US 11,888,677 B2
Method and system for network function migration procedures for a signaling control plane
Kazi Bashir, Englewood, CO (US); Mehdi Alasti, Reston, VA (US); and Siddhartha Chenumolu, Ashburn, VA (US)
Assigned to DISH Wireless L.L.C., Englewood, CO (US)
Filed by DISH Wireless L.L.C., Englewood, CO (US)
Filed on Oct. 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/451,330.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/261,265, filed on Sep. 16, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0080047 A1, Mar. 16, 2023
Int. Cl. H04L 41/0226 (2022.01); H04W 48/18 (2009.01); H04L 41/0816 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 41/0226 (2013.01) [H04L 41/0816 (2013.01); H04W 48/18 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
10. A method for a gradual migration of network functions between network slices, comprising:
associating, by a migration management unit, a first set of a plurality of network functions in a control plane of a network slice A for a legacy vendor;
configuring, by the migration management unit, a second set of the plurality of network functions in the control plane of a network slice B for a new vendor wherein the second set of the plurality of network functions comprises a subset of the first set of the plurality of network functions in the control plane of network slice A; and
managing, by the migration management unit, a multi-stage transfer of subsets of the plurality of network functions that are originally contained in the control plane of the network slice A to the control plane of network slice B wherein the multi-stage transfer comprises a migration of the plurality of network functions in a set of multiple staged transfers of network function subsets to configure the plurality of network functions in the control plane of network slice B, wherein:
each stage of the multi-stage transfer comprises a migration of reduced sets of the plurality of network functions contained in the control plane of the network slice A reconfigured for use on the control plane of the network slice B;
the network slice A is originally configured in a pre-migration setup that comprises a plurality of previously mapped network functions mapped to the control plane of network slice A wherein the network slice A comprises a set of a plurality of User Equipment (UE) profiles; and
the migration management unit updates the plurality of UE profiles with the network slice B only after a first staged transfer of the set of multiple staged transfers and prior to any subsequent staged transfers.