Policy Management Function Unit NFV Bottleneck
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Solution Overview
Problem
In Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) systems, the Network Functions Virtualization Orchestrator (NFVO) often becomes a bottleneck in processing policy rules, leading to inefficiencies in managing network services and resources.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a Policy Management Function (PMF) unit that determines and transmits policy rules to the appropriate management units (NFVO, VNFM, or VIM) based on policy parameters, reducing the load on NFVO and enhancing policy rule management and distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the NFVO processes all policy rules centrally, then the policy management is unified and consistent, but the NFVO becomes a processing bottleneck reducing system productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized policy rule processing function into distributed processing across multiple management entities (NFVO, VNFM, VIM). Each entity processes policy rules locally based on its specific management domain, eliminating the single-point bottleneck while maintaining unified policy management through standardized interfaces and coordination mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the NFVO determines all policy rules for VNF life cycle and resource management, then global resource view is achieved, but the device complexity and processing load on NFVO increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts specific policy rule processing functions from the NFVO and assigns them to the VNFM (for VNF-specific policies) and VIM (for infrastructure resource policies). This distribution reduces the NFVO's processing complexity while maintaining its role in overall resource coordination and global view through standardized information exchange interfaces.
3Reliability
If policy rules are delivered through the NFVO to VNFM or VIM, then centralized control is maintained, but the transmission path length and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent establishes preliminary direct communication channels and coordination mechanisms between VNFM and VIM, allowing them to exchange and execute policy rules directly without always routing through the NFVO. This reduces transmission delays for routine operations while the NFVO maintains centralized control for critical policy decisions and overall system coordination.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a policy transmission method and apparatus in an NFV system. The method may include: obtaining, by a PMF unit, policy information, where the policy information includes a policy rule and a first policy parameter, and the first policy parameter is used to determine a target management unit for the policy rule in a MANO architecture of the NFV system; and transmitting, by the PMF unit, the policy rule to the target management unit based on the first policy parameter. According to the embodiments of the present invention, an NFVO can be prevented from becoming a policy rule processing bottleneck.