Systems and methods for zero-touch deployment of network slices and network slice assurance services
A system includes one or more devices that include processors. The processors are configured to: receive a request to deploy a network slice within a network, retrieve network service descriptors, from a database, associated with the network slice; and instantiate the network slice within the network based on the network service descriptors.
1. A system comprising one or more devices that include processors, wherein the processors are configured to:
receive a request to deploy a network service, associated with a network slice, within a network;
retrieve an infrastructure profile and a configuration for the network service from catalogs;
generate network service descriptors based on the infrastructure profile and the configuration for the service; and
instantiate the network slice and the network service within the network based on the network service descriptors.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the request identifies a location within the network, and wherein when the processors instantiate the network slice, the processors are configured to:
instantiate the network slice at the location.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network service descriptors are specified in a non-markup language.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network service descriptors include a metadata portion, and wherein the metadata portion indicates deployment specific overrides.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the network service descriptors specifies a network function, and the instantiated network slice includes an instance of the network function.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the network service descriptors define a Slice Assurance Service (SAS) and include a virtual network function descriptor that defines an assurance module, and wherein the assurance module includes micro-services.
7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the network function includes a Fifth Generation (5G) core network function.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the network descriptors specify at least one of:
an atomic service;
a regional network service;
a nationwide network service; or
a slice infrastructure service.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the regional network service includes an atomic service,
wherein the slice infrastructure service includes one or more of: an atomic service, a regional network service, and a nationwide network service; and
wherein the atomic service includes one or more network functions.
10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the nationwide network service includes a Fifth Generation (5G) core network function, and wherein the regional network service includes a network function at an edge or a far-edge of the network.
11. A method comprising:
receiving a request to deploy a network service, associated with a network slice, within a network;
retrieving an infrastructure profile and a configuration for the network service from catalogs;
generating network service descriptors based on the infrastructure profile and the configuration for the network service; and
instantiating the network slice and the network service within the network based on the network service descriptors.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the request identifies a location within the network, and wherein instantiating the network slice includes:
instantiating the network slice at the location.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the network service descriptors are specified in Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud Applications (TOSCA) or a YAML Ain′t a Markup Language (YAML).
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the network service descriptors include a metadata portion, and wherein the metadata portion indicates deployment specific overrides.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least one of the network service descriptors specifies a network function, and the instantiated network slice includes an instance of the network function.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the network service descriptors define a Slice Assurance Service (SAS) and include a virtual network function descriptor that defines an assurance module, and wherein the assurance module includes micro-services.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the network function includes a central unit-control plane, a central unit-user plane, or a distributed unit in a radio access network.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the network descriptors specify at least one of:
an atomic service;
a regional network service;
a nationwide network service; or
a slice infrastructure service.
19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising processor-executable instructions, that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
receive a request to deploy a network service, associated with a network slice, within a network;
retrieve an infrastructure profile and a configuration for the network service from catalogs;
generate network service descriptors based on the infrastructure profile and the configuration for the service; and
instantiate the network slice and the network service within the network based on the network service descriptors.
20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein at least one of the network service descriptors specifies a network function, and the instantiated network slice includes an instance of the network function.