Preload enhancements for edge gateways in communications networks

Abstract

The present disclosure describes systems, methods, and devices related to staging a universal customer edge gateway device. The universal customer edge gateway device may generate copies of virtual network function (VNF) operating system (OS) images on the universal customer edge gateway device prior to deployment of the universal customer edge gateway device at a customer location, the copies including a first copy of a first VNF OS image and a second copy of a second VNF OS image; may identify a selection of the first copy from the list of copies during deployment of the universal customer edge gateway device at the customer location; may copy the first VNF OS image to the universal customer edge gateway device based on the selection during the deployment; and may instantiate the copied first VNF OS image on the universal customer edge gateway device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application is related to and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 63 / 370,144, entitled "ENHANCED PRE-LOADING FOR EDGE GATEWAYS IN COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS," filed Aug. 2, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0002] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to systems and methods for configuring edge gateway devices for communication networks. [Background technology]

[0003] When a customer premises device is provisioned at a customer location, provisioning can often involve downloading software and configuration for the device from a centralized server using a file transfer protocol. The download and configuration can take a significant amount of time, and there can be some risk of data corruption during the download. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A universal edge gateway device for a communications network may be sent to a customer location for use. To avoid lengthy and potentially unreliable downloads during instantiation of the customer edge gateway device, the customer edge gateway device may access a locally stored cloud (e.g., a cloud at the customer location) to access software, settings, configurations, and the like.

[0005] Virtual network functions (VNFs) may be stored locally in a local cloud to pre-cache an operating system accessible to the universal customer edge gateway device. During installation of the customer edge gateway device, a process may copy the VNF's operating system (OS) to the customer edge gateway device's storage. A process may store the VNF's OS in a separate, secure partition within the customer edge gateway device. The VNF itself may not be deployed / instantiated.

[0006] When a customer requests to deploy / instantiate a VNF from a supported list, the VNF's OS (e.g., golden image) can be copied internally from the cache partition to the hypervisor instead of being downloaded from a backend system over the internet as some other customer edge gateway devices may. Pre-caching the VNF OS can significantly reduce installation time for the customer edge gateway device (e.g., over an hour compared to a multi-gigabyte download). The enhanced process described herein differs from existing pre-caching processes in that it does not install software for the customer edge gateway device, but instead stores the software within the customer edge gateway device to be installed as needed / demanded. As a result, hardware resources of the customer edge gateway device can be saved by preventing the installation of unused software, and the bandwidth required for large downloads can be avoided. For illustrative comparison, a customer device such as a laptop can be pre-installed with an OS, which can then be authenticated and updated to the latest version using a key. In the present disclosure, the OS is not pre-installed on a universal device; rather, an available image that is not available until the device finds and instantiates it is stored on the device for possible instantiation.

[0007] A universal customer edge gateway device may be embedded with VNFs / QCOW2s before being shipped to a customer location for use. When activated at a customer location, the customer edge gateway device may find and select an image of a VNF / QCOW2 from locally stored options (e.g., in a directory) and instantiate any selected VNFs / QCOW2s. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment for staging a universal customer edge gateway device according to one embodiment.

[0009] [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a network operating environment having a universal customer edge gateway device according to one embodiment.

[0010] [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process for staging a universal customer edge gateway device according to one embodiment.

[0011] [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a computing system that may be used in implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] Specific implementations will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which various implementations and / or aspects are shown. However, various aspects may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the implementations set forth herein; rather, these implementations are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like numbers in the figures refer to like elements throughout. Thus, when a feature is used in multiple figures, the number used to identify that feature in the figure in which that feature first appears will also be used in the subsequent figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems, methods, and the like for configuring a universal customer edge gateway device for a communications network.

[0014] A universal customer edge gateway device may need to be able to instantiate one or more VNFs from among many available VNFs. Rather than pre-installing VNFs for the OS, the customer edge gateway device may be shipped to a customer location, where it can select from available VNFs. When staging a universal customer edge gateway device (e.g., universal customer premises equipment—UCPE), the universal customer edge gateway device may download VNFs from a backend system. The download may be very time-consuming, requiring more than an hour for a multi-gigabyte download. For example, downloading a Windows operating system may require downloading more than 10 gigabytes of data. Not only is downloading a large VNF very time-consuming, but such a large download may be prone to data corruption.

[0015] Therefore, there is a need to enhance the staging of universal customer edge gateway devices for communication networks.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the VNF / QCOW2 may be pre-cached at the universal customer edge gateway device. When the universal customer edge gateway device is shipped to and activated at a customer location, the universal customer edge gateway device may select from the pre-cached VNF / QCOW2. In this manner, the universal customer edge gateway device may select from a set of pre-loaded VNF / QCOW2 images and instantiate them at the universal customer edge gateway device, avoiding the need to download images from a remote location.

[0017] In one or more embodiments, the OS of any VNF may be copied to the local storage of the universal customer edge gateway device. A separate, secure partition within the universal customer edge gateway device may be used for storage of the VNF OS, and the VNF itself may not be deployed / instantiated.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, when a customer requests to deploy / instantiate a VNF from a supported list, the VNF's OS may be copied internally from the cache partition to the hypervisor rather than being downloaded from a backend system over the internet.

[0019] In one or more embodiments, the universal customer edge gateway device may use application programming interfaces (APIs) to retrieve and delete cached VNF images. The VNF cache partition may be protected with root privileges, so API requests for a list of VNFs may require a security token. The returned list of available VNFs may include QCOW2 files representing images of the VNFs available for instantiation.

[0020] The above description is for purposes of illustration and not limitation. Numerous other examples, configurations, processes, etc. may exist, some of which are described in more detail below. Exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network environment for staging a universal customer edge gateway device according to one embodiment.

[0022] 1 , network environment 100 includes universal customer edge gateway devices (e.g., customer edge gateway 102, ..., customer edge gateway 104, etc.) connected to edge gateway backend system 120. Edge gateway backend system 120 may include a VNF repository from which the universal customer edge gateway devices may download VNF OSs over Internet 105. For example, the customer edge gateway devices may have one or more VNFs (e.g., VNF 106 on customer edge gateway 102, VNF 108 on customer edge gateway 104), and those VNF OSs may be downloaded to the customer edge gateway devices.

[0023] 1 , network environment 150 improves upon network environment 100 by pre-caching VNFs on universal customer edge gateway devices (e.g., pre-cached VNF 110 on customer edge gateway 112, . . ., pre-cached VNF 114 on customer edge gateway 116). Because the VNFs may be pre-cached, the universal customer edge gateway devices may avoid the need to download the VNF OS over the Internet 105, as is the case in network environment 100.

[0024] In one or more embodiments, during installation of a VNF OS image, the VNF OS may be copied to a separate partitioned storage of a universal customer edge gateway device of network environment 150, such that the VNF itself is not deployed / instantiated. When a customer (e.g., a user) of the universal customer edge gateway device requests that a VNF be deployed / instantiated from a supported list of pre-cached VNFs stored on the universal customer edge gateway device, the OS of the selected VNF may be copied internally from the cache partition to a hypervisor (e.g., hypervisor 411 in FIG. 4 ). In this manner, the OS of the VNF may not be installed on the universal customer edge gateway device; rather, the VNF may be stored as software on the universal customer edge gateway device and instantiate software of one or more supported VMFs (e.g., from among multiple VMFs supported by the customer edge gateway device).

[0025] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a network operating environment 200 having a universal customer edge gateway device according to one embodiment.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary operating environment 200 is shown that may provide Internet services in one or more networks that include customer devices. Generally, the environment 200 provides for establishing communication sessions between network users and providing one or more network services to the network users via the communication sessions. For example, users may utilize an IP network to communicate or otherwise interact with the broader Internet 105 via the network using communication devices 204, such as mobile communication devices and / or other computing devices. In some instances, content from the Internet 105 (such as multimedia content accessible via a content delivery network (CDN)) may be provided to and / or from one or more customers of the IP network 202 through the operating environment 200. With particular reference to FIG. 2, the IP network 202 may be provided by a wholesale network service provider, which may include various interconnected network devices 206 for transmitting data packets between devices. In some instances, IP network 202 may be referred to as a "backbone" network configured to carry data packets or communications over long distances. While environment 200 of Figure 2 depicts a configuration using IP network 202, it should be understood that portions of the network may include non-IP-based routing.

[0027] The IP network 202 includes numerous components that enable and / or provide services for communication across the IP network 202, such as, but not limited to, a gateway 208, routers, route reflectors, and registrars, some of which are not shown or described in detail herein because those skilled in the art would readily understand these components. Communications between the IP network 202 and other entities or networks, such as one or more customer home or business local area networks (LANs) connected to the IP network 202, may also be managed through the network environment 200. The connected network may include, but is not limited to, communication devices, such as personal computers or mobile computing devices (e.g., communication devices 204) connected to a residential gateway (e.g., customer edge gateway device 205), which provides an interface for communication devices of the connected network. The communication and networking components of the connected network enable users in the customer network to communicate with the IP network 202 and receive services from the IP network 202, such as access to the Internet 105, among other network services.

[0028] While the components of a connected network of communication devices are typically home- or business-based, they may be relocated and designed for ease of portability. For example, communication device 204 may be a wireless (e.g., cellular) phone, a smartphone, a tablet, or a portable laptop computer. In some embodiments, multiple connected networks are owned or operated by a single entity or entities that may connect to IP network 202 from the same or similar locations. Each connected network may access IP network 202 through the same gateway device, but each network may be operated by a separate entity or customer for the IP network. IP network 202 may provide access to networks, such as Internet 105 access.

[0029] Each connected network may include a corresponding customer edge gateway (e.g., customer edge gateway 205) for connecting to IP network 202 through one or more interface devices. Additionally, IP network 202 may connect to other networks, such as Internet 105, through gateways or other network edge devices, such as provider edges (e.g., edge device 210). For ease of explanation, only Internet 105 is shown as connected to IP network 202; however, many such networks and other devices equipped to handle large numbers of concurrent calls and / or other IP-based communications may be connected to IP network 202.

[0030] IP network 202 may include any number and types of network devices for providing services and transmitting communication packets. In one implementation, a network gateway (e.g., network gateway 208), such as a broadband network gateway (BNG), may be connected to an edge device (e.g., edge device 210) to receive and provide communications and other data to a connected network. An edge device, in some implementations, may provide an interface for multiple network gateways of IP network 202, which in turn may provide an interface for multiple customer gateways.

[0031] Internet service is often provided to customers or connected networks of IP network 202 at a limited transmission rate or range of available transmission rates. For example, Internet service may be provided to residential or home networks at transmission rates starting at 100 megabytes per second (Mbps) and ranging up to 1 gigabyte per second (Gbps), with varying costs depending on the transmission rate. Often, the transmission rate offered for Internet access service is based on one or more technical limitations of the components of IP network 202. For example, different types of transmission lines in a network may offer different bandwidths that may limit the transmission rate to connected networks. More specifically, a digital subscriber line (DSL) may include a transmission rate limit of 100 Mbps, a coaxial cable transmission line may offer a maximum of 10 Gbps, and a fiber optic transmission line may offer a maximum of 200 Gbps. Additionally, each network device in IP network 202 may contain its own technical limitations regarding the rate at which data packets can be processed and routed to other network devices, including limitations on each communication port of the respective device. The number of devices connected to an interface device may also limit the transmission speed of the Internet service provided. For example, a building may contain multiple customer or connected networks, all of which may connect to IP network 202 through a network gateway.

[0032] In one or more embodiments, during installation of a VNF OS image on any customer edge gateway 205, the VNF OS may be copied to a separate partitioned storage of the universal customer edge gateway of the network environment 150, so that the VNF itself is not deployed / instantiated. When a customer (e.g., a user) of the universal customer edge gateway device requests that a VNF be deployed / instantiated from a supported list of pre-cached VNFs 212 stored on the universal customer edge gateway device, the OS of the selected VNF 212 may be copied internally from the cache partition to the hypervisor. In this manner, the OS of the VNF 212 may not be installed on the universal customer edge gateway device; rather, the VNF 212 may be stored as software on the universal customer edge gateway device and instantiate the software of one or more supported VMFs 212 (e.g., from among multiple VMFs supported by the customer edge gateway device).

[0033] In one or more embodiments, a user may define a local cloud where VNF212 OS images may be pre-stored. The name, point of presence, release, and location of a directory (e.g., list) of cached VNF212 images may be generated along with a user login for authentication.

[0034] In one or more embodiments, the cached VNFs 212 may be copied to a universal customer gateway edge device. The VNFs 212 cache partition may be protected with root privileges. It may not be necessary to delete the cached VNFs 212 images.

[0035] The download links for copies of the VNF212 OS available for instantiation may be in the .img extension, and the list of VNF212 copies may include the .qcow2 file.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process 300 for staging a universal customer edge gateway device according to one embodiment.

[0037] At block 302, a device (or system, e.g., the customer edge gateway device of FIGS. 1 and 2) may generate a copy of a VNF OS image (e.g., for any of the VNFs 212 of FIG. 2) prior to deployment of the device at a customer location. The OS of any VNF may be copied to local storage of the universal customer edge gateway device. The storage of the VNF OS may use a separate, secure partition within the universal customer edge gateway device, and the VNF itself may not be deployed / instantiated.

[0038] At block 304, the device may identify a selection of copies of the VNF OS image from the list of copies during deployment of the device at the customer location. The API call to retrieve the list may require user authentication.

[0039] At block 306, the device may copy a selected copy of the VNF OS image to the device based on user selection during deployment. If a customer requests to deploy / instantiate a VNF from a supported list, the VNF's OS may be copied internally from the cache partition to the hypervisor rather than being downloaded from a backend system over the internet.

[0040] At block 308, the device may instantiate the copied VNF OS image on the device. In this way, the VNF may not have to be instantiated, but because the image has been pre-cached, the VNF's OS may be instantiated without being downloaded (e.g., over the internet).

[0041] It is understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not limiting.

[0042] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a computing device or computer system 400 that may be used in implementing embodiments of the components of the network disclosed above. For example, the computing system 400 of Figure 4 may represent at least a portion of the network environment 100 shown in Figure 1 and / or the network operating environment 200 of Figure 2 and discussed above. The computer system (system) includes one or more processors 402-406, one or more pre-cached VNFs 409 (e.g., separately and securely stored and partitioned), and a hypervisor 411 (e.g., for instantiating and running virtual machines, such as VNFs copied from the one or more pre-cached VNFs 409). The processors 402-406 may include one or more internal level caches (not shown) and a bus controller 422 or bus interface unit for directing interaction with a processor bus 412. A processor bus 412, also known as a host bus or front-side bus, may be used to couple processors 402-406 to a system interface 424. The system interface 424 may connect to the processor bus 412 to interface other components of the system 400 with the processor bus 412. For example, the system interface 424 may include a memory controller 418 for interfacing main memory 416 with the processor bus 412. The main memory 416 typically includes one or more memory cards and control circuitry (not shown). The system interface 424 may also include an input / output (I / O) interface 420 for interfacing one or more I / O bridges 425 or I / O devices with the processor bus 412. One or more I / O controllers and / or I / O devices, such as an I / O controller 428 and an I / O device 430, may be connected to the I / O bus 426, as shown.

[0043] I / O devices 430 may also include input devices (not shown), such as an alphanumeric input device including alphanumeric and other keys for communicating information and / or command selections to processors 402-406. Another type of user input device includes a cursor control, such as a mouse, trackball, or cursor direction keys, for communicating directional information and command selections to processors 402-406 and for controlling cursor movement on a display device.

[0044] System 400 may include a dynamic storage device referred to as main memory 416, or random access memory (RAM), or other computer-readable device coupled to processor bus 412 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processors 402-406. Main memory 416 may also be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions by processors 402-406. System 400 may also include read-only memory (ROM) and / or other static storage devices coupled to processor bus 412 for storing static information and instructions for processors 402-406. The system outlined in FIG. 4 is but one possible example of a computer system that may employ or be configured in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the above techniques may be performed by computer system 400 in response to processor 404 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 416. These instructions may be read into main memory 416 from another machine-readable medium, such as a storage device. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 416 may cause processors 402-406 to perform the process steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions. Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure may include both hardware and software components.

[0046] Machine-readable media include any mechanism for storing or transmitting information in a form (e.g., software, processing application) readable by a machine (e.g., a computer). Such media may take the form of non-volatile and volatile media, but may include, without limitation, removable data storage media, non-removable data storage media, and / or external storage devices made available via wired or wireless network architectures with such computer program products, including one or more database management products, web server products, application server products, and / or other additional software components. Examples of removable data storage media include compact disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs), digital versatile disc read-only memories (DVD-ROMs), magneto-optical disks, flash drives, and the like. Examples of non-removable data storage media include internal magnetic hard disks, solid-state drives, and the like. The one or more memory devices 406 may include volatile memory (e.g., dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), etc.) and / or non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, etc.).

[0047] A computer program product including mechanisms for implementing systems and methods according to the presently described technology may reside in main memory 416, which may be referred to as a machine-readable medium. It will be understood that a machine-readable medium may include any tangible, non-transitory medium that can store or encode instructions for performing any one or more of the operations of the present disclosure for execution by a machine, or that can store or encode data structures and / or modules utilized by or associated with such instructions. A machine-readable medium may include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and / or associated caches and servers) that store one or more executable instructions or data structures.

[0048] Embodiments of the present disclosure include various steps described herein. The steps may be performed by hardware components or embodied in machine-executable instructions that can be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor programmed with the instructions to perform the steps. Alternatively, the steps may be performed by a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0049] Various modifications and additions may be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, while the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of the present invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations, together with all equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. 1. A method for staging a universal customer edge gateway device, comprising: generating, by at least one processor of the universal customer edge gateway device, copies of virtual network function (VNF) operating system (OS) images on the universal customer edge gateway device prior to deployment of the universal customer edge gateway device at a customer location, the copies including a first copy of a first VNF OS image and a second copy of a second VNF OS image; identifying, by the at least one processor, a selection of the first copy from the list of copies during deployment of the universal customer edge gateway device at the customer location; the at least one processor copying the first VNF OS image to the universal customer edge gateway device based on the selection during the deployment; and the at least one processor instantiating the copied first VNF OS image in the universal customer edge gateway device. A method for providing

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing the copy in a secure partition on the universal customer edge gateway device.

3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein copying the first VNF OS image to the universal customer edge gateway device comprises copying the first VNF OS from the secure partition to a hypervisor of the universal customer edge gateway device.

4. identifying a second selection of the second copies from the list during the deployment; and during the deployment, copying the second VNF OS image from the secure partition to the hypervisor based on the second selection. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising instantiating the copied second VNF OS image in the universal customer edge gateway device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the copying and instantiating steps are not associated with downloading the first VNF OS using the Internet.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the instantiating step is not associated with instantiating a first VNF associated with the first VNF OS.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising requesting the list using an application programming interface (API) get call.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the API get call includes an authentication token.

10. 1. A system for staging a universal customer edge gateway device, comprising: at least one processor of the universal customer edge gateway device coupled to a memory of the universal customer edge gateway device; and copies of virtual network function (VNF) operating system (OS) images on the universal customer edge gateway device, the copies including a first copy of a first VNF OS image and a second copy of a second VNF OS image. wherein the at least one processor: generating the copy prior to deployment of the universal customer edge gateway device at a customer location; identifying a selection of the first copy from the list of copies during deployment of the universal customer edge gateway device at the customer location; During the deployment, based on the selection, copying the first VNF OS image to the universal customer edge gateway device; and Instantiating the copied first VNF OS image on the universal customer edge gateway device. The system is configured as follows:

11. 11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a secure partition on the universal customer edge gateway device, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to store the copy in the secure partition.

12. 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a hypervisor on the universal customer edge gateway device, and wherein copying the first VNF OS image to the universal customer edge gateway device comprises copying the first VNF OS from the secure partition to the hypervisor.

13. The at least one processor: During said deployment, identifying a second selection of said second copies from said list; and During the deployment, copying the second VNF OS image from the secure partition to the hypervisor based on the second selection. The system of claim 12 further configured to:

14. The at least one processor: Instantiating the copied second VNF OS image on the universal customer edge gateway device. The system of claim 13 further configured to:

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the copying and instantiating steps are not associated with downloading the first VNF OS using the Internet.

16. The system of claim 10 or 11, wherein the instantiating procedure is not associated with instantiating a first VNF associated with the first VNF OS.

17. The at least one processor: Requesting the list using an application programming interface (API) get call 11. The system of claim 10, further configured to: wherein the API get call includes an authentication token.

18. 1. A device for staging a universal customer edge gateway device, comprising: at least one processor coupled to a memory, the at least one processor: generating copies of virtual network function (VNF) operating system (OS) images on the universal customer edge gateway device prior to deployment of the universal customer edge gateway device at a customer location, the copies including a first copy of a first VNF OS image and a second copy of a second VNF OS image; identifying a selection of the first copy from the list of copies during deployment of the universal customer edge gateway device at the customer location; During the deployment, based on the selection, copying the first VNF OS image to the universal customer edge gateway device; and Instantiating the copied first VNF OS image on the universal customer edge gateway device. The device is configured as follows:

19. 20. The device of claim 18, further comprising a secure partition on the universal customer edge gateway device, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to store the copy in the secure partition.

20. 20. The device of claim 19, further comprising a hypervisor on the universal customer edge gateway device, and wherein copying the first VNF OS image to the universal customer edge gateway device comprises copying the first VNF OS from the secure partition to the hypervisor.

21. The at least one processor: During said deployment, identifying a second selection of said second copies from said list; and During the deployment, copying the second VNF OS image from the secure partition to the hypervisor based on the second selection.

21. The device of claim 20, further configured to:

22. The at least one processor: Instantiating the copied second VNF OS image on the universal customer edge gateway device.

22. The device of claim 21, further configured to:

23. 20. The device of claim 18, wherein the copying and instantiating steps are not associated with downloading the first VNF OS using the internet.

24. 20. The device of claim 18 or 19, wherein the instantiating procedure is not associated with instantiating a first VNF associated with the first VNF OS.

25. The at least one processor: Requesting the list using an application programming interface (API) get call 20. The device of claim 18, further configured to: wherein the API get call includes an authentication token.

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