First centralized node and methods therein in a communications network

Abstract

A method performed by a first centralized node is provided The method is for handling logging of an ongoing event in a Distributed System (DS) of a communications network. The multiple distributed nodes comprising at least a first distributed node, and one or more centralized nodes comprising at least the first centralized node operate in the DS. The first centralized node receives (201) from the first distributed node, a notification related to a request from a client. The request from the client is requesting, from the first distributed node, information related to the ongoing event. The notification comprises an Identification, ID, of the ongoing event. The first centralized node identifies (202) the first distributed node and at least one other distributed node out of the multiple distributed nodes required for providing the requested information to the client. The first centralized node determines (203) that the first distributed node among the identified distributed nodes is the only distributed node required to log the ongoing event related to the request. The first centralized node then instructs (204) the first distributed node to perform logging of the ongoing event related to the request and instructs (206) the rest of the identified distributed nodes to refrain from logging of the event related to request.

Description

[0001] FIRST CENTRALIZED NODE AND METHODS THEREIN IN A COMMUNICATIONS

[0002] NETWORK

[0003] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0004] Embodiments herein relate to a first centralized node, and methods therein. In some aspects, embodiments relate to handling logging of an ongoing event in a Distributed System (DS) of a communications network.

[0005] BACKGROUND

[0006] In a typical wireless communication network, wireless devices, also known as wireless communication devices, mobile stations, stations (STA) and / or User Equipment (UE), communicate via a Wide Area Network or a Local Area Network such as a Wi-Fi network or a cellular network comprising a Radio Access Network (RAN) part and a Core Network (CN) part. The RAN covers a geographical area which is divided into service areas or cell areas, which may also be referred to as a beam or a beam group, with each service area or cell area being served by a radio network node such as a radio access node e.g., a Wi-Fi access point, a Base Station (BS) or a radio base station (RBS), which in some networks may also be denoted, for example, a Base Station (BS), a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), or gNodeB (gNB) as denoted in Fifth Generation (5G) telecommunications. A service area or cell area is a geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the radio network node. The radio network node communicates over an air interface operating on a radio frequency with the wireless devices within the range of the radio network node.

[0007] 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is the standardization body for specifying the standards for the cellular system evolution, e.g., including 3G, 4G, 5G and the future evolutions. Specifications for Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E- UTRA) and Evolved Packet System (EPS) have been completed within the 3GPP. In 4G also called a Fourth Generation (4G) network, EPS is core network and E-UTRA is radio access network. In 5G, 5G Core (5GC) is core network, NR is radio access network. As a continued network evolution, the new release of 3GPP specifies a 5G network also referred to as 5G New Radio (NR) and 5GC.

[0008] Frequency bands for 5G NR are being separated into two different frequency ranges, Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and Frequency Range 2 (FR2). FR1 comprises sub-6 GHz frequency bands. Some of these bands are bands traditionally used by legacy standards but have been extended to cover potential new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. FR2 comprises frequency bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. Bands in this millimeter wave range have shorter range but higher available bandwidth than bands in the FR1.

[0009] Multi-antenna techniques may significantly increase the data rates and reliability of a wireless communication system. For a wireless connection between a single user, such as UE, and a base station (BS), the performance is in particular improved if both the transmitter and the receiver are equipped with multiple antennas, which results in a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication channel. This may be referred to as Single-User (SU)-MIMO. In the scenario where MIMO techniques is used for the wireless connection between multiple users and the base station, MIMO enables the users to communicate with the base station simultaneously using the same time-frequency resources by spatially separating the users, which increases further the cell capacity. This may be referred to as Multi-User (MU)-MIMO. Note that MU-MIMO may benefit when each UE only has one antenna. The cell capacity can be increased linearly with respect to the number of antennas at the BS side. Due to that, more and more antennas are employed in BS. Such systems and / or related techniques are commonly referred to as massive MIMO.

[0010] A distributed system (DS) in a telecommunication network is a system whose nodes are located on different networks and or sites, which communicate and coordinate their actions with one another. Products and services may be deployed using a DS with each node performing their functions independent of each other. Such distributed nodes in a DS may be employed in a RAN e.g., a gNB with a distributed unit (DU) and a centralized unit (CU). Such distributed nodes in a DS may also be employed e.g., in a Business Support System (BSS) domain within a telecommunication network wherein different nodes interact with each other for different BSS specific use-cases. These distributed nodes could be invoked by different external clients or other nodes. The resources in a distributed system may be accessed by external clients intentionally or unintentionally. Intended communication to access resources in a DS is from expected users such as e.g., an internal or an external trusted user, trusted machines, or trusted systems. On the contrary, unintended communication can be from e.g., malicious users and internal fraudulent users trying to access the DS to cause harm to the DS such as e.g., causing monetary loss and misusing the available nodes in the DS for harmful purposes. Guidelines and regulation are provided to safeguard the internal as well as external interfaces exposed by the DS. Logging security events generated by the nodes in the DS is one of such regulation wherein the nodes in the DS are expected to generate sufficient logs to audit any breach of confidentiality, integrity, or available data by an external user. Security events may e.g., refer to audit trailing of different actions performed within the nodes in the DS. More specifically, the nodes in the DS are required to perform audit logging whenever these nodes are invoked to provide access to any resources in the system. Logging of security events may herein be referred to as e.g., audit logging. This audit logging is required irrespective of what functionality was invoked and irrespective of the user accessing the system. Thus, audit logging is a mechanism used by the DS to trace the trail of events that caused changes or damage to the system.

[0011] SUMMARY

[0012] As part of developing embodiments herein, the inventors identified some problems that first will be described.

[0013] The implementation of security control of the distributed nodes in a distributed system involves associated requirements of e.g., memory, resources, and CPU processing cycle that impact the performance and dimensioning of the system. Specifically, audit logging requires all of the above-mentioned requirements and needs improvements over current ways to handle it. Consider an example wherein a huge number of communications occur between the different distributed nodes in the DS which are prone to both intended and unintended access from legitimate and illegitimate users, respectively. In such a case, as a security admin, even though the distributed nodes provide a variety of security controls, it is still mandatory to perform audit logging for a DS as part of security implementation in the DS. The security controls provided by the distributed nodes are based on zero trust policy and regulatory and / or compliance requirements. The solutions available for audit logging in a DS may not be sufficient to handle the ever-increasing footprint of deployment. For example, the current implementations suggest a static way to enable and / or disable audit logging in different nodes based on the use-case. Thus, in this manner, all the nodes will either log or not log based on the static configuration done in the DS. But the above method of logging may still lead to unnecessary and redundant audit logging by different distributed nodes. In addition, the complexity in audit compliance related activities also may increase due to this redundant bulk of generated logs. Furthermore, the huge volumes of logs may significantly degrade the performance and dimensioning of the DS and / or the databases used by the DS for logging. Apart from the above, there are some solutions suggesting specific JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) or flags in the requests to handle the generation of audit logs. JWT is an open standard that defines a compact and self-contained way for securely transmitting information between parties. This information may be trusted because it is digitally signed. These tokens or flags may not provide the best security and, the decision for logging in these cases is also based on static ways of relying on a specific token or flag. This will just ensure static control of audit logging not having enough granularity in the audit log flow.

[0014] Thus, while audit logging is a mechanism to find the audit trails of events that caused changes or access to the DS, it is not necessary for all distributed nodes in the DS to perform the audit logging as this would increase the overhead of analyzing the audit trails as well as impact the performance and dimensioning of the DS.

[0015] An object of embodiments herein is to improve the handling of logging of ongoing events in a distributed system of a communications network.

[0016] According to an aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a method performed by a first centralized node. The method is for handling logging of an ongoing event in a DS of a communications network. The multiple distributed nodes comprising at least a first distributed node, and one or more centralized nodes comprising at least the first centralized node operate in the DS. The first centralized node receives from the first distributed node, a notification related to a request from a client. The request from the client is requesting, from the first distributed node, information related to the ongoing event. The notification comprises an Identification, ID, of the ongoing event. The first centralized node identifies the first distributed node and at least one other distributed node out of the multiple distributed nodes required for providing the requested information to the client. The first centralized node determines that the first distributed node among the identified distributed nodes is the only distributed node required to log the ongoing event related to the request. The first centralized node then instructs the first distributed node to perform logging of the ongoing event related to the request and instructs the rest of the identified distributed nodes to refrain from logging of the event related to request. According to another aspect of embodiments herein, the object is achieved by a first centralized node. The first centralized node is configured to handle logging of an ongoing event in a DS of a communications network. The multiple distributed nodes comprising at least a first distributed node, and one or more centralized nodes comprising at least the first centralized node operate in the DS. The first centralized node is further configured to receive from the first distributed node, a notification related to a request from a client. This request is requesting from the first distributed node, information related to the ongoing event. The notification is adapted to comprise an Identification, ID, of the ongoing event. The first centralized node is further configured to identify the first distributed node and at least one other distributed node out of the multiple distributed nodes required for providing the requested information to the client. The first centralized node is further configured to determine that the first distributed node among the identified distributed nodes is the only distributed node required to log the ongoing event related to the request. The first centralized node is further configured to instruct the first distributed node to perform logging of the ongoing event related to the request and instruct the rest of the identified distributed nodes to refrain from logging of the event related to request.

[0017] Thanks to that the first centralized node in the DS can identify the distributed nodes that are required to provide the information and / or the data requested by the client, the first centralized node is able to instruct only one of the identified distributed nodes to perform audit logging of the session and / or the event related to the request from the client and instruct the remaining distributed nodes to refrain and / or avoid from logging the session and / or the event related to the request from the client. This will result in an improved handling of the logging of an ongoing event in a DS of a communications network. This is due to the prevention of redundant logging, of the session and / or the event related to the request from the client, by all the distributed nodes in the DS that are involved in providing the requested information and / or data to the client.

[0018] Embodiments herein may provide one or more of the following advantages: They enable dynamic audit logging of security events.

[0019] They remove any hardcoded and / or static rules and configurations to govern the decision making in audit logging.

[0020] They allow the audit logging to be pushed from the first centralized node to all the distributed nodes participating in the communication to provide the requested information and / or data to the client. The logging events are pushed by the first centralized node to the distributed nodes in near real time.

[0021] They use information model workflow to determine the sequence of distributed nodes involved in providing the requested information and / or data to the client. The information model may constantly be updated based on the activities, related to the received requests, performed by the different distributed nodes in the DS.

[0022] They enable to avoid redundancy in audit logging which improves the dimensioning of the databases used by the DS for logging.

[0023] They reduce the complexity of audit trailing. Audit trailing herein means e.g., the comprehensive, chronological record of all activities, transactions, and events that occur in the DS or in the distributed node in the DS. It is a detailed narrative that documents who did what, when, and why. The primary purpose of audit trail is to provide a complete and tamper-proof history of user interactions, system changes, and data accesses.

[0024] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Examples of embodiments herein are described in more detail with reference to attached drawings in which:

[0026] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a communications network.

[0027] Figure 2 is a flowchart depicting an embodiment of a method in a first centralized node.

[0028] Figure 3 is a combined flowchart and signalling scheme illustrating an example embodiment of a method herein.

[0029] Figure 4 is a combined flowchart and signalling scheme illustrating an example embodiment of a method herein.

[0030] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating embodiments of a first centralized node.

[0031] Figure 6 schematically illustrates embodiments of a communication system.

[0032] Figure 7 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a UE.

[0033] Figure 8 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a network node.

[0034] Figure 9 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a host.

[0035] Figure 10 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a virtualization environment.

[0036] Figure 11 is a generalized block diagram of embodiments of a communication diagram of a host. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Example embodiments herein address the issue of static handling of audit logging with dynamic handling. Static handling or static way of audit logging herein refers to e.g., to enable and / or disable audit logging in different nodes based on the use-case and will not have further control on the audit logging. Dynamic handling and / or dynamic way of audit logging when used herein is wherein e.g. we can control the audit logging in a dynamic manner based on pre-defined information model which further considers different distributed nodes within the DS participating in different use-cases. Examples of embodiments herein provide a first centralized node in a DS which acts on security events from the distributed nodes in the DS and which influences the audit logging by the distributed nodes. According to example embodiments herein, the first centralized node helps the distributed nodes in the DS in making decisions related to audit logging.

[0038] In example embodiments herein, the first centralized node has a pre-built information model to govern the audit logging of different distributed nodes. They may use the information model to determine the distributed nodes involved in providing the requested information and / or data to the client. In these embodiments, all the distributed nodes in the DS involved in providing the requested information and / or data to the client must register with the first centralized node. The information model may e.g., have the workflow of the distributed nodes participating in providing information and / or data related to a request from the client. The information model may be fed into the first centralized node and may constantly be updated based on the activities, related to the received requests, performed by the different distributed nodes in the DS.

[0039] Embodiments herein enable only one distributed node such as e.g., the first distributed node to log the event and / or session related to the request from the client among the multiple distributed nodes required to provide the requested information and / or the data to the client. In these embodiments, the number of logging of the event and / or the session related to the request is reduced by avoiding logging in every involved and / or identified distributed node.

[0040] The first centralized node may give instructions through e.g., async events to all the distributed nodes participating in providing the requested information and / or data to the client which facilitates the distributed nodes to take audit logging decision. In examples of embodiments herein, the instructions comprise the identification (ID) of the ongoing event. The ID of the ongoing event may comprise e.g., the session ID, the type of the request, the ID of the client, one or more parameters related to the request. Async events when used herein e.g., refer to asynchronous events. In some embodiments, the async events e.g., instruct the distributed nodes to perform audit logging by sending the ID of the ongoing event. In some other embodiments, the async events may e.g., instruct the distributed nodes about the ID of the ongoing event further comprising the audit logging, related to the ongoing event and / or session, performed by any other distributed node. Based on this instruction, the other distributed nodes may decide whether to perform logging.

[0041] Figure 1 is a schematic overview depicting a communications network 100 wherein embodiments herein may be implemented. The communications network 100 comprises one or more RANs, and one or more CNs such as CN 106. The communications network 100 may be wired or wireless and may use 5G NR but may further use a number of other different technologies, such as, 6G, Wi-Fi, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Global System for Mobile communications / enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (GSM / EDGE), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), just to mention a few possible implementations.

[0042] RAN nodes, such as a RAN node 110, operate in the RAN of the communications network 100. The RAN node 110 may be a transmission and reception point e.g. a radio access network node such as a base station, e.g. a radio base station such as a NodeB, an evolved Node B (eNB, eNode B), an NR Node B (gNB), a base transceiver station, a radio remote unit, an Access Point Base Station, a base station router, a transmission arrangement of a radio base station, a stand-alone access point, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) access point or an Access Point Station (AP STA), an access controller, or any other network unit capable of communicating with UEs, such as a UE 121, within a cell, served by the respective RAN node 110. The respective RAN node 110 may be referred to as a serving radio network node and may communicate with the UE 121 with Downlink (DL) transmissions to the UE 121 and Uplink (UL) transmissions from the UE 121.

[0043] A client such as e.g., client 120 and / or client 122 operates in the communications network 100. According to embodiments described herein, the client 120 and client 122 may refer to e.g., the UE 121 operating in the communications network 100, a web-based interface, a Command Line Interface (CLI), an Application Program Interface (API). One or more UEs operate in the wireless communication network 100, such as e.g. the UE 121. The UE 121 may e.g. be 5G-RG, a remote UE, a wireless device, an NR device, a mobile station, a wireless terminal, an NB-loT device, an MTC device, an eMTC device, a CAT-M device, a WiFi device, an LTE device and an a non-access point (non- AP) STA, a STA, that communicates via a RAN node such as e.g. a RAN node 110, one or more Access Networks (AN), e.g. a RAN, to one or more core network (CN) nodes, in one or more CNs. The UE 121 may communicate with one or more distributed nodes such as first distributed node 171 in the distributed system (DS) 170. It should be understood by the skilled in the art that “UE” is a non-limiting term which means any terminal, client, mobile client, IMS client, wireless communication terminal, user equipment, Device to Device (D2D) terminal, or node e.g. smart phone, laptop, mobile phone, sensor, relay, mobile tablets or even a car or any small base station communicating within a cell.

[0044] A distributed system (DS) such as e.g., DS 170 operates in the communications network 100. According to embodiments herein, the DS 170 may comprise one or more centralized nodes such as e.g., centralized nodes 177, 178, 179 comprising the first centralized node 177. According to embodiments herein, the DS 170 may further comprise multiple distributed nodes such as e.g., distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 comprising the first distributed node 171. In some embodiments, the first centralized node 177 is operating in a first site comprising multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173. In these embodiments, the rest of the centralized nodes e.g., centralized nodes 178 and 179 are operating in the rest of the sites such as e.g., in a second site or in a second site and a third site respectively. The second and the third sites may comprise multiple other distributed nodes (not shown in Figure 1). Site described herein may e.g., refer to any geographical location which is separated logically or physically within the communications network 100. In these embodiments, the centralized node operating in a specific site instructs the multiple distributed nodes comprised in that specific site. For example, the first centralized node 177 operating in the first site instructs the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 comprised in the first site.

[0045] Methods according to embodiments herein are performed by the first centralized node 177. This node may be a distributed node (DN) 182 in the cloud 180 and have its functionality, e.g. comprised in the cloud 180 as shown in Figure 1. Example embodiments herein provide dynamic security event logging for DS.

[0046] According to example embodiments herein, the first centralized node 177 comprises the information model which provides details on how the distributed nodes such as e.g., distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 are connected in providing information and / or data related to the different possible requests received from the clients such as e.g., client 120. When dynamic and runtime events are received by the distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 from the first centralized node 177, the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 are given information and / or instructions on whether to perform logging or not based on the parameters in the event. These parameters in the event, used by the first centralized node 177 to assess if the distributed node such as e.g., the second distributed node 172 must perform audit logging, may e.g., be the session ID, the type of the request, the ID of the client, the acknowledgement from the first distributed node 171. Example embodiments herein overcomes the static way of decision making in the DS such as e.g., DS 170 to decide whether to perform audit logging or not. They also avoid post correlation of events after all logging is performed by all the distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 participating in providing the requested information to the client 120.

[0047] Embodiments described herein enable to combine the static handling of audit logging using pre-built information models alongside the dynamic handling of audit logging with coordinated events. In these embodiments, the coordination of the events is made possible by the pre-built information model. The pre-built information model as described above may provide the workflow of the distributed nodes such as nodes 171, 172, 173 related to the request from the client 120. The coordination of the events mentioned herein may refer to the assessment performed by the first centralized node 177 to determine which distributed nodes must perform logging and which distributed nodes should refrain e.g., avoid from performing logging. These aspects may ensure the improvement in performance and dimensioning of the DS 170.

[0048] A number of embodiments will now be described, some of which may be seen as alternatives, while some may be used in combination.

[0049] A method according to embodiments will first be described as seen from the view of the first centralized node 177 together with Figure 2. Figure 2 shows exemplary embodiments of a method performed by the first centralized node 177. The method is for handling logging of the ongoing event in the DS 170 of the communications network 100. The ongoing event may e.g., be a security event, an ongoing session. The ongoing event may e.g., be related to the ongoing session related to a request from the client 120. The multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 comprises at least the first distributed node 171 , and one or more centralized nodes 177, 178, 179 comprises at least the first centralized node 177 operating in the DS 170. In some embodiments, the first centralized node 177 operating in a first site handles the operations of the multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 operating in the first site. In these embodiments, the first centralized node 177 monitors the multiple distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 for any requests received by the distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 from the clients such as e.g., client 120. The monitoring may also comprise monitoring the activities of the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 to update the information model based on the activities of the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 related to the received requests. The first centralized node 177 also instructs the distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 whether to perform logging of the ongoing event or not.

[0050] According to an example scenario, the client 120 wants to obtain an information related to data balance management from the DS such as e.g., DS 170. The required information may e.g., be the amount of data consumed by the UE 121. To provide this information, multiple distributed nodes e.g., distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 operating in the DS 170 may be required to participate or be involved.

[0051] The method comprises the following actions, which actions may be taken in any suitable order. Optional actions are referred to as dashed boxes in Figure 2.

[0052] Action 201. The first centralized node 177 receives a notification from the first distributed node 171. The notification is related to the request from a client 120. This request from the client 120 is requesting from the first distributed node 171, information related to the ongoing event. According to the example scenario, this information may e.g., be related to data balance management. The notification comprises an Identification (ID) of the ongoing event. The ID of the ongoing event may comprise one or more out of: an ID of the client 120, a session ID of the request, a type of the request, one or more parameters related to the request. In some embodiments, the receiving of the notification from the first distributed node 171 is based on certificate of authentication. In these embodiments, the first distributed node 171 exchanges certificate of authentication with the first centralized node 177. Action 202. The first centralized node 177 identifies the first distributed node 171 and at least one other distributed node 171, 172, 173 out of the multiple distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 required for providing the requested information to the client 120. In some embodiments, the identification of the distributed node 171, 172, 173 is based on a prebuilt information model in the first centralized node 177. As described above, the information model may e.g., provide the workflow of the distributed nodes such as e.g., the distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 participating in providing information and / or data related to the request from the client 120. The information model may be fed into the first centralized node 177 and may constantly be updated based on the activities, related to the received requests, performed by the different distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 in the DS 170.

[0053] Action 203. The first centralized node 177 determines that the first distributed node 171 among the identified distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 is the only distributed node required to log the ongoing event related to the request. In some embodiments, this determination is based on the constant updating of the information model based on the activities as described in Action 202.

[0054] Action 204. The first centralized node 177 instructs the first distributed node 171 to perform logging of the ongoing event related to the request. In some embodiments, the instruction comprises e.g., the ID of the ongoing event. In these embodiments, the ID of the ongoing event comprises one or more out of: the ID, of the client 120, the session ID of the request, the type of the request, and one or more parameters related to the request. The first distributed node 171 may log e.g., the audit logs done on the ongoing event. Once logged, the first distributed node 171 may then store the log details in a log server or a database. This is to collect and process the logs from all the nodes in the DS 170. The information and / or data received and / or processed by the first distributed node 171 related to the requested information and / or data from the client 120 may be stored in a database such as e.g., an application database.

[0055] Action 205. The first centralized node 177 may synchronize, with the rest of the centralized nodes 178, 179 operating in the rest of the sites in the DS 170. According to the example scenario mentioned above, multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 may be required to participate or be involved to provide the requested information to the client 120. In some embodiments, these multiple distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 are operating in the same site such as e.g., the first site. In some other embodiments, these multiple distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 are operating in different sites such as e.g., the first distributed node 171 operating in the first site, the rest of the distributed nodes i.e. , nodes 172 and 173 operating in the second site. In these embodiments, the operations of the distributed node 171 operating in the first site is handled by the first centralized node 177 while the operations of the rest of the distributed node 172, 173 operating in the second site are handled by the second centralized node 178. In these embodiments, the first centralized node 177 synchronizes the activities and the information in the first site with the second centralized node 178 in the second site. These activities and information may be related to the request in the ongoing event and / or session. The synchronization is performed by sending one or more out of: the ID of the ongoing event, the received notification from the first distributed node 171 , the identified distributed nodes 171, 172, 173, and the instruction that the first distributed node 171 has performed the logging of the ongoing event related to the request. The received notification from the first distributed node 171 is related to the request from the client 120.

[0056] Action 206. The first centralized node 177 instructs the rest of the identified distributed nodes 172, 173 to refrain from logging of the event related to request. The instruction to refrain from audit logging when used herein may e.g., be to avoid redundant audit logging. The instruction may comprise e.g., the ID of the ongoing event and the logging, of the ongoing event related to the request, performed by the first distributed node 171. On receiving the instruction to refrain from logging, the rest of the distributed nodes 172, 173 may decide to not perform logging of the ongoing event and only fetch the information and / or data related to the request that is stored in the database such as e.g., the application database. In some embodiments, the instructing of the rest of the identified distributed nodes 172, 173 is based on certificate of authentication. In these embodiments, the rest of the distributed nodes 172, 173 exchanges certificate of authentication with the first centralized node 177.

[0057] In this way by using the methods above, the first centralized node 177 is able to reduce the number of logging of the ongoing event and / or session performed in the DS 170 related to the request from the client 120. The first centralized node 177 also enables to avoid redundant logging thereby avoiding degrading in the performance of the DS 170. The above methods performed by the first centralized node 177 is also suitable for the DS that is distributed over different sites as described above. Embodiments herein such as the embodiments mentioned above will now be further described and exemplified. The text below is applicable to and may be combined with any suitable embodiment described above.

[0058] Example embodiments herein enable to address the issue of static handling of logging of the ongoing event such as e.g., security event by replacing and / or combining it with dynamic handling of logging. The first centralized node 177 may act on the ongoing events from the distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 and influences the logging of the ongoing event by the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173. The ongoing event may be related to the request from the client 120 requesting information and / or data from the DS 170.

[0059] In some embodiments, the first centralized node 177 has the pre-built information model to govern the logging of the ongoing event by the different distributed nodes 171, 172, 173. These embodiments enable only one distributed node such as e.g., first distributed node 171 to log the ongoing event among the multiple distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 required in providing the requested information to the client 120. Thus, logging of the ongoing event in all the multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 that are participating in providing the request information to the client 120 may be avoided.

[0060] Information Model:

[0061] The information model, as described earlier, provides the details on the workflow of the multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 in the DS 170 related to the different requests received from the client such as e.g., client 120. The workflow describes how the multiple distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 in the DS 170 are connected to provide the requested information and / or data to the client 120 based on different requests and / or different events received from the client 120. In an example scenario, a first request from the client 120 may require only the first distributed node 171 to provide the requested information to the client 120. In another scenario, a second request from the client 120 may require both the first distributed node 171 and the second distributed node 172 to provide the requested information to the client 120. As mentioned in Action 202, the first centralized node 177 identifies the workflow of the different distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 required to participate in providing the requested information to the client 120. This identification by the first centralized node 177 may be based on the information model. As described earlier, the information model may be fed into the first centralized node 177 and may constantly be updated based on the activities, related to the received requests, performed by the multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 in the DS 170. In some embodiments, the first centralized node 177 uses the information model, to enable the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 to be aware about the different requests that may be expected from the clients such as e.g., client 120 and enable the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 to make decisions related to logging of the ongoing event.

[0062] Registration with centralized utility module:

[0063] According to example embodiments herein, during deployment, each distributed node among the multiple distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 may register the ID of the client 120 with the first centralized node 177 along with the certificate of authentication to authenticate the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173. As described in Action 201 , the client 120 is requesting information from the distributed node such as e.g., the first distributed node 171 in the ongoing event. In some embodiments, the first centralized node 177 has the information workflow denoting the clients such as e.g., client 120 that may participate during each request handling. As described in Actions 201 and 206, any instructions sent from the first centralized node 177 to the distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 through e.g., async event may have proper and valid certificates of authentication. These certificates may be used for Authentication and Authorization (A&A) thereby ensuring further security in the DS 170.

[0064] The embodiments herein as mentioned above are further described below using example scenarios.

[0065] Scenario 1 :

[0066] This scenario 1 is similar to the example scenario as mentioned earlier. According to this scenario 1 , the client 120 may want to obtain the information related to e.g., data balance management from the DS 170. The required information may e.g., be the amount of data consumed by the UE 121. To provide this information, multiple distributed nodes e.g., distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 operating in the DS 170 may be required to participate or be involved.

[0067] Figure 3 together with the following steps illustrates the signalling among the first centralized node 177 and multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 to provide dynamic logging of the ongoing event according to example embodiments herein. Action 301 : The first distributed node 171 receives the request from the client 120. The request in this scenario 1 as mentioned above may be to obtain information related to e.g., data balance management from the DS 170.

[0068] Action 302: The first distributed node 171 interacts with the first centralized node 177 as described in Action 201. The first distributed node 171 sends the notification comprising the ID of the ongoing event which further comprises one or more out of the session ID of the request, the ID of the client, the request type and one or more parameters related to the request.

[0069] Action 303: According to example embodiments herein, the first centralized node 177 identifies the flow of different participating distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173, respectively with the first distributed node 171 being the receiver of the request from the client 120. This action is similar to Action 202 described earlier. This identification may be based on the information model available at the first centralized node 177.

[0070] In some embodiments, the information model may be present in an external node such as e.g., the DN 182 in the cloud 180 from where the first centralized node 177 may obtain the required workflow related to the request.

[0071] The information model in this scenario may e.g., be represented by a table as shown in Table 1 specifying the different distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 involved and the workflow among the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 to provide the requested information to the client 120. The communication between the different distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 may herein be referred to as transaction.

[0072] Based on information model loaded in the first centralized node 177, the first centralized node 177 sends the instruction through e.g., the async event to the first distributed node 171 as in Action 204 to perform logging of the ongoing event. Action 304: The first distributed node 171 performs logging of the ongoing event related to the request from the client 120. The first distributed node 171 then stores the logs in the log server.

[0073] Action 305: The first distributed node 171 stores information and / or data related to the requested information in the database such as e.g., the application database such as e.g., Cassandra.

[0074] Action 306 and 307: As described in Action 206, the first centralized node 177 sends instructions through e.g., async events to the second distributed node 172 and to the third distributed node 173. The instruction sent to the rest of the identified distributed nodes 172, 173 as mentioned in Action 206 may comprise the ID of the ongoing event and the logging performed by the first distributed node 171. In some embodiments, the instruction comprises the instruction that the logging has been performed by the first distributed node 171. In some other embodiments, the instruction comprises the log details related to the logging performed by the first distributed node 171. The received instruction enables the second distributed node 172 and the third distributed node 173 to decide to not perform logging if the request is received for the ongoing event and / or ongoing session with the received session ID.

[0075] Action 308: When the request is received by the second distributed node 172 related to the ongoing event with the session ID and the request type received in Action 306 from the first centralized node 177, the second distributed node 172 will not perform logging, but will interact with the application database comprising the information and / or data stored by the first distributed node 171. This information may then be used by the second distributed node 172 to further perform processing to provide the requested information to the client 120. The processed information may further be stored by the second distributed node 172 in the application database.

[0076] Action 309: When the request is received by the third distributed node 173 related to the ongoing event with the session ID and the request type received in Action 307 from the first centralized node 177, the third distributed node 173 will not perform logging, but will interact with the application database comprising the information and / or data stored by the first distributed node 171 and / or the second distributed node 172. This information may then be used by the third distributed node 173 to further perform processing to provide the requested information to the client 120.

[0077] Action 310: The second request different from the above request in Action 301 may be received by the third distributed node 173 from a second client e.g., client 122 with a different client ID. In some embodiments, the same client 120 may be requesting the second request e.g., refill that is different from the above request in Action 301 and have a different session ID and request type. It will be understood that the example of requests mentioned here can refer to any standardized API requests. In these embodiments, the third distributed node 173 may be the receiver of the second request.

[0078] Action 311: Since the request type and the session ID are different in both scenarios as described in Action 310, the third distributed node 173 will perform logging of the event related to the second request both from the client 120 and the client 122.

[0079] Scenario 2:

[0080] This scenario 2 is an example detailing the embodiments discussed above with an example scenario in Action 205 related to the multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 in the DS 170 distributed over different sites. Such a scenario may herein be referred to as e.g., multi-site scenario or geo-red scenario. According to this scenario 2, multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 may be required to participate or be involved to provide the requested information to the client 120. In some embodiments, these multiple distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 are operating in the same site such as e.g., site 1. In some other embodiments as illustrated in Figure 4, these multiple distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 are operating in different sites such as e.g., the first distributed node 171 operating in site 1, the rest of the distributed nodes i.e., nodes 172 and 173 operating in the site 2. In these embodiments, the operations of the distributed node 171 operating in the site 1 is handled by the first centralized node 177 while the operations of the rest of the distributed node 172, 173 operating in the site 2 are handled by the second centralized node 178. In these embodiments as described in Action 205, the first centralized node 177 synchronizes the activities and the information in the site 1 related to the request in the ongoing event and / or session with the second centralized node 178 in the site 2.

[0081] Examples of embodiments herein provide a method to perform audit logging with respect to multi-site and / or geo-red specific use cases where the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 may be deployed across sites and audit logging of the events is controlled with the centralized nodes 177, 178, 179 synchronized across sites. The centralized nodes 177, 178, 179 are synchronized across sites so that the information model is accessible by all the distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 distributed across sites e.g., in a multi-site and / or geo-red deployment. The following are the steps comprised in the dynamic logging of the ongoing event e.g., security event across sites e.g., in a multi-site and / or geo-red use case.

[0082] Action 401 : The first distributed node 171 in site 1 receives the request such as e.g., balance management request from the client 120 in site 1. This is similar to Action 201 and 301.

[0083] Action 402: The first distributed node 171 in site 1 interacts with the first centralized node 177 of site 1 by sending the notification comprising the ID of the ongoing event. The ID of the ongoing event comprises the session ID of the ongoing event related to the request, the type of the request, and one or more parameters related to the request.

[0084] Action 403: Similar to Action 303, based on the information model loaded in the first centralized node 177, the first centralized node 177 sends the instruction through e.g., the async event to the first distributed node 171 as in Action 204 to perform logging of the ongoing event.

[0085] Action 404: When the first distributed node 171 has interacted with the first centralized node 177 in site 1, the first centralized node 177 synchronizes the activities and the information in the site 1 with the second centralized node 178 in the site 2. These activities and information may be related to the request in the ongoing event and / or session. The second centralized node 178 in site 2 sends the instructions similar to in Action 206 through e.g., async events to the second distributed node 172 in site 2. The instruction comprises session ID, request type and few other request parameters. The instruction may also comprise the instruction that the logging has been performed by the first distributed node 171. The instruction may also comprise the log details related to the logging of the ongoing event by the first distributed node 171.

[0086] Action 405: The second centralized node 178 in site 2 instructs the third distributed node 173 similar to in Actions 404 and 206 through e.g., async events in site 2.

[0087] Action 406: The first distributed node 171 in site 1 stores information and / or data related to the requested information by the client 120 in the application database and / or the server as shown in Figure 4. The application database and / or the server may be in site 3.

[0088] Action 407: The first distributed node 171 in site 1 performs audit logging upon instruction from the first centralized node 177 in Action 403 and stores the logs in the log server which may also be deployed in site 3.

[0089] Action 408: When the request is received by the second distributed node 172 deployed in site 2 from the first distributed node 171 in site 1, the instruction received from the second centralized node 178 by the second distributed node 172 in site 2 already comprises the details related to the audit logging performed by the first distributed node 171 in site 1 related to this request with the same request type, session ID and request parameters received. Hence the second distributed node 172 in site 2 will not perform logging of this ongoing event related to this request. The second distributed node 172 in site 2 will only interact with the application database deployed in site 3 as described in Action 308.

[0090] Action 409: When the request is received by the third distributed node 173 from the second distributed node 172 in site 2, the instruction received from the second centralized node 178 by the third distributed node 172 already comprises the details related to the audit logging performed by the first distributed node 171 in site 1 related to this request with the same request type, session ID and request parameters received. Hence the third distributed node 173 in site 2 will not perform logging of this ongoing event related to this request. The third distributed node 173 in site 2 will only interact with the application database deployed in site 3 as described in Action 309.

[0091] Thus, example embodiments herein described above enable only one distributed node such as e.g., first distributed node 171 to perform logging among the different distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 required to provide the requested information to the client 120. These embodiments allow to avoid the log server from producing and / or storing duplicate log events generated by each of the multiple distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 participating in providing the requested information to the client 120. Some embodiments herein introduce the information model to enable the first centralized node 177 to identify the distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 involved in the transactions in providing the requested information to the client 120. Embodiments herein thereby impacts the dimensioning and the performance of the DS 170.

[0092] Example embodiments herein may additionally prevent overloading of the log server since duplicate and / or redundant loggings are avoided. Example embodiments herein reduces the Input / output Operations Per Second (IOPS) of the network since the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 receives the instructions from the centralized nodes 177, 178, 179 and may not be required to interact with the centralized nodes 177, 178, 179 frequently. Additionally, according to some example embodiments, the distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 may interact with the centralized nodes 177, 178, 179 only for the first request received in a session, so the centralized nodes 177, 178, 179 are not overloaded with further requests. To perform the method actions above, the first centralized node 177 is configured to handle logging of the ongoing event in the DS 170 of the communications network 100. The multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 comprising at least the first distributed node 171, and one or more centralized nodes 177, 178, 179 comprising at least the first centralized node 177 operate in the DS 170.

[0093] The first centralized node 177 may comprise an arrangement depicted in Figure 5. The first centralized node 177 may comprise an input and output interface 500 configured to communicate in the communications network 100, e.g., with the other centralized nodes 178, 179 and the multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173. The input and output interface 500 may comprise a wireless receiver not shown, and a wireless transmitter not shown.

[0094] The first centralized node 177 is further configured to receive from the first distributed node 171 , the notification related to the request from the client 120. The request is requesting from the first distributed node 171 , information related to the ongoing event. The notification is adapted to comprise the ID of the ongoing event.

[0095] The first centralized node 177 is further configured to identify the first distributed node 171 and at least one other distributed node 171 , 172, 173 out of the multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 required for providing the requested information to the client 120.

[0096] The first centralized node 177 is further configured to determine that the first distributed node 171 among the identified distributed nodes 171, 172, 173 is the only distributed node required to log the ongoing event related to the request.

[0097] The first centralized node 177 is further configured to instruct the first distributed node 171 to perform logging of the ongoing event related to the request.

[0098] The first centralized node 177 is further configured to instruct the rest of the identified distributed nodes 172, 173 to refrain from logging of the event related to request.

[0099] In some embodiments, the first centralized node 177 operating in the first site handles the operations of the multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 operating in the first site. In these embodiments, the first centralized node 177 is further being configured to synchronize, with the rest of the centralized nodes 178, 179 operating in the rest of the sites in the DS 170. The synchronization may be adapted to be performed by sending one or more out of: the ID of the ongoing event, the received notification from the first distributed node 171 , which notification may be adapted to be related to the request from the client 120, the identified distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173, and the instruction that the first distributed node 171 had performed the logging of the ongoing event related to the request.

[0100] In some embodiments, the ID of the ongoing event is adapted to comprise one or more out of: the ID of the client 120, the session ID of the request, the type of the request and one or more parameters related to the request.

[0101] In some embodiments, the identification of the distributed node 171, 172, 173 is adapted to be based on the pre-built information model in the first centralized node 177.

[0102] In some embodiments, the receiving of the notification from the first distributed node 171 is adapted to be based on certificate of authentication.

[0103] In some embodiments, the instructing of the rest of the identified distributed nodes 172, 173 is adapted to be based on certificate of authentication.

[0104] Embodiments herein may be implemented through a respective processor or one or more processors, such as the respective processor 510 of a processing circuitry in the first centralized node 177 depicted in Figure 5 together with respective computer program code for performing the functions and actions of the embodiments herein. The program code mentioned above may also be provided as a computer program product, for instance in the form of a data carrier carrying computer program code for performing the embodiments herein when being loaded into the first centralized node 177. One such carrier may be in the form of a CD ROM disc. It is however feasible with other data carriers such as a memory stick. The computer program code may furthermore be provided as pure program code on a server and downloaded to the first centralized node 177.

[0105] The first centralized node 177 may further comprise a respective memory 520 comprising one or more memory units. The respective memory 520 comprises instructions executable by the processor in the first centralized node 177. The respective memory 520 is arranged to be used to store e.g., media functions, indications, tags, information, data, configurations, communication data, and applications to perform the methods herein when being executed in the first centralized node 177.

[0106] In some embodiments, a respective computer program 530 comprises instructions, which when executed by the respective at least one processor 510, cause the at least one processor of the first centralized node 177 to perform the actions above. In some embodiments, a respective carrier 540 comprises the respective computer program 530, wherein the respective carrier 540 is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

[0107] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that units in the first centralized node 177 described above may refer to a combination of analog and digital circuits, and / or one or more processors configured with software and / or firmware, e.g. stored in the first centralized node 177, that when executed by the respective one or more processors such as the processors described above. One or more of these processors, as well as the other digital hardware, may be included in a single Application-Specific Integrated Circuitry ASIC, or several processors and various digital hardware may be distributed among several separate components, whether individually packaged or assembled into a System-on-a-Chip (SoC).

[0108] ADDITIONAL EXPLANATION

[0109] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0110] Figure 6 shows an example of a communication system QQ100 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0111] In the example, the communication system QQ100 includes a telecommunication network QQ102 that includes an access network QQ104, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network QQ106, which includes one or more core network nodes QQ108. The access network QQ104 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes QQ110a and QQ110b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes QQ110), or any other similar 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points. Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network QQ102 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network node is a node in the telecommunication network QQ102 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network QQ102, including one or more network nodes QQ110 and / or core network nodes QQ108.

[0112] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (0-Rll), an open distributed unit (0-Dll), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O- CLI-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an A1, F1, W1, E1 , E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes QQ110 facilitate direct or indirect connection of user equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 121, QQ112a, QQ112b, QQ112c, and QQ112d (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs QQ112) to the core network QQ106 over one or more wireless connections.

[0113] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system QQ100 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system QQ100 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0114] The UEs QQ112 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes QQ110 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes QQ110 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs QQ112 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network QQ102 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network QQ102.

[0115] In the depicted example, the core network QQ106 connects the network nodes QQ110 to one or more hosts, such as host QQ116. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network QQ106 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node QQ108) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node QQ108. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Deconcealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0116] The host QQ116 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network QQ104 and / or the telecommunication network QQ102, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host QQ116 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0117] As a whole, the communication system QQ100 of Figure 10 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0118] In some examples, the telecommunication network QQ102 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunications network QQ102 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network QQ102. For example, the telecommunications network QQ102 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0119] In some examples, the UEs QQ112 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network QQ104 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network QQ104. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi- RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0120] In the example, the hub QQ114 communicates with the access network QQ104 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d) and network nodes (e.g., network node QQ110b). In some examples, the hub QQ114 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub QQ114 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network QQ106 for the UEs. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes QQ110, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub QQ114. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub QQ114 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub QQ114 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub QQ114 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub QQ114 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0121] The hub QQ114 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node QQ110b. The hub QQ114 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub QQ114 and UEs (e.g., UE QQ112c and / or QQ112d), and between the hub QQ114 and the core network QQ106. In other examples, the hub QQ114 is connected to the core network QQ106 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub QQ114 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network QQ104 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes QQ110 while still connected via the hub QQ114 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node QQ110b. In other embodiments, the hub QQ114 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node QQ110b, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0122] Figure 7 shows a UE QQ200 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes such as e.g., one or more centralized nodes 177, 178, 179 and multiple distributed nodes 171 , 172, 173 and / or other UEs, such as e.g., UE 121. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-loT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0123] A UE may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0124] The UE QQ200 includes processing circuitry QQ202 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ204 to an input / output interface QQ206, a power source QQ208, a memory QQ210, a communication interface QQ212, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 7. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0125] The processing circuitry QQ202 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory QQ210. The processing circuitry QQ202 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry QQ202 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0126] In the example, the input / output interface QQ206 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE QQ200. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0127] In some embodiments, the power source QQ208 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source QQ208 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source QQ208 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE QQ200 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source QQ208. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source QQ208 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE QQ200 to which power is supplied.

[0128] The memory QQ210 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory QQ210 includes one or more application programs QQ214, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data QQ216. The memory QQ210 may store, for use by the UE QQ200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0129] The memory QQ210 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (IIICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a IISIM and / or ISIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The IIICC may for example be an embedded IIICC (elllCC), integrated IIICC (illlCC) or a removable IIICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory QQ210 may allow the UE QQ200 to access instructions, application programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory QQ210, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0130] The processing circuitry QQ202 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface QQ212. The communication interface QQ212 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna QQ222. The communication interface QQ212 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter QQ218 and / or a receiver QQ220 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter QQ218 and receiver QQ220 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna QQ222) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0131] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface QQ212 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented in according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0132] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface QQ212, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0133] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0134] A UE, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE QQ200 shown in Figure 7.

[0135] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-loT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0136] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0137] Figure 8 shows a network node QQ300 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NR NodeBs (gNBs)), O- RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0138] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0139] Other examples of network nodes include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi- cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0140] The network node QQ300 includes a processing circuitry QQ302, a memory QQ304, a communication interface QQ306, and a power source QQ308. The network node QQ300 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node QQ300 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node QQ300 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory QQ304 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna QQ310 may be shared by different RATs). The network node QQ300 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node QQ300, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node QQ300.

[0141] The processing circuitry QQ302 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node QQ300 components, such as the memory QQ304, to provide network node QQ300 functionality.

[0142] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314. In some embodiments, the radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry QQ312 and the baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 and baseband processing circuitry QQ314 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0143] The memory QQ304 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer- readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device- readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry QQ302. The memory QQ304 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry QQ302 and utilized by the network node QQ300. The memory QQ304 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry QQ302 and / or any data received via the communication interface QQ306. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry QQ302 and memory QQ304 is integrated.

[0144] The communication interface QQ306 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface QQ306 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) QQ316 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface QQ306 also includes radio front-end circuitry QQ318 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna QQ310. Radio front-end circuitry QQ318 comprises filters QQ320 and amplifiers QQ322. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may be connected to an antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna QQ310 and processing circuitry QQ302. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry QQ318 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters QQ320 and / or amplifiers QQ322. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna QQ310. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna QQ310 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry QQ318. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry QQ302. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0145] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node QQ300 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry QQ318, instead, the processing circuitry QQ302 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna QQ310. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312 is part of the communication interface QQ306. In still other embodiments, the communication interface QQ306 includes one or more ports or terminals QQ316, the radio front-end circuitry QQ318, and the RF transceiver circuitry QQ312, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface QQ306 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry QQ314, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0146] The antenna QQ310 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna QQ310 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry QQ318 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna QQ310 is separate from the network node QQ300 and connectable to the network node QQ300 through an interface or port.

[0147] The antenna QQ310, communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna QQ310, the communication interface QQ306, and / or the processing circuitry QQ302 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0148] The power source QQ308 provides power to the various components of network node QQ300 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source QQ308 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node QQ300 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source QQ308. As a further example, the power source QQ308 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0149] Embodiments of the network node QQ300 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 8 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node QQ300 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node QQ300 and to allow output of information from the network node QQ300. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node QQ300.

[0150] Figure 9 is a block diagram of a host QQ400, which may be an embodiment of the host QQ116 of Figure 6, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host QQ400 may be or comprise various combinations hardware and / or software, including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host QQ400 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0151] The host QQ400 includes processing circuitry QQ402 that is operatively coupled via a bus QQ404 to an input / output interface QQ406, a network interface QQ408, a power source QQ410, and a memory QQ412. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures QQ2 and QQ3, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of host QQ400.

[0152] The memory QQ412 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs QQ414 and data QQ416, which may include user data, e.g., data generated by a UE for the host QQ400 or data generated by the host QQ400 for a UE. Embodiments of the host QQ400 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs QQ414 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), MPEG, VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., FLAG, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers, wearable display systems, heads-up display systems). The host application programs QQ414 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host QQ400 may select and / or indicate a different host for over-the-top services for a UE. The host application programs QQ414 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0153] Figure 10 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment QQ500 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments QQ500 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment QQ500 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O- Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an 0-2 interface.

[0154] Applications QQ502 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0155] Hardware QQ504 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers QQ506 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs QQ508a and QQ508b (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs QQ508), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer QQ506 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs QQ508.

[0156] The VMs QQ508 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer QQ506. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance QQ502 may be implemented on one or more of VMs QQ508, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0157] In the context of NFV, a VM QQ508 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs QQ508, and that part of hardware QQ504 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs QQ508 on top of the hardware QQ504 and corresponds to the application QQ502.

[0158] Hardware QQ504 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware QQ504 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware QQ504 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration QQ510, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications QQ502. In some embodiments, hardware QQ504 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system QQ512 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units. Figure 11 shows a communication diagram of a host QQ602 communicating via a network node QQ604 with a UE QQ606 over a partially wireless connection in accordance with some embodiments. Example implementations, in accordance with various embodiments, of the UE (such as a UE QQ112a of Figure 6 and / or UE QQ200 of Figure 7), network node (such as network node QQ110a of Figure 6 and / or network node QQ300 of Figure 8), and host (such as host QQ116 of Figure 6 and / or host QQ400 of Figure 9) discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to Figure 11.

[0159] Like host QQ400, embodiments of host QQ602 include hardware, such as a communication interface, processing circuitry, and memory. The host QQ602 also includes software, which is stored in or accessible by the host QQ602 and executable by the processing circuitry. The software includes a host application that may be operable to provide a service to a remote user, such as the UE QQ606 connecting via an over-the-top (OTT) connection QQ650 extending between the UE QQ606 and host QQ602. In providing the service to the remote user, a host application may provide user data which is transmitted using the OTT connection QQ650.

[0160] The network node QQ604 includes hardware enabling it to communicate with the host QQ602 and UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 may be direct or pass through a core network (like core network QQ106 of Figure 6) and / or one or more other intermediate networks, such as one or more public, private, or hosted networks. For example, an intermediate network may be a backbone network or the Internet.

[0161] The UE QQ606 includes hardware and software, which is stored in or accessible by UE QQ606 and executable by the UE’s processing circuitry. The software includes a client application, such as a web browser or operator-specific “app” that may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE QQ606 with the support of the host QQ602. In the host QQ602, an executing host application may communicate with the executing client application via the OTT connection QQ650 terminating at the UE QQ606 and host QQ602. In providing the service to the user, the UE's client application may receive request data from the host's host application and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection QQ650 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The UE's client application may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides to the host application through the OTT connection QQ650.

[0162] The OTT connection QQ650 may extend via a connection QQ660 between the host QQ602 and the network node QQ604 and via a wireless connection QQ670 between the network node QQ604 and the UE QQ606 to provide the connection between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606. The connection QQ660 and wireless connection QQ670, over which the OTT connection QQ650 may be provided, have been drawn abstractly to illustrate the communication between the host QQ602 and the UE QQ606 via the network node QQ604, without explicit reference to any intermediary devices and the precise routing of messages via these devices.

[0163] As an example of transmitting data via the OTT connection QQ650, in step QQ608, the host QQ602 provides user data, which may be performed by executing a host application. In some embodiments, the user data is associated with a particular human user interacting with the UE QQ606. In other embodiments, the user data is associated with a UE QQ606 that shares data with the host QQ602 without explicit human interaction. In step QQ610, the host QQ602 initiates a transmission carrying the user data towards the UE QQ606. The host QQ602 may initiate the transmission responsive to a request transmitted by the UE QQ606. The request may be caused by human interaction with the UE QQ606 or by operation of the client application executing on the UE QQ606. The transmission may pass via the network node QQ604, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. Accordingly, in step QQ612, the network node QQ604 transmits to the UE QQ606 the user data that was carried in the transmission that the host QQ602 initiated, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In step QQ614, the UE QQ606 receives the user data carried in the transmission, which may be performed by a client application executed on the UE QQ606 associated with the host application executed by the host QQ602.

[0164] In some examples, the UE QQ606 executes a client application which provides user data to the host QQ602. The user data may be provided in reaction or response to the data received from the host QQ602. Accordingly, in step QQ616, the UE QQ606 may provide user data, which may be performed by executing the client application. In providing the user data, the client application may further consider user input received from the user via an input / output interface of the UE QQ606. Regardless of the specific manner in which the user data was provided, the UE QQ606 initiates, in step QQ618, transmission of the user data towards the host QQ602 via the network node QQ604. In step QQ620, in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure, the network node QQ604 receives user data from the UE QQ606 and initiates transmission of the received user data towards the host QQ602. In step QQ622, the host QQ602 receives the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the UE QQ606. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to the UE QQ606 using the OTT connection QQ650, in which the wireless connection QQ670 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the latency and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time.

[0165] In an example scenario, factory status information may be collected and analyzed by the host QQ602. As another example, the host QQ602 may process audio and video data which may have been retrieved from a UE for use in creating maps. As another example, the host QQ602 may collect and analyze real-time data to assist in controlling vehicle congestion (e.g., controlling traffic lights). As another example, the host QQ602 may store surveillance video uploaded by a UE. As another example, the host QQ602 may store or control access to media content such as video, audio, VR or AR which it can broadcast, multicast or unicast to UEs. As other examples, the host QQ602 may be used for energy pricing, remote control of non-time critical electrical load to balance power generation needs, location services, presentation services (such as compiling diagrams etc. from data collected from remote devices), or any other function of collecting, retrieving, storing, analyzing and / or transmitting data.

[0166] In some examples, a measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection QQ650 between the host QQ602 and UE QQ606, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and / or the network functionality for reconfiguring the OTT connection may be implemented in software and hardware of the host QQ602 and / or UE QQ606. In some embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with other devices through which the OTT connection QQ650 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of the OTT connection QQ650 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not directly alter the operation of the network node QQ604. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling that facilitates measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like, by the host QQ602. The measurements may be implemented in that software causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using the OTT connection QQ650 while monitoring propagation times, errors, etc.

[0167] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0168] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally. When using the word "comprise" or “comprising” it shall be interpreted as nonlimiting, i.e. meaning "consist at least of'.

[0169] The embodiments herein are not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a first centralized node (177) for handling logging of an ongoing event in a Distributed System, DS, (170) of a communications network (100), wherein multiple distributed nodes (171, 172, 173) comprising at least a first distributed node (171), and one or more centralized nodes (177, 178, 179) comprising at least the first centralized node (177) operate in the DS (170), the method comprising: receiving (201) from the first distributed node (171), a notification related to a request from a client (120), which request is requesting from the first distributed node (171), information related to the ongoing event, and wherein the notification comprises an Identification, ID, of the ongoing event, identifying (202) the first distributed node (171) and at least one other distributed node (171, 172, 173) out of the multiple distributed nodes (171, 172, 173) required for providing the requested information to the client (120), determining (203) that the first distributed node (171) among the identified (202) distributed nodes (171 , 172, 173) is the only distributed node required to log the ongoing event related to the request, instructing (204) the first distributed node (171) to perform logging of the ongoing event related to the request, and instructing (206) the rest of the identified distributed nodes (172, 173) to refrain from logging of the event related to request.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first centralized node (177) operating in a first site handles the operations of the multiple distributed nodes (171, 172, 173) operating in the first site, the method further comprises: synchronizing (205), with the rest of the centralized nodes (178, 179) operating in the rest of the sites in the DS (170), which synchronization is performed by sending one or more out of: the ID of the ongoing event, the received (201) notification from the first distributed node (171), which notification is related to the request from the client (120), the identified (202) distributed nodes (171 , 172, 173), and the instruction (204) that the first distributed node (171) had performed the logging of the ongoing event related to the request.

3. The method according to any of claims 1-2, wherein the ID of the ongoing event comprises one or more out of: an ID, of the client (120), a session ID of the request, and a type of the request, and one or more parameters related to the request.

4. The method according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the identification (202) of the distributed node (171, 172, 173) is based on a pre-built information model in the first centralized node (177).

5. The method according to any of claims 1-4, wherein the receiving (201) of the notification from the first distributed node (171) is based on certificate of authentication.

6. The method according to any of claims 1-5, wherein the instructing (206) of the rest of the identified distributed nodes (172, 173) is based on certificate of authentication.

7. A computer program (530) comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor (510), causes the processor (510) to perform actions according to any of the claims 1-6.

8. A carrier (540) comprising the computer program (530) of claim 7, wherein the carrier (540) is one of an electronic signal, an optical signal, an electromagnetic signal, a magnetic signal, an electric signal, a radio signal, a microwave signal, or a computer-readable storage medium.

9. A first centralized node (177) configured to handle logging of an ongoing event in a Distributed System, DS, (170) of a communications network (100), wherein multiple distributed nodes (171, 172, 173) comprising at least a first distributed node (171), and one or more centralized nodes (177, 178, 179) comprising at least the first centralized node (177) operate in the DS (170), the first centralized node (177) further configured to: receive from the first distributed node (171), a notification related to a request from a client (120), which request is requesting from the first distributednode (171), information related to the ongoing event, and wherein the notification is adapted to comprise an Identification, ID, of the ongoing event, identify the first distributed node (171) and at least one other distributed node (171, 172, 173) out of the multiple distributed nodes (171, 172, 173) required for providing the requested information to the client (120), determine that the first distributed node (171) among the identified distributed nodes (171, 172, 173) is the only distributed node required to log the ongoing event related to the request, instruct the first distributed node (171) to perform logging of the ongoing event related to the request and instruct the rest of the identified distributed nodes (172, 173) to refrain from logging of the event related to request.

10. The first centralized node (177) according to claim 9, wherein the first centralized node (177) operating in a first site handles the operations of the multiple distributed nodes (171, 172, 173) operating in the first site, the first centralized node (177) further being configured to: synchronize, with the rest of the centralized nodes (178, 179) operating in the rest of the sites in the DS (170), which synchronization is adapted to be performed by sending one or more out of: the ID of the ongoing event, the received notification from the first distributed node (171), which notification is adapted to be related to the request from the client (120), the identified distributed nodes (171 , 172, 173), and the instruction that the first distributed node (171) had performed the logging of the ongoing event related to the request.

11. The first centralized node (177) according to any of claims 9-10, wherein the ID of the ongoing event is adapted to comprise one or more out of: an ID, of the client (120), a session ID of the request, and a type of the request, and one or more parameters related to the request.

12. The first centralized node (177) according to any of claims 9-11, wherein the identification of the distributed node (171, 172, 173) is adapted to be based on a pre-built information model in the first centralized node (177).

13. The first centralized node (177) according to any of claims 9-12, wherein the receiving of the notification from the first distributed node (171) is adapted to be based on certificate of authentication.

14. The first centralized node (177) according to any of claims 9-13, wherein the instructing of the rest of the identified distributed nodes (172, 173) is adapted to be based on certificate of authentication.

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