Network Slice Fault Prediction Through NSI-Service Association Analysis

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing network slice systems fail to effectively detect potential faults in advance, leading to interruptions in tenant services and failure to meet service level agreements.

Innovation Solution

A fault management method is implemented using a network slice management function (NSMF) to detect potential faults by analyzing association relationships between network slice instances (NSIs) and services, allowing for proactive fault processing to prevent service disruptions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional fault detection methods are used in network slice systems, then the system structure remains simple, but potential faults cannot be detected in advance leading to service interruptions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice continuityVSAvoidfault management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by proactively identifying potential faults before they actually occur. The NSMF analyzes the association relationship between NSIs and services to detect services that may be affected by faulty NSIs, enabling preventive fault processing that migrates services away from potentially faulty NSIs before actual service interruptions occur.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the NSMF continuously monitors the association relationship between NSIs and services. When a fault is detected in an NSI, the system provides feedback about which services are potentially affected, enabling dynamic adjustment and migration of services to maintain reliability while managing fault complexity through informed decision-making.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If proactive fault detection and service migration is implemented, then service continuity is improved, but the management system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice continuityVSAvoidmanagement system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The NSMF is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a network slice management function and a fault management function. It universally handles service deployment, service migration, and fault detection within the network slice system, consolidating multiple functions into a single management entity to reduce overall system complexity while maintaining proactive fault detection capabilities.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If fault processing is delayed until actual fault occurrence, then the system operation remains simple, but service level agreements cannot be met due to interruptions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice level agreement complianceVSAvoidfault processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary fault processing by identifying potential faults and migrating services before actual service interruptions occur. This ensures service level agreements are maintained by proactively addressing faults in the NSI-service association relationship, preventing service interruptions that would violate SLA requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3806392B1Fault management method and related device
Publication Date: 2026.02.18 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3806392B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP3806392B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5
  • EP3806392B1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

Embodiments of this application disclose a fault management method. In a slice network, if a first management unit determines fault information in the slice network, the first management unit may determine, based on the fault information and an association relationship between slices, potential fault information that may exist in the slice network. Because an association relationship between an NSI and an NSSI and an association relationship between an NSI and a service that are included in the slice network can reflect a network topology relationship between parts in the slice network, the potential fault information determined based on the association relationship can reflect impact of a fault on the slice network by using the network topology relationship. The potential fault information is detected in advance, so that corresponding processing can be performed before an actual fault occurs in an NSI having a potential fault, an NSSI having a potential fault, and/or a service having a potential fault, to avoid interruption of a group call service caused by the actual fault, thereby improving service continuity provided by the slice network. An embodiment of this application further discloses a related apparatus for fault management.