VNF Configuration Manager Automating Infrastructure Optimization
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for configuring virtual network functions (VNFs) lack efficiency in identifying optimal infrastructure and resource configurations, leading to suboptimal performance and resource utilization, as they often require manual configuration and retesting for each deployment.
Innovation Solution
A VNF configuration manager iteratively tests various infrastructure and resource configurations using test data and performance metrics to identify configurations that meet specific performance thresholds, associating these configurations with the VNF for future deployments, thereby automating the optimization process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual configuration and retesting is performed for each VNF deployment, then configuration accuracy can be ensured, but deployment efficiency and productivity are significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary configuration testing and validation before actual VNF deployment. Configuration templates are pre-configured with optimal settings and tested against performance thresholds in advance, eliminating the need for manual retesting during each deployment while ensuring configuration accuracy is maintained
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates and uses configuration templates that can be copied and applied across multiple VNF deployments. Once an optimal configuration is identified and validated, it is stored as a template that can be replicated, ensuring consistent configuration accuracy while dramatically improving deployment efficiency through automation
2Reliability
If iterative testing of various configurations is performed to identify optimal settings, then performance optimization is improved, but time consumption and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs iterative configuration testing only when necessary - specifically when deploying new VNF types or when performance thresholds change. For standard deployments, pre-validated templates are used directly, reducing time consumption while maintaining performance optimization where it matters most
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automated feedback loops where configuration performance is measured against defined thresholds, and results are used to automatically adjust and optimize configurations. This feedback mechanism streamlines the iterative process by eliminating manual intervention and focusing testing only on configurations that fail to meet performance criteria
3Productivity
If automated configuration management is implemented, then productivity and scalability are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The configuration management system is designed to be universal and multi-functional, handling configuration creation, validation, optimization, templating, and deployment automation through a single integrated platform. This consolidates multiple functions into one system, improving productivity while managing complexity through unification rather than proliferation of separate tools
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service capabilities where configuration templates automatically adapt to different VNF deployment scenarios based on predefined performance thresholds and requirements. The system autonomously selects appropriate configurations, validates them against criteria, and applies optimizations without requiring complex manual configuration management, thereby improving productivity while keeping the system interface simple
Data Source
AI summary
Examples relate to determining virtual network function configurations. In one example, a computing device may receive a virtual network function specifying a particular function to be performed by at least one virtual machine; identify a particular performance metric for the virtual network function; determine, using the particular performance metric and a default resource configuration, a first infrastructure configuration specifying a value for each of a plurality of infrastructure options, each of the plurality of infrastructure options specifying a feature of the at least one virtual machine; and determine, using the particular performance metric and the first infrastructure configuration, a first resource configuration specifying a value for each of a plurality of virtualized hardware resources for the at least one virtual machine.