JP7764341B2 - Network orchestration device, network orchestration system, and network orchestration method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a network orchestration device, a network orchestration system, and a network orchestration method.

In recent years, so-called SD-WANs (Software Defined-Wide Area Networks) have been used as a means of improving flexibility in connections between locations such as offices and data centers, and to the cloud, and appropriately controlling network traffic.

SD-WAN is a technology that applies SDN (Software Defined Networking), which controls networks using software, to WAN (Wide Area Network), enabling flexible network configuration and traffic control in base-to-base connections and cloud connections.

Generally, in an SD-WAN architecture, the customer's network (called a local network or branch network) of a telecommunications carrier that has built the SD-WAN is connected to an external network (called a destination network) via an Internet gateway. The telecommunications carrier may provide multiple lines connecting the customer's local network to the Internet gateway. These lines may be dedicated or shared, depending on the network requirements, etc.

By using an SD-WAN architecture that provides multiple lines, it is possible to use different lines depending on the type of traffic, such as an Internet VPN for communications between base stations that do not require high reliability, and a closed VPN for video conferences that are sensitive to delays.

In an SD-WAN architecture like the one described above that provides multiple lines, an important challenge is to appropriately control network traffic while meeting customer needs, and several proposals have been made to address this issue.

For example, one of the traffic routing means in the SD-WAN architecture is disclosed in US Pat. No. 11,134,126 (Patent Document 1).
Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which "a network orchestrator is provided that can select a primary virtual internet gateway (VIG). During operation, the network orchestrator can monitor the round trip times of multiple packets between the primary VIG and a branch gateway and between the secondary VIG and the branch gateway. The network orchestrator can determine a first predicted round trip time associated with the connection between the primary VIG and the branch gateway and a second predicted round trip time associated with the connection between the secondary VIG and the branch gateway. The network orchestrator can select a new primary VIG based on the first and second predicted round trip times."

U.S. Pat. No. 1,134,126

The above-mentioned Patent Document 1 discloses a method for predicting the round trip time (round trip time; RTT) of packets between a primary VIG and a branch gateway, and the round trip time of packets between a secondary VIG and a branch gateway, and then routing network traffic to the line with the shortest predicted round trip time.

In the method described in Patent Document 1, network traffic is controlled based only on the RTT of packets. Although the RTT is one of the performance indicators of a network line, in reality, in order to grasp the performance of a network line, it is desirable to consider not only the RTT but also a performance indicator according to the purpose of use of the network line (financial services, industrial services, SaaS, etc.).
However, Patent Document 1 does not consider routing network traffic using a performance index according to the purpose of use of the network line.

The present disclosure therefore aims to provide a network orchestration method that can provide network services configured according to the network's intended use, and route network communications using performance indicators according to the network's intended use.

In order to solve the above problem, one representative network orchestration device of the present invention generates a network service menu including multiple network service candidates that define network specifications, presents it to a user, and receives a service request from the user that specifies a first network service from the network service candidates; and creates a first network pool that includes a first communication line that prioritizes network communication between multiple networks and a second communication line that serves as a backup for the first communication line, and assigns the first network service specified by the service request to the first network service. and a routing management unit that acquires first performance information indicating the performance of the first communication line, and determines that a performance improvement operation that improves the performance of the first communication line should be performed on the first communication line if the acquired first performance information satisfies a first performance standard but does not satisfy a second performance standard, and determines that a switching operation that switches the network communication from the first communication line to the second communication line should be performed on the first network pool if the acquired first performance information does not satisfy the first, second, and third performance standards.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a network orchestration means that can provide a network service configured according to the customer's intended use, and can route network communications using performance indicators according to the intended use of the network service.
Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a computer system for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a network orchestration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an SD-WAN controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the flow of data in a network orchestration system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a case where network orchestration is performed on a network infrastructure using an SD-WAN controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a service menu table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a user information table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a billing table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a network performance information table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a routing table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a network configuration table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a network pool allocation process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a routing determination process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a billing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same parts are designated by the same reference numerals.
Additionally, although terms such as "first,""second," and "third" may be used to describe various elements or components in this disclosure, it will be understood that these elements or components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element or component from another. Thus, a first element or component discussed below could also be referred to as a second element or component without departing from the teachings of the inventive concept.

(Summary of the Disclosure)
As described above, in general, in an SD-WAN architecture, a customer network (called a local network or branch network) of a telecommunications carrier that has implemented the SD-WAN is connected to an external network (called a destination network or connection network) via an Internet gateway. The telecommunications carrier may provide multiple lines connecting the customer's local network to the Internet gateway. These lines have different characteristics, such as network communication bandwidth and security, and may be dedicated lines or shared lines depending on the network requirements. Furthermore, these multiple lines may be provided by different Internet service providers (ISPs).

However, in recent years, while the purposes of network users have become more diverse, the current situation is that lines in SD-WAN architecture are assigned without considering the network user's purpose. As a result, problems such as delays and information leaks can occur when the assigned line is not suitable for the network user's purpose.

The present disclosure therefore aims to provide network services configured according to the customer's intended use, as well as network orchestration that can route network communications using performance indicators according to the intended use of the network service.

In the present disclosure, a network pool is allocated to a network user according to the network service selected by the network user. The allocated network pool may include a first communication line that prioritizes network communication and a second communication line that serves as a backup for the first communication line. After the network pool is allocated, the performance of the first communication line is monitored as needed, and performance information is acquired. This performance information for the first communication line is evaluated based on criteria corresponding to the network service selected by the network user. Then, depending on the performance evaluation of the first communication line, a performance improvement operation to improve the performance of the first communication line or a switching operation to switch network communication from the first communication line to the backup second communication line is determined and implemented on the network pool.

In this way, a network pool selected according to the network user's intended use is assigned, thereby avoiding problems caused by lines that are not suitable for the network user's intended use, such as delays and information leaks. Furthermore, the performance of the assigned network pool is evaluated based on criteria according to the network user's intended use, making it possible to manage network communications in a way that is suited to the network user's intended use.

Next, referring to FIG. 1, a computer system 100 for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. The mechanisms and devices of various embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any suitable computing system. The main components of the computer system 100 include one or more processors 102, memory 104, a terminal interface 112, a storage interface 113, an I/O (input/output) device interface 114, and a network interface 115. These components may be interconnected via a memory bus 106, an I/O bus 108, a bus interface unit 109, and an I/O bus interface unit 110.

Computer system 100 may include one or more general-purpose programmable central processing units (CPUs) 102A and 102B, collectively referred to as processors 102. In some embodiments, computer system 100 may include multiple processors, while in other embodiments, computer system 100 may be a single CPU system. Each processor 102 executes instructions stored in memory 104 and may include an on-board cache.

In one embodiment, memory 104 may include random-access semiconductor memory, storage devices, or storage media (either volatile or non-volatile) for storing data and programs. Memory 104 may store all or part of the programs, modules, and data structures that implement the functions described herein. For example, memory 104 may store network orchestration application 150. In one embodiment, network orchestration application 150 may include instructions or descriptions that execute the functions described below on processor 102.

In some embodiments, network orchestration application 150 may be implemented in hardware via semiconductor devices, chips, logic gates, circuits, circuit cards, and/or other physical hardware devices instead of or in addition to a processor-based system. In some embodiments, network orchestration application 150 may include data other than instructions or descriptions. In some embodiments, cameras, sensors, or other data input devices (not shown) may be provided to communicate directly with bus interface unit 109, processor 102, or other hardware of computer system 100.

Computer system 100 may include a bus interface unit 109 that facilitates communication between processor 102, memory 104, display system 124, and I/O bus interface unit 110. I/O bus interface unit 110 may couple to I/O bus 108 for transferring data to and from various I/O units. I/O bus interface unit 110 may communicate via I/O bus 108 with multiple I/O interface units 112, 113, 114, and 115, also known as I/O processors (IOPs) or I/O adapters (IOAs).

The display system 124 may include a display controller, a display memory, or both. The display controller may provide data to the display device 126, a video controller, or both. The computer system 100 may also include one or more sensors or other devices configured to collect data and provide that data to the processor 102.

The display system 124 may be connected to a display device 126, such as a standalone display screen, a television, a tablet, or a mobile device.

The I/O interface unit provides the ability to communicate with various storage or I/O devices. For example, the terminal interface unit 112 may be equipped with user I/O devices 116, such as user output devices such as a video display, a television with speakers, or other user input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, keypad, touchpad, trackball, buttons, light pen, or other pointing device. A user may use a user interface to enter input data or instructions into the user I/O devices 116 and the computer system 100 and receive output data from the computer system 100 by operating the user input devices. The user interface may be displayed on a display, played through speakers, or printed via a printer via the user I/O devices 116, for example.

Storage interface 113 allows attachment of one or more disk drives or direct access storage devices 117 (typically magnetic disk drive storage devices, but may also be an array of disk drives or other storage devices configured to appear as a single disk drive). In some embodiments, storage device 117 may be implemented as any secondary storage device. The contents of memory 104 may be stored in storage device 117 and retrieved from storage device 117 as needed. I/O device interface 114 may provide an interface to other I/O devices, such as printers, fax machines, etc. Network interface 115 may provide a communications path that allows computer system 100 and other devices to communicate with each other. This communications path may be, for example, network 130.

In some embodiments, computer system 100 may be a device that receives requests from other computer systems (clients) without a direct user interface, such as a multi-user mainframe computer system, a single-user system, or a server computer. In other embodiments, computer system 100 may be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a laptop, a tablet computer, a pocket computer, a telephone, a smartphone, or any other suitable electronic device.

Next, with reference to Figure 2, we will explain a network orchestration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a network orchestration device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The network orchestration device 1000 is a device for performing network orchestration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and may be implemented, for example, by the computer system 100 shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the network orchestration device 1000 may include a user management unit 1100, a service management unit 1200, a routing management unit 1300, and a network management unit 1400.

Each of the user management unit 1100, service management unit 1200, routing management unit 1300, and network management unit 1400 may be implemented as a device connected via a network, or may be realized as a software module in the network orchestration application 150 shown in the computer system 100 shown in Figure 1.

The user management unit 1100 is a functional unit for presenting information to the user and accepting input from the user. In one embodiment, the user management unit 1100 may include a service menu table T100, a user information table T200, and a service menu management unit 1120.
The service menu table T100 is a table that stores service menu information that characterizes each of a plurality of network service candidates that can be provided to the user.
The user information table T200 is a table that stores information about users and network services selected by users.

The service menu management unit 1120 is a functional unit that generates a network service menu based on the service menu information in the service menu table T100, presents it to the user, and receives a service request from the user that specifies a specific network service from among candidate network services.
The user management unit 1100 is connected to the service management unit 1200 via a connection N100.

The service management unit 1200 is a functional unit for managing network services provided to users. In one embodiment, the service management unit 1200 may include a network configuration unit 1220, a billing management unit 1240, a network configuration table T600, and a billing table T300.

The network configuration table T600 is a table that stores network configuration information, such as the network pool corresponding to each of the network services that can be provided.

The network configuration unit 1220 is a functional unit that determines the network pool corresponding to the network service specified by the user's service request and stores information about the determined network pool in the network configuration table T600.

The billing table T300 is a table that stores information about the cost of providing network services.
The billing management unit 1240 is a functional unit that calculates the cost of providing the network pool determined by the network configuration unit 1220, generates a bill, and sends it to the user.
The service management unit 1200 is connected to the routing management unit 1300 and the network management unit 1400 via a connection N200.

The routing management unit 1300 is a functional unit that monitors the performance of a network pool that provides a network service specified by a service request from a user, and determines appropriate network management actions based on the performance of the network pool. In one embodiment, the routing management unit 1300 may include a network monitoring unit 1320, a routing determination unit 1340, and a network performance information table T400.

The network monitoring unit 1320 is a functional unit that monitors network communications in a network pool to obtain performance information that characterizes the performance of the network pool.
The network performance information table T400 is a table that stores performance information acquired by the network monitoring unit 1320.
The routing determining unit 1340 is a functional unit that determines an appropriate network management action based on the performance information stored in the network performance information table T400.

The network management unit 1400 is a functional unit that allocates network pools determined by the service management unit 1200 for users and implements network management actions determined by the routing management unit 1300. In one embodiment, the network management unit 1400 may include a network pool allocation unit 1420, a management action implementation unit 1440, and a routing table T500.

The network pool allocation unit 1420 is a functional unit that allocates a network pool determined by the service management unit 1200 for a user.
The routing table T500 is a table that stores information about the network management action to be performed for each network pool.
The management action implementation unit 1440 is a functional unit that implements network management actions for the network pool based on the information in the routing table T500.

The network orchestration device 1000 configured as described above can provide a network service configured according to the customer's intended use, and can also provide a network orchestration means capable of routing network communications using performance indicators according to the intended use of this network service.
In the above, an example has been given in which the service menu table T100, billing table T300, network performance information table T400, routing table T500, and network configuration table T600 are each stored in a functional unit that uses the table, but in one embodiment, it is also possible to configure the service menu table T100, user information table T200, billing table T300, network performance information table T400, routing table T500, and network configuration table T600 to be stored together in a predetermined storage unit (for example, storage unit 2100 shown in FIG. 4), as shown in FIG. 4. Also, in this disclosure, for the sake of convenience, a case has been described in which a "table" is used as a means for managing various types of information, but in reality, the storage format of the information is not particularly limited.

Next, with reference to Figure 3, we will explain the SD-WAN controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

3 is a diagram illustrating an example of an SD-WAN controller 3800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, the network orchestration means according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be used in a so-called SD-WAN environment. In this case, the service management unit 1200, routing management unit 1300, and network management unit 1400 described above may function as the SD-WAN controller 3800 and may be used to route network communications in any SD-WAN environment.
In this case, the user management unit 1100 may be implemented in a server device or the like different from the SD-WAN controller 3800 .

Next, with reference to Figure 4, we will explain the flow of data in a network orchestration system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

4 is a block diagram showing the flow of data in a network orchestration system 4000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The network orchestration system 4000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the network orchestration device 1000 described with reference to FIG. 2 and a network infrastructure 1500.
This network infrastructure 1500 may include, for example, a branch network 3100 used by users, the Internet 3500, and a destination network 3700, as shown in FIG.

First, the service menu management unit 1120 in the user management unit 1100 acquires service menu information from the service menu table T100 stored in the memory unit 2100 via connection A100, and generates a network service menu that specifies the specifications of multiple network service candidates that can be provided based on the acquired service menu information. Here, "network service" means providing a network pool that performs data communication between the user's branch network 3100 and the destination network 3700. Furthermore, the "specifications of network service candidates" may include any characteristics of the network service, such as its performance, attributes, configuration, etc.

The service menu management unit 1120 then presents the generated network service menu to the user interface 2200 via connection A200. The service menu management unit 1120 then accepts a service request from the user via the user interface 2200, specifying a specific network service (e.g., a first network service) from among the multiple network service candidates shown in the network service menu. The service menu management unit 1120 then stores information about the user and information about the first network service selected from the network service menu in the user information table T200 via connection A350.

Next, the network configuration unit 1220 in the service management unit 1200 acquires information about the first network service selected from the network service menu. Here, the network configuration unit 1220 may acquire the information about the first network service selected from the network service menu directly from the user management unit 1100 via connection A250, or may acquire the information from the user information table T200 via connection A375. Then, based on the acquired information about the first network service, the network configuration unit 1220 determines a network pool (e.g., a first network pool) corresponding to the first network service. Here, the term "network pool" refers to network resources for data communication, including, for example, communication lines, bandwidth, security measures, etc.
Thereafter, the network configuration unit 1220 stores the determined information of the first network pool in the network configuration table T600 via connection A300, in association with information identifying the user (user ID, user name) and information identifying the network service (service ID).

Next, the network pool allocation unit 1420 in the network management unit 1400 acquires information about the first network pool stored in the network configuration table T600 via connection A400, and allocates the first network pool to the user in the network infrastructure 1500 based on the acquired information about the first network pool.

Next, after the first network pool is allocated, the network monitoring unit 1320 in the routing management unit 1300 monitors network communications in the network pool to obtain performance information that characterizes the performance of the network pool, and stores the obtained performance information in the network performance information table T400 via connection A500. Thereafter, the routing determination unit 1340 obtains performance information related to the first network pool from the network performance information table T400 via connection A600.
The routing determination unit 1340 then analyzes the acquired performance information based on, for example, criteria (such as performance thresholds) corresponding to the first network service selected by the user, to determine a network management action for managing the first network pool. The routing determination unit 1340 then stores information about the determined network management action in the routing table T500 via the connection A700.

Next, the management action implementation unit 1440 in the network management unit 1400 obtains information about the network management action determined for the first network pool from the routing table T500 via connection A800. The management action implementation unit 1440 then implements the determined network management action on the network pool assigned in the network infrastructure 1500 based on the network management action information obtained from the routing table T500.

Furthermore, the billing management unit 1240 in the service management unit 1200 calculates the cost of providing the selected network service to the user based on information such as the network pool specifications and usage amount stored in the network configuration table T600. The billing management unit 1240 then stores billing information related to the calculated cost in the billing table T300 via connection A900. The billing management unit 1240 may then generate an invoice showing the calculated cost and present it to the user interface 2200 via connection A1000.
In one embodiment, the user interface 2200 allows the user to view information about the network pool provided and the network management actions performed on that network pool, in addition to bills, etc.

The network orchestration system 4000 described above can provide network services configured according to the customer's intended use, and can also provide a network orchestration means capable of routing network communications using performance indicators according to the intended use of the network service.

Next, with reference to Figure 5, a specific example of performing network orchestration for the network infrastructure 1500 using an SD-WAN controller according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of performing network orchestration for network infrastructure using an SD-WAN controller 3800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

As described above, the SD-WAN controller 3800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include the service management unit 1200, routing management unit 1300, and network management unit 1400 described above.

The network infrastructure 1500 mainly includes a branch network 3100 , the Internet 3500 , and a destination network 3700 .
The branch network 3100 may be, for example, a private network used by a user. The branch network 3100 is connected to a branch gateway 3200. The branch gateway 3200 relays communications between the branch network 3100 and the Internet 3500.

The destination network 3700 is a network for providing specific services to the branch network 3100, and may be any server-side architecture, such as a cloud network or a data center network. The destination network 3700 is also connected to the destination gateway 3600. This destination gateway 3600 relays communications between the destination network 3700 and the Internet 3500.

5, the branch gateway 3200 and the destination gateway 3600 are connected via communication lines such as communication lines 3400a, 3400b, and 3400z. These communication lines 3400a, 3400b, and 3400z are communication lines included in a network pool that is allocated to provide a network service selected by a user from the network service menu described above.
Note that Figure 5 shows an example of allocating a network pool including three communication lines 3400a, 3400b, and 3400z, but in reality, the number of communication lines is not limited and may be determined according to the selected network service.

An example of allocating a network pool to a network infrastructure using the SD-WAN controller 3800 will be described below.
First, as described above, the service management unit 1200 in the SD-WAN controller 3800 determines a network pool (e.g., a first network pool) for providing the network service specified by the service request received by the user management unit 1100 (not shown in FIG. 5). Then, the network management unit 1400 allocates a network pool including communication lines 3400a, 3400b, and 3400z having specifications suitable for the network service selected by the user, for network communication between the branch gateway 3200 and the destination gateway 3600.

Here, the network management unit 1400 may allocate a network pool containing communication lines with specifications suitable for the network service selected by the user. Each communication line may have different network characteristics and specifications, or similar network characteristics and specifications, depending on the network service selected by the user. In this way, by allocating a network pool containing communication lines with specifications suitable for the network service selected by the user, it is possible to provide a network service configured according to the network usage purpose.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the network management unit 1400 may allocate a first network pool including a first communication line (e.g., communication line 3400a) that prioritizes network communication and a second communication line (e.g., communication line 3400b) that serves as a backup for the first communication line. For example, the network management unit 1400 may allocate a communication line having the specifications shown in Table 1 below.

In this case, network communication between the branch gateway 3200 and the destination gateway 3600 is normally performed using the first communication line, but if, for example, the performance of the first communication line deteriorates, network management action may be taken to switch to the second communication line.

More specifically, after the network pool is allocated, the routing management unit 1300 acquires first performance information indicating the performance of the first communication line. If the acquired first performance information satisfies the first performance criterion but does not satisfy the second performance criterion, the routing management unit 1300 determines to perform a performance improvement operation on the first communication line to improve the performance of the first communication line.
On the other hand, if the acquired first performance information does not satisfy the first performance standard, the second performance standard, and the third performance standard, the routing management unit 1300 determines to perform a switching operation on the first network pool to switch network communication from the first communication line to the second communication line.
The performance improvement or switching action determined by the routing manager 1300 may then be implemented by the network manager 1400 as a network management action on the network pool.

Here, the criteria for evaluating the performance of a communication line may be a performance threshold determined based on the network service selected by the user. In this way, by evaluating the performance of a communication line using criteria such as a performance threshold determined based on the network service selected by the user, it is possible to evaluate the performance of a network pool while taking into account the purpose of network use, and to perform appropriate network communication routing.

Details of the process for determining appropriate network management actions based on performance information obtained about a network pool will be explained later, so they will not be explained here.

Next, with reference to Figure 6, we will explain the service menu table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a service menu table T100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, the service menu table T100 is a table that stores service menu information that characterizes each of multiple network service candidates that can be provided to the user.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the service menu table T100 may store information such as a service ID T110 for identifying a specific network service, a service domain T120 for which each network service is suitable, a network type for each network service, security for each network service T140, a user for each network service T150, a specification location for each network service T160, a latency standard for each network service T170, reliability for each network service T180, and a cost for each network service T190.

As described above, a service menu to be presented to the user is created based on the information in the service menu table T100. The user can select a desired network service from among a plurality of network service candidates shown in this service menu.
6 is an index of the purpose of network use. For example, if a network service with a service ID of "S01" is selected from a network service menu created based on the information in the service menu table T100, the purpose of network use can be considered to be related to communication of data related to "finance."

Next, referring to Figure 7, we will explain the user information table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user information table T200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, the user information table T200 is a table that stores information about users (e.g., customers) who use the network orchestration means according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and about network services selected by the users.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the user information table T200 may store a user ID T210 for identifying a user, a user name T220 indicating the name of the user, a service ID T230 for identifying a network service selected by the user, a network pool ID T240 for identifying a network pool that provides each network service, a communication line ID T250 for identifying a communication line included in the network pool, a priority T260 of each communication line, and a bandwidth T270 of each communication line.
The service ID 230 in the user information table T200 corresponds to the service ID 110 in the service menu table T100.

Next, referring to Figure 8, we will explain the billing table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of billing table T300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, billing table T300 is a table that stores information regarding the cost of providing network services.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 8, the billing table T300 may store a user ID T310 for identifying a user, a user name T320 indicating the name of the user, a service ID T330 for identifying a network service selected by the user, a network pool ID T340 for identifying a network pool that provides each network service, a cost T350 of each network pool, and a total cost to be billed to the user (e.g., an estimate for multiple network pools) T360.
The user ID T310, user name T320, service ID T330, and network pool ID T340 in the billing table T300 correspond to the user ID T210, user name T220, service ID T230, and network pool ID T240 in the user information table T200.

Next, with reference to Figure 9, we will explain the network performance information table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a network performance information table T400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, the network performance information table T400 is a table that stores performance information acquired for each communication line included in a network pool.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9 , the network performance information table T400 may store, for each communication line ID T420 that identifies a communication line, the RTT (round trip time) T430, packet loss T440, latency T450, jitter T460, workload T470, and line utilization rate T480 of the communication line as performance information, in association with the time T410 at which the information was acquired.
This information may be continuously acquired by the network monitoring unit 1320 described above and stored in the network performance information table T400.

Next, referring to Figure 10, we will explain the routing table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a routing table T500 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, the routing table T500 is a table that stores information about the network management actions to be performed for each network pool.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 , the routing table T500 may store a user ID T510 for identifying a user, a network pool ID T520 for identifying a network pool that provides a network service, a current line ID T530 for identifying a currently used communication line, a previous line ID T540 for identifying a previously used communication line, a switching operation T550 indicating whether or not to perform a switching operation on the communication line, and a performance improvement operation T560 indicating whether or not to perform a performance improvement operation.
In the routing table T500, "Y" means that the corresponding network management action is performed, and "N" means that the corresponding network management action is not performed.

Next, referring to Figure 11, we will explain the network configuration table according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a network configuration table T600 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, the network configuration table T600 is a table that stores, for each candidate network service that can be provided, information regarding the specifications of the network pool and other information corresponding to that network service.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 11 , the network configuration table T600 may store a user ID T610 for identifying a user, a username T620 indicating the name of the user, a service ID T630 for identifying a network service selected by the user, a network pool ID T640 for identifying a network pool that provides the network service, a security configuration of the network pool T650, a bandwidth of the network pool T660, and an reliability of the network pool T670.
The user ID T610, user name T620, service ID T630, and network pool ID T640 in the network configuration table T600 correspond to the user ID T310, user name T320, service ID T330, and network pool ID T340 in the billing table T300.

Next, with reference to Figure 12, we will explain the network pool allocation process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the network pool allocation process P1200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The network pool allocation process P1200 shown in Figure 12 is a process for allocating a network pool for providing a network service identified by a user's service request input via the network service menu described above, and may be performed by the user management unit 1100, service management unit 1200, and network management unit 1400 described above.

First, in step P1210, the service menu management unit 1120 in the user management unit 1100 generates a network service menu that specifies the specifications of multiple network service candidates that can be provided based on the service menu information in the service menu table T100, and presents it to the user, for example, via the above-mentioned user interface 2200. Then, the service menu management unit 1120 accepts a service request from the user via the user interface 2200 that specifies a specific network service (e.g., a first network service) from the multiple network service candidates shown in the network service menu. Thereafter, the service menu management unit 1120 stores information about the user and information about the first network service selected from the network service menu in the user information table T200.

Next, in step P1220, the network configuration unit 1220 in the service management unit 1200 determines a network pool (e.g., a first network pool) corresponding to the first network service based on information about the first network service specified by the user's service request entered via the network service menu (e.g., information stored in the user information table T200). The network configuration unit 1220 then stores the determined information about the first network pool in the network configuration table T600, in association with information identifying the user (user ID, username) and information identifying the network service (service ID).

Next, in step P1230, if the addition of a new record in the network configuration table T600 is detected, the network pool allocation unit 1420 in the network management unit 1400 allocates a first network pool (i.e., a network pool determined to be suitable for the network service specified in the user's service request) to the user based on the information in the network configuration table T600. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the network pool allocation unit 1420 may allocate a communication line for communication between a branch gateway in the user's branch network and a destination gateway in the destination network. The network pool allocation unit 1420 may allocate a new communication line for the user with specifications suitable for the network service selected by the user, or may appropriately configure an existing communication line.

The network pool allocation process P1200 described above allows a network pool to be allocated to a user to provide the network service specified by the user's service request entered via the network service menu. Furthermore, because the network pool allocated here consists of communication lines with specifications suitable for the network service selected by the user, problems caused by lines that are not suitable for the network user's intended use, such as delays and information leaks, can be avoided. Furthermore, as described below, the performance of the allocated network pool is evaluated based on criteria according to the network user's intended use, making it possible to manage network communications in a way that is suited to the network user's intended use.

Next, referring to Figure 13, we will explain the routing determination process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the flow of a routing determination process P1300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The routing determination process P1300 illustrated in FIG. 13 is a process for determining an appropriate network management action based on the performance of a network pool allocated for a user and routing network communications, and may be performed by the routing management unit 1300.
Note that, below, the processing of the routing determination process P1300 will be explained using an example in which a first network pool including a first communication line and a second communication line is allocated, but as mentioned above, the number of communication lines is not limited to a specific number. Also, here, an example will be explained in which the first communication line is used as a main communication line that prioritizes network communication, and the second communication line is a redundant communication line that serves as a backup for the first communication line.

First, in step P1310, the network monitoring unit 1320 in the routing management unit 1300 monitors network communications in the first network pool to obtain first performance information that indicates the performance of the first network pool over time, and stores the obtained performance information in the network performance information table T400 described above.

More specifically, the network monitoring unit 1320 may acquire the first performance information by measuring performance indicators such as round trip time (RTT), latency, jitter, workload, and line utilization rate of both the first and second communication lines included in the first network pool at at least two different times. In principle, the lower these performance indicators are, the better the network communication performance is.
Table 2 below shows examples of performance indicators included in the first performance information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and symbols indicating each performance indicator.

Here, the first time may be a time in the past and the second time may be a time in the present. That is, the second time may be a time after the first time. In some embodiments, the time difference between the first time and the second time may be within a predetermined time (e.g., 1 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.).
In addition, if the first network pool includes multiple communication lines, performance information may be obtained for each communication line; however, if the first communication line is used as a primary communication line that prioritizes network communication and the second communication line is used as a redundant communication line that serves as a backup for the first communication line, then since no network communication is being performed over the second communication line, the first performance information will only be the performance information obtained for the first communication line.

Next, in step P1310, the routing determination unit 1340 in the routing management unit 1300 analyzes the first performance information acquired in step P1310 to determine a network management action for managing the first network pool. Here, the routing determination unit 1340 calculates a performance score that quantitatively evaluates the performance of each communication line based on the acquired first performance information and a performance coefficient corresponding to the network service selected by the user. Thereafter, the routing determination unit 1340 may determine an appropriate network management action according to the relationship between the performance score calculated for each line and a performance threshold based on the network service selected by the user.
It should be noted that the "network management action" here refers to an operation for controlling network communications taking place over a communication line, and may include performance improvement operations, continuation operations, and switching operations, as will be described later.

More specifically, the routing management unit 1300 first determines a performance coefficient _wp indicating the relative importance of each performance index included in the first performance information and a performance threshold _k0 that defines a boundary between different network management actions. In other words, the performance threshold _k0 indicates the maximum allowable value of the performance score calculated based on the acquired first performance information and the performance coefficients.
An example of the performance factor _wp is shown in Table 3 below.
Here, the performance coefficient _wp and the performance threshold _k0 may be determined based on the network service selected by the user. For example, when a network service requiring high reliability or high bandwidth is selected by the user, each performance coefficient _wp will have a higher value and the performance threshold _k0 will have a lower value. On the other hand, when a network service with looser requirements for high reliability or high bandwidth is selected by the user, each performance coefficient _wp will have a lower value and the performance threshold _k0 will have a higher value.
In this way, by determining and assigning a coefficient (weighting) indicating the relative importance of each performance indicator based on the network service selected by the user, it becomes possible to perform a more detailed performance evaluation of the network pool depending on the purpose of network use.

After determining the performance coefficient w _p and the performance threshold k ₀ , the routing management unit 1300 calculates a first performance score k _p indicating the performance of the first network pool at a first time and a second performance score k _c indicating the performance at a second time based on the first performance information and the determined performance coefficient using the following Equations 1 and 2.
In principle, the higher the first performance score _kp or the second performance score _kc , the lower the performance of the communication line.
Note that, here, a case has been described as an example in which the first performance score _kp and the second performance score _kc are calculated as a weighted average of the first performance information and the performance coefficient, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the performance scores may be calculated using other calculation methods.

The routing determiner 1340 then determines an appropriate network management action based on the relationship between the first performance score _kp , the second performance score _kc , and the performance threshold _k0 .
To determine an appropriate network management action, it is determined whether the first performance score _kp and the second performance score _kc satisfy a first performance criterion and a second performance criterion, where the first performance criterion is a criterion for determining whether the second performance score _kc is equal to or greater than a performance threshold _k0 . If the second performance score _kc is equal to or greater than the performance threshold _k0 , the second performance score _kc is deemed to not satisfy the first performance criterion, and if the second performance score _kc is less than the performance threshold _k0 , the second performance score _kc is deemed to satisfy the first performance criterion.
The second performance criterion is a criterion for determining whether the second performance score _kc exceeds the first performance score _kp . If the second performance score _kc exceeds the first performance score _kp , the second performance score kc is deemed not to satisfy the second performance criterion, whereas if the second _performance score _kc is equal to or less than the first performance score _kp , the second performance score _kc is deemed to satisfy the second performance criterion.
Furthermore, the third performance criterion is a criterion for determining whether the first performance score _kp is equal to or greater than the performance threshold _k0 . If the first performance score _kp is equal to or greater than the performance threshold _k0 , the first performance score _kp is deemed not to satisfy the third performance criterion, and if the first performance score _kp is less than the performance threshold _k0 , the first performance score _kp is deemed to satisfy the third performance criterion.

More specifically, if the second performance score _kc indicating the performance at the second time is less than the performance threshold _k0 (i.e., the first performance criterion is satisfied) and the second performance score _kc exceeds the first performance score _kp indicating the performance at the first time (i.e., the second performance criterion is not satisfied), the process proceeds to step P1330, where the routing determination unit 1340 determines to perform a performance improvement operation on the first communication line to improve the performance of the first communication line. The performance improvement operation here may include, but is not limited to, UX improvement measures such as TCP optimization and packet duplication.

As a result of comparing the first performance score _kp , the second performance score _kc , and the performance threshold _k0, if the second performance score _kc indicating the performance at the second time is equal to or less than the first performance score _kp and the second performance score _kc is less than the performance threshold _k0 , the process proceeds to step P1340, and the routing determination unit 1340 determines to perform a continuation operation to continue network communication on the first communication line without performing a performance improvement operation.

However, if, as a result of comparing the first performance score _kp , the second performance score _kc , and the performance threshold _k0 , the second performance score _kc is equal to or greater than the performance threshold _k0 , the second performance score _kc exceeds the first performance score _kp , and the first performance score _kp is equal to or greater than the performance threshold _k0 (that is, none of the first, second, and third performance criteria are satisfied), or if the state in which the second performance score _kc is equal to or less than the first performance score _kp and is equal to or greater than the performance threshold _k0 (that is, a state in which the second performance criteria is satisfied but the first performance criteria is not satisfied) continues for a certain period of time or more, the process proceeds to step P1350, and the routing determination unit 1340 determines a switching operation to switch the network communication from the first communication line to the second communication line (that is, a backup communication line).

The above-described determination by the routing determination unit 1340 is shown in Table 4 below.

After determining the network management action, the routing determination unit 1340 associates the determined network management action with the corresponding communication line and stores it in the routing table T500. The management action implementation unit described above may then implement the determined network management action on the appropriate communication line based on this routing table T500. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the routing determination unit 1340 may present the network management action determined for each network pool (e.g., the contents of the routing table T500) on the user interface 2200. In this way, the user can check the network management action to be implemented for the network pool.
Also, after determining the network management action, the process returns to step P1310 and continues monitoring the network pool.

As described above, when the second performance score _kc exceeds the first performance score _kp and is less than the performance threshold _k0 , it is determined that a performance improvement operation for improving the performance of the first communication line is to be performed on the first communication line. In this way, when the performance of the first communication line is on a downward trend ₍ i.e., the second performance score indicating the current performance is greater than the first performance score indicating the past performance) but meets the performance threshold that defines the maximum allowable value of performance, a measure is taken to improve the performance of the current communication line without performing routing that switches network communication to a different line. This makes it possible to save network resources that would be used to route network communication to a different communication line when a temporary performance degradation or the like occurs.

Furthermore, when the second performance score _kc is equal to or less than the first performance score _kp and the second performance score _kc is less than the performance threshold _k0 , it is determined to perform a continuation operation to continue network communication over the first communication line without performing a performance improvement operation. In this way, when the performance of the first communication line has improved or has not changed (that is, the second performance score indicating the current performance is equal to or less than the first performance score indicating the past performance), network communication over the first communication line is continued without performing routing to switch network communication to a different line or the above-described performance improvement operation.

If the second performance score _kc is equal to or greater than the performance threshold _k0 (and the first performance score _kp ), a switching operation is determined to switch network communication from the first communication line to the second communication line. In this way, if the performance of the first communication line is on a downward trend and does not meet the performance threshold that specifies the maximum allowable value of performance (for example, if performance improvement operations alone are unlikely to sufficiently improve performance), the network communication that was being carried out on the first communication line is switched to the spare second communication line. This makes it possible to provide a network pool that is suitable for the network service selected by the user with high reliability, even if the performance of the first communication line has deteriorated, for example.

Next, referring to Figure 14, we will explain the billing process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of billing processing P1400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The billing processing P1400 shown in Figure 14 is a process for billing a user for the cost of providing a network service identified by the user's service request input via the network service menu, and may be performed by the service management unit 1200 and the user management unit 1100.

First, in step P1410, after a network pool is provided to a user, the network configuration unit 1220 in the service management unit 1200 updates the network configuration table T600 based on the provided network pool. For example, the network configuration unit 1220 may store the latest information regarding the security configuration, bandwidth, reliability, etc. of the provided network pool in the network configuration table T600. In addition, in one embodiment, the network configuration unit 1220 may store usage information for the provided network pool in the network configuration table T600.

Next, in step P1420, the billing management unit 1240 in the service management unit 1200 calculates the cost of providing the selected network service to the user based on information such as the network pool specifications and usage amount stored in the network configuration table T600. The billing management unit 1240 then stores the calculated cost information in the billing table T300.

Next, in step P1430, the billing management unit 1240 obtains the cost information calculated in step P1420 from the billing table T300, creates an invoice based on the obtained information, and presents it to the user, for example, via the user interface 2200 described above.

The billing process P1400 described above allows the cost of providing the network service specified by the user's service request entered via the network service menu to be calculated and billed to the user.

As described above, in the network orchestration means according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network pool to be allocated to a user is determined based on the network service selected by the user from the network service menu. By determining the network pool to be allocated based on the network service selected by the user in this manner, it is possible to allocate a network pool including communication lines having specifications suitable for the network usage purpose (service domain, etc.), and to provide a network service configured according to the network usage purpose.
Furthermore, in the network orchestration means according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the criterion for evaluating the performance of the communication line may be a performance threshold determined based on a network service selected by a user. In this way, by evaluating the performance of the communication line using a criterion such as a performance threshold determined based on a network service selected by a user, it is possible to evaluate the performance of the network pool while taking into account the purpose of network use, and to perform appropriate network communication routing.

In this way, the present disclosure makes it possible to provide a network service configured according to the customer's intended use, and to provide a network orchestration means capable of routing network communications using performance indicators according to the intended use of this network service.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1000 Network orchestration device 1100 User management unit 1120 Service menu management unit 1200 Service management unit 1220 Network configuration unit 1240 Billing management unit 1300 Routing management unit 1320 Network monitoring unit 1340 Routing determination unit 1400 Network management unit 1420 Network pool allocation unit 1440 Management action implementation unit N100, N200 Connection T100 Service menu table T200 User information table T300 Billing table T400 Network performance information table T500 Routing table T600 Network configuration table

Claims (8)

A network orchestration device,
a user management unit that generates a network service menu including a plurality of network service candidates that define network specifications, presents the menu to a user, and receives a service request from the user that specifies a first network service from the network service candidates;
a network management unit that allocates a first network pool to the user as the first network service specified by the service request, the first network pool including a first communication line that prioritizes network communication between a plurality of networks and a second communication line that serves as a backup for the first communication line;
acquiring first performance information indicating performance of the first communication line;
determining, when the acquired first performance information satisfies a first performance criterion but does not satisfy a second performance criterion, to perform a performance improvement operation on the first communication line to improve the performance of the first communication line;
a routing management unit that determines, when the acquired first performance information does not satisfy the first performance standard, the second performance standard, and the third performance standard, to perform a switching operation on the first network pool to switch the network communication from the first communication line to the second communication line;
A network orchestration device comprising: The user management unit
service menu information characterizing each of the network service candidates;
a service menu management unit that generates the network service menu based on the service menu information, presents the network service menu to the user, and receives the service request from the user;
The network orchestration device according to claim 1, comprising: network configuration information indicating at least a network pool corresponding to each of the network service candidates;
for each of the candidate network services, billing information indicating the cost of providing the network service;
a network configuration unit that determines a first network pool corresponding to the first network service identified by the service request;
a billing manager for calculating the cost of providing the first network pool and sending a bill to the user;
The network orchestration device according to claim 1 , further comprising a service management unit including: The routing management unit
a network monitoring unit that acquires the first performance information by monitoring the network communication of the first communication line;
determining a performance factor and a performance threshold corresponding to the first network service identified by the service request;
calculating a first performance score indicating a performance of the first communication line corresponding to a first time and a second performance score indicating a performance of the first communication line corresponding to a second time based on the first performance information and the performance coefficient;
determining that the performance improvement operation is to be performed on the first communication line when the second performance score exceeds the first performance score and is less than the performance threshold;
determining to perform a continuation operation to continue network communication over the first communication line when the second performance score is equal to or less than the first performance score, the second performance score is less than the performance threshold, and the first performance score is less than the performance threshold;
a routing determination unit that determines to perform the switching operation when the second performance score is equal to or greater than the performance threshold, the second performance score exceeds the first performance score, and the first performance score is equal to or greater than the performance threshold, or when a state in which the second performance score is equal to or less than the first performance score and the second performance score is equal to or greater than the performance threshold continues for a certain period of time or more;
The network orchestration device according to claim 1 , further comprising: The first performance information is
including round-trip time, packet loss, latency, jitter, workload and line utilization.
5. The network orchestration device according to claim 4. The network management unit
Routing information that specifies whether or not the performance improvement operation and the switching operation are to be performed for each network pool;
a network pool allocation unit that allocates the first network pool as the first network service specified by the service request;
a management action implementation unit that implements the performance improvement operation or the switching operation on the first network pool based on the routing information;
The network orchestration device according to claim 1, comprising: a branch network used by users;
a destination network that provides a predetermined service to the branch network via the Internet;
a branch gateway that relays communications between the branch network and the Internet;
a destination gateway that relays communications between the destination network and the Internet;
a network orchestration device that manages communication between the branch network and the destination network,
The network orchestration device
a user management unit that generates a network service menu including a plurality of network service candidates, presents the menu to the user, and receives a service request from the user that specifies a first network service from the network service candidates;
a network management unit that allocates a first network pool to the user as the first network service specified by the service request, the first network pool including a first communication line that gives priority to network communication between the branch network and the destination network and a second communication line that serves as a backup for the first communication line;
acquiring first performance information indicating performance of the first communication line;
determining, when the acquired first performance information satisfies a first performance criterion but does not satisfy a second performance criterion, to perform a performance improvement operation for improving the performance of the first communication line as a network management action on the first communication line;
a routing management unit that determines, when the acquired first performance information does not satisfy the first performance standard, the second performance standard, and the third performance standard, to perform a switching operation for switching the network communication from the first communication line to the second communication line as a network management action on the first network pool;
a user interface that indicates the determined network management action for the first network pool. 1. A network orchestration method, comprising:
generating a network service menu including the plurality of network service candidates based on service menu information indicating at least a service domain, a network type, security, a latency criterion, reliability, and cost of the network service for each of the plurality of network service candidates;
presenting the network service menu to a user;
receiving a service request from the user that identifies a first network service from the candidate network services;
determining a first network pool corresponding to the first network service identified by the service request, and generating network configuration information indicating the determined first network pool;
a step of allocating the first network pool, which includes a first communication line that prioritizes network communication between a plurality of networks and a second communication line that serves as a backup for the first communication line, to the user as the first network service specified by the service request, based on the network configuration information;
acquiring first performance information indicating performance of the first communication line by monitoring the network communication of the first communication line;
determining a performance factor and a performance threshold corresponding to the first network service identified by the service request;
calculating a first performance score indicating a performance of the first communication line corresponding to a first time and a second performance score indicating a performance of the first communication line corresponding to a second time based on the first performance information and the performance coefficient;
determining, when the second performance score exceeds the first performance score and the second performance score is less than the performance threshold, to perform a performance improvement operation to improve the performance of the first communication line as a network management action for the first communication line;
determining, when the second performance score is equal to or less than the first performance score, the second performance score is less than the performance threshold, and the first performance score is less than the performance threshold, to perform a continuation operation of continuing network communication on the first communication line as the network management action for the first communication line;
determining that a switching operation for switching the network communication from the first communication line to the second communication line be performed as the network management action for the first network pool when the second performance score is equal to or greater than the performance threshold, and the second performance score exceeds the first performance score, and the first performance score is equal to or greater than the performance threshold, or when a state in which the second performance score is equal to or less than the first performance score and the second performance score is equal to or greater than the performance threshold continues for a certain period of time;
generating routing information indicating the determined network management action for each network pool;
performing a determined network management action on the first network pool based on the routing information;
A network orchestration method comprising: