NFV Time Correction via Hot Migration Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In NFV systems, virtual machine hot migration causes temporary system time pauses, leading to inaccurate system time for virtual machines, affecting dependent services due to long intervals between NTP time source checks.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for immediate time correction in NFV systems, where a VNFM sends a hot migration notification to a service control VNF to correct the system time of a virtual machine, using NTP time source or virtual machine suspension duration, ensuring timely synchronization without waiting for a checking period.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the system uses periodic NTP time source checking with intervals of 5 minutes or 10 minutes, then the system can maintain normal operation, but the system time becomes inaccurate during the checking period, especially after virtual machine hot migration causes temporary time pauses
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary time correction by detecting virtual machine hot migration events and proactively correcting the system time before the periodic NTP check would occur. The VNFM receives hot migration notification messages from the VIM and immediately triggers time correction through the service control VNF, eliminating the waiting period that would otherwise exist until the next scheduled NTP check.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback mechanism where the VNFM monitors hot migration events through notification messages from the VIM, detects time accuracy issues, and triggers corrective actions. This closed-loop feedback system allows the patent to respond dynamically to time drift caused by hot migration rather than relying on fixed periodic checks.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system performs virtual machine hot migration to satisfy user requirements, then service flexibility and adaptability improve, but the system time pauses temporarily causing service disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The service control VNF acts as an intermediary between the VNFM and the virtual machine timekeeping system. It receives correction instructions from the VNFM and executes the time correction on the virtual machine, mediating the conflict between hot migration operations and time accuracy requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary anti-action by counteracting the time pause effect of hot migration through immediate time correction. By detecting the hot migration event and correcting the time in response, the system neutralizes the harmful time drift effect before it can significantly impact time-dependent services.
3Device complexity
If the system waits for the periodic checking period to expire before correcting system time, then the correction process remains simple, but services dependent on system time are affected during the waiting period
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary time correction by detecting virtual machine hot migration events and proactively correcting the system time before the periodic NTP check would occur. The VNFM receives hot migration notification messages from the VIM and immediately triggers time correction through the service control VNF, eliminating the waiting period that would otherwise exist until the next scheduled NTP check.
Data Source
AI summary
A time correction method, apparatus, and system, and relate to the field of communications technologies are provided. A virtual network function manager (VNFM) receives a hot migration notification message from a virtualized infrastructure manager (VIM) after hot migration is performed on a first virtual machine, where the hot migration notification message includes an identity (ID) of the first virtual machine; the VNFM searches, according to the ID of the first virtual machine, for a correspondence that is between an ID of a virtual machine and an identity of a service control virtual network function (VNF) and stored in the VNFM, to determine a first service control VNF; and the VNFM sends the hot migration notification message to the first service control VNF, where the hot migration notification message is used to instruct the first service control VNF to correct a system time of the first virtual machine.