US 11,962,514 B2
Parallel data processing for service function chains spanning multiple servers
Bo Han, Bridgewater, NJ (US); Vijay Gopalakrishnan, Edison, NJ (US); Muhammad Bilal Anwer, Branchburg, NJ (US); Zhi-Li Zhang, Eden Prairie, MN (US); and Yang Zhang, Saint Paul, MN (US)
Assigned to AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P, Atlanta, GA (US); and REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed by AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P., Atlanta, GA (US); and REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, Minneapolis, MN (US)
Filed on Feb. 13, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/168,553.
Application 18/168,553 is a continuation of application No. 17/498,440, filed on Oct. 11, 2021, granted, now 11,582,167.
Application 17/498,440 is a continuation of application No. 16/220,683, filed on Dec. 14, 2018, granted, now 11,146,506, issued on Oct. 12, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0198917 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06F 13/00 (2006.01); G06F 9/455 (2018.01); H04L 41/0806 (2022.01); H04L 41/12 (2022.01); H04L 45/64 (2022.01); H04L 49/00 (2022.01); H04L 49/20 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 49/208 (2013.01) [G06F 9/45558 (2013.01); H04L 41/0806 (2013.01); H04L 41/12 (2013.01); H04L 45/64 (2013.01); H04L 49/70 (2013.01); G06F 2009/45595 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
obtaining, via a processor, a target service function chain spanning multiple servers of a network function virtualization infrastructure, wherein the target service function chain comprises a plurality of network functions to be executed on a plurality of packets in a defined sequence, and wherein at least a first network function and a second network function of the plurality of network functions are capable of being executed in a parallel manner;
generating, via the processor, a plurality of candidate service function chains that utilize an available plurality of network function instances to execute the plurality of network functions in the defined sequence; and
selecting, via the processor from among the plurality of candidate service function chains, a first candidate service function chain to function as the target service function chain, wherein the first candidate service function chain minimizes a number of servers traversed relative to other candidate service function chains of the plurality of candidate service function chains.