AUTOMATED INSTANTIATION AND MANAGEMENT OF MOBILE NETWORKS
The current document is directed to methods and subsystems that instantiate and manage mobile-network computational infrastructure. The currently disclosed improved mobile-network-computational-infrastructure orchestration system employs several layers of containerized-application orchestration and management systems. For increased efficiency and security, mobile-network-specific operators are added to the containerized-application orchestration layers in order to extend the functionalities of the containerized-application orchestration layers and move virtualization-layer dependencies from the mobile-network-computational-infrastructure orchestration system down into the containerized-application orchestration layers. The improved mobile-network-computational-infrastructure orchestration system is responsible for generating, from an input mobile-network computational-infrastructure specification, one or more workload resource specifications and a node policy that are input to a containerized-application-orchestration layer. The containerized-application-orchestration layers instantiate and manage worker nodes that execute mobile-network application instances that implement VNFs and CNFs according to the one or more workload resource specifications and the node policy.
1 . A mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system comprising:
one or more processors;
one or more memories;
one or more data-storage devices; and
processor instructions, contained in executable files stored in one or more of the one or more data-storage devices, that when executed by one or more of the one or more processors, control the mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system to
receive a mobile-network-computational-infrastructure specification;
extend a containerized-application orchestration system to include functionality needed to instantiate and manage mobile-network-specific worker nodes within workload clusters distributed across multiple distributed-computer systems aggregated by a virtualization layer;
generate one or more workload-resource specifications and a node policy from the mobile-network-computational-infrastructure specification; and
input the one or more workload-resource specifications and node policy to launch instantiation and subsequent management of a mobile-network computational infrastructure by the extended containerized-application orchestration system.
2 . The mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system of claim 1 wherein the mobile-network computational infrastructure comprises virtual network functions and/or cloud-native network functions implemented on worker nodes provisioned on worker nodes within workload clusters distributed across multiple distributed-computer systems.
3 . The mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system of claim 1 wherein the multiple distributed-computer systems include distributed computer systems that implement mobile-network base stations, regional data venters, and national datacenters.
4 . The mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system of claim 1 wherein the multiple distributed-computer systems include data centers and cloud-computing facilities.
5 . The mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system of claim 1 wherein the mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system extends the containerized-application orchestration system to include functionality needed to instantiate and manage mobile-network-specific worker nodes within workload clusters distributed across multiple distributed-computer systems by provisioning the containerized-application orchestration system with one or more control-plane operators and one or more workload-cluster operators.
6 . The mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system of claim 5 wherein the functionality needed to instantiate and manage mobile-network-specific worker nodes within workload clusters distributed across multiple distributed-computer systems includes:
worker-node-information-extraction routines that access worker nodes through the virtualization layer to determine characteristics and parameters of the worker nodes, including the hardware components, hardware configuration, firmware configuration, operating-system configuration, and installed applications; and
worker-node customization routines that configure worker nodes.
7 . The mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system of claim 6 wherein the worker-node customization routines:
install plugins specified in the node policy;
install passthroughs specified in the node policy;
download downloadable components specified in the node policy; and
alter operating-system, firmware. and local-virtualization-layer settings. parameters, and configurations as specified in the node policy.
8 . The mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system of claim 6 wherein the one or more control-plane operators:
process the node policy to determine mobile-network-specific components. functionalities, and configurations needed by worker nodes; and
create custom resources corresponding to worker nodes that embody the mobile-network-specific components. functionalities. and configurations needed by worker nodes;
call worker-node-information-extraction routines to match workload cluster nodes to custom resources during management operations carried out by the extended containerized-application orchestration system, including scheduling and deployment of mobile-application instances and node-replacement. scaling, and update operations;
call worker-node customization routines to customize hardware, firmware, local-virtualization-layer, and operating-systems within worker nodes during management operations carried out by the extended containerized-application orchestration system, including scheduling and deployment of mobile-application instances and node-replacement and scaling operations; and
persist worker-node configuration information and pass worker-node configuration information to workload-cluster operators.
9 . The mobile-network-infrastructure orchestration system of claim 6 wherein the one or more workload-cluster operators call worker-node customization routines to customize virtual machines within worker-nodes during management operations carried out by the extended containerized-application orchestration system.
10 . A method that instantiates and manages a mobile-network computational infrastructure. the method comprising:
receiving a mobile-network-computational-infrastructure specification:
extending a containerized-application orchestration system to include functionality needed to instantiate and manage mobile-network-specific worker nodes within workload clusters distributed across multiple distributed-computer systems aggregated by a virtualization layer;
generating one or more workload-resource specifications and a node policy from the mobile-network-computational-infrastructure specification; and
inputting the one or more workload-resource specifications and node policy to launch instantiation and subsequent management of a mobile-network computational infrastructure by the extended containerized-application orchestration system.
11 . The method of claim 10 wherein the mobile-network computational infrastructure comprises virtual network functions and/or cloud-native network functions implemented on worker nodes provisioned on worker nodes within workload clusters distributed across multiple distributed-computer systems.
12 . The method of claim 10 wherein the multiple distributed-computer systems include distributed computer systems that implement mobile-network base stations, regional data venters, and national datacenters.
13 . The method of claim 10 wherein the multiple distributed-computer systems include data centers and cloud-computing facilities.
14 . The method system of claim 10 wherein extending the containerized-application orchestration system to include functionality needed to instantiate and manage mobile-network-specific worker nodes within workload clusters distributed across multiple distributed-computer systems further comprises provisioning the containerized-application orchestration system with one or more control-plane operators and one or more workload cluster operators.
15 . The method of claim 10 wherein the functionality needed to instantiate and manage mobile-network-specific worker nodes within workload clusters distributed across multiple distributed-computer systems includes:
worker-node-information-extraction routines that access worker nodes through the virtualization layer to determine characteristics and parameters of the worker nodes, including the hardware components, hardware configuration, firmware configuration, operating-system configuration, and installed applications; and
worker-node customization routines that configure worker nodes.
16 . The method of claim 10 wherein the worker-node customization routines:
install plugins specified in the node policy:
install passthroughs specified in the node policy:
download downloadable components specified in the node policy: and
alter operating-system, firmware, and local-virtualization-layer settings, parameters, and configurations as specified in the node policy.
17 . The method of claim 16 wherein the one or more control-plane operators:
process the node policy to determine mobile-network-specific components. functionalities. and configurations needed by worker nodes; and
create custom resources corresponding to worker nodes that embody the mobile-network-specific components, functionalities, and configurations needed by worker nodes:
call worker-node-information-extraction routines to match workload cluster nodes to custom resources during management operations carried out by the extended containerized-application orchestration system, including scheduling and deployment of mobile-application instances and node-replacement, scaling. and update operations;
call worker-node customization routines to customize hardware, firmware, local-virtualization-layer, and operating-systems within worker nodes during management operations carried out by the extended containerized-application orchestration system, including scheduling and deployment of mobile-application instances and node-replacement and scaling operations; and
persist worker-node configuration information and pass worker-node configuration information to workload-cluster operators.
18 . The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more workload-cluster operators call worker-node customization routines to customize virtual machines within worker-nodes during management operations carried out by the extended containerized-application orchestration system.
19 . A physical data-storage device that stores computer instructions that, when executed by processors within a computer system. control the computer system to instantiate and manage a mobile-network computational infrastructure by:
receiving a mobile-network-computational-infrastructure specification;
extending a containerized-application orchestration system to include functionality needed to instantiate and manage mobile-network-specific worker nodes within workload clusters distributed across multiple distributed-computer systems aggregated by a virtualization layer;
generating one or more workload-resource specifications and a node policy from the mobile-network-computational-infrastructure specification; and
inputting the one or more workload-resource specifications and node policy to launch instantiation and subsequent management of a mobile-network computational infrastructure by the extended containerized-application orchestration system.