Hierarchical Coherency for Virtual Network Function Chains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network function virtualization (NFV) systems face challenges in maintaining hierarchical coherency during service function chain reconfiguration, leading to packets becoming stranded in processing queues between virtual network functions (VNFs), especially during failover events or real-time reconfiguration.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize a shared data repository to store configuration data for VNF chains, allowing for real-time reconfiguration of service function chains by selecting appropriate configuration data blocks based on metadata, ensuring that packets are processed consistently across the VNF chain, even during failover events or configuration changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If service function chains are reconfigured in real-time during failover events, then system adaptability and reliability are improved, but packets may become stranded in processing queues between VNFs due to lack of hierarchical coherency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring multiple versioned configuration data blocks in the shared data repository before failover events occur. When a failover event happens, the system can immediately switch to a pre-prepared configuration data block that maintains hierarchical coherency, preventing packets from becoming stranded in queues. This eliminates the need for complex real-time configuration management during critical failover moments.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared data repository acts as an intermediary between configuration management and VNF execution. It stores versioned configuration data blocks and provides them to VNFs in a coordinated manner, ensuring hierarchical coherency is maintained during reconfiguration. This intermediary layer simplifies the complexity of direct configuration management by centralizing configuration data storage and version control.
2Productivity
If configuration data is stored in a shared data repository for real-time selection, then reconfiguration speed and productivity are improved, but maintaining hierarchical coherency across all VNFs becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments configuration data into multiple versioned configuration data blocks stored in the shared data repository. Each configuration data block represents a complete, coherent configuration set for all VNFs. This segmentation allows the system to quickly switch between pre-defined configuration versions without managing partial or incremental configuration changes, thereby maintaining hierarchical coherency while enabling fast reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameter changes by selecting different versioned configuration data blocks based on metadata from incoming packets. Instead of modifying configuration data incrementally, the system changes the configuration version parameter as a whole, ensuring that all VNFs receive consistent configuration parameters simultaneously. This approach maintains hierarchical coherency while enabling rapid reconfiguration through simple parameter selection.
Data Source
AI summary
Applying a virtual network function (VNF) chain includes storing, in a shared data repository, configuration data used to configure VNFs of the VNF chain within a network node. Hierarchical version control of the configuration data allows VNF's, which are logically arranged in a sequential fashion, yet have the ability to process frames in parallel, to track which frames are governed by a hierarchy that may be manipulated based on external events such as fail-overs, or configuration changes.