CN110266826B

CN110266826B - Address management method, equipment and system

Info

Publication number: CN110266826B
Application number: CN201810201012.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孙德奎
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-03-12
Filing date: 2018-03-12
Publication date: 2020-11-17
Anticipated expiration: 2038-03-12
Also published as: WO2019174437A1; CN110266826A

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides an address management method, equipment and a system, so that the problem of IP address repetition allocated to different PDU sessions can be avoided, and IP addresses in an address pool can be effectively utilized. The method comprises the following steps: the method comprises the steps that a session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to first information in the session management network element are insufficient, wherein the first information comprises at least one of information of one or more tracking areas TA or one or more data network names DNN; and the session management network element sends a first notification message to network equipment, wherein the first notification message is used for indicating that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient.

Description

Address management method, equipment and system

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, a device, and a system for address management.

Background

In the existing fifth generation (5rd generation, 5G) network architecture, one Session Management Function (SMF) network element may control multiple User Plane Function (UPF) network elements, and at the same time, one UPF network element may be controlled by multiple SMF network elements.

In a scenario where one UPF network element is controlled by a plurality of SMF network elements, in order to send downlink data belonging to different Packet Data Unit (PDU) sessions in one Data Network (DN) to a terminal through a tunnel corresponding to a corresponding PDU session, different Internet Protocol (IP) addresses need to be allocated to the different PDU sessions, otherwise, the UPF network element cannot distinguish which tunnel corresponding to the PDU session the downlink data whose destination address is the same IP address should be sent to the terminal.

In order to solve the above problem, an address management method for segmenting an IP address pool corresponding to a UPF network element is proposed in the prior art. For example, if one UPF network element is connected to three SMF network elements, the IP address pool corresponding to the UPF network element may be divided into three different segments, which are configured on the three different SMF network elements respectively. In this way, because different SMF network elements are configured with different IP address segments, the IP addresses allocated to different PDU sessions by different SMF network elements do not overlap.

However, although the above method can avoid the problem of IP address duplication allocated to different PDU sessions, if the number of SMF network elements is large or the number of IP addresses in the IP address pool corresponding to the UPF network element is limited, the IP addresses may not be effectively utilized. For example, when the IP address in the IP address field configured on the SMF1 network element is exhausted, but an unused IP address exists in the IP address field configured on another SMF network element, if the SMF1 network element is selected to serve the PDU session, the terminal cannot access the PDU session if the IP address corresponding to the UPF network element is not exhausted.

Therefore, when one UPF network element is controlled by a plurality of SMF network elements, how to perform address management makes it possible to avoid the problem of duplication of IP addresses allocated to different PDU sessions, and to effectively utilize IP addresses in an address pool, which is a problem to be solved at present.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides an address management method, equipment and a system, so that the problem of IP address repetition allocated to different PDU sessions can be avoided, and IP addresses in an address pool can be effectively utilized.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiment of the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

in a first aspect, an address management method is provided, and the method includes: the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to first information in the session management network element are insufficient, wherein the first information comprises at least one of information of one or more tracking areas TA or one or more data network names DNN; the session management network element sends a first notification message to the network device, where the first notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient. Based on the scheme, because the session management network element sends the first notification message to the network device, the network device can acquire the state of the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element, so that when the session management network element is selected in the subsequent terminal session establishment process, the session management network element with insufficient address resources can be avoided and the session management network element with sufficient address resources can be selected according to the state of the address resource, thereby not only avoiding the problem of duplicate IP addresses allocated to different sessions, but also effectively utilizing the IP addresses in the address pool.

In one possible design, the determining, by the session management network element, that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient includes: after the session management network element allocates an internet protocol IP address to the first terminal, the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient, where the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the first terminal, and the one or more DNNs include a DNN corresponding to the first terminal.

In one possible design, the network device includes a first mobility management element serving the first terminal; the method further comprises the following steps: the session management network element stores the identifier of the first mobility management network element in a notified mobility management network element list, where the notified mobility management network element list includes the identifier of the mobility management network element for which the session management network element has notified that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is insufficient. Based on the scheme, because the session management network element can store the notified mobility management network element list, the corresponding mobility management network element can be notified in time when the address resource corresponding to the first information is sufficient in the subsequent process, so that the session management network element can be selected when the mobility management network element selects the session management network element in the subsequent terminal session establishment process.

In one possible design, before the session management element stores the identity of the first mobility management element in a list of notified mobility management elements, the method further includes: the session management element creates the notified mobility management element list. That is to say, in the embodiment of the present application, the address resource corresponding to the first information may be sufficient by nature, and after the session management network element allocates the IP address to the first terminal, the address resource becomes insufficient, so that a notified mobility management network element list needs to be created.

In another possible design, before the session management element stores the identity of the first mobility management element in a list of notified mobility management elements, the method further includes: after the session management network element allocates an IP address to the second terminal, the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient, where the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the second terminal, and the one or more DNNs include a DNN corresponding to the second terminal; the session management network element sends the first notification message to a second mobility management network element serving the second terminal; the session management element creates the notified mobility management element list. That is to say, in the embodiment of the present application, the address resource corresponding to the first information may have been insufficient before the IP address is allocated to the first terminal, but the first mobility management element does not know that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management element has been insufficient.

In one possible design, the method further includes: the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient; and the session management network element sends a second notification message to the mobility management network element corresponding to the identifier of the mobility management network element in the notified mobility management network element list, where the second notification message is used to indicate that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is sufficient. That is to say, in the embodiment of the present application, when the address resource corresponding to the first information is sufficient, the corresponding mobility management element may be notified in time, so that when the mobility management element selects a session management element in a subsequent terminal session establishment process, the session management element may be selected.

In one possible design, the network device includes a mobility management element or a network function storage element to which the session management element is connected; the method further comprises the following steps: the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient; and the session management network element sends a second notification message to the network device, where the second notification message is used to indicate that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient. That is to say, in the embodiment of the present application, when the address resource corresponding to the first information is sufficient, the corresponding network device may be notified in time, so that when the network device selects the session management network element in the subsequent terminal session establishment process, the session management network element may be selected.

In one possible design, the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to a third terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the third terminal; before the session management network element determines that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient, the method further includes: and the session management network element releases the IP address allocated to the third terminal.

In a possible design, the insufficient address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element includes that a ratio of available address resources in the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is less than or equal to a first preset value; the sufficient address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element include that a ratio of available address resources in the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is greater than or equal to a second preset value, wherein the first preset value is less than or equal to the second preset value.

In one possible design, the second notification message carries the first information and an address sufficiency indication; or, the second notification message carries the identifier of the session management network element, the first information, and an address sufficiency indication.

In one possible design, the first notification message carries first information and an indication of insufficient addresses; or, the first notification message carries the identifier of the session management network element, the first information, and an indication that the address is insufficient.

In a second aspect, there is provided an address management method, including: the network equipment receives a first notification message from a first session management network element, wherein the first notification message is used for indicating that address resources corresponding to first information in the first session management network element are insufficient, and the first information comprises at least one of information of one or more tracking areas TA or one or more data network names DNN; the network device stores information that address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element are insufficient. Based on the scheme, since the network device can acquire the state of the address resource corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element, when the session management network element is selected in the subsequent terminal session establishment process, the session management network element with insufficient address resources can be avoided and the session management network element with sufficient address resources can be selected according to the state of the address resources, so that the problem of IP address repetition allocated to different sessions can be avoided, and the IP address in the address pool can be effectively utilized.

In one possible design, the first session management network element includes a session management network element serving the first terminal; correspondingly, the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the first terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the first terminal.

In one possible design, the network device includes a first mobility management element serving the first terminal; the method further comprises the following steps: the first mobility management network element receives a session establishment request from a second terminal, wherein the session establishment request carries second information, and the second information comprises at least one of information of a TA (timing advance) corresponding to the second terminal or DNN (direct network number) corresponding to the second terminal; and the first mobility management network element selects a second session management network element to serve the second terminal according to the second information and the stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient, wherein the one or more address resources comprise address resources corresponding to the information comprising the second information in the one or more session management network elements. Based on the scheme, because the first mobility management network element can acquire the state of the address resource corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element, when the session management network element is selected in the subsequent terminal session establishment process, the session management network element with insufficient address resources can be avoided and the session management network element with sufficient address resources can be selected according to the state of the address resource, so that the problem of IP address repetition allocated to different sessions can be avoided, and the IP addresses in the address pool can be effectively utilized.

In one possible design, the network device includes a network function storage network element; the method further comprises the following steps: the network function storage network element receives a request message from a second mobility management network element serving a second terminal, wherein the request message carries second information, and the second information comprises at least one of information of a TA (timing advance) corresponding to the second terminal or DNN (network driver network) corresponding to the second terminal; the network function storage network element determines an available session management network element list according to the second information and stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient, wherein the one or more address resources comprise address resources corresponding to the information comprising the second information in one or more session management network elements; the network function storage network element sends the list of available session management network elements to the second mobility management network element, where the list of available session management network elements is used to select the second session management network element to serve the second terminal. Based on the scheme, the network function storage network element can acquire the state of the address resource corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element, so that when the session management network element is selected in the subsequent terminal session establishment process, the session management network element with insufficient address resources can be avoided and the session management network element with sufficient address resources can be selected according to the state of the address resources, so that the problem of IP address repetition allocated to different sessions can be avoided, and the IP addresses in the address pool can be effectively utilized.

In a possible design, the second session management network element is included in the list of available session management network elements, and address resources corresponding to third information in the second session management network element are sufficient, where the third information includes at least one of information of one or more TAs or one or more DNNs, and the second information is included in the third information.

In one possible design, the method further includes: the network device receives a second notification message from the first session management network element, where the second notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element are sufficient; the network device deletes the stored information that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element is insufficient. That is to say, in the embodiment of the present application, when the address resource corresponding to the first information is sufficient, the corresponding network device may be notified in time, so that the network device deletes the stored information that the address resource corresponding to the first information is insufficient in the first session management network element, and further, when the session management network element is selected in the subsequent terminal session establishment process, the session management network element may be selected.

In a third aspect, a session management network element is provided, where the session management network element has a function of implementing the method of any one of the above first aspects. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a fourth aspect, a session management network element is provided, including: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer-executable instructions, and when the session management network element is running, the processor executes the computer-executable instructions stored by the memory to cause the session management network element to perform the address management method according to any one of the above first aspects.

In a fifth aspect, a session management network element is provided, including: a processor; the processor is configured to be coupled to the memory, and after reading an instruction in the memory, execute the address management method according to any one of the above first aspects according to the instruction.

A sixth aspect provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the address management method of any one of the above first aspects.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, enable the computer to perform the address management method of any of the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, a chip system is provided, where the chip system includes a processor configured to enable a session management network element to implement the functions recited in the first aspect, for example, to determine that address resources corresponding to first information in the session management network element are insufficient. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the session management network element. The chip system may be constituted by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

For technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the third aspect to the eighth aspect, reference may be made to technical effects brought by different design manners in the first aspect, and details are not described here.

In a ninth aspect, a network device is provided, which has the function of implementing the method of any one of the second aspect above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a network device comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store computer executable instructions, and when the network device is running, the processor executes the computer executable instructions stored in the memory, so as to enable the network device to perform the address management method according to any one of the second aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, a network device is provided, which includes: a processor; the processor is configured to be coupled to the memory, and after reading the instruction in the memory, execute the address management method according to any one of the second aspects.

In a twelfth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which when run on a computer, make the computer perform the address management method of any one of the above second aspects.

In a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a computer program product containing instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the address management method of any of the second aspects above.

In a fourteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, where the chip system includes a processor configured to enable a network device to implement the functions recited in the second aspect, for example, to select a second session management network element to serve a second terminal according to the second information and stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and data necessary for the network device. The chip system may be constituted by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

The technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the ninth aspect to the fourteenth aspect can be referred to the technical effects brought by different design manners in the second aspect, and are not described herein again.

In a fifteenth aspect, an address management system is provided, which includes a session management network element and a network device. The session management network element is configured to determine that address resources corresponding to first information in the session management network element are insufficient, and send a first notification message to the network device, where the first notification message is used to indicate that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient, and the first information includes at least one of information of one or more tracking areas TA or one or more data network names DNN; the network device is used for receiving the first notification message from the session management network element.

These and other aspects of the present application will be more readily apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic architecture diagram of an address management system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic architecture diagram of a 5G network according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic hardware structure diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between an address resource and a TA provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between address resources and DNs provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between address resources and DNs and TAs according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a first flowchart illustrating an address management method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a second address management method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a session management network element according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Where in the description of the present application, "/" indicates an OR meaning, for example, A/B may indicate A or B; "and/or" herein is merely an association describing an associated object, and means that there may be three relationships, e.g., a and/or B, which may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Also, in the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more than two unless otherwise specified. In addition, in order to facilitate clear description of technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items having substantially the same functions and actions. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the terms "first," "second," etc. do not denote any order or quantity, nor do the terms "first," "second," etc. denote any order or importance.

In addition, the network architecture and the service scenario described in the embodiment of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation to the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, and it can be known by a person skilled in the art that the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems along with the evolution of the network architecture and the appearance of a new service scenario.

As shown in fig. 1, for an address management system 10 provided in an embodiment of the present application, the address management system 10 includes a session management network element 101 and a network device 102.

The session management network element 101 is configured to determine that address resources corresponding to first information in the session management network element 101 are insufficient, where the first information includes information of one or more Tracking Areas (TAs) or at least one of one or more Data Network Names (DNNs), and a description of relevant descriptions will be described in detail in a subsequent embodiment in combination with a specific scenario, which is not described herein again.

The session management network element 101 is further configured to send a first notification message to the network device 102, where the first notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element 101 are insufficient.

The network device 102 is configured to receive the first notification message from the session management network element 101.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the network device 102 is further configured to store information that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element 101 are insufficient, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

Optionally, the insufficient address resources in the embodiment of the present application include that a ratio of available address resources in the address resources is less than or equal to a first preset value; the sufficient address resources comprise that the proportion of the available address resources in the address resources is greater than or equal to a second preset value, wherein the first preset value is less than or equal to the second preset value.

For example, assuming that the first preset value and the second preset value are both 1%, if the proportion of the currently available address resources in one address resource is greater than or equal to 1%, it may be determined that the address resource is sufficient at this time; if the proportion of the currently available address resources in the address resources is less than 1% after the terminal allocates an IP address in the address resources, the address resources become insufficient at this time; if a subsequent terminal initiates address release, so that the proportion of available address resources in the address resources is greater than or equal to 1%, the address resources become sufficient at this moment; if an IP address in the address resource is allocated to the terminal at this time, the proportion of the available address resource in the address resource is less than 1%, the address resource becomes insufficient again at this time, the cycle is repeated, and the state of the address resource is also frequently switched, which is called ping-pong effect.

Or, for example, assuming that the first preset value is 1% and the second preset value is 2%, that is, there is a threshold interval, if the proportion of the currently available address resources in one address resource is greater than 2%, it may be determined that the address resource is sufficient at this time; assuming that the proportion of the currently available address resources in the address resources is continuously reduced to 1% after the IP addresses in the address resources are allocated to one or more terminals, the address resources become insufficient at this time; if one or more subsequent terminals initiate address release, so that the proportion of the available address resources in the address resources is continuously increased to% 2, then the address resources become sufficient at this time. Such a threshold interval may be used to avoid ping-pong effects.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the proportion of the available address resources may also be replaced by the number of the available address resources; alternatively, the ratio of the unavailable address resources or the number of the unavailable address resources may be used to represent that the address resources are sufficient or the address resources are insufficient, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application. The following embodiments of the present application are only exemplary to determine whether address resources are sufficient according to the ratio of available address resources, and are herein described in a unified manner, which is not described in detail below.

Optionally, the network device 102 in this embodiment of the present application may include, for example, a mobility management network element or a network function storage network element, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the session management network element 101 and the network device 102 in this embodiment may communicate directly, or communicate through forwarding of other devices, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In the address management system provided in the embodiment of the present application, since the network device can acquire the state of the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element, when selecting the session management network element in the subsequent terminal session establishment process, the session management network element with insufficient address resources can be avoided and the session management network element with sufficient address resources can be selected according to the state of the address resource, so that the problem of IP address duplication allocated to different sessions can be avoided, and the IP addresses in the address pool can be effectively utilized.

Alternatively, the address management system shown in fig. 1 may be applied to the current 5G network and other networks in the future, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited in this respect.

For example, assuming that the address management system shown in fig. 1 can be applied to the current 5G network, as shown in fig. 2, the network element or entity corresponding to the session management network element may be an SMF network element in the 5G network; the network element or entity corresponding to the network function storage network element may be a network function storage function (NRF) network element in a 5G network, and the network element or entity corresponding to the mobility management network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element in the 5G network.

In addition, as shown in fig. 2, the 5G network may further include an access device, a UPF network element, a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element, a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element, an authentication server function (AUSF) network element, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

As shown in fig. 2, in this embodiment of the present application, a terminal accesses a 5G core network through an access device, the terminal communicates with an AMF network element through a Next generation network (Next generation, N)1 interface (abbreviated as N1), the access device communicates with the AMF network element through an N2 interface (abbreviated as N2), the access device communicates with an UPF network element through an N3 interface (abbreviated as N3), the AMF network element communicates with an SMF network element through an N11 interface (abbreviated as N11), the AMF network element communicates with a UDM network element through an N8 interface (abbreviated as N8), the AMF network element communicates with an AUSF network element through an N12 interface (abbreviated as N12), the AMF network element communicates with a PCF network element through an N15 interface (abbreviated as N15), the SMF network element communicates with the PCF network element through an N7 interface (abbreviated as N7), the SMF network element communicates with an UPF network element through an N4 interface (abbreviated as N4), the NRF network element communicates with the UPF network element and the SMF network element separately, and the UPF network element communicates with an UPF network element through an N686.

It should be noted that the interface name between each network element in fig. 2 is only an example, and the interface name may be other names in a specific implementation, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

It should be noted that the terminal, the access device, the NRF network element, the AMF network element, the SMF network element, the UPF network element, the AUSF network element, the UDM network element, or the PCF network element in fig. 2 are only names, and the names do not limit the device itself. In the 5G network and other future networks, the network element or entity corresponding to the terminal, the access device, the AMF network element, the SMF network element, the UPF network element, the AUSF network element, the UDM network element, or the PCF network element may also be another name, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, it is also possible that a UPF network element is replaced with a UPF or a UPF entity; the UDM network element may also be replaced by a user home server (HSS), a User Subscription Database (USD), a database entity, or the like, which is described herein in a unified manner and will not be described in detail below.

Optionally, the terminal (terminal) referred to in the embodiments of the present application may include various handheld devices with wireless communication functions, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem; a subscriber unit (subscriber unit), a cellular phone (cellular phone), a smart phone (smart phone), a wireless data card, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) computer, a tablet computer, a wireless modem (modem), a handheld device (dhhand), a laptop computer (laptop computer), a cordless phone (cordless phone) or a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) terminal, a User Equipment (UE), a Mobile Station (MS), a terminal equipment (terminal device) or a relay user equipment, etc. may also be included. The relay user equipment may be, for example, a 5G home gateway (RG). For convenience of description, the above-mentioned devices are collectively referred to as a terminal in this application.

Optionally, the access device referred to in this embodiment of the present application refers to a device that accesses a core network, and may be, for example, a base station, a broadband network service gateway (BNG), a convergence switch, a non-third generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP) access network element, and the like. The base stations may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also referred to as small stations), relay stations, access points, etc.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the session management network element or the network device in fig. 1 may be implemented by one device, may also be implemented by multiple devices together, and may also be a functional module in one device, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. It is understood that the above functions may be either network elements in a hardware device, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

For example, the session management network element or the network device in fig. 1 in the embodiment of the present application may be implemented by the communication device in fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hardware structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 300 includes at least one processor 301, communication lines 302, memory 303, and at least one communication interface 304.

The processor 301 may be a general-purpose Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more ics for controlling the execution of programs in accordance with the present disclosure.

The communication link 302 may include a path for transmitting information between the aforementioned components.

The communication interface 304 may be any device, such as a transceiver, for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as an ethernet, a Radio Access Network (RAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.

The memory 303 may be, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that may store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, optical disk storage (including compact disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, blu-ray disc, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. The memory may be separate and coupled to the processor via a communication line 302. The memory may also be integral to the processor.

The memory 303 is used for storing computer-executable instructions for executing the present invention, and is controlled by the processor 301. The processor 301 is configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 303, thereby implementing the address management method provided by the following embodiments of the present application.

Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application program codes, which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

In particular implementations, processor 301 may include one or more CPUs such as CPU0 and CPU1 in fig. 3, for example, as an example.

In particular implementations, communication device 300 may include multiple processors, such as processor 301 and processor 308 in fig. 3, for example, as an example. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

In particular implementations, communication device 300 may also include an output device 305 and an input device 306, as one embodiment. The output device 305 is in communication with the processor 301 and may display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 305 may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display device, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display device, a projector (projector), or the like. The input device 306 is in communication with the processor 301 and may receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 306 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, among others.

The communication device 300 may be a general purpose device or a special purpose device. In a specific implementation, the communication device 300 may be a desktop, a laptop, a web server, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, or a device with a similar structure as in fig. 3. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of the communication device 300.

The address management method provided in the embodiment of the present application will be specifically described below with reference to fig. 1 to 3.

It should be noted that, in the following embodiments of the present application, names of messages between network elements or names of parameters in messages are only an example, and other names may also be used in a specific implementation, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

First, taking the application of the address management system shown in fig. 1 to the 5G network shown in fig. 2 as an example, a manner for the SMF network element to determine whether address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF network element are sufficient is given as follows:

the first method is as follows: the SMF network element determines whether resources in an address pool corresponding to a certain UPF network element configured on the SMF network element are sufficient, if the resources are not sufficient, the SMF network element determines that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF network element are not sufficient; and if the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF network element are sufficient, the SMF network element is equivalent to determine that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF network element are sufficient. That is, the first information at this time includes information of all TAs corresponding to the UPF network element or at least one of all DNNs corresponding to the UPF network element.

For example, the address resource 1 in fig. 4 refers to a resource in an address pool corresponding to a UPF1 network element configured on an SMF network element, and the address resource 2 in fig. 4 refers to a resource in an address pool corresponding to a UPF2 network element configured on an SMF network element. The serving network element of the UPF1 corresponds to TA1 and TA2, and the UPF2 network element corresponds to TA3 and TA 2.

Assuming that the SMF network element determines that address resource 1 is insufficient, it is equivalent to the SMF network element determining that address resources corresponding to the information of TA1 and the information of TA2 are insufficient; alternatively, assuming that the SMF network element determines that the address resources are sufficient, it is equivalent to the SMF network element determining that the address resources corresponding to the information of TA1 and the information of TA2 are sufficient. The manner for determining whether the

address resources

1 and 2 are sufficient may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, and is not described herein again.

The second method comprises the following steps: the SMF network element firstly determines whether resources in an address pool corresponding to a certain UPF network element configured on the SMF network element are sufficient; if sufficient, similar to the case of sufficient in the first mode, it is not described herein again; if not, checking whether one or more TA corresponding to the UPF network element is covered by other UPF network elements controlled or managed by the SMF network element, and only if the resources in the address pool corresponding to all the UPF network elements corresponding to one TA are insufficient, the address resources of the TA are considered to be insufficient. That is, the first information at this time includes one or more pieces of information of the TA corresponding to the UPF network element.

For example, in conjunction with fig. 4, assuming that address resource 1 is insufficient, but address resource 2 is sufficient, the address resource corresponding to TA3 may be considered sufficient, and the address resource corresponding to TA2 may also be considered sufficient; if no UPF network element covers TA1 in other UPF network elements controlled or managed by the current SMF network element, the address resource corresponding to TA1 is deemed insufficient.

And determining, by the SMF network element, whether the address resource is sufficient by determining whether the address resource corresponding to a certain DNN corresponding to the UPF network element is sufficient, and determining, by the SMF network element, that the address resource corresponding to the DNN is insufficient only when the address resources corresponding to the DNN of all the UPF network elements configured on the SMF network element are insufficient. That is, the first information at this time includes one or more DNNs corresponding to the UPF network element.

For example, as shown in fig. 5, the UPF1 network element and the UPF2 network element both correspond to DNN1 and DNN2, and then the address resource corresponding to the UPF1 network element needs to be segmented according to DNN, which includes: address resource 1-1 corresponding to DNN1 and address resource 1-2 corresponding to DNN 2; the address resource corresponding to the UPF2 network element needs to be segmented according to DNN, including: address resource 2-1 for DNN1 and address resource 2-2 for DNN 2. In this case, if the address resource (i.e., address resource 1-1) of the UPF1 network element for DNN1 is insufficient, only if the address resource (e.g., address resource 2-1) of the other UPF network elements managed by the SMF network element for DNN1 is also insufficient, the address resource corresponding to DNN1 will be considered to be insufficient. The manner for determining whether the address resources 1-1 and 2-1 are sufficient may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, and will not be described herein again.

In the embodiment of the present application, address resources 1-1 corresponding to DNN1 and address resources 1-2 corresponding to DNN2 may overlap, or may not overlap; address resource 2-1 corresponding to DNN1 and address resource 2-2 corresponding to DNN2 may or may not overlap, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In this embodiment of the present application, an address resource corresponding to a certain DNN corresponding to a UPF network element specifically means: when the session establishment request carries a certain DNN corresponding to the UPF network element, the address resource allocated to the session may be used. That is to say, if a certain DNN corresponding to the UPF network element is carried in the session establishment request, an address in the address resource corresponding to the DNN corresponding to the UPF network element needs to be allocated to the session. For example, if the session establishment request carries the DNN1 corresponding to the UPF1 network element, the address in the address resource 1-1 corresponding to the DNN1 corresponding to the UPF1 network element needs to be allocated to the session, which is described in the unified manner herein and will not be described in detail below.

The method is as follows: and combining the second mode with the third mode, that is, the first information in the mode includes one or more DNNs corresponding to the UPF network element and one or more TAs corresponding to the UPF network element. In this case, for a certain TA, if the address resource belonging to a certain DNN corresponding to the TA is insufficient on the SMF network element. It may be determined that the address resources corresponding to the TA and the DNN are insufficient by:

A. the SMF network element firstly determines whether other UPF network elements can cover the TA;

B. if a is true, the SMF network element determines whether address resources of other UPF network elements capable of covering this TA for the DNN are sufficient.

For example, as shown in fig. 6, the UPF1 network element corresponds to TA1 and TA2, and the UPF2 network element corresponds to TA3 and TA 2; the UPF1 network element and the UPF2 network element both correspond to DNN1 and DNN2, and the address resource corresponding to the UPF1 network element is segmented according to DNN, and the method comprises the following steps: address resource 1-1 corresponding to DNN1 and address resource 1-2 corresponding to DNN 2; segmenting address resources corresponding to the UPF2 network element according to DNN, wherein the segmenting comprises: address resource 2-1 for DNN1 and address resource 2-2 for DNN 2. In this case, if address resource 1-1 belonging to DNN1 corresponding to TA2 is insufficient, the SMF network element may determine that a UPF2 network element also covers TA2, and further, the SMF network element determines whether address resource 2-1 of the UPF2 network element for DNN1 is sufficient, and only if address resource 2-1 of the UPF2 network element for DNN1 is also insufficient, address resources corresponding to DNN1 and TA2 are considered to be insufficient. The manner for determining whether the address resources 1-1 and 2-1 are sufficient may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, and will not be described herein again.

It should be noted that the first to fourth manners are only exemplary implementations of several SMF network elements for determining whether address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF network element are sufficient, and of course, other implementations are possible, and this is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Next, taking the application of the address management system shown in fig. 1 to the 5G network shown in fig. 2, and taking the network device as an AMF network element in the 5G network as an example, as shown in fig. 7, the address management method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

s701, the terminal 1 sends a session establishment request 1 to the SMF1 network element, so that the SMF1 network element receives the session establishment request 1 from the terminal 1.

The session establishment request 1 carries fourth information, where the fourth information includes at least one of information of a TA corresponding to the terminal 1 or a DNN corresponding to the terminal 1. The TA information is used to characterize the location information of the terminal 1, and may include at least one of a TA identifier, a cell identifier, or location information, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the session in this application embodiment may be, for example, a PDU session, which is not specifically limited in this application embodiment.

And S702, the SMF1 network element allocates an IP address for the terminal 1 according to the session establishment request 1.

For the related implementation of step S702, reference may be made to an existing implementation manner, which is not described herein again.

S703, after the network element of the SMF1 allocates the IP address to the terminal 1, the network element of the SMF1 determines that address resources corresponding to first information in the network element of the SMF1 are insufficient, where the first information includes at least one of information of one or more TAs or one or more DNNs.

In this embodiment of the application, after the SMF1 network element allocates the IP address to the terminal 1, the SMF1 network element determines the corresponding UPF network element according to the fourth information, where at least one of the information of all TAs corresponding to the UPF network element, or all DNNs corresponding to the UPF network element includes at least one of the information of the TA corresponding to the terminal 1, or the DNN corresponding to the terminal 1. Further, the SMF1 network element may determine whether the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element is sufficient according to the manner that the SMF network element determines whether the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF network element is sufficient, which is not described herein again.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the information of one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the terminal 1, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the terminal 1. For example, if the session establishment request 1 in step S701 carries information of a TA corresponding to the terminal 1, the first information includes information of one or more TAs, where the information of one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the terminal 1; or, if the session establishment request 1 in step S701 carries information of a DNN corresponding to the terminal 1, the first information includes information of one or more DNNs, where the information of the one or more DNNs includes information of a DNN corresponding to the terminal 1; or, if the session establishment request 1 in step S701 carries information of a TA corresponding to the terminal 1 and information of a DNN corresponding to the terminal 1, the first information includes information of one or more DNNs and information of one or more TAs, where the information of one or more DNNs includes information of a DNN corresponding to the terminal 1, and the information of one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the terminal 1.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment, before the terminal 1 establishes the session, the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element may be insufficient, but since the AMF1 network element serving the terminal 1 does not know that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element is insufficient, the AMF1 network element may also select the SMF1 network element for the terminal 1; or, the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element is originally sufficient, and after the IP address is allocated to the terminal 1, the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element is already insufficient, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the insufficient address resources corresponding to the first information may also be characterized as that the address resources corresponding to the first information are unavailable or the SMF1 network element corresponding to the first information is unavailable, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

S704, the SMF1 network element sends a notification message 1 to the AMF1 network element serving the terminal 1, so that the AMF1 network element receives the notification message 1 from the SMF1 network element. Wherein the notification message 1 is used to indicate that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are insufficient.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the notification message 1 may carry the first information and the indication of insufficient address; or the notification message 1 carries the first information, the identifier of the SMF1 network element, and the indication of insufficient address, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. When the notification message 1 does not carry the identifier of the SMF1 network element, the AMF1 network element may determine the identifier of the SMF1 network element according to the signaling connection between the AMF1 network element and the SMF1 network element, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. In addition, the determining mode of the first information may refer to the above-mentioned mode of determining, by the SMF network element, whether the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF network element is sufficient, which is not described herein again

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the notification message 1 may be carried in the session establishment response 1, or may be a special notification message, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

S705, the SMF1 network element stores the identifier of the AMF1 network element serving the terminal 1 in the notified AMF network element list.

Wherein, the notified AMF network element list includes the identifier of the AMF network element which has notified the SMF1 network element that the address resource corresponding to the first information is insufficient in the SMF1 network element.

In a possible implementation manner, if the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element is insufficient, it is the first time, that is, the address resource corresponding to the first information is originally sufficient, and after the IP address is allocated to the terminal 1, the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element is already insufficient. Then the SMF1 network element needs to create a notified AMF network element list at this time, and store the identifier of the AMF1 network element serving terminal 1 in the notified AMF network element list, and the result is shown in table one:

watch 1

Information	Identification of AMF network elements
		First information	Identification of AMF1 network element

In another possible implementation, if the situation that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are insufficient is not the first occurrence, that is, before the terminal 1 establishes the session, the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are already insufficient, but since the AMF1 network element serving the terminal 1 does not know that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are already insufficient, the AMF1 network element is also the SMF1 network element selected for the terminal 1. There is now already a list of notified AMF network elements created when the situation that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are insufficient for the first time. For example, after the SMF1 network element allocates an IP address to the terminal 3, if the SMF1 network element determines that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are insufficient, the SMF1 network element sends the notification message 1 to the AMF3 network element serving the terminal 3, creates a notified AMF network element list, and stores the identifier of the AMF3 network element in the notified AMF network element list. After the SMF1 network element stores the identity of the AMF1 network element serving terminal 1 in the notified AMF network element list, the notified AMF network element list may be as shown in table two:

watch two

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the identifier of the AMF1 network element may be, for example, a name of the AMF1 network element, an address of the AMF1 network element, or other information uniquely identifying the AMF1 network element, and the like, which is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there is no inevitable execution sequence between the step S704 and the step S705, and the step S704 may be executed first, and then the step S705 is executed; step S705 may be executed first, and then step S704 may be executed, or step S705 and step S704 may be executed simultaneously, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

And S706, storing the information that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are insufficient by the AMF1 network element.

For example, the information that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element is insufficient may be stored in the following table three:

watch III

Of course, table three is merely an exemplary illustration, and the information that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element is insufficient may also have other storage forms, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

And S707, other processes of session establishment.

In the embodiment of the present application, other processes for session establishment may refer to an existing implementation manner, and are not described herein again.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there is no inevitable execution sequence between step S707 and steps S703-S706, and step S707 may be executed first, and then one or more steps in steps S703-S706 are executed; or one or more steps of steps S703-S706 may be performed first, and then step S707 is executed; one or more steps of step S707 and steps S703-S706 may also be executed at the same time, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

Optionally, the address management method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps:

s708, the terminal 2 sends a session establishment request 2 to an AMF1 network element serving the terminal 2, so that the AMF1 network element receives the session establishment request 2 from the terminal 2.

The session establishment request 2 carries second information, where the second information includes at least one of information of a TA corresponding to the terminal 2 or a DNN corresponding to the terminal 2.

And S709, the AMF1 network element selects the SMF2 network element to serve the terminal 2 according to the second information and the stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient. Wherein the one or more address resources include address resources in the one or more SMF network elements corresponding to the information including the second information.

For example, assuming that the AMF1 network element determines that the SMF1 network element and the SMF2 network element can serve the terminal 2 according to the prior art, if the first information includes information of TA1 and information of TA2, the second information includes information of TA1, and the AMF1 network element stores information that address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are insufficient, the AMF1 network element does not select the SMF1 network element to serve the terminal 2, but selects the SMF2 network element to serve the terminal 2.

And S710, other processes of session establishment.

s711, the terminal 3 sends a session release request to the SMF1 network element, so that the SMF1 network element receives the session release request from the terminal 3. Wherein the session release request is for requesting release of the session of the terminal 3.

And S712, the SMF1 network element releases the IP address allocated for the terminal 3.

Assuming that the IP address allocated to the terminal 3 is an address in the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element, after the SMF1 network element releases the IP address allocated to the terminal 3, the SMF1 network element may store the IP address allocated to the terminal 3 in the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element; or the SMF1 network element marks the IP address allocated to the terminal 3 as available, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, an example that the SMF1 network element releases the IP address allocated to the terminal 3 when the terminal 3 releases the session is described, but certainly, the terminal 3 does not release the session, and the SMF1 network element may also release the IP address allocated to the terminal 3, for example, when the session of the terminal has a plurality of IP anchors, and one of the IP anchors is released, the IP address will also be released, but the session is not released at this time, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

S713, other flow of session release.

In the embodiment of the present application, other procedures of session release may refer to an existing implementation manner, and are not described herein again.

It should be noted that, in steps S711-S713, the IP address allocated to the terminal 3 is released by the SMF1 network element, but of course, the IP address allocated to the terminal 1 may also be released by the SMF1 network element, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

And S714, the SMF1 network element determines that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are sufficient.

The specific implementation of step S714 may refer to the above-mentioned SMF network element to determine whether the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF network element is sufficient, which is not described herein again.

It should be noted that, in this embodiment of the application, it may be that after the SMF1 network element releases one or more IP addresses according to the manner in step S712, the SMF1 network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are sufficient, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

S715, the SMF1 network element obtains the notified AMF network element list.

Assuming that the notified AMF list is shown in table two, the address management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes the following steps:

and S716, the SMF1 network element sends a notification message 2 to the AMF1 network element according to the notified AMF network element list, so that the AMF1 network element receives the notification message 2 from the SMF1 network element. Wherein the notification message 2 is used to indicate that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are sufficient.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the notification message 2 may carry the first information and the address sufficiency indication; or the notification message 2 carries the first information, the identifier of the SMF1 network element, and an indication of sufficient address, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. When the notification message 2 does not carry the identifier of the SMF1 network element, the AMF1 network element may determine the identifier of the SMF1 network element according to the signaling connection between the AMF1 network element and the SMF1 network element, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the notification message 2 may be carried in the session release response, or may be a special notification message, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

S717, the AMF1 network element deletes the information of insufficient address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element.

Assuming that the information stored in the AMF1 network element with insufficient address resources is originally shown in table three, after the AMF1 network element deletes the information with insufficient address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element, the result may be shown in table four:

watch four

S718 to S719 are similar to the steps S716 to S717, except that the AMF1 network element in the steps S716 to S717 is replaced by an AMF3 network element, and the notification message 2 is replaced by a notification message 3, and the related description may refer to the steps S716 to S717, which is not described herein again.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there is no inevitable execution sequence between step S713 and steps S714 to S719, and step S713 may be executed first, and then one or more steps in steps S714 to S719 are executed; or one or more steps in steps S714-S719 may be performed first, and then step S713 is performed; one or more steps of step S713 and steps S714 to S719 may also be executed simultaneously, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

In the address management method provided in the embodiment of the application, since the AMF1 network element can know the state of the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element, when selecting the SMF network element in the subsequent terminal session establishment process, the SMF network element with insufficient address resources can be avoided and the SMF network element with sufficient address resources can be selected according to the state of the address resource, so that the problem of duplicate IP addresses allocated to different sessions can be avoided, and the IP addresses in the address pool can be effectively used.

The actions of the SMF1 network element or the AMF1 network element in steps S701 to S719 described above may be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 300 shown in fig. 3 calling the application program code stored in the memory 303, which is not limited in this embodiment.

Optionally, taking the application of the address management system shown in fig. 1 to the 5G network shown in fig. 2, and taking the network device as an example of an AMF network element in the 5G network, the embodiment of the present application further provides an address management method, which is similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 7, and the difference is that: in the embodiment shown in fig. 7, after the SMF1 network element determines that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element are not sufficient, a notification message 1 is sent to the AMF1 network element serving the terminal 1; in this embodiment, after the SMF1 network element determines that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element is insufficient, the SMF1 network element may notify all the AMF network elements that are reachable or connected to the SMF1 network element. In this way, the SMF1 network element may not need to establish the notified AMF list, because after sufficient address resources corresponding to the first information in the subsequent SMF1 network element, the SMF1 network element may likewise notify all reachable or corresponding SMF1 network elements. Here, the AMF network element connected to the SMF1 network element may refer to an AMF network element that already has a communication relationship, or may refer to an AMF network element that although there is no communication relationship temporarily, the SMF1 network element has its address, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Of course, in the case that the SMF1 network element notifies all the AMF network elements that are reachable or connected to the SMF1 network element, the SMF1 network element may also choose to establish the notified AMF list, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, taking the address management system shown in fig. 1 applied to the 5G network shown in fig. 2, and taking a network device as an NRF network element in the 5G network as an example, as shown in fig. 8, the address management method provided in this embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

s801, the terminal 1 sends a session establishment request 1 to an AMF1 network element serving the terminal 1, so that the AMF1 network element receives the session establishment request 1 from the terminal 1.

The session establishment request 1 carries fourth information, where the fourth information includes at least one of information of a TA corresponding to the terminal 1 or a DNN corresponding to the terminal 1.

S802, the AMF1 network element sends an available SMF network element list request 1 to the NRF network element, so that the NRF network element receives the available SMF network element list request 1 from the AMF1 network element.

Wherein, the available SMF network element list request 1 carries the fourth information.

S803, the NRF network element sends an available SMF network element list response 1 to the AMF1 network element, so that the AMF1 network element receives the available SMF network element list response 1 from the NRF network element.

The available SMF network element list response 1 includes a list of available SMF network elements, where the list of available SMF network elements includes an identifier of an available SMF network element, and the identifier of the available SMF network element may be, for example, an address of the available SMF network element, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the NRF network element stores information that address resources in the SMF network element are insufficient, and further, the NRF network element needs to determine an available SMF network element list according to the stored state information of the address resources. The address resources of the SMF network elements in the list of available SMF network elements are sufficient, and the address resources are address resources corresponding to the information including the fourth information. For example, assume that the fourth information includes TA of terminal 1, denoted as TA 1; the state information of the address resource stored in the NRF network element is shown in table five, and the list of available SMF network elements does not include the identifier of the SMF3 network element.

Watch five

Assuming that the list of available SMF network elements includes the identifier of the SMF1 network element and the identifier of the SMF2 network element, the address management method provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps:

and S804, the AMF1 network element selects the SMF1 network element to serve the terminal 1 according to the available SMF network element list.

For example, the AMF1 network element may select one SMF network element from the multiple SMF network elements to serve the terminal 1 according to the load information of one or more SMF network elements stored in the AMF1 network element, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

S805, the AMF1 network element sends a session establishment request 1 to the SMF1 network element, so that the SMF1 network element receives the session establishment request 1 from the AMF1 network element.

Step S801 may be referred to for a description related to the session establishment request 1, which is not described herein again.

S806-S807 and synchronization steps S702-S703, the related description may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 7, and will not be repeated herein.

S808, similar to step S704, except that the AMF1 network element in the embodiment shown in fig. 7 is replaced by an NRF network element in this embodiment, and the related description may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 7, which is not described herein again.

S809, similar to step S706, except that the AMF1 network element in the embodiment shown in fig. 7 is replaced by an NRF network element in this embodiment, and the related description may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 7, which is not described herein again.

Assuming that the first information in step S807 includes TA1, TA5, and TA6, the information that the address resources in the SMF network element stored by the NRF network element are insufficient at this time may be as shown in table six:

watch six

And S810, other processes of session establishment.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there is no inevitable execution sequence between the steps S810 and the steps S807 to S809, and the step S810 may be executed first, and then one or more steps in the steps S807 to S809 are executed; or one or more steps of steps S807 to S809 may be performed first, and then step S810 is performed; one or more of steps S810 and steps S807 to S809 may also be executed at the same time, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

s811 and the synchronization step S708, the embodiment shown in fig. 7 can be referred to for related description, and will not be described herein again.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, it is described that the AMF network element serving the terminal 1 and the AMF network element serving the terminal 2 are both AMF1 network elements as an example, and of course, the AMF network element serving the terminal 1 and the AMF network element serving the terminal 2 may also be different AMF network elements, for example, the AMF network element serving the terminal 1 is an AMF1 network element, the AMF network element serving the terminal 3 is an AMF3 network element, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

S812, the AMF1 network element sends an available SMF network element list request 2 to the NRF network element, so that the NRF network element receives the available SMF network element list request 2 from the AMF1 network element.

Wherein, the available SMF network element list request 2 carries the second information.

S813, the NRF network element sends an available SMF network element list response 2 to the AMF1 network element, so that the AMF1 network element receives the available SMF network element list response 2 from the NRF network element.

Wherein, the available SMF network element list response 2 includes the list of available SMF network elements.

The manner in which the NRF network element determines the list of available SMF network elements may refer to the description in step S803, and is not described herein again.

Suppose that the TA of terminal 2 is carried in the second information, which is denoted as TA 1; the state information of the address resource stored in the NRF network element is shown in table six, and the list of available SMF network elements does not include the identifier of the SMF3 network element and the identifier of the SMF1 network element.

Assuming that the list of available SMF network elements includes an identifier of an SMF2 network element, the address management method provided in this embodiment may further include the following steps:

and S814, the AMF1 network element selects the SMF2 network element to serve the terminal 2 according to the available SMF network element list.

And S815, other processes of session establishment.

S816 to S819 and S711 to S714, the related description may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 7, and will not be repeated herein.

S820 to S821 are similar to steps S716 to S717, except that the AMF1 network element in the embodiment shown in fig. 7 is replaced by an NRF network element in the present embodiment, and the related description may refer to the embodiment shown in fig. 7, and will not be described herein again.

Assuming that the information stored in the NRF network element with insufficient address resources is originally shown in table six, after the NRF network element deletes the information in the SMF1 network element with insufficient address resources corresponding to the first information, the result can be shown in table five as above.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there is no inevitable execution sequence between the step S818 and the steps S819 to S821, and the step S818 may be executed first, and then one or more steps in the steps S819 to S821 are executed; or may be performed after one or more steps of steps S819 to S821 are performed, and then step S818 is performed; one or more of step S818 and steps S819 to S821 may also be executed simultaneously, and the like, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the application.

In the address management method provided in the embodiment of the present application, since the NRF network element can acquire the state of the address resource corresponding to the first information in the SMF1 network element, when selecting the SMF network element in the subsequent terminal session establishment process, the SMF network element with insufficient address resources can be avoided and the SMF network element with sufficient address resources can be selected according to the state of the address resource, so that the problem of duplicate IP addresses allocated to different sessions can be avoided, and the IP addresses in the address pool can be effectively used.

The actions of the NRF network element or the AMF1 network element in steps S801 to S821 above may be executed by the processor 301 in the communication device 300 shown in fig. 3 calling the application program code stored in the memory 303, which is not limited in this embodiment.

In summary, an embodiment of the present application discloses an address management method, including: the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to first information in the session management network element are insufficient, wherein the first information comprises at least one of information of one or more tracking areas TA or one or more data network names DNN; and the session management network element sends a first notification message to the network equipment, wherein the first notification message is used for indicating that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient.

As one implementation, the determining, by the session management network element, that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient includes: after the session management network element allocates the IP address to the first terminal, the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient, where the information of one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the first terminal, and the one or more DNNs include a DNN corresponding to the first terminal.

As an implementation, a network device includes a first mobility management element serving a first terminal; the address management method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may further include: the session management network element stores the identifier of the first mobility management network element into a notified mobility management network element list, wherein the notified mobility management network element list includes the identifier of the mobility management network element for which the session management network element has been notified that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is insufficient.

Further, as an implementation, before the session management network element stores the identifier of the first mobility management network element in the notified mobility management network element list, the address management method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may further include: the session management network element creates a notified mobility management network element list.

Or, optionally, as another implementation, before the session management network element stores the identifier of the first mobility management network element in the notified mobility management network element list, the address management method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may further include: after the session management network element allocates the IP address to the second terminal, the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient, wherein the information of one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the second terminal, and the one or more DNNs include a DNN corresponding to the second terminal; the session management network element sends a first notification message to a second mobility management network element serving a second terminal; the session management network element creates a notified mobility management network element list.

As one implementation, the address management method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may further include: the session management network element determines that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient; and the session management network element sends a second notification message to the mobility management network element corresponding to the identifier of the mobility management network element in the notified mobility management network element list, wherein the second notification message is used for indicating that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is sufficient.

As one implementation, the network device includes a mobility management element or a network function storage element connected to the session management element; the address management method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may further include: the session management network element determines that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient; and the session management network element sends a second notification message to the network equipment, wherein the second notification message is used for indicating that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient.

As one implementation, the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the third terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the third terminal; before the session management network element determines that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is sufficient, the address management method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may further include: and the session management network element releases the IP address allocated to the third terminal.

As one implementation, the fact that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient includes that the proportion of the available address resources in the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is less than or equal to a first preset value; the sufficient address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element include that the proportion of the available address resources in the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is greater than or equal to a second preset value, wherein the first preset value is less than or equal to the second preset value.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the second notification message carries the first information and the address sufficiency indication; or, the second notification message carries the identifier of the session management network element, the first information, and an indication that the address is sufficient.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the first notification message carries the first information and the indication of insufficient address; or, the first notification message carries the identifier of the session management network element, the first information, and an indication that the address is insufficient.

In the above address management method, for example, the operation of the session management network element may refer to the operation of the SMF1 network element in fig. 7 to 8 and the above description, which is not repeated herein.

In addition, the embodiment of the application also discloses an address management method, which comprises the following steps: the network equipment receives a first notification message from a first session management network element, wherein the first notification message is used for indicating that address resources corresponding to first information in the first session management network element are insufficient, and the first information comprises at least one of information of one or more tracking areas TA or one or more data network names DNN; the network device stores information that address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element are insufficient.

As an implementation, the first session management network element comprises a session management network element serving the first terminal; correspondingly, the information of one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the first terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the first terminal.

As an implementation, a network device includes a first mobility management element serving a first terminal; the address management method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may further include: a first mobile management network element receives a session establishment request from a second terminal, wherein the session establishment request carries second information, and the second information comprises at least one of TA information corresponding to the second terminal or DNN corresponding to the second terminal; and the first mobility management network element selects the second session management network element to serve the second terminal according to the second information and the stored information that the one or more address resources are insufficient, wherein the one or more address resources comprise the address resources corresponding to the information comprising the second information in the one or more session management network elements.

As another implementation, the network device includes a network function storage network element; the address management method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may further include: the network function storage network element receives a request message from a second mobility management network element serving a second terminal, wherein the request message carries second information, and the second information comprises at least one of TA information corresponding to the second terminal or DNN corresponding to the second terminal; the network function storage network element determines an available session management network element list according to the second information and the stored information that the one or more address resources are insufficient, wherein the one or more address resources comprise the address resource corresponding to the information comprising the second information in the one or more session management network elements; and the network function storage network element sends an available session management network element list to the second mobility management network element, wherein the available session management network element list is used for selecting the second session management network element to serve the second terminal.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the available session management network element list includes a second session management network element, where address resources corresponding to third information in the second session management network element are sufficient, where the third information includes information of one or more TAs or at least one of one or more DNNs, and the third information includes the second information.

As one implementation, the address management method disclosed in the embodiment of the present application may further include: the network equipment receives a second notification message from the first session management network element, wherein the second notification message is used for indicating that address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element are sufficient; and the network equipment deletes the stored information with insufficient address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element.

In the above address management method, for example, the operation of the network device may refer to the operation of the AMF1 network element in fig. 7 to 8 and the related description, or the operation of the network device may refer to the operation of the NRF network element in fig. 7 to 8 and the related description, which is not repeated herein.

The above-mentioned scheme provided by the embodiment of the present application is introduced mainly from the perspective of interaction between network elements. It is to be understood that the session management network element or the network device described above, in order to implement the above functions, includes a corresponding hardware structure and/or software module for performing the respective functions. Those of skill in the art would readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, according to the above method example, the functional modules of the session management network element or the network device may be divided, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the module is schematic, and is only one logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

For example, in a case where the functional modules are divided in an integrated manner, fig. 9 shows a schematic structural diagram of a session management network element 90. The session management network element 90 includes: a processing module 902 and a transceiver module 901. A processing module 902, configured to determine that address resources corresponding to first information in the session management network element 90 are insufficient, where the first information includes information of one or more TAs or at least one of one or more DNNs; a transceiver module 901, configured to send a first notification message to the network device, where the first notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element 90 are insufficient.

Optionally, the processing module 902 is specifically configured to: after the IP address is allocated to the first terminal, it is determined that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element 90 are insufficient, where the information of one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the first terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the first terminal.

Further, in a possible implementation manner, the network device includes a first mobility management network element serving the first terminal; as shown in fig. 9, the session management network element 90 further comprises a storage module 903. A storing module 903, configured to store the identifier of the first mobility management element in a notified mobility management element list, where the notified mobility management element list includes an identifier of a mobility management element, in the session management element 90, that the session management element 90 has notified that address resources corresponding to the first information are insufficient.

Optionally, the processing module 902 is further configured to create a notified mobility management element list.

Or, optionally, the processing module 902 is further configured to determine that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element 90 are insufficient after the IP address is allocated to the second terminal, where the information of one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the second terminal, and the one or more DNNs include a DNN corresponding to the second terminal; a transceiver module 901, further configured to send a first notification message to a second mobility management element serving a second terminal; the processing module 902 is further configured to create a notified mobility management element list.

Optionally, the processing module 902 is further configured to determine that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element 90 are sufficient; the transceiver module 901 is further configured to send a second notification message to the mobility management element corresponding to the identifier of the mobility management element in the notified mobility management element list, where the second notification message is used to indicate that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management element 90 is sufficient.

In another possible implementation manner, the network device includes a mobility management element or a network function storage element connected to the session management element 90; a processing module 902, further configured to determine that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element 90 are sufficient; the transceiver module 901 is further configured to send a second notification message to the network device, where the second notification message is used to indicate that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element 90 are sufficient.

Optionally, the information of one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the third terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the third terminal; the processing module 902 is further configured to release the IP address allocated to the third terminal.

All relevant contents of each step related to the above method embodiment may be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and are not described herein again.

In the present embodiment, the session management network element 90 is presented in a form of dividing each functional module in an integrated manner. A "module" herein may refer to a particular ASIC, a circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and/or other device that provides the described functionality. In a simple embodiment, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the session management network element 90 may take the form shown in fig. 3.

For example, the processor 301 in fig. 3 may cause the session management network element 90 to execute the address management method in the above-described method embodiment by calling a computer executing instruction stored in the memory 303.

In particular, the functions/implementation procedures of the transceiver module 901, the processing module 902 and the storage module 903 in fig. 9 can be implemented by the processor 301 in fig. 3 calling a computer executing instruction stored in the memory 303. Alternatively, the function/implementation procedure of the processing module 902 in fig. 9 may be implemented by the processor 301 in fig. 3 calling a computer executing instruction stored in the memory 303, the function/implementation procedure of the transceiver module 901 in fig. 9 may be implemented by the communication interface 304 in fig. 3, and the function/implementation procedure of the storage module 903 in fig. 9 may be implemented by the memory 303 in fig. 3.

Since the session management network element provided in this embodiment can execute the address management method, the technical effect obtained by the session management network element can refer to the method embodiment, and is not described herein again.

Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, where the chip system includes a processor, and is configured to support a session management network element to implement the address management method, for example, to determine that an address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is insufficient. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory. The memory is used for storing program instructions and data necessary for the session management network element. Of course, the memory may not be in the system-on-chip. The chip system may be formed by a chip, and may also include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

For example, in the case where the functional modules are divided in an integrated manner, fig. 10 shows a schematic structural diagram of a network device 100. The network device 100 includes: a transceiving module 1001 and a storage module 1003. The transceiver module 1001 is configured to receive a first notification message from a first session management network element, where the first notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to first information in the first session management network element are insufficient, where the first information includes at least one of information of one or more TAs or one or more DNNs; a storing module 1003, configured to store information that address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element are insufficient.

Optionally, the first session management network element includes a session management network element serving the first terminal; correspondingly, the information of one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the first terminal, and the one or more DNNs include a DNN corresponding to the first terminal;

further, in a possible implementation manner, the network device 100 includes a first mobility management element serving the first terminal; as shown in fig. 10, the network device 100 further includes a processing module 1002; the transceiver module 1001 is further configured to receive a session establishment request from a second terminal, where the session establishment request carries second information, and the second information includes at least one of TA information corresponding to the second terminal or DNN corresponding to the second terminal; a processing module 1002, configured to select a second session management network element to serve the second terminal according to the second information and the stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient, where the one or more address resources include an address resource, corresponding to the information that includes the second information, in the one or more session management network elements.

In another possible implementation, the network device 100 includes a network function storage network element; as shown in fig. 10, the network device 100 further includes a processing module 1002; the transceiver module 1001 is further configured to receive a request message from a second mobility management network element serving a second terminal, where the request message carries second information, and the second information includes at least one of information of a TA corresponding to the second terminal or a DNN corresponding to the second terminal; a processing module 1002, configured to determine, according to the second information and the stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient, an available session management network element list, where the one or more address resources include an address resource, corresponding to the information that includes the second information, in the one or more session management network elements; the transceiver module 1001 is further configured to send an available session management network element list to the second mobility management network element, where the available session management network element list is used to select the second session management network element to serve the second terminal.

Optionally, the transceiver module 1001 is further configured to receive a second notification message from the first session management network element, where the second notification message is used to indicate that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element is sufficient; the processing module 1002 is further configured to delete the stored information that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the first session managing network element is insufficient.

In the present embodiment, the network device 100 is presented in a form in which the respective functional modules are divided in an integrated manner. A "module" herein may refer to a particular ASIC, a circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and/or other device that provides the described functionality. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the network device 100 may take the form shown in FIG. 3.

For example, the processor 301 in fig. 3 may execute the instructions by calling a computer stored in the memory 303, so that the network device 100 executes the address management method in the above method embodiment.

Specifically, the functions/implementation processes of the transceiving module 1001, the processing module 1002 and the storage module 1003 in fig. 10 can be implemented by the processor 301 in fig. 3 calling a computer executing instruction stored in the memory 303. Alternatively, the function/implementation procedure of the processing module 1002 in fig. 10 may be implemented by the processor 301 in fig. 3 calling a computer executing instruction stored in the memory 303, the function/implementation procedure of the transceiving module 1001 in fig. 10 may be implemented by the communication interface 304 in fig. 3, and the function/implementation procedure of the storage module 1003 in fig. 10 may be implemented by the memory 303 in fig. 3.

Since the network device provided in this embodiment can execute the address management method, the technical effects obtained by the network device can refer to the method embodiments, which are not described herein again.

Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, where the chip system includes a processor, and is configured to support a network device to implement the address management method, for example, according to the second information and stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient, select a second session management network element to serve a second terminal. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory. The memory is used for storing program instructions and data necessary for the network device. Of course, the memory may not be in the system-on-chip. The chip system may be formed by a chip, and may also include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. The procedures or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the present application are all or partially generated upon loading and execution of computer program instructions on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or can comprise one or more data storage devices, such as a server, a data center, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

While the present application has been described in connection with various embodiments, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from a review of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be evident that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Accordingly, the specification and figures are merely exemplary of the present application as defined in the appended claims and are intended to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of the present application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as well.

Claims

1. An address management method, characterized in that the method comprises:

the method comprises the steps that a session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to first information in the session management network element are insufficient, wherein the first information comprises at least one of information of one or more tracking areas TA or one or more data network names DNN;

and the session management network element sends a first notification message to network equipment, wherein the first notification message is used for indicating that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, by the session management network element, that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient comprises:

after the session management network element allocates an internet protocol IP address to the first terminal, the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient, where the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the first terminal, and the one or more DNNs include a DNN corresponding to the first terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the network device comprises a first mobility management network element serving the first terminal; the method further comprises the following steps:

the session management network element stores the identifier of the first mobility management network element into a notified mobility management network element list, where the notified mobility management network element list includes the identifier of the mobility management network element for which the session management network element has been notified that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein before the session management element stores the identity of the first mobility management element in a list of notified mobility management elements, the method further comprises:

and the session management network element creates the notified mobility management network element list.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein before the session management element stores the identity of the first mobility management element in a list of notified mobility management elements, the method further comprises:

after the session management network element allocates an IP address to a second terminal, the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient, where the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the second terminal, and the one or more DNNs include a DNN corresponding to the second terminal;

the session management network element sends the first notification message to a second mobility management network element serving the second terminal;

6. The method according to any one of claims 3-5, further comprising:

the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient;

and the session management network element sends a second notification message to the mobility management network element corresponding to the identifier of the mobility management network element in the notified mobility management network element list, where the second notification message is used to indicate that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is sufficient.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a mobility management element or a network function storage element to which the session management element is connected; the method further comprises the following steps:

and the session management network element sends a second notification message to the network device, where the second notification message is used to indicate that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is sufficient.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to a third terminal, and the one or more DNNs include a DNN corresponding to the third terminal; before the session management network element determines that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient, the method further includes:

and the session management network element releases the IP address allocated to the third terminal.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the insufficient address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element comprises that a ratio of available address resources in the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is smaller than or equal to a first preset value; the sufficient address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element include that a ratio of available address resources in the address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is greater than or equal to a second preset value, wherein the first preset value is less than or equal to the second preset value.

10. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the second notification message carries the first information and an address sufficiency indication; or, the second notification message carries the identifier of the session management network element, the first information, and an address sufficiency indication.

11. The method according to any of claims 1-5, 7, 8, wherein the first notification message carries the first information and an indication of insufficient addresses; or, the first notification message carries the identifier of the session management network element, the first information, and an indication that the address is insufficient.

12. An address management method, characterized in that the method comprises:

the network equipment receives a first notification message from a first session management network element, wherein the first notification message is used for indicating that address resources corresponding to first information in the first session management network element are insufficient, and the first information comprises at least one of information of one or more Tracking Areas (TA) or one or more Data Network Names (DNN);

and the network equipment stores the information that the address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element are insufficient.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first session management network element comprises a session management network element serving the first terminal; correspondingly, the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the first terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the first terminal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network device comprises a first mobility management element serving the first terminal; the method further comprises the following steps:

the first mobility management network element receives a session establishment request from a second terminal, where the session establishment request carries second information, and the second information includes at least one of TA information corresponding to the second terminal or DNN corresponding to the second terminal;

and the first mobility management network element selects a second session management network element to serve the second terminal according to the second information and the stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient, wherein the one or more address resources comprise address resources corresponding to the information comprising the second information in the one or more session management network elements.

15. The method of claim 12 or 13, wherein the network device comprises a network function storage network element; the method further comprises the following steps:

the network function storage network element receives a request message from a second mobility management network element serving a second terminal, where the request message carries second information, and the second information includes at least one of information of a TA corresponding to the second terminal or a DNN corresponding to the second terminal;

the network function storage network element determines an available session management network element list according to the second information and stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient, wherein the one or more address resources comprise address resources corresponding to the information comprising the second information in one or more session management network elements;

and the network function storage network element sends the available session management network element list to the second mobility management network element, where the available session management network element list is used to select the second session management network element to serve the second terminal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second session management network element is included in the list of available session management network elements, and address resources corresponding to third information in the second session management network element are sufficient, wherein the third information includes at least one of information of one or more TAs or one or more DNNs, and the second information is included in the third information.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, 16, further comprising:

the network device receives a second notification message from the first session management network element, where the second notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element are sufficient;

and the network equipment deletes the stored information with insufficient address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element.

18. A session management network element, wherein the session management network element comprises: the device comprises a processing module and a transmitting-receiving module;

the processing module is configured to determine that address resources corresponding to first information in the session management network element are insufficient, where the first information includes at least one of information of one or more tracking areas TA or one or more data network names DNN;

the transceiver module is configured to send a first notification message to a network device, where the first notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient.

19. The session management network element of claim 18, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to:

after an Internet Protocol (IP) address is allocated to the first terminal, it is determined that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient, where the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the first terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the first terminal.

20. The session management element of claim 19, wherein the network device comprises a first mobility management element serving the first terminal; the session management network element further comprises a storage module;

the storage module is configured to store the identifier of the first mobility management element in a notified mobility management element list, where the notified mobility management element list includes the identifier of the mobility management element for which the session management element has notified that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management element are insufficient.

21. The session management network element of claim 20,

the processing module is further configured to create the notified mobility management network element list.

22. The session management network element of claim 20,

the processing module is further configured to determine that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient after an IP address is allocated to a second terminal, where information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the second terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the second terminal;

the transceiver module is further configured to send the first notification message to a second mobility management network element serving the second terminal;

23. The session management network element according to any of claims 20-22,

the processing module is further configured to determine that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient;

the transceiver module is further configured to send a second notification message to the mobility management network element corresponding to the identifier of the mobility management network element in the notified mobility management network element list, where the second notification message is used to indicate that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the session management network element is sufficient.

24. The session management network element of claim 18, wherein the network device comprises a mobility management element or a network function storage element to which the session management network element is connected;

the transceiver module is further configured to send a second notification message to the network device, where the second notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are sufficient.

25. The session management network element of claim 24, wherein the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to a third terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the third terminal;

the processing module is further configured to release the IP address allocated to the third terminal.

26. A network device, characterized in that the network device comprises: a transceiver module and a storage module;

the transceiver module is configured to receive a first notification message from a first session management network element, where the first notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to first information in the first session management network element are insufficient, where the first information includes at least one of information of one or more tracking areas TA or one or more data network names DNN;

the storage module is configured to store information that address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element are insufficient.

27. The network device of claim 26, wherein the first session management element comprises a session management element serving the first terminal; correspondingly, the information of the one or more TAs includes information of a TA corresponding to the first terminal, and the one or more DNNs includes a DNN corresponding to the first terminal.

28. The network device of claim 27, wherein the network device comprises a first mobility management network element serving the first terminal; the network device further comprises a processing module;

the transceiver module is further configured to receive a session establishment request from a second terminal, where the session establishment request carries second information, and the second information includes at least one of TA information corresponding to the second terminal or DNN corresponding to the second terminal;

and the processing module is configured to select a second session management network element to serve the second terminal according to the second information and the stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient, where the one or more address resources include address resources corresponding to the information that includes the second information in the one or more session management network elements.

29. The network device of claim 26 or 27, wherein the network device comprises a network function storage network element; the network device further comprises a processing module;

the transceiver module is further configured to receive a request message from a second mobility management network element serving a second terminal, where the request message carries second information, and the second information includes at least one of TA information corresponding to the second terminal or DNN corresponding to the second terminal;

the processing module is configured to determine an available session management network element list according to the second information and stored information that one or more address resources are insufficient, where the one or more address resources include an address resource corresponding to the information that includes the second information in one or more session management network elements;

the transceiver module is further configured to send the available session management network element list to the second mobility management network element, where the available session management network element list is used to select the second session management network element to serve the second terminal.

30. The network device of any one of claims 26-28, wherein the network device further comprises a processing module;

the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second notification message from the first session management network element, where the second notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element are sufficient;

the processing module is further configured to delete the stored information that the address resource corresponding to the first information in the first session management network element is insufficient.

31. An address management system, characterized in that the address management system comprises a session management network element and a network device;

the session management network element is configured to determine that address resources corresponding to first information in the session management network element are insufficient, and send a first notification message to a network device, where the first notification message is used to indicate that address resources corresponding to the first information in the session management network element are insufficient, and the first information includes at least one of information of one or more tracking areas TA or one or more data network names DNN;

the network device is configured to receive the first notification message from the session management network element.