Hierarchical NSACF Quota Allocation for Network Slice Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network slicing systems face challenges in efficiently managing network slice quotas when multiple network slice admission control functions (NSACFs) are deployed, leading to inefficient utilization and user access limitations due to localized quota exhaustion without considering global availability.
Innovation Solution
A hierarchical NSACF architecture with a primary NSACF dynamically reallocating quotas among local NSACFs based on real-time usage and load balancing, ensuring consistent enforcement of global and local quotas across multiple NSACFs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple local NSACFs independently manage network slice quotas, then local access control is improved, but global quota utilization deteriorates due to localized exhaustion
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the NSACF into hierarchical segments: local NSACFs handle regional access control while a global NSACF manages overall quota allocation. This segmentation allows local autonomy for reliable access control while global coordination prevents quota exhaustion, resolving the contradiction between local reliability and global productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The global NSACF acts as an intermediary between local NSACFs and the network slice resources. It receives quota status reports from local NSACFs, makes centralized allocation decisions, and distributes updated quotas back to locals. This intermediary mechanism enables both local independence and global coordination simultaneously.
2Productivity
If a global NSACF centrally manages all quotas, then global quota utilization is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the NSACF into global and local components with clearly defined responsibilities, the system achieves centralized quota management without requiring a single complex monolithic controller. Each NSACF instance remains relatively simple, managing only its specific scope, while the hierarchical structure provides global coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a hierarchical dimension to quota management, organizing NSACFs in a tree structure with global NSACF at the root and local NSACFs at branches. This dimensional organization allows centralized control through the hierarchy without requiring direct complex interactions between all local instances, reducing overall system complexity.
3Ease of operation
If local NSACFs use fixed quotas, then quota enforcement is simplified, but adaptability to changing network conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The quota system transitions from static fixed values to dynamic adjustable values. Local NSACFs receive updated quota allocations from the global NSACF based on real-time network conditions, slice utilization, and demand patterns. This dynamics enables simple local enforcement of current quotas while adapting to changing conditions through periodic global re-evaluation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where local NSACFs report quota usage status to the global NSACF, which then adjusts quotas based on this feedback and network conditions. This feedback mechanism maintains simple local enforcement operations while achieving adaptability through continuous information exchange and dynamic quota adjustment.
Data Source
AI summary
A primary network slice admission control function (NSACF) configured to determine a global quota comprising a first number of user equipments (UEs) or protocol data unit (PDU) sessions that are allowed to be registered to a network slice, receive, from a first local NSACF, an indication of a second number of UEs or PDU sessions currently registered to the network slice by the first local NSACF, wherein the first local NSACF is configured with a first local quota comprising a third number of UEs or PDU sessions that are allowed to be registered to the network slice by the first local NSACF, compare the second number to a local quota usage threshold for the first local NSACF and determine, based on the comparing, whether the first local quota for the first local NSACF is to be updated by decreasing the third number.