NFV Service Catalog Harmonization via Transaction Identifier Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
In network function virtualization (NFV) architectures, on-boarding service descriptions from multiple sources with different naming conventions and standards poses challenges in managing and deploying end-to-end services, as various systems use different transaction identifiers and naming schemes, leading to complexity in constructing and managing hybrid services.
Innovation Solution
An electronic arrangement with data interfaces and processing units harmonizes transaction identifiers and service descriptions across multiple external systems, creating a unified catalog for NFV platforms, enabling flexible management and deployment of network services by establishing a mapping between original and harmonized identifiers, and supporting bi-directional conversion for seamless integration and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If service descriptions from multiple external sources with different naming conventions are integrated into a unified catalog, then the versatility and interoperability of the NFV platform is improved, but the device complexity and difficulty of managing transaction identifiers increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mapping layer between external service descriptions and the internal unified catalog. This mapping layer translates diverse transaction identifiers from multiple external sources into a standardized internal representation, enabling interoperability without directly integrating all external naming conventions into the core system. The intermediary handles the complexity of multiple naming schemes while presenting a unified interface to the NFV platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the service description integration process into distinct layers: external source interfaces, mapping/translation layer, and internal unified catalog. Each layer handles specific aspects of the integration, allowing independent management of different external sources and their respective naming conventions. This segmentation reduces overall system complexity by localizing the handling of diverse identifier schemes.
2Ease of operation
If transaction identifiers from multiple external sources are harmonized into a unified scheme, then the ease of operation for managing network services is improved, but the loss of information about original source-specific identifiers occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where the unified transaction identifier system contains references to or embeddings of original source-specific identifiers. The harmonized identifier scheme is designed to encapsulate or reference the original identifiers, allowing the system to operate with unified identifiers while preserving access to the original source-specific information when needed. This nested approach maintains ease of operation with unified identifiers while preventing complete loss of source-specific identifier information.
Data Source
AI summary
Electronic arrangement (120) for on-boarding services in a common service catalog (106, 406) from a number of source systems (502, 503, 521, 522) of 3rd party service providers in connection with a network function virtualization (NFV) platform in a telecommunication network (110) comprising a mobile network, the arrangement comprising at least one data interface (124) for transferring data, at least one processing unit (122) for processing instructions and other data, and memory (128) for storing the instructions and other data, said at least one processing unit being configured, in accordance with the stored instructions, to cause: creating, in said memory, a service catalog (406) of network services offered by the NFV platform, wherein each cataloged network service is associated with a service description indicative of related transactions that are executable thereon, and responsive to obtaining a network service description (402) from an external source via the data interface, adding at least an indication (408) of the obtained network service description in the catalog, wherein a mapping (410) between a number of original transaction identifiers as provided in the obtained network service description and corresponding harmonized transaction identifiers as being internally commonly adopted and utilized by the platform having regard to the cataloged network services, is established (404, 510) in accordance with a selected conversion logic executed by said at least one processing unit so as to enable management of a target network service incorporating the obtained, on-boarded network service based on the associated harmonized identifiers.