CN109788513B

CN109788513B - Data synchronization method, system and controller for edge computing application

Info

Publication number: CN109788513B
Application number: CN201711111532.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘洁; 林奕琳; 王庆扬; 曹磊; 赵晔
Original assignee: China Telecom Corp Ltd
Current assignee: China Telecom Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2017-11-13
Filing date: 2017-11-13
Publication date: 2021-03-23
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-13
Also published as: CN109788513A

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a data synchronization method, system and controller for edge computing application, and relates to the technical field of edge computing, wherein the method comprises the following steps: receiving notification information of switching of user network connection sent by an SMF network element, wherein the notification information comprises an identifier of a user, an identifier of a source Edge Computing Platform (ECP) and an identifier of a target ECP; judging whether signed applications which are deployed on both a source ECP and a target ECP and have a signed relation with the user exist or not according to the notification message; and if so, sending a data synchronization indication message to the source ECP, wherein the data synchronization indication message carries the identifier of the user, the identifier of the target ECP and the identifier of the signed application, so that the source ECP synchronizes application data related to the user in the signed application to the target ECP.

Description

Data synchronization method, system and controller for edge computing application

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of edge computing technologies, and in particular, to a data synchronization method, system and controller for edge computing applications.

Background

The edge calculation enables the operator service and the third-party service to be deployed at positions close to the user attachment access point, so that the time delay can be reduced, the network load can be reduced, and efficient service distribution can be realized.

In the scenario of edge computing, in order to reduce latency as much as possible, an application needs to be deployed locally, that is, when the user is in a certain area, the application in the area provides a service for the user.

At present, when the network connection of a user is switched, for example, the user moves from one area to another area, the service continuity cannot be guaranteed.

Disclosure of Invention

One technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is: when the network connection of the user is switched, the service continuity cannot be guaranteed.

According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a data synchronization method for an edge computing application, including: receiving notification information of switching of user network connection, which is sent by a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, wherein the notification information comprises an identifier of a user, an identifier of a source Edge Computing Platform (ECP) and an identifier of a target ECP; judging whether signed applications which are deployed on both a source ECP and a target ECP and have a signed relation with the user exist or not according to the notification message; and if so, sending a data synchronization indication message to the source ECP, wherein the data synchronization indication message carries the identifier of the user, the identifier of the target ECP and the identifier of the signed application, so that the source ECP synchronizes application data related to the user in the signed application to the target ECP.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: if the judgment result is yes, inquiring the state of the signed application on the source ECP; and under the condition that the signed application on the source ECP has the signed application in the activated state, sending the data synchronization indication message to the source ECP, wherein the identification of the signed application is the identification of the signed application in the activated state.

In some embodiments, in the process of synchronizing application data from the source ECP to the target ECP, the target ECP forwards the access request of the user to the source ECP, and the source ECP forwards service data to the user through the target ECP according to the access request of the user; and after the source ECP finishes the synchronous application of the data to the target ECP, the target ECP sends the service data to the user according to the access request of the user.

In some embodiments, the SMF network element stores in advance a correspondence between user plane functions UPF and ECP identifiers in the jurisdiction range of the SMF network element, where user plane anchor points respectively correspond to a source UPF and a target UPF before and after a user network connection is switched; and the SMF network element sends the notification message under the condition that the identifier of the source ECP corresponding to the source UPF is different from the identifier of the target ECP corresponding to the target UPF.

In some embodiments, before and after the user network connection is switched, the user network connection respectively corresponds to an old SMF network element and a new SMF network element, the SMF network element is the new SMF network element, and the old SMF network element stores in advance a correspondence between UPFs and ECPs in the jurisdiction range of the old SMF network element; the method further comprises the following steps: and the SMF network element inquires the source UPF and the identifier of the source ECP corresponding to the source UPF from the old SMF network element according to the identifier of the user.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises: and receiving the binding relationship of a plurality of identifications of the user sent by the SMF network element in advance, wherein the plurality of identifications at least comprise the IP address, the international mobile subscriber identity and the mobile subscriber directory number of the user.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a controller including: a notification message receiving module, configured to receive notification information of switching of user network connection sent by a session management function SMF network element, where the notification information includes an identifier of a user, an identifier of a source edge computing platform ECP, and an identifier of a target ECP; the signed application judging module is used for judging whether signed applications which are deployed on both a source ECP and a target ECP and have a signed relation with the user exist or not according to the notification message; and the indication message sending module is used for sending a data synchronization indication message to the source ECP under the condition that the judgment result is yes, wherein the data synchronization indication message carries the identification of the user, the identification of the target ECP and the identification of the signed application, so that the source ECP can synchronize application data related to the user in the signed application to the target ECP.

In some embodiments, the signed application determining module is further configured to query a status of the signed application on the source ECP if the determination result is yes; the indication message sending module is configured to send the data synchronization indication message to the source ECP when the signed application on the source ECP has the signed application in the active state, where an identifier of the signed application is an identifier of the signed application in the active state.

In some embodiments, the controller further comprises: and the identifier receiving module is used for receiving the binding relationship of a plurality of identifiers of the user sent by the SMF network element in advance, wherein the plurality of identifiers at least comprise the IP address of the user, the international mobile subscriber identity and the mobile subscriber directory number.

According to still another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a controller including: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform the method of any of the above embodiments based on instructions stored in the memory.

According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a data synchronization system for an edge computing application, including: the controller according to any one of the above embodiments; the SMF network element is used for sending the notification information to the controller under the condition that the user network connection is switched; the source ECP is used for synchronizing application data related to the user in the signed application to the target ECP according to the data synchronization indication message; a target ECP to receive the source ECP synchronized application data.

In some embodiments, the source ECP is further configured to send service data to the target ECP according to the user's access request forwarded by the target ECP in the process of synchronizing the application data to the target ECP by the source ECP; the target ECP is also used for forwarding the access request of the user to the source ECP, receiving the service data sent by the source ECP and forwarding the service data to the user in the process of synchronizing the application data from the source ECP to the target ECP; and after the source ECP finishes the synchronous application of the data to the target ECP, sending the service data to the user according to the access request of the user.

In some embodiments, the SMF network element stores in advance a correspondence between a user plane function UPF and an ECP in the jurisdiction range of the SMF network element, where a user plane anchor point corresponds to a source UPF and a target UPF before and after a user network connection is switched; and the SMF network element is used for sending the notification message under the condition that the identifier of the source ECP corresponding to the source UPF is different from the identifier of the target ECP corresponding to the target UPF.

In some embodiments, before and after the user network connection is switched, the user network connection respectively corresponds to an old SMF network element and a new SMF network element, the SMF network element is the new SMF network element, and the old SMF network element stores in advance a correspondence between UPFs and ECPs in the jurisdiction range of the old SMF network element; and the SMF network element is also used for inquiring the source UPF and the identifier of the source ECP corresponding to the source UPF from the old SMF network element according to the identifier of the user.

According to a further aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions, which when executed by a processor, implement the method according to any one of the embodiments described above.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the network connection of the user is switched, the source ECP may be instructed to synchronously sign application data related to the user in the application to the target ECP according to the notification information sent by the SMF network element. On one hand, the cooperation of user equipment is not needed; on the other hand, the synchronization of the application data triggered by the network side enables the application of the service to change correspondingly with the switching of the network connection, thereby ensuring the continuity of the service under the condition of ensuring low time delay and enabling the perception of the user not to be influenced.

The technical solution of the present disclosure is further described in detail by the accompanying drawings and examples.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic flow diagram of a method for data synchronization for an edge computing application, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart diagram of a data synchronization method for an edge computing application according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a data synchronization method for an edge computing application, according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a controller according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a controller according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a controller according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a data synchronization system for an edge computing application, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments disclosed herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

The relative arrangement of the components and steps, the numerical expressions, and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present disclosure unless specifically stated otherwise.

Meanwhile, it should be understood that the sizes of the respective portions shown in the drawings are not drawn in an actual proportional relationship for the convenience of description.

Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate.

In all examples shown and discussed herein, any particular value should be construed as merely illustrative, and not limiting. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

It should be noted that: like reference numbers and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, further discussion thereof is not required in subsequent figures.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

ECP (Edge Computing Platform) is a management Platform for Edge Computing applications to uniformly carry and implement internal or external service environments for discovery, release and use of the Edge Computing applications. The connection relationship between ECPs with close deployment relationships (e.g., location adjacency, same application, possibility of application migration) can be preconfigured.

The controller stores application information deployed on each ECP, adjacent relation of each ECP platform, contract relation of user application on each ECP, and the like.

The SMF (Session Management Function) network element stores local network attributes of the UPF (User plane Function) in its jurisdiction area, such as whether the UPF is an edge calculation local UPF and an ECP identifier corresponding to the UPF. When a user initially establishes a user plane of the edge computing application, the SMF network element may synchronize/notify the controller of network Identification information of the user, such as an IP address, an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber identity Number), an MDN (Mobile Directory Number), and the like of the user.

After a UE (User Equipment) moves from one area to another area, a Radio Access point handover is performed, for example, a source RAN (Radio Access Network) is handed over to a target RAN. The SMF network element may send a notification message to the controller that a network handover occurs for the user.

The wireless access point handover procedure may illustratively include the following procedures:

the target RAN initiates an N2 path switching request to an AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) network element;

the AMF network element sends an N11 message to the SMF network element;

the SMF network element selects a target UPF;

the SMF network element initiates an N4 session establishment request to a target UPF;

the target UPF replies an N4 session establishment response message to the SMF network element;

the SMF network element replies an N11 message response message to the AMF network element;

the AMF network element replies an N2 path switching request response message to the target RAN;

the target RAN requests the source RAN to release radio resources.

The above is the same as the user plane switching procedure defined by the standard.

It should be noted that N2, N4, and N11 represent interfaces between two network elements performing information interaction.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for data synchronization for an edge computing application, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method may be performed by a controller.

In step 202, receiving notification information of the user network connection switching sent by the SMF network element. Here, the notification information may include an identification of the user (e.g., IMSI, MDN, etc.) whose network connection is handed over, an identification of the source ECP, and an identification of the target ECP. For example, the SMF network element may send the notification message after selecting a new UPF. The source ECP and the target ECP are ECPs corresponding to the user network connection before and after the user network connection is switched.

For example, the controller may receive, in advance, a binding relationship of multiple identities of the user sent by the SMF network element, where the multiple identities may include at least an IP address, an IMSI, and an MDN of the user. After receiving the notification message, the corresponding user can be identified according to the user identifier contained in the notification message. For example, the user can be identified when the user identifier included in the notification message is any one of a plurality of identifiers.

In some embodiments, the SMF network element may store in advance a correspondence between the UPF and the ECP identifier in the jurisdiction of the SMF network element. Here, the user plane anchor points correspond to the source UPF and the target UPF before and after the user network connection is switched. And the SMF network element sends the notification message when the identifier of the source ECP corresponding to the source UPF is different from the identifier of the target ECP corresponding to the target UPF.

Before and after the user network connection is switched, the user network connection may correspond to different SMF network elements (for example, after the user network connection is switched, the user network connection corresponds to a new SMF network element, and before the user network connection is switched, the user network connection corresponds to an old SMF network element), or may correspond to the same SMF network element. In the case of corresponding to different SMF network elements, the new SMF network element may query the old SMF network element for the identifier of the source UPF and the corresponding source ECP before the user network connection is switched, and further send the notification message.

In step 204, it is determined whether there is a signed application deployed on both the source ECP and the target ECP and having a signed relation with the user according to the notification message. If the determination result is yes, step 206 is executed.

For example, the controller may maintain information about applications deployed on each ECP and about the subscription relationship that the user applies to each ECP. According to the stored information, the identifier of the user, the identifier of the source ECP and the identifier of the target ECP in the notification message, it can be determined whether an application which is deployed on both the source ECP and the target ECP and has a subscription relationship with the user, that is, a subscription application exists.

At step 206, a data synchronization indication message is sent to the source ECP. Here, the data synchronization indication message may carry an identifier of the user, an identifier of the target ECP, and an identifier of the subscribed application, so that the source ECP may synchronize application data related to the user in the subscribed application to the target ECP according to the data synchronization message.

In the process of synchronizing the application data to the target ECP, the source ECP can provide services for the user, and the target ECP plays a role in service transfer. Specifically, the target ECP may forward the access request of the user to the source ECP, and the source ECP forwards the service data to the user through the target ECP according to the access request of the user. In addition, the source ECP may also forward the service response to the user through the target ECP. The service response may be non-user plane data such as a control message or a prompt message.

After the source ECP synchronizes the application data to the target ECP, the target ECP provides services to the user. In particular, the target ECP may send service data to the user according to the user's access request. The target ECP may also send a service response to the user.

For example, the user is served by a sign-on application on the source ECP before synchronization is complete; after synchronization is complete, the user is served by the corresponding subscribed application on the target ECP.

In the foregoing embodiment, when the network connection of the user is switched, the source ECP may be instructed to synchronously sign application data related to the user in the application to the target ECP according to the notification information sent by the SMF network element. On one hand, the cooperation of user equipment is not needed; on the other hand, the synchronization of the application data triggered by the network side enables the application of the service to change correspondingly with the switching of the network connection, thereby ensuring the continuity of the service under the condition of ensuring low time delay and enabling the perception of the user not to be influenced.

Fig. 3 is a flow chart diagram of a data synchronization method of an edge computing application according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The following description focuses only on differences from the embodiment shown in fig. 2, and otherwise the same or similar features may be referred to the above description.

In step 302, receiving notification information of the user network connection switching sent by the SMF network element.

At step 304, it is determined from the notification message whether there is a signed application deployed on both the source ECP and the target ECP and having a signed relation with the user. If the determination result is yes, step 306 is executed.

At step 306, the status of the signed-up application on the source ECP is queried. The states of the subscribed applications may include an active state and an inactive state. The signed application in the activated state is the signed application currently providing service for the user. A subscriber in an inactive state only means that the subscriber has a subscription relationship, but the subscriber is not currently provided with a service.

At step 308, it is determined whether any of the subscribed applications on the source ECP have a subscribed application in an active state. In case of a subscription application with an active status among the subscription applications on the source ECP, step 310 is performed. Otherwise step 310 is not performed.

At step 310, a data synchronization indication message is sent to the source ECP. Here, the data synchronization indication message may carry an identifier of the user, an identifier of the target ECP, and an identifier of the signed application in the active state, so that the source ECP may synchronize application data related to the user in the signed application in the active state to the target ECP according to the data synchronization message.

In the above embodiment, when the network connection of the user is switched, the notification information sent by the SMF network element may indicate the application data related to the user in the signed application in the state in which the source ECP is synchronously activated to the target ECP, so that the load of data transmission is reduced, and the pressures of the source ECP and the target ECP are reduced.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a data synchronization method of an edge computing application according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

In step S1, the wireless side determines that the user has moved beyond a certain range, and performs a handover to the wireless access point.

At step S2, the RAN of the new side, i.e., the target RAN, initiates an N2 path switch request to the AMF.

At step S3, the AMF sends an N11 message to the SMF.

At step S4, the SMF selects a new user plane network element, i.e. the target UPF.

At step S5, the SMF initiates an N4 session establishment request to the target UPF.

At step S6, the target UPF replies to the SMF with an N4 session establishment response message.

At step S7, the SMF replies to the AMF with an N11 message response message.

The AMF target RAN replies to the N2 path switch request response message at step S8.

At step S9, the target RAN requests the source RAN to release the resources.

In step S10, when the user performs network handover, the SMF sends a notification message of the handover of the user plane to the controller, where the notification message includes the identity of the user, the identity of the target ECP, and the identity of the source ECP.

In step S11, the controller determines whether there is a signed application that needs to perform data synchronization according to the information such as the ECP application deployment relationship and the user signed relationship stored in the controller.

At step S12, if there are subscribed applications that require data synchronization, the controller queries the source ECP for the status of the subscribed applications.

In step S13, if there is an active application among the subscribed applications, the controller sends a data synchronization indication message to the source ECP, where the message includes an identifier of the user, an identifier of the active subscribed application, and an identifier of the target ECP.

At step S14, the source ECP synchronizes application data related to the user in the active application to the target ECP, such as calculating intermediate results, continuation points of the content service, etc.

At step S15, the SMF initiates a session release request to the source UPF.

At step S16, the source UPF sends a session release response message to the SMF.

Before the synchronization is completed, the target ECP plays a role of service switching, and the application in the activated state on the source ECP continues to serve the user; after synchronization is complete, the corresponding application on the target ECP takes over the service.

In the present specification, the embodiments are described in a progressive manner, each embodiment focuses on differences from other embodiments, and the same or similar parts in the embodiments are referred to each other. For the controller embodiment, since it basically corresponds to the method embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and for the relevant points, refer to the partial description of the method embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a controller according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 5, the controller includes a notification message receiving module 501, a contracted application judging module 502, and an indication message transmitting module 503.

The notification message receiving module 501 is configured to receive notification information that a user network connection is switched and that is sent by a session management function SMF network element, where the notification information includes an identifier of a user, an identifier of a source edge computing platform ECP, and an identifier of a target ECP.

The signed application determining module 502 is configured to determine whether there is a signed application deployed on both the source ECP and the target ECP and having a signed relationship with the user according to the notification message.

The indication message sending module 503 is configured to send a data synchronization indication message to the source ECP when the determination result is yes, where the data synchronization indication message carries the identifier of the user, the identifier of the target ECP, and the identifier of the signed application, so that the source ECP synchronizes application data related to the user in the signed application to the target ECP.

In some embodiments, the signed application determining module 502 is further configured to query the status of the signed application on the source ECP if the determination result is yes. Accordingly, the indication message sending module 503 is configured to send a data synchronization indication message to the source ECP when the signed application on the source ECP has the signed application in the active state, where an identifier of the signed application is an identifier of the signed application in the active state.

In some embodiments, the controller may further include an identifier receiving module, configured to receive, in advance, a binding relationship of multiple identifiers of the user sent by the SMF network element, where the multiple identifiers may include at least an IP address, an IMSI, and an MDN of the user.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a controller according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 6, the controller includes a memory 601 and a processor 602. The memory 601 may be a magnetic disk, flash memory, or any other non-volatile storage medium. The memory is used for storing the corresponding instructions of the method of any one of the previous embodiments. Processor 602 is coupled to memory 601 and may be implemented as one or more integrated circuits, such as a microprocessor or microcontroller. The processor 602 is configured to execute the instruction stored in the memory 601, and is capable of indicating, according to the notification information sent by the SMF network element, application data related to the user in the application for synchronously signing a contract from the source ECP to the target ECP when a network connection of the user is switched, so as to ensure service continuity while ensuring low latency.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a controller according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 7, the controller 700 includes a memory 701 and a processor 702. Processor 702 is coupled to memory 701 through a BUS (BUS) 703. The controller 700 may also be connected to an external storage device 705 through a storage interface 704 for calling external data, and may also be connected to a network or an external computer system (not shown) through a network interface 706.

In the embodiment, the memory stores the data instruction, and the processor processes the instruction, so that the application data related to the user in the application synchronously signed by the source ECP to the target ECP can be indicated according to the notification information sent by the SMF network element when the network connection of the user is switched, and the service continuity is ensured under the condition of ensuring low delay.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a data synchronization system for an edge computing application, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 8, the system includes a controller 801, an SMF network element 802, a source ECP 803 and a target ECP 804 of any of the previous embodiments.

The SMF network element 802 is configured to send notification information to the controller 801 when the network connection of the user is switched, where the notification information may include an identifier of the user whose network connection is switched, an identifier of the source ECP, and an identifier of the target ECP. In some embodiments, the SMF network element 802 may store in advance a correspondence between UPFs and ECPs within the jurisdiction of the SMF network element 802, and the SMF network element 802 is configured to send the notification message when an identifier of a source ECP corresponding to a source UPF is different from an identifier of a target ECP corresponding to a target UPF. Here, the user plane anchor points correspond to the source UPF and the target UPF before and after the user network connection is switched.

For example, the user network connection may correspond to different SMF network elements before and after being switched, and the SMF network element 802 that sends the notification message may be the SMF network element corresponding to the user network connection after being switched; for another example, the same SMF network element may be used before and after the user network connection is switched.

In an embodiment, before and after the user network connection is switched, the user network connection may respectively correspond to the old SMF network element and the new SMF network element, and the SMF network element 802 that sends the notification message is the new SMF network element. In this embodiment, the SMF network element 802 may store in advance a correspondence between the UPF and the ECP in the jurisdiction of the SMF network element 802, and the old SMF network element may store in advance a correspondence between the UPF and the ECP identifier in the jurisdiction of the old SMF network element. The SMF network element 802 may be configured to query, from the old SMF network element, the source UPF and the identifier of the source ECP corresponding to the source UPF according to the identifier of the user, and may further send a notification message.

The source ECP 803 is configured to synchronize application data related to the user in the subscribed application to the target ECP 804 according to the data synchronization indication message. In some embodiments, the source ECP 803 is configured to send the service data to the target ECP 804 according to the access request of the user forwarded by the target ECP 804, in the process of synchronizing the application data to the target ECP 804 by the source ECP 803. In addition, the source ECP 803 may also be used to send service responses to the target ECP 804.

The target ECP 804 is used to receive application data synchronized by the source ECP 803. In some embodiments, the target ECP 804 is configured to forward the access request of the user to the source ECP 803, receive the service data or the service response sent by the source ECP, and forward the service data or the service response to the user in the process that the source ECP 803 synchronizes the application data with the target ECP 804; after the source ECP 803 completes the synchronization of the application data to the target ECP 804, the service data or the service response is sent to the user according to the access request of the user.

The present disclosure also provides a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method of any of the preceding embodiments.

The scheme provided by the disclosure is particularly suitable for 5G edge computing application scenarios.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as a method, apparatus, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present disclosure may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable non-transitory storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present disclosure is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

Thus far, the present disclosure has been described in detail. Some details that are well known in the art have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the present disclosure. It will be fully apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description how to practice the presently disclosed embodiments.

The methods and apparatus of the present disclosure may be implemented in a number of ways. For example, the methods and apparatus of the present disclosure may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. The above-described order for the steps of the method is for illustration only, and the steps of the method of the present disclosure are not limited to the order specifically described above unless specifically stated otherwise. Further, in some embodiments, the present disclosure may also be embodied as programs recorded in a recording medium, the programs including machine-readable instructions for implementing the methods according to the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure also covers a recording medium storing a program for executing the method according to the present disclosure.

Although some specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing examples are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the above embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method of data synchronization for an edge computing application, comprising:

receiving notification information of switching of user network connection, which is sent by a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, wherein the notification information comprises an identifier of a user, an identifier of a source Edge Computing Platform (ECP) and an identifier of a target ECP;

judging whether signed applications which are deployed on both a source ECP and a target ECP and have a signed relation with the user exist or not according to the notification message;

if so, sending a data synchronization indication message to the source ECP, wherein the data synchronization indication message carries the identifier of the user, the identifier of the target ECP and the identifier of the signed application, so that the source ECP synchronizes application data related to the user in the signed application to the target ECP;

the SMF network element prestores a corresponding relation between User Plane Functions (UPF) in the management range of the SMF network element and an identification of an ECP (equal cost performance), wherein user plane anchor points respectively correspond to a source UPF and a target UPF before and after the user network connection is switched;

and the SMF network element sends the notification message under the condition that the identifier of the source ECP corresponding to the source UPF is different from the identifier of the target ECP corresponding to the target UPF.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the judgment result is yes, inquiring the state of the signed application on the source ECP;

and under the condition that the signed application on the source ECP has the signed application in the activated state, sending the data synchronization indication message to the source ECP, wherein the identification of the signed application is the identification of the signed application in the activated state.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein,

in the process that the source ECP synchronizes application data to the target ECP, the target ECP forwards the access request of the user to the source ECP, and the source ECP forwards service data to the user through the target ECP according to the access request of the user;

and after the source ECP finishes the synchronous application of the data to the target ECP, the target ECP sends the service data to the user according to the access request of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein,

the method comprises the steps that before and after the user network connection is switched, an old SMF network element and a new SMF network element are respectively corresponding, the SMF network element is the new SMF network element, and the old SMF network element stores the corresponding relation between UPF in the jurisdiction range of the old SMF network element and ECP identification in advance;

the method further comprises the following steps:

and the SMF network element inquires the source UPF and the identifier of the source ECP corresponding to the source UPF from the old SMF network element according to the identifier of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and receiving the binding relationship of a plurality of identifications of the user sent by the SMF network element in advance, wherein the plurality of identifications at least comprise the IP address, the international mobile subscriber identity and the mobile subscriber directory number of the user.

6. A data synchronization system for an edge computing application, comprising:

a controller, comprising: a notification message receiving module, configured to receive notification information of switching of user network connection sent by a session management function SMF network element, where the notification information includes an identifier of a user, an identifier of a source edge computing platform ECP, and an identifier of a target ECP; the signed application judging module is used for judging whether signed applications which are deployed on both a source ECP and a target ECP and have a signed relation with the user exist or not according to the notification message; an indication message sending module, configured to send a data synchronization indication message to a source ECP when a determination result is yes, where the data synchronization indication message carries an identifier of the user, an identifier of a target ECP, and an identifier of a signed application, so that the source ECP synchronizes application data related to the user in the signed application to the target ECP;

the SMF network element is used for pre-storing the corresponding relation between the user plane function UPF and the ECP in the management range of the SMF network element, wherein the user plane anchor points respectively correspond to the source UPF and the target UPF before and after the user network connection is switched; under the condition that the identification of the source ECP corresponding to the source UPF is different from the identification of the target ECP corresponding to the target UPF, sending the notification information to the controller;

the source ECP is used for synchronizing application data related to the user in the signed application to the target ECP according to the data synchronization indication message;

a target ECP to receive the source ECP synchronized application data.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein,

the signed application judgment module is also used for inquiring the state of the signed application on the source ECP under the condition that the judgment result is yes;

the indication message sending module is configured to send the data synchronization indication message to the source ECP when the signed application on the source ECP has the signed application in the active state, where an identifier of the signed application is an identifier of the signed application in the active state.

8. The system of claim 6, the controller further comprising:

and the identifier receiving module is used for receiving the binding relationship of a plurality of identifiers of the user sent by the SMF network element in advance, wherein the plurality of identifiers at least comprise the IP address of the user, the international mobile subscriber identity and the mobile subscriber directory number.

9. A data synchronization system for an edge computing application, comprising:

a controller, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory, the processor configured to perform, based on instructions stored in the memory: receiving notification information of switching of user network connection, which is sent by a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, wherein the notification information comprises an identifier of a user, an identifier of a source Edge Computing Platform (ECP) and an identifier of a target ECP; judging whether signed applications which are deployed on both a source ECP and a target ECP and have a signed relation with the user exist or not according to the notification message; if so, sending a data synchronization indication message to the source ECP, wherein the data synchronization indication message carries the identifier of the user, the identifier of the target ECP and the identifier of the signed application, so that the source ECP synchronizes application data related to the user in the signed application to the target ECP;

a target ECP to receive the source ECP synchronized application data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to perform, based on instructions stored in the memory:

11. The system of claim 9, the controller further configured to perform, based on instructions stored in the memory:

12. The system of any one of claims 6-11,

the source ECP is also used for sending service data to the target ECP according to the user access request forwarded by the target ECP in the process of synchronizing the application data to the target ECP by the source ECP;

the target ECP is also used for forwarding the access request of the user to the source ECP, receiving the service data sent by the source ECP and forwarding the service data to the user in the process of synchronizing the application data from the source ECP to the target ECP; and after the source ECP finishes the synchronous application of the data to the target ECP, sending the service data to the user according to the access request of the user.

13. The system of any one of claims 6-11,

and the SMF network element is also used for inquiring the source UPF and the identifier of the source ECP corresponding to the source UPF from the old SMF network element according to the identifier of the user.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the method of any one of claims 1-5.