Root NRF Routing Using NF Locality Preferences
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless network technologies do not account for the geographic location of network functions (NFs) when rerouting discovery requests, leading to inefficient resource usage and increased processing time.
Innovation Solution
Implementing geographically intelligent routing by synchronizing locality information of NFs with a root Network Repository Function (NRF), allowing the root NRF to select regional NRFs with matching locality preferences and prioritize based on available NFs, thereby optimizing discovery request routing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If root NRF forwards discovery requests without considering geographic location, then routing is simple, but resource usage is inefficient and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The root NRF pre-synchronizes locality information from all regional NRFs before receiving discovery requests. This preliminary action stores geographic location data of NFs in advance, enabling the root NRF to quickly query and route requests based on locality without complex real-time computations, thus improving routing efficiency while maintaining manageable complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The root NRF acts as an intermediary between regional NRFs and discovery request sources. It receives discovery requests, queries its pre-stored locality information, and forwards requests to appropriate regional NRFs based on geographic matching. This intermediary role centralizes the routing logic and simplifies the overall system architecture
2Reliability
If root NRF synchronizes and stores locality information from all regional NRFs, then geographic routing is enabled, but information storage and processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The root NRF performs multiple functions: it acts as a central repository for locality information, a query processor for discovery requests, and a routing decision maker. By consolidating these functions in a single entity, the system avoids the complexity of distributed synchronization protocols while ensuring routing accuracy through centralized control
Solution Approach 2:
The root NRF creates a copy of locality information from all regional NRFs and stores it centrally. This copying approach eliminates the need for complex real-time synchronization mechanisms, as the root NRF maintains a static snapshot that can be queried without affecting the original regional NRFs, thus improving reliability while managing complexity
3Loss of time
If discovery requests are routed to geographically distant regional NRFs, then load balancing is achieved, but processing time and resource consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system prioritizes routing discovery requests to regional NRFs that are geographically local to the requesting NF, rather than distributing requests uniformly. By making routing decisions based on local geographic characteristics, the system minimizes processing time and resource consumption while maintaining efficient resource utilization through intelligent rather than random distribution
Data Source
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AI summary
A regional NRF may register NFs, and the registration information may include locality information for each registered NF. During synchronization with a root NRF, the regional NRF provides the locality information for each registered NF. During discovery request routing by the root NRF, the root NRF prioritizes regional NRFs having NFs that satisfy the discovery parameters of the discovery request and match the preferred locality indicated in the discovery request.