Systems and methods for monitoring network slices using probes
The present disclosure relates to a slice monitor for monitoring slices programmed by a slice owner and deployed by an orchestrator in the control and data planes of a communication network. The slice monitor comprises multiple databases containing different types of information, selects the probes to monitor each slice in the control plane or the data plane and instantiates the selected probes as well as a single-slice monitoring device specific to each slice. For optimization, the slice monitor configures the content of its databases by communicating through multiple interfaces with different actors such as the slice owner, the owner of the orchestrator and the owner of itself. Using alarm handlers and a reconfiguration engine, the slice monitor together with the single-slice monitoring device can detect and compensate for possible violations in the service-level agreement by reconfiguring the slice. If the compensation fails, the slice monitor requests the orchestrator for reconfiguration.
1. A slice monitor (A-CNS) for monitoring at least one network slice in a communication network, the A-CNS comprising:
at least one database adapted to store multiple probes, store a collection of probe selection profiles, provide a set of network functions (NFs) or slice key performance indicators (KPIs) mapped to at least one probe among the multiple probes, and provide information about the collection of probe selection profiles; and
at least one processor adapted to, as a first operation, select the at least one probe mapped to the set of NFs or the slice KPIs based on the information about the collection of probe selection profiles, and adapted to, as a second operation, instantiate the at least one probe based on information from the at least one database,
wherein the communication network has a control plane (CP) and a data plane (DP), wherein the CP and DP are separated from each other;
wherein each network slice is a collection of inter-connected NFs in the CP and the DP, which defines respective CP and DP slices; and
wherein each CP slice and each DP slice is monitored by the at least one probe selected via the first operation and instantiated via the second operation;
wherein the at least one database is further adapted to store multiple alarms for each NF or each slice KPI associated to a service-level agreement (SLA), each alarm corresponding to a violation of the SLA;
wherein the A-CNS is configured to transmit, over a third interface (I-AS), a slice-oriented request towards a single-slice monitoring device (A-CNS-S) adapted to monitor an individual slice among the at least one network slice; and
wherein the A-CNS is configured to receive, over the I-AS from the A-CNS-S and in response to the violation of the SLA detected by an alarm detector of the A-CNS-S, a request for a reconfiguration of the individual slice through a reconfiguration engine inside the A-CNS.
2. The A-CNS of claim 1 , wherein the at least one database is adapted to store a plurality of interrupt handlers, each interrupt handler associated to at least one alarm among the multiple alarms stored in the at least one database.
3. The A-CNS of claim 1 , wherein the at least one database is configurable through a configuration of content of the at least one database.
4. The A-CNS of claim 3 , wherein configuring the content of the at least one database comprises at least one of modifying or deleting existing elements inside the at least one database or adding other elements inside the at least one database.
5. The A-CNS of claim 3 , wherein the at least one database is configurable over a first interface (I-Cf).
6. The A-CNS of claim 1 , wherein CP slice-based information and DP slice-based information is transmitted over a second interface (I-AM) along with the SLA related to a performance of the corresponding inter-connected NFs in the CP and the DP.
7. The A-CNS of claim 1 ,
wherein the A-CNS is configured to transmit a decision on positioning of the NFs in the CP and the DP over a fourth interface (I-Or); and
wherein the A-CNS is configured to request, over the I-Or, a reconfiguration of the individual slice from the A-CNS-S in response to the A-CNS itself failing to carry out the reconfiguration through the reconfiguration engine.
8. The A-CNS of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is adapted to, as a third operation, instantiate the A-CNS-S together with a collection of a respective slice-based monitoring information reported by each instantiated selected probe towards a dedicated collection database of the A-CNS-S.
9. The A-CNS of claim 8 , wherein the A-CNS-S is configured to report the collection of each respective slice-based monitoring information towards a slice owner.
10. A method of a slice monitor (A-CNS) for monitoring at least one network slice in a communication network, the method comprising:
storing multiple probes in at least one database;
storing a collection of probe selection profiles in the at least one database;
providing a set of network functions (NFs) or slice key performance indicators (KPIs) mapped to at least one probe among the multiple probes;
providing information about the collection of probe selection profiles;
selecting the at least one probe mapped to the set of NFs or the slice KPIs based on the information about the collection of probe selection profiles; and
instantiating the at least one probe based on information from the at least one database, wherein the communication network has a control plane (CP) and a data plane (DP), wherein the CP and DP are separated from each other, wherein each network slice is a collection of inter-connected NFs in the CP and the DP, which defines respective CP and DP slices, wherein each CP slice and each DP slice is monitored by the at least one probe, and wherein the at least one database is adapted to store multiple alarms for each NF or each slice KPI associated to a service-level agreement (SLA), each alarm corresponding to a violation of the SLA;
transmitting, over a third interface (I-AS), a slice-oriented request towards a single-slice monitoring device (A-CNS-S) adapted to monitor an individual slice among the at least one network slice; and
receiving, over the I-AS from the A-CNS-S and in response to the violation of the SLA detected by an alarm detector of the A-CNS-S, a request for a reconfiguration of the individual slice through a reconfiguration engine inside the A-CNS.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one database is adapted to store a plurality of interrupt handlers, each interrupt handler associated to at least one alarm among the multiple alarms stored in the at least one database.
12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one database is configurable through a configuration of content of the at least one database.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein configuring the content of the at least one database comprises at least one of modifying or deleting existing elements inside the at least one database or adding other elements inside the at least one database.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one database is configurable over a first interface (I-Cf).
15. The method of claim 10 , wherein CP slice-based information and DP slice-based information is transmitted over a second interface (I-AM) along with the SLA related to a performance of the corresponding inter-connected NFs in the CP and the DP.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer to perform a method for monitoring at least one network slice in a communication network, by performing steps of:
storing multiple probes in at least one database;
storing a collection of probe selection profiles in the at least one database;
providing a set of network functions (NFs) or slice key performance indicators (KPIs) mapped to at least one probe among the multiple probes;
providing information about the collection of probe selection profiles;
selecting the at least one probe mapped to the set of NFs or the slice KPIs based on the information about the collection of probe selection profiles; and
instantiating the at least one probe based on information from the at least one database, wherein the communication network has a control plane (CP) and a data plane (DP), wherein the CP and DP are separated from each other, wherein each network slice is a collection of inter-connected NFs in the CP and the DP, which defines respective CP and DP slices, wherein each CP slice and each DP slice is monitored by the at least one probe, and wherein the at least one database is adapted to store multiple alarms for each NF or each slice KPI associated to a service-level agreement (SLA), each alarm corresponding to a violation of the SLA;
transmitting, over a third interface (I-AS), a slice-oriented request towards a single-slice monitoring device (A-CNS-S) adapted to monitor an individual slice among the at least one network slice; and
receiving, over the I-AS from the A-CNS-S and in response to the violation of the SLA detected by an alarm detector of the A-CNS-S, a request for a reconfiguration of the individual slice through a reconfiguration engine inside the A-CNS.