Distributed VNPaaS Orchestrator for Scalable NFV Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current centralized NFV management systems face scalability issues and communication overhead when managing network services across geographically distributed locations, and existing IT PaaS solutions are inadequate for provisioning network services due to differences in requirements between IT applications and network domain services.
Innovation Solution
The proposed VNPaaS architecture employs a distributed orchestration approach, decomposing network services into sub-services and deploying them across multiple orchestration zones, using TOSCA to automate life cycle management and leveraging service discovery for end-to-end service composition, with orchestration agents managing NFVI partitions close to deployment locations to reduce latency and improve scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a centralized NFV management approach is used, then service management is simplified, but scalability and communication overhead deteriorate when NSs span across geographically distributed locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized orchestration function into multiple distributed orchestration agents deployed across different orchestration zones. Each agent manages a specific subset of VNFs and NSs locally, eliminating the single-point bottleneck and enabling independent scaling of each zone without affecting the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to the orchestration architecture by adding orchestration agents at the edge zones while maintaining a central orchestrator for global coordination. This multi-level hierarchy enables local autonomy for scalability while preserving centralized control for simplified service management.
2Ease of operation
If a centralized NFV management approach is used, then service management is simplified, but communication overhead increases when NSs span across geographically distributed locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the orchestration function into distributed agents that handle local management tasks autonomously. This segmentation reduces the volume of communication required across the network, as only essential coordination messages need to traverse between zones rather than all management traffic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces orchestration agents as intermediary components between the central orchestrator and local VNFs/NSs. These agents filter, aggregate, and pre-process management requests locally, reducing the communication overhead on the central orchestrator and minimizing network traffic across geographically distributed locations.
3Reliability
If services are deployed closer to end-users in distributed locations, then quality of service improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the orchestration system into standardized orchestration agents that can be independently deployed in each zone. This segmentation allows QoS improvement through local deployment while managing complexity through modular, reusable agent components with consistent interfaces and behaviors across all zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal orchestration agents that can operate in any orchestration zone with the same functionality and interface. This multi-functionality allows services to be deployed closer to end-users for improved QoS while maintaining uniform system complexity through standardized, interchangeable agent instances rather than custom solutions for each zone.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The disclosure relates to an orchestrator, for a Virtual Network Platform as a Service (VNPaaS), which orchestrates the management of a Network Service (NS). The orchestrator is operative to select an orchestration zone for each of a plurality of Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) in the NS based on selected deployment locations, where each orchestration zone comprises at least one VNF. The orchestrator is operative to associate sub-services to the selected orchestration zones, the sub- services being obtained from a decomposition of the NS into a number of sub-services equal to a number of orchestration zones selected and each sub-service comprising at least one of the plurality of VNFs. The orchestrator is operative to initiate deployment of the sub-services in the selected orchestration zones.