NRF Discovery Response for Suspended Network Functions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication networks face failures in resource discovery requests due to temporary connectivity interruptions that cause network functions (NFs) to be incorrectly marked as unavailable, leading to unnecessary transaction failures.
Innovation Solution
Implement a Network Repository Function (NRF) system that manages NF registration information, uses heartbeat signals to update NF statuses, and generates positive responses for suspended NFs by including them in discovery requests with shorter validity periods, ensuring more accurate and timely resource availability information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the NRF marks NFs as unavailable when connectivity is interrupted, then the accuracy of status information is improved, but the productivity of resource transactions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating between two types of unavailability: genuine unavailability (NF truly offline) and temporary connectivity interruption (NF still functional but connection lost). The NRF maintains different status representations for these cases - marking NFs as unavailable in the connection status but providing positive responses for discovery requests when the NF is actually functional. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing accurate status tracking while maintaining transaction productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism - the discovery request response system - that mediates between the connection status and the actual service availability. When an NF has interrupted connectivity, the NRF can still include it in positive discovery responses, acting as an intermediary that separates connection state from service capability state. This allows the system to maintain both accurate connection tracking and high transaction success rates.
2Reliability
If the NRF excludes suspended NFs from discovery responses, then the reliability of resource allocation is improved, but the loss of information about available resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the status information into multiple layers: connection status (whether NF is reachable) and service availability status (whether NF can actually service requests). By segmenting these two aspects, the NRF can provide comprehensive resource information in discovery responses while maintaining reliable allocation through separate connection verification mechanisms. This segmentation allows suspended NFs to be included in responses without compromising allocation reliability.
3Productivity
If the NRF provides positive responses for suspended NFs, then the productivity of resource transactions is improved, but the measurement precision of NF status deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the status representation flexible and context-dependent. The same NF can be represented differently in different contexts: as unavailable in connection status tracking but as available in discovery responses. This dynamic, context-aware status management allows the system to optimize for both productivity (by including potentially available NFs in responses) and measurement precision (by maintaining accurate connection status records).
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present technology generally relate to systems and methods for providing a positive resource discovery response for a suspended resource. More specifically, some embodiments relate to monitoring an availability status of resources within a network. If a connection between a resource and a monitoring element is interrupted, the status of the resource may be set to “suspended”. However, the interruption may be temporary or localized in nature, and the resource may still be available to service requests. Accordingly, when the monitoring element receives a resource discovery request for resources that all have the “suspended” status, the monitoring element may return a discovery response identifying the suspended resources as available instead of providing a response indicating no available resources.