Scaling subscriber handling capacity and throughput in a cloud native radio access network
A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for scaling of subscriber capacity in a cloud native radio access network (RAN). A processing capacity being assigned to one or more containers in a plurality of containers of a cloud native radio access network for providing communication to at least one user equipment in a plurality of user equipments is determined. The determined processing capacity is compared to at least one predetermined threshold in a plurality of predetermined thresholds. Based on the comparing a determination is made whether to change an assignment of the processing capacity.
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
determining a processing capacity being assigned to one or more containers in a plurality of containers of a cloud native radio access network for providing communication to at least one user equipment in a plurality of user equipments;
comparing the determined processing capacity to at least one predetermined threshold in a plurality of predetermined thresholds; and
determining, based on the comparing, whether to change an assignment of the processing capacity.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising changing the assignment of the processing capacity.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more containers are associated with at least one of: at least one control plane component and at least user plane component of a centralized unit of a base station,
wherein the determining whether to change the assignment of the processing capacity assigned includes at least one of the following: increasing a number of user equipments being processed by the at least one control plane component by increasing a number of containers providing communication to the user equipments, decreasing a number of user equipments being processed by the at least one control plane component by decreasing the number of containers providing communication to the user equipments, increasing a throughout capacity of the at least one user plane component by increasing the number of containers providing communication to the user equipments, decreasing a throughput capacity of the at least one user plane component by decreasing the number of containers providing communication to the user equipments, and any combinations thereof.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the determining the processing capacity, the comparing, and the determining whether to change the assignment of the processing capacity is performed by at least one base station in a wireless communication system.
5. The method according to claim 4 , where the base station includes at least one of the following: a base station, an eNodeB base station, a gNodeB base station, a wireless base station, a wireless access point, and any combination thereof.
6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the base station is a base station operating in at least one of the following communications systems: a long term evolution communications system, a new radio communications system, a wireless communication system, and any combination thereof.
7. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the base station includes at least one centralized unit, the centralized unit include at least one of: a control plane component, a user plane component, and any combination thereof.
8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein one or more user equipments in the plurality of user equipments is associated with a radio resource control (RRC) status, the RRC status including at least one of the following: an RRC-inactive status, no RRC-inactive status, an RRC connected status, and any combination thereof.
9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein one or more predetermined weights are assigned to the one or more user equipments in the plurality of user equipments based on the RRC status.
10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the at least one predetermined threshold is selected from a plurality of predetermined thresholds based on the RRC status of the one or more user equipments.
11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the comparing includes comparing the determined processing capacity determined for the one or more user equipments having assigned the one or more predetermined weights to the at least one predetermined threshold selected based on the RRC status of the one or more user equipments.
12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising
transitioning, based on the determining whether to change the processing capacity, the at least one user equipment assigned to the at least one container to at least another container in the plurality of containers; and
providing, using the at least another container, communication to the transitioned at least one user equipment.
13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising preventing, subsequent to the transitioning, the at least one container from providing communication to at least another user equipment in the plurality of user equipments.
14. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising changing at least one identifier of the transitioned at least one user equipment.
15. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising preventing changing at least one identifier of the transitioned at least one user equipment.
16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one identifier includes at least one of the following: a user equipment identifier, a user equipment bearer identifier, at least one user plane endpoint address, an internet protocol (IP) address, a GPRS tunneling protocol user data tunneling endpoint identifier (GTP-U TEID), and any combination thereof associated with the at least one user equipment.
17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the at least one identifier is stored in at least one database, the one or more containers being configured to retrieve the at least one identifier from the at least one database, and assign the retrieved at least one identifier to the transitioned at least one user equipment.
18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the at least one database stores a mapping between the retrieved at least one identifier and the one or more containers.
19. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one predetermined threshold includes at least one of the following: a first threshold associated with increasing the processing capacity, a second threshold associated with decreasing the processing capacity, and any combination thereof.
20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein the comparing includes comparing at least one of: one or more user equipments having with a predetermined radio resource control (RRC) status and being associated with a first predetermined weight, a number of communications from the one or more user equipments processed by the one or more containers per a predetermined period of time, a throughput associated with the one or more containers, and any combination thereof, with at least one of the first threshold and the second threshold.
21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein the changing the assignment of the processing capacity includes at least one of:
increasing, based on the comparing, the processing capacity upon exceeding the first threshold; and
decreasing, based on the comparing, the processing capacity upon not exceeding the second threshold.
22. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one processor, and
at least one non-transitory storage media storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
determining a processing capacity being assigned to one or more containers in a plurality of containers of a cloud native radio access network for providing communication to at least one user equipment in a plurality of user equipments;
comparing the determined processing capacity to at least one predetermined threshold in a plurality of predetermined thresholds; and
determining, based on the comparing, whether to change an assignment of the processing capacity.
23. At least one non-transitory storage media storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:
determining a processing capacity being assigned to one or more containers in a plurality of containers of a cloud native radio access network for providing communication to at least one user equipment in a plurality of user equipments;
comparing the determined processing capacity to at least one predetermined threshold in a plurality of predetermined thresholds; and
determining, based on the comparing, whether to change an assignment of the processing capacity.