Abstract: A system configuration is generated by integrating source models. Transformations are generated according to a weaving model that specifies relations among metamodels of the source models and the system configuration. The transformations, when executed, transform the source models into the system configuration that includes target entities. From the transformations, one or more integration constraints are generated for each target entity to be created or modified by an operation of the transformations. The integration constraints describe semantics of the relations specified by the weaving model. System configuration constraints are formed to include the integration constraints in addition to constraints of each source model. The transformations are executed to transform the source models into the system configuration to generate the system configuration obeying the system configuration constraints.

Abstract: A system is upgraded by rolling upgrade with dynamic batch sizes in multiple iterations. The system includes multiple hosts that host multiple resources. The rolling upgrade calculates a number of hosts to upgrade and a number of resources to upgrade for each iteration. The calculation subtracts a reserved number of hosts from a capacity of the system to account for potential failover and potential resource scaling operations during the iteration. Based on the calculated number of hosts to upgrade, it is determined whether the system has a capacity for upgrade. If the capacity exists, the calculated number of hosts to upgrade and the calculated number of resources to upgrade are upgraded, while accepting resource scaling requests during the iteration.

Abstract: An upgrade campaign specification upgrades a system from a current configuration to a target configuration. A method is provided for selecting one or more upgrade campaign specifications from a given set of upgrade campaign specifications. For each upgrade campaign specification, the method (1) identifies software and management operations specified in the upgrade campaign specification for upgrading the system; and (2) for each of a set of one or more scenarios defined in terms of operation execution time selection and execution mode, simulates upgrade of the system according to a corresponding arrangement of the software and management operations, thereby obtaining a corresponding execution time and a corresponding outage. A subset of the upgrade campaign specifications is rejected, for which the corresponding execution times do not meet an execution time threshold or for which the corresponding outages do not meet an outage threshold.

Abstract: A Network Service Descriptor (NSD) is generated, from Virtualized Network Functions (VNFs) existing in a VNF catalog, for instantiating a network service which satisfies given network service requirements. From the VNF catalog, a system selects VNFs that provide functionalities and architectural blocks required to fulfill the NS requirements. The system generates at least a VNF forwarding graph (VNFFG), which includes relations between the functionalities and the architectural blocks of the selected VNFs as well as traffic flows between the selected VNFs. The system then creates the NSD, which includes the VNFFG, for instantiating the network service.

Abstract: A system is reconfigured at runtime when triggers are issued in response to events taking place in the system. The triggers, which are issued on configuration entities, are correlated by transferring relations of the configuration entities to relations of the triggers to thereby identify related triggers. Elasticity rules are selected for the triggers, where the elasticity rules specify actions for resource allocation or deallocation at runtime. Selected actions of the selected elasticity rules for the related triggers are executed to reconfigure the system according to a set of action correlation meta-rules which provide an ordering of the actions.

Abstract: An upgrade campaign is generated for entities of a system described by a source configuration. According to the upgrade campaign, the system is upgraded to a target configuration using available software. A change model describes changes from the source configuration to the target configuration. According to the change model, an upgrade campaign specification model is generated, which contains at least one upgrade campaign element for each change in the change model. A subset of upgrade campaign elements are matched based on a first set of rules, and the matched upgrade campaign elements are merged into an upgrade procedure in the upgrade campaign specification model. The upgrade procedures are ordered based on a second set of rules and dependencies among the entities of the system, where the dependencies are extracted from the source configuration, the target configuration and the description of available software.

Abstract: An upgrade campaign specification upgrades a system from a current configuration to a target configuration. A method is provided for selecting one or more upgrade campaign specifications from a given set of upgrade campaign specifications. For each upgrade campaign specification, the method (1) identifies software and management operations specified in the upgrade campaign specification for upgrading the system; and (2) for each of a set of one or more scenarios defined in terms of operation execution time selection and execution mode, simulates upgrade of the system according to a corresponding arrangement of the software and management operations, thereby obtaining a corresponding execution time and a corresponding outage. A subset of the upgrade campaign specifications is rejected, for which the corresponding execution times do not meet an execution time threshold or for which the corresponding outages do not meet an outage threshold.

Abstract: A system configuration is partially validated in response to requested changes to the system configuration. First, a reduced set of constraints is identified among a plurality of constraints of the system configuration. The reduced set of constraints place restrictions on attribute values and relations of changed entities to which the requested changes are applied. Each constraint of the reduced set is categorized based on leadership information that indicates an impact that a changed entity has on another entity with respect to the constraint. Each categorized constraint of the reduced set is validated to determine whether to accept, reject or modify the system configuration having the requested changes.

Abstract: A system is upgraded by rolling upgrade with dynamic batch sizes in multiple iterations. The system includes multiple hosts that host multiple resources. The rolling upgrade calculates a number of hosts to upgrade and a number of resources to upgrade for each iteration. The calculation subtracts a reserved number of hosts from a capacity of the system to account for potential failover and potential resource scaling operations during the iteration. Based on the calculated number of hosts to upgrade, it is determined whether the system has a capacity for upgrade. If the capacity exists, the calculated number of hosts to upgrade and the calculated number of resources to upgrade are upgraded, while accepting resource scaling requests during the iteration.

Abstract: An upgrade campaign is generated for entities of a system described by a source configuration. According to the upgrade campaign, the system is upgraded to a target configuration using available software. A change model describes changes from the source configuration to the target configuration. According to the change model, an upgrade campaign specification model is generated, which contains at least one upgrade campaign element for each change in the change model. A subset of upgrade campaign elements are matched based on a first set of rules, and the matched upgrade campaign elements are merged into an upgrade procedure in the upgrade campaign specification model. The upgrade procedures are ordered based on a second set of rules and dependencies among the entities of the system, where the dependencies are extracted from the source configuration, the target configuration and the description of available software.

Abstract: A system configuration is generated by integrating source models. Transformations are generated according to a weaving model that specifies relations among metamodels of the source models and the system configuration. The transformations, when executed, transform the source models into the system configuration that includes target entities. From the transformations, one or more integration constraints are generated for each target entity to be created or modified by an operation of the transformations. The integration constraints describe semantics of the relations specified by the weaving model. System configuration constraints are formed to include the integration constraints in addition to constraints of each source model. The transformations are executed to transform the source models into the system configuration to generate the system configuration obeying the system configuration constraints.

Abstract: There is described a method for providing a Virtualized Network Function (VNF) according to Network Service (NS) requirements. The method comprises selecting an on-boarded VNF descriptor (VNFD) from a VNF catalogue, configuring parameters of the selected on-boarded VNFD according to the requirements of the NS and instantiating a VNF according to the configured on-boarded VNFD. There is also described a method for providing a Network Service (NS). The method comprises selecting an on-boarded NS Descriptor (NSD) from an NS catalogue, modifying NSD information of the selected on-boarded NSD and instantiating the NS according to the modified on-boarded NSD.

Abstract: A system performs runtime adjustment of a configuration model. The system receives, at runtime, a change request directed at one or more modified entities in the configuration model. Based on leadership information, one or more infringing entities are identified among the one or more modified entities. The leadership information indicates an impact that one entity has on another entity with respect to a given constraint. Based on the leadership information, a propagation scope is identified for a constraint violated by an infringing entity. The propagation scope includes the infringing entity and other entities that are potentially affected by the request. For resolving single constraint violation, a collection of paths are created in the propagation scope and a path is selected one at a time starting from the shortest path in the collection. For resolving multiple constraint violation, a bonded path is formed for a group of propagation scopes that overlap.

Abstract: A system configuration is partially validated in response to requested changes to the system configuration. First, a reduced set of constraints is identified among a plurality of constraints of the system configuration. The reduced set of constraints place restrictions on attribute values and relations of changed entities to which the requested changes are applied. Each constraint of the reduced set is categorized based on leadership information that indicates an impact that a changed entity has on another entity with respect to the constraint. Each categorized constraint of the reduced set is validated to determine whether to accept, reject or modify the system configuration having the requested changes.

Abstract: An upgrade campaign is generated for software deployment configuration, based on a source configuration and a target configuration for a software subsystem. A delta between the source configuration and the target configuration is determined. The delta includes a first set, a second set and a third set of the entities to be removed, added and upgraded, respectively, in the software subsystem. Based on dependencies among the entities, a sequence of stages is generated for removing, adding and upgrading the first, second and third sets of the entities, such that the entities are removed, added and upgraded according to a temporal order defined by the sequence of stages.

Abstract: Configuration requirements that specify the provision of services using a system-level description are automatically generated from user requirements. The user requirements are decomposed into one or more levels of decomposed functionalities using an ontology as input. The ontology stores known decompositions of functionalities and relations between the known decompositions. The lowest level of the decomposed functionalities is mapped into a set of components provided by vendors, and additional components on which the set of components depend are identified. Based on the set of components and the additional components, a required number of instances of service workload is calculated to generate the configuration requirements of the system that satisfy the user requirements.

Abstract: A method and system for generating an Availability Management Framework (AMF) configuration based on a model driven approach. The AMF configuration is an instance of an AMF sub-profile that can be used to model resources and services to be protected, and is generated from an instance of the Entity Type Files (ETF) sub-profile and an instance of the Configuration Requirements (CR) sub-profile. The ETF sub-profile can be used to model the resources provided by vendors, and the CR sub-profile can be used to model configuration requirements. Each of the AMF sub-profile, the ETF sub-profile and the CR sub-profile is a specialization of pre-defined Unified Modeling Language (UML) meta-classes. An input that includes an ETF model and a CR model, which are instances of the ETF sub-profile and the CR sub-profile, respectively, is transformed into an AMF model as the AMF configuration.

Abstract: An Availability Management Framework (AMF) configuration describes how configuration entities of a highly available system are grouped and includes information on service provision and service protection policies against resource failure. The AMF configuration defines a set of failure types for each component and each node, and specifies a failure rate and a recommended recovery for each failure type. A method for evaluating service availability receives the AMF configuration as input, and analyzes it to obtain an actual recovery that the highly available system is to perform when the given component fails. The method maps the AMF configuration to a stochastic model that captures the dependencies among the components and among the configuration entities at multiple levels of the hierarchy. The method utilizes the model to calculate the service availability of the AMF configuration based on the failure rate, the actual recovery and the dependencies.

Abstract: Configuration requirements that specify the provision of services using a system-level description are automatically generated from user requirements. The user requirements are decomposed into one or more levels of decomposed functionalities using an ontology as input. The ontology stores known decompositions of functionalities and relations between the known decompositions. The lowest level of the decomposed functionalities is mapped into a set of components provided by vendors, and additional components on which the set of components depend are identified. Based on the set of components and the additional components, a required number of instances of service workload is calculated to generate the configuration requirements of the system that satisfy the user requirements.

Abstract: Configuration requirements for an Availability Management Framework (AMF) configuration are generated from high level user requirements that specify a subset of properties of an AMF configuration. The user requirements are first mapped into entity prototypes defined in an extended Entity Types File (ETF) model. A computer system identifies additional entity prototypes and dependency thereof that support functionalities of the mapped entity prototypes under a set of grouping conditions. The computer system calculates the required number of component service instances (CSIs) and service instances (SIs) that satisfy the user requirements. The calculation is based on the subset of the properties specified by the user requirements and measurements associated with the entity prototypes in the extended ETF model. The computer system then forms configuration requirements including the required number of CSIs and SIs for generating the AMF configuration that satisfies the user requirements.