Network Function Discovery with Preferred Candidates
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Solution Overview
Problem
In 5G network architecture, during inter-AMF mobility procedures, the Network Repository Function (NRF) may not return a complete list of matching NF profiles due to payload size limitations, leading to increased latency and inefficiency, especially during handover processes where multiple signaling round trips are required to retrieve all matching profiles.
Innovation Solution
A new query parameter, 'Preferred-Candidates,' is introduced, allowing a network entity to specify candidate network entity IDs, ensuring that profiles for these entities are prioritized in the response, even if they do not match the filter criteria, thereby improving efficiency by positioning necessary profiles at the beginning of the list and reducing the need for parsing multiple profiles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the NRF returns a complete list of all matching NF profiles, then the service consumer can find the required profile, but the payload size exceeds limitations and causes increased latency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary NF profiles from the complete list by introducing the 'preferred-candidates' parameter. This allows the service consumer to specify which NF instances should be prioritized in the response, so the NRF returns a truncated list containing only the most relevant profiles rather than all matching profiles, thus reducing payload size and latency while maintaining reliability for the critical cases.
Solution Approach 2:
The service consumer performs preliminary action by identifying and specifying the preferred candidate NF instances before the discovery request is processed. By including the 'preferred-candidates' parameter in the discovery request, the consumer pre-determines which profiles are most likely to be needed, allowing the NRF to prioritize these in the response list and avoid returning unnecessary profiles that would increase payload size.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the NRF returns all matching NF profiles without prioritization, then all possible options are available, but the service consumer must parse extensive lists increasing processing time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating between preferred and non-preferred NF profiles in the response list. The 'preferred-candidates' parameter enables the NRF to apply different ordering quality to different profiles - preferred candidates are positioned at the beginning of the list while other matching profiles follow. This localized differentiation maintains adaptability for all matching profiles while significantly improving productivity by reducing the number of profiles the service consumer must parse.
3Loss of information
If multiple signaling round trips are used to retrieve all matching profiles, then complete information is obtained, but handover latency is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by retrieving only the necessary subset of NF profiles in the first signaling round trip. The 'preferred-candidates' parameter enables the service consumer to obtain the most critical profiles immediately without waiting for subsequent round trips to retrieve additional profiles. This partial retrieval approach maintains sufficient information completeness for successful handover while dramatically reducing the time loss associated with multiple signaling exchanges.
Data Source
AI summary
A network entity generates a discovery request and transmit the discovery request to a network repository entity, NRE, wherein, advantageously, the discovery request includes a set of query parameters, the set of query parameters comprising a set of candidate network entity identifiers (IDs) comprising at least a first candidate network entity ID (e.g., an I-SMF instance ID), wherein each candidate network entity ID included in the set of candidate network entity IDs identifies a candidate network entity.