Shutdown Scenario of O-Cloud Node for Energy Saving

Abstract

A method for power and traffic management in an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) network may include obtaining at least one parameter indicating the traffic performance of a first O-RAN cloud (O-Cloud) node, determining whether the at least one parameter meets a predetermined shutdown condition for the first O-Cloud node, and deactivating the first O-Cloud node based on determining that the at least one parameter meets the predetermined shutdown condition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Devices and methods consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure relate to power and traffic management in an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN).

Background Art

[0002] A Radio Access Network (RAN) is an important component in a communication system that connects end-user devices (or user equipment) to other parts of the network. The RAN includes a combination of various network elements (NEs) that connect end-user devices to the core network. Conventionally, the hardware and / or software of a specific RAN was vendor-specific.

[0003] The emergence of Open RAN (O-RAN) technology has enabled multiple vendors to provide hardware and / or software to a communication system. For this purpose, O-RAN decomposes RAN functions into a Centralized Unit (CU), a Distributed Unit (DU), and a Radio Unit (RU). The CU is a logical node for hosting RAN sub-layers of Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and / or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP). The DU is a logical node for hosting RAN sub-layers of Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY). The RU is a physical node that converts radio signals from an antenna into digital signals that can be transmitted to the DU over a fronthaul. Since these entities have open protocols and interfaces between them, they can be developed by different vendors.

[0004] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an O-RAN architecture in the related art, FIG. 2 is a diagram in terms of the functional perspective of an SMO (Service Management and Orchestration) framework having a non-real-time (NRT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) architecture in the related art, and FIG. 3 is a diagram in terms of the service perspective of an SMO framework having an NRT RIC in the related art. Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the RAN functions in the O-RAN architecture are controlled and optimized by the RIC. The RIC is a software-defined component that realizes the necessary multi-vendor operability in the O-RAN system and implements modular applications for automating and optimizing RAN operations. The RIC is divided into two types: NRT RIC and near real-time RIC (nRT RIC).

[0005] The NRT RIC is a control point of a non-real-time control loop and operates within the SMO framework on a time scale longer than 1 second. Its functions are implemented through modular applications called rApps (rApp 1,..., rApp N in FIGS. 1 to 3), providing policy-based guidance and enrichment across the A1 interface, which is an interface that enables communication between the NRT RIC and the nRT RIC, performing data analytics, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) training and inference for RAN optimization, and / or recommending configuration management actions on the O1 interface, which is an interface that connects the SMO to RAN management elements (e.g., nRT RIC, O-RAN centralized unit (O-CU), O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU), etc.).

[0006] The nRT RIC operates on time scales between 10 milliseconds and 1 second and connects via the E2 interface to the O-DU, the O-CU (which is decomposed into the O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) and the O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP)), and the open evolved NodeB (O-eNB). The nRT RIC uses the E2 interface to control the underlying RAN elements (E2 nodes / network functions (NFs)) on a near-real-time control loop. The nRT RIC monitors, suspends / stops, overrides, and controls the E2 nodes (O-CU, O-DU, and O-eNB) via policies. For example, the nRT sets policy parameters on the functions activated on the E2 nodes. Further, the nRT RIC hosts xApps for implementing functions such as quality of service (QoS) optimization, mobility optimization, slicing optimization, interference mitigation, load balancing, security, etc. Two types of RICs cooperate to optimize O-RAN. For example, the NRT RIC provides the policies, data, and artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) models enabled and used by the nRT RIC for RAN optimization on the A1 interface, and the nRT returns policy feedback (i.e., how the policies set by the NRT RIC work).

[0007] The SMO framework in which the NRT RIC is located manages and coordinates the RAN elements. Specifically, the SMO manages and coordinates what is represented as the O-RAN cloud (O-Cloud). The O-Cloud is a collection of physical RAN nodes that host the RIC, the O-CU, and the O-DU, support software components (e.g., operating systems and runtime environments), and the SMO itself. In other words, the SMO manages the O-Cloud from within. The O2 interface is the interface between the SMO and the O-Cloud in which it resides. The SMO provides infrastructure management services (IMS) and deployment management services (DMS) via the O2 interface.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] In the related art, even when the amount of traffic generated on a node does not guarantee high power consumption, the O-Cloud node may operate in a high-power mode, resulting in unnecessary and inefficient power consumption and traffic dispersion.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] According to an embodiment, a system and method for power and traffic management in an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) are provided.

[0010] According to one aspect of the disclosure, a method for power and traffic management in an O-RAN network may include obtaining at least one parameter indicative of the traffic performance of a first O-RAN cloud (O-Cloud) node, determining whether the at least one parameter satisfies a predetermined shutdown condition for the first O-Cloud node, and deactivating the first O-Cloud node based on a determination that the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition.

[0011] According to one aspect of the disclosure, a system for power and traffic management in an O-RAN network may include at least one memory storing instructions, at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to obtain at least one parameter indicative of the traffic performance of a first O-Cloud node, determine whether the at least one parameter satisfies a predetermined shutdown condition for the first O-Cloud node, and deactivate the first O-Cloud node based on a determination that the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition.

[0012] According to one aspect of the disclosure, when executed by at least one processor, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may obtain at least one parameter indicating the traffic performance of a 1O-Cloud node, determine whether the at least one parameter satisfies a predetermined shutdown condition for the 1O-Cloud node, and invalidate the 1O-Cloud node based on a determination that the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition, and may store instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform the above.

[0013] Additional aspects may be partially presented in the following description, may be apparent in part from the description, or may be implemented by practicing the presented embodiments of the disclosure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] The features, advantages, and significance of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like elements.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) architecture according to the related art.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram in terms of the functions of a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) framework having a Non-Real-Time (NRT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) architecture according to the related art.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a diagram in terms of the services of an SMO framework having an NRT RIC in the related art according to the related art.

[0018] FIG. 4A is a diagram of an O-RAN architecture according to one embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4B is a diagram of a graph showing capacity utilization and O-RAN cloud (O-Cloud) node power according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 4C is a diagram of an O-RAN architecture according to an embodiment.

[0021] Figure 5 is a diagram of a process for O-Cloud node invalidation in a single-node scenario according to an embodiment.

[0022] Figure 6A is a diagram of a process for O-Cloud node invalidation in a Kubernetes cluster node scenario according to an embodiment.

[0023] Figure 6B is a diagram of a process for O-Cloud node invalidation in a Kubernetes cluster node scenario according to an embodiment.

[0024] Figure 7A is a diagram of a process for O-Cloud node invalidation in a virtual machine (VM) node scenario according to an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 7B is a diagram of a process for O-Cloud node invalidation in a VM node scenario according to an embodiment.

[0026] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method for power and traffic management in O-RAN according to an embodiment.

[0027] Figure 9 is a diagram of an example of an environment in which the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented.

[0028] Figure 10 is a diagram of an example of components of a device according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0029] The following detailed description of the embodiments refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in different figures may identify the same or similar elements.

[0030] The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit implementations to the exact forms disclosed. Changes and modifications are possible in light of the foregoing disclosure or may be obtained from practice of the implementations. Further, one or more features or components of one embodiment may be integrated with or combined with those of other embodiments (or one or more features of other embodiments). Additionally, in the flowcharts and operation descriptions provided below, one or more operations may be omitted, one or more operations may be added, one or more operations may be executed simultaneously (at least in part), and the order of one or more operations may be interchanged.

[0031] It will be apparent that the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual special control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods is not a limitation of the implementation. For this reason, the operations and behavior of the systems and / or methods are described herein without reference to specific software code. It is understood that software and hardware may be designed based on the description herein to implement the systems and / or methods.

[0032] Even if a particular combination of features is recited in a claim and / or disclosed in the specification, such combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of possible implementations. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways different from those specifically recited in the claims and / or specifically disclosed in the specification. Each of the dependent claims listed below may depend directly on only one claim, but the disclosure of possible implementations includes each dependent claim in combination with all the other claims in the claim set.

[0033] None of the elements, acts, or instructions used herein should be construed as important or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the articles "a" and "an" are intended to include one or more items and may be used interchangeably with "one or more." The term "one" or similar terms are used when only one item is intended. Also, as used herein, the terms "has," "have," "having," "include," "including," etc. are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "at least in part, based on" unless explicitly stated otherwise. Further, expressions such as "at least one of A and B" or "at least one of A or B" are understood to include only A, only B, or both A and B.

[0034] Embodiments provide a system (and method, device, network, etc.) for power and traffic management in an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN). In particular, the system may monitor the O-RAN by obtaining parameters indicating the traffic performance of an O-RAN Cloud (O-Cloud) node. The parameters indicating the traffic performance may include CPU usage of the O-Cloud node, memory usage of the O-Cloud node, disk throughput of the O-Cloud node, etc. The system may obtain the parameters from an O-Cloud server. Based on the obtained parameters, the system may determine whether at least one parameter of the parameters indicating the traffic performance of the O-Cloud node satisfies a predetermined shutdown condition. The predetermined shutdown condition may include that the CPU usage of the O-Cloud node is lower than a CPU usage percentage threshold, the memory usage of the O-Cloud node is lower than a memory usage percentage threshold, the disk throughput of the O-Cloud node is lower than a disk throughput usage percentage threshold, and / or conditions based on a combination of such shutdown conditions. Based on determining that at least one parameter of the parameters indicating the traffic performance satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition, the system may deactivate the O-Cloud node.

[0035] The system may include a FOCOM (Federated O-Cloud Orchestration and Management) controller of the SMO (Service Management and Orchestration) framework, and the system may determine that at least one parameter meets the shutdown condition based on a predetermined shutdown policy configured for the FOCOM controller. The system may alternatively or additionally include a non-real-time (NRT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) for the SMO, and the NRT RIC may be configured to perform the aforementioned operations.

[0036] Based on determining that at least one parameter meets a predetermined shutdown condition and before invalidating the O-Cloud node, the system may notify the O-Cloud node that it has been determined that the O-Cloud node is to be invalidated. In such a case, the O-Cloud node may be invalidated after a predetermined grace period starting around the time the O-Cloud node is notified. Alternatively, the system may perform a "non-graceful" invalidation of the O-Cloud node without providing notification that it has been determined that the O-Cloud node is to be invalidated. Further, before the O-Cloud node is invalidated, the system may terminate at least one application running on the O-Cloud node. Further, based on determining that at least one parameter meets a predetermined shutdown condition and before invalidating the O-Cloud node, the system may transfer the workload associated with the O-Cloud node to other O-Cloud nodes in the O-RAN.

[0037] Thus, by monitoring the O-RAN as disclosed herein, power consumption may be reduced by invalidating (restricted use or non-use) the O-Cloud node, and traffic may be better distributed across the O-RAN.

[0038] FIG. 4A is a diagram of an O-RAN architecture 400 according to an embodiment. The O-RAN architecture 400 may include a SMO framework 402 including an NRT RIC 404 and a FOCOM controller 406. The O-RAN architecture 400 may include a near real-time (nRT) RIC 408, an O-RAN centralized unit (O-CU) control plane (O-CU-CP) 410, an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP) 412, an O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU) 414, an O-RAN radio unit (O-RU) 416, and an O-RAN cloud (O-Cloud) server 418. The O-Cloud server 418 may include an infrastructure management service (IMS) module 420 and a deployment management service (DMS) module 422. As shown in FIG. 4A, the FOCOM controller 406 may be configured to obtain from the O-Cloud server 418 parameters indicating the traffic performance of the O-Cloud nodes. That is, the NRT RIC 404 may push a predetermined shutdown policy to the FOCOM controller 406. An example of a predetermined shutdown policy is shown in Table 1.

Table 1

[0039] As shown in Table 1, the shutdown policy may include options for "graceful" node shutdown. In "graceful" node shutdown, a grace period may be provided between the time when it is determined that the O-Cloud node is to be deactivated and the time when the O-Cloud node is deactivated. In the policy of Table 1, the "graceful" node shutdown option is active (i.e., "Y"). Also, the shutdown policy in Table 1 may include parameters indicating traffic performance and shutdown conditions related to the parameters. For example, the shutdown policy may include parameters such as CPU usage, memory usage, and disk throughput, and the shutdown conditions may include that the CPU usage is less than the CPU usage percentage threshold (set at 5%), the memory usage is less than the memory usage percentage threshold (set at 10%), and the disk throughput is less than the disk throughput percentage threshold (set at 10%). As will be understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, various percentage thresholds may be set to different values to increase or decrease the deactivation. Additional shutdown parameters such as parameters based on the number of nodes in O-RAN, node configuration, topology, node state, etc. may be utilized. Further, in the policy of Table 1, all three shutdown conditions need to be met in order to determine that the O-Cloud node should be deactivated, but this is illustrative and not limiting, and any number of shutdown conditions may be utilized to determine that the O-Cloud node should be deactivated. In the policy of Table 1, "Tshutdown" corresponds to the amount of time after the O-Cloud node is deactivated that the O-Cloud node is shut down. As described above, the FOCOM controller 406 may obtain parameters from the O-Cloud server 418 and may determine whether the parameters meet the shutdown conditions configured for the policy.

[0040] Figure 4B is a diagram of a graph showing capacity utilization and O-Cloud node power according to an embodiment. In particular, Figure 4B shows a graph 450 of RAN mobility and traffic percentage capacity utilization over time, and a graph 452 of the power of the percentage O-Cloud node over time. As shown in graph 450, based on the shutdown condition of the policy in Table 1, at time point 460, the FOCOM controller 406 may determine that the O-Cloud node should be deactivated corresponding to a percentage capacity utilization of about 20%. The shutdown condition of the policy may be configured to trigger deactivation based on a desired percentage threshold of percentage capacity utilization. Since graph 450 shows a "graceful" node shutdown, a grace period 462 may be started at time 464 after it is determined that the O-Cloud node is to be deactivated. Time 464 may occur at any time between the time when it is determined to deactivate the O-Cloud node and the time of deactivation of the O-Cloud node. During the grace period 462, node draining may be performed. That is, the O-Cloud node may be notified of the scheduled O-Cloud node deactivation, the O-Cloud node may transfer operations / applications to other O-Cloud nodes in the O-RAN, and / or the operations / applications on the O-Cloud node may be properly terminated (i.e., avoid sudden and unexpected termination of operations / applications). In embodiments where a "non-graceful" termination is performed, a limited grace period may be provided, or no grace period may be provided at all.

[0041] At time 466 when the grace period 462 ends, the O-Cloud node may be deactivated. The O-Cloud node may be deactivated over the shutdown period 468. As shown by graph 452, the O-Cloud node may have two power modes (high power mode and low power mode). Notably, as shown by graph 450, the same or substantially the same amount of power is consumed while the O-Cloud node is in the high power mode even if the percentage capacity utilization is greatly reduced. Thus, when the O-Cloud node is deactivated at time 466, the O-Cloud node may enter the low power mode to save power over a predetermined shutdown time.

[0042] FIG. 4C is a diagram of an O-RAN architecture 490 according to an embodiment. The O-RAN architecture 490 is similar to the O-RAN architecture 400 except that the NRT RIC 404 is configured to push node draining and shutdown actions. Further, the O-RAN architecture 490 includes a fronthaul (FH) M plane 492 including an O-CU 494 and an O-DU 496, and an O-RU 498 connected to the FH M plane 492. In such an embodiment, the NRT RIC 404 may directly obtain parameters indicating the traffic performance of the O-Cloud node from the O-Cloud server 418 and may be configured to determine the deactivation of the O-Cloud node based on the parameters. The NRT RIC 404 may be configured to determine the deactivation of the O-Cloud node without implementing a policy such as a policy implemented with the FOCOM controller 406. The NRT RIC 404 may be configured to push node draining and shutdown operations to the IMS module 420.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a diagram of the process of O-Cloud node deactivation in a single-node scenario according to an embodiment. The system in the single-node scenario may include an SMO including an NRT RIC 502, an O-CU, and an nRT RIC 504, a cloud platform 506, a first O-DU 508 operating on a first O-Cloud node 510, a second O-DU 512 operating on a second O-Cloud node 514, an open front hole gateway (FH GW) 516, a first O-RU 518, a second O-RU 520, a third O-RU 522, and a fourth RU 524.

[0044] In operation 550, the NRT RIC 502 (and in some embodiments, the nRT RIC 504 as well) may analyze the traffic patterns of the O-RUs 518-524, and may determine that the first O-RU 518 and the second O-RU 520 have limited traffic or no traffic at all. That is, the traffic generated from the first O-RU 518 and the second O-RU 520 may pass through the first O-DU 508 and the first O-Cloud node 510. The NRT RIC 502 may be configured to deactivate the first O-RU 518 and the second O-RU 520.

[0045] As shown in operation 552, after the first O-RU 518 and the second O-RU 520 are deactivated, the NRT RIC 502 may remove the first O-DU 508 from the first O-Cloud node 510 as part of the node draining procedure. In operation 554, the NRT RIC 502 may deactivate the first O-Cloud node 510 after the node draining procedure is completed. The first O-RU 518 and the second O-RU 520 may be mapped to the second O-Cloud node 514 after the first O-Cloud node 510 is deactivated. The remapping of the first O-RU 518 and the second O-RU 520 may be realized through the pooling of shared O-RUs and baseband units (BBUs).

[0046] FIG. 6A is a diagram of a process of O-Cloud node deactivation in a Kubernetes cluster node scenario according to an embodiment. The system in the Kubernetes cluster scenario may include an SMO 602 including an NRT RIC 604 and a FOCOM controller 606, a cloud platform 608, a first cluster 610 including a first O-Cloud node 612, a second O-Cloud node 614, a third O-Cloud node 616, and a fourth O-Cloud node 618, and a second cluster 620 including a plurality of nodes. Each of the nodes may include a corresponding workload (e.g., an operation, an application, etc.).

[0047] In operation 650, the SMO 602 may determine (by the NRT RIC 604 or the FOCOM controller 606) that the first O-Cloud node 612 should be deactivated. In operation 652, the SMO 602 may start a node draining procedure in a "graceful" termination procedure, or may terminate the workload corresponding to the first O-Cloud node 612 so that the workload is removed from the first O-Cloud node 612. In operation 654, when the SMO 602 determines that the first O-Cloud node 612 is in an idle state, the first O-Cloud node 612 may be deactivated. When the deactivation is complete, the SMO 602 may receive inventory update information regarding the formation of nodes and clusters (e.g., available nodes) for further operations.

[0048] Figure 6B is a diagram of the process of O-Cloud node invalidation in a Kubernetes cluster node scenario according to an embodiment. The system in Figure 6B is similar to the system in Figure 6A, but the cloud platform 610 may include an IMS module 622 and a DMS module 624. As shown in operation 660, the first O-Cloud node 612 includes a partial workload that does not consume all of the processing power of the first O-Cloud node 612, and the second O-Cloud node 614 includes a partial workload that does not consume all of the processing power of the second O-Cloud node 614. As shown in operation 662, as part of the node draining procedure, the partial workload of the first O-Cloud node 612 may be transferred / moved to the available space on the second O-Cloud node 614 that is available on the second O-Cloud node 614 for the partial workload. The IMS module 622 may be configured to transfer / move the workload based on internal criteria such as available space. As shown in operation 664, after the workload is moved and the first O-Cloud node 612 becomes idle, the SMO 602 may invalidate the first O-Cloud node 612.

[0049] Figure 7A is a diagram of the process of O-Cloud node invalidation in a virtual machine (VM) node scenario according to an embodiment. The system in the VM node scenario may include an SMO 702 including an NRT RIC 704 and a FOCOM controller 706, a cloud platform 708, a first cluster 710 including a first O-Cloud node 712, a second O-Cloud node 714, a third O-Cloud node 716, and a fourth O-Cloud node 718, and a second cluster 720 including a plurality of nodes. Each of the nodes may include a corresponding virtual network function (VNF) that operates on the node via a guest operating system (OS).

[0050] In operation 750, SMO 702 may determine that the first O-Cloud node 712 should be deactivated (by NRT RIC 704 or FOCOM controller 706). In operation 752, SMO 702 may start the node draining procedure in the "graceful" termination procedure, or may terminate the VNF corresponding to the first O-Cloud node 712 so that the VNF corresponding to the first O-Cloud node 712 is terminated. After the VNF corresponding to the first O-Cloud node 712 is terminated, SMO 702 may start the shutdown of the guest OS corresponding to the first O-Cloud node 712. In operation 754, when SMO 702 determines that the first O-Cloud node 712 is in an idle state and the guest OS has been shut down, the first O-Cloud node 712 may be deactivated. When the deactivation is complete, SMO 702 may receive inventory update information regarding the formation of nodes and clusters (e.g., available nodes) for further operations.

[0051] Figure 7B is a diagram of the process of O-Cloud node inactivation in a VM node scenario according to an embodiment. The system in Figure 7B is similar to the system in Figure 7A, but the cloud platform 710 may include an IMS module 722 and a DMS module 724. As shown in operation 760, the first O-Cloud node 712 includes VNFs and guest operating systems that utilize a portion of the processing power of the first O-Cloud node 712, and the second O-Cloud node 714 includes VNFs and guest operating systems that utilize a portion of the processing power of the second O-Cloud node 714. As shown in operation 762, as part of the node draining procedure, the VNFs and guest operating systems of the first O-Cloud node 712 may be transferred / moved to the available space on the second O-Cloud node 714 that is available on the second O-Cloud node 714. The IMS module 722 may be configured to transfer / move the VNFs and guest operating systems based on internal criteria such as available space. As shown in operation 764, after the VNFs and guest operating systems are moved and the first O-Cloud node 712 becomes idle, the SMO 702 may deactivate the first O-Cloud node 712.

[0052] Figure 8 is a flowchart of a method for power and traffic management in an O-RAN according to an embodiment. In operation 802, the system may obtain at least one parameter indicating the traffic performance of the first O-Cloud node. In operation 804, the system may determine whether the at least one parameter meets a predetermined shutdown condition for the first O-Cloud node. In operation 806, based on the determination that the at least one parameter meets the predetermined shutdown condition, the system may deactivate the first O-Cloud node.

[0053] FIG. 9 is a diagram of an example of an environment 900 in which the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 9, environment 900 may include user device 910, platform 920, and network 930. Devices in environment 900 may be interconnected via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wired and wireless connections. In embodiments, any of the functions and operations described above with reference to FIG. 1 may be performed by any combination of the elements illustrated in FIG. 9.

[0054] User device 910 includes one or more devices capable of receiving, generating, storing, processing, and / or providing information related to platform 920. For example, user device 910 may include a computing device (e.g., a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a handheld computer, a smart speaker, a server, etc.), a mobile phone (e.g., a smartphone, a wireless phone, etc.), a wearable device (e.g., smart glasses or a smartwatch), or similar devices. In some implementations, user device 910 may receive information from platform 920 and / or transmit information to platform 920.

[0055] Platform 920 includes one or more devices capable of receiving, generating, storing, processing, and / or providing information. In some implementations, platform 920 may include a cloud server or a group of cloud servers. In some implementations, platform 920 may be designed to be modular such that specific software components may be swapped (in or out) depending on specific needs. Thus, platform 920 may be easily and / or quickly reconfigured for different uses.

[0056] In some implementations, as shown, platform 920 may be hosted in a cloud computing environment 922. Note that the implementations described herein describe platform 920 as being hosted in cloud computing environment 922, but in some implementations, platform 920 may not be cloud-based (i.e., may be implemented outside of a cloud computing environment) or may be partially cloud-based.

[0057] Cloud computing environment 922 includes an environment that hosts platform 920. Cloud computing environment 922 may provide services that do not require knowledge of the physical location and configuration of the system and / or device (e.g., user device 910) that hosts platform 920, such as computing, software, data access, storage, etc. As shown, cloud computing environment 922 may include a group of computing resources 924 (collectively referred to as "computing resources 924" and individually referred to as "computing resource 924").

[0058] Computing resources 924 include one or more personal computers, clusters of computing devices, workstation computers, server devices, or other types of computing and / or communication devices. In some implementations, computing resources 924 may host platform 920. Cloud resources may include computing instance(s) that execute in computing resources 924, storage devices provided in computing resources 924, data transfer devices provided by computing resources 924, etc. In some implementations, computing resources 924 may communicate with other computing resources 924 via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wired and wireless connections.

[0059] As further shown in FIG. 9, the computing resource 924 includes a group of cloud resources such as one or more applications ("APP") 924-1, one or more virtual machines ("VM") 924-2, virtualized storage ("VS") 924-3, one or more hypervisors ("HYP") 924-4, etc.

[0060] The application 924-1 includes one or more software applications that may be provided to the user device 910 or accessed by the user device 910. The application 924-1 may eliminate the need to install and execute software applications on the user device 910. For example, the application 924-1 may include software related to the platform 920 and / or any other software that can be provided via the cloud computing environment 922. In some implementations, one application 924-1 may send and receive information to and from one or more other applications 924-1 via the virtual machine 924-2.

[0061] The virtual machine 924-2 includes a software implementation of a device (e.g., a computer) that executes programs as if they were physical devices. The virtual machine 924-2 may be a system virtual machine or a process virtual machine depending on its use by the virtual machine 924-2 and the degree of correspondence with any physical device. The system virtual machine may provide a complete system platform that supports the execution of a complete operating system ("OS"). The process virtual machine may execute a single program and support a single process. In some implementations, the virtual machine 924-2 may execute on behalf of a user (e.g., the user device 910) and manage the infrastructure of the cloud computing environment 922 such as data management, synchronization, or long-term data transfer.

[0062] The virtualized storage 924-3 includes one or more storage systems and / or devices of one or more devices or computing resources 924 that use virtualization technology within the storage system. In some implementations, within the context of the storage system, the types of virtualization may include block virtualization and file virtualization. Block virtualization may represent the abstraction (or separation) of logical storage from physical storage so that the storage system may be accessed without considering the physical storage or heterogeneous structure. The separation may provide flexibility to the storage system administrator when managing storage for end users. File virtualization may remove the dependency between the data accessed at the file level and the location where the files are physically stored. This may enable optimization of storage usage, server consolidation, and / or performance of non-disruptive file migration.

[0063] The hypervisor 924-4 may provide hardware virtualization technology that enables multiple operating systems (e.g., "guest operating systems") to run simultaneously on a host computer such as computing resources 924. The hypervisor 924-4 may present a virtual operating platform to the guest operating systems and may manage the execution of the guest operating systems. Multiple instances of various operating systems may share the virtualized hardware resources.

[0064] Network 930 includes one or more wired and / or wireless networks. For example, Network 930 may include a cellular network (e.g., a fifth-generation (5G) network, a long-term evolution (LTE) network, a third-generation (3G) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, etc.), a public land mobile network (PLMN), a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a telephone network (e.g., a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a private network, an ad-hoc network, an intranet, the Internet, an optical fiber-based network, etc.), and / or a combination of these or other types of networks.

[0065] The number and arrangement of devices and networks shown in FIG. 9 are provided as an example. In fact, there may be additional devices and / or networks, fewer devices and / or networks, different devices and / or networks, or devices and / or networks with different arrangements compared to those shown in FIG. 9. Furthermore, two or more devices shown in FIG. 9 may be implemented within a single device, and a single device shown in FIG. 9 may be implemented as multiple distributed devices. Additionally or alternatively, a set of devices (e.g., one or more devices) in Environment 900 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another set of devices in Environment 900.

[0066] Figure 10 is a diagram of an example component of device 1000. Device 1000 may correspond to user device 910 and / or platform 920. As shown in Figure 10, device 1000 may include bus 1010, processor 1020, memory 1030, storage component 1040, input component 1050, output component 1060, and communication interface 1070.

[0067] Bus 1010 includes components that enable communication between components of device 1000. Processor 1020 may be implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. Processor 1020 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an acceleration processing unit (APU), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or another type of processing component. In some implementations, processor 1020 includes one or more programmable processors for executing functions. Memory 1030 includes random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), and / or other types of dynamic or static storage devices (e.g., flash memory, magnetic memory, and / or optical memory) for storing information and / or instructions for use by processor 1020.

[0068] The storage component 1040 stores information and / or software related to the operation and use of the device 1000. For example, the storage component 1040 may include, together with the corresponding drive, a hard disk (e.g., magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, and / or solid state disk), a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk, a cartridge, a magnetic tape, and / or other types of non-transitory computer-readable media. The input component 1050 includes components that enable the device 1000 to receive information via user input (e.g., touch screen display, keyboard, keypad, mouse, button, switch, and / or microphone), etc. Additionally or alternatively, the input component 1050 may include sensors (e.g., global positioning system (GPS) component, accelerometer, gyroscope, and / or actuator) for measuring information. The output component 1060 includes components that provide output information from the device 1000 (e.g., display, speaker, and / or one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs)).

[0069] The communication interface 1070 includes components such as a transceiver (e.g., transceiver and / or split receiver and transmitter) that enable the device 1000 to communicate with other devices via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination of wired and wireless connections, etc. The communication interface 1070 enables the device 1000 to receive information from other devices and / or provide information to other devices. For example, the communication interface 1070 may include an Ethernet interface, an optical interface, a coaxial interface, an infrared interface, a radio frequency (RF) interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a Wi-Fi interface, a cellular network interface, etc.

[0070] Device 1000 may execute one or more processes described herein. Device 1000 may execute these processes in response to software instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as memory 1030 and / or storage component 1040. The computer-readable medium is defined herein as a non-transitory memory device. The memory device includes a memory space within a single physical storage device or a memory space distributed across multiple physical storage devices.

[0071] The software instructions may be read into memory 1030 and / or storage component 1040 from another computer-readable medium or another device via communication interface 1070. When executed, the software instructions stored in memory 1030 and / or storage component 1040 may cause processor 1020 to execute one or more processes described herein.

[0072] Additionally or alternatively, instead of software instructions or in combination with software instructions, wired circuits may be used to execute one or more processes described herein. Thus, the implementations described herein are not limited to a particular combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0073] The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 10 are provided as an example. In fact, device 1000 may include additional components, fewer components, different components, or components arranged differently than those shown in FIG. 10. Additionally or alternatively, a set of components of device 1000 (e.g., one or more components) may execute one or more functions described as being performed by another set of components of device 1000.

[0074] In an embodiment, any operation or process of FIGS. 4-5 may be implemented by or using any element illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7. Other embodiments are not limited thereto and may be implemented in various different architectures (e.g., bare metal architecture, any cloud-based architecture or deployment architectures such as Kubernetes, Docker, OpenStack, etc.).

[0075] The above disclosure provides illustrations and descriptions, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit implementations to the exact forms disclosed. Changes and modifications are possible in light of the above disclosure or may be obtained from the practice of an implementation.

[0076] Some embodiments may relate to a system, a method, and / or a computer-readable medium at any possible level of technical detail of integration. Further, one or more of the above-described components may be stored on a computer-readable medium and implemented as instructions executable by at least one processor (and / or may include at least one processor). The computer-readable medium may include a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium (or medium) storing computer-readable program instructions for causing a processor to execute operations.

[0077] A computer-readable storage medium may be a tangible device that can hold and store instructions for use by an instruction-executing device. A computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of these. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of computer-readable storage media includes: portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disks (DVD), memory sticks, floppy disks, punch cards, mechanically encoded devices such as a raised structure in a groove in which instructions are recorded, and any suitable combination of these. As used herein, a computer-readable storage medium is not to be construed as being a transient signal per se, such as a radio wave or other freely propagating electromagnetic wave, an electromagnetic wave propagating through a waveguide or other transmission medium (e.g., an optical pulse passing through an optical fiber cable), or an electrical signal transmitted through a wire.

[0078] The computer-readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to respective computing / processing devices, or can be downloaded from an external computer or an external storage device via a network such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and / or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives the computer-readable program instructions from the network and transfers the computer-readable program instructions for storage in a computer-readable storage medium within each respective computing / processing device.

[0079] The computer-readable program code / instructions for performing the operation may be assembly instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, configuration data for integrated circuits, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages including object-oriented programming languages such as Smalltalk, C++, and procedural programming languages such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may be executed in their entirety on the user's computer as a stand-alone software package, partially on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, partially on a remote computer, or in their entirety on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (e.g., through the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, for example, an electronic circuit including a programmable logic circuit, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a programmable logic array (PLA) may execute the computer-readable program instructions by utilizing the state information of the computer-readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuit for performing the aspect or operation.

[0080] These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram (one or more blocks). These computer-readable program instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that, when loaded and executed on a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other devices, causes the computer, programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other devices to function in a particular manner, thereby creating an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the aspects of the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram (one or more blocks).

[0081] The computer-readable program instructions may be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram (one or more blocks).

[0082] The flowchart and block diagrams shown illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer-readable media according to various embodiments. Here, each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a micro service, module, segment, or portion of instructions that include one or more executable instructions for implementing a particular logical function. The methods, computer systems, and computer-readable media may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those shown in the figures. In some alternative implementations, the functions shown in the blocks may occur out of the order shown in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed simultaneously or substantially simultaneously, depending on the functions involved, or the blocks may be executed in the reverse order. Note that each block of the illustrations of the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the illustrations of the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented by a system based on dedicated hardware for performing a particular function or action, or by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0083] It is clear that the systems and / or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, or a combination of hardware and software. The actual dedicated control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and / or methods does not limit the implementation. Thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and / or methods have been described herein without reference to a particular software code. It is understood that software and hardware may be designed based on the description herein to implement the systems and / or methods.

Claims

1. A method for power and traffic management in an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), comprising: obtaining at least one parameter indicating the traffic performance of a first O-RAN Cloud (O-Cloud) node; determining whether the at least one parameter satisfies a predetermined shutdown condition for the first O-Cloud node; invalidating the first O-Cloud node based on a determination that the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition. A method comprising the above steps.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter is obtained from an O-Cloud server.

3. The method is executed by a FOCOM (Federated O-Cloud Orchestration and Management) controller of an SMO (Service Management and Orchestration) framework, and determining whether the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition is executed based on a predetermined shutdown policy configured for the FOCOM controller. The method according to claim 1.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is executed by a non-real-time (NRT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) of an SMO (Service Management and Orchestration) framework.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising notifying the first O-Cloud node that it has been determined to be invalidated based on a determination that the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition and before invalidating the first O-Cloud node.

6. Invalidating the first O-Cloud node is executed after a predetermined grace period, wherein the predetermined grace period starts when the first O-Cloud node is notified that it has been determined to be invalidated. The method according to claim 5.

7. Based on determining that the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition, and further comprising ending at least one application running on the first O-Cloud node before invalidating the first O-Cloud node, the method according to claim 1.

8. After ending the at least one application and before invalidating the first O-Cloud node, further comprising ending at least one virtual machine (VM) guest operating system (OS) associated with the first O-Cloud node, the method according to claim 7.

9. Based on determining that the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition, and further comprising migrating the workload associated with the first O-Cloud node to a second O-Cloud node before invalidating the first O-Cloud node, the method according to claim 1.

10. The at least one parameter comprises at least one of the central processing unit (CPU) usage of the first O-Cloud node, the memory usage of the first O-Cloud node, and the disk throughput of the first O-Cloud node, the method according to claim 1.

11. A power and traffic management system in an Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN), At least one memory for storing instructions, Obtaining at least one parameter indicating the traffic performance of a first O-RAN cloud (O-Cloud) node, Determining whether the at least one parameter satisfies a predetermined shutdown condition for the first O-Cloud node, Invalidating the first O-Cloud node based on determining that the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition, At least one processor configured to execute the instructions to perform the above, A system comprising.

12. The at least one parameter is obtained from an O-Cloud server, the system according to claim 11.

13. The at least one processor comprises a FOCOM (Federated O-Cloud Orchestration and Management) controller of a SMO (Service Management and Orchestration) framework, the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to determine whether the at least one parameter meets the predetermined shutdown condition based on a predetermined shutdown policy configured for the FOCOM controller, The system according to claim 11.

14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor comprises a non-real-time (NRT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) of a SMO (Service Management and Orchestration) framework.

15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to notify the first O-Cloud node that it has been determined that the first O-Cloud node will be deactivated based on determining that the at least one parameter meets the predetermined shutdown condition and before deactivating the first O-Cloud node.

16. Deactivating the first O-Cloud node is performed after a predetermined grace period, the predetermined grace period is a period that starts when the first O-Cloud node is notified that it has been determined that the first O-Cloud node will be deactivated. The system according to claim 15.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to terminate at least one application running on the first O-Cloud node based on determining that the at least one parameter meets the predetermined shutdown condition and before deactivating the first O-Cloud node.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to further terminate at least one virtual machine (VM) guest operating system (OS) associated with the first O-Cloud node after terminating the at least one application and before invalidating the first O-Cloud node.

19. The system according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to further transfer the workload associated with the first O-Cloud node to a second O-Cloud node based on determining that the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition and before invalidating the first O-Cloud node.

20. When executed by at least one processor, obtaining at least one parameter indicative of the traffic performance of a first Open Radio Access Network (O-RAN) cloud (O-Cloud) node; determining whether the at least one parameter satisfies a predetermined shutdown condition for the first O-Cloud node; invalidating the first O-Cloud node based on determining that the at least one parameter satisfies the predetermined shutdown condition; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that cause the at least one processor to perform the above.

Images