System and method for processing network packets based on NFV for ensuring high availability
View Patent ↗A system and method for processing network packets based on NFV for ensuring high availability are disclosed. The disclosed system may include: at least one server, where a multiple number of VNF's for performing particular service functions are formed in the at least one server, each of the VNF's including at least one VNF instance; and a control apparatus that sequentially selects an M number of VNF's and selects one VNF instance from each of the selected M number of VNF's to configure an SFC, where the control apparatus may calculate an availability cost ratio value associated with each of the at least one VNF instance within VNF i+1 with respect to a VNF instance selected from VNF i (i being an integer from 1 to M) and may select a VNF instance within the VNF i+1 corresponding to the maximum value among the availability cost ratio values.
1. A system for processing network packets, the system comprising:
at least one server, the at least one server having formed therein a plurality of virtual network functions (VNFs) for performing particular service functions, each of the plurality of VNFs including at least one VNF instance; and
a control apparatus configured to sequentially select an M number of VNFs from among the plurality of VNFs and select one VNF instance from each of the selected M number of VNFs to configure a service function chain (SFC), where M is an integer of 2 or higher,
wherein the control apparatus calculates an availability cost ratio value associated with each of the at least one VNF instance within VNF i+1 with respect to a VNF instance selected from VNF i and selects a VNF instance within the VNF i+1 corresponding to a maximum value among the availability cost ratio values, where i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and smaller than or equal to M;
wherein the control apparatus measures an availability importance of each of the M number of VNFs and adds a VNF instance in a VNF having a highest availability importance from among the measured availability importance, if the configured SFC has an availability value smaller than or equal to a predetermined threshold availability value; and
wherein the availability importance of the VNF is calculated by using a number of SFCs having the VNF as an element, an availability of the VNF, and a resource cost required for adding a VNF instance in the VNF.
2. The system for processing network packets according to claim 1 , wherein the availability cost ratio value is proportional to an availability of a VNF instance within the VNF i+1 and is inversely proportional to a hop-number distance between a VNF instance selected from the VNF i and the VNF instance within the VNF i+1.
3. The system for processing network packets according to claim 1 , wherein the availability importance of the VNF i is expressed by an equation shown below:
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where
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where I s CCI (i) is the availability importance of the VNF i, C i R is the resource cost required for adding a VNF instance in the VNF i, f is an SFC having the VNF i included therein, F i is a set of SFC's configured in the system for processing network packets, R i is an availability of the VNF i, and R f sfc is an availability of the SFC having the VNF i included therein.
4. A system for processing network packets, the system comprising:
at least one server, the at least one server having formed therein a plurality of virtual network functions (VNFs) for performing particular service functions, the plurality of VNF's each including at least one VNF instance; and
a control apparatus configured to sequentially select an M number of VNFs from among the plurality of VNFs and select one VNF instance from each of the selected M number of VNFs to configure a service function chain (SFC), where M is an integer of 2 or higher,
wherein the control apparatus measures an availability importance of each of the M number of VNFs and adds a VNF instance in a VNF having a highest availability importance from among the measured availability importance, if the configured SFC has an availability value smaller than or equal to a predetermined threshold availability value; and
wherein the availability importance of the VNF is calculated by using a number of SFCs having the VNF as an element, an availability of the VNF, and a resource cost required for adding a VNF instance in the VNF.
5. A method for processing network packets performed at a system for processing network packets, the system having a plurality of VNF's virtual network functions (VNFs) formed therein, the method comprising:
selecting sequentially an M number of VNFs from among the plurality of VNFs, where M is an integer of 2 or higher; and
configuring a service function chain (SFC) by selecting one VNF instance from each of the selected M number of VNFs,
wherein the configuring comprises calculating an availability cost ratio value associated with each of the at least one VNF instance within VNF i+1 with respect to a VNF instance selected from VNF i and selecting a VNF instance within the VNF i+1 corresponding to a maximum value among the availability cost ratio values, where i is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and smaller than or equal to M;
wherein the configuring includes measuring an availability importance of each of the M number of VNFs and adding a VNF instance in a VNF having a highest availability importance from among the measured availability importance, if the configured SFC has an availability value smaller than or equal to a predetermined threshold availability value; and
wherein the availability importance of the VNF is calculated by using a number of SFCs having the VNF as an element, an availability of the VNF, and a resource cost required for adding a VNF instance in the VNF.