Network Slice Template Design Decoupling Deployment Flavors
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of designing and maintaining network slice templates (NST) in NFV environments is exacerbated by the need to list and map numerous deployment flavours, leading to a cumbersome and difficult maintenance process due to the large number of possible combinations of network service deployment flavours and virtualized network function deployment flavours.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves generating an NFV deployment policy based on network slice subnet requirements, decoupling the NST from deployment flavours of the NSD and VNFD, allowing for the selection of a deployment flavour that satisfies specific rules, thereby simplifying the design and reducing maintenance complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If all deployment flavours of NSD and VNFD are listed and mapped in the NST, then complete service requirements can be supported, but the design complexity and maintenance difficulty of the NST increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the deployment flavour selection process into two independent parts: NSD deployment flavours and VNFD deployment flavours. Instead of listing all possible combinations in the NST, the system separately manages NSD DFs and VNFD DFs, allowing flexible combination during deployment without increasing NST complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimensional approach by adding the VNFD deployment flavour dimension independently from the NSD deployment flavour dimension. This allows the system to handle multiple service requirements through combination of independent dimensions rather than enumerating all combinations in a single dimension.
2Adaptability or versatility
If all deployment flavours of NSD and VNFD are listed and mapped in the NST, then complete service requirements can be supported, but the maintenance difficulty of the NST increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the maintenance scope into separate components: NSD deployment flavour maintenance and VNFD deployment flavour maintenance. This segmentation allows independent updates and modifications without requiring comprehensive re-mapping, significantly reducing maintenance difficulty.
Solution Approach 2:
By treating NSD DFs and VNFD DFs as independent dimensions that can be maintained separately, the system avoids the complexity of maintaining a comprehensive cross-dimensional mapping table, making updates and repairs much more manageable.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the NST includes all possible combinations of NSD DFs and VNFD DFs, then all service applications can be supported, but the quantity of NSD DFs in the NST becomes very large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the deployment flavour inventory into two separate collections: NSD deployment flavours and VNFD deployment flavours. This segmentation prevents the exponential growth of combined flavours in the NST, as each collection is maintained independently with manageable sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the problem from managing a large single-dimensional list of all possible combinations into managing two smaller independent dimensions (NSD DFs and VNFD DFs) that can be combined flexibly during deployment.
Data Source
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AI summary
This application discloses a network slice deployment method and an apparatus. The method includes: obtaining, by an NSMF network element, network slice requirement information, where the network slice requirement information includes a service requirement that needs to be implemented by a to-be-deployed network slice instance NSI; determining a network service deployment template NSD and network function information that correspond to the service requirement; and generating an NFV deployment policy for performing network functions virtualization deployment of the NSI. In the foregoing manner, it is unnecessary to map all deployment flavours of the NSD in a network slice template NST to parameter combinations in a customer order. In this way, decoupling from a deployment flavour of the NSD and a deployment flavour of a virtualized network function description file VNFD in the NST is implemented, thereby greatly simplifying a design of the NST and reducing maintenance difficulty.