US 11,956,673 B1
Caching method for F-RAN based communications
Adel Aldalbahi, Al-Ahsa (SA); Mohammed A. Jasim, Tacoma, WA (US); and Nazli Siasi, Chicago, IL (US)
Assigned to KING FAISAL UNIVERSITY, Al-Ahsa (SA)
Filed by KING FAISAL UNIVERSITY, Al-Ahsa (SA)
Filed on Dec. 16, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/083,462.
Int. Cl. H04W 28/086 (2023.01)
CPC H04W 28/0864 (2023.05) 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A caching method for F-RAN based communications in a mmWave network having a hierarchy of layers including a plurality of mobile stations in layer-one requesting services requiring execution of network functions, a plurality of fog nodes in layer-two distributed in range of the mobile stations for receiving the requests from the mobile stations, a plurality of cluster fog nodes having selected network functions cached thereon in layer-three for receiving and servicing requests for network functions forwarded by layer-two fog nodes, and a plurality of cloud nodes in layer-four storing all network functions, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving a request for a network function generated from a requesting mobile station at a layer-two fog node closest to the requesting mobile station;
sending the request for a network function from the layer-two fog node to a layer-three fog node;
if the requested network function is not hosted at the layer-three fog node, requesting the network function from a neighboring layer-two fog node; and
executing the requested network function at the layer-three cluster node when the requested network function is among the selected network functions cached on the layer-three cluster node without contacting a layer-four cloud node,
wherein each of the layer-three fog nodes is assigned to service requests for network functions from a cluster of layer-two fog nodes within direct communication range of the layer-three cluster fog node.