Intent driven management service (IDMS) and Self Organizing Networks (SON)

Self Organizing Networks (SON)

The main idea behind NFV/SDN architectures is to provide a framework capable of assisting network operators to solve management problems, such as, cyber attacks, network failures, optimization to improve network performance, and QoE of the users, among others. In this context, SON can be useful to achieve real time autonomous network management.

whether SON is implemented in distributed, centralized or hybrid level, its aim is to make networks “More self-aware” by exploiting the information already available in the network to gain experience in the network management and “More self-adaptive” by exploiting intelligent control decisions procedures which allow to automatize the decision processes based on the experience.

As a short review on SON concept, below diagrams illustrate SON in three main sectors 1)Self configuration, 2)Self Optimization and 3)Self healing which can be deployed in network planning phase to Operations and Maintenance step.?

Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) such as ITU, ETSI, 3GPP and IEEE have been working on Network Automation by running activities in study and working groups.*

• ITU’s SG13 FG-ML5G Focus Group on Machine Learning for Future Networks including 5G and ITU/WHO Focus Group on artificial intelligence for health (FGAI4H(. ?FG-ML5G active from January 2018 until July 2020, is targeted to give as output technical reports and specifications for Machine Learning (ML) for future networks including 5G, including interfaces, network architectures, protocols, algorithms and data formats.
• ETSI’s Two AI-related ISGs:

1. ENI (Experiential Networked Intelligence)
2. ZSM (Zero touch network and Service Management)

• IEEE Network Intelligence Emerging Technologies Initiative
• 3GPP work groups and technical specifications:

1. Machine learning in 5G core through NWDAF (Network Data Analytics Function) R15
2. WG2: study item (SI) on Enablers for Network Automation for 5G
3. WG3 SI on RAN-centric Data Collection and Utilization
4. WG5 SI on Intent driven management service for the mobile network & Work item on SON for 5G

3GPP's WG5 SI on Intent driven management service for the mobile network & Work item on SON for 5G

* (off course more parties are considering network automation and you may add more in the comments)

Intent driven management service

An intent specifies the expectations including requirements, goals and constraints for a specific service or network management workflow. The intent may provide information on particular objective and possibly some related details.

Introduction of service-based architecture for 5G, in combination with functional model of business roles, exceeds the level of complexity for managing deployment and assurance use case scenarios both in a single and multivendor network. Thus, New and simpler ways of managing are needed.

Intent driven management service (Intent driven MnS: IDM) reduces the complexity of management without getting into the complicated detail of the underlying network infrastructure. An example of using Intent driven management service?is shown in the image in which the consumer provides its intent to the domain that is the producer of a set of management services. For example, the set provisioning MnSs to decommission a cell and instantiate the cell to a new NodeB could be achieved by stating the intent to “rehome the cell”.?The management service produced by the domain is what may be referred to as the Intent-driven MnS.

The management service produced by the domain is what may be referred to as the Intent-driven MnS.

Actions of an intent driven MnS related to the fulfilment of intents may be categorized as intent deployment and intent assurance. An intent defines to what position (in what state) the consumer wants as specific entity to be. The necessary steps to get to this position is not defined by the intent but by policy. The relation between the policy driven management (rule based) and intent driven management is shown in the below figure .

This figure describes the "What-How" view. As it now stands, the systems are mainly focused on "How" and "less What". The networks like 5G brings more operational complexities, which is driving systems to shift the focus from "How" to "What". The first step towards that shift, has been "Policy driven management", with more focus on "How" and less on "What" covering domain specific issues/aspects. As technologies are evolving and the level of complexity exceeds, the need for an abstraction level (Intent) becomes more apparent. An intent driven system will be able to learn the behavior of networks and services and allows an operator to provide the desired state, without detailed knowledge of how to get to the desired state.

An intent driven system will be able to learn the behavior of networks and services and allows an operator to provide the desired state, without detailed knowledge of how to get to the desired state.

Relation between intent driven MnS and SON

SON target information can be derived from Intent, which means MnS producer can translate the intent to SON target information (e.g. the UE throughput intent can be translated to SON target information for one or multiple SON, e.g. CCO, HO, etc) or MnS producer can use the information in the intent for SON target directly (e.g. information in the area load balance intent can be used for SON target of LBO Function).

SON target information can be derived from Intent, which means MnS producer can translate the intent to SON target information

Example: UE throughput optimization

1. Intent driven MnS Consumer sends the following UE throughput optimization intent to Intent driven MnS Producer.

The threshold for low throughput needs to be specified (e.g. 5 Mbps).

2. When received the UE throughput optimization intent, Intent driven MnS Producer may execute the following management tasks to satisfy the intent. Following is an example:

To see more Scenarios on intent driven management with SON you may refer to 3GPP TR 28.812 V17.1.0 section 6.?

Note: There are already articles available on "Intent based networking" :IBN or "The relationship between intent-based networking and SDN" : SDN and IBN