Abstract: An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: manage an application service using a management web portal; request, using the management web portal, the application service with a given service level agreement from a catalogue of offered application services; and communicate, using the management web portal, with an application service management function; wherein the application service management function is configured to translate the service level agreement of the requested application service to a specification of an application slice, and to trigger a creation of an application slice instance by contacting an application slice management function.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: manage an application service using a management web portal; request, using the management web portal, the application service with a given service level agreement from a catalogue of offered application services; and communicate, using the management web portal, with an application service management function; wherein the application service management function is configured to translate the service level agreement of the requested application service to a specification of an application slice, and to trigger a creation of an application slice instance by contacting an application slice management function.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for edge services are disclosed. A network function entity receives from an application function entity a request relating to a data communication session, and can then determine, in response to the request, information of at least one local network exposure function entity for the application function entity. The application function entity is provided with the information of the at least one local network exposure function entity. The information can be used in connecting with a local network exposure function entity. The local network exposure function entity can then be used for the data communication session.

Abstract: Some embodiments of this disclosure include apparatuses and methods for accessing a communication frequency channel by a first communication system during a first time interval, and accessing the communication frequency channel by a second communication system during a second time interval adjacent to the first time interval. The first communication system communicates using cellular communication techniques, and the second communication system communicates using IEEE 802.11 based communication techniques.

Abstract: A method for handling at least one encapsulated synchronization message by a tunnel node including a transparent clock, includes generating a signature from the encapsulated synchronization message and generating, or updating if it has already been generated, a tunnel follow-up message. The tunnel follow-up message includes the encapsulated synchronization message signature. The method further includes measuring the encapsulated synchronization message residence time across the tunnel node, and updating the correction field of the tunnel follow-up message with the measured residence time.

Abstract: A packet network includes a peer-to-peer transparent clock hardware support, a peer-to-peer transparent clock being at least used in order to measure and correct delays of link or path adjacent to network elements and NE residence time, and a Master/Slave end-to-end synchronization path including a first set of network elements A time stamped packet including at least a correction field indicating the cumulated transmission delay of the said packet along the synchronization path. A method includes a detecting a failure event; storing by the first element a measured past path delay of at least one previously transmitted time stamped packet received by the first element; and a function of the incoming current value of the received correction field, the first network element residence time, and a first value depending of a measured past path delay value. A first indicator is generated when detecting a failure.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a clock module and method for distributing a time reference to at least one clock in a packet-switched network. The clock module includes a slave port, a master port and a local clock. The method comprises the steps of receiving a first synchronization packet at the slave port, the first synchronization packet comprising a first master clock timestamp and generating at least one internal signal comprising the first master clock timestamp. The method also includes the steps of transmitting the at least one internal signal to the master port and receiving the at least one internal signal at the master port. Then a method includes determining the internal propagation time of the signal through the clock module and generating a second synchronization packet at the master port comprising a second master clock timestamp, the second master clock timestamp comprising the sum of the first master clock timestamp and the internal propagation time.

Abstract: A method for measuring the resident time of a probe message in at least a network node comprised within a network path, the probe message provided with a Time-To-Live value, the method including steps of: registering the receive timestamp of the probe message; writing the receive timestamp into a dedicated field within the received probe message; checking the Time-To-Live value of the probe message; decrementing the Time-To-Live value by one if the Time-To-Live value is not null, and if the Time-To-Live value is equal to one, then: registering the transmit timestamp of the probe message; computing the probe message resident time within the network node by subtracting the registered receive timestamp to the registered transmit timestamp; writing the computed resident time into a field within the probe message; and changing the value of a flag within the received probe message in order to protect the resident time from being over written by subsequent action on the probe message.

Abstract: A method is devoted to the synchronization of master (HM) and slave (HE) clocks of a packet-switched network, capable of exchanging synchronization packet flows via intermediary equipment (E1-E9) of that network, connected to one another. This method comprises the following steps: i) determining within each piece of intermediary equipment (E1-E9) the instant transit times of packets belonging to a first group of packets of at least one chosen flow of synchronization packets, then acting on packets from a second group of packets of that chosen flow so that their instant transit times within each piece of intermediary equipment (E1-E9) are each roughly equal to a corresponding maximum transit time, and ii) filtering the packets of the chosen flow at least within the slave clock (HE) in order to synchronize it to the master clock (HM) by means of the processed packets of that chosen flow's second group.

Abstract: The method includes sending a Sync message from a first peer-to-peer transparent clock to a second peer-to-peer transparent clock, estimating the path delay of the transmission path traveled by the synchronization message from the first to the second peer-to-peer transparent clocks, and taking this path delay into account for updating the time information carried by a synchronization message. The estimating includes creating a list of the network addresses of the network interfaces traversed by the synchronization message; ordering the first list into the order in which the network interfaces have been traversed by the Sync message; creating a second list by reversing the order of the first list; communicating the second list to the second peer-to-peer transparent clock; and using the mechanism available at the transport protocol level, to constrain the respective paths of Pdelay_Req and Pdelay_Resp messages so that their respective paths map to the second and first ordered lists of traversed interfaces.

Abstract: In a method for monitoring the residence time across nodes of a communication network including a transparent clock-based synchronization architecture, the method includes configuring and generating a tunable and traceable packet dedicated to delay measurements. The method further includes measuring the packet resident time across a network node by a transparent clock, storing, at the level of the network node, the measured residence time, and retrieving the stored residence time by a Network protocol.

Abstract: A method for centralized address resolution includes maintaining a local address resolution database associated to a processing resource controller, maintaining a local address resolution database associated to a networking resource software-defined network controller, maintaining a centralized address resolution database for storing all the MAC address-IP address associations within the data center; when a resource requests the resolution of an IP address, sending a unicast read message from this resource to its controller which checks whether the associated local database stores a MAC address associated to this IP address, and if a MAC address, associated to this IP address MAC address, is stored in this local database, then supplying the MAC address to the resource that requested the resolution; if no MAC address, associated to this IP address MAC address, is stored in this local database, then forwarding the unicast read message to the centralized address resolution database.

Abstract: The method for detecting and managing a synchronization failure of a transparent clock is used in a packet network in order to determine and correct residence time of time-stamped packets within a traversed element of said network. The transparent clock is part of a Master/Slave synchronization path including a plurality of network elements and their associated transparent clocks. The method includes transmitting time-stamped packets from the Master to the Slave through different synchronization paths in order to have the Slave receiving multiple time signals transmitted through different paths, and determining a failure within a transparent clock of a failed/failing synchronization path if the time signal provided by said failed/failing path differs from the time signal provided by the other transmitting path(s).

Abstract: The embodiments of the present invention pertain to a method for distributing time between a first and a second Synchronous Ethernet “SyncE” domain, the first and second domains being interconnected by a third, Synchronous Optical Networking/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy “SDH-SONET” domain in which a time-associated reference parameter is distributed, through Synchronous Ethernet “SyncE” domains, by means of at least one additional Type Length Value “TLV” field of an Ethernet Synchronization Messaging Channel “ESMC” message and a corresponding time-associated reference parameter is distributed, through the Synchronous Optical Networking/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy “SONET-SDH” domain by means of at least one additional Type Length Value “TLV” field within a message of the IEEE 1588 V2 protocol.

Abstract: A network element for a packet-switched network has a plurality of network ports for exchanging synchronization messages with further network elements, a local clock, a timestamp generation module associated to each network port for triggering generation of a timestamp, and a synchronization control module selectively configurable in a first operating mode and a second operating mode as a function of a configuration signal. When the synchronization control module is configured in the first operating mode, it is adapted to adjust an offset of the local clock as a function of the timestamps of the synchronization messages received through the slave port. When the synchronization control module is configured in the second operating mode, it is adapted to compute a residence time of a synchronization message in the network element as a function of the timestamps obtained at the time of receiving and sending the synchronization message.

Abstract: The embodiments of the present invention refer to an interworking agent aimed at being installed in a network node comprising a Precision Time Protocol “PTP” module, said agent comprising: a synchronization-side interface configured to measure Precision Time Protocol “PTP” metrics for detecting a Precision Time Protocol “PTP” signal failure, read and modify Precision Time Protocol “PTP” parameters of the Precision Time Protocol “PTP” module, at least one network-side interface configured to measure network metrics for selecting the optimal path for packet synchronization signals monitor network events for detecting a network path change, read and modify signals exchanged with a network planning entity and, signals exchanged between network nodes at the network level in order to communicate with remote interworking agents located in other network nodes.

Abstract: A physical peripheral device is connected to a remote virtual appliance provided by a cloud service using a peripheral interface device. A cloud service user is authenticated through the peripheral interface device using a user identifier. Physical peripheral devices connected to the peripheral interface device are detected, and connection parameters to the remote virtual appliance are negotiated to establish a network tunnel. The remote virtual appliance is activated, and the physical peripheral devices are connected to the remote virtual appliance.

Abstract: A packet network includes a peer-to-peer transparent clock hardware support, a peer-to-peer transparent clock being at least used in order to measure and correct delays of link or path adjacent to network elements and NE residence time, and a Master/Slave end-to-end synchronization path including a first set of network elements A time stamped packet including at least a correction field indicating the cumulated transmission delay of the said packet along the synchronization path. A method includes a detecting a failure event; storing by the first element a measured past path delay of at least one previously transmitted time stamped packet received by the first element; and a function of the incoming current value of the received correction field, the first network element residence time, and a first value depending of a measured past path delay value. A first indicator is generated when detecting a failure.

Abstract: A packet network includes a peer-to-peer transparent clock hardware support in at least one network element. The transparent clock hardware support enables a local delay measurement mechanism between two adjacent transparent clocks. A master/slave end-to-end synchronization path includes a first set of network elements and their associated transparent clocks. The master and slave exchange unidirectional time stamped packets through the first set of network elements. A method includes generating a first indicator in at least a specific field of a first time stamped packet by a first element when a failure occurs which disables the local delay measurement mechanism between the first element and a second element of the first set; and starting requesting a two-way signalling mode including generating at least a second time stamped packet in order to measure a second delay corresponding to an end-to-end transmission delay of the second time stamp packet from the slave to the master.

Abstract: The method includes sending a Sync message from a first peer-to-peer transparent clock to a second peer-to-peer transparent clock, estimating the path delay of the transmission path traveled by the synchronization message from the first to the second peer-to-peer transparent clocks, and taking this path delay into account for updating the time information carried by a synchronization message. The estimating includes creating a list of the network addresses of the network interfaces traversed by the synchronization message; ordering the first list into the order in which the network interfaces have been traversed by the Sync message; creating a second list by reversing the order of the first list; communicating the second list to the second peer-to-peer transparent clock; and using the mechanism available at the transport protocol level, to constrain the respective paths of Pdelay_Req and Pdelay_Resp messages so that their respective paths map to the second and first ordered lists of traversed interfaces.