Enhanced Binding Headers for 5G Network Function Redundancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cloud-native architectures lack mechanisms to coordinate failover behavior between client and server VNF instances and Service Communication Proxies in 5G core networks, particularly for VNFs operating in active-standby mode, leading to inefficiencies in handling communication retries and overload conditions.
Innovation Solution
Enhanced binding headers are introduced in messages to specify failover modes, maximum retry attempts, and retry modes, allowing client and server VNF instances to inform Service Communication Proxies on how to handle failures and overloads, enabling seamless communication rerouting and retries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If VNFs operate in active-standby mode to reduce resource consumption, then power consumption and physical space usage are reduced, but coordination of failover behavior between client and server VNF instances and Service Communication Proxies becomes complex and unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The Service Communication Proxy acts as an intermediary between client VNF instances and server VNF instances, coordinating failover behavior and managing communication retries. The proxy receives binding headers from client instances containing retry instructions and forwards requests to appropriate server instances, ensuring reliable failover coordination while allowing VNFs to operate in resource-efficient active-standby mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state of binding headers to include failover mode indicators, retry attempt counts, and retry mode specifications. These parameter changes enable dynamic coordination of failover behavior without requiring VNFs to continuously monitor each other, allowing resource-efficient operation while maintaining reliability through structured communication protocols.
2Reliability
If binding headers are enhanced to include failover mode, retry attempts, and retry mode information, then communication reliability and coordination are improved, but message structure and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The enhanced binding header serves multiple functions within a single data structure: it identifies the failover mode (active-active or active-standby), specifies retry attempt limits, defines retry modes (same instance or different instance), and provides correlation identifiers. This multi-functionality approach consolidates what could be multiple separate message elements into one unified header, reducing overall message structure complexity while maintaining comprehensive coordination capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The client VNF instance pre-configures the binding header with failover mode, retry attempts, and retry mode information before sending requests to the Service Communication Proxy. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex real-time negotiation and decision-making during failover events, simplifying the message processing logic at runtime while ensuring reliable communication coordination.
3Stability of the object's composition
If manual installation and configuration of network functions in dedicated hardware is used, then system stability and control are improved, but scalability and deployment speed are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
VNF instances automatically generate and include binding headers with failover mode and retry instructions in their communications with Service Communication Proxies. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manual configuration of failover behavior and retry logic, enabling rapid deployment of new network functions while maintaining stable and coordinated failover operations through automated message-based configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The Service Communication Proxy uses feedback from binding headers to automatically adjust request routing and retry behavior. When client VNF instances include failover mode and retry attempt information in their binding headers, the proxy uses this feedback to coordinate communications appropriately, enabling fast automated deployment while maintaining system stability through adaptive, feedback-driven coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
A first network function (NF) instance sends a request for a session to a second NF instance. The first NF instance receives a response, from the second NF instance, that includes a binding header that includes a failover mode identifier, a designated number of retry attempts, and a retry mode. The first NF instance sends a second request for the session to the second NF instance. The first NF instance determines if an error or a timed out response has occurred subsequent to sending the second request to the second NF instance, and re-sends, in response to the error or timed out response, the second request based on the failover mode identifier, the designated number of retry attempts and the retry mode from the binding header.