Apparatus, method, and non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for network access

Abstract

To provide efficient failover and route advertisement.SOLUTION: In a control plane and user plane split architecture, a system constituting network access includes at least one processor and at least one memory for storing commands. When a command is executed by the processor, the command causes the system to send, to a first user plane function (UPF), a first packet forwarding control protocol (PFCP) message including an indication of a first tunnel internet protocol (IP) address and a designated state for the first UPF by a session management function (SMF), and causes the system to send, to a second UPF, a second PFCP message including an indication of the first tunnel IP address and a designated state for the second UPF. The designated state for the second UPF is on standby, and the designated state for the first UPF is active.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method, apparatus and / or computer readable medium for providing network access. [Background technology]

[0002] 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) fifth generation (5G) technology is the next generation of wireless systems and network architectures that can deliver extreme broadband and ultra-robust low latency connectivity. 5G technology will help improve various telecommunication services offered to end users and support massive broadband delivering gigabytes of bandwidth per second on demand for both uplink and downlink transmissions.

[0003] 5G networks may support IP services such as IP television (IPTV) services for residential gateways (RGs), such as fifth generation RGs (5G-RGs) served by a 5G core (5GC). Summary of the Invention

[0004] The scope of protection sought for various exemplary embodiments is indicated by the independent claims. The exemplary embodiments and / or features described herein that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims should, if any, be interpreted as examples useful for understanding the various embodiments.

[0005] A Broadband Network Gateway (BNG) is an access point where a network subscriber connects to a core network, such as 5G Core (5GC). Control and User Plane Separation in Broadband Network Gateway (CUPS BNG) is an example of a separated BNG. CUPS BNG is defined in the Broadband Forum (BBF) technical report TR-459.

[0006] Providing more efficient failover and route advertisement is a goal of the BNG. One or more exemplary embodiments provide a mechanism for grouping subscribers to provide more efficient failover for an entire group of subscribers in the event of a failure in the BNG.

[0007] In at least one example embodiment, a method of configuring network access in a control plane and user plane split architecture is described. The control plane and user plane architecture may include a control plane and a user plane. The method may include sending, by a Session Management Function (SMF), a first Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) message to a first User Plane Function (UPF), the first Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) message including an indication of a first tunnel Internet Protocol (IP) address and an assigned state of the first UPF, and sending, by the SMF, a second PFCP message to a second UPF, the second PFCP message including an indication of the first tunnel IP address and an assigned state of the second UPF. The assigned state of the second UPF may be standby, and the assigned state of the first UPF may be active.

[0008] In at least one example embodiment, the first PFCP message and the second PFCP message may further include an association between the first tunnel IP address and the first subscriber group.

[0009] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the method may further include establishing a first PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF for a subscriber in the first subscriber group, and establishing a second PFCP session between the SMF and the second UPF for a subscriber in the first subscriber group upon failure of the first PFCP session.

[0010] In at least one exemplary embodiment, a first subscriber group may utilize a first tunnel IP address for network access in both the first PFCP session and the second PFCP session, and in at least one exemplary embodiment, the second UPF may be a redundancy for the first UPF in the first PFCP session.

[0011] In at least one example embodiment, the method may further include sending, by the SMF to the first UPF, a third PFCP message including an indication of the second tunnel IP address and a second designated state of the first UPF, and sending, by the SMF to the second UPF, a fourth PFCP message including an indication of the second tunnel IP address and a second designated state of the second UPF. The second designated state of the second UPF may be standby and the second designated state of the first UPF may be active.

[0012] In at least one example embodiment, the third PFCP message and the fourth PFCP message may further include an association between the second tunnel IP address and the second subscriber group.

[0013] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the method may further include establishing a third PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF for subscribers in the second subscriber group, and establishing a fourth PFCP session between the SMF and the second UPF upon failure of the first PFCP session for subscribers in the first subscriber group.

[0014] In at least one exemplary embodiment, a first PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF may be independent of a third PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF, and a failure of the first PFCP session may be independent of the third PFCP session.

[0015] In at least one example embodiment, the first tunnel IP address and the second tunnel IP address may be assigned by an SMF.

[0016] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the method may further include monitoring, by the SMF, a status of the first UPF.

[0017] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the method may further include updating, by the SMF, a designated state of the second UPF to active in response to a status of the first UPF indicating a failure of the first UPF.

[0018] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the method may further include, in response to a status of the first UPF not indicating a failure of the first UPF, maintaining a designated state of the first UPF as active and maintaining a designated state of the second UPF as standby.

[0019] Also described herein is a system for configuring network access in a control plane and user plane split architecture. The control plane and user plane architecture may include a control plane and a user plane. The system includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform the steps of: sending, by a session management function (SMF), to a first user plane function (UPF), a first Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) message including an indication of a first tunnel Internet Protocol (IP) address and an assigned state of the first UPF; and sending, by the SMF, to a second UPF, a second PFCP message including an indication of the first tunnel IP address and an assigned state of the second UPF. The assigned state of the second UPF may be standby, and the assigned state of the first UPF may be active.

[0020] In at least one example embodiment, the first PFCP message and the second PFCP message may further include an association between the first tunnel IP address and the first subscriber group.

[0021] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may be further configured to cause the system to perform the steps of establishing a first PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF for subscribers in the first subscriber group, and establishing a second PFCP session between the SMF and the second UPF for subscribers in the first subscriber group upon failure of the first PFCP session.

[0022] In at least one exemplary embodiment, a first subscriber group may utilize a first tunnel IP address for network access in both the first PFCP session and the second PFCP session, and in at least one exemplary embodiment, the second UPF may be a redundancy for the first UPF in the first PFCP session.

[0023] In at least one example embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may be further configured to cause the system to perform: sending, by the SMF to the first UPF, a third PFCP message including an indication of the second tunnel IP address and a second designated state of the first UPF; and sending, by the SMF to the second UPF, a fourth PFCP message including an indication of the second tunnel IP address and a second designated state of the second UPF. The second designated state of the second UPF may be standby and the second designated state of the first UPF may be active.

[0024] In at least one example embodiment, the third PFCP message and the fourth PFCP message may further include an association between the second tunnel IP address and the second subscriber group.

[0025] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may be further configured to cause the system to perform the steps of establishing a third PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF, for subscribers in the second subscriber group, and establishing a fourth PFCP session between the SMF and the second UPF, for subscribers in the first subscriber group, upon failure of the first PFCP session.

[0026] In at least one exemplary embodiment, a first PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF may be independent of a third PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF, and a failure of the first PFCP session may be independent of the third PFCP session.

[0027] In at least one example embodiment, the first tunnel IP address and the second tunnel IP address may be assigned by an SMF.

[0028] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may be further configured to cause the system to perform the step of monitoring, by the SMF, a status of the first UPF.

[0029] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may be further configured to cause the system to perform a step of updating, by the SMF, a designated state of the second UPF to active in response to a status of the first UPF indicating a failure of the first UPF.

[0030] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may be further configured to cause the system to perform the steps of maintaining a designated state of the first UPF as active and maintaining a designated state of the second UPF as standby in response to a status of the first UPF not indicating a failure of the first UPF.

[0031] Also described herein is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the system, may cause the system to perform steps of performing a method for configuring network access in a control plane and user plane separation architecture. The control plane and user plane separation architecture may include a control plane and a user plane. The method includes sending a first Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) message by a Session Management Function (SMF) to a first User Plane Function (UPF), the first Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) message including an indication of a first tunnel Internet Protocol (IP) address and an assigned state of the first UPF, and sending a second PFCP message by the SMF to a second UPF, the second PFCP message including an indication of the first tunnel IP address and an assigned state of the second UPF, where the assigned state of the second UPF is standby and the assigned state of the first UPF is active.

[0032] At least one other example embodiment provides a network element for configuring network access in a control plane and user plane split architecture. The control plane and user plane split architecture may include a control plane and a user plane. The network element includes means for sending, by a Session Management Function (SMF), a first Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) message to a first User Plane Function (UPF), the first Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) message including an indication of a first tunnel Internet Protocol (IP) address and an assigned state of the first UPF, and means for sending, by the SMF, a second PFCP message to a second UPF, the second PFCP message including an indication of the first tunnel IP address and an assigned state of the second UPF, where the assigned state of the second UPF is standby and the assigned state of the first UPF is active.

[0033] Example embodiments will become more fully understood from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are represented by like reference numerals that are provided for purposes of illustration only and, therefore, are not limiting of the disclosure. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0034] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example embodiment of a system that may implement the methods of configuring network access described herein. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system architecture for wireless core network access, according to an example embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a block diagram illustrating a portion of the system architecture of FIG. 2 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a method for communicating Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) messages and monitoring the state of a system architecture according to an example embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a method for configuring network access in a system architecture according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0035] It should be noted that these figures are intended to illustrate the general features of methods, structures, and / or materials utilized in some exemplary embodiments, as well as to supplement the descriptions provided below. However, these figures are not to scale, may not precisely reflect the exact structure or performance characteristics of any given embodiment, and should not be construed as defining or limiting the range of values ​​or properties encompassed by the exemplary embodiments. The use of similar or identical reference numbers in the various figures is intended to indicate the presence of similar or identical elements or features. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0036] Various exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which several exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0037] Detailed exemplary embodiments are disclosed herein. However, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of describing the exemplary embodiments. However, the exemplary embodiments may be embodied in many alternative forms and should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments described herein.

[0038] It is to be understood that there is no intention to limit the example embodiments to the particular forms disclosed. On the contrary, the example embodiments are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of this disclosure. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description of the figures.

[0039] Although one or more exemplary embodiments may be described in terms of functions or network elements, such as a network node, an Aggregation Gateway Function (AGF) node, a Residential Gateway (RG), a server, etc., it should be understood that one or more exemplary embodiments discussed herein may be performed by one or more processors (or processing circuitry) in an applicable device, apparatus, network node, network element, or system. For example, according to one or more exemplary embodiments, at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a network element / network node, etc., to perform operations described herein.

[0040] As discussed herein, the term "mechanism" may, in addition to its plain and ordinary meaning, refer to a method, an apparatus, and / or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, where applicable.

[0041] As discussed herein, the terms "one or more" and "at least one" may be used interchangeably.

[0042] It will be understood that several exemplary embodiments may be used in combination.

[0043] As discussed herein, the term "subscriber" refers to a purchaser or subscriber of broadband service who utilizes a residential gateway (RG) to access the service. The term "user" refers to a user of an end user device or customer premises equipment (CPE) that transmits or receives user traffic through an RG. Although used in this manner for clarity, a user may also be referred to as a subscriber.

[0044] As described herein, a Packet Data Unit (PDU) session refers to an Internet Protocol (IP)-based PDU session. An IP-based PDU session (sometimes referred to as an IP session) refers to an IP connection established between an RG (e.g., a 5th Generation Residential Gateway (5G-RG)) and a wireless core network such as a 5GC. A User Plane Function (UPF) may be a network function that may facilitate a PDU session in the 5GC. The 5GC may be referred to herein as a Data Network (DN).

[0045] Typically, the wireless core network assigns one or more IP addresses to the RG for use in transmitting and receiving traffic (e.g., data and control traffic). In operation, the RG utilizes the assigned IP address or IP prefix to connect to the Internet (or other data network). In at least some examples, the RG may obtain several different IP addresses / prefixes for each type of service, each representing a different IP session. The IP-based PDU session includes a single IPv4 session, a single IPv6 session, or a single dual-stack IP session.

[0046] In the Control and User Plane Separation in Broadband Network Gateway (CUPS BNG) architecture, the Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) is used to program traffic forwarding rules from the control plane or control plane function (e.g., the Aggregated Gateway Function Control Plane (AGF-CP)) to the user plane or user plane function (e.g., the AGF User Plane (AGF-UP)) and vice versa. Each set of traffic forwarding rules that can be used for one or more PDU sessions from a single RG is called a PFCP session.

[0047] In general, the control plane is responsible for maintaining session state and providing instructions to the user plane, which is responsible for moving packets from ingress to egress through the system according to traffic rules programmed by the control plane, and for independently interacting with other nodes in the network via various routing protocols (e.g., Ethernet Virtual Private Network (EVPN), Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP), etc.).

[0048] In an environment of wired access to 5GC, the 5G-RG may be served by the 5GC. The 5G-RG operates as a full 3GPP user equipment (UE) that is assumed to terminate 3GPP non-access stratum (NAS) signaling and support the User Equipment Routing Policy (URSP) rules transmitted to the UE by the 5GC.

[0049] The PFCP protocol programs forwarding rules for each subscriber, including queues or police rates for each traffic or forwarding class.

[0050] In the context of the above architecture, an IP address is also typically assigned to the UPF. However, conventionally, there is no mechanism that allows a backup UPF to take over a failed IP endpoint with minimal disruption to subscribers. One or more exemplary embodiments provide a mechanism for seamless failover to allow a backup UPF to take over routing of a subscriber group upon failure of the subscriber group in the primary UPF.

[0051] 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a network node 100 in which an AGF may be implemented. The structure illustrated in FIG. 1 may also represent other network elements such as residential gateways, CPEs, etc.

[0052] As shown, the network node 100 includes a processor 110, a memory 120 coupled to the processor 110, and various communication interfaces 130 coupled to the processor 110. The various communication interfaces 130 may comprise radios that transmit / receive data to / from other network elements (e.g., network functions, data centers, SCPs, etc.). As will be appreciated, depending on the implementation of the system 100, the network node 100 may include more components than those shown in FIG. 1. However, it is not necessary to show all of these generally conventional components to disclose the exemplary embodiments. For illustrative purposes, the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is described with respect to the processor 110. However, it should be appreciated that the network node 100 shown in FIG. 1 may include one or more processors or other processing circuitry, such as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0053] The memory 120 may be a computer-readable storage medium generally including a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and / or a permanent mass storage device such as a disk drive. The memory 120 may also store an operating system and any other routines / modules / applications for providing the functionality of the network node 100 (including UPF, CPF, MPF, etc.) to be executed by the processor 110. These software components may also be loaded into the memory 120 from a separate computer-readable storage medium using a drive mechanism (not shown). Such separate computer-readable storage medium may include a disk, tape, DVD / CD-ROM drive, memory card, or other similar computer-readable storage medium (not shown). In some exemplary embodiments, the software components may be loaded into the memory 120 through one of the various communication interfaces 130 rather than through a computer-readable storage medium.

[0054] The processor 110 or other processing circuitry may be configured to execute instructions of a computer program by performing arithmetic, logical, and input / output operations of the system. Instructions may be provided to the processor 110 by the memory 120.

[0055] The various communication interfaces 130 may be wired or may include components that interface the processor 110 with other input / output components. As will be appreciated, the various communication interfaces 130 and the programs stored in the memory 120 to describe the particular purpose functions of the system 100 will vary depending on the implementation of the network node.

[0056] The various communication interfaces 130 may also include one or more user input devices (eg, a keyboard, keypad, mouse, etc.) and user output devices (eg, a display, speakers, etc.).

[0057] 2 is an example embodiment of a system architecture 200. In at least one example embodiment, the system architecture 200 may be a 5G system architecture. The system architecture 200 incorporates the CUPS BNG architecture.

[0058] The system architecture 200 includes at least one UE 202 configured to connect to a data network (DN) 204, such as the Internet, via one or more elements of the system architecture 200. The UE 202 may be an RG as described above. The UE 202 may be a hardware device or equipment that is typically installed in a customer's home or business. The UE 202 may facilitate connection to the network by one or more end user devices, which may include terminals or electronic devices, such as mobile phones, laptops, computers, tablets, wireless (e.g., WiFi) access points, wireless network (e.g., WiFi) extenders, fixed wireless access units, small cell devices, etc.

[0059] The system architecture 200 may further include at least one access network (AN) 206, which may be a radio access network (RAN), at least one user plane function (UPF) 208, an access and mobility management function (AMF) 210, a session management function (SMF) 212, a point coordination function (PCF) 214, an application function (AF) 216, a network slice selection function (NSSF) 218, an authentication server function (AUSF) 220, a unified data management (UDM) 222, a network slice admission control function (NSACF) 224, and a network slice specific authentication and authorization function (NSSAAF) 226.

[0060] The AN 206 may include one or more of a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) or a radio access network.

[0061] 2, only one (R)AN and one UPF are shown, but the exemplary embodiments should not be limited to this example. Rather, any number of (R)ANs and UPFs may be included in the system architecture 200.

[0062] Each of the elements of system architecture 200 may interact with one or more additional elements of system architecture 200, as indicated by the connections between the elements of system architecture 200.

[0063] The UPF 208 connects the UE 202 to the DN 204 via the (R)AN 206. The UPF 208 registers and authenticates with the (R)AN 206 through the use of standard mobile 3GPP procedures. The UPF 208 processes control messages (e.g., 3GPP NAS messages) from the (R)AN 206. The UPF 208 may support multiple services, such as IPTV. In some embodiments, IPTV may be defined as multimedia services, such as television, video, audio, text media, graphics, data, combinations thereof, etc., delivered over an IP-based network that supports a required level of QoS, Quality of Experience (QoE), security, interactivity, reliability, etc.

[0064] Further details of the elements of system architecture 200 are known in the art and are not included herein.

[0065] The exemplary embodiments described herein may be described with reference to the CUPS BNG architecture. However, the exemplary embodiments herein are also applicable to the AGF CUPS architecture. For example, the SMF 212 may include a BNG-CP function and an AGF-CP function, and the UPF 208 may include a BNG-UP function and an AGF-UP function. The AGF-CP may program the AGF-UP via the PFCP protocol to facilitate network access by the 5G-RG to a 5GC, such as the DN described above.

[0066] 3 is a block diagram illustrating a portion of the system architecture 200 of FIG. 2, according to an example embodiment. The (R)AN 206 may include a first (R)AN 206a and a second (R)AN 206b. The UPF 208 may include a first UPF 208a, a second UPF 208b, and a third UPF 208c. Each of the first UPF 208a, the second UPF 208b, and the third UPF 208c may be configured to connect a user device, such as a UE 202, to a DN 204 via the first (R)AN 206a and / or the second (R)AN 206b.

[0067] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the first UPF 208a may be configured to route traffic from at least one of the first (R)AN 206a or the second (R)AN 206b to the DN 204 for the first and second subscriber groups. The second UPF 208b may be configured to route traffic from at least one of the first (R)AN 206a or the second (R)AN 206b to the DN 204 for the third and fourth subscriber groups. The third UPF 208c may be configured to route traffic from at least one of the first (R)AN 206a or the second (R)AN 206b to the DN 204 for the fifth and sixth subscriber groups. A subscriber group, as used herein, is a grouping of subscribers at a point in a network, such as a network node. In at least one exemplary embodiment, the subscribers may be grouped based on a quality of service parameter or a subscriber's service level. The BBF subscriber group, SGRP, may be an example of a subscriber group as described herein.

[0068] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the first UPF 208a may be further configured as a standby UPF for routing traffic from at least one of the first (R)AN 206a or the second (R)AN 206b to the DN 204 for the third and fifth subscriber groups. The second UPF 208b may be further configured as a standby UPF for routing traffic from at least one of the first (R)AN 206a or the second (R)AN 206b to the DN 204 for the first and sixth subscriber groups. The third UPF 208c may be further configured as a standby UPF for routing traffic from at least one of the first (R)AN 206a or the second (R)AN 206b to the DN 204 for the second and fourth subscriber groups.

[0069] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the SMF 212 may be configured to create each of a first subscriber group, a second subscriber group, a third subscriber group, a fourth subscriber group, a fifth subscriber group, and / or a sixth subscriber group. The SMF 212 may then assign a prefix to each subscriber group. The prefix may be used to associate a subscriber with a particular subscriber group when the subscriber logs into the network. For example, a first subscriber may be associated with a first subscriber group and assigned subscriber addresses from prefixes 10.1.1.0 / 24 and 10.1.2.0 / 24. A second subscriber may be associated with a second subscriber group and assigned subscriber addresses from prefixes 10.2.1.0 / 24 and 10.2.2.0 / 24. A third subscriber may be associated with a third subscriber group and assigned subscriber addresses from prefixes 10.3.1.0 / 24 and 10.3.2.0 / 24. A fourth subscriber may be associated with a fourth subscriber group and may be assigned subscriber addresses from prefixes 10.4.1.0 / 24 and 10.4.2.0 / 24. A fifth subscriber may be associated with a fifth subscriber group and may be assigned subscriber addresses from prefixes 10.5.1.0 / 24 and 10.5.2.0 / 24. A sixth subscriber may be associated with a sixth subscriber group and may be assigned subscriber addresses from prefixes 10.6.1.0 / 24 and 10.6.2.0 / 24.

[0070] Additionally, a first subscriber group may be assigned an endpoint IP address of 172.16.0.1. The endpoint IP addresses may be referred to herein as tunnel IP addresses. A second subscriber group may be assigned an endpoint IP address of 172.06.0.2. A third subscriber group may be assigned an endpoint IP address of 172.06.0.3. A fourth subscriber group may be assigned an endpoint IP address of 172.06.0.4. A fifth subscriber group may be assigned an endpoint IP address of 172.06.0.5. A sixth subscriber group may be assigned an endpoint IP address of 172.06.0.6.

[0071] In at least one example embodiment, the endpoint IP address of each of the subscriber groups may be assigned by the SMF 212. In particular, the SMF 212 may send a PFCP message to at least one of the first UPF 208a, the second UPF 208b, or the third UPF 208c, including an indication and an assigned status of the tunnel IP address to at least one of the first UPF 208a, the second UPF 208b, or the third UPF 208c. In addition to the indication and the assigned status of the tunnel IP address, the PFCP message from the SMF 212 may include an association between the tunnel IP address and the subscriber group. The association between the tunnel IP address and the subscriber group may assign the tunnel IP address to the subscriber group.

[0072] For example, the SMF 212 may send a first PFCP message to the first UPF 208a including an indication of the first tunnel IP address, a designated state of the first UPF 208a as active, and an association between the first tunnel IP address and the first subscriber group. In at least one example embodiment, the indication of the first tunnel IP address may be an endpoint IP address assigned to the first subscriber group or may point to an endpoint IP address. The SMF 212 may also send a second PFCP message to the second UPF 208b including an indication of the first tunnel IP address, a designated state of the second UPF 208b as standby, and an association between the first tunnel IP address and the first subscriber group. Thus, the second UPF 208b may be a backup UPF or may be a redundancy for the first UPF 208a.

[0073] The SMF 212 may send similar PFCP messages to each of the first UPF 208a, the second UPF 208b, and the third UPF 208c for the second subscriber group, the third subscriber group, the fourth subscriber group, the fifth subscriber group, and the sixth subscriber group, such that one of the UPFs for each subscriber group is designated as an active state and at least one of the UPFs for each subscriber group is designated as a standby state. Thus, each of the subscriber groups has a primary UPF and (or at least one) backup UPF that routes traffic from at least one of the first (R)AN 206a or the second (R)AN 206b to the DN 204.

[0074] When the SMF 212 sends a PFCP message to a UPF, the SMF 212 may establish a first PFCP session for the subscriber between the SMF 212 and one of the first UPF 208a, the second UPF 208b, or the third UPF 208c. For example, if the subscriber is assigned to a first subscriber group, the SMF 212 may establish a first PFCP session between the SMF 212 and the first UPF 208a for the subscriber. The SMF 212 may further establish a second PFCP session between the SMF 212 and a UPF different from the first designated UPF upon failure of the first designated UPF. For example, for a subscriber in the first subscriber group, if the first PCFP session for the subscriber fails, the SMF 212 may establish a second PFCP session between the SMF 212 and the second UPF 208b.

[0075] Because the tunnel IP addresses are associated with subscriber groups, if there is a failure at a point in the system architecture 200 that affects a PFCP session of one subscriber group in the first UPF 208a, any other PFCP sessions for another subscriber group that are routed through the first UPF 208a may not be affected, which may cause less disruption to subscribers within the system architecture 200. For example, if the first subscriber group includes subscribers from the first (R)AN 206a and the second subscriber group includes subscribers from the second (R)AN 206b, and both the first subscriber group and the second subscriber group utilize the first UPF 208s, during a failure that does not allow the first (R)AN 206a to route traffic for the PFCP session of the first subscriber group through the first UPF 208a, the PFCP session of the second subscriber group may not be affected and may not be interrupted such that the first UPF 208a may continue to route traffic for the PFCP session of the second subscriber group. Thus, the PFCP session of the first subscriber group may be rolled over to a backup UPF, such as the second UPF 208b, without changing the UPF for the PFCP session of the second subscriber group.

[0076] This failover process allows a subscriber group to utilize one tunnel IP address for network access for both a first PFCP session via a first UPF and a second PFCP session via a second UPF.

[0077] Figure 4 is a signal flow diagram 400 illustrating a method for communicating PFCP messages and monitoring the status of system architecture 200 according to an example embodiment. For illustrative purposes, the example embodiment shown in Figure 4 will be described with respect to the architectures shown in Figures 2 and 3. However, it should be understood that the example embodiment should not be limited to this example.

[0078] At S402, the SMF 212 may send a first PFCP message to the first UPF 208a. The first PFCP message may include an indication of a first tunnel IP address and an assigned state of the first UPF 208a. As described above, the first PFCP message may also include an association between the first tunnel IP address and a first subscriber group. The assigned state of the first UPF 208a for the first subscriber group may be active.

[0079] The SMF 212 may then send a second PFCP message to the second UPF 208b at S404. The second PFCP message may include an indication of the first tunnel IP address and a designated state for the second UPF 208a. The second PFCP message may also include an association between the first tunnel IP address and the first subscriber group. The designated state of the second UPF 208b for the first subscriber group may be standby.

[0080] SMF 212 may send the second PFCP message after sending the first PFCP message, or may send the second PFCP message simultaneously or in parallel with the first PFCP message.

[0081] After the first and second PFCP messages are transmitted, the first UPF 208a and the second UPF 208b may periodically transmit node report messages to the SMF 212 at S406 and S408. The periodic node report messages may include reports directed to the network health and / or system health of the system architecture 200. For example, the periodic node report messages may include an indication that an access-facing logical port has failed or that a network path allocation error to the interface has occurred. If the access-fading logical port has failed or there is a network path allocation failure, the first UPF 208a may have failed.

[0082] In addition, the SMF 212 may send periodic heartbeat messages (heartbeats) to at least the first UPF 208a in S410. The periodic heartbeats may be sent to the UPFs in an active state to confirm that the UPFs are active. A heartbeat timeout may occur if a time longer than a threshold time has elapsed between sending the periodic heartbeat and receiving a heartbeat response from the first UPF 208a. If a time longer than the threshold time has elapsed, the first UPF 208a may have failed.

[0083] In at least one exemplary embodiment, the heartbeat timeout and threshold time may be configurable. For example, the threshold time amount may be 5 seconds and a failure may be declared after three consecutive heartbeat timeouts without receiving a heartbeat response. In another exemplary embodiment, the threshold time may be 1 second and a failure may be declared after two consecutive heartbeat timeouts without receiving a heartbeat response, or the threshold time may be 60 seconds and a failure may be declared if five consecutive heartbeat responses are missed. Because the heartbeat timeout and threshold time are configurable, different threshold times and numbers of missed heartbeat responses (heartbeat timeouts) may be used to declare a failure.

[0084] When either the periodic node report message or the heartbeat indicates a failure of the first UPF 208a, the SMF 212 may send an Update PFCP message to change the designated state of the second UPF 208b to active, at S412. If no failure of the first UPF 208a is detected, the designated states of both the first UPF 208a and the second UPF 208b may not be adjusted.

[0085] Figure 5 is a signal flow diagram 500 illustrating a method for configuring network access in a system architecture according to an exemplary embodiment. For illustrative purposes, the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 5 will be described with respect to the architectures shown in Figures 2 and 3. However, it should be understood that the exemplary embodiment should not be limited to this example.

[0086] Signal flow diagram 500 may occur after at least steps S402 and S404 of signal flow diagram 400.

[0087] At S502, the SMF 212 may send a PFCP session establishment request to the first UPF 208a. At S504, the first UPF 208a may send a PFCP session establishment response to the SMF 212. The session establishment request and response may establish a first PFCP session for subscribers in the first subscriber group between the SMF 212 and the first UPF 208a. The first PFCP session may utilize a first tunnel IP address associated with the first subscriber group established at S402 of FIG. 4.

[0088] At S506, the SMF 212 may send a PFCP session establishment request to the second UPF 208b. The PFCP session establishment request sent to the second UPF 208b may be a restoration indication, which may indicate that there has been a failure of the first PFCP session in the first UPF 208a, and the first subscriber group has rolled over to the second UPF 208b utilizing a first tunnel IP address associated with the first subscriber group.

[0089] At S508, the second UPF 208b may send a PFCP session establishment response to the SMF 212. The session establishment request and response may establish a second PFCP session for the subscribers in the first subscriber group between the SMF 212 and the second UPF 208a. The second PFCP session may be established upon failure of the first PFCP session via the first UPF 208a.

[0090] The systems and methods described herein are configured to provide failover between two UPFs and reduce interruptions to subscribers during failures in the network. By assigning IP addresses to subscriber groups, individual subscriber groups can roll over during a failure to a component of the system architecture that affects that individual subscriber group without affecting or adjusting other unaffected subscriber groups. These systems and methods provide improved network access for subscribers in the system architecture.

[0091] Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, but these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element can be called a second element, and similarly, a second element can be called a first element, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0092] When an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be intervening elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted similarly (e.g., "between" vs. "directly between," "adjacent" vs. "directly adjacent," etc.).

[0093] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, it will be understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and / or "including," as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0094] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions / acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently or in the reverse order, depending on the functions / acts involved.

[0095] In the following description, specific details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the exemplary embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. For example, systems may be shown in block diagrams so as not to obscure the exemplary embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances, well-known processes, structures, and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the exemplary embodiments.

[0096] As described herein, the exemplary embodiments may be implemented as program modules or functional processes including routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types, and are described with reference to operations and symbolic representations of operations (e.g., in the form of flowcharts, flow diagrams, data flow diagrams, structure diagrams, block diagrams, etc.) that may be implemented, for example, in existing network nodes, BNGs, servers, ANs, CPEs, routers, or other network elements and / or hardware using existing hardware. Such existing hardware may be processing or control circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors, one or more central processing units (CPUs), one or more controllers, one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more microcomputers, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more systems on a chip (SoCs), one or more programmable logic units (PLUs), one or more microprocessors, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), or any other device capable of responding to and executing instructions in a defined manner.

[0097] Although a flowchart may describe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel, simultaneously or in parallel. Additionally, the order of operations may be rearranged. A process may be terminated when its operations are completed, but may have additional steps not included in the figures. A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or to the main function.

[0098] As disclosed herein, the terms "storage medium," "computer-readable storage medium," or "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium" may refer to one or more devices that store data, including read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, and / or other tangible, machine-readable media for storing information. The term "computer-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media capable of storing, containing, or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0099] Furthermore, the exemplary embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments for performing the necessary tasks may be stored in a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium, such as a computer-readable storage medium. When implemented in software, one or more processors perform the necessary tasks. For example, as described above, according to one or more exemplary embodiments, at least one memory may include or store computer program code, and the at least one memory and computer program code may be configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the necessary tasks in the network element or network device. Furthermore, the processor, memory, and exemplary algorithms may be encoded as computer program code and act as a means for providing or causing the execution of the operations discussed herein.

[0100] A code segment of the computer program code may represent a procedure, a function, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, a software package, a class, or any combination of instructions, data structures, or program statements. A code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and / or receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, etc. may be passed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable technique including memory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission, etc.

[0101] The terms "including" and / or "having" as used herein are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term "coupled" as used herein is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly and not necessarily mechanically. Terms derived from the term "indicate" (e.g., "indicate" and "indicate") are intended to encompass all the various techniques available for communicating or referencing the object / information being indicated. Some, but not all, examples of techniques available for communicating or referencing the object / information shown include conveying the object / information shown, conveying an identifier for the object / information shown, conveying information used to generate the object / information shown, conveying some or a portion of the object / information shown, conveying some derivation of the object / information shown, and conveying some symbolic representation of the object / information shown.

[0102] According to an example embodiment, a network node, BNG, server, AN, CPE, router, or other network element may be (or may include) hardware, firmware, hardware executing software, or any combination thereof. Such hardware may include, but is not limited to, processing or control circuitry, such as one or more processors, one or more CPUs, one or more controllers, one or more ALUs, one or more DSPs, one or more microcomputers, one or more FPGAs, one or more SoCs, one or more PLUs, one or more microprocessors, one or more ASICs, or any other device capable of responding to and executing instructions in a defined manner.

[0103] Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments of the invention. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause or result in such benefits, advantages, or solutions, or that may make such benefits, advantages, or solutions more significant, should not be construed as critical, necessary, or essential features or elements of any or all of the claims.

Claims

1. 1. A method for configuring network access in a control plane and user plane split architecture, the method comprising: sending a first Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) message by a Session Management Function (SMF) to a first User Plane Function (UPF), the message including an indication of a first tunnel Internet Protocol (IP) address and a designated state for the first UPF; and sending, by the SMF, a second PFCP message to a second UPF, the second PFCP message including an indication of the first tunnel IP address and a designated state of the second UPF, wherein the designated state of the second UPF is standby and the designated state of the first UPF is active.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first PFCP message and the second PFCP message further include an association between the first tunnel IP address and a first subscriber group.

3. establishing a first PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF for subscribers in the first subscriber group; establishing a second PFCP session between the SMF and the second UPF for the subscribers in the first subscriber group upon failure of the first PFCP session; The method of claim 2 further comprising:

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first subscriber group utilizes the first tunnel IP address for network access in both the first PFCP session and the second PFCP session.

5. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second UPF is a redundancy of the first UPF in the first PFCP session.

6. monitoring, by the SMF, a status of the first UPF; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

7. updating, by the SMF, a designated state of the second UPF to active in response to a status of the first UPF indicating a failure of the first UPF; The method of claim 6 further comprising:

8. A system for configuring network access in a control plane and user plane split architecture including a control plane and a user plane, comprising: At least one processor; at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to: sending a first Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) message by a Session Management Function (SMF) to a first User Plane Function (UPF), the message including an indication of a first tunnel Internet Protocol (IP) address and a designated state for the first UPF; The system executes a step of transmitting a second PFCP message by the SMF to a second UPF, the second PFCP message including an indication of the first tunnel IP address and a designated state of the second UPF, wherein the designated state of the second UPF is standby and the designated state of the first UPF is active.

9. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first PFCP message and the second PFCP message further include an association between the first tunnel IP address and a first subscriber group.

10. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, provide the system with: establishing a first PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF for subscribers in the first subscriber group; and establishing, for the subscribers in the first subscriber group, a second PFCP session between the SMF and the second UPF upon failure of the first PFCP session.

11. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first subscriber group utilizes the first tunnel IP address for network access in both the first PFCP session and the second PFCP session.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the second UPF is a redundancy of the first UPF in the first PFCP session.

13. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, provide the system with: sending, by the SMF, a third PFCP message to the first UPF, the third PFCP message including an indication of a second tunnel IP address and a second designated state of the first UPF; 11. The system of claim 10, further comprising the step of: sending, by the SMF, to the second UPF, a fourth PFCP message including an indication of the second tunnel IP address and a second designated state of the second UPF, wherein the second designated state of the second UPF is standby and the second designated state of the first UPF is active.

14. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the third PFCP message and the fourth PFCP message further include an association between the second tunnel IP address and a second subscriber group.

15. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, provide the system with: establishing a third PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF for subscribers in the second subscriber group; and establishing, for the subscribers in the first subscriber group, a fourth PFCP session between the SMF and the second UPF upon failure of the first PFCP session.

16. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF is independent of the third PFCP session between the SMF and the first UPF, and a failure of the first PFCP session is independent of the third PFCP session.

17. The system of claim 13 , wherein the first tunnel IP address and the second tunnel IP address are assigned by the SMF.

18. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, The system of claim 8 , further configured to monitor, by the SMF, a status of the first UPF.

19. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, provide the system with:

20. The system of claim 18, further configured to cause the SMF to perform the step of updating a designated state of the second UPF to active in response to a status of the first UPF indicating a failure of the first UPF.

20. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, provide the system with:

20. The system of claim 18, further configured to: in response to a status of the first UPF not indicating a failure of the first UPF, perform the steps of maintaining a designated state of the first UPF as active and maintaining a designated state of the second UPF as standby.

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