5G SBA Notification Decoupling via Security Tokens
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Solution Overview
Problem
The current solution for handling failures and replacements of service producers in a 5G Core Network with Service-Based Architecture is inefficient, leading to high latency and potential event missages due to coupling of service consumers and producers, which violates the principle of independent scaling of Network Functions.
Innovation Solution
Decoupling service producers and consumers through the use of security information such as keys or tokens for subscription and notification, ensuring persistence and verification of messages, allowing service consumers to remain unaware of service producer failures or replacements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If service consumer subscribes to service producer instance for event notification, then event notification can be received, but latency occurs and event messages may be missed when service producer fails or is replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the service consumer subscribes to the event type rather than a specific service producer instance. The NF Repository Function (NRF) acts as a mediator that manages the mapping between service consumers and service producer instances. When a service producer fails or is replaced, the NRF automatically updates the subscription to point to a new instance, eliminating the need for the consumer to detect failure and re-subscribe, thus reducing latency and preventing event message loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing subscriptions to event types at the NRF level before service producer failures occur. The service consumer registers its interest in event types with the NRF, which maintains a pool of service producer instances. This preliminary setup ensures that when a failure occurs, the subscription is already in place and can be quickly redirected to a replacement instance without waiting for failure detection and re-subscription.
2Reliability
If service consumer detects service producer failure and subscribes to replacement instance, then notification can be restored, but this process causes latency and may result in missed events
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the NRF to automatically manage service producer instance replacements without requiring service consumer intervention. When a service producer instance fails, the NRF autonomously detects the failure, selects a replacement instance from its pool, and updates the subscription routing. This self-service mechanism eliminates the manual failure detection and re-subscription process that currently causes latency and event loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the NRF continuously monitors service producer instance status and automatically updates subscriptions when changes occur. The system receives feedback about service producer failures through the subscription management channel and immediately responds by redirecting notifications to replacement instances, ensuring continuous event delivery without requiring consumer-side failure detection.
3Reliability
If service consumer subscribes to NRF for service producer failure events, then failure can be detected, but this adds complexity to the subscription mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the failure detection and management functionality from the service consumer and places it in the NRF. Instead of the consumer subscribing to both event types and service producer failure events, the NRF independently monitors service producer status and manages subscription routing. This extraction simplifies the consumer's subscription mechanism while maintaining reliable failure detection through the NRF's centralized management.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of a method in a core network, corresponding embodiments of methods in a service consumer and service producer, and corresponding embodiments of a service consumer and service producer are disclosed. In some embodiments, a method in a core network comprises, at a service consumer, generating security information for a subscription to an event and sending a subscribe message comprising the security information to a service producer of the event. The method further comprises, at the service producer, receiving the subscribe message and sending a notification message to the service consumer, where the notification message comprises the event and either: the security information or information derived from the security information. The method further comprises, at the service consumer, receiving the notification message and verifying the notification message based on the security information or the information derived from the security information, comprised in the notification message.