IP Library Granted Patent US 11,018,899
Granted Patent B1
US 11,018,899 · App. 16/727,865 · Granted May 25, 2021

Onboarding a VNF which includes a VDU with multiple VNFCs

Inventor: Keith William Melkild (Allen, TX)
Assignee: OPEN INVENTION NETWORK LLC
H04L12/4641G06F9/45558G06F2009/45595
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,018,899
App. No.
16/727,865
Granted
May 25, 2021
Kind
B1
Abstract

The instant solution includes at least one element or action described or depicted herein.

Claims (60)

1. A method for on-boarding a Virtual Network Function (VNF) comprising a Virtual Deployment Unit (VDU) containing a plurality of Virtual Network Function Components (VNFCs), the method comprising:

receiving, by a hardware-implemented server executing a Service Design and Creation (SDC) module, an archive, created by a VNF provider, the archive containing contents of a VNF package including a VNF Descriptor (VNFD) file containing the Virtual Deployment Unit (VDU), where the VDU further includes a plurality of VNFC descriptor files each corresponding to one of the plurality of VNFCs, and where the archive contains VNFC artifacts;

identifying, by the SDC module, a manifest file in the archive, the manifest file listing an entire contents of the archive;

on-boarding, by the SDC module, the VNFD file;

on-boarding, by the SDC module, the VDU; and

enabling, by the SDC module, the VNF in a catalog of the SDC module comprising automatically enabling the VNF in the catalog of the SDC module based on a completion of the on-boarding process.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the VNFC artifacts comprise:

a VNF specific lifecycle management (LCM) script file;

a VNFC specific lifecycle script file;

a Virtualized Container (VC) upgrade scrip file;

a VC image binary file; and

a VNFC software load.

3. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

processing, by the SDC module, a signing certificate located in the archive based on the identifying the manifest file.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing, by the SDC module, the VNFD file in the catalog of the SDC module.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing, by the SDC module, the VNFD file in a remote database specified in a VC image descriptor file of the VNFD.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the archive further includes:

a VNFC directory that contains a separate directory for each VNFC of the plurality of VNFCs.

7. An apparatus for on-boarding a Virtual Network Function (VNF) comprising a Virtual Deployment Unit (VDU) containing a plurality of Virtual Network Function Components (VNFCs), the apparatus comprising:

a hardware-implemented server executing a Service Design and Creation (SDC) module configured to:

receive an archive, created by a VNF provider, containing contents of a VNF package including a VNF Descriptor (VNFD) file containing the Virtual Deployment Unit (VDU), where the VDU further includes a plurality of VNFC descriptor files each corresponding to one of the plurality of VNFCs, and where the archive contains VNFC artifacts;

Identify a manifest file in the archive, the manifest file listing an entire contents of the archive;

on-board the VNFD file;

on-board the VDU;

enable the VNF in a catalog of the SDC module; and

store the VNFD file in a remote database specified in a VC image descriptor file of the VNFD.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the VNFC software element artifacts comprise:

a VNF specific lifecycle management (LCM) script file;

a VNFC specific lifecycle script file;

a Virtualized Container (VC) upgrade scrip file;

a VC image binary file; and

a VNFC software load.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the SDC module is further configured to:

process a signing certificate located in the archive based on the identification of the manifest file.

10. The system of claim 7 , wherein the SDC module is further configured to:

store the VNFD file in the catalog of the SDC module.

11. The system of claim 7 , wherein, when the SDC module enables the VNF, the SDC module is further configured to:

automatically enable the VNF in the catalog of the SDC module based on a completion of the on-boarding process.

12. The system of claim 7 , wherein the archive further includes:

a VNFC directory that contains a separate directory for each VNFC of the plurality of VNFCs.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions for on-boarding a Virtual Network Function (VNF) comprising a Virtual Deployment Unit (VDU) containing a plurality of Virtual Network Function Components (VNFCs) that when read by a processor of a hardware-implemented server executing a Service Design and Creation (SDC) module cause the processor to:

receive an archive, created by a VNF provider, containing contents of a VNF package including a VNF Descriptor (VNFD) file containing the Virtual Deployment Unit (VDU), where the VDU further includes a plurality of VNFC descriptor files each corresponding to one of the plurality of VNFCs, where the archive contains VNFC artifacts, a VNFC directory that contains a separate directory for each VNFC of the plurality of VNFCs and where the archive contains a VNFC directory that contains a separate directory for each VNFC of the plurality of VNFCs;

identify a manifest file in the archive, the manifest file listing an entire contents of the archive;

on-board the VNFD file;

on-boarding the VDU; and

enable the VNF in a catalog of the SDC module.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the VNFC software element artifacts comprise:

a VNF specific lifecycle management (LCM) script file;

a VNFC specific lifecycle script file;

a Virtualized Container (VC) upgrade scrip file;

a VC image binary file; and

a VNFC software load.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instruction further cause to processor to:

process a signing certificate located in the archive based on the identifying the manifest file.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instruction further cause to processor to:

store the VNFD file in the catalog of the SDC module.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instruction further cause to processor to:

store the VNFD file in a remote database specified in a VC image descriptor file of the VNFD.

Assignments (3)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE CORRECT 1 ERRONEOUSLY LISTED PATENT ON SCHEDULE A. THE ERRONEOUS PATENT NUMBER US10635539 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 61365 FRAME: 572. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jul 23, 2024
From: OPEN INVENTION NETWORK LLC
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 068298/0205 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 1, 2022
From: OPEN INVENTION NETWORK LLC
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 061365/0571 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 11, 2020
From: MELKILD, KEITH WILLIAM
To: OPEN INVENTION NETWORK LLC
Reel/Frame 052074/0777 →
Continuity (1)
Provisional Application 62784983 · Dec 26, 2018
Cited By (1)
US 12,531,907