Micro-service Data Gateway for 5G Network Edge
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for micro-services in 5G networks leads to increased latency, network congestion, and strained resources due to the high volume of API calls, which existing scalable solutions do not fully address.
Innovation Solution
A decentralized micro-service data gateway system comprising a micro-service data reflector and synthesizer that caches and updates micro-service data, reducing the burden on the Network Exposure Function (NEF) by providing requested data directly to user equipment (UE) instead of routing requests through the NEF.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If UE applications directly interface with the NEF as a gateway for micro-service requests, then service access is enabled, but network congestion and processing resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
A micro-service data gateway is introduced as an intermediary component between UE applications and the NEF. The gateway includes a data reflector that caches micro-service data locally and a data synthesizer that updates the cache, allowing the gateway to respond to requests without always routing through the NEF, thus reducing network congestion while maintaining service access
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the micro-service data access function by separating the data caching and serving operations from the core NEF. The micro-service data gateway handles data retrieval and caching independently, allowing the NEF to focus on other critical functions, thereby improving overall network throughput and reducing congestion
2Adaptability or versatility
If the volume of API calls to the NEF increases to support more UE devices and micro-services, then service coverage expands, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The micro-service data gateway performs preliminary actions by proactively caching micro-service data from the NEF before it is requested by UE applications. The data synthesizer continuously updates the cache, so when requests arrive, the gateway can serve data from its local cache rather than routing requests through the NEF, significantly reducing access latency while supporting expanded service coverage
3Productivity
If cloud-architectures are implemented to make the NEF more scalable, then processing capacity increases, but core network resources remain strained
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the micro-service data caching and serving function from the core NEF and implements it in a separate micro-service data gateway. This extraction reduces the processing burden on the NEF and core network resources, allowing the NEF to scale more efficiently while the gateway handles data retrieval operations independently, reducing overall core network resource consumption
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for a micro-service data gateway are provided. In some embodiments, the micro-service data gateway comprises at least a micro-service data reflector and a micro-service data synthesizer. The data reflector operates to serve cached micro-service data in response to UE micro-service data requests. The reflector receives requests for micro-service data available from at least one data source exposed by a network exposure function (NEF) of a network operator core, retrieves the micro-service data from a data cache comprising at least a subset of micro-service data available from the data source, and provides the micro-service data to a requestor of the micro-service data. The synthesizer operates to ensure that the cache of micro-service data available to the reflector is fresh and updated. The micro-service data gateway may be positioned near the UE at a network edge of the core network and/or in part implemented within the UE.