IMS Slice Selection Manager for Network Slicing Policy Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Next generation networks, such as 5G, face challenges in effectively managing network slicing for diverse IMS services, which require optimal performance characteristics like data rate, latency, and QoS, due to the lack of efficient methods for selecting and managing IMS network slices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an IMS slice selection manager with a policy controller and IMS slice selector at the edge of IMS network slices, which receives an IMS slice selection policy to select the most suitable IMS network slice for an IMS service request and initiates routing, while also monitoring network conditions to modify slices and update policies accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If network slicing is implemented in next generation networks to support diverse IMS services, then service performance and QoS are improved, but device complexity and management difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an IMS slice selection manager as an intermediary component that sits between the IMS service request and the multiple network slices. This manager receives service requests, determines the appropriate slice based on service type and QoS requirements, and routes traffic accordingly. By centralizing the slice selection logic in this intermediary component, the system achieves reliable service performance without requiring complex management at every network element, thus resolving the contradiction between service quality and management complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the network into multiple independent IMS network slices, each optimized for specific service types (e.g., voice, video, data). Each slice has dedicated resources and QoS parameters. This segmentation allows services to be routed to appropriate slices based on their requirements, improving overall service performance while enabling independent management of each slice, thereby reducing the complexity of managing diverse service requirements in a unified network.
2Reliability
If multiple IMS network slices are created to optimize different service types, then service quality is improved, but loss of information increases due to lack of selection policy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining slice selection policies that map service types to appropriate network slices. The IMS slice selection manager stores and applies these pre-established policies when receiving service requests. This preliminary configuration of selection criteria and routing rules ensures that services are correctly routed to optimized slices without loss of selection information, as the policies are already in place before service deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the IMS slice selection manager monitors service performance and QoS metrics from each network slice. Based on this feedback, the manager can adjust slice selection decisions and update policies to optimize service quality. This feedback loop prevents information loss by continuously learning from actual service performance and refining selection criteria, ensuring that the most appropriate slices are selected for each service type.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and software for selecting among a plurality of IMS network slices. When an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network is partitioned into a plurality of IMS network slices, an IMS slice selection manager may be implemented at an edge of the IMS network slices. The IMS slice selection manager receives an IMS slice selection policy, and receives an IMS service request for an IMS service. The IMS slice selection manager selects an IMS network slice to provide the IMS service based on the IMS slice selection policy, and causes routing of the IMS service request to the selected IMS network slice.