Network Cloud Orchestration With KPI-Driven Automated Actions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network operators face challenges in managing and orchestrating a plurality of routing and switching entities in a network cloud, particularly due to the increased complexity and cost of hardware resources, and the need for synchronized software modules and containers across distributed hardware nodes.
Innovation Solution
A communication system and method utilizing a cloud orchestrator to manage network elements through KPIs, threshold values, and automated actions, enabling efficient configuration, provisioning, and monitoring of network elements via keepalive messages, configuration commands, and machine learning for predictive maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If multiple software modules and containers are distributed across hardware white-boxes, then hardware cost is reduced, but software synchronization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control plane as an intermediary layer that manages and coordinates software modules across distributed hardware nodes. This control plane handles the synchronization complexity centrally, allowing hardware resources to be distributed and optimized while maintaining software coherence through centralized control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments functionality into separate hardware and software components, with hardware white-boxes providing computational resources and software modules/containers providing network functions. This segmentation allows independent optimization of hardware utilization while managing software complexity through virtualization and containerization technologies.
2Productivity
If network elements are disaggregated into distributed hardware and software, then hardware resource usage is optimized, but management and orchestration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control plane acts as a mediator between the distributed hardware resources and the network operations, providing centralized management and orchestration capabilities. It abstracts the complexity of managing disaggregated resources while enabling efficient resource allocation and utilization through automated control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The control plane provides universal management capabilities that can orchestrate multiple types of hardware resources and software modules through standardized interfaces. This multi-functionality allows a single management system to handle diverse disaggregated resources, reducing overall management complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If traditional monolithic network elements are replaced with white-box hardware, then hardware cost per port is reduced, but software module coordination difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control plane serves as an intermediary that coordinates software modules across white-box hardware, providing centralized management that simplifies the coordination task. It handles module lifecycle management, resource allocation, and inter-module communication, making the system easier to operate despite the distributed architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service mechanisms where software modules can autonomously discover and coordinate with each other through standardized interfaces provided by the control plane. This reduces the operational burden by enabling automated module coordination while maintaining cost-effective white-box hardware.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and a communication system configured to operate in a network cloud, are provided. The system comprising a plurality of physical network elements and a server, where the latter is configured to operate as a cloud orchestrator which receives information related to key performance indicators (KPIs) collected from the plurality of physical network elements, and determines whether a pre-defined action that relates to a respective physical network element needs to be executed based on a) one or more threshold values stored at the cloud orchestrator and associated with these KPIs, and b) the information collected from the plurality of physical network elements.