CONFIGURING DIFFERENT INTER- AND INTRA- COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS FOR COMPONENTS IN A RAN SYSTEM
Some embodiments of the invention provide a method for providing automated admission control services for a RAN system. The method receives a trigger alert that includes an application identifier for an application, a dRIC identifier associated with a dRIC to which the application is to be deployed, and a set of configurations for the application that are in a first format. The method converts the set of configurations from the first format to a second format and sends the set configurations in the second format to an FCAPS management pod deployed to the dRIC. Upon receiving positive acknowledgment indicating successful implementation of the set of configurations from the FCAPS management pod, the method updates a configuration table stored in a database of the RAN with a set of admissions control information for the application. The method sends a notification to an API server for the RAN indicating the set of configurations have been successfully implemented for the application.
1 . For a RAN (Radio Access Network) system, a method for dynamically provisioning RAN applications in a set one or more cloud datacenters, the method comprising:
deploying, in the cloud datacenter set, a RIC (RAN intelligent controller) to serve as an interface between RAN applications and base station components of the RAN;
deploying, in the cloud datacenter set, at least one RIC management server (RMS) for configuring the RIC to dynamically provision the RAN applications to operate in the RAN system;
configuring the RIC and RMS to communicate through a first set of messages that are based on a first network communication protocol defined by a telephony-based standards body; and
configuring the RMS to convert the first set of messages received from the RIC into a second set of messages that are based on a second network protocol that is more optimal for communication between modules of the RMS that are deployed in the cloud datacenter set.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first network protocol is Netconf and the second network protocol is RPC.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the RPC protocol is gRPC.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second network protocols use first and second transport layer protocols that are different.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the first transport layer protocol of the first network protocol comprises SSH (secure shell protocol) or TLS (transport layer security), and the second transport layer protocol of the second network protocol comprises HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) or HTTPS (hypertext transfer protocol secure).
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first set of messages are in a first format and the second set of messages are in a second format that is different from the first format.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the first format comprises an XML-encoded format and the second format comprises JSON.
8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the RMS modules include an RMS user interface (UI) that receives user input in the second format.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the RMS converts the second set of messages into a third set of messages for sending communications to the RIC.
10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the third set of messages are in a same format as the first set of messages.
11 . The method of claim 10 further comprising configuring the RIC to convert the third set of messages received from the RMS into a fourth set of messages that are based on the second network protocol.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein a format of the fourth set of messages is different from a format of the second set of messages.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the format of the fourth set of messages comprises protobuf.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set one or more cloud datacenters comprises a set of one or more public cloud datacenters.
15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the set one or more cloud datacenters comprises one or more public cloud datacenters and one or more private cloud datacenters.
16 . A non-transitory machine readable medium storing a program for execution by a set of processing units, the program for dynamically provisioning RAN (Radio Access Network) applications in a set one or more cloud datacenters of a RAN system, the program comprising sets of instructions for:
deploying, in the cloud datacenter set, a RIC (RAN intelligent controller) to serve as an interface between RAN applications and base station components of the RAN;
deploying, in the cloud datacenter set, at least one RIC management server (RMS) for configuring the RIC to dynamically provision the RAN applications to operate in the RAN system;
configuring the RIC and RMS to communicate through a first set of messages that are based on a first network communication protocol defined by a telephony-based standards body; and
configuring the RMS to convert the first set of messages received from the RIC into a second set of messages that are based on a second network protocol that is more optimal for communication between modules of the RMS that are deployed in the cloud datacenter set.
17 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the first network protocol is Netconf and the second network protocol is gRPC.
18 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16 , wherein:
the first and second network protocols use first and second transport layer protocols that are different; and
the first transport layer protocol of the first network protocol comprises SSH (secure shell protocol) or TLS (transport layer security), and the second transport layer protocol of the second network protocol comprises HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) or HTTPS (hypertext transfer protocol secure).
19 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the first set of messages are in a first format and the second set of messages are in a second format that is different from the first format.
20 . The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the first format comprises an XML-encoded format and the second format comprises JSON.