CN106664259B - Method and device for expanding virtual network function - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a method and a device for expanding virtual network functions, wherein the method comprises the following steps: determining VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF during operation according to the resource load of a VM executing a service in the VNF and VM infrastructure resource information in a first VDU in a VNFD file of a virtual network descriptor; wherein the first VDU is a VDU currently corresponding to the VNF; according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF during operation, determining a second VDU with the largest matching degree with the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF during operation from all VDUs of the VNFD file; and expanding the volume of the VNF according to the second VDU. The VNF capacity expansion method and apparatus provided in this embodiment may reduce waste of VM infrastructure resources when the VNF is capacity expanded.

Description

Method and device for expanding virtual network function

technical field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a network function virtualization technology, and in particular, to a method and device for expanding the capacity of a virtual network function.

Background technique

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) refers to a software processing technology that uses general-purpose hardware and virtualization technology to carry multiple functions. Under the framework of NFV technology, an NFV service network can be decomposed into a set of virtual network functions (Virtual Network Function, VNF for short) and virtual network function link (Virtual Network Function Link, VNFL for short). Among them, VNF is a virtual network function with network functions. A virtualized entity, for example, a VNF with a mobile management entity (Mobile Management Entity, MME for short) function, which is a virtual MME. A VNF can be decomposed into a set of network virtualization function components (Virtual Network Function Components, VNFC for short), and these VNFCs are all carried on a corresponding virtual machine (Virtual Machine, VM for short).

During the VNFC instantiation process (here, deploying VNFC on the VM and making it run on the VM is called a VNFC instance, that is, the process of instantiating VNFC), the information such as the infrastructure resources and operating system of the VM is controlled by the virtual machine. It is specified by a Virtualization Deployment Unit (VDU for short), wherein the infrastructure resources of the VM may specifically include resources such as a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU for short), memory, and network. VNFs are sensitive to changes in service volume. When the service volume of VNF services changes, the VNFC instance needs to be expanded in time to ensure service quality. In the prior art, each VNF service corresponds to a fixed VDU, and the VM infrastructure resource allocation in the VDU is manually determined in advance. Expand the VNFC instance to meet business needs.

However, when the VNF service changes and the VNFC instance needs to be expanded by using the VDU corresponding to the VNF service, the VM infrastructure resource configuration specified in the VDU is likely to be much larger than the VNF resource usage when the service is actually running. , resulting in a waste of VM infrastructure resources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for expanding the virtual network function, which can not only meet the resource requirements of VNF services, but also will not cause waste of VM infrastructure resources.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for expanding the capacity of a virtual network function VNF, including:

According to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU in the virtual network descriptor VNFD file, determine the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run; A VDU is the VDU currently corresponding to the VNF;

According to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run, determine the VMs required for the VNF to run from all the VDUs in the VNFD file The second VDU with the highest matching degree of infrastructure resources;

The VNF is expanded according to the second VDU.

With reference to the first aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, expanding the VNF according to the second VDU specifically includes:

judging whether the matching degree between the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run is greater than or equal to a preset threshold;

If yes, expand the VNF according to the second VDU;

If not, according to the initialization of the VNFD file, expand the VNF with the VDU corresponding to the VNF in the VNFD file, and create a new VDU in the VNFD file through the VNFD manager.

With reference to the first aspect or the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the first aspect, according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file, the Among all the VDUs in the VNFD file, determine the second VDU with the greatest degree of matching with the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF during runtime, specifically including:

Obtain the first vector according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU;

Obtain a second vector according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file;

obtaining the degree of matching between the first vector and each of the second vectors;

The VDU corresponding to the second vector with the highest matching degree is used as the second VDU.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the creating a new VDU in the VNFD file by the VNFD manager specifically includes:

Send a VDU creation request to the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO; wherein, the VDU creation request carries the VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF to run, and is used to request the NFVO to create a new VDU after determining that it needs to create a new VDU. The NFVO instructs the VNFD manager to create the new VDU in the VNFD file according to the VM infrastructure resource information required for the VNF to run.

With reference to the third possible implementation manner of the first aspect, in a fourth possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the expanding the VNF according to the second VDU specifically includes:

Send a capacity expansion request to the NFVO according to the second VDU; wherein, the capacity expansion request includes the number of VMs required for capacity expansion and the infrastructure resource information of the VMs required for capacity expansion;

Receive the expansion instruction sent by the NFVO; wherein, the expansion instruction carries the resource information allocated by the NFVO for the expansion of the VNF according to the expansion request;

Create and start the VM required for the expansion according to the expansion instruction.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a device for expanding the capacity of a virtual network function VNF, including:

a determining module, configured to determine the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU in the virtual network descriptor VNFD file; Wherein, the first VDU is the VDU currently corresponding to the VNF;

A matching module, configured to determine, from all the VDUs in the VNFD file, the operation of the VNF according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run The second VDU with the highest matching degree of required VM infrastructure resources;

A capacity expansion module, configured to expand the VNF according to the second VDU.

With reference to the second aspect, in a first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the capacity expansion module is specifically configured to determine the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run Whether the matching degree between them is greater than or equal to a preset threshold; if so, the capacity expansion module expands the VNF according to the second VDU; if not, the capacity expansion module initializes the VNFD file according to the VNFD file. Expand the VNF with the VDU corresponding to the VNF in the VNFD file, and create a new VDU in the VNFD file through the VNFD manager.

With reference to the second aspect or the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a second possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the matching module is specifically configured to perform the service according to the resource load and all the parameters of the VM in the VNF. Obtain a first vector from the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU; obtain a second vector according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file; obtain the first vector and each of the second vectors The matching degree between vectors; the VDU corresponding to the second vector with the largest matching degree is used as the second VDU.

With reference to the first possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in a third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the capacity expansion module is further configured to send a VDU creation request to the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO; wherein the VDU The creation request carries the VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF to run, and is used to request the NFVO to instruct the VNFD manager to instruct the VNFD manager to VM infrastructure resource information creates the new VDU in the VNFD file.

With reference to the third possible implementation manner of the second aspect, in the fourth possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the capacity expansion module is further configured to send a capacity expansion request to the NFVO according to the second VDU; The capacity expansion request includes the number of VMs required for capacity expansion and the infrastructure resource information of the VM required for capacity expansion; the capacity expansion module is specifically also used to receive the capacity expansion instruction sent by the NFVO, and create and start the capacity expansion station according to the capacity expansion instruction. The capacity expansion instruction carries the resource information allocated by the NFVO for the capacity expansion of the VNF according to the capacity expansion request.

The method and device for expanding the capacity of a VNF provided in this embodiment determine the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU in the VNFD file, and According to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run, determine from all the VDUs in the VNFD file the one that matches the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run the most. The second VDU expands the VNF according to the second VDU. In this embodiment, the VDU pre-configured for the VNF service is no longer used for capacity expansion, but the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF are selected from all the VDUs. The second VDU that best matches is used for capacity expansion. Therefore, the configuration amount of the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU is most similar to the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run. Therefore, the VNF is expanded according to the second VDU. It can not only meet the resource requirements of VNF services, but also will not cause waste of VM infrastructure resources.

Description of drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the accompanying drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description These are some embodiments of the present invention, and for those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can also be obtained from these drawings without any creative effort.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a method for expanding a VNF provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for expanding a VNF according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for expanding a VNF according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for expanding a VNF according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for expanding a VNF according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for expanding the capacity of a VNF according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments These are some embodiments of the present invention, but not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a method for expanding a VNF according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the scenario is implemented based on a cloud platform, and the scenario includes multiple VM1, monitor 2, virtual network descriptor (Virtual Network Function Descriptor, VNFD for short) manager 3, network function virtualization orchestrator (Network FunctionsVirtualization) Orchestrator, referred to as NFVO) 4, virtual infrastructure manager (Virtual Infrastructure Manager, referred to as VIM) 5 and virtual network function manager (Virtual Network Function Manager, referred to as VNFM). Among them, monitor 2 is responsible for monitoring and collecting the resource load and business load of each VM that constitutes VNF, VNFD manager 3 is used to create and manage VNFD files, VNFD files include VUDs, and NFVO4 is responsible for managing virtual infrastructure resources through VIM5 to achieve Resource orchestration function, VIM5 is responsible for the management and control of computing resources, storage resources, network resources and other virtual infrastructure resources, VNFM6 is responsible for the life cycle management of VNF instances.

The method involved in the embodiments of the present invention aims to solve the problem that in the prior art, when the VNF service changes, when the VNFC instance is expanded by using the VDU corresponding to the VNF service, it is easy to cause waste of VM infrastructure resources. question.

The technical solutions of the present invention will be described in detail below with specific examples. The following specific embodiments may be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for expanding a VNF according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The execution body of this embodiment is VNFM. As shown in FIG. 2 , the method includes the following steps:

Step 101: Determine the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU in the VNFD file.

The first VDU is the VDU currently corresponding to the VNF.

In this embodiment, the VNFM can obtain the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF through the monitor. The resource load of the VM can specifically include the indicators related to computing resources, storage resources, network resources, etc. in the basic setting resources of the VM, for example , the central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU for short) utilization, memory utilization, bandwidth utilization, disk utilization, and so on. The VNFM can also obtain the key performance indicator (Key Performance Indicator, KPI) of the VM executing the service in the VNF through the monitor, and obtain the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF from the KPI, wherein the KPI includes the VM executing the service in the VNF. Resource load and service load of each VM executing services in the VNF. The service load includes indicators related to the VNF service, such as the number of users in the current system, the number of sessions, the number of Packet Data Protocol (PDP) contexts, and the number of databases. Read and write queue length, access delay, etc. The value of each indicator in the KPI can be an instantaneous value, or an average value, a maximum value, a minimum value, and an intermediate value within a certain time window.

In this embodiment, the VNFD file includes configuration information that describes the VNF deployment and management behavior, as well as the configuration information used to support the VNF online and manage the VNF instance life cycle, and also includes other specific instance information and constraint information when the VNF is running. The VDUs involved in this implementation are also included in the VNFD file and are an important part of the VNFD file. The VNFM obtains the first VDU from the VNFD file. The first VDU is the VDU currently being used for executing the VNF service. The first VDU includes information such as VM infrastructure resources and operating systems allocated for the VNF service. The VM allocated for the VNF service The infrastructure resource information may specifically be a set of parameters of the infrastructure resources of the VM executing the service in the VNF, such as parameters such as CPU, memory, bandwidth, and hard disk. According to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information allocated for the VNF service in the first VDU, the resource amount of the VM actually used when running the VNF service can be calculated.

Step 102: According to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run, determine the match with the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run from all the VDUs in the VNFD file The second VDU with the largest degree.

In this embodiment, the VNFM obtains the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file, calculates the matching degree between the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run and the VM infrastructure resources in each VDU, and The VDU corresponding to the VM infrastructure resource with the highest matching degree is selected as the second VDU.

Step 103: Expand the VNF according to the second VDU.

In this embodiment, after the second VDU is determined, the VNFM expands the VNF according to the second VDU, and the specific expansion process may adopt the VNF expansion method in the prior art, which will not be repeated here.

In the prior art, when the VNF service changes, when the VNFC instance is expanded by using the VDU corresponding to the VNF service, it is easy to cause the VM infrastructure resource configuration amount specified in the VDU to be larger than the VNF resources when the service is actually running. Usage, for example, the memory size specified in the VDU corresponding to the VNF service is 10G, but when the VNF service is actually executed, under the condition that other resources are fully utilized, the 6G memory has met the demand, and the remaining 4G memory is idle , resulting in a waste of VM infrastructure resources. In this embodiment, the VNFM determines the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU in the VNFD file, and determines the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run The VM infrastructure resource information in the VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run. From all the VDUs in the VNFD file, the second VDU that matches the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run is determined. The second VDU expands the VNF. In this embodiment, the VDU pre-configured for the VNF service is no longer used for expansion, but the VDU that best matches the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF is selected from all the VDUs for expansion. , therefore, the configuration amount of the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU is most similar to the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run. Therefore, the expansion of the VNF based on the second VDU can not only meet the resource requirements of the VNF service , and will not cause a waste of VM infrastructure resources.

In the method for expanding the capacity of a VNF provided by this embodiment, the VNFM determines the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU in the VNFD file. The information about the VM infrastructure resources in each VDU in the VNFD file and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF at runtime are determined from all VDUs in the VNFD file, which have the highest matching degree with the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF at runtime. Two VDUs, the VNF is expanded according to the second VDU. In this embodiment, the VDUs pre-configured for the VNF service are no longer used for capacity expansion, but the VM infrastructure resources that are the closest to the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run are selected from all the VDUs. The matching second VDU is expanded. Therefore, the configuration amount of the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU is most similar to the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run. Therefore, expanding the VNF according to the second VDU not only It can meet the resource requirements of VNF services, and will not cause waste of VM infrastructure resources.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for expanding a VNF according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The execution body of this embodiment is the VNFM. As shown in FIG. 3 , the method includes the following steps:

Step 201: Determine the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU in the VNFD file.

The first VDU is the VDU currently corresponding to the VNF.

In this embodiment, "according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file, determine the second VDU with the highest matching degree with the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF from all the VDUs in the VNFD file" The specific implementation method of this step includes steps 202 to 205 .

Step 202: Obtain a first vector according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU.

In this embodiment, the first vector is a vector corresponding to the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run, and the VNFM obtains the first vector according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU , denote the first vector as R=(R ₁ , R ₂ ,...,R _i ,...,R _n ), where R _i represents the usage of infrastructure resources of the VM, for example, R ₁ represents The CPU usage of the VM, R ₂ represents the memory usage of the VM, and so on.

Step 203: Acquire a second vector according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file.

In this embodiment, the second vector is a vector corresponding to the VM infrastructure resources in each VDU, and the second vector is represented as T=(T ₁ , T ₂ ,...,T _i ,...,T _n ), where T _i represents the usage of the infrastructure resources of the VM in the VDU, for example, T ₁ represents the configuration amount of the CPU of the VM, T ₂ represents the configuration amount of the memory of the VM, and so on.

It should be noted that the order of elements in the second vector must be consistent with the first vector. For example, if R ₁ represents the CPU usage of the VM, then T ₁ must represent the configuration of the VM's CPU; R ₂ represents the memory of the VM usage, _T2 must represent the configured amount of VM memory.

Step 204: Obtain the matching degree between the first vector and each second vector.

In this embodiment, a similarity algorithm can be used to calculate and record the matching degree between the vectors in R and T to obtain the matching degree, and the matching degree is usually between 0 and 1. A common similarity measure is cosine similarity, and other similar similarity measure methods can also be used, which are not limited in the present invention.

Step 205: Use the VDU corresponding to the second vector with the largest matching degree as the second VDU.

In this embodiment, after obtaining the matching degrees between all the second vectors and the first vector, the VDU corresponding to the second vector with the largest matching degree is used as the second VDU.

In this embodiment, the specific implementation method of the step of "expanding the VNF according to the second VDU" includes steps 206 to 208 .

Step 206: Determine whether the matching degree between the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF is greater than or equal to a preset threshold; if so, go to step 207; if not, go to step 207 208.

In this embodiment, if the matching degree is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 1, a preset threshold may be preset to compare the matching between the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run In order to ensure that the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU best match the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run, usually, the value of the preset threshold is not less than 0.8. Specifically, The preset threshold may be equal to 0.85, 0.9, etc., and those skilled in the art may set the preset threshold according to actual needs.

Step 207: Expand the VNF according to the second VDU.

In this embodiment, when the matching degree between the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run is greater than or equal to a preset threshold, the VNF is expanded according to the second VDU.

Step 208 , according to the initialization of the VNFD file, expand the VNF with the VDU corresponding to the VNF in the VNFD file, and create a new VDU in the VNFD file through the VNFD manager.

In this implementation, when the matching degree between the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF is less than the preset threshold, when the VNFM is initialized according to the VNFD file, the VNFD file corresponds to the VNF The new VDU expands the VNF, and creates a new VDU in the VNFD file through the VNFD manager. Since there is a waiting time for establishing a new VDU, the VNF service may be delayed. Therefore, when the VNFD file is initialized, configure the corresponding VDU for each VNF service. When expanding the VNF service for the first time, or from all When a VDU that matches the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF is not found in the VDU, the VDU configured during initialization is used to expand the VNF. Thus, the delay of the VNF service caused by the establishment of a new VDU is avoided, and the service quality of the VNF service is guaranteed. In addition, if the matching degree between the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run is smaller than the preset threshold, during the initialization process of the VNFD file, the VDU set for the VNF is used to expand the VNF. At the same time, the VNFM can also create new VDUs in the VNFD file through the VNFD manager according to the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run.

Optionally, in this embodiment, creating a new VDU in the VNFD file through the VNFD manager specifically includes: sending a VDU creation request to the NFVO; wherein the VDU creation request carries the VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF to run , which is used to request NFVO to create a new VDU in the VNFD file according to the VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF when the NFVO determines that a new VDU needs to be created.

In this embodiment, when a new VDU needs to be created, the VNFM sends a VDU creation request to the NFVO, and the NFVO determines whether a new VDU needs to be created according to the VM infrastructure resource information required for the VNF to run in the VDU creation request. It is determined that a new VDU needs to be created, and NFVO instructs the VNFD manager to create a new VDU in the VNFD file according to the VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF during operation. VNF for expansion. Specifically, the VNFD manager is a logical entity for managing VNFD files. In actual implementation, a functional module needs to be established as the VNFD manager. The functional module can be integrated in NFVO or deployed in other modules. The role of the VNFD manager includes the query, modification of VNFD files, and the creation, update and deletion of VNFD files. . Table 1 is the functional description of the VNFD manager.

Table 1

operate describe Inquire This operation allows to obtain part or all of the content of the VNFD file Revise This operation allows to modify part or all of the content of the VNFD file create This operation allows the creation of new VNFD files renew This operation allows updates to the contents of the VNFD file delete This operation allows deletion of VNFD files

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the management of VNFD files may be initiated by VNFM or an operation support system (The Office of Strategic Services, OSS for short), or may be initiated by operation and maintenance personnel with advanced authority, for example, the first One way is: operation and maintenance personnel with advanced permissions can directly instruct the VNFD manager to manage VNFD files through the VNF file management (package management) interface, and the operation and maintenance personnel need to specify the specific content of VNFD file management; the second way is: VNFM or OSS requests NFVO for VNFD file management. After NFVO approves the VNFD file management operation, NFVO sends an instruction to the VNFD manager to instruct the VNFD manager to manage the VNFD file.

In the VNF expansion method provided in this embodiment, the VNFM vectorizes the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF and the VM infrastructure resources in all VDUs, and calculates the similarity between the first vector and the second vector to select Obtain the second VDU that best matches the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF runtime, and further compare the matching degree between the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF runtime. Set the size between the thresholds. When the matching degree is greater than or equal to the preset threshold, the VNF is expanded according to the second VDU, which not only meets the needs of the VNF service, but also does not cause waste of VM infrastructure resources; When the matching degree is less than the preset threshold, when the VNFD file is initialized, the VDU corresponding to the VNF in the VNFD file expands the VNF, and creates a new VDU in the VNFD file through the VNFD manager, which not only enables the VNF expansion to be completed in time , which ensures the service quality of the VNF service. Moreover, since the new VDU is a newly created VDU based on the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF service to run, the newly created VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF service to run If it is the best match, the next time the VNF is expanded, the newly-built VDU is used to expand the VNF to further reduce the waste of VM infrastructure resources.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for expanding a VNF according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. On the basis of the above embodiment shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 , the implementation principle of the method for the step of “expanding the VNF according to the second VDU” specifically includes the following steps:

Step 301: Send a capacity expansion request to NFVO according to the second VDU.

The capacity expansion request includes the number of VMs required for capacity expansion and information on infrastructure resources of the VMs required for capacity expansion.

In this embodiment, the VNFM determines the number of VMs required for expansion and the infrastructure resource information of the VMs required for expansion according to the second VDU, and then generates the VM based on the number of VMs required for expansion and the infrastructure resource information of the VMs required for expansion. Expansion request. After NFVO receives the expansion request, it queries the resource database to determine whether the expansion request is feasible. If the resources in the resource database can satisfy the VNF service, it is determined that the expansion request is feasible. NFVO creates reserved resources through the virtual resource management VRM (Virtual Resource Management) interface. , to avoid the preemption of the resources required for the expansion of the VNF service, and send the expansion instruction to the VNFM; if the resources in the resource database cannot meet the VNF service, it is determined that the expansion request is not feasible, and the NFVO sends a resource shortage message to the VNFM or does not return any information.

Step 302: Receive a capacity expansion instruction sent by the NFVO.

The capacity expansion instruction carries resource information allocated by the NFVO for the capacity expansion of the VNF according to the capacity expansion request.

In this embodiment, the resource information allocated by the NFVO for the expansion of the VNF is specifically the reserved resource information created by the NFVO through the VRM interface.

Step 303: Create and start the VM required for the expansion according to the expansion instruction.

Optionally, in this embodiment, a matching module may be established in the VNFM, and a communication interface may be established between the matching module and NFVO, and the matching module is used to Resource information and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF runtime, determine the second VDU that matches the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF runtime from all the VDUs in the VNFD file, and this communication interface is used to implement the matching module For communication with NFVO, for example, after the matching module selects the second VDU, it sends a capacity expansion request to the VNFO through the communication interface, or when a new VDU needs to be created, the matching module sends a VDU creation request to the VNFO through the communication interface.

In this embodiment, the VNFM receives the expansion instruction sent by the NFVO, and the VNFM creates and starts the VM required for expansion according to the reserved resource information in the expansion instruction. The specific process is as follows: the VNFM requests the VIM to create the VM required for the expansion, the VIM creates and starts the VM required for the expansion and allocates network resources accordingly, and then sends the creation success information to the VNFM, and the VNFM sets the basic setting resource information and resource information of the VM of the VNF. Operating system and other parameters, and send the number of VMs added by the VNF service and the infrastructure resource information of the added VMs to the element management device (Element Management, EM for short), so that the EM can analyze the relevant parameters of the VNF service. After setting, the VNFM reports the successful expansion of the VNF to the NFVO, and the NFVO associates the VNF service with the appropriate VIM and resource pool.

In the method for VNF capacity expansion provided in this embodiment, after VNFM determines the second VDU, it sends a capacity expansion request to NFVO according to the second VDU, and receives a capacity expansion instruction sent by NFVO that carries the resource information allocated by NFVO for VNF capacity expansion according to the capacity expansion request , create and start the VM required for expansion according to the expansion instruction, complete the entire VNF expansion process, meet the needs of the VNF business, ensure the quality of service, and reduce the waste of VM infrastructure resources.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus for expanding the capacity of a VNF according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5 , the device includes a determination module 11 , a matching module 12 and a capacity expansion module 13 . The determining module 11 is configured to determine the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU in the VNFD file; wherein, the first VDU is the current and The VDU corresponding to the VNF. The matching module 12 is configured to determine, from all VDUs in the VNFD file, the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run The second VDU with the highest matching degree. The capacity expansion module 13 is used to expand the VNF according to the second VDU.

The apparatus of this embodiment can be used to execute the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , and the implementation principle and technical effect thereof are similar, and are not repeated here.

Further, on the basis of the above embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , in the VNF capacity expansion device provided in Embodiment 5 of the present invention, the capacity expansion module 13 is specifically configured to determine the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VNF running time. Whether the matching degree between the required VM infrastructure resources is greater than or equal to the preset threshold; if so, the capacity expansion module 13 expands the VNF according to the second VDU; if not, when the capacity expansion module 13 is initialized according to the VNFD file, in the VNFD file The VDU corresponding to the VNF expands the VNF, and creates a new VDU in the VNFD file through the VNFD manager.

In this embodiment, the matching module 12 is specifically configured to obtain the first vector according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU; according to the VM infrastructure in each VDU in the VNFD file The resource information obtains the second vector; obtains the matching degree between the first vector and each second vector; and uses the VDU corresponding to the second vector with the largest matching degree as the second VDU.

In this embodiment, the capacity expansion module 13 is further configured to send a VDU creation request to the network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO; wherein the VDU creation request carries the VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF to run, and is used to request the NFVO to determine the need for After creating a new VDU, NFVO instructs the VNFD manager to create a new VDU in the VNFD file based on the VM infrastructure resource information required for the VNF to run.

The apparatus of this embodiment can be used to execute the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , and its implementation principle and technical effect are similar, and details are not repeated here.

Further, on the basis of the fifth embodiment, in the VNF capacity expansion device provided in the sixth embodiment of the present invention, the capacity expansion module 13 is further configured to send a capacity expansion request to the NFVO according to the second VDU; wherein, the capacity expansion request includes capacity expansion. The required number of VMs and the infrastructure resource information of the VMs required for expansion; the expansion module 13 is specifically also used to receive the expansion instruction sent by NFVO, and create and start the VM required for expansion according to the expansion instruction; wherein, the expansion instruction carries the NFVO Resource information allocated for the expansion of the VNF according to the expansion request.

Optionally, in this embodiment, a communication interface may be established between the matching module and the NFVO, and the communication interface is used to implement communication between the matching module and the NFVO. For example, after the matching module selects the second VDU, The communication interface sends a capacity expansion request to the VNFO, or, when a new VDU needs to be created, the matching module sends a VDU creation request to the VNFO through the communication interface.

The apparatus in this embodiment can be used to execute the technical solution of the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , and the implementation principle and technical effect thereof are similar, and are not repeated here.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a device for expanding the capacity of a VNF according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6 , the device includes a processor 21 , a receiver 22 and a transmitter 23 . The processor 21 is configured to determine the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU in the VNFD file; wherein the first VDU is the current and The VDU corresponding to the VNF. The processor 21 is configured to determine, from all the VDUs in the VNFD file, the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file and the VM infrastructure resources required for the VNF to run The second VDU with the highest matching degree. The processor 21 is further configured to expand the VNF according to the second VDU. The receiver 22 is configured to receive the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF sent by the monitoring device, or the information sent by other devices to the device for expanding the VNF. The transmitter 23 is used to send information to other devices communicating with the VNF-expanded device.

Optionally, the processor 21 is configured to determine whether the matching degree between the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF is greater than or equal to a preset threshold; if so, then The processor 21 expands the VNF according to the second VDU; if not, when the processor 21 initializes according to the VNFD file, the VDU corresponding to the VNF in the VNFD file expands the VNF, and creates a new VNF in the VNFD file through the VNFD manager. VDUs.

Optionally, the processor 21 is further configured to obtain the first vector according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU; according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file; Obtain the second vector; obtain the matching degree between the first vector and each second vector; and use the VDU corresponding to the second vector with the largest matching degree as the second VDU.

Optionally, the transmitter 23 is further configured to send a VDU creation request to the NFVO; wherein, the VDU creation request carries the VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF to run, and is used to request the NFVO to indicate that after determining that a new VDU needs to be created, the NFVO indicates The VNFD manager creates new VDUs in the VNFD file based on the VM infrastructure resource information required for the VNF to run.

Optionally, the transmitter 23 is also used to send a capacity expansion request to the NFVO according to the second VDU; wherein, the capacity expansion request includes the number of VMs required for capacity expansion and the infrastructure resource information of the VM required for capacity expansion; the receiver 22 is used to receive the NFVO. The sent expansion instruction; wherein, the expansion instruction carries the resource information allocated by NFVO for the expansion of the VNF according to the expansion request; the processor 21 is further configured to create and start the VM required for the expansion according to the expansion instruction.

The VNF capacity expansion device provided in this embodiment can be used to implement the technical solutions of any of the foregoing VNF capacity expansion method embodiments, and the implementation principles and technical effects thereof are similar, and are not repeated here.

Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the steps of implementing the above method embodiments may be completed by program instructions related to hardware. The aforementioned program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it executes the steps including the above method embodiments; and the aforementioned storage medium includes: read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM for short), random access memory (random access memory, RAM for short), magnetic Various media that can store program codes, such as discs or optical discs.

Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, but not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: The technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments can still be modified, or some or all of the technical features thereof can be equivalently replaced; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention. scope.

Claims (10)

1. A method for Virtual Network Function (VNF) extension, comprising:

determining VM infrastructure resources required by the operation of the VNF according to the resource load of a VM executing a service in the VNF and VM infrastructure resource information in a first Virtualization Deployment Unit (VDU) in a virtual network descriptor (VNFD) file; wherein the first VDU is a VDU currently corresponding to the VNF;

according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF during operation, determining a second VDU with the largest matching degree with the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF during operation from all VDUs of the VNFD file;

and expanding the volume of the VNF according to the second VDU.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein expanding the volume of the VNF according to the second VDU specifically includes:

judging whether the matching degree between the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF in operation is larger than or equal to a preset threshold value or not;

if so, expanding the capacity of the VNF according to the second VDU;

if not, when the VNFD file is initialized, the volume of the VNF is expanded through a VDU corresponding to the VNF in the VNFD file, and a new VDU is created in the VNFD file through a VNFD manager.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determining, according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file, a second VDU that has a greatest matching degree with the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF when running from all VDUs in the VNFD file specifically includes:

acquiring a first vector according to the resource load of the VM executing the service in the VNF and the VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU;

acquiring a second vector according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file;

obtaining the matching degree between the first vector and each second vector;

and taking the VDU corresponding to the second vector with the maximum matching degree as a second VDU.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the creating, by the VNFD manager, a new VDU in the VNFD file specifically comprises:

sending a VDU creation request to a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO; the VDU creation request carries VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF during operation, and is used to request the NFVO to create a new VDU after determining that the NFVO needs to create the new VDU, where the NFVO instructs the VNFD manager to create the new VDU in the VNFD file according to the VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF during operation.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the expanding the volume of the VNF according to the second VDU specifically includes:

sending a capacity expansion request to the NFVO according to the second VDU; the capacity expansion request comprises the quantity of VMs required by capacity expansion and infrastructure resource information of the VMs required by the capacity expansion;

receiving a capacity expansion instruction sent by the NFVO; the capacity expansion instruction carries resource information distributed by the NFVO for capacity expansion of the VNF according to the capacity expansion request;

and creating and starting a VM required for capacity expansion according to the capacity expansion instruction.

6. An apparatus for capacity expansion of a Virtual Network Function (VNF), comprising:

a determining module, configured to determine, according to a resource load of a VM that executes a service in the VNF and VM infrastructure resource information in a first virtualization deployment unit VDU in a virtual network descriptor VNFD file, a VM infrastructure resource required by the VNF when running; wherein the first VDU is a VDU currently corresponding to the VNF;

a matching module, configured to determine, according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF during runtime, a second VDU with a largest matching degree with the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF during runtime from all VDUs in the VNFD file;

and the capacity expansion module is used for expanding the capacity of the VNF according to the second VDU.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the capacity expansion module is specifically configured to determine whether a matching degree between the VM infrastructure resources in the second VDU and the VM infrastructure resources required by the VNF during operation is greater than or equal to a preset threshold; if so, the capacity expansion module expands the capacity of the VNF according to the second VDU; if not, when the capacity expansion module initializes according to the VNFD file, a VDU corresponding to the VNF in the VNFD file expands the VNF, and a new VDU is created in the VNFD file through the VNFD manager.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the matching module is specifically configured to obtain a first vector according to resource load of a VM executing a service in the VNF and VM infrastructure resource information in the first VDU; acquiring a second vector according to the VM infrastructure resource information in each VDU in the VNFD file; obtaining the matching degree between the first vector and each second vector; and taking the VDU corresponding to the second vector with the maximum matching degree as a second VDU.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the capacity expansion module is further configured to send a VDU creation request to a network function virtualization orchestrator NFVO; the VDU creation request carries VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF during operation, and is used to request the NFVO to create a new VDU after determining that the NFVO needs to create the new VDU, where the NFVO instructs the VNFD manager to create the new VDU in the VNFD file according to the VM infrastructure resource information required by the VNF during operation.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the capacity expansion module is further configured to send a capacity expansion request to the NFVO according to the second VDU; the capacity expansion request comprises the quantity of VMs required by capacity expansion and infrastructure resource information of the VMs required by the capacity expansion; the capacity expansion module is further specifically configured to receive a capacity expansion instruction sent by the NFVO, and create and start a VM required for capacity expansion according to the capacity expansion instruction; the capacity expansion instruction carries resource information distributed by the NFVO for capacity expansion of the VNF according to the capacity expansion request.

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