CN110048987B

CN110048987B - Selection method, registration method and device for multimedia system entrance network element

Info

Publication number: CN110048987B
Application number: CN201810036897.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马景旺; 聂胜贤
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-01-15
Filing date: 2018-01-15
Publication date: 2021-06-22
Anticipated expiration: 2038-01-15
Also published as: WO2019137550A1; CN110048987A

Abstract

The application provides a selection method, a registration method and a device of an entrance network element of a multimedia system. The selection method comprises the following steps: the terminal sends the information of the network slice to the domain name server to request to acquire the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice, and the domain name server returns the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice to the terminal. Furthermore, the terminal can be connected to the IMS system through the multimedia system entrance network element, and the method selects a proper multimedia system entrance network element for the terminal, which is beneficial to selecting a proper IMS network, thereby realizing the correct connection to the IMS.

Description

Selection method, registration method and device for multimedia system entrance network element

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method for selecting an entry network element of a multimedia system, a method for registering, and an apparatus for registering.

Background

An internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) is used to provide operator services such as voice, messaging, etc. Multiple IMS networks may be deployed within a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), each IMS network associated with one or more network slices.

In scenarios with multiple IMS networks, no solution is currently given how to connect a terminal to a suitable IMS network.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a selection method, a registration method and a device of an entrance network element of a multimedia system, which are used for realizing selection of a proper IMS network for a terminal.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system, where the method includes: the terminal sends network slicing information to a domain name server, and the information is used for acquiring a multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slicing; and the terminal receives the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element from the domain name server, wherein the multimedia system entrance network element supports the network slice.

In the method, the terminal sends the information of the network slice to the domain name server to obtain the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice, and the domain name server returns the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice to the terminal. Furthermore, the terminal can be connected to the IMS system through the multimedia system entrance network element, and the method selects a proper multimedia system entrance network element for the terminal, which is beneficial to selecting a proper IMS network, thereby realizing the correct connection to the IMS.

In a possible implementation manner, the information of the network slice includes part or all of the following information: network slice selection assistance information, network slice identification, and network slice type.

In a possible implementation manner, the terminal selects the network slice according to a network slice selection policy, where the network slice selection policy includes a correspondence between the network slice and the multimedia service or the application. For example, when a terminal wants to initiate a certain multimedia service or application, the terminal may select a corresponding network slice according to the network slice selection policy and acquire information of the network slice.

In a possible implementation manner, the terminal initiates a registration process to the multimedia system according to the address information of the entry network element of the multimedia system. After acquiring the address information of the entry network element of the multimedia system, the terminal can initiate a registration process to the multimedia system to realize connection to the IMS.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system, where the method includes: the domain name server receives the information of the network slice from the terminal; the domain name server acquires the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice; and the domain name server sends the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element to the terminal.

In the method, the domain name server receives the information of the network slice sent by the terminal, acquires the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice, and returns the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice to the terminal. Furthermore, the terminal can be connected to the IMS system through the multimedia system entrance network element, and the method selects a proper multimedia system entrance network element for the terminal, which is beneficial to selecting a proper IMS network, thereby realizing the correct connection to the IMS.

In a possible implementation manner, the acquiring, by the domain name server, address information of an entry network element of the multimedia system supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice includes:

the domain name server locally acquires the address information of the inlet network element of the multimedia system according to the information of the network slice; or,

and the domain name server sends the information of the network slice to a network function library network element, and receives the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element from the network function library network element.

In the first method, the dns is locally configured with address information of the entry network element of the multimedia system and information of the network slice supported by the entry network element of the multimedia system, so that the dns can locally obtain the address information of the entry network element of the multimedia system that supports the network slice.

In the second method, the address information of the entry network element of the multimedia system and the information of the network slice supported by the entry network element of the multimedia system are configured on the network element of the network function library, so that the domain name server can obtain the entry network element of the multimedia system supporting the network slice from the network function library.

In one possible implementation, the information of the network slice includes some or all of the following information: network slice selection assistance information, network slice identification, and network slice type.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system, where the method includes: the network function library network element receives information of the network slice from the domain name server and is used for acquiring a multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice; the network function library network element acquires the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice; and the network function library network element sends the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element to the domain name server, wherein the multimedia system entrance network element supports the network slice.

In the method, the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element and the information of the network slice supported by the multimedia system entrance network element are configured on the network function library network element, so that the domain name server can acquire the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice from the network function library. The correct multimedia system entrance network element is selected for the terminal.

In one possible implementation, the information of the network slice includes part or all of the following information: network slice selection assistance information, network slice identification, and network slice type.

In a possible implementation manner, a network function library network element receives information of a multimedia system entry network element from a multimedia system entry network element, and registers the multimedia system entry network element to the network function library network element; and the network function library network element sends a result indication to the multimedia system entrance network element.

Wherein the result indication may be that the registration is complete, or that the registration has failed.

In a possible implementation manner, the information of the multimedia system entry network element includes address information of the multimedia system entry network element and information of a network slice supported by the multimedia system entry network element.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a method for registering an ingress network element of a multimedia system, where the method includes: the method comprises the steps that a multimedia system entrance network element sends information of the multimedia system entrance network element to a network function library network element, and the information is used for registering the multimedia system entrance network element to the network function library network element; the multimedia system entry network element receives a result indication from the network function library network element.

The method can register the information of the multimedia system entrance network element to the network function library network element, so that the domain name server can obtain the information of the multimedia system entrance network element from the network function library network element when needing to obtain the information of the multimedia system entrance network element, and the management is convenient.

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which may be a terminal or a chip. The apparatus has the function of implementing the embodiments of the first aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store instructions, and when the apparatus is running, the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, so as to cause the apparatus to perform the method for selecting the multimedia system portal network element in the method according to the first aspect or any implementation method of the first aspect. It should be noted that the memory may be integrated into the processor or may be independent from the processor.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which includes a processor, configured to couple with a memory, read an instruction in the memory, and execute a method for selecting a multimedia system portal network element in the method according to the first aspect or any implementation method of the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which may be a domain name server or a chip. The apparatus has the function of implementing the embodiments of the second aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a ninth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store instructions, and when the apparatus is running, the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, so as to cause the apparatus to perform the method for selecting the multimedia system portal network element in the method according to the second aspect or any implementation method of the second aspect. It should be noted that the memory may be integrated into the processor or may be independent from the processor.

In a tenth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which includes a processor, coupled to a memory, for reading an instruction in the memory and executing a method for selecting a multimedia system portal network element in any implementation method of the second aspect or the second aspect according to the instruction.

In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which may be a network element of a network function library, or may be a chip. The apparatus has a function of realizing the embodiments of the third aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a twelfth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store instructions, and when the apparatus is running, the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform the method for selecting the multimedia system portal network element in any implementation method of the third aspect or the third aspect. It should be noted that the memory may be integrated into the processor or may be independent from the processor.

In a thirteenth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which includes a processor, coupled to a memory, configured to read an instruction in the memory and execute a method for selecting a multimedia system entry network element in any implementation method of the third aspect or the third aspect according to the instruction.

In a fourteenth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, where the apparatus may be a multimedia system entry network element or a chip. The apparatus has a function of realizing the embodiments of the fourth aspect described above. The function can be realized by hardware, and can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In a fifteenth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store instructions, and when the apparatus is running, the processor executes the instructions stored in the memory, so as to cause the apparatus to perform the method for registering a multimedia system portal network element in any implementation method of the fourth aspect or the fourth aspect. It should be noted that the memory may be integrated into the processor or may be independent from the processor.

In a sixteenth aspect, the present application provides an apparatus, which includes a processor, coupled to a memory, and configured to read an instruction in the memory and execute a method for registering a multimedia system entry network element in any implementation method of the fourth aspect or the fourth aspect according to the instruction.

In a seventeenth aspect, the present application further provides a readable storage medium having stored therein a program or instructions, which when run on a computer, causes the method of selecting any multimedia system portal network element of the above aspects to be performed.

In an eighteenth aspect, the present application further provides a readable storage medium, which stores a program or instructions, which when run on a computer, causes the registration method of any multimedia system portal network element of the above aspects to be performed.

In a nineteenth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product containing instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of selecting a portal network element of any of the above aspects.

In a twentieth aspect, the present application also provides a computer program product containing instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of registering a portal network element of any of the multimedia systems of the above aspects.

In a twenty-first aspect, the present application further provides a system comprising a domain name server, where the domain name server is operable to perform the steps performed by the domain name server in any of the methods of the second aspect and the first aspect. In a possible design, the system may further include a multimedia system portal network element, and the multimedia system portal network element may be configured to perform the steps performed by the multimedia system portal network element in any of the methods of the second aspect and the second aspect described above or in the scheme provided in the embodiment of the present invention. In a possible design, the system may further include other devices, such as a terminal device, and the like, interacting with the domain name server and/or the multimedia system portal network element in the solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

In a twenty-second aspect, the present application further provides a system, which includes a network function library network element, where the network function library network element is operable to perform the steps performed by the network function library network element in any one of the methods of the third aspect and the fourth aspect. In a possible design, the system may further include a domain name server, where the domain name server may be configured to perform the steps performed by the domain name server in any one of the methods in the third aspect and the third aspect or in the scheme provided in the embodiment of the present invention, and in a possible design, the system may further include other devices, such as a multimedia system entry network element, a terminal device, and the like, that interact with the domain name server and/or a network function library network element in the scheme provided in the embodiment of the present invention. In a twenty-third aspect, the present application further provides a system, which includes a multimedia system portal network element, and the multimedia system portal network element is configured to perform the steps performed by the multimedia system portal network element in any of the methods of the fourth aspect and the fourth aspect. In a possible design, the system may further include a network function library network element, where the network function library network element may be configured to perform the steps performed by the network function library network element in any one of the methods of the fourth aspect and the fourth aspect described above or in the scheme provided in the embodiment of the present invention. In a possible design, the system may further include other devices, such as a domain name server and the like, interacting with the multimedia system portal network element and/or the network function library network element in the solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

In addition, for technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the fifth aspect to the twenty-third aspect, reference may be made to technical effects brought by different implementation manners in the first aspect to the fourth aspect, and details are not described here again.

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

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible network architecture provided herein;

fig. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system according to the present application;

fig. 2B is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for registering an entry network element of a multimedia system according to the present application;

fig. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating a method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an apparatus provided herein;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a terminal provided in the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of an apparatus provided herein;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a domain name server provided in the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of an apparatus provided herein;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of an ingress network element of a multimedia system provided in the present application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an apparatus provided herein;

fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of a network element of a network function library according to the present application.

Detailed Description

The present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The particular methods of operation in the method embodiments may also be applied to apparatus embodiments or system embodiments. In the description of the present application, the term "plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified.

The network architecture and the service scenario described in the embodiment of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and do not form a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, and as a person of ordinary skill in the art knows that along with the evolution of the network architecture and the appearance of a new service scenario, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible network architecture to which the present application is applied. The network architecture comprises a terminal, a domain name server, one or more multimedia system entry network elements, and an IMS.

The terminal can request the domain name server to obtain the address information of one or more multimedia system entrance network elements, and then the terminal is connected to an IMS network through one of the multimedia system entrance network elements, and one IMS network supports one or more network slices.

The terminal is a device with a wireless communication function, can be deployed on land, and comprises an indoor or outdoor terminal, a handheld terminal or a vehicle-mounted terminal; can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship and the like); and may also be deployed in the air (e.g., airplanes, balloons, satellites, etc.). The terminal may be a mobile phone (mobile phone), a tablet computer (pad), a computer with a wireless transceiving function, a Virtual Reality (VR) terminal, an Augmented Reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control (industrial control), a wireless terminal in unmanned driving (self driving), a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment (remote medical), a wireless terminal in smart grid (smart grid), a wireless terminal in transportation safety (transportation safety), a wireless terminal in smart city (smart city), a wireless terminal in smart home (smart home), and the like; but also various forms of User Equipment (UE), Mobile Station (MS), and terminal equipment (terminal device).

A Domain Name Server (DNS) has functions of analyzing information such as an input domain name, and inquiring information of a network element. In the application, the domain name server may be configured to query and return address information of the entry network element of the multimedia system to the terminal.

The multimedia system entrance network element is a network element with a session control function in a multimedia system. For example, the multimedia system ingress network element may be a proxy-call session control function (P-CSCF) network element or the like. The P-CSCF network element may serve as an agent for receiving and forwarding requests and services, may serve as an agent for a user, and may serve as an Application Function (AF) network element. The P-CSCF network element is responsible for performing resource authentication of an Internet Protocol (IP) bearer (also can be in other granularities, such as session, data flow, etc.) of the IMS local access network, and provides an end-to-end service guarantee for the IMS. The P-CSCF network elements provide the necessary security encryption measures for access networks that do not provide link layer security protection mechanisms.

In this application, there are multiple IMS networks (or may be referred to as multimedia subsystems) in one IMS, each supporting one or more network slices. A Network Slice Selection Policy (NSSP) includes a correspondence between a network slice and a multimedia service or application.

The terminal supports the access of a plurality of network slices, so when the terminal wants to initiate a certain application or multimedia service, the terminal can select the network slice corresponding to the application or multimedia service to be initiated according to the network slice selection strategy and decide to use the network slice.

According to the application, each specific multimedia service in the IMS, such as voice, video and the like, can be used as an application, and each multimedia service or application corresponds to one network slice.

It is understood that the above functions may be either network elements in a hardware device, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

For convenience of description, the domain name server is referred to as DNS in the following of the present application, and a multimedia ingress network element is taken as a P-CSCF network element for example. For convenience of description, the P-CSCF network element is further referred to as P-CSCF for short. It is understood that the DNS in the following description may be replaced by other domain name servers, and the P-CSCF network element may be replaced by other multimedia ingress network elements. The unified description is made here, and the description is not repeated.

The following describes a selection method and a registration method for an ingress network element of a multimedia system provided in the present application with reference to fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 2A, a method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system provided by the present application includes the following steps:

in step 201, the terminal sends information of the network slice to the DNS, and accordingly, the DNS receives the information of the network slice from the terminal.

And the terminal sends the information of the network slice to the DNS, and the information is used for requesting the DNS to acquire the P-CSCF supporting the network slice.

As an implementation manner, the terminal may send a request message to the DNS, where the request message includes information of the network slice. Optionally, the request message further includes a P-CSCF type, where the P-CSCF type is used to indicate that acquisition of a P-CSCF supporting the network slice is requested. Or, the request message does not include the P-CSCF type, and the name of the request message may be used in this application to indicate that the acquisition of the P-CSCF supporting the network slice is requested.

As another implementation manner, the terminal may further send a query message to the DNS, where the query message includes the information of the network slice. Optionally, the query message further includes a P-CSCF type, where the P-CSCF type is used to indicate that acquisition of a P-CSCF supporting the network slice is requested. Or, the query message does not include the P-CSCF type, and the name of the query message may be used in this application to indicate that the P-CSCF supporting the network slice is requested to be acquired.

As an implementation manner, when the terminal determines that a certain multimedia service or application needs to be initiated, the network slice may be selected and obtained according to the multimedia service or application to be initiated and a network slice selection policy, and information of the selected network slice is obtained. The network slice selection strategy comprises the corresponding relation between the network slice and the multimedia service or application.

As one implementation, the information of the network slice sent by the terminal to the DNS includes, but is not limited to, some or all of the following information: network slice selection assistance information, network slice identification, and network slice type.

The network slice selection assistance information may be single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). The network Slice Type (Slice Type) may be a Service Type (Service Type) supported by the network Slice, such as massive IoT (MIoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), and the like.

Step 202, the DNS acquires the address information of the P-CSCF supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice.

The address information of the P-CSCF may include, for example, an IP address or a Media Access Control (MAC) address.

Optionally, as an implementation manner, the DNS is configured with information of the P-CSCF locally, and the information of the P-CSCF includes information such as address information of the P-CSCF and network slicing capability of the P-CSCF. The P-CSCF network slice capability refers to a network slice supported by the P-CSCF, for example, the P-CSCF supports network slice 1, network slice 2, and network slice 3, and the network slice capability of the P-CSCF includes: network slice 1, network slice 2, and network slice 3.

Therefore, when the DNS is locally provided with the information of the P-CSCF, the DNS locally acquires the address information of the P-CSCF supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice. For example, if the terminal sends information of network slice 1 to the DNS, the DNS may locally acquire the P-CSCF supporting the network slice 1 according to the information of the network slice 1, including: the P-CSCF1, the P-CSCF2, and the P-CSCF3, the address information of the P-CSCF supporting the network slice 1, which is acquired by the DNS, is: address information of the P-CSCF1, address information of the P-CSCF2, address information of the P-CSCF 3.

Optionally, in another implementation, the information of the P-CSCF is registered and stored in another network element, such as a network function library network element, and the DNS may obtain, through the network function library network element, address information of the P-CSCF supporting the network slice. The network function library network element may be, for example, a network function library function (NRF) network element. The NRF network element supports a service discovery function, receives a second network function instance discovery request of a first network function instance and sends the discovered second network function instance to the first network function instance, and the first network function instance and the second network function instance may be the same or different. The NRF network element stores the file of the available network function instance and the supported services, and the information in the file of a certain network function instance includes the identifier of the network function instance, the type of the network function, the identifier related to the network slice (such as S-NSSAI, NSIID), the IP address or domain name of the network function, the capability information of the network function, the services supported by the network function, the endpoint information of the instance supporting the service, and so on. For example, if the network element a requests the NRF network element to query the network element B, the network function type carried in the request message is B, and may also carry an identifier related to a network slice, such as S-NSSAI-1, the NRF network element queries a file of an available network function instance according to the two pieces of information, the network function instance meeting the query condition is sent to the network element a, and the returned information may be an IP address of the network function, and the like.

The following description will take the network function library network element as an NRF network element as an example. For example, the following steps are included:

step A, the DNS sends the information of the network slice to the NRF network element, and correspondingly, the NRF network element receives the information of the network slice sent by the DNS.

And the DNS sends the information of the network slice to the NRF network element for requesting to acquire the P-CSCF supporting the network slice.

For example, as an implementation manner, the DNS may send a request message or a query message to the NRF network element, where the request message or the query message carries information of the network slice.

As an implementation manner, the format of the information of the network slice sent by the DNS to the NRF network element may be the same as the format of the information of the network slice received by the DNS from the terminal.

Or, as another implementation manner, the format of the information of the network slice sent by the DNS to the NRF network element may be different from the format of the information of the network slice received by the DNS from the terminal, that is, the DNS modifies the format of the information of the network slice received from the terminal and then sends the modified information to the NRF network element.

And step B, the NRF network element acquires the address information of the P-CSCF supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice.

Since the NRF network element registers and stores information of the P-CSCF, for example, the information includes address information of the P-CSCF, network slicing capability of the P-CSCF, and the like. Therefore, the NRF network element may locally acquire address information of one or more P-CSCFs supporting the network slice according to the received information of the network slice.

And step C, the NRF network element sends the address information of the P-CSCF to the DNS, and correspondingly, the DNS receives the address information of the P-CSCF sent by the NRF network element.

As an implementation manner, after acquiring address information of one or more P-CSCFs supporting the network slice, the NRF network element sends the address information to the DNS, and the DNS or the terminal determines address information of one P-CSCF.

Alternatively, as another implementation manner, the NRF network element may determine one of the one or more P-CSCFs supporting the network slice, and send the address information of the determined P-CSCF to the DNS.

Step 203, the DNS sends the acquired address information of the P-CSCF to the terminal, and accordingly, the terminal receives the address information of the P-CSCF sent by the DNS.

And after acquiring the address information of one or more P-CSCF supporting the network slice, the DNS sends the address information to the terminal, and the terminal determines the address information of one P-CSCF.

Alternatively, the DNS may determine one of one or more P-CSCFs supporting the network slice, and transmit address information of the determined P-CSCF to the terminal.

By the method, the terminal sends the information of the network slice to the domain name server to request to acquire the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice, and the domain name server returns the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice to the terminal. Furthermore, the terminal can be connected to the IMS system through the multimedia system entrance network element, and the method selects a proper multimedia system entrance network element for the terminal, which is beneficial to selecting a proper IMS network, thereby realizing the correct connection to the IMS.

Optionally, the steps further comprise:

and step 204, the terminal initiates a registration process to the multimedia system according to the address information of the P-CSCF.

The above process is illustrated below with reference to FIG. 1.

For example, the terminal wants to initiate a multimedia service a, and determines that a network slice corresponding to the multimedia service a is a network slice 1 according to a network slice selection policy, and then the terminal sends information of the network slice 1 to the DNS.

After receiving the information of the network slice 1, the DNS obtains, from a local or network function library network element, address information of one or more P-CSCFs supporting the network slice 1, for example, the P-CSCFs supporting the network slice 1 are: P-CSCF1, P-CSCF2, the DNS sends the address information of P-CSCF1 and P-CSCF2 to the terminal, but as another implementation, the DNS may select one P-CSCF and send the address information of the selected P-CSCF to the terminal, for example, send the address information of P-CSCF1 to the terminal, or send the address information of P-CSCF2 to the terminal.

The terminal receives the address information of the P-CSCF transmitted by the DNS, for example, the address information of the P-CSCF1 and the address information of the P-CSCF 2.

Then, the terminal selects one from the received address information of the P-CSCF. For example, if address information of a plurality of P-CSCFs is received, the address information of one P-CSCF may be selected from the received address information of the plurality of P-CSCFs based on factors such as the load of the P-CSCF and the network capability. Of course, if only address information of one P-CSCF is received, the terminal does not need to select further.

Then, the terminal initiates a registration process to the multimedia system according to the address information of the selected P-CSCF.

For example, referring to fig. 1, if the terminal selects the address information of the P-CSCF2, the terminal initiates a multimedia service to an IMS network 2 in the IMS through the P-CSCF2, where a network slice corresponding to the multimedia service is a network slice 1, and the IMS network 2 at least supports the network slice 1.

It should be noted that the P-CSCF and the IMS network have a corresponding relationship, for example, as shown in fig. 1, the P-CSCF and the IMS network may have a one-to-one corresponding relationship.

As shown in fig. 2B, according to the registration method for an entry network element of a multimedia system provided in the present application, a P-CSCF can be registered in a network function library network element, so that a DNS can select to acquire a P-CSCF supporting a certain network slice from a network function library. The following description will take the network function library network element as an NRF network element as an example. The method comprises the following steps:

step 301, the P-CSCF sends the information of the P-CSCF to the NRF network element, and accordingly, the NRF network element receives the information of the P-CSCF sent by the P-CSCF.

And the P-CSCF sends the information of the P-CSCF to the NRF network element for requesting to register the P-CSCF to the NRF network element. The information of the P-CSCF may include address information of the P-CSCF and information of network slices supported by the P-CSCF. Optionally, the information of the P-CSCF further includes: identification of a P-CSCF, P-CSCF type, domain name of a P-CSCF, capability information of a P-CSCF, services supported by a P-CSCF, endpoint information of an instance of a supported service.

As an implementation, the P-CSCF may send a registration request message to the NRF network element, the registration request message including information of the P-CSCF.

And the NRF network element stores the information of the P-CSCF after receiving the information of the P-CSCF. It may also be understood that the P-CSCF is registered to the NRF network element.

Step 302, the NRF network element sends a result indication to the multimedia system entry network element.

For example, after the NFR network element completes registration with the P-CSCF, a result indication of the completion of registration is sent to the P-CSCF. For example, a notification message or a registration completion message may be sent for notifying completion of registration.

If the registration fails, the NRF network element sends a result indication of the registration failure to the P-CSCF

The method can register the information of the multimedia system entrance network element to the network function library network element so as to be convenient for management from the network function library network element when the information of the multimedia system entrance network element needs to be acquired.

Specific implementations of the above embodiments are given below in conjunction with specific embodiments as examples.

Referring to fig. 3A, a schematic diagram of a method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system according to the present application is shown. The method comprises the following steps:

step 1, the terminal determines the network slice where the accessed IMS network is located.

The terminal stores a Network Slice Selection Policy (NSSP), which includes a correspondence between an application and a network slice. For example, the network slice corresponding to the application a is X, and when the terminal initiates the application a, it is determined that the network slice accessed is X.

And step 2, the terminal establishes an IP connection access network (IP-CAN) session through the session management process.

For example, in 5G, the session management process may be to create or activate a service data stream.

And step 3, the terminal requests a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server to obtain the IP address of the DNS through the IP-CAN.

The DNCP server may be a network element in an IP-CAN, such as a Session Management Function (SMF) network element, or may be a separately deployed server.

In this step, the terminal may obtain IP addresses of one or more DNS from the DHCP server.

It should be noted that, the above step 2 to step 3 are optional steps, and an implementation manner for acquiring the IP address of the DNS is provided, and in practical application, the IP address of the DNS may also be acquired in other manners, which is not limited in this application.

And 4, the terminal selects one DNS from the obtained DNS and sends a DNS request message to the DNS.

The DNS request message includes a P-CSCF type and network slice information (e.g., single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI)), and is used to request to acquire the P-CSCF supporting the network slice.

And 5, the DNS sends a DNS response message to the terminal, wherein the DNS response message comprises the information of the P-CSCF obtained by the DNS.

If the DNS determines a plurality of P-CSCFs, the DNS can select one P-CSCF and send the information of the selected P-CSCF to the terminal, or the DNS directly sends the information (such as IP addresses of the P-CSCFs) of the selected P-CSCFs to the terminal, and the terminal selects one P-CSCF.

The terminal can initiate an IMS registration process after determining one P-CSCF, and if the selected P-CSCF fails to register, the terminal can reselect other P-CSCF to try to register again.

In the embodiment, when the terminal queries the P-CSCF from the DNS, the information of the selected network slice is sent to the DNS, and the DNS can query the information of the P-CSCF supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice, so that the queried P-CSCF supports the network slice selected by the terminal, thereby facilitating successful completion of IMS registration.

Referring to fig. 3B, a schematic diagram of a method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system according to the present application is shown. The method comprises the following steps:

step 1 to step 4, which are the same as step 1 to step 4 in the embodiment shown in fig. 3A, can refer to the foregoing description.

And step 5, the DNS sends a network element discovery request message to the NRF network element, wherein the network element discovery request message comprises the information of the type of the P-CSCF and the network slice.

After receiving a DNS request message of a terminal, the DNS acquires information of a P-CSCF type and a network slice from the DNS, then the DNS carries the information of the P-CSCF type and the network slice in a network element discovery request message and sends the information to an NRF network element, and the NRF network element returns one or more pieces of information of the P-CSCF supporting the network slice.

And 6, the NRF network element sends a network element discovery response message to the DNS, wherein the network element discovery response message comprises the information of one or more P-CSCFs.

Step 7, the DNS sends a DNS response message to the terminal, wherein the DNS response message comprises information of one or more P-CSCF.

In the above step 5 to step 7, in a specific implementation manner, for example, the following implementation manners may be adopted:

in one implementation manner, if the NRF network element obtains information of a plurality of P-CSCFs, the NRF network element selects one of the P-CSCFs, sends the selected P-CSCF information to the DNS, and then sends the DNS to the terminal.

In another implementation, if the NRF network element acquires information of a plurality of P-CSCFs, the NRF network element sends the acquired information of the plurality of P-CSCFs to the DNS, and the DNS then selects one of the P-CSCFs and sends the selected information of the P-CSCF to the terminal.

In another implementation, if the NRF network element obtains information of a plurality of P-CSCFs, the NRF network element sends the obtained information of the plurality of P-CSCFs to the DNS, and the DNS then sends the received information of the plurality of P-CSCFs to the terminal, and then the terminal selects one of the P-CSCF information.

In this embodiment, when the terminal queries the DNS for the P-CSCF, information of the selected network slice is sent to the DNS, and the DNS returns information of the P-CSCF supporting the network slice to the terminal, so that the queried P-CSCF supports the network slice selected by the terminal, thereby facilitating successful completion of IMS registration. In addition, the embodiment requests the external network element, such as an NRF network element, by the DNS to acquire the information of the P-CSCF query, so that the load and pressure of the DNS can be reduced.

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

In the case of an integrated unit, fig. 4 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of another apparatus involved in the embodiment of the present invention, and the apparatus 400 may exist in the form of software, or may be a terminal, or may be a chip in the terminal. The apparatus 400 comprises: a processing unit 402 and a communication unit 403. In one implementation, the communication unit 403 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The processing unit 402 is used for controlling and managing the operation of the apparatus 400. The communication unit 403 is used to support communication of the apparatus 400 with other network entities (e.g. DNS, P-CSCF). For example, the communication unit 403 executes, with the support apparatus 400, the processing procedure related to the terminal in the method shown in fig. 2A, step 201, step 203, step 204, or embodiment 3A, or embodiment 3B, and/or other procedures of the technical solutions described in this application. The apparatus 400 may further comprise a storage unit 401 for storing program codes and data of the apparatus 400.

The processing unit 402 may be a processor or a controller, such as a general Central Processing Unit (CPU), a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processing (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. Which may implement or perform the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, DSPs, and microprocessors, among others. The communication unit 403 may be a communication interface, a transceiver, a transceiving circuit, or the like. The storage unit 401 may be a memory.

When the processing unit 402 is a processor, the communication unit 403 is a transceiver, and the storage unit 401 is a memory, the apparatus 400 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be a terminal as shown in fig. 5.

Fig. 5 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a possible design structure of a terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. The terminal 500 comprises a transmitter 501, a receiver 502 and a processor 503. The processor 503 may also be a controller, and is denoted as "controller/processor 503" in fig. 5. Optionally, the terminal 500 may further include a modem processor 505, wherein the modem processor 505 may include an encoder 506, a modulator 507, a decoder 508 and a demodulator 509.

In one example, the transmitter 501 conditions (e.g., converts to analog, filters, amplifies, and frequency upconverts, etc.) the output samples and generates an uplink signal, which is transmitted via an antenna to the DNS, P-CSCF as described in the above embodiments. On the downlink, an antenna receives a downlink signal. Receiver 502 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, downconverts, and digitizes, etc.) the received signal from the antenna and provides input samples. In modem processor 505, an encoder 506 receives traffic data and signaling messages to be sent on the uplink and processes (e.g., formats, encodes, and interleaves) the traffic data and signaling messages. A modulator 507 further processes (e.g., symbol maps and modulates) the encoded traffic data and signaling messages and provides output samples. A demodulator 509 processes (e.g., demodulates) the input samples and provides symbol estimates. A decoder 508 processes (e.g., deinterleaves and decodes) the symbol estimates and provides decoded data and signaling messages for transmission to terminal 500. The encoder 506, modulator 507, demodulator 509, and decoder 508 may be implemented by a combined modem processor 505. These elements are processed in accordance with the radio access technology employed by the radio access network (e.g., the access technologies of LTE and other evolved systems). It should be noted that, when the terminal 500 does not include the modem processor 505, the above-mentioned functions of the modem processor 505 can be performed by the processor 503.

The processor 503 controls and manages the operation of the terminal 500, and is configured to execute the processing procedure performed by the terminal 500 in the embodiment of the present invention. For example, the processor 503 is also configured to execute the processing procedure related to the terminal in the method shown in fig. 2A, fig. 3A, or fig. 3B and/or other procedures of the technical solutions described in this application.

Further, terminal 500 can also include a memory 504, memory 504 for storing program codes and data for terminal 500.

In the case of an integrated unit, fig. 6 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and the apparatus 600 may exist in the form of software, or may be a domain name server, or may be a chip in the domain name server. The apparatus 600 comprises: a processing unit 602 and a communication unit 603, the communication unit 603 may comprise a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The processing unit 602 is configured to control and manage operations of the apparatus 600. The communication unit 603 is used to support communication of the apparatus 600 with other network entities (e.g. terminals). The apparatus 600 may further comprise a storage unit 601 for storing program codes and data of the apparatus 600.

The processing unit 602 may be a processor or a controller, and may be, for example, a CPU, a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. Which may implement or perform the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, DSPs, and microprocessors, among others. The communication unit 603 may be a communication interface, a transceiver circuit, or the like, wherein the communication interface is referred to as a generic term, and in a specific implementation, the communication interface may include a plurality of interfaces, which may include, for example: an interface between a domain name server and a terminal, and/or other interfaces. The storage unit 601 may be a memory.

The processing unit 602 may enable the apparatus 600 to perform the actions of the domain name server in the above method examples, for example, enable the apparatus 600 to perform step 202 in fig. 2A. The communication unit 603 may support communication between the apparatus 600 and the terminal, for example, the communication unit 603 may support the apparatus 600 to perform step 201, step 203 in fig. 2A.

When the processing unit 602 is a processor, the communication unit 603 is a communication interface, and the storage unit 601 is a memory, the apparatus 600 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be the domain name server 700 shown in fig. 7.

Referring to fig. 7, the domain name server 700 includes: a processor 702, a communication interface 703, and a memory 701. Optionally, domain name server 700 may also include bus 704. The communication interface 703, the processor 702, and the memory 701 may be connected to each other by a bus 704; the bus 704 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus 704 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 7, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

In the case of an integrated unit, fig. 8 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the apparatus 800 may exist in the form of software, or may be a multimedia system portal network element, or may be a chip in the multimedia system portal network element. The apparatus 800 comprises: a processing unit 802 and a communication unit 803, the communication unit 803 may include a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The processing unit 802 is used for controlling and managing the operation of the apparatus 800. The communication unit 803 is used to support the communication of the apparatus 800 with other network entities (e.g. terminals, network function library network elements). The apparatus 800 may further comprise a storage unit 801 for storing program codes and data of the apparatus 800.

The processing unit 802 may be a processor or a controller, and may be, for example, a CPU, a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. Which may implement or perform the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, DSPs, and microprocessors, among others. The communication unit 803 may be a communication interface, a transceiver circuit, or the like, wherein the communication interface is referred to as a generic term, and in a specific implementation, the communication interface may include a plurality of interfaces, which may include, for example: an interface between a multimedia system portal network element and a terminal, an interface between a multimedia system portal network element and a network function library network element, and/or other interfaces. The storage unit 801 may be a memory.

The processing unit 802 may enable the apparatus 800 to perform the actions of the multimedia system ingress network element in the above method examples. The communication unit 803 may support communication between the apparatus 800 and the terminal, for example, the communication unit 803 may support the apparatus 800 to perform step 204 in fig. 2A, step 301 to step 302 in fig. 2B, or fig. 3A, or other processes of the method shown in fig. 3B related to the processing procedure of the multimedia system ingress network element and/or the technical solutions described in this application.

When the processing unit 802 is a processor, the communication unit 803 is a communication interface, and the storage unit 801 is a memory, the apparatus 800 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be the multimedia system portal network element 900 shown in fig. 9.

Referring to fig. 9, the multimedia system portal network element 900 includes: a processor 902, a communication interface 903, and a memory 901. Optionally, the multimedia system entry network element 900 may further include a bus 904. The communication interface 903, the processor 902, and the memory 901 may be connected to each other by a bus 904; the bus 904 may be a PCI bus or an EISA bus, etc. The bus 904 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 9, but this does not indicate only one bus or one type of bus.

In the case of an integrated unit, fig. 10 shows a possible exemplary block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, where the apparatus 1000 may exist in the form of software, or may be a network function library network element, or may be a chip in the network function library network element. The apparatus 1000 comprises: a processing unit 1002 and a communication unit 1003, the communication unit 1003 may comprise a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The processing unit 1002 is used for controlling and managing operations of the apparatus 1000. The communication unit 1003 is used to support the communication of the apparatus 1000 with other network entities (e.g. a multimedia system portal network element). The device 1000 may further comprise a storage unit 1001 for storing program codes and data of the device 1000.

The processing unit 1002 may be a processor or a controller, and may be, for example, a CPU, a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. Which may implement or perform the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, DSPs, and microprocessors, among others. The communication unit 1003 may be a communication interface, a transceiver circuit, or the like, where the communication interface is referred to as a generic term, and in a specific implementation, the communication interface may include a plurality of interfaces, which may include, for example: an interface between a network function library element and a multimedia system portal element, and/or other interfaces. The storage unit 1001 may be a memory.

The processing unit 1002 may enable the apparatus 1000 to perform the actions of the network function library network elements in the above method examples. The communication unit 1003 may support communication between the apparatus 1000 and the terminal, for example, the communication unit 1003 may support the apparatus 1000 to perform steps 301 to 302 in fig. 2B, or perform a processing procedure involving a network function library network element in the method shown in fig. 3A, or fig. 3B, and/or other procedures of the technical solutions described in this application.

When the processing unit 1002 is a processor, the communication unit 1003 is a communication interface, and the storage unit 1001 is a memory, the apparatus 1000 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be the network function library network element 1100 shown in fig. 11.

Referring to fig. 11, the network function library network element 1100 includes: a processor 1102, a communication interface 1103, and a memory 1101. Optionally, the network function library element 1100 may also include a bus 1104. The communication interface 1103, the processor 1102, and the memory 1101 may be connected to each other by a bus 1104; the bus 1104 may be a PCI bus or an EISA bus, etc. The bus 1104 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 11, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

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

The various illustrative logical units and circuits described in this application may be implemented or operated upon by design of a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in the embodiments herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software element executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software cells may be stored in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. For example, a storage medium may be coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC, which may be disposed in a terminal device. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a terminal device.

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.

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

Claims

1. A method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system, comprising:

the terminal sends network slicing information to a domain name server, and the information is used for acquiring a multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slicing;

and the terminal receives address information of a multimedia system entrance network element from the domain name server, the multimedia system entrance network element supports the network slice, and the multimedia system entrance network element is used for connecting the terminal to a network protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and the terminal selects the network slice according to a network slice selection strategy, wherein the network slice selection strategy comprises the corresponding relation between the network slice and the multimedia service or application.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information of the network slice comprises part or all of the following information: network slice selection assistance information, network slice identification, and network slice type.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the method further comprises:

and the terminal initiates a registration process to the multimedia system according to the address information of the entrance network element of the multimedia system.

5. A method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system, comprising:

the domain name server receives information of the network slice from a terminal and is used for acquiring a multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice;

the domain name server acquires the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice;

and the domain name server sends address information of an entrance network element of a multimedia system to the terminal, wherein the entrance network element of the multimedia system is used for connecting the terminal to an IMS network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the obtaining, by the domain name server, the address information of the entry network element of the multimedia system supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice comprises:

the domain name server locally acquires the address information of the entry network element of the multimedia system according to the information of the network slice; or,

the domain name server sends the information of the network slice to a network function library network element, and the domain name server receives the address information of the multimedia system entry network element from the network function library network element.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the information of the network slice comprises part or all of the following information: network slice selection assistance information, network slice identification, and network slice type.

8. A method for selecting an ingress network element of a multimedia system, comprising:

the network function library network element receives information of the network slice from the domain name server and is used for acquiring a multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice;

the network function library network element acquires the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice;

and the network function library network element sends address information of the multimedia system entrance network element to the domain name server, the multimedia system entrance network element supports the network slice, and the multimedia system entrance network element is used for connecting a terminal to a network protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the information of the network slice comprises some or all of the following information: network slice selection assistance information, network slice identification, and network slice type.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the method further comprises:

the network function library network element receives the information of the multimedia system entrance network element from the multimedia system entrance network element and registers the multimedia system entrance network element to the network function library network element;

and the network function library network element sends a result indication to the multimedia system entrance network element.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the information of the multimedia system entry network element comprises address information of the multimedia system entry network element and information of network slices supported by the multimedia system entry network element.

12. A communications apparatus, comprising:

the device comprises a sending unit, a receiving unit and a processing unit, wherein the sending unit is used for sending information of network slices to a domain name server and acquiring a multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slices;

and the receiving unit is used for receiving the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element from the domain name server, the multimedia system entrance network element supports the network slice, and the multimedia system entrance network element is used for connecting the terminal to the IMS network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a processing unit configured to select the network slice according to a network slice selection policy, wherein the network slice selection policy comprises a correspondence of network slices to multimedia services or applications.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the information of the network slice comprises part or all of the following information: network slice selection assistance information, network slice identification, and network slice type.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12 or 13, wherein the sending unit is further configured to initiate a registration procedure to a multimedia system according to the address information of the entry network element of the multimedia system.

16. A communications apparatus, comprising:

a receiving unit, configured to receive information of a network slice from a terminal, and configured to acquire a multimedia system entry network element that supports the network slice;

the processing unit is used for acquiring the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice according to the information of the network slice;

a sending unit, configured to send address information of a multimedia system entry network element to the terminal, where the multimedia system entry network element is used to connect the terminal to an IMS network.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the processing unit is specifically configured to obtain, according to the information of the network slice, address information of the entry network element of the multimedia system from a local location; or,

the processing unit sends the information of the network slice to a network function library network element through the sending unit, and the processing unit receives the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element from the network function library network element through the receiving unit.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the information of the network slice comprises part or all of the following information: network slice selection assistance information, network slice identification, and network slice type.

19. A communications apparatus, comprising:

the receiving unit is used for receiving the information of the network slice from the domain name server and acquiring the multimedia system entrance network element supporting the network slice;

and the sending unit is used for sending the address information of the multimedia system entrance network element to the domain name server, the multimedia system entrance network element supports the network slice, and the multimedia system entrance network element is used for connecting a terminal to a network protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) network.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the information of the network slice comprises some or all of the following information: network slice selection assistance information, network slice identification, and network slice type.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to receive information of the multimedia system portal network element from the multimedia system portal network element, and register the multimedia system portal network element with the network function library network element;

the sending unit is further configured to send a result indication to the multimedia system entry network element.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the information of the multimedia system entry network element comprises address information of the multimedia system entry network element and information of network slices supported by the multimedia system entry network element.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, in which a program or instructions are stored which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.