US 12,476,871 B2
Techniques to facilitate consumer-defined workloads for a network slice of a slice provider network
Arghya Mukherjee, Acton, MA (US); Viktor Mats Emanuel Leijon, San Jose, CA (US); and Ian J. Wells, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by Cisco Technology, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Oct. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/497,209.
Prior Publication US 2025/0141745 A1, May 1, 2025
Int. Cl. H04L 41/0806 (2022.01); H04L 41/0895 (2022.01); H04L 41/122 (2022.01)
CPC H04L 41/0895 (2022.05) [H04L 41/0806 (2013.01); H04L 41/122 (2022.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method performed by a slice consumer function of a slice consumer network of an enterprise entity, comprising:
transmitting, by the slice consumer function of the slice consumer network of an enterprise entity, a query message to a slice provider function of a slice provider network to request topology information for an instantiated mobile network slice that is operating via the slice provider network operated by a network slice provider, wherein the instantiated mobile network slice comprises slice resources provided at a plurality of network locations of the instantiated mobile network slice that is operating via the slice provider network;
obtaining, by the slice consumer function of the slice consumer network of the enterprise entity, based on the query message, a response message from the slice provider function of the slice provider network that includes the topology information from the slice provider function, wherein the topology information identifies the plurality of network locations at which the slice resources are provided for the instantiated mobile network slice and identifies performance characteristics associated with the slice resources provided at each of the plurality of network locations of the instantiated mobile network slice;
identifying, by the slice consumer function of the slice consumer network of the enterprise entity, at least one network location of the instantiated mobile network slice at which to request instantiation of a consumer-defined workload for the instantiated mobile network slice, based on the topology information including the performance characteristics included in the response message in comparison to one or more workload criteria indicating performance thresholds of the consumer-defined workload; and
transmitting, by the slice consumer function of the slice consumer network of the enterprise entity, a request message to the slice provider function of the slice provider network requesting the slice provider function to instantiate the consumer-defined workload at the at least one network location of the instantiated mobile network slice, wherein the request message comprises at least one location identifier of the at least one network location of the instantiated mobile network slice and a workload identifier of the consumer-defined workload that is to be instantiated at the at least one network location of the instantiated mobile network slice and wherein the at least one location identifier of the at least one network location is a plurality of network location identifiers indicating a ranking of a plurality of particular network locations at which the consumer-defined workload is requested to be instantiated in which the ranking is parametric based on the performance characteristics associated with the slice resources provided at each of the plurality of network locations of the instantiated mobile network slice and the slice provider function of the slice provider network is to instantiate the consumer-defined workload at least at a highest ranked network location of the ranking.