CN115843434A

CN115843434A - Network element discovery method, device, equipment and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN115843434A
Application number: CN202080102847.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 郭雅莉; 许阳
Original assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Current assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-29
Filing date: 2020-09-29
Publication date: 2023-03-24
Also published as: WO2022067538A1

Abstract

The application discloses a network element discovery method, a device, equipment and a storage medium, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a discovery request aiming at a third network element from a second network element, wherein the discovery request comprises a request parameter for determining a target third network element; determining a target third network element based on the request parameters and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element; and sending a discovery response to the second network element, wherein the discovery response comprises the information of the target third network element. The embodiment of the application provides a mutual discovery mechanism between the network elements, improves the interactivity between the network elements, enables the network elements to assist each other in data calculation, and reduces the waste of calculation resources.

Description

Network element discovery method, device, equipment and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium for discovering a network element.

Background

In a core Network of a 5G NR (New Radio, new air interface) system, a NWDAF (Network Data analysis Function) is introduced, which may collect Data from each Network element, a Network management system, and the like of the core Network to perform big Data statistics, analysis, or intelligent Data analysis, to obtain analysis or prediction Data of a Network side, thereby assisting each Network element to more effectively control access of a User Equipment (UE) according to a Data analysis result.

Currently, the data analysis of each NWDAF is independent of each other, thereby causing a waste of computing resources.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a network element discovery method, a device, equipment and a storage medium. The technical scheme is as follows:

according to an aspect of an embodiment of the present application, there is provided a network element discovery method applied to a first network element, the method including:

receiving a discovery request aiming at a third network element from a second network element, wherein the discovery request comprises a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

determining the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element;

and sending a discovery response to the second network element, wherein the discovery response comprises the information of the target third network element.

According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a network element discovery method applied to a second network element, the method including:

sending a discovery request aiming at a third network element to a first network element, wherein the discovery request comprises a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

receiving a discovery response from the first network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element, and the target third network element is determined based on the request parameter and an indicated selection condition of the target third network element.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present application, there is provided an apparatus for discovering a network element, the apparatus including:

a request receiving module, configured to receive a discovery request for a third network element from a second network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

a network element determining module, configured to determine the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element;

a response sending module, configured to send a discovery response to the second network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element.

a request sending module, configured to send a discovery request for a third network element to a first network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

a response receiving module, configured to receive a discovery response from the first network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element, and the target third network element is determined based on the request parameter and an indicated selection condition of the target third network element.

According to an aspect of an embodiment of the present application, there is provided a network device including a processor and a transceiver connected to the processor; wherein:

the transceiver is configured to receive a discovery request from a second network element for a third network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

the processor is configured to determine the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element;

the transceiver is further configured to send a discovery response to the second network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element.

the transceiver is configured to send a discovery request for a third network element to the first network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

the transceiver is further configured to receive a discovery response from the first network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element, and the target third network element is determined based on the request parameter and an indicated selection condition of the target third network element.

According to an aspect of embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program for execution by a processor of a first network element to implement the network element discovery method according to the above aspect.

According to an aspect of embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a computer program for execution by a processor of a second network element to implement the network element discovery method according to the above aspect.

According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a chip, where the chip includes a programmable logic circuit and/or program instructions, and when the chip runs on a first network element, the chip is configured to implement the above-mentioned network element discovery method on the first network element side.

According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a chip, where the chip includes a programmable logic circuit and/or program instructions, and when the chip runs on a second network element, the chip is configured to implement the network element discovery method on the second network element side.

According to an aspect of embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer program product, which, when run on a processor of a first network element, causes the first network element to perform the above-mentioned network element discovery method on the first network element side.

According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer program product, which, when run on a processor of a second network element, causes the second network element to perform the above-mentioned network element discovery method on the second network element side.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application can have the following beneficial effects:

the second network element sends a discovery request aiming at a third network element to the first network element, wherein the discovery request comprises a request parameter used for determining a target third network element; the first network element determines a target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element; the first network element determines a target third network element and then sends information including the target third network element to the second network element.

Drawings

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

fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture of the 5GS provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a system architecture of a 5GS provided by another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of a network element discovery method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a block diagram of a network element discovery apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a block diagram of a network element discovery apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a network device according to another embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more clear, embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

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.

Referring to fig. 1, a schematic diagram of a system architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. As shown in fig. 1, the system architecture 100 may include: a terminal device 10, an access network device 20 and a core network device 30.

Terminal equipment 10 may refer to a UE, access terminal, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, remote terminal, mobile device, wireless communication device, user agent, or user equipment. Alternatively, the terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, an SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) phone, a WLL (Wireless Local Loop) station, a PDA (Personal digital processing), a handheld device with Wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a Wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in 5GS (5 g system ) or a terminal device in a PLMN (public Land mobile Network) evolved in the future, and the like, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

The access network device 20 is a device deployed in an access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The access network equipment 20 may include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations, relay stations, access points, and the like. In systems using different radio access technologies, the names of devices with access network device functionality may differ, for example in 5GS, called nodeb or gNB; in an EPS (Evolved Packet System), the access network device may be referred to as an eNodeB (Evo 1 Evolved NodeB). As communication technology evolves, the name "access network equipment" may change. For convenience of description, in this embodiment of the present application, the apparatus for providing a wireless communication function for a terminal device is referred to as an access network device.

The core network device 30 refers to a device that can provide functions such as session management, mobility relationship, policy management, security authentication, and the like for the terminal device. In this embodiment, the core network device 30 may include a first core network device and a second core network device, where the first core network device is responsible for access management and mobility management of the terminal device, and the second core network device is responsible for session management of the terminal device. Exemplarily, in the 5GS system, the first Core network may be implemented as an AMF (Core Access and Mobility Management Function), and the second Core network device may be implemented as an SMF (Session Management Function); in the EPS system, the first core device may be implemented as an MME (Mobility Management Entity), and the second core network device may be implemented as an SGW (Serving Gateway).

Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of a system architecture of 5GS provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 2, the system architecture 200 may include: UE, RAN (Radio Access Network), core (Core Network), and DN (Data Network). The UE, RAN, and Core are the main components constituting the architecture, and logically they can be divided into two parts, namely a user plane and a control plane, where the control plane is responsible for the management of the mobile network and the user plane is responsible for the transmission of service data. In the figure, the NG2 reference point is located between the RAN control plane and the Core control plane, the NG3 reference point is located between the RAN user plane and the Core user plane, and the NG6 reference point is located between the Core user plane and the data network.

UE: the method is an entrance for interaction between a mobile user and a network, can provide basic computing capacity and storage capacity, displays a business window for the user, and accepts operation input of the user. The UE establishes signal connection and data connection with the RAN using a next generation air interface technology, thereby transmitting a control signal and service data to the mobile network. In the embodiments of the present application, the terms UE and terminal equipment are commonly used in a mixed manner, but those skilled in the art can understand the meaning thereof.

RAN: similar to a base station in a traditional network, the base station is deployed at a position close to the UE, provides a network access function for authorized users in a specific area, and can transmit user data by using transmission tunnels with different qualities according to the level of the users, the service requirements and the like. RAN can manage its own resources, make reasonable use of the resources, provide access services for UE as required, and forward control signals and user data between UE and a core network.

Core: and the system is responsible for maintaining subscription data of the mobile network, managing network elements of the mobile network, and providing functions of session management, mobility management, policy management, security authentication and the like for the UE. When the UE is attached, network access authentication is provided for the UE; when the UE has a service request, network resources are distributed to the UE; updating network resources for the UE when the UE moves; when the UE is idle, a fast recovery mechanism is provided for the UE: when the UE is detached, releasing network resources for the UE; when the UE has service data, providing a data routing function for the UE, such as forwarding uplink data to DN: or receiving UE downlink data from the DN, forwarding the UE downlink data to the RAN, and sending the UE downlink data to the RAN.

DN: the data network is a data network providing service for users, and generally, a client is located in a UE, and a server is located in the data network. The data Network may be a private Network, such as a local area Network, an external Network that is not controlled by an operator, such as the Internet, or a private Network that is co-deployed by an operator, such as in order to configure an IMS (IP Multimedia Network Subsystem) service.

Fig. 3 is a detailed architecture determined on the basis of fig. 2, wherein the core network User Plane comprises a UPF (User Plane Function); the core Network Control plane includes an AUSF (Authentication Server Function), an AMF, an SMF, an NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function), an NEF (Network Exposure Function), an NRF (NF replication Function, network functional entity Repository Function), a UDM (Unified Data Management), a PCF (Policy Control Function), and an AF (Application Function). The functions of these functional entities are as follows:

UPF: executing user data packet forwarding according to the routing rule of the SMF;

AUSF: performing security authentication of the UE;

AMF: UE access management and mobility management;

SMF: UE session management;

NSSF: selecting a network slice for the UE;

NEF: opening a network function to a third party in a northbound API interface mode;

NRF: providing a storage function and a selection function of network function entity information for other network elements;

UDM: user subscription context management;

PCF: managing user policies;

AF: and managing the user application.

In the architecture shown in fig. 3, the N1 interface is a reference point between the UE and the AMF; the N2 interface is a reference point of the RAN and the AMF, and is used for sending NAS (Non-Access-Stratum) messages and the like; the N3 interface is a reference point between the RAN and the UPF and is used for transmitting data of a user plane and the like; the N4 interface is a reference point between the SMF and the UPF and is used for transmitting tunnel identification information, data cache indication information, downlink data notification information and other information of the N3 connection; the N6 interface is a reference point between the UPF and the DN, and is used for transmitting data of a user plane and the like. The SBI (Service Based Interface) Interface is an Interface that the network element exposes to the outside and is used to access the Service provided by the network element. In fig. 3, the SBI interface includes: an Nnrf interface, a Namf interface, an Npcf interface, an Nsmf interface, a Naf interface, and the like.

It should be noted that the name of the interface between each network element in fig. 2 and fig. 3 is only an example, and the name of the interface in the specific implementation may be other names, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. The names of the respective network elements (such as SMF, AF, UPF, etc.) included in fig. 2 and 3 are also only examples, and the functions of the network elements themselves are not limited. In 5GS and other future networks, the network elements may also be named otherwise, and this is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above network elements may use the terminology in 5G, and may also use other names, and so on, which are described herein in a unified manner and will not be described again below. Furthermore, it should be understood that the name of the transmitted message (or signaling) between the network elements is only an example, and the function of the message itself is not limited in any way.

Fig. 3 is a system architecture diagram of a UE accessing a mobile network. The UE and the RAN perform AS (Access-Stratum) connection, interact AS information and wireless data transmission, and perform NAS connection and interact NAS information. The AMF is responsible for managing the mobility of the UE, the SMF is responsible for managing the session of the UE, and the AMF is also responsible for forwarding the messages related to the session management between the UE and the SMF besides carrying out the mobility management on the UE. The PCF is responsible for formulating policies related to mobility management, session management, charging, etc. for the UE. The UPF is connected with the RAN and the DN for data transmission.

The 5G network adds NWDAF in the core network, and may collect data from each network element of the core network, the network management system, and the like to perform big data statistics, analysis, or intelligent data analysis, so as to obtain analysis or prediction data on the network side, thereby assisting each network element to perform more effective control on UE access according to the data analysis result, and the NWDAF may provide a data analysis result indicating various types of statistics or prediction with an analysis identifier (ID, identity), for example:

analyzing the identification a: load information of the slice;

and (b) analyzing the identification b: service experience information of a slice or an application;

and c, analyzing the identification: network performance, e.g., resource usage, for a particular area;

and d, analysis identification: a degree of data congestion of a particular area;

……

in the related art, there may be multiple NWDAFs in a network, each of which may have a different service range, e.g., each of which serves a different area; each NWDAF may also serve a different network element; each NWDAF may also provide different types of data analysis, i.e., support different analysis identifications. In one case, there may be overlap or coverage of multiple NWDAF service areas, for example, one large area a includes sub-area B and sub-area C, and three areas have three NWDAFs respectively performing data analysis corresponding to the same analysis identifier. The analysis of the data provided by the NWDAF of the service-a area is effectively duplicated with the analysis of the data provided by the NWDAF of sub-area B and the NWDAF of sub-area C, resulting in a waste of computational resources. In another case, NWDAF a performs data analysis of analysis flag 1, NWDAF B performs data analysis of analysis flag 2, and the analysis result of NWDAF B analysis flag 2 is directly usable by NWDAF a performing data analysis of analysis flag 1, but there is no assistance between NWDAFs currently, and NWDAF a and NWDAF B both perform analysis independently and cannot assist each other, which results in waste of computing resources.

In the embodiment of the present application, a second network element sends a discovery request for a third network element to a first network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element; the first network element determines a target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element; the first network element determines a target third network element and then sends information including the target third network element to the second network element.

The present application is described below with reference to several embodiments.

Referring to fig. 4, a flowchart of a network element discovery method according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The method may include the steps of:

step 401, the second network element sends a discovery request for the third network element to the first network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element.

The first network element stores network element information of at least one third network element, and the network element information of the third network element refers to information related to the third network element. In a possible implementation, the network element information of the third network element includes at least one of: the identification information of the third network element, the service area of the third network element, the network element identification served by the third network element, the capability identification supported by the third network element, and the identification information of other network elements having correlation with the third network element. The identification information of the third network element is used for uniquely identifying the third network element, each third network element has respective identification information, and the identification information of the third network elements is different. The service area of the third network element refers to an area where the third network element provides service, and the area may be a physical area (e.g., an actual geographic area) or a logical area (e.g., a logical division of areas such as cells). The network element identifier of the third network element service is used to uniquely identify the network element of the third network element service, and the third network element may provide services to a plurality of other network elements simultaneously or only one other network element, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. The capability identifier supported by the third network element is used for uniquely identifying the capability supported by the third network element, the capability identifier is used for indicating the type of the capability supported by the third network element, and the types of the capabilities supported by the third network element are different, and the capability identifiers are also different. The capability identities supported by different third network elements may be the same or different. The third network element may have a correlation with other network elements, the identification information of the other network elements having a correlation with the third network element is used to uniquely identify the other network elements having a correlation with the third network element, and the identification information of the other network elements is different. The other network element having a correlation with the third network element may refer to a network element whose service area is correlated with the service area of the third network element, for example, when the service area of the other network element is a subset of the service area of the third network element, the service area of the other network element is correlated with the service area of the third network element; or may also refer to a network element in which the supported capability identifier is related to a capability identifier supported by the third network element, for example, when the calculation result of the capability identifier supported by the other network element can assist the calculation of the capability identifier supported by the third network element, the capability identifier supported by the other network element is related to the capability identifier supported by the third network element.

Illustratively, the third network element is an NWDAF. When the third network element is an NWDAF, the capability identifier supported by the third network element is an analysis identifier supported by the NWDAF. The analysis identification supported by the NWDAF is used for uniquely identifying the data analysis capability supported by the NWDAF, and the analysis identification is different when the data analysis capability supported by the NWDAF is different. For example, assume that the NWDAF-supported analytics identify: the NWDAF supports 4 data analysis capabilities, namely, analysis identifier a, analysis identifier b, analysis identifier c, and analysis identifier d, which are respectively: analyzing load information of the slice indicated by the mark a; analyzing the slice or the service experience information of the application indicated by the identifier b; analyzing network performance, e.g., resource usage, of the particular area indicated by the identity c; the degree of data congestion of the specific area indicated by the identification d is analyzed.

In a possible implementation, the request parameter includes at least one of: identification information of the target third network element, a service area of the target third network element, a network element identification served by the target third network element, and a capability identification supported by the target third network element. The target third network element may be any one of the third network elements, for example, the target third network element may be any one or more of the third network elements corresponding to the at least one network element information stored by the first network element.

The second network element and the third network element may be the same network element, or the second network element may also be another network element different from the third network element, which is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

Accordingly, the first network element receives a discovery request from the second network element for the third network element, wherein the discovery request comprises a request parameter for determining the target third network element.

Step 402, the first network element determines the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element.

The selection condition refers to a condition for selecting the target third network element. In an exemplary embodiment, the selection conditions include: best match with the request parameters and/or have a correlation with the request parameters.

The best match with the request parameters means the highest degree of match with the request parameters.

In a possible implementation, there is a correlation with the request parameter, including: the service area is a subset of the service area in the request parameter and/or the supported capability identification is related to the capability identification in the request parameter. Exemplarily, it is assumed that network element information of 3 third network elements (including a third network element a, a third network element b, and a third network element k) is stored in the first network element, and the network element information of the third network element a includes at least one of the following: identification information of the third network element: a. service area of the third network element a: service area a, capability identifier supported by third network element a: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the third network element b comprises at least one of: identification information of the third network element: b. service area of the third network element b: service area b, capability identifier supported by third network element b: a capability identifier b; the network element information of the third network element k comprises at least one of: identification information of the third network element: k. service area of the third network element k: service area a + b, capability identifier supported by third network element k: the capability identifies k. Assuming that the request parameters include that the service area of the target third network element is a + b, and that service area a and/or service area b is a subset of service area a + b, the third network element a and/or b has a correlation with the request parameters. Assuming that the request parameter includes a capability identifier a supported by the target third network element, and a calculation result of the capability identifier b may assist in the calculation of the capability identifier a, and the supported capability identifier b is related to the supported capability identifier a, the third network element b has a correlation with the request parameter.

In an exemplary embodiment, the selection condition is indicated in an explicit manner, and the discovery request further includes indication information of the selection condition. The indication information of the selection condition is used for indicating the selection condition of the target third network element. And the second network element sends a discovery request aiming at the third network element to the first network element, wherein the discovery request comprises request parameters and indication information of selection conditions for determining the target third network element. And the first network element determines a target third network element based on the request parameter and the indication information of the selection condition. In one example, the indication information is first indication information for indicating that the selection condition includes a best match with the request parameter. In another example, the indication information is second indication information for indicating that the selection condition includes a correlation with the request parameter. In yet another example, the indication information is third indication information indicating that the selection condition includes a best match with the request parameter and a correlation with the request parameter. In a possible implementation, the first indication information is denoted by 00, the second indication information is denoted by 01, and the third indication information is denoted by 10. Of course, in other possible implementation manners, the first indication information, the second indication information, and the third indication information may also be represented in other different manners, which is not limited in this embodiment of the application. Illustratively, the discovery request sent by the second network element to the first network element may be represented by a string of bit sequences, the first n bits of the string of bit sequences are used for representing request parameters, the last m bits are used for representing indication information, and n and m are positive integers. The first network element obtains the request parameter and the selection condition by analyzing the string of bit sequences.

In an exemplary embodiment, the selection condition is indicated in an implicit manner, and the first network element is configured to determine the selection condition according to a predetermined configuration, or determine the selection condition according to an identity of the second network element. When the selection condition is indicated in an implicit mode, the discovery request does not carry indication information of the selection condition. In an example, a default selection condition is stored in the first network element, and at this time, the selection conditions corresponding to different second network elements may be the same, that is, for different second network elements, the first network element determines the target third network element based on the request parameter of the target third network element and the default selection condition, where the default selection condition may be any one of the following: best match with, have correlation with, best match with, and have correlation with request parameters. In another example, the first network element stores corresponding relationships between different identities of the second network element and the selection conditions, and at this time, the selection conditions corresponding to the second network elements with different identities may be different, that is, for different second network elements, the first network element determines the selection conditions based on the identities of the second network elements, and then determines the target third network element based on the request parameters and the selection conditions. For example, when the second network element is a central third network element (the central third network element refers to a third network element serving the entire area), the selection condition is that the service area is a subset of the service areas in the request parameter.

In an exemplary embodiment, in case the selection condition comprises a best match with the request parameter, the first network element determines the target third network element by: and selecting a third network element with the network element information which is most matched with the request parameter from the at least one third network element according to the stored network element information of the at least one third network element to obtain a target third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, in case the selection condition comprises a correlation with the request parameter, the first network element determines the target third network element by: and selecting a third network element with the network element information having correlation with the request parameter from the at least one third network element according to the stored network element information of the at least one third network element to obtain a target third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, in case the selection condition comprises a best match with the request parameter and a correlation with the request parameter, the first network element determines the target third network element by: and selecting a third network element which is most matched with the request parameter from the at least one third network element according to the stored network element information of the at least one third network element, and selecting the third network element which has correlation with the request parameter to obtain a target third network element.

Exemplarily, it is assumed that the first network element stores network element information of 4 third network elements, and the 4 third network elements are respectively: a third network element a, a third network element b, a third network element c, and a third network element k. The network element information of the third network element a comprises at least one of: identification information of the third network element: a. service area of the third network element a: service area a, capability identifier supported by third network element a: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the third network element b comprises at least one of: identification information of the third network element: b. service area of the third network element b: service area b, capability identifier supported by third network element b: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the third network element c comprises at least one of: identification information of the third network element: c. service area of the third network element c: the service area c and the capability identifier supported by the third network element c are as follows: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the third network element k comprises at least one of: identification information of the third network element: k. service area of the third network element k: service area a + b + c, capability identifier supported by third network element k: the capability identification a. At this time, the capability identifiers supported by the 4 third network elements stored by the first network element are the same.

In one example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target third network element is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target third network element is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition comprises the best matching with the request parameter. The first network element selects a third network element with network element information which is most matched with the request parameter from the 4 third network elements according to the stored network element information of the 4 third network elements: and a third network element k as a target third network element.

In another example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target third network element is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target third network element is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition includes that the request parameter has correlation. The first network element selects a third network element with the network element information having correlation with the request parameter from the 4 third network elements according to the stored network element information of the 4 third network elements: a third network element a, a third network element b, and a third network element c as target third network elements.

In yet another example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target third network element is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target third network element is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition comprises the best matching with the request parameter and the correlation with the request parameter. The first network element selects a third network element from the 4 third network elements, the network element information of which is most matched with the request parameter and has correlation with the request parameter, according to the stored network element information of the 4 third network elements: a third network element a, a third network element b, a third network element c, and a third network element k as target third network elements.

Exemplarily, it is assumed that the first network element stores network element information of 5 third network elements, and the 5 third network elements are respectively: a third network element a, a third network element b, a third network element c, a third network element k, and a third network element m. The network element information of the third network element a comprises at least one of: identification information of the third network element: a. service area of the third network element a: service area a, capability identifier supported by third network element a: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the third network element b comprises at least one of: identification information of the third network element: b. service area of the third network element b: service area b, capability identifier supported by third network element b: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the third network element c comprises at least one of: identification information of the third network element: c. service area of the third network element c: the service area c and the capability identifier supported by the third network element c are as follows: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the third network element k comprises at least one of: identification information of the third network element: k. service area of the third network element k: service area a + b + c, capability identifier supported by third network element k: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the third network element m includes at least one of: identification information of the third network element: m, service area of the third network element m: a service area a + b + c and a capability identifier supported by the third network element m: capability identification b. The calculation result of the capability identifier b can assist the calculation of the auxiliary capability identifier a.

In one example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target third network element is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target third network element is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition comprises the best matching with the request parameter. The first network element selects a third network element with network element information which is most matched with the request parameter from the 5 third network elements according to the stored network element information of the 5 third network elements: and a third network element k as a target third network element.

In another example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target third network element is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target third network element is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition includes that the request parameter has correlation. The first network element selects a third network element with network element information having correlation with the request parameter from the 5 third network elements according to the stored network element information of the 5 third network elements: a third network element a, a third network element b, a third network element c, and a third network element m as target third network elements.

In yet another example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target third network element is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target third network element is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition comprises the best matching with the request parameter and the correlation with the request parameter. The first network element selects a third network element from the 5 third network elements according to the stored network element information of the 5 third network elements, wherein the network element information is most matched with the request parameter and has correlation with the request parameter: a third network element a, a third network element b, a third network element c, a third network element k, and a third network element m as target third network elements.

The embodiment of the application provides a mutual discovery mechanism between the network elements, so that the calculation results between the network elements can be shared, the network elements can assist each other in calculation, and the waste of calculation resources is reduced.

In step 403, the first network element sends a discovery response to the second network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element.

In a possible implementation, the information of the target third network element comprises at least one of: identification information of the target third network element, a service area of the target third network element, a network element identification served by the target third network element, and a capability identification supported by the target third network element.

After the first network element determines the target third network element, the first network element sends a discovery response to the second network element, wherein in one example, the discovery response includes identification information of the target third network element; in another example, the discovery response includes a service area of the target third network element; in another example, the discovery response includes a network element identification of the target third network element service; in another example, the discovery response includes an identification of capabilities supported by the target third network element; in yet another example, the discovery response includes any combination of identification information of the target third network element, the service area, the network element identification of the service, and the supported capability identification.

Accordingly, the second network element receives the discovery response from the first network element, the discovery response includes information of the target third network element, and the target third network element is determined based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element.

To sum up, in the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the second network element sends a discovery request for the third network element to the first network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element; the first network element determines a target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element; the first network element determines a target third network element and then sends information including the target third network element to the second network element.

It should be noted that, in the above embodiment of the method, the technical solution of the present application is mainly introduced and described from the perspective of interaction between the first network element and the second network element, the steps executed by the first network element may be implemented separately as a network element discovery method on the first network element side, and the steps executed by the second network element may be implemented separately as a network element discovery method on the second network element side.

For example, the present application is described by taking an NRF as a first Network element, an NF (Network Function) a as a second Network element, and an NWDAF as a third Network element.

The NRF stores network element information of at least one NWDAF, the NF a sends a discovery request aiming at the NWDAF to the NRF, and the discovery request comprises request parameters used for determining the target NWDAF. The request parameters include at least one of: identification information of the target NWDAF, a service area of the target NWDAF, network element identification of a service of the target NWDAF, and analysis identification supported by the target NWDAF.

Exemplarily, it is assumed that the NRF stores network element information of 4 NWDAFs, and the 4 NWDAFs are respectively: NWDAF a, NWDAF b, NWDAF c, NWDAF k. The network element information of the NWDAF a includes at least one of: identification information of NWDAF: a. service area of NWDAF a: service area a, capability identification supported by NWDAF a: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the NWDAF b includes at least one of: identification information of NWDAF: b. service area of NWDAF b: service area b, capability identification supported by NWDAF b: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the NWDAF c includes at least one of: identification information of NWDAF: c. service area of NWDAF c: service area c, capability identification supported by NWDAF c: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the NWDAF k includes at least one of: identification information of NWDAF: k. service area of NWDAF k: service area a + b + c, capability identification supported by NWDAF k: the capability identification a. At this time, the NRF stores the same capability identification supported by the 4 NWDAFs.

The selection conditions comprise: best match with the request parameters and/or have a correlation with the request parameters. Having dependencies on request parameters, including: the service area is a subset of the service area in the request parameter and/or the supported capability identification is related to the capability identification in the request parameter.

In one example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target NWDAF is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target NWDAF is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition comprises the best matching with the request parameter. The NRF selects the NWDAF with the network element information most matched with the request parameter from the 4 NWDAFs according to the stored network element information of the 4 NWDAFs: NWDAF k as the target NWDAF.

In another example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target NWDAF is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target NWDAF is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition includes correlation with the request parameter. The NRF selects NWDAF with the network element information having correlation with the request parameter from the 4 NWDAF according to the stored network element information of the 4 NWDAF: NWDAF a, NWDAF b, NWDAF c as target NWDAF.

In yet another example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target NWDAF is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target NWDAF is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition includes a best match with the request parameter and a correlation with the request parameter. The NRF selects the NWDAF with the network element information which is matched with the request parameter most and has correlation with the request parameter from the 4 NWDAFs according to the stored network element information of the 4 NWDAFs: NWDAF a, NWDAF b, NWDAF c, NWDAF k as target NWDAF.

Exemplarily, it is assumed that the NRF stores network element information of 5 NWDAFs, and the 5 NWDAFs are respectively: NWDAF a, NWDAF b, NWDAF c, NWDAF k, NWDAF m. The network element information of the NWDAF a includes at least one of: identification information of NWDAF: a. service area of NWDAF a: service area a, capability identification supported by NWDAF a: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the NWDAF b includes at least one of: identification information of NWDAF: b. service area of NWDAF b: service area b, capability identification supported by NWDAF b: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the NWDAF c includes at least one of: identification information of NWDAF: c. service area of NWDAF c: service area c, capability identification supported by NWDAF c: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the NWDAF k includes at least one of: identification information of NWDAF: k. service area of NWDAF k: service area a + b + c, capability identification supported by NWDAF k: a capability identifier a; the network element information of the NWDAF m includes at least one of: identification information of NWDAF: m, service area of NWDAF m: service area a + b + c, capability identification supported by NWDAF m: capability identification b. The calculation result of the capability identifier b can assist the calculation of the auxiliary capability identifier a.

In one example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target NWDAF is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target NWDAF is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition comprises the best matching with the request parameter. The NRF selects an NWDAF with the network element information matched with the request parameter best from the 5 NWDAFs according to the stored network element information of the 5 NWDAFs: NWDAF k as the target NWDAF.

In another example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target NWDAF is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target NWDAF is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition includes correlation with the request parameter. The NRF selects the NWDAF with the correlation between the network element information and the request parameter from the 5 NWDAFs according to the stored network element information of the 5 NWDAFs: NWDAF a, NWDAF b, NWDAF c, NWDAF m, as target NWDAF.

In yet another example, assume that the request parameters include: the capability identifier supported by the target NWDAF is a capability identifier a, the service area of the target NWDAF is a service area a + b + c, and the selection condition includes the best match with the request parameter and the correlation with the request parameter. The NRF selects the NWDAF with the network element information which is most matched with the request parameters and has correlation with the request parameters from the 5 NWDAFs according to the stored network element information of the 5 NWDAFs: NWDAF a, NWDAF b, NWDAF c, NWDAF k, NWDAF m, as target NWDAF.

The NRF sends a discovery response to the NF a, the discovery response including information of the target NWDAF. The information of the target NWDAF includes at least one of: identification information of the target NWDAF, a service area of the target NWDAF, a network element identification of a service of the target NWDAF, and a capability identification supported by the target NWDAF.

Referring to fig. 5, a block diagram of a network element discovery apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The device has the function of realizing the first network element side method example, and the function can be realized by hardware or by executing corresponding software by hardware. The apparatus may be a first network element, and may also be configured in the first network element. As shown in fig. 5, the apparatus 500 may include: a request receiving module 510, a network element determining module 520 and a response sending module 530.

A request receiving module 510, configured to receive a discovery request from the second network element for a third network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

a network element determining module 520, configured to determine the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element;

a response sending module 530, configured to send a discovery response to the second network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element.

To sum up, in the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the second network element sends a discovery request for the third network element to the first network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining the target third network element; the first network element determines a target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element; the first network element determines a target third network element and then sends information including the target third network element to the second network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, the selection condition includes: best match the request parameters and/or have a correlation with the request parameters.

In an exemplary embodiment, the selection condition is indicated in an explicit manner, and the discovery request further includes indication information of the selection condition.

In an exemplary embodiment, the indication information is first indication information, which is used to indicate that the selection condition includes a best match with the request parameter; or the indication information is second indication information used for indicating that the selection condition comprises correlation with the request parameter; or, the indication information is third indication information, which is used to indicate that the selection condition includes a best match with the request parameter and a correlation with the request parameter.

In an exemplary embodiment, the selection condition is indicated in an implicit manner, and the first network element is configured to determine the selection condition according to a predetermined configuration, or determine the selection condition according to an identity of the second network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, in a case that the selecting condition includes a best match with the request parameter, the network element determining module 520 is configured to:

and according to the stored network element information of at least one third network element, selecting the third network element with the network element information which is most matched with the request parameter from the at least one third network element to obtain the target third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, in a case that the selecting condition includes a correlation with the request parameter, the network element determining module 520 is configured to:

and according to the stored network element information of at least one third network element, selecting the third network element with the network element information having correlation with the request parameter from the at least one third network element to obtain the target third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, in case that the selecting condition includes a best match with the request parameter and a correlation with the request parameter, the network element determining module 520 is configured to:

and selecting a third network element which is most matched with the request parameter from the at least one third network element according to the stored network element information of the at least one third network element, and selecting the third network element which has correlation with the request parameter to obtain the target third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, the network element information of the third network element includes at least one of: the identification information of the third network element, the service area of the third network element, the network element identification served by the third network element, the capability identification supported by the third network element, and the identification information of other network elements having correlation with the third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, the request parameters include at least one of: the identification information of the target third network element, the service area of the target third network element, the network element identification served by the target third network element, and the capability identification supported by the target third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, having a correlation with the request parameter includes: the service area is a subset of the service area in the request parameter and/or the supported capability identification is related to the capability identification in the request parameter.

In an exemplary embodiment, the information of the target third network element comprises at least one of: the identification information of the target third network element, the service area of the target third network element, the network element identification served by the target third network element, and the capability identification supported by the target third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, the third network element is a network data analysis function NWDAF.

In an exemplary embodiment, the capability identifier supported by the third network element is an analysis identifier supported by the NWDAF.

Referring to fig. 6, a block diagram of a network element discovery apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. The device has the function of realizing the second network element side method example, and the function can be realized by hardware or by executing corresponding software by hardware. The apparatus may be a second network element, and may also be disposed in the second network element. As shown in fig. 6, the apparatus 600 may include: a request sending module 610 and a response receiving module 620.

A request sending module 610, configured to send a discovery request for a third network element to a first network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

a response receiving module 620, configured to receive a discovery response from the first network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element, and the target third network element is determined based on the request parameter and an indicated selection condition of the target third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, the indication information is first indication information, and is used to indicate that the selection condition includes a best match with the request parameter; or the indication information is second indication information used for indicating that the selection condition comprises correlation with the request parameter; or, the indication information is third indication information, which is used to indicate that the selection condition includes a best match with the request parameter and a correlation with the request parameter.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first network element stores network element information of at least one third network element;

wherein the network element information of the third network element comprises at least one of: the identification information of the third network element, the service area of the third network element, the network element identification served by the third network element, the capability identification supported by the third network element, and the identification information of other network elements having correlation with the third network element.

It should be noted that, when the apparatus provided in the foregoing embodiment implements the functions thereof, only the division of the above functional modules is illustrated, and in practical applications, the above functions may be distributed by different functional modules according to actual needs, that is, the content structure of the device is divided into different functional modules, so as to complete all or part of the functions described above.

With regard to the apparatus in the above-described embodiment, the specific manner in which each module performs the operation has been described in detail in the embodiment related to the method, and will not be elaborated here.

Referring to fig. 7, a schematic structural diagram of a network device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. The network device 700 may be a first network element. The network device 700 may include: a processor 701, a receiver 702, a transmitter 703, a memory 704, and a bus 705.

The processor 701 includes one or more processing cores, and the processor 701 executes various functional applications and information processing by executing software programs and modules.

The receiver 702 and the transmitter 703 may be implemented as one transceiver 706, and the transceiver 706 may be one communication chip. The transceiver 706 is coupled to the processor 701.

The memory 704 is coupled to the processor 701 by a bus 705.

The memory 704 may be used to store a computer program which the processor 701 is configured to execute in order to implement the various steps performed by the first network element in the above-described method embodiments.

Further, the memory 704 may be implemented by any type or combination of volatile or non-volatile storage devices, including, but not limited to: RAM (Random-Access Memory) and ROM (Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), flash Memory or other solid state storage technology, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), DVD (Digital Video Disc) or other optical storage, magnetic tape cartridge, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. Wherein:

the transceiver 706 is configured to receive a discovery request for a third network element from the second network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

the processor 701 is configured to determine the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element;

the transceiver 706 is further configured to send a discovery response to the second network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, in a case that the selecting condition includes a best match with the request parameter, the processor 701 is configured to:

and according to the stored network element information of at least one third network element, selecting the third network element with the network element information being most matched with the request parameter from the at least one third network element to obtain the target third network element.

In an exemplary embodiment, in case that the selection condition includes a correlation with the request parameter, the processor 701 is configured to:

In an exemplary embodiment, in case that the selection condition includes a best match with the request parameter and a correlation with the request parameter, the processor 701 is configured to:

Referring to fig. 8, a schematic structural diagram of a network device 800 according to another embodiment of the present application is shown. The network device 800 may be a second network element. The network device 800 may include: a processor 801, a receiver 802, a transmitter 803, a memory 804 and a bus 805.

The processor 801 includes one or more processing cores, and the processor 801 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

The receiver 802 and the transmitter 803 may be implemented as a transceiver 806, and the transceiver 806 may be a communication chip. The transceiver 806 is connected to the processor 801.

The memory 804 is coupled to the processor 801 by a bus 805.

The memory 804 may be used for storing a computer program which the processor 801 is configured to execute in order to implement the respective steps performed by the second network element in the above-described method embodiments.

Further, the memory 804 may be implemented by any type or combination of volatile or non-volatile storage devices, including, but not limited to: RAM (Random-Access Memory) and ROM (Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), flash Memory or other solid state storage technology, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), DVD (Digital Video Disc) or other optical storage, magnetic tape cartridge, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. Wherein:

the transceiver 806 is configured to send a discovery request for a third network element to the first network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

the transceiver 806 is further configured to receive a discovery response from the first network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element, and the target third network element is determined based on the request parameter and an indicated selection condition of the target third network element.

An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, where a computer program is stored in the storage medium, and the computer program is used for being executed by a processor of a first network element to implement the above-mentioned network element discovery method on the first network element side.

An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, where a computer program is stored in the storage medium, and the computer program is used for being executed by a processor of a second network element to implement the above-mentioned network element discovery method on the second network element side.

The embodiment of the present application provides a chip, where the chip includes a programmable logic circuit and/or a program instruction, and when the chip runs on a first network element, the chip is configured to implement the network element discovery method on the first network element side.

An embodiment of the present application provides a chip, where the chip includes a programmable logic circuit and/or a program instruction, and when the chip runs on a second network element, the chip is configured to implement the network element discovery method on the second network element side.

The present application also provides a computer program product, which when run on a processor of a first network element, causes the first network element to perform the above network element discovery method on the first network element side.

The present application also provides a computer program product, which when run on a processor of a second network element causes the second network element to perform the above network element discovery method on the second network element side.

It should be understood that reference to "a plurality" herein means two or more. "and/or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, meaning 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. The character "/" generally indicates that the former and latter associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in one or more of the examples described above, the functions described in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The above description is only exemplary of the present application and should not be taken as limiting the present application, and any modifications, equivalents, improvements and the like that are made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

A network element discovery method, applied to a first network element, the method comprising:

receiving a discovery request aiming at a third network element from a second network element, wherein the discovery request comprises a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

determining the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element;

and sending a discovery response to the second network element, wherein the discovery response comprises the information of the target third network element.
The method of claim 1, wherein the selection condition comprises: best match the request parameters and/or have a correlation with the request parameters.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the selection condition is indicated in an explicit manner, and the discovery request further includes information indicating the selection condition.
The method of claim 3,

the indication information is first indication information and is used for indicating that the selection condition is matched with the request parameter most;

or,

the indication information is second indication information used for indicating that the selection condition comprises correlation with the request parameter;

or,

the indication information is third indication information used for indicating that the selection condition comprises the best match with the request parameter and the correlation with the request parameter.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the selection condition is indicated in an implicit manner, and the first network element is configured to determine the selection condition according to a predetermined configuration, or determine the selection condition according to an identity of the second network element.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in a case that the selection condition includes a closest match with the request parameter, the determining the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element comprises:

and according to the stored network element information of at least one third network element, selecting the third network element with the network element information which is most matched with the request parameter from the at least one third network element to obtain the target third network element.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in case that the selection condition includes a correlation with the request parameter, the determining the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element comprises:

and according to the stored network element information of at least one third network element, selecting the third network element with the network element information having correlation with the request parameter from the at least one third network element to obtain the target third network element.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in case that the selection condition comprises a best match with the request parameter and a correlation with the request parameter, said determining the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element comprises:

and selecting a third network element which is most matched with the request parameter from the at least one third network element according to the stored network element information of the at least one third network element, and selecting the third network element which has correlation with the request parameter to obtain the target third network element.
The method according to any of claims 6 to 8, wherein the network element information of the third network element comprises at least one of: the identification information of the third network element, the service area of the third network element, the network element identification served by the third network element, the capability identification supported by the third network element, and the identification information of other network elements having correlation with the third network element.
The method according to any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the request parameters comprise at least one of: the identification information of the target third network element, the service area of the target third network element, the network element identification served by the target third network element, and the capability identification supported by the target third network element.
The method of any of claims 2 to 10, having a correlation with the request parameter, comprising: the service area is a subset of the service area in the request parameter and/or the supported capability identification is related to the capability identification in the request parameter.
The method according to any of claims 1 to 11, wherein the information of the target third network element comprises at least one of: the identification information of the target third network element, the service area of the target third network element, the network element identification served by the target third network element, and the capability identification supported by the target third network element.
The method according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein said third network element is a network data analysis function, NWDAF.
The method of claim 13, wherein the capability identifier supported by the third network element is an analysis identifier supported by the NWDAF.
A network element discovery method, applied to a second network element, the method comprising:

sending a discovery request aiming at a third network element to a first network element, wherein the discovery request comprises a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

receiving a discovery response from the first network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element, and the target third network element is determined based on the request parameter and an indicated selection condition of the target third network element.
The method of claim 15, wherein the selection condition comprises: best match the request parameters and/or have a correlation with the request parameters.
The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the selection condition is indicated in an explicit manner, and the discovery request further includes information indicating the selection condition.
The method of claim 17,

the indication information is first indication information and is used for indicating that the selection condition is matched with the request parameter most;

or,

the indication information is second indication information used for indicating that the selection condition comprises correlation with the request parameter;

or,

the indication information is third indication information used for indicating that the selection condition comprises the best match with the request parameter and the correlation with the request parameter.
The method according to claim 15 or 16, wherein the selection condition is implicitly indicated, and the first network element is configured to determine the selection condition according to a predetermined configuration, or determine the selection condition according to an identity of the second network element.
The method according to any of claims 15 to 19, wherein the first network element stores network element information of at least one third network element;

wherein the network element information of the third network element comprises at least one of: the identification information of the third network element, the service area of the third network element, the network element identification served by the third network element, the capability identification supported by the third network element, and the identification information of other network elements having correlation with the third network element.
The method according to any of claims 15 to 20, wherein the request parameters comprise at least one of: the identification information of the target third network element, the service area of the target third network element, the network element identification served by the target third network element, and the capability identification supported by the target third network element.
The method of any one of claims 16 to 21, having a correlation with the request parameter, comprising: the service area is a subset of the service area in the request parameter and/or the supported capability identification is related to the capability identification in the request parameter.
The method according to any of claims 15 to 22, wherein the information of the target third network element comprises at least one of: the identification information of the target third network element, the service area of the target third network element, the network element identification served by the target third network element, and the capability identification supported by the target third network element.
The method according to any of claims 15 to 23, wherein the third network element is a network data analysis function, NWDAF.
The method of claim 24, wherein the capability identifier supported by the third network element is an analysis identifier supported by the NWDAF.
An apparatus for network element discovery, the apparatus comprising:

a request receiving module, configured to receive a discovery request for a third network element from a second network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

a network element determining module, configured to determine the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element;

a response sending module, configured to send a discovery response to the second network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element.
The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the selection condition comprises: best match the request parameters and/or have a correlation with the request parameters.
The apparatus according to claim 26 or 27, wherein the selection condition is indicated in an explicit manner, and the discovery request further includes information indicating the selection condition.
The apparatus of claim 28,

the indication information is first indication information and is used for indicating that the selection condition is matched with the request parameter most;

or,

the indication information is second indication information used for indicating that the selection condition comprises correlation with the request parameter;

or,

the indication information is third indication information used for indicating that the selection condition comprises the best match with the request parameter and the correlation with the request parameter.
The apparatus according to claim 26 or 27, wherein the selection condition is implicitly indicated, and the first network element is configured to determine the selection condition according to a predetermined configuration, or determine the selection condition according to an identity of the second network element.
The apparatus according to any of claims 26 to 30, wherein in case that the selection condition comprises a best match with the request parameter, the network element determining module is configured to:

and according to the stored network element information of at least one third network element, selecting the third network element with the network element information which is most matched with the request parameter from the at least one third network element to obtain the target third network element.
The apparatus according to any of claims 26 to 30, wherein in case that the selection condition comprises a correlation with the request parameter, the network element determining module is configured to:

and according to the stored network element information of at least one third network element, selecting the third network element with the network element information having correlation with the request parameter from the at least one third network element to obtain the target third network element.
The apparatus according to any of claims 26 to 30, wherein in case that the selection condition comprises a best match with the request parameter and a correlation with the request parameter, the network element determining module is configured to:

and selecting a third network element which is most matched with the request parameter from the at least one third network element according to the stored network element information of the at least one third network element, and selecting the third network element which has correlation with the request parameter to obtain the target third network element.
The apparatus according to any of claims 31 to 33, wherein the network element information of the third network element comprises at least one of: the identification information of the third network element, the service area of the third network element, the network element identification served by the third network element, the identification of the capability supported by the third network element, and the identification information of other network elements having correlation with the third network element.
The apparatus according to any of claims 26 to 34, wherein the request parameters comprise at least one of: the identification information of the target third network element, the service area of the target third network element, the network element identification served by the target third network element, and the capability identification supported by the target third network element.
The apparatus according to any of claims 27 to 35, wherein there is a correlation with the request parameter, comprising: the service area is a subset of the service area in the request parameter and/or the supported capability identification is related to the capability identification in the request parameter.
The apparatus according to any of claims 26 to 36, wherein the information of the target third network element comprises at least one of: the identification information of the target third network element, the service area of the target third network element, the network element identification served by the target third network element, and the capability identification supported by the target third network element.
The apparatus of any of claims 26 to 37, wherein the third network element is a network data analysis function, NWDAF.
The apparatus of claim 38, wherein the capability identifier supported by the third network element is an analysis identifier supported by the NWDAF.
An apparatus for network element discovery, the apparatus comprising:

a request sending module, configured to send a discovery request for a third network element to a first network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

a response receiving module, configured to receive a discovery response from the first network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element, and the target third network element is determined based on the request parameter and an indicated selection condition of the target third network element.
The apparatus according to claim 40, wherein the selection condition comprises: best match the request parameters and/or have a correlation with the request parameters.
The apparatus according to claim 40 or 41, wherein the selection condition is explicitly indicated, and the discovery request further includes information indicating the selection condition.
The apparatus of claim 42,

the indication information is first indication information and is used for indicating that the selection condition is matched with the request parameter most;

or,

the indication information is second indication information used for indicating that the selection condition comprises correlation with the request parameter;

or,

the indication information is third indication information used for indicating that the selection condition comprises the best match with the request parameter and the correlation with the request parameter.
The apparatus of claim 40 or 41, wherein the selection condition is implicitly indicated, and wherein the first network element is configured to determine the selection condition according to a predetermined configuration, or determine the selection condition according to an identity of the second network element.
The apparatus according to any of claims 40 to 44, wherein the first network element stores network element information of at least one third network element;

wherein the network element information of the third network element comprises at least one of: the identification information of the third network element, the service area of the third network element, the network element identification served by the third network element, the identification of the capability supported by the third network element, and the identification information of other network elements having correlation with the third network element.
The apparatus according to any of claims 40 to 45, wherein the request parameters comprise at least one of: the identification information of the target third network element, the service area of the target third network element, the network element identification served by the target third network element, and the capability identification supported by the target third network element.
The apparatus according to any of claims 41 to 46, having a correlation with the request parameter, comprising: the service area is a subset of the service area in the request parameter and/or the supported capability identification is related to the capability identification in the request parameter.
The apparatus according to any of claims 40 to 47, wherein the information of the target third network element comprises at least one of: the identification information of the target third network element, the service area of the target third network element, the network element identification served by the target third network element, and the capability identification supported by the target third network element.
The apparatus of any one of claims 40 to 48, wherein the third network element is a network data analysis function (NWDAF).
The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the capability identifier supported by the third network element is an analysis identifier supported by the NWDAF.
A network device comprising a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor; wherein:

the transceiver is configured to receive a discovery request from a second network element for a third network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

the processor is configured to determine the target third network element based on the request parameter and the indicated selection condition of the target third network element;

the transceiver is further configured to send a discovery response to the second network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element.
A network device comprising a processor and a transceiver coupled to the processor; wherein:

the transceiver is configured to send a discovery request for a third network element to the first network element, where the discovery request includes a request parameter for determining a target third network element;

the transceiver is further configured to receive a discovery response from the first network element, where the discovery response includes information of the target third network element, and the target third network element is determined based on the request parameter and an indicated selection condition of the target third network element.
A computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored which is adapted to be executed by a processor of a first network element to implement the network element discovery method of any one of claims 1 to 14.
A computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored which is adapted to be executed by a processor of a second network element to implement the network element discovery method of any one of claims 15 to 25.