Abstract: Key data is processed using a hash table data structure. Control data storage locations have a write-availability indicated by a first write-availability state indicating that the location is available to be written to, and a second write-availability state indicating that the location is not available to be written to. A temporary label value is stored in a selected control data storage location to render the selected location and a corresponding key data storage location inactive for read-out. The write-availability of the control data storage location is changed to the second write-availability state in association with the storage of the processed label value in the selected location. A read-out label value is obtained and the temporary label value stored in the selected control data storage location is over-written with the obtained read-out label value, to render the selected control data storage location and corresponding key data storage location active for read-out.

Abstract: A packet processing system comprises a packet processing graph comprising classifier nodes including a root classifier node and leaf classifier nodes. The root classifier node is connected to each of the classifier nodes through a respective packet processing path in the graph. Each classifier node stores node match data indicative of at least one match to be applied by the respective classifier node. The classifier nodes comprise first and second classifier nodes arranged in a first packet processing path of said plurality of packet processing paths. The first classifier node stores node match data indicative of a match corresponding to content from a plurality of packet header field types, including first and second, different packet header field types. The second classifier node stores node match data indicative of a match corresponding to content from at least one packet header field type, including the first packet header field type.

Abstract: Associating a user service with a telephony identifier. The user service is accessible by a user of a telephony device via an application on the telephony device. The telephony device is operable in a radio telephony network (RTN) and is contactable via the telephony identifier when operating in the RTN. Network equipment: communicates, between the network equipment and the application on the telephony device, first data comprising a communicated token; receives, from the telephony device, second data comprising a received token, wherein the second data is received from the telephony device via an RTN-native service; receives, from a network node in the RTN, the telephony identifier in control signalling associated with the RTN-native service; and based at least on correlating the received token with the communicated token, associates the received telephony identifier with the user service.

Abstract: A method of processing call establishment requests, the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving call establishment definition data relating to a called party identifier; b) receiving a call establishment request from a calling party, the call establishment request comprising the called party identifier; c) determining that a user terminal associated with the called party identifier is engaged in a call with a remote party; d) determining that call establishment definition data is associated with the called party identifier; and e) in response to steps b) c) and d), processing the call establishment request to connect the calling party to the called party.

Abstract: In operation, packets traverse the packet processing data structure, and the network processing represented by each object in the data structure is applied to each packet. From time to time, the packet processing data structure may need to be updated. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for lock-free updating of a packet processing data structure by means of epoch-based garbage collection. In embodiments, a particular past packet processing epoch is considered to be no longer referenced by any cores when the sequence numbers recorded in each said memory location are different to the sequence number of that particular past packet processing epoch. The deletion thread checks both whether a past epoch is being referenced by any packets and whether it is being reference by any cores. Thus memory is safely freed without having any impact on any packet processing which may be occurring in parallel to the deletion thread.

Abstract: In a telecommunications network, a network node processes messages according to different sets of user-programmable message processing rules. The network node includes an input for receiving a series of input messages which are processed in a message manipulation function. Processed messages are also output from the network node according different communication protocols.

Abstract: According to a first aspect, there is provided a method of testing a plurality of virtual network functions (VNFs) during commissioning of the plurality of VNFs in a virtualized environment in a customer network, the method comprising: at a VNF testing component configured to have access to the virtualized environment of the customer network, performing interoperability testing between a first VNF component instantiation (VNFCI) within a first VNF of the plurality of VNFs and a second VNFCI within a second VNF of the plurality of VNFs, the second VNF being different from the first VNF, the first VNF and the second VNF comprising a subset of VNFs within the plurality of VNFs, wherein performing the interoperability testing comprises: instructing the first VNFCI to interoperate directly with the second VNFCI in a predetermined manner; and determining whether the second VNFCI reacts to the instructed direct interoperation in an expected manner.

Abstract: A packet classifier and methods of processing data packets in a data communications network can include receiving a data packet comprising packet header data; performing rule-based classification of the received data packet to generate rule-based classification data; and processing the data packet in accordance with the rule-based classification data.

Abstract: A packet processing system comprises a packet processing graph comprising classifier nodes including a root classifier node and leaf classifier nodes. The root classifier node is connected to each of the classifier nodes through a respective packet processing path in the graph. Each classifier node stores node match data indicative of at least one match to be applied by the respective classifier node. The classifier nodes comprise first and second classifier nodes arranged in a first packet processing path of said plurality of packet processing paths. The first classifier node stores node match data indicative of a match corresponding to content from a plurality of packet header field types, including first and second, different packet header field types. The second classifier node stores node match data indicative of a match corresponding to content from at least one packet header field type, including the first packet header field type.

Abstract: Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method of operating a service provider network node in a service provider network, comprising: establishing an interface between a control plane processing part and a data plane processing part for routing of control packets at the data plane processing part; at the control plane processing part, generating a control packet for routing through the service provider network; and at the control plane processing part, sending the control packet to the data plane processing part via the interface, to cause the data plane processing part to route the control packet through the service provider network using the one or more routing tables maintained by the data plane processing part in response to receiving the control packet from the control plane processing part via the interface.

Abstract: A network node has a graceful restart mode in which the node: sends a graceful restart notification to one or more neighbouring nodes; attempts to re-establish an adjacency with the neighbouring node(s); receives link state data from at least one of the neighbouring node(s), the received data being sent in response to said attempt; derives pre-restart link data from the received data, the derived data identifying formerly active links, including the node, for routing traffic before the restart; routes network traffic in accordance with routing information stored in the router; detects one or more links, of the formerly active links, which are currently inactive; continues with graceful restart after said detection; determines one or more links, of the formerly active links, which are currently active; and exits the graceful restart mode in response to successful re-establishment of adjacencies with a respective neighbouring node for each of the currently active link(s).

Abstract: Processing data in a communications system comprising a plurality of servers is provided. First data received from a communications device is directed to a given server in the plurality of servers. A server identifier identifying the given server is transmitted to the communications device. Subsequent data is received from the communications device. The subsequent data comprises the server identifier and a further parameter. The given server is selected on the basis of at least the server identifier and some of the subsequent data received from the communications device is directed to the given server. In the event of a need to redirect subsequent data to a server other than the given server, a different server is selected on the basis of at least the further parameter and further of the subsequent data received from the communications device is directed to the selected different server.

Abstract: A media gateway and method with a media session manager function, a media processor function, and a media session state datastore function. The functions are provided by one or more instantiations which allow for independent scalability of the functions in the media gateway.

Abstract: In one aspect, a control plane Interworking Function (IWF-C) is used to establish a Packet Data Unit (PDU) session in a data communications network. A create session request is received, for example from a Mobile Management Entity (MME). A create session management context request is generated by the IWF-C and transmitted to a Session Management Function (SMF). A create session management context request response is received from the SMF. A create session request response is generated by the IWF-C and sent, for example to the MME. In other aspects, control plane policy interworking and user plane interworking is provided between components of 4G and 5G networks.

Abstract: A method of processing call establishment requests, the method comprising the steps of: a) receiving call establishment definition data relating to a called party identifier; b) receiving a call establishment request from a calling party, the call establishment request comprising the called party identifier; c) determining that a user terminal associated with the called party identifier is engaged in a call with a remote party; d) determining that call establishment definition data is associated with the called party identifier; and e) in response to steps b) c) and d), processing the call establishment request to connect the calling party to the called party.

Abstract: Measures are provided for use in establishing a telephony session between first and second telephony devices in a telephony network. Telephony network equipment in the telephony network receives, from the first telephony device over a signalling link, a telephony session establishment request. The telephony network equipment receives, from the first telephony device over a data link that is separate to the signalling link, a message comprising data useable by the telephony network equipment to identify the second telephony device. The telephony network equipment correlates the received telephony session establishment request and the received message. The telephony network equipment transmits, to the second telephony device, a telephony session establishment request on the basis of the correlating. The first telephony device is associated with a multi-persona user having a first persona associated with a first telephony identifier and a second persona associated with a second telephony identifier.

Abstract: A method of serving a network resource usage record file is disclosed. The method can comprise: storing network resource usage records in a distributed database, the network resource usage records relating to network resource usage in a telecommunications network; sending a file list identifying a network resource usage record file over a file retrieval interface without having constructed the network resource usage record file; receiving, over the file retrieval interface, a request for the network resource usage record file; constructing, in response to the receiving of the request, the network resource usage record file, the network resource usage record file comprising one or more network resource usage records obtained from the distributed database; and serving, over the file retrieval interface, the network resource usage record file.

Abstract: A controller node receives a list of a first plurality of flows programmed on a network switch. The controller node extracts a flow cookie value from a flow cookie data field of each flow in the first plurality of flows on the received list and calculates a session identifier on the basis of the extracted cookie values. At least one add flow command is transmitted from the controller node to the network switch to program a second plurality of flows on the network switch. The at least one add flow command comprises flow cookie values in the flow cookie data fields of each of the flows in the second plurality of flows which are set equal to the calculated session identifier. At least one delete flow command is transmitted from the controller node to the network switch to delete programming of the first plurality of flows on the network switch.

Abstract: A method of determining trigger conditions for scaling a scalable unit of network function comprising identifying a primary set of metrics associated with usage of an instance of the unit of network function as a primary indicator of occurrence of a load state thereof, and determining usage points when the primary indicator indicates that the load state occurs. Deriving a secondary set of the metrics, different to the primary set, as a secondary indicator of occurrence of the load state of the instance at each of a group of one or more of the usage points when the primary indicator indicates that the load state occurs, and measured data corresponding to values of the metrics in the secondary set of metrics at each of the group of usage points. Storing a trigger condition for scaling the unit of network function based on the secondary set and the measured data.

Abstract: Measures, including methods, apparatuses and non-transitory computer-readable storage media, associated with network orchestration. A model of a physical resources part of a network and a model of a virtualised resources part of the network are obtained. The physical/virtualised resources part of the network includes a plurality of physical resources/at least one virtualised network function and represents dependencies between different physical/virtualised resources in the physical/virtualised resources part of the network. At least one optimisation operation is performed using the models of the physical and virtualised resources parts of the network to identify an optimised mapping of the at least one virtualised network function onto at least one of the plurality of physical resources. The at least one virtualised network function is instantiated on the at least one of the plurality of physical resources based on the identified optimised mapping.