CN108289319B

CN108289319B - Method for selecting core network access management network element, access method, device and equipment

Info

Publication number: CN108289319B
Application number: CN201710538833.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李志军; 衡正国
Original assignee: ZTE Corp
Current assignee: ZTE Corp
Priority date: 2017-07-04
Filing date: 2017-07-04
Publication date: 2020-02-14
Anticipated expiration: 2037-07-04
Also published as: CN108289319A

Abstract

A method, an access method, a device and equipment for selecting a core network access management network element are disclosed.A network node acquires a virtualization attribute of the access management network element, wherein the virtualization attribute is used for indicating that the access management network element is a physical network element or a virtual network element; and the network node selects an access management network element for the user equipment UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element. When UE accesses, firstly acquiring configured access preference information, wherein the access preference information comprises a virtualization attribute of an access management network element; and when the UE sends a wireless connection request to the wireless base station, carrying the access preference information. According to the method and the device, when the UE is accessed to the core network through the wireless base station, the UE can be allocated to the appropriate access management network element.

Description

Method for selecting core network access management network element, access method, device and equipment

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method for selecting a core network to access a management network element, an access method, and a corresponding apparatus and device.

Background

According to the definition of 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) standard working group, the 4G System includes a radio subsystem LTE (Long Term Evolution), a core network subsystem EPS (Evolved Packet System).

Fig. 1 is an architecture diagram of a 4G system. The wireless subsystem part mainly comprises an E-UTRAN (evolved universal Radio Access Network). The Core network subsystem part, also called EPC (Evolved Packet Core). The system mainly comprises an HSS (Home subscriber Server), an MME (Mobility Management Entity), an S-GW (Serving Gateway), a P-GW (PDN Gateway), a PCRF (Policy and Charging implementation Function Entity), wherein:

hss (home Subscriber server): the home subscriber data server is a permanent storage place of the user subscription data and is positioned in a home network signed by the user;

MME (mobility Management entity): a mobility management network element, which is a storage place of the user subscription data in the current network and is responsible for the signaling management of a Non-Access Stratum (NAS) layer from a terminal to the network, the tracking and paging management functions and the bearing management in an idle mode of the user;

S-GW (Serving Gateway): the service gateway is a gateway from a core network to a wireless system and is responsible for user plane bearing from a terminal to the core network, data caching in a terminal idle mode, a function of initiating a service request at a network side, and functions of legal interception, packet data routing and forwarding;

P-GW (PDN gateway): the packet data network gateway is an evolved packet domain system (EPS) and a gateway of an external network of the system, and is responsible for functions of IP address allocation, a charging function, packet filtering, policy application, and the like of a terminal.

Pcrf (policy and Charging implementation function): and the policy and charging rule function entity is responsible for providing policy control and charging rules for the PCEF.

At the beginning of the design of the fourth generation communication system (4G), each network element in the core network subsystem EPS is specifically implemented as a special physical network element, that is, the network element is composed of specially designed hardware and software. However, with the development of general hardware technology and software technology, especially Virtualization (Virtualization) technology, it is proposed in the industry that a virtual network element can be constructed through technical means such as cloud computing and Virtualization. The essence of a virtual network element is a set of software that cooperate with each other to accomplish the functions implemented by a physical network element. By means of the development of cloud computing and virtualization technologies, compared with a physical network element, the virtual network element has the characteristics of flexible deployment, convenience in upgrading and flexible capacity expansion. However, due to the characteristics of the virtualization technology, the virtual network element is subjected to the development of virtualization and container technology, and is inferior to the physical network element in performance and stability.

In consideration of the characteristics of the virtualized network element, in general, the device merchant will push out the virtualized network element for network elements such as MME, HSS, PCRF, and the like, while the SGW and PGW with very high requirements for IO and network card performance still use the physical network element.

The design concept of virtualization is also used in the design of 5G systems. The 3GPP considers that, in the 5G system, the network element function can be implemented as a physical network element or a virtual network element, which is specifically determined according to the design of different equipment manufacturers.

Fig. 2 is an architecture diagram of the 5G system. The Radio subsystem part mainly includes NR (New Radio, New generation Radio base station). The Core network subsystem part, also called NGC (New Generation Core ). In the NGC core network, a UDM (Unified Data Management Function), an AMF (access Management Function), an SMF (Session Management Function), an UPF (User Plane Function), and a PCF (Policy Control Function) are included, in which:

UDM (unified Data management): the unified data management function is a permanent storage place of the user signed data and is positioned in a home network signed by the user;

AMF (Access Management function): an Access management function, which manages the requirement of accessing the network by the user, and is responsible for the functions of Non-Access Stratum (NAS) signaling management, user mobility management and the like from the terminal to the network;

smf (session Management function): a session management function, which manages a PDU (packet data Unit) session and QoS flow of a user, and makes packet detection and forwarding rules for the UPF;

UPF (user Plane function): and the user plane function is responsible for the routing and forwarding of IP data and non-IP data, the reporting of the usage amount and the like.

Pcf (policy Control function): and the strategy control function is responsible for providing each level of strategy rules for the AMF and the SMF.

The networks described herein include, but are not limited to, 4G systems and 5G systems, and "radio base stations" include, but are not limited to, enodebs in 4G and NRs in 5G. The "access management network element" includes, but is not limited to, MME in 4G, AMF in 5G.

In actual operation, according to the requirement of network evolution, a physical network element and a virtualized network element may be deployed simultaneously in the same operator network, as shown in fig. 3A and 3B.

In the network deployment shown in fig. 3A and 3B, when a UE requests access to a network, a radio base station (eNodeB, NR) selects an access management network element (MME, AMF) according to information such as an access management network element (MME, AMF) list configured by the radio base station itself and a location area accessed by the UE. In this option, the radio base station (eNodeB, NR) does not care whether the selected access management network element (MME, AMF) is a physical network element or a virtual network element.

In consideration of the development of virtualization technology, the virtual network element is still deficient in satisfying high-reliability and large-capacity services. From an operational management point of view, an operator may want the access management network element (MME, AMF) preferred by the radio base station (eNodeB, NR) to be a physical network element, and select a virtual network element when the access management network element as a physical network element reaches an expected load. On the other hand, the operator may want to prefer some UEs to physical network elements according to UE types (e.g. personal network terminals), and allocate some UEs to the customized virtual network for some non-important UE types (e.g. non-secure internet of things terminals).

When a physical network element and a virtual network element are deployed in a core network simultaneously, a radio base station (eNodeB, NR) cannot know whether an access management network element (MME, AMF) is a physical network element or a virtual network element, so that a UE cannot be preferentially selected to the physical network element, and thus a requirement for preferentially allocating the UE to the physical network element and a requirement for allocating selective access such as the physical network element or the virtual network element according to a UE type cannot be satisfied.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for selecting a core network access management network element, including:

the network node acquires a virtualization attribute of an access management network element, wherein the virtualization attribute is used for indicating that the access management network element is a physical network element or a virtual network element;

and the network node selects an access management network element for the user equipment UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an apparatus for selecting a core network access management network element, where the apparatus includes:

an attribute obtaining module, configured to obtain a virtualization attribute of an access management network element, where the virtualization attribute is used to indicate that the access management network element is a physical network element or a virtual network element;

and the network element selection module is used for selecting the access management network element for the user equipment UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a wireless base station, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, where the processor implements the following processing when executing the computer program:

acquiring a virtualization attribute of an access management network element, wherein the virtualization attribute is used for indicating that the access management network element is a physical network element or a virtual network element;

and selecting the access management network element for the user equipment UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an access management network element, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, where the processor implements the following processes when executing the computer program:

The scheme enables the UE to be allocated to the proper access management network element when the UE is accessed to the core network through the wireless base station.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides an access method for a UE, including:

the UE acquires configured access preference information, wherein the access preference information comprises a virtualization attribute of an access management network element, and the virtualization attribute is used for indicating that the access management network element is a physical network element or a virtual network element;

and when the UE sends a wireless connection request to the wireless base station, carrying the access preference information.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an access apparatus for a UE, including:

the information acquisition module is used for acquiring configured access preference information, wherein the access preference information comprises a virtualization attribute of an access management network element, and the virtualization attribute is used for indicating that the access management network element is a physical network element or a virtual network element;

and the request sending module is used for carrying the access preference information when sending the wireless connection request to the wireless base station.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a user equipment, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, where the processor implements the following processing when executing the computer program:

acquiring configured access preference information, wherein the access preference information comprises a virtualization attribute of an access management network element, and the virtualization attribute is used for indicating that the access management network element is a physical network element or a virtual network element;

and carrying the access preference information when sending a wireless connection request to a wireless base station.

By the scheme, when the UE is accessed to the core network through the wireless base station, the access preference information can be actively provided, and a basis is provided for the network side equipment to select the access management network element.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a 4G system in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a 5G system architecture in the prior art;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the simultaneous deployment of physical network elements and virtual network elements in the same operator core network;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of a method for selecting a core network access management network element according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a block diagram of an apparatus for selecting a core network access management network element according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a signaling flowchart of a second eNodeB selecting an MME for a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7, fig. 8 and fig. 9 are three exemplary signaling flowcharts for an eNodeB to obtain a virtualization attribute of an MME according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a signaling flowchart of a third embodiment of the present invention in which an initial MME reselects an MME for a UE;

FIG. 11 is a signaling flowchart of a fourth eNodeB selecting an MME for a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 12 is a signaling flowchart of a fifth initial MME reselecting an MME for a UE according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a six-UE access method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 14 is a block diagram of a sixth UE according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments and features of the embodiments in the present application may be arbitrarily combined with each other without conflict.

Example one

The present embodiment provides a method for selecting a core network access management network element, as shown in fig. 4, including:

step 110, a network node obtains a virtualization attribute of an access management network element, where the virtualization attribute is used to indicate that the access management network element is a physical network element or a virtual network element;

the selection of the core network access management network element may be performed by the radio base station or an initial access management network element (the access network management network element that first receives the NAS message of the UE).

In one example, the network node is a radio base station, and the radio base station obtains the virtualized attribute of the access management network element by at least one of the following methods:

the wireless base station acquires the virtualization attribute of the access management network element through a connection establishment flow between the wireless base station and the access management network element;

the wireless base station acquires the virtualization attribute of the access management network element according to the base station reconfiguration response message returned by the access management network element;

and the wireless base station acquires the virtualization attribute of the access management network element according to the access management network element reconfiguration request message sent by the access management network element.

In another example, the network node may also be an initial access management network element. The acquiring, by the initial access management network element, the virtualization attribute of the access management network element includes: and the initial access management network element acquires the virtualization attribute of the access management network element in the candidate access management network element set through an interactive flow among the access management network elements.

Step 120, the network node selects an access management network element for the user equipment UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element.

The network node selects an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element, and the method comprises the following steps: and the network node selects an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element by combining one or more of a network preference policy, the UE type of the UE and the access preference information of the UE.

In one example, the network node is a radio base station, and the radio base station selects an access management network element for the UE based on a virtualization attribute of the access management network element, including:

after receiving a radio connection request message, such as an RRC message, sent by a UE, the radio base station selects an access management network element for the UE according to one of the following manners:

in the first mode, according to the setting of a network preference policy, if the UE should be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, the access management network element with the virtualization attribute as the physical network element is preferentially selected for the UE, and if the UE should be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element, the access management network element with the virtualization attribute as the virtual network element is preferentially selected for the UE;

a second mode, obtaining the UE type of the UE from the wireless connection request message, and according to the setting of a network preference policy, preferentially selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute as a physical network element for the UE if the UE with the UE type should be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, and preferentially selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute as a virtual network element for the UE if the UE with the UE type should be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element;

and if the UE needs to be accessed to the physical network element, selecting the access management network element with the virtualized attribute as the virtual network element for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the physical network element preferentially, selecting the access management network element with the virtualized attribute as the physical network element preferentially for the UE, and if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element preferentially, selecting the access management network element with the virtualized attribute as the virtual network element preferentially for the UE.

In another example, the network node is an initial access management network element, and the selecting, by the initial access management network element, an access management network element for the UE based on a virtualization attribute of the access management network element includes:

after receiving a non-access stratum NAS access request of the UE forwarded by the wireless base station, the initial access management network element selects an access management network element for the UE according to one of the following modes:

in the method a, according to the setting of the network preference policy, if the UE should be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, the access management network element with the virtualization attribute as the physical network element is preferentially selected for the UE, and if the UE should be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element, the access management network element with the virtualization attribute as the virtual network element is preferentially selected for the UE;

in the mode B, the UE type of the UE is obtained from a user subscription database, and according to the setting of a network preference strategy, if the UE with the UE type is to be preferentially accessed to a physical network element, an access management network element with the virtualization attribute as the physical network element is preferentially selected for the UE, and if the UE with the UE type is to be preferentially accessed to a virtual network element, the access management network element with the virtualization attribute as the virtual network element is preferentially selected for the UE;

mode C, acquiring access preference information of the UE from the message forwarded by the radio base station to the NAS access request, selecting an access management network element with a virtualized attribute of a physical network element for the UE if the UE must be accessed to the physical network element according to the setting of the access preference information, selecting an access management network element with a virtualized attribute of a virtual network element for the UE if the UE must be accessed to the virtual network element, preferentially selecting an access management network element with a virtualized attribute of a physical network element for the UE if the UE should be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, and preferentially selecting an access management network element with a virtualized attribute of a virtual network element for the UE if the UE should be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element;

and in the mode D, acquiring access network element selection information of the UE from a user subscription database, according to the setting of the access network element selection information, if the UE needs to be accessed to a physical network element, selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the physical network element for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element, selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the virtual network element for the UE, if the UE needs to be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, preferentially selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the physical network element for the UE, and if the UE needs to be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element, preferentially selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the virtual network element for the UE.

When an access management network element with a certain virtualization attribute is preferentially selected for the UE, if the access management network element with the virtualization attribute cannot be accessed due to load and the like, the network node may also select an access management network element with another virtualization attribute for the UE. If the UE must be accessed to the access management network element with a certain virtualization attribute, the network node may return an access failure if the access management network element with the virtualization attribute cannot be accessed due to load or the like.

The embodiment also provides a device for selecting a core network access management network element, as shown in fig. 5, including:

an attribute obtaining module 10, configured to obtain a virtualization attribute of an access management network element, where the virtualization attribute is used to indicate that the access management network element is a physical network element or a virtual network element;

a network element selecting module 20, configured to select an access management network element for the user equipment UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element.

In this embodiment, the selecting module of the network element selects an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element, including: and selecting an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element by combining one or more of a network preference policy, the UE type of the UE and the access preference information of the UE.

In one example, the apparatus is disposed in a radio base station, and the attribute obtaining module obtains a virtualized attribute of an access management network element by at least one of:

In an example, the apparatus is disposed in a radio base station, and when the network element selection module selects an access management network element for a user equipment UE based on a virtualization attribute of the access management network element, the apparatus includes: and after receiving a wireless connection request message sent by the UE, selecting an access management network element for the UE according to one of the first mode to the third mode.

In another example, the apparatus is disposed in an initial access management network element, and the network element selection module selects an access management network element for the UE based on a virtualization attribute of the access management network element, including: and after receiving the non-access stratum NAS access request of the UE forwarded by the wireless base station, selecting an access management network element for the UE according to one of the modes A to D.

The present embodiment also provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the following:

When executed by the processor, the computer program may also implement any processing in the method of this embodiment, which is not described in detail herein.

The present embodiment also provides a wireless base station, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the following processes when executing the computer program:

In this embodiment, the acquiring the virtualization attribute of the access management network element includes:

acquiring the virtualization attribute of an access management network element through a connection establishment process between a wireless base station and the access management network element;

acquiring the virtualization attribute of the access management network element according to the base station reconfiguration response message returned by the access management network element;

and acquiring the virtualization attribute of the access management network element according to the access management network element reconfiguration request message sent by the access management network element.

In this embodiment, selecting an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element includes: and selecting an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element by combining one or more of a network preference policy, the UE type of the UE and the access preference information of the UE. Specifically, one of the above-described first to third manners may be adopted to select an access management network element for the UE.

The present embodiment also provides an access management network element, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, where the processor executes the computer program to implement the following processing:

In this embodiment, the acquiring the virtualization attribute of the access management network element includes: and acquiring the virtualization attribute of the access management network element in the candidate access management network element set through the interactive process among the access management network elements.

In this embodiment, selecting an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element includes: and selecting an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element by combining one or more of a network preference policy, the UE type of the UE and the access preference information of the UE. Specifically, one of the above-described modes a to D may be adopted to select an access management network element for the UE.

Example two

In this embodiment, the UE requests access to the network, and the wireless base station selects an access management network element for the UE.

Fig. 6 is a signaling flow of selecting an MME for a UE by an eNodeB when the UE requests to access a 4G network in this embodiment, including:

401, UE initiates an RRC connection request to an eNodeB, wherein the RRC connection request carries an NAS access request;

402, selecting an MME for the UE by the eNodeB according to the acquired virtualization attribute of the MME and a network optimization strategy;

403, the eNodeB sends an initial context request message to the selected MME, carrying the NAS access request;

404, the MME sends a location update request to the HSS;

405, the HSS returns a location update to the UE, where the location update carries subscription data of the UE;

406, the MME selects an SGW/PGW for the UE, and initiates a session establishment request to the SGW/PGW;

407, the SGW/PGW establishes PDN connection for the UE according to the session establishment request, and returns a session establishment response;

408, the MME returns an initial context response message to the eNodeB, wherein the message carries the NAS access response;

409, the eNodeB returns an RRC connection response to the UE, wherein the NAS access response is carried.

In step 402, the eNodeB may obtain the virtualization attribute of the MME from the MME list stored locally, e.g., locally. The virtualization attribute of the MME is used to indicate whether the MME is a physical MME or a virtual MME.

In this embodiment, when selecting the MME, according to the setting of the network preference policy, if the UE should be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, the eNodeB preferentially selects the MME having the virtualization attribute of the physical network element for the UE, and if the UE should be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element, the eNodeB preferentially selects the MME having the virtualization attribute of the virtual network element for the UE.

In another embodiment, when selecting the MME, the eNodeB first obtains the UE type of the UE from the radio connection request message, and according to the setting of the network preference policy, if the UE with the UE type should be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, preferentially selects the access management network element with the virtualization attribute as the physical network element for the UE, and if the UE with the UE type should be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element, preferentially selects the access management network element with the virtualization attribute as the virtual network element for the UE.

The signaling flow shown in fig. 6 is for example that the UE requests to access to the 4G network, and the eNodeB selects an MME for the UE according to the obtained virtualization attribute of the MME and the network preference policy. The signaling flow is basically applicable to a scenario in which the UE requests to access to the 5G network, but the network node names in 4G and 5G are different, the eNodeB of 4G needs to be replaced by the wireless node NR in 5G, the MME of 4G needs to be replaced by the AMF in 5G, the HSS of 4G needs to be replaced by the UDM in 5G, and the SGW/PGW needs to be replaced by the SMF/UPF in 5G. In addition, if the UE is accessing the 4G network, the NAS access Request in the flow of fig. 4 is an Attach Request (Attach Request), and the NAS access Response is an Attach Response (Attach Response). If the UE is accessing the 5G network, the NAS access Request in the flow of fig. 4 is a registration Request (Register Request), and the NAS access Response is a registration Response (Register Response). The differences between the node names and the message names in different network environments also exist in other signaling flows of the present application, and are not described in detail.

The virtualization attribute of the MME locally stored by the eNodeB may be configured by the network management system, or may be obtained by the eNodeB from the MME in the list through an interaction procedure. The interaction procedure may be an S1 connection establishment procedure, an eNodeB configuration update procedure, an MME configuration update procedure, and the like.

The eNodeB obtains the virtualization attribute of the MME from the MME through the interaction procedure, and may use the methods shown in fig. 5, 6, and 7, or other similar methods. When the eNodeB obtains the virtualization attribute of the MME from the MME, it is locally stored, including but not limited to being stored in the MME list. Thereafter, the eNodeB can select an MME for the UE using the saved virtualization attributes of the MME.

Fig. 7 is one of the methods for the eNodeB to obtain the virtualization attribute of the MME according to this embodiment, and the eNodeB obtains the virtualization attribute of the MME from the MME when establishing an S1 connection with the MME through an S1 connection establishment procedure.

As shown in fig. 7, the process includes:

501, the eNodeB sends S1 a connection setup request message to the MME. Optionally, the S1 connection establishment request message carries a virtualization attribute query instruction;

502, according to the request of eNodeB, MME establishes S1 connection, and returns S1 connection establishment response message to eNodeB, carrying the virtualization attribute of this MME.

In this step, the MME may determine to return the virtualization attribute of the MME according to the virtualization attribute query instruction carried in the message sent by the eNodeB in step 501. Alternatively, the virtualization attributes of the MME are returned unconditionally.

503, the eNodeB saves the virtualized attributes of the MME in the S1 connection setup response message.

Fig. 8 is a second method for acquiring the virtualization attribute of the MME by the eNodeB according to the present embodiment, where the eNodeB acquires the virtualization attribute of the MME from the MME when sending updated eNodeB configuration information to the MME through the eNodeB configuration update procedure.

As shown in fig. 8, the process includes:

601, the eNodeB sends an eNodeB configuration update request message to the MME. Optionally, the eNodeB configuration update request message carries a virtualization attribute query indication;

602, the MME returns an eNodeB configuration update response message to the eNodeB, and the eNodeB configuration update response message carries the virtualization attribute of the MME;

similarly to the first method, the MME may determine to return the virtualization attribute of the MME according to the virtualization attribute query indication carried in the message sent by the eNodeB in step 601. Alternatively, the virtualization attributes of the MME are returned unconditionally.

603, the eNodeB saves the virtualization attribute of the MME in the eNodeB configuration update response message.

Fig. 9 is a third method for acquiring the virtualization attribute of the MME by the eNodeB according to this embodiment, where the eNodeB acquires the virtualization attribute of the MME from the MME through an MME configuration update procedure initiated by the MME.

As shown in fig. 9, the process includes:

701, an MME sends an MME configuration update request message to an eNodeB, and the MME carries the virtualization attribute of the MME;

702, the eNodeB returns an MME configuration update response message;

703, the eNodeB saves the virtualization attribute of the MME in the MME configuration update request message.

In the flow shown in fig. 5, 6, and 7, the MME may use a special Weight Factor (Weight Factor) to indicate that the virtualization attribute of the MME is a virtual network element. Such as: the Weight Factor is set to-1 to indicate that the MME is a virtual network element.

EXAMPLE III

In this embodiment, the UE requests access to the network, and the initial MME reselects the MME for the UE.

As shown in fig. 10, the present embodiment has the following steps:

801, UE initiates an RRC connection request to an eNodeB, wherein the RRC connection request carries an NAS access request;

802, the eNodeB selects an initial MME for the UE, i.e. MME1 in fig. 8, and sends an initial context request message to MME1, carrying the NAS access request;

the initial MME is the first MME to receive the NAS access request, which may be a specific MME, which has information about other MMEs, and which can perform the redirection procedure. The initial MME may not be a specific MME, and multiple MMEs may be peer-to-peer and may perform the functions of the initial MME.

803, MME1 sends an authentication request to HSS;

804, the HSS returns an authentication response to the MME1, where the authentication response carries information of the UE type of the UE;

805, MME1 reselects MME for UE, in this step, it is assumed that the reselection is MME 2;

fig. 10 illustrates selection to MM2, and if the reselected MME is MME1, steps 806 and 807 can be omitted, and MME1 performs step 808 and the following related actions.

806, MME1 sends a redirect message to eNodeB, carrying information of MME 2;

807, after receiving the redirection message of the MME, the eNodeB initiates initial context request information to the MME2, carrying the NAS access request;

808, MME2 sends a location update request to HSS;

809, the HSS returns a location update to the MME2, where the location update carries subscription data of the UE;

810, the MME2 selects an SGW/PGW for the UE, and initiates a session establishment request to the SGW/PGW;

the procedures for selecting SGWs and PGWs can be found in the relevant literature.

811, the SGW/PGW establishes PDN connection for the UE according to the session establishment request, and returns a session establishment response;

812, the MME2 returns an initial context response message to the eNodeB, which carries the NAS access response;

813, the eNodeB returns an RRC connection response to the UE, wherein the RRC connection response carries the NAS access response;

in the flow shown in fig. 10, in step 805, the initial MME reselects an MME for the UE according to the network preference policy, the type information of the UE, and the virtualization attributes of the MMEs in the candidate MME list. Reselecting an MME also belongs to a scenario for selecting an MME in the present application. The candidate MME list may be stored in the initial MME, or the initial MME may obtain from the configuration database. In the candidate MME list, the MMEs are marked with a virtualization attribute indicating whether the network element is a physical network element or a virtual network element. The initial MME can obtain the virtualization attribute of the MME in the candidate MME list through the interaction flow among the MMEs and store the attribute in the MME list. For example, one MME may provide its own virtualization attributes to another MME when interacting UE context data between MMEs. The virtualization attribute of the MME may be represented by 1 bit in the MME support function list. Thereafter, the initial MME may reselect the MME for the UE using the saved virtualization attributes of the MME. In other examples, the initial MME may also obtain the virtualization attributes of the MMEs in the candidate MME list by means of the network management system configuration.

In this embodiment, when the MME is initially reselected, according to the setting of the network preference policy, if the UE having the UE type should be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, the access management network element having the virtualization attribute as the physical network element is preferentially selected for the UE, and if the UE having the UE type should be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element, the access management network element having the virtualization attribute as the virtual network element is preferentially selected for the UE. The Network optimization strategy can be configured, for example, a Human Network terminal (Human Network UE) should preferentially access a physical Network element, and an internet of things terminal (MTC UE) should preferentially access a virtual Network element.

In another embodiment, the initial MME does not need to retrieve the UE type information to the HSS and the related steps may be omitted. When an MME is reselected initially, according to the setting of a network preference strategy, if UE should be preferentially accessed to a physical network element, an access management network element with a virtualization attribute as the physical network element is preferentially selected for the UE, and if the UE should be preferentially accessed to a virtual network element, an access management network element with a virtualization attribute as the virtual network element is preferentially selected for the UE.

The network preference policy is used to set a virtualization attribute of an access management network element to which the UE should preferentially access, and may directly set the UE to be preferentially accessed to a physical network element or a virtual network element, or may set the UE to be preferentially accessed to a physical network element or a virtual network element respectively according to conditions such as UE types. For example, when the UE type of the UE is acquired, an access management network element is selected for the UE according to the network preference policies respectively set according to the UE types, and when the UE type of the UE is not acquired, an access management network element is selected for the UE according to the network preference policy directly set according to the above.

In a further embodiment, in step 804 of the flowchart shown in fig. 8, instead of returning the type information of the UE, the HSS may also return the access network element selection information in the user subscription data. The access network element selection information may be set to a mandatory (or preferred) physical network element or a virtual network element. In step 805, the initial MME may select an access management network element for the UE in one of the following ways:

according to the setting of the access network element selection information, if the UE needs to be accessed to the physical network element, an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the physical network element is selected for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element, the access management network element with the virtualization attribute of the virtual network element is selected for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the physical network element preferentially, the access management network element with the virtualization attribute of the physical network element is selected for the UE preferentially, and if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element preferentially, the access management network element with the virtualization attribute of the virtual network element is selected for the UE preferentially.

It should be noted that the setting of the access network element selection information may have two options, such as a mandatory physical network element and a mandatory virtual network element, or a preferred physical network element and a preferred virtual network element. There may also be 4 options, namely mandatory physical network elements, mandatory virtual network elements, preferred physical network elements and preferred virtual network elements,

example four

In this embodiment, the UE provides access preference information when requesting access to the network, and the wireless base station selects an MME for the UE according to the access preference information provided by the UE.

Fig. 11 is a signaling flow of selecting an MME for a UE by an eNodeB when the UE accesses a 4G network, including:

901, UE initiates an RRC connection request to an eNodeB, wherein the RRC connection request carries an NAS access request;

in this step, the RRC connection request carries access preference information of the UE, which can be used as a basis for the network UE to select the MME.

902, selecting an MME for the UE by the eNodeB according to the access preference information of the UE and the acquired virtualization attribute of the MME;

903, the eNodeB sends an initial context request message to the selected MME, carrying the NAS access request;

904, the MME sends a location update request to the HSS;

905, the HSS returns a location update to the UE, where the location update carries subscription data of the UE;

906, the MME selects an SGW/PGW for the UE and initiates a session establishment request to the SGW/PGW;

907, the SGW/PGW establishes PDN connection for the UE according to the session establishment request and returns a session establishment response;

908, the MME returns an initial context response message to the eNodeB, where the initial context response carries the NAS access response;

909, the eNodeB returns an RRC connection response to the UE, where the RRC connection response carries the NAS access response;

in the flow shown in fig. 11, in step 901, the access preference information provided by the UE may be any one of the following:

-an access network element must-select indication, which indicates that a physical or virtual network element has to be selected for the UE.

-an access network element preference indication, which indicates that the UE should prefer a physical or virtual network element.

In this embodiment, when the radio base station selects the MME, according to the setting of the access preference information, if the UE needs to be accessed to the physical network element, the access management network element with the virtualized attribute being the physical network element is selected for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element, the access management network element with the virtualized attribute being the virtual network element is selected for the UE, if the UE needs to be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, the access management network element with the virtualized attribute being the physical network element is preferentially selected for the UE, and if the UE needs to be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element, the access management network element with the virtualized attribute being the virtual network element is preferentially selected for the UE.

In a 5G system, the UE may include access preference information in the network slice selection information. Specifically, it is possible to clearly indicate that network elements within a sliced network of a subtype are all physical network elements or virtual network elements by specifying the subtype of the slice with a specific meaning. Or, in the slice selection information, access preference information is explicitly added, indicating how to select a physical network element or a virtual network element. Wherein slices are used to select a sub-network, a sub-network may be referred to as a slice, and may include: AMF, SMF, UPF, UDM, PCF, and may even include a wireless base station. Slice type is used to describe the large class of slices, and slice subtype is used to describe the subtype under the large class of slices. Such as: section type: the thing networking, section subtype: the water, electricity and gas meter reading internet of things and the shared bicycle internet of things.

EXAMPLE five

In this embodiment, when the UE requests to access the network, the UE provides access preference information, the radio base station forwards the access preference information provided by the UE to the initial MME, and the initial MME reselects the MME for the UE according to the access preference information provided by the UE.

As shown in fig. 12, the signaling flow of this embodiment has the following steps:

1001, UE initiates an RRC connection request to eNodeB, where the RRC connection request carries an NAS access request;

in this step, the UE carries access preference information, which may be used to provide a basis for the network UE to select the MME.

1002, the eNodeB selects an initial MME, i.e. MME1, for the UE, and sends an initial context request message to MME1, carrying an NAS access request;

in this step, the eNodeB forwards the access preference information carried by the UE to the initial MME.

1003, MME1 sends an authentication request to HSS;

1004, the HSS returns an authentication response to the MME1, wherein the authentication response carries the type information of the UE;

1005, MME1 reselects MME for UE, in this step, it is assumed that the reselection is MME 2;

1006, MME1 sends a redirection message to eNodeB, carrying information of MME 2;

1007, after receiving the redirection message of MME, eNodeB initiates initial context request information to MME2, carrying NAS access request;

1008, the MME2 sends a location update request to the HSS;

1009, the HSS returns a location update to the MME2, where the location update carries subscription data of the UE;

1010, the MME2 selects an SGW/PGW for the UE, and initiates a session establishment request to the SGW/PGW;

1011, the SGW/PGW establishes PDN connection for the UE according to the session establishment request and returns a session establishment response;

1012, the MME2 returns an initial context response message to the eNodeB, which carries the NAS access response;

1013, the eNodeB returns an RRC connection response to the UE, wherein the RRC connection response carries the NAS access response;

in this embodiment, in this step 1005, when an MME is initially reselected, according to a setting of access preference information of a UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to a physical network element, an access management network element with a virtualized attribute of the physical network element is selected for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element, an access management network element with a virtualized attribute of the virtual network element is selected for the UE, if the UE should be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, an access management network element with a virtualized attribute of the physical network element is preferentially selected for the UE, and if the UE should be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element, an access management network element with a virtualized attribute of the virtual network element is preferentially selected for the UE.

Although the second to fifth embodiments respectively show a way of selecting an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attributes of the access management network element, in combination with the network preference policy, or the network preference policy and the UE type of the UE, or the access preference information of the UE, or the access network element selection information of the UE, it does not necessarily mean that there is only one selection way in these embodiments. In these embodiments, the network node that selects the access management network element may have multiple selection modes, and one selection mode is used according to the corresponding network policy. For example, if the network node acquires the UE type of the UE, it may preferentially select the UE type in combination with the network preference policy; if the network node acquires the access preference information of the UE, the network node can be selected by preferentially combining the access preference information of the UE; if the network node does not acquire the UE type and the access preference information of the UE, the network node can be selected by combining a network preference strategy; if the network node acquires the UE type of the UE and the access preference information of the UE, the network node may preferentially select in combination with the access preference information of the UE (or preferentially select in combination with the network preference policy and the UE type of the UE), and so on.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that all or some of the steps of the methods, systems, functional modules/units in the devices disclosed above may be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, and suitable combinations thereof. In a hardware implementation, the division between functional modules/units mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, one physical component may have multiple functions, or one function or step may be performed by several physical components in cooperation. Some or all of the physical components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a central processing unit, digital signal processor, or microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application specific integrated circuit. Such software may be distributed on computer readable media, which may include computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transitory media). The term computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data, as is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can accessed by a computer. In addition, communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media as known to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a core network access management network element, comprising:

the network node selects an access management network element for the user equipment UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element, and the method comprises the following steps:

the network node selects an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element by combining one or more of a network preference policy, the UE type of the UE and the access preference information of the UE;

the network node is a wireless base station or an initial access management network element.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the network node is the wireless base station, and the wireless base station obtains the virtualization attribute of the access management network element through at least one of the following modes:

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the network node is the initial access management network element, and the acquiring of the virtualization attribute of the access management network element by the initial access management network element includes: and the initial access management network element acquires the virtualization attribute of the access management network element in the candidate access management network element set through an interactive flow among the access management network elements.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the network node is a wireless base station, and the wireless base station selects an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element, including:

after receiving a wireless connection request message sent by the UE, the wireless base station selects an access management network element for the UE according to one of the following modes:

according to the setting of a network optimization strategy, if the UE is to be preferentially accessed to a physical network element, an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the physical network element is preferentially selected for the UE, and if the UE is to be preferentially accessed to a virtual network element, an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the virtual network element is preferentially selected for the UE;

acquiring the UE type of the UE from the wireless connection request message, preferentially selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute as a physical network element for the UE if the UE with the UE type is preferentially accessed to the physical network element according to the setting of a network preference strategy, and preferentially selecting the access management network element with the virtualization attribute as a virtual network element for the UE if the UE with the UE type is preferentially accessed to the virtual network element;

acquiring access preference information of the UE from the wireless connection request message, according to the setting of the access preference information, if the UE needs to be accessed to a physical network element, selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the physical network element for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element, selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the virtual network element for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the physical network element preferentially, selecting the access management network element with the virtualization attribute of the physical network element preferentially for the UE, and if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element preferentially, selecting the access management network element with the virtualization attribute of the virtual network element preferentially for the UE.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the network node is an initial access management network element, and the initial access management network element selects an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element, including:

acquiring the UE type of the UE from a user subscription database, preferentially selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute as a physical network element for the UE if the UE with the UE type is preferentially accessed to the physical network element according to the setting of a network preference strategy, and preferentially selecting the access management network element with the virtualization attribute as a virtual network element for the UE if the UE with the UE type is preferentially accessed to the virtual network element;

acquiring access preference information of the UE from the message of the NAS access request forwarded by the wireless base station, according to the setting of the access preference information, if the UE needs to be accessed to a physical network element, selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the physical network element for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element, selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the virtual network element for the UE, if the UE needs to be preferentially accessed to the physical network element, preferentially selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the physical network element for the UE, and if the UE needs to be preferentially accessed to the virtual network element, preferentially selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the virtual network element for the UE;

acquiring access network element selection information of the UE from a user subscription database, according to the setting of the access network element selection information, if the UE needs to be accessed to a physical network element, selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the physical network element for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element, selecting an access management network element with a virtualization attribute of the virtual network element for the UE, if the UE needs to be accessed to the physical network element preferentially, selecting the access management network element with the virtualization attribute of the physical network element preferentially for the UE, and if the UE needs to be accessed to the virtual network element preferentially, selecting the access management network element with the virtualization attribute of the virtual network element preferentially for the UE.

6. An apparatus for selecting a core network access management network element, the apparatus being disposed in a radio base station or an initial access management network element, the apparatus comprising:

a network element selection module, configured to select an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element, specifically including: and selecting an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element by combining one or more of a network preference policy, the UE type of the UE and the access preference information of the UE.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the apparatus is disposed in the radio base station, and the network element selection module selects an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element, including:

after receiving a wireless connection request message sent by the UE, selecting an access management network element for the UE according to one of the following modes:

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the device is arranged in the initial access management network element, and the network element selection module selects the access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element, and comprises:

after receiving a non-access stratum NAS access request of the UE forwarded by the wireless base station, selecting an access management network element for the UE according to one of the following modes:

9. A radio base station comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that the processor when executing the computer program realizes the following:

selecting an access management network element for the User Equipment (UE) based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element, comprising: and selecting an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element by combining one or more of a network preference policy, the UE type of the UE and the access preference information of the UE.

10. The radio base station of claim 9, wherein:

the acquiring the virtualization attribute of the access management network element includes:

11. The radio base station according to claim 9 or 10, characterized by:

selecting an access management network element for the UE based on the virtualization attribute of the access management network element, comprising:

after receiving a wireless connection request message sent by UE, selecting an access management network element for the UE according to one of the following modes:

12. An access management network element comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor when executing the computer program implements the following:

13. The access management network element of claim 12, wherein:

after receiving a non-access stratum NAS access request of the UE forwarded by a wireless base station, selecting an access management network element for the UE according to one of the following modes:

14. An access method of User Equipment (UE), comprising:

15. The access method of claim 14, wherein:

the access preference information includes a virtualization attribute of the access management network element for indicating one of: a physical network element has to be selected, a virtual network element has to be selected, a physical network element has to be preferentially selected, or a virtual network element has to be preferentially selected.

16. An access device of a User Equipment (UE), comprising:

17. The access device of claim 16, wherein:

18. A user device comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor when executing the computer program implements:

19. The user equipment of claim 18, wherein: