor the health status of one or more processes

[0408] running inside a container

[0402] , The container

[0402] being spawned using an image of the container

[0402] , The one or more instructions when executed further causes a transceiver unit

[0304] to receive a health indication regarding the one or more processes

[0408] running inside the container

[0402] , The one or more instructions when executed further causes a high availability module

[0306] to spawn a new process or restarting a process based on the restart policy stored within a configuration module

[0310] , The configuration module

[0310] stores container data, configuration related to processes and state data of the one or more processes

[0408] running inside the container

[0402] , The one or more instructions when executed further causes a restarting unit

[0308] to restart one or more supporting services

[0406] in the image of the container

[0402] ,

[0107] As is evident from the above, the present disclosure provides a technically advanced solution for service continuity of a network node. The present solution avoids container restart / new container spawning in an event of microservice malfunction. Further, the solution avoids the additional burden of managing supporting services inside the container. Further, the present solution does not require any support from containers for providing service continuity.

[0108] 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 inthe art, whereby it is to be understood that the foregoing descriptive matter to be implemented is illustrative and non-limiting.

[0109] 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 the disclosure. 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.

Claims

We Claim:

1. A method for service continuity of a network node, the method comprising: monitoring, by a monitoring unit [302], a health status of one or more processes [408] running inside a container [402], wherein the container [402] being spawned using an image of the container [402]; receiving, by a transceiver unit [304], a health indication regarding the one or more processes [408] running inside the container [402]; spawning, by a high availability module [306], a new process or restarting a process based on a restart policy stored within a configuration module [310], wherein the configuration module [310] stores container data, configuration related to processes and state data of the one or more processes [408] running inside the container [402]; and restarting, by a restarting unit [308], one or more supporting services [406] in the image of the container [402],2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more supporting services [406] are associated with the one or more processes [408] running inside the container [402],3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the container is spawned using the image of the container [402],4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving, by the transceiver unit [304], the image of the container [402] comprises receiving the image of the container [402] from a storage unit [312],5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the restarting, by the restarting unit [308], the one or more supporting services [406] is based on an entry point [404],6. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the restart policy is controlled by a configuration module [310],7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the restarting, by the restarting unit [308], the one or more supporting services [406] based on an entry point [404] running inside the container [402] in an infinite loop.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, the method further comprises providing the service continuity in a containerized network function (CNF) environment.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network node is implemented as a microservice.

10. A system [300] for service continuity of a network node, the system [300] comprising: a monitoring unit [302] configured to monitor a health status of one or more processes [408] running inside a container [402], wherein the container [402] being spawned using an image of the container [402]; a transceiver unit [304] connected at least to the monitoring unit [302], the transceiver unit [304] configured to receive a health indication regarding the one or more processes [408] running inside the container [402]; a high availability module [306] connected at least to the transceiver unit [304], the high availability module [306] configured to spawn a new process or restarting a process based on a restart policy stored within a configuration module [310], wherein the configuration module [310] stores container data, configuration related to processes and state data of the one or more processes [408] running inside the container [402]; and a restarting unit [308] connected at least to the high availability module [306], the restarting unit [308] configured to restart one or more supporting services [406] in the image of the container [402],11. The system [300] as claimed in claim 10, wherein the one or more supporting services [406] are associated with the one or more processes [408] running inside the container [402],12. The system [300] as claimed in claim 10, wherein the container [402] is spawned using the image of the container [402],13. The system [300] as claimed in claim 10, wherein the transceiver unit [304] is configured to receive the image of the container [402] from a storage unit [312],14. The system [300] as claimed in claim 10, wherein the restarting unit [308] is configured to restart of the one or more supporting services [406] based on an entry point [404],15. The system [300] as claimed in claim 13, wherein the restart policy is controlled by a configuration module [310],16. The system [300] as claimed in claim 10, wherein the restarting unit [308] is configured to restart of the one or more supporting services [406] based on an entry point [404] running inside the container [402] in an infinite loop.

17. The system [300] as claimed in claim 10, wherein the restarting unit [308] is configured to provide the service continuity in a containerized Network Function (CNF) environment.

18. The system [300] as claimed in claim 10, wherein the network node is implemented as a microservice.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instruction for service continuity of a network node, which, when executed by one or more units of a system, causes: a monitoring unit [302] to monitor a health status of one or more processes [408] running inside a container [402], wherein the container [402] being spawned using an image of the container [402]; a transceiver unit [304] connected at least to the monitoring unit [302], the transceiver unit [304] to receive a health indication regarding the one or more processes [408] running inside the container [402]; a high availability module [306] connected at least to the transceiver unit [304], the high availability module [306] to spawn a new process or restarting a process based on a restart policy stored within a configuration module [310], wherein the configuration module [310] stores container data, configuration related to processes and state data of the one or more processes [408] running inside the container [402]; and a restarting unit [308] connected at least to the high availability module [306], the restarting unit [308] to restart one or more supporting services [406] in the image of the container [402],

Images