US-12627565-B1 - Control plane connectivity intermediaries between RAN nodes and core networks

US12627565B1US 12627565 B1US12627565 B1US 12627565B1US-12627565-B1

Abstract

An intermediary device is assigned for transmitting control plane messages between a RAN node of an application and a set of virtualized network functions of a core network of the application. In response to detecting that a condition has been satisfied, a configuration change is performed at the set of virtualized network functions, without causing a change to configuration of the RAN node.

Inventors

Benjamin Wojtowicz
Shane Ashley Hall

Assignees

AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20220613

Claims (20)

1 . A system, comprising: one or more processors and corresponding memory configured to implement a resource manager of a connectivity service of a suite of services provided via a cloud provider network; a collection of transport layer protocol endpoints of the connectivity service provided via the cloud provider network, the transport layer protocol endpoints assignable as intermediaries to transport messages; and one or more other processors and corresponding memory configured to implement a core network function manager of a radio-based application management service of the cloud provider network; wherein the resource manager is configured to: assign, in response to a programmatic request from a client of the connectivity service, a transport layer protocol endpoint of the collection of transport layer protocol endpoints of the connectivity service provided via the cloud provider network as an intermediary for control plane messages transmitted between (a) a radio access network (RAN) node of a first radio-based application and (b) a set of core network control plane access endpoints of the radio-based application comprising at least a first core network control plane access endpoint and a second core network control plane access endpoint, wherein individual ones of the set of core network control plane access endpoints run one or more virtualized network functions of a core network; wherein the transport layer protocol endpoint is configured to: transmit a first control plane message of the radio-based application, received from the RAN node, to a particular core network control plane access endpoint of the set of core network control plane access endpoints; and transmit a second control plane message received from the particular core network control plane access endpoint to the RAN node; and wherein the core network function manager is configured to: detect that a triggering condition for scaling up the set of core network control plane access endpoints has been satisfied; and increase, based at least in part on detection of the triggering condition, the number of core network control plane access endpoints included in the set of core network control plane access endpoints to which control plane messages, from the RAN node and transported via the transport layer protocol endpoint, are delivered, without causing a change to a configuration of the RAN node, and without causing an interruption in a flow of control plane messages sent from the RAN node to the particular core network control plane access endpoint.
2 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first control plane message is formatted in accordance with the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP).
3 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the particular core network control plane access endpoint executes one or more of: (a) an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network function of a 5G (Fifth Generation) radio-based technology stack, or (b) a Mobility Management Entity (MME) network function of a 4G (Fourth Generation) radio-based technology stack.
4 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the resource manager is further configured to: in response to detecting that a triggering condition for scaling up the transport layer protocol endpoints for the radio-based application has been satisfied, assign another transport layer protocol endpoint for processing control plane traffic of the radio-based application, without causing the number of core network control plane access endpoints in the set of core network control plane access endpoints to be changed.
5 . The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the set of core network control plane access endpoints comprises another core network control plane access endpoint, and wherein the particular core network control plane access endpoint and the other core network control plane access endpoint are configured in an active-active mode, such that processing of a particular control plane message at the particular core network control plane access endpoint overlaps at least partly in time with processing of another control plane message at the other core network control plane access endpoint.
6 . A computer-implemented method, comprising: assigning a first transport layer protocol endpoint, of a collection of transport layer protocol endpoints of a connectivity service of a suite of services provided via a cloud provider network that provides the suite of services to a plurality of clients, as an intermediary to transmit control plane messages between (a) a first radio access network (RAN) node of a first radio-based application and (b) a set of core network control plane access endpoints of the first radio-based application comprising at least a first core network control plane access endpoint and a second core network control plane access endpoint, wherein individual ones of the set of core network control plane access endpoints run one or more virtualized network functions of a core network; detecting that a condition for initiating a configuration change at the set of core network control plane access endpoints has been satisfied; and changing, based at least in part on the detecting, a number of core network control plane access endpoints in the set of core network control plane access endpoints to which control plane messages, from the RAN node and transported via the first transport layer protocol endpoint, are delivered without changing a configuration of the first RAN node.
7 . The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 , further comprising: transmitting, by the first transport layer protocol endpoint, a control plane message which originates at the first RAN node to a particular core network control plane access endpoint of the set of core network control plane access endpoints; and transmitting, by the first transport layer protocol endpoint, a control plane message which originates at the particular core network control plane access endpoint to the first RAN node.
8 . The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 , further comprising: configuring an additional transport layer protocol endpoint for transmitting control plane messages between the first RAN node and the set of core network control plane access endpoints, without changing a number of core network control plane access endpoints included in the set of core network control plane access endpoints to which control plane messages originating at the first RAN node are transmitted.
9 . The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 , wherein the first transport layer protocol endpoint is configured to process control plane messages transmitted using the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP).
10 . The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 , wherein a core network control plane access endpoint of the set of core network control plane access endpoints executes one or more of: (a) an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network function of a 5G (Fifth Generation) radio-based technology stack, or (b) a Mobility Management Entity (MME) network function of a 4G (Fourth Generation) radio-based technology stack.
11 . The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 , wherein the RAN node comprises one or more of: (a) a gNodeB base station or (b) an eNodeB base station.
12 . The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 , further comprising: assigning the first transport layer protocol endpoint as an intermediary for control plane messages originating at a second RAN node and directed to one or more core network control plane access endpoints.
13 . The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 , further comprising: processing, at a particular core network control plane access endpoint of the set, (a) a first control plane message originating at the first RAN node and (b) a second control plane message originating at a second RAN node.
14 . The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 , wherein a core network control plane access endpoint of the set of core network control plane access endpoints is implemented at a resource managed by the cloud provider network.
15 . The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 6 , wherein at least a portion of the RAN node is implemented at a resource managed by the cloud provider network.
16 . A non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium storing program instructions that when executed on a processor: cause an intermediary device, of a connectivity service of a suite of services provided via a cloud provider network, to be assigned to for-transmitting control plane messages between (a) a radio access network (RAN) node of a radio-based application and (b) a set of virtualized network functions of a core network of the radio-based application comprising at least a first virtualized network function and a second virtualized network function, wherein individual ones of the virtualized network functions run one or more virtualized network functions of a core network; detect that a condition for initiating a configuration change at the set of virtualized network functions has been satisfied; and change, based at least in part on detection of the condition, a configuration of the set of virtualized network functions of the core network of the radio-based application, without causing a change to configuration of the RAN node.
17 . The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 16 , wherein the intermediary device is implemented at least in part at a resource, comprising one or more virtual machines or compute instances configured to perform SCTP processing, of a cloud provider network.
18 . The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 16 , wherein the set of virtualized network functions is implemented at least in part at a resource of a cloud provider network.
19 . The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 16 , wherein the RAN node is implemented at least in part at a resource of a cloud provider network.
20 . The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium as recited in claim 16 , wherein to detect that the condition has been satisfied, the non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium stores further program instructions that when executed on the processor: determine that a maintenance event associated with the set of virtualized network functions is scheduled.

Description

BACKGROUND Several generations of broadband cellular communication technologies have been deployed in recent years. 5G is the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, which is gradually taking the place of the fourth-generation (4G) standard of Long-Term Evolution (LTE). 5G technology offers greatly increased bandwidth, thereby broadening the cellular market beyond smartphones to provide last-mile connectivity to desktops, set-top boxes, laptops, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and so on. As 5G technology becomes more prevalent, new types of broadband-based applications are likely to be developed and deployed, with some parts of the technology stack being executed using resources at cloud computing environments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an example system environment in which a connectivity service of a cloud provider network may configure intermediaries for network traffic between Radio Access Network (RAN) nodes and core networks of radio-based applications, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 2 illustrates example categories of network functions implemented as part of a core network of a radio-based technology stack, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 3 illustrates example layers of a RAN node, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a decoupled RAN-to-core control plane messaging architecture, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 illustrate examples of configuration options for RAN nodes, control plane traffic intermediaries, and core network control plane access endpoints, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 7 illustrates example programmatic interactions related to functionality provided by a connectivity service of a cloud provider network for control plane messages between RAN nodes and a core network, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 8 illustrates example programmatic interactions related to management of cloud-based core network functions with which RAN nodes exchange control plane messages, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of operations which may be performed to manage control plane interactions between RAN nodes and core networks, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a decoupled RAN-to-core user plane messaging architecture, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 illustrate examples of configuration options for RAN nodes, user plane traffic intermediaries, and core network user plane access endpoints, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 13 illustrates example programmatic interactions related to functionality provided by a connectivity service of a cloud provider network for user plane messages between RAN nodes and a core network, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 14 illustrates example programmatic interactions related to management of cloud-based core network functions with which RAN nodes exchange user plane messages, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of operations which may be performed to manage user plane interactions between RAN nodes and core networks, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 16 illustrates examples of premises at which resources for virtualized network function execution and traffic intermediaries for messages between RAN nodes and core networks may be managed by a cloud provider service, according to at least some embodiments. FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device that may be used in at least some embodiments. While embodiments are described herein by way of example for several embodiments and illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that embodiments are not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It should be understood, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit embodiments to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope as defined by the appended claims. The headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description or the claims. As used throughout this application, the word “may” is used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to), rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include,” “including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to. When used in the claims, the term “or” is used as an inclusive or and not as an exclusive or. For example, the phrase “at least one of x, y, or z” means any one of x, y, and z, as well as any combination thereof. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, articles such as “a” or “an” should generally be interpreted to include one or more described items throughout this appli