CPC H04W 40/02 (2013.01) | 18 Claims |
1. A system for pooling network functions in an open radio access network (O-RAN) having a plurality of radio access network (RAN) units arranged in a hierarchy with a plurality of higher-level RAN units to execute traffic handling for at least a portion of traffic traversing the O-RAN between a plurality of lower-level RAN units and a backhaul network in accordance with a homing assignment that indicates a respective set of the lower-level RAN units presently homed to each of the higher-level RAN units, each of the RAN units having a respective state that is dynamically updated in accordance with the traffic handling, the system comprising:
a RAN state pooling system (RSPS), coupled with the plurality of higher-level RAN units via one or more high-speed communication channels, to:
maintain stored states for the plurality of higher-level RAN units, each stored state representing at least a portion of the respective state of an associated one of the higher-level RAN units as dynamically updated in accordance with the traffic handling,
wherein, for each higher-level RAN unit of the plurality of higher-level RAN units, the higher-level RAN unit is associated with a respective portion of the traffic that traverses the O-RAN through the higher-level RAN, and the RSPS is to maintain the stored states such that a respective one or more of the stored states for the higher-level RAN includes periodically updated state information for the higher-level RAN and changes to the respective portion of the traffic associated with the higher-level RAN since a last update was made to the periodically updated state information;
receive a re-homing trigger in accordance with an update to the homing assignment, the update indicating that at least the respective set of the lower-level RAN units presently homed to a first of the higher-level RAN units is re-homed to a second of the higher-level RAN units; and
provide one or more of the stored states associated with the first of the higher-level RAN units to the second of the higher-level RAN units in accordance with the re-homing trigger.
|