Generating and releasing of radio access network intelligent controller subscription identifiers
The technology described herein is directed towards maintaining an interval group data structure of one or more interval groups that each contain ranges of one or more available values such as subscription identifiers. The subscription identifiers can be used by a radio access network (RAN) intelligent controller (a near-real-time RIC) for xApp-to-E2 node subscriptions. When a subscription identifier is needed, a value from an interval group is selected and returned, and removed from the interval group as no longer being eligible for use, until released. This can be the lowest value in the lowest interval group. When a subscription identifier is released, the value is reinserted into the interval group data structure. This may be by modifying an existing interval group, or creating a new interval group for the released value. Reinsertion can result in two (or three) adjacent interval groups, which can be merged into a single interval group.
1 . A system, comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
maintaining an interval group data structure comprising subscription identifiers grouped as subscription identifier interval data, wherein the interval group data structure is adapted to store at least one interval group of subscription identifiers;
receiving a request for a subscription identifier to associate with an entity;
selecting the subscription identifier from the interval group data structure, wherein the selecting of the subscription identifier from the interval group data structure comprises selecting a lowest-valued subscription identifier of a lowest interval group of the interval group data structure, resulting in a selected subscription identifier;
in response to the lowest-valued subscription identifier being determined not to be the only subscription identifier of the lowest interval group, replacing the selected subscription identifier with a next lowest-valued subscription identifier of the lowest interval group; and
in response to the request, associating the selected subscription identifier with the entity to facilitate association of incoming data with the entity.
2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the incoming data comprises radio access network data, and wherein the entity comprises an extended application (xApp) deployed in a radio access network intelligent controller.
3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the replacing of the selected subscription identifier comprises, in response to determining that the lowest-valued subscription identifier is the only subscription identifier of the lowest interval group, removing the lowest interval group from the interval group data structure.
4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
obtaining an indication that the subscription identifier was released from the association, and
in response to the obtaining of the indication, modifying the interval group data structure to contain the subscription identifier.
5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the modifying of the interval group data structure to contain the subscription identifier comprises creating, in the interval group data structure, a new interval group that contains the subscription identifier.
6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining that the new interval group is adjacent to an existing interval group, and
in response to the determining, merging the new interval group with the existing interval group into a merged interval group of the interval group data structure.
7 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the modifying of the interval group data structure to contain the subscription identifier comprises:
locating an existing interval group in the interval group data structure that has an adjacent value to a value of the subscription identifier, and
changing the adjacent value to the value of the subscription identifier to produce a changed existing interval group in the interval group data structure.
8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise:
determining that the changed existing interval group is adjacent to another existing interval group, and
in response to the determining, merging the changed existing interval group with the other existing interval group into a merged interval group of the interval group data structure.
9 . A method, comprising:
maintaining, by a system comprising at least one processor, an interval group data structure comprising subscription identifiers within one or more interval groups of subscription identifiers;
receiving, by the system, a request for a subscription identifier;
selecting, by the system, the subscription identifier from the interval group data structure, wherein the selecting of the subscription identifier from the interval group data structure comprises selecting a lowest-valued subscription identifier of a lowest interval group of the interval group data structure, resulting in a selected subscription identifier;
based on the lowest-valued subscription identifier being determined not to be the only subscription identifier of the lowest interval group, replacing, by the system, the selected subscription identifier a next lowest-valued subscription identifier of the lowest interval group; and
to facilitate association of an entity with the subscription identifier, returning, by the system in response to the request, the selected subscription identifier.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the modifying of the selected interval group to no longer contain the subscription identifier comprises changing a first value of the subscription identifier of the selected interval group to a second value that is different from the first value.
11 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the replacing of the selected subscription identifier comprises, in response to determining that the lowest-valued subscription identifier is the only subscription identifier of the lowest interval group, removing the lowest interval group from the interval group data structure.
12 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
obtaining, by the system, an indication that the subscription identifier is to be released; and
in response to the obtaining of the indication, releasing, by the system, the subscription identifier, by modifying the interval group data structure to contain the subscription identifier.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the modifying of the interval group data structure to contain the subscription identifier comprises:
determining whether the subscription identifier is adjacent to an existing interval group,
in response to determining that the subscription identifier is adjacent to the existing interval group, modifying the existing interval group to comprise the subscription identifier, and
in response to determining that the subscription identifier is not adjacent to the existing interval group, creating a new interval group in the interval group data structure that comprises the subscription identifier.
14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the interval group that comprises the subscription identifier comprises a first interval group, and wherein the method further comprises:
determining, by the system, that the first interval group is adjacent a second interval group, and
in response to the determining, merging, by the system, the first interval group with the second interval group, resulting in a merged interval group of the interval group data structure.
15 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
maintaining an interval group data structure comprising subscription identifiers grouped as one or more interval groups;
receiving a request for a subscription identifier to associate with an entity;
selecting the subscription identifier from the interval group data structure, wherein the selecting of the subscription identifier from the interval group data structure comprises selecting a lowest-valued subscription identifier of a lowest interval group of the interval group data structure, resulting in a selected subscription identifier;
removing the selected subscription identifier from an interval group of the interval group data structure;
associating the selected subscription identifier with the entity in response to the request, to facilitate relating incoming data with the entity via the selected subscription identifier.
16 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the removing of the selected subscription identifier from the interval group comprises:
determining whether the selected subscription identifier was the only subscription identifier of the interval group,
in response to determining that the selected subscription identifier was the only subscription identifier of the interval group, removing the interval group from the interval group data structure, and
in response to determining that the selected subscription identifier was not the only subscription identifier of the interval group, modifying the interval group to no longer contain the selected subscription identifier.
17 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the modifying of the interval group data structure to contain the selected subscription identifier comprises:
determining whether the selected subscription identifier is adjacent to an existing interval group,
in response to the determining that the selected subscription identifier is adjacent to the existing interval group, modifying the existing interval group to contain the selected subscription identifier, and
in response to the determining that the selected subscription identifier is not adjacent to the existing interval group, creating a new interval group in the interval group data structure that contains the selected subscription identifier.
18 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the modifying of the interval group data structure to contain the selected subscription identifier comprises:
modifying an existing interval group into a first interval group that contains the selected subscription identifier, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the first interval group is adjacent a second interval group, and
in response to the determining that the first interval group is adjacent to the second interval group, merging the first interval group with the second interval group into a merged interval group of the interval group data structure.
19 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations further comprise:
obtaining a release indication indicating that the selected subscription identifier is no longer to be associated with the entity; and
in response to the obtaining of the release indication, modifying the interval group data structure to contain the selected subscription identifier.
20 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the modifying of the interval group data structure to contain the subscription identifier comprises:
determining whether the subscription identifier is adjacent to an existing interval group,
in response to determining that the subscription identifier is adjacent to the existing interval group, modifying the existing interval group to comprise the subscription identifier, and
in response to determining that the subscription identifier is not adjacent to the existing interval group, creating a new interval group in the interval group data structure that comprises the subscription identifier.