METHOD FOR ENHANCED MANAGEMENT AND/OR ENERGY EFFICIENT IMPLEMENTATION OF NETWORK FUNCTION VIRTUALIZATION WITHIN A TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK, NETWORK FUNCTION VIRTUALIZATION INFRASTRUCTURE, SCALING ENTITY OR SCALING MODULE OF A VIRTUAL NETWORK FUNCTION APPLICATION OR VIRTUAL NETWORK FUNCTION APPLICATION, PROGRAM AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

摘要

The invention relates to a method for enhanced management and/or energy efficient implementation of network function virtualization within a telecommunications network, wherein the telecommunications network comprises a network function virtualization infrastructure, comprising a plurality of physical and/or virtual machines as processing or computing resources in a network architecture of the telecommunications network realizing network function virtualization technologies, the network function virtualization infrastructure comprising a first data center and at least a second data center, wherein, by means of or by using the network function virtualization infrastructure, at least one virtual network function application is implemented within the telecommunications network, the virtual network function application involving a plurality of different virtual network function instances using at least part of the plurality of physical and/or virtual machines as processing or computing resources, wherein the method comprises the following steps:-- in a first step, the virtual network function application receives, regarding the first data center, a first overall consumption indication and a first consumption limit indication, and, regarding the second data center, a second overall consumption indication and a second consumption limit indication, the first and second overall consumption indication and the first and second consumption limit indication relating, respectively, to the overall energy consumption and to an energy consumption limit of the first and at least the second data center, respectively,-- in a second step, the virtual network function application decides dependent on the first and second overall consumption indication and/or dependent on the first and second consumption limit indication-- whether, and in which one of the available data centers, an additional virtual network function instance is to be used or is to be instantiated and/or whether, and in which one of the available data centers, an additional physical and/or virtual machine is to be used, and/or-- whether, and in which one of the available data centers, a virtual network function instance is to be removed or released and/or whether, and in which one of the available data centers, a physical and/or virtual machine is to be deallocated or freed.