Provider Node for Automated Virtual Network Function Provisioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a demand to facilitate the activation, configuration, and deactivation of virtual network functions in a traceable and auditable manner within data networks, particularly for industrial communication services, where existing solutions lack efficiency and transparency.
Innovation Solution
A provider node with a retrieving module, validation module, and deployment module is used to retrieve notification signals, establish service level agreement data, and transmit deployment signals to communication nodes, enabling the provision of virtual network functions to customer nodes, with features like distributed databases and data repositories for traceability and security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If virtual network functions are provided manually with traditional configuration methods, then service level agreements can be established, but the process lacks efficiency and transparency and requires manual intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The system retrieves and stores notification signals, configuration data, and templates in advance in databases before actual deployment is needed. This preliminary preparation enables automated processing during activation without requiring manual intervention at the time of deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The provider node automatically retrieves configuration data, validates service level agreements, and deploys virtual network functions without requiring manual configuration input. The system serves itself by automating the entire provisioning process from activation to deployment.
2Reliability
If traditional configuration methods are used for virtual network functions, then service provision is possible, but traceability and auditability are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors and records the status of virtual network function activation, configuration changes, and deployment processes. This feedback mechanism ensures complete traceability by logging all actions and their outcomes, enabling thorough auditing of the provisioning process.
Solution Approach 2:
Databases serve as intermediaries that store notification signals, configuration data, validation results, and deployment status. These intermediary storage systems preserve all critical information throughout the virtual network function lifecycle, preventing information loss and enabling comprehensive traceability.
3Ease of operation
If service level agreement data is established manually, then configuration can be configured, but the process is time-consuming and lacks transparency
Solution Approach 1:
Templates for service level agreements and configuration data are prepared and stored in advance. During activation, the system automatically retrieves these pre-prepared templates and applies them, eliminating the need for manual configuration creation and significantly reducing setup time while maintaining transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses template copying to replicate proven service level agreement configurations. Instead of manually creating each configuration from scratch, the system copies and adapts validated templates, reducing time consumption while maintaining consistency and transparency through standardized processes.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure is directed to providing virtual network functions to a customer node by a communication system with a provider node in an automatic, traceable, and auditable way. The provider node includes a retrieving module, a validation module, and a deployment module. The retrieving module is configured to retrieve a notification signal, wherein the notification signal is indicative of a selected one of a plurality of virtual network functions and the customer node. The validation module is configured to establish service level agreement data and to validate the agreement service level data, based on the notification signal. The deployment module is configured to selectively transmit a deployment signal to a communication node depending on the validation of the service level agreement data for providing the selected virtual network function to the customer node.