CN111757340A - Method, device and system for determining service area - Google Patents

Method, device and system for determining service area Download PDF

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Publication number
CN111757340A
CN111757340A CN201910242781.8A CN201910242781A CN111757340A CN 111757340 A CN111757340 A CN 111757340A CN 201910242781 A CN201910242781 A CN 201910242781A CN 111757340 A CN111757340 A CN 111757340A
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network element
service area
user plane
information
network
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CN111757340B (en
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宗在峰
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Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
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Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
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Priority to PCT/CN2020/081365 priority patent/WO2020192727A1/en
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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W24/00—Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
    • H04W24/02—Arrangements for optimising operational condition
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04L41/00—Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
    • H04L41/08—Configuration management of networks or network elements
    • H04L41/0876—Aspects of the degree of configuration automation
    • H04L41/0886—Fully automatic configuration
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
    • H04W8/00—Network data management
    • H04W8/18—Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
    • H04W8/20—Transfer of user or subscriber data

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • Databases & Information Systems (AREA)
  • Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)

Abstract

In order to realize automatic configuration of a service area, avoid a complex manual configuration process and reduce the workload of network configuration, the application provides a method, a device and a system for determining the service area. The method comprises the following steps: a network storage network element acquires interface information of a first base station and service area information of the first base station, wherein the interface information of the first base station is information of an interface between the first base station and one or more user plane network elements, and the one or more user plane network elements comprise a first user plane network element; the network storage network element receives target network information from the first user plane network element, wherein the target network information is information of a route which can be reached by the first user plane network element; and the network storage network element acquires the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information, wherein the service area of the first user plane network element comprises the service area of the first base station.

Description

Method, device and system for determining service area
Technical Field
The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, and a system for determining a service area.
Background
In the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5-generation, 5G), a service area of a base station is one or more tracking areas (tracking areas), one or more cells (cells), and the like covered by the base station. The service area of a User Plane Function (UPF) network element is defined as the sum of the service areas of the base stations interfacing with it. A service area of a Session Management Function (SMF) network element is defined as a sum of service areas of UPF network elements controlled by the SMF network element. A service area of an SMF network element is included in a configuration file of the SMF network element in a network storage function (NRF) network element.
In the prior art, the service area of the UPF network element can only be obtained by a manual configuration method, and correspondingly, the service area of the SMF network element can also be obtained by a manual configuration method, and the manual configuration process is complex, which brings a large workload.
Disclosure of Invention
In order to realize automatic configuration of a service area, avoid a complex manual configuration process and reduce the workload of network configuration, the application provides a method, a device and a system for determining the service area.
In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for determining a service area, the method including: a network storage network element acquires interface information of a first base station and service area information of the first base station, wherein the interface information of the first base station is information of an interface between the first base station and one or more user plane network elements, and the one or more user plane network elements comprise a first user plane network element; the network storage network element receives target network information from the first user plane network element, wherein the target network information is information of a reachable route between the first user plane network element and the target network information; and the network storage network element acquires the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information, wherein the service area of the first user plane network element comprises the service area of the first base station. By the method, the network storage network element obtains that the service area of the first base station is a part of the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information and the target network information of the first base station. This is performed for one or more base stations interfacing with the first user plane network element, thereby enabling a determination of the service area of the first user plane network element. The method realizes the automatic configuration of the service area, avoids the complex manual configuration process and reduces the workload of network configuration.
In a possible implementation manner, the acquiring, by the network storage network element, the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information includes: the network storage network element determines that the route between the first base station and the first user plane network element is reachable according to the interface information and the target network information; and the network storage network element adds the service area of the first base station to the service area of the first user plane network element.
In a possible implementation manner, the acquiring, by the network storage network element, the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information includes: the network storage network element determines that the route between the first base station and the first user plane network element is reachable according to the interface information and the target network information; the network storage network element sends the service area information of the first base station to the first user plane network element; the network storage network element receives service area information of the first user plane network element from the first user plane network element. In this way, the network storage network element determines that the route between the first base station and the first user plane network element is reachable, so that the service area information of the first base station is sent to the first user plane network element, the operation is performed on one or more base stations interfaced with the first user plane network element, so that the first user plane network element can determine the service area of the first user plane network element, and the service area information of the first user plane network element is provided to the network storage network element, so as to update the configuration file stored in the network storage network element by the first user plane network element.
In a possible implementation manner, the network storage network element determines, according to the interface information and the target network information, that an interface exists between the first base station and the first user plane network element; or determining that the first base station is subscribed by the first user plane network element, or determining that the first base station is queried by the first user plane network element.
In a possible implementation manner, the network storage network element obtains a service area of a session management network element, where the session management network element is a network element that controls the first user plane network element, and the service area of the session management network element includes the service area of the first user plane network element.
In the foregoing possible implementation manner, the acquiring, by the network storage element, the service area of the session management element includes: and the network storage network element adds the service area of the first user plane network element to the service area of the session management network element. In this way, the network storage network element performs this operation on one or more user plane network elements controlled by the session management network element, thereby enabling the service area of the first user plane network element to be determined.
In the foregoing possible implementation manner, the acquiring, by the network storage element, the service area of the session management element includes: the network storage network element sends the service area information of the first user plane network element to the session management network element; the network storage network element receives service area information of the session management network element from the session management network element. In this way, the network storage element sends the service area information of the first user plane network element to the session management element, and performs the operation on one or more base stations controlled by the session management element, so that the session management element can determine the service area of the session management element and provide the service area information of the session management element to the network storage element, so as to update the configuration file stored in the network storage element by the session management element.
In a possible implementation manner, the network storage network element receives first service area identification information from the first user plane network element, where the first service area identification information is used to indicate a service area corresponding to the first user plane network element; the network storage network element receives second service area identification information from the session management network element, wherein the second service area identification information is used for indicating a service area corresponding to the session management network element; if it is determined that the second service area identification information includes the first service area identification information, the network storage network element determines that the first user plane network element is controlled by the session management network element; or if it is determined that the second service area identification information includes the first service area identification information, the network storage element determines that the first user plane network element is subscribed by the session management element. In this way, the network storage network element determines that the first user plane network element is subscribed or controlled by the session management network element, and further determines or enables the session management network element to determine a service area of the session management network element.
In a possible implementation manner, the acquiring, by a network storage network element, the interface information of a first base station and the service area information of the first base station includes: the network storage network element acquires interface information of the first base station from the first base station and service area information of the first base station; or the network storage network element acquires the interface information of the first base station and the service area information of the first base station from a mobility management network element.
In a possible implementation manner, the interface information of the first base station includes an internet protocol IP address of an interface between the first base station and the first user plane network element.
In a possible implementation manner, the service area information of the first base station includes a tracking area identifier and/or a cell identifier of the first base station.
In one possible implementation, the target network information includes reachable destination address information, and the reachable destination address information includes any one or more of the following: one or more Internet Protocol (IP) addresses which are reachable by routing with the network storage network element; one or more address segments that are routable to said network storage network element; one or more IP addresses reachable by the route with the network storage network element are masked.
In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for determining a service area, the method comprising: a first user plane network element sends target network information to a network storage network element, wherein the target network information is information of a route reachable by the first user plane network element and is used for determining one or more base stations reachable by the route between the first user plane network element and the first user plane network element; the first user plane network element receiving service area information of the one or more base stations from the network storage network element; and the first user plane network element determines the service area of the first user plane network element according to the service area information of the one or more base stations.
By the method, the first user plane network element provides the target network information to the network storage network element, so that the network storage network element determines one or more base stations which can be routed with the first user plane network element, and provides the service area information of the one or more base stations to the first user plane network element. And the first user plane determines the service area information of the first user plane network element according to the service area information of the one or more base stations. The method realizes the automatic configuration of the service area, avoids the complex manual configuration process and reduces the workload of network configuration.
In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the first user plane network element, a service area of the first user plane network element includes: and the first user plane network element adds the service areas of the one or more base stations to the service area of the first user plane network element.
In a possible implementation manner, the first user plane network element sends the service area information of the first user plane network element to the network storage network element.
In a possible implementation manner, the first user plane network element sends service area information of the first user plane network element to a session management network element, where the session management network element is a network element that controls the first user plane network element.
In a third aspect, the present application provides a method for determining a service area, including: a session management network element acquires service area information of one or more user plane network elements, wherein the one or more user plane network elements are network elements controlled by the session management network element; and the session management network element determines the service area of the session management network element according to the service area information of the one or more user plane network elements.
By the method, the session management network element obtains the service area information of one or more user plane network elements controlled by the session management network element, so that the service area information of the session management network element is determined. The method realizes the automatic configuration of the service area, avoids the complex manual configuration process and reduces the workload of network configuration.
In a possible implementation manner, the determining, by the session management network element, a service area of the session management network element includes: and the session management network element adds the service areas of the one or more user planes to the service area of the session management network element.
In a possible implementation manner, the session management network element sends the service area information of the session management network element to a network storage network element.
In a possible implementation manner, the acquiring, by the session management network element, service area information of the one or more user plane network elements includes: the session management network element acquires service area information of the one or more user plane network elements from the one or more user plane network elements; or the session management network element acquires the service area information of the one or more user plane network elements from a network storage network element.
In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a network storage network element having a function of implementing the method in the first aspect. The functions can be realized by hardware, and the functions can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware and software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.
In one possible design, the network storage element has a structure including a processor configured to support the network storage element to perform the method described in the first aspect, and a transceiver configured to support communication between the network storage element and other devices. The network storage element may also include a memory, coupled to the processor, that stores program instructions and data necessary for the network storage element.
In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a user plane network element having a function of implementing the method in the second aspect. The functions can be realized by hardware, and the functions can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware and software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.
In one possible design, the structure of the user plane network element includes a processor configured to support the user plane network element to perform the method described in the second aspect, and a transceiver configured to support communication between the user plane network element and other devices. The user plane network element may further comprise a memory, coupled to the processor, that stores program instructions and data necessary for the user plane network element.
In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a session management network element having the function of implementing the method in the third aspect. The functions can be realized by hardware, and the functions can also be realized by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware and software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.
In one possible design, the session management network element includes a processor configured to support the session management network element to perform the method described in the third aspect, and a transceiver configured to support communication between the session management network element and other devices. The session management network element may further comprise a memory for coupling with the processor that stores program instructions and data necessary for the session management network element.
In a seventh aspect, the present application provides an apparatus (e.g., the apparatus may be a system-on-a-chip) comprising a processor, which may perform any one or more of the methods described in the first to third aspects above.
In one possible design, the apparatus further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.
In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to perform any one or more of the methods of the first to third aspects described above.
In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform any one or more of the methods described in the first to third aspects above.
In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a communication system comprising any of the network storage network element according to the first aspect, the user plane network element according to the second aspect, or the session management network element according to the third aspect.
In a possible design, the system further includes other devices, such as a base station and the like, interacting with the network storage network element according to the first aspect, or the user plane network element according to the second aspect, or the session management network element according to the third aspect.
Drawings
Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of an interface between a user plane network element and a base station through a routing protocol according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for determining a service area according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 4 is a flowchart of another method for determining a service area according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 5 is a flowchart of another method for determining a service area according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 6a is a schematic structural diagram of a network storage element according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 6b is a schematic structural diagram of a user plane network element according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 6c is a schematic structural diagram of a session management network element according to an embodiment of the present application;
fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.
Detailed Description
In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the present application, a "/" indicates a relationship in which the objects associated before and after are an "or", for example, a/B may indicate a or B; in the present application, "and/or" is only an association relationship describing an associated object, and means that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, and may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. Also, in the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more than two unless otherwise specified. "one or more" or similar expressions, refer to any combination of these items, including single item(s) or any combination of plural items, such as one or more of a, b, and c, and may indicate: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, wherein a, b, c may be single or multiple. In addition, in order to facilitate clear description of technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish functions and actions. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the terms "first," "second," etc. do not denote any order or quantity, nor do the terms "first," "second," etc. denote any order or importance.
The technical scheme of the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a global system for mobile communications (GSM) system, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, a LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, a LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, a future 5G system, a New Radio (NR), or the like.
Terminal equipment in the embodiments of the present application may refer to user equipment, access terminals, subscriber units, subscriber stations, mobile stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, wireless communication devices, user agents, or user devices. The terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a future 5G system or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and the like, which are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.
Fig. 1 is a network architecture suitable for use in the embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, the network architecture is described from the perspective of a service interface, and each network element involved in the network architecture is separately described.
1. A (Radio Access Network (R) AN) Network element: the method is used for providing a network access function for authorized users in a specific area, and can use transmission tunnels with different qualities according to the level of the users, the requirements of services and the like. The (R) AN network element can manage radio resources, provide access services for the terminal device, and then complete the forwarding of control signals and user data between the terminal device and the core network, and the (R) AN network element can also be understood as a base station in a conventional network. For example, the base station may be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a GSM system or a CDMA system, a base station (NodeB, NB) in a WCDMA system, an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in an LTE system, a 5G base station (gNB), a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, and a network side device in a future 5G communication system or a network device in a future evolved PLMN network.
2. A user plane network element: for packet routing and forwarding, quality of service (QoS) handling of user plane data, etc. In the 5G system, the user plane network element may be a UPF network element. In a future communication system, the user plane network element may still be a UPF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.
3. A data network element: for providing a network for transmitting data. In a 5G system, the Data Network element may be a Data Network (DN) element. In future communication systems, the data network element may still be a DN element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.
4. Authentication service network element: the method is used for realizing authentication and authorization of the user and the like. In the 5G system, the authentication service network element may be an authentication server function (AUSF) network element. In a future communication system, the authentication service network element may still be an AUSF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.
5. A mobility management network element: the method is mainly used for mobility management, access management and the like. In a 4th generation (4G) system, the mobility management element may be a Mobility Management Entity (MME). In the 5G system, the mobility management network element may be an Access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. In future communication systems, the mobility management element may still be an AMF element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.
6. A session management network element: the method is mainly used for session management, Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management of terminal equipment, selection of a termination point capable of managing a user plane function, a policy control and charging function interface, downlink data notification and the like. In the 5G system, the session management network element may be an SMF network element. In future communication systems, the session management network element may still be an SMF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.
7. Network open network element: for securely opening services and capabilities etc. provided by the 3GPP network function element to the outside. In the 4G system, the network openness network element may be a service capability openness function (SCEF) network element. In the 5G system, the Network open Network element may be a Network open Function (NEF) Network element. In future communication systems, the network open network element may still be an NEF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.
8. A network storage network element: the method is used for storing information of network functions deployed in a core network, providing discovery of the network functions and services, and the like. In a 5G system, the network storage network element may be a network storage function (NRF) network element, and in a future communication system, the network storage network element may still be an NRF network element, and may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.
9. The strategy control network element: the unified policy framework is used for guiding network behavior, providing policy rule information for control plane function network elements (such as AMF, SMF network elements and the like), and the like. In the 5G system, the Policy Control network element may be a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element. In future communication systems, the policy control network element may still be a PCF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.
10. A data management network element: for handling subscriber identities, access authentication, registration, mobility management, etc. In a 4G system, the data management network element may be a Home Subscriber Server (HSS). In the 5G system, the Data Management network element may be a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element. In future communication systems, the data management may still be a UDM network element, or may also have other names, which is not limited in this application.
11. The application network element: the method is used for carrying out data routing of application influence, accessing to a network open function network element, carrying out strategy control by interacting with a strategy framework and the like. In the 5G system, the application network element may be an Application Function (AF) network element. In a future communication system, the application network element may still be an AF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.
It is to be understood that the above network elements or functions may be network elements in a hardware device, or may be software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).
In the network architecture, Nausf is a service-based interface exhibited by the AUSF network element 105, Namf is a service-based interface exhibited by the AMF network element 106, Nsmf is a service-based interface exhibited by the SMF network element 107, Nnef is a service-based interface exhibited by the NEF network element 108, NRF is a service-based interface exhibited by the NRF network element 109, Npcf is a service-based interface exhibited by the PCF network element 110, Nudm is a service-based interface exhibited by the UDM network element 111, and Naf is a service-based interface exhibited by the AF network element 112. N1 is a reference point between the UE101 and the AMF network element 106, N2 is a reference point of the (R) AN network element 102 and the AMF network element 106, and is used for sending Non-access stratum (NAS) messages, and the like; n3 is a reference point between (R) AN network element 102 and UPF network element 103, and is used for transmitting user plane data and the like; n4 is a reference point between the SMF network element 107 and the UPF network element 103, and is used to transmit information such as tunnel identification information, data cache indication information, and downlink data notification message of the N3 connection;
the N6 interface is a reference point between the UPF network element 103 and the DN network element 104, and is used for transmitting user plane data and the like.
It should be understood that the network architecture applied to the embodiment of the present application is only an exemplary network architecture described in the service architecture, and the network architecture to which the embodiment of the present application is applied is not limited thereto, and any network architecture capable of implementing the functions of the network elements described above is applicable to the embodiment of the present application.
For example, in some network architectures, network functional network element entities such as the AMF network element 106, the SMF network element 107, the PCF network element 110, the UDM network element 111, and the like are all called network functional network element (NF) network elements; alternatively, in other network architectures, a set of network elements such as the AMF network element 106, the SMF network element 107, the PCF network element 110, and the UDM network element 111 may be referred to as a control plane function network element.
The NF network elements may be defined as different NFs according to the category of the function, for example: authentication and security functions, packet data session management functions, mobility management functions and access control functions, policy control functions, etc., which are implemented by corresponding NF components, each of which provides services to other NF components or functions through defined service interfaces.
It should be noted that the UPF network element, the SMF network element, the AMF network element, the NRF network element, and the gNB described in the following embodiments are only examples, and do not limit the embodiments of the present application. That is, the UPF network element described later in this application may be replaced with a user plane network element, the SMF network element may be replaced with a session management network element, the AMF network element may be replaced with a mobility management network element, the NRF network element may be replaced with a network storage network element, and the gNB may be replaced with a base station or an access network device. And the UPF network element, the SMF network element, the AMF network element, and the NRF network element may be referred to as UPF, SMF, AMF, and NRF for short.
First, the UPF will be explained with the base station interface via the routing protocol:
it is understood that the routing protocol may be a Routing Information Protocol (RIP), a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), or an Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol, which is not limited in this application. The following embodiment takes the routing protocol as OSPF as an example, and as shown in fig. 2, is a schematic diagram of the interface between UPF and the base station through OSPF protocol.
In fig. 2, the IP address of the N3 interface of the UPF is configured to be 198.168.100.2, the router interfacing with the UPF is R1, and the IP address of R1 facing the UPF is configured to be 192.168.100.3. The gNB interfaces with a router R2, the IP address of the gNB is in a segment 192.168.300.0/255.255.255.0, and an OSPF routing network is arranged between R1 and R2.
It should be noted that fig. 2 shows a router R1 directly adjacent to the UPF, and in actual deployment, the UPF may be directly adjacent to a plurality of routers R1, and correspondingly, the plurality of routers R1 respectively correspond to respective OSPF routing networks, that is, the UPF is indirectly adjacent to the plurality of OSPF routing networks. Fig. 2 shows a router R2 directly adjacent to the OSPF routing network, and in actual deployment, the OSPF routing network may be directly adjacent to a plurality of routers R2, and correspondingly, the plurality of routers R2 respectively correspond to respective gnbs, that is, the OSPF routing network is indirectly adjacent to the plurality of gnbs. The number of routers R1, OSPF routing networks, number of routers R2, and number of gnbs are not limited in this application.
According to the OSPF protocol, the UPF may obtain information from the immediate neighbor router R1 to generate a routing table, which may be, for example, table 1:
destination address Next hop
192.168.300.0/255.255.255.0 192.168.100.3
192.168.400.0/255.255.255.0 192.168.100.3
192.168.500.0/255.255.255.0 192.168.200.2
TABLE 1
When the UPF needs to send the data packet to the gNB, the UPF searches a routing table according to the address of the gNB to determine the next hop router of the data packet. If the next hop router R1 corresponding to the gNB exists in the routing table, the route with the gNB can be reached. For example, the IP address of the N3 interface of the gNB is 192.168.300.21, and when the UPF needs to send a packet to the gNB, the UPF looks up the routing table to determine that the next hop to send the 192.168.300.21 packet is 192.168.100.3, and thus the UPF sends the packet to 192.168.100.3, i.e., the R1 router. Wherein, the UPF looks up the routing table, and determines that the next hop to be sent to the 192.168.300.21 data packet is 192.168.100.3, which specifically is: the UPF logically and 192.168.300.21 with a mask 255.255.255.0 of the destination address in the routing table, resulting in 192.168.300.0, thereby determining the corresponding next hop to be 192.168.100.3. Accordingly, there is a similar routing table in the router R1, and eventually, the packet is sent to the corresponding router R2, and to the gNB through the R2 router.
When the UPF needs to send the data packet to the gNB, the UPF searches a routing table according to the address of the gNB to determine the next hop router of the data packet. If the next hop router R1 corresponding to the gNB does not exist in the routing table, the route with the gNB is not reachable. For example, after the IP address of the N3 interface of the gNB is 192.168.600.5, 192.168.600.5 is logically anded with the mask 255.255.255.0 of the destination address in the routing table, there is no corresponding next hop.
According to the above description, as long as the UPF does not configure a default route (that is, when the route of the gNB corresponding to the packet is not reachable, the UPF sends the next hop address of the packet), the UPF can determine whether the route between one gNB and the UPF is reachable according to the routing table, or whether an N3 interface exists.
Next, a method for determining a service area provided in an embodiment of the present application will be described in detail:
the service area of the UPF is defined as the sum of the service areas of the base stations with interfaces, so that the size of the service area of the UPF can be calculated according to the service areas of all the base stations with interfaces with the UPF by acquiring the service area of the base station with the N3 interface. The service area of the SMF is defined as the sum of the service areas of the UPFs controlled by the SMF, so that the size of the service area of the SMF can be calculated from the service areas of all the UPFs controlled by the SMF as long as the service area of the UPF controlled by the SMF is acquired.
Fig. 3 is a method for determining a service area according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method includes the following steps:
s301: the one or more base stations transmit respective N3 interface information and service area information to the NRF, so that the NRF acquires the N3 interface information and service area information of the one or more base stations.
The following description takes a first base station of the one or more base stations as an example. If there are other base stations, the other base stations perform the same operation, which is not described in detail in this embodiment.
The first base station may have an N3 interface with one or more UPFs, and the N3 interface information of the first base station is information of an interface between the first base station and one or more user plane network elements. For example, the one or more UPFs include a first UPF, a second UPF, and a third UPF, and the N3 interface information for the first base station includes information for an N3 interface between the first base station and the first UPF, information for an N3 interface between the first base station and the second UPF, and information for an N3 interface between the first base station and the third UPF. The N3 interface information for the first base station may be IP addresses of one or more N3 interfaces of the first base station, e.g., in the example of fig. 2, the IP address of the N3 interface of the first base station may be 192.168.300.21.
Optionally, the N3 interface information of the first base station may further include a first network instance identification of the N3 interface of the first base station. The first network instance identifier is used for indicating the network to which the N3 interface of the first base station belongs, for example, to divide the network by regions, and the first network instance identifier indicates that the network to which the N3 interface of the first base station belongs is a region. Accordingly, the first network instance identifier can be used to distinguish a plurality of N3 interfaces (belonging to different base stations) with the same IP address, for example, the N3 interface information of the first base station includes the IP address 192.168.300.21 of the N3 interface of the first base station and the first network instance identifier indicating the a region, the IP address of the N3 interface of the second base station is 192.168.300.21 and the second network instance identifier indicating the B region, and the first base station and the second base station can be distinguished according to the first network instance identifier and the second network instance identifier.
The service area information of the first base station is information of a service area of the first base station, such as a Tracking Area Identity (TAI) and/or a cell identity (cell ID). The first base station may cover multiple tracking areas and/or multiple cells, and the service area information includes multiple tracking area identifiers and/or multiple cell identifiers.
In the present application, how the first base station sends the N3 interface information and the service area information of the first base station to the NRF is not limited, that is, how the NRF obtains the N3 interface information and the service area information of the first base station is not limited, and two methods for the NRF to obtain the N3 interface information and the service area information of the first base station are described below.
The method comprises the following steps: the first base station directly transmits the N3 interface information and the service area information of the first base station to the NRF, so that the NRF acquires the N3 interface information and the service area information of the first base station.
It should be noted that this method requires the first base station to support the service interface with the NRF. If the first base station supports the serving interface, the first base station may include N3 interface information and service area information of the first base station in a configuration file during registration with the NRF.
The second method comprises the following steps: the first base station transmits the N3 interface information and the service area information of the first base station to the NRF through the AMF, so that the NRF acquires the N3 interface information and the service area information of the first base station.
For example, when the first base station establishes an N2 link (i.e., N2set up) with the AMF, the first base station may transmit N3 interface information and service area information of the first base station to the AMF. After receiving the N3 interface information and the service area information of the first base station, the AMF sends the information to the NRF.
It is understood that the AMF transmits the N3 interface information and the service area information of the first base station to the NRF, which can be implemented in the following two ways: the first method is as follows: the AMF generates a configuration file of the first base station according to the information and registers the configuration file of the first base station into the NRF; the second method comprises the following steps: the AMF takes the above information as part of the profile of the AMF and registers the profile of the AMF in the NRF.
S302: one or more UPFs obtain the target network information of the N3 interface through the routing protocol after the N3 interface is configured with the routing protocol.
The following description will take the first UPF of the one or more UPFs as an example. If other UPFs exist, the other UPFs perform the same operation, which is not described in detail in this embodiment.
The target network information is information of a route reachable by the first UPF, and includes reachable destination address information. The reachable destination address information may be any one or more of one or more IP addresses, address field information aggregated by a plurality of base stations via a routing network, or address plus mask information. The address field information aggregated by the plurality of base stations through the routing network may be, for example: for IPV4, the address field information may be address field first and last address information; for IPV6, the address field information may be the address prefix plus the length of the address. Assuming that the routing table of the N3 interface of the first UPF is shown in table 1, the reachable destination address information includes 192.168.300.0/255.255.255.0, 192.168.400.0/255.255.255.0, and 192.168.500.0/255.255.255.0.
Optionally, the target network information further includes a third network instance identifier of the N3 interface of the first UPF. The third network instance identifier indicates the network to which the N3 interface of the first UPF belongs, for example, to partition the network by region, and the third network instance identifier indicates that the network to which the N3 interface of the first UPF belongs is a region.
S303: the first UPF sends the target network information to the NRF such that the NRF receives the target network information from the first UPF.
In one example, the first UPF queries the NRF for service area information of a base station with which the N3 interface exists, and transmits target network information to the NRF. Specifically, the first UPF sends a query request to the NRF, the query request including the target network information.
In one example, a first UPF subscribes to service area information of a base station with which the NRF exists an N3 interface, and sends target network information to the NRF. Specifically, the first UPF sends a subscription request to the NRF, where the subscription request includes the target network information.
It is understood that there is no execution sequence between S301 and S302-S303, which is determined according to practical situations. For example: when the first UPF inquires service area information of a base station with an N3 interface to the NRF, S301 is executed first, and S302-S303 are executed later, namely when service area information of one or more base stations exists on the NRF, the first UPF inquires service area information of the base station with an N3 interface to the NRF; in the case where the first UPF subscribes to service area information of a base station with which the N3 interface exists to the NRF, there is no execution order between S301 and S302-S303. I.e., there may or may not be service area information for the base station with which the first UPF has an N3 interface. After receiving a subscription request from a first UPF, if service area information of a base station with an N3 interface with the first UPF exists, the NRF sends the service area information of the base station to the first UPF; if the service area information of the base station with the N3 interface with the first UPF does not exist or part of the service area information of the base station with the N3 interface with the first UPF exists, the NRF sends the service area information of the base station with the N3 interface with the first UPF to the first UPF after the base station with the N3 interface with the first UPF exists or the rest of the base stations with the N3 interface with the first UPF exists on line.
S304: the NRF learns the service area of the first UPF from the N3 interface information and the target network information of the first base station, wherein the service area of the first UPF includes the service area of the first base station.
In one example, the NRF determines that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable, i.e., determines that data can be transmitted between the first base station and the first UPF, according to the N3 interface information of the first base station and the target network information.
In one example, the NRF determines that an N3 interface exists between the first base station and the first UPF according to the N3 interface information of the first base station and the target network information; or, the NRF determines that the first UPF inquires the service area information of the first base station according to the N3 interface information and the target network information of the first base station; case three: the NRF determines that the first UPF subscribes to the service area information of the first base station according to the N3 interface information and the target network information of the first base station.
It should be noted that, the NRF may determine, according to the N3 interface information and the target network information of the first base station, that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable, and further determine that there is an N3 interface/the first UPF between the first base station and the first UPF to query the service area information of the first base station/the first UPF subscribes to the service area information of the first base station. Or directly determining that an N3 interface exists between the first base station and the first UPF according to the N3 interface information and the target network information of the first base station, and inquiring the service area information of the first base station/subscribing the service area information of the first base station by the first UPF. This is not a limitation of the present application.
For example, the N3 interface information of the first base station includes the IP address 192.168.300.21 of the N3 interface of the first base station, the target network information includes 192.168.300.0/255.255.255.0, and the NRF logically and-operates 192.168.300.21 and 255.255.255.255.0 to obtain 192.168.300.0, it is determined that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable/there is an N3 interface between the first base station and the first UPF/the first UPF queries the service area information of the first base station/the first UPF subscribes to the service area information of the first base station.
In addition, if the N3 interface information of the first base station includes the first network instance id and the target network information includes the third network instance id, the NRF further needs to determine that the first network instance id is the same as the third network instance id, so as to determine that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable/there is an N3 interface/the first UPF between the first base station and the first UPF to query the service area information of the first base station/the first UPF subscribes to the service area information of the first base station.
The present application does not limit how the NRF knows the service area of the first UPF, and two methods for the NRF to know the service area of the first UPF are described below:
the first method is that after the NRF determines that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable/the first base station has an N3 interface/the first UPF queries the service area information of the first base station/the first UPF subscribes the service area information of the first base station, the NRF adds the service area of the first base station to the service area of the first UPF and stores the updated service area information of the first UPF into the configuration file of the first UPF.
The service area of the first UPF is the sum of the service areas of the base stations interfaced by the first UPF, including the tracking area or the cell of the interfaced first base station, and the service area information of the first UPF is the sum of the service area information of the base stations interfaced by the first UPF, including the tai(s) or the cell ID(s) of the interfaced first base station.
After the above operation is performed on the base station interfaced with the first UPF, the NRF knows the service area of the first UPF.
The second method comprises the following steps: the NRF receives the service area information of the first UPF from the first UPF after determining that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable/there is an N3 interface between the first base station and the first UPF/the first UPF queries the service area information of the first base station/the first UPF subscribes to the service area information of the first base station.
Specifically, the NRF transmits service area information of the first base station to the first UPF. The first UPF adds the service area of the first base station to the service area of the first UPF. After the above operations are performed on the base station to which the first UPF is interfaced, the first UPF determines the service area of the first UPF. Thereafter, the first UPF transmits the service area information of the first UPF to the NRF. And after receiving the service area information of the first UPF, the NRF updates the configuration file of the first UPF in the NRF.
S305: the NRF knows the service area of the SMF.
Wherein the SMF controls the first UPF.
The present application does not limit how the NRF knows the service area of the SMF, and two methods for the NRF to know the service area of the SMF are described below:
the method comprises the following steps: the NRF determines that the first UPF is controlled by the SMF, and adds the service area of the first UPF into the service area of the SMF.
As to how the NRF determines that the first UPF is controlled by the SMF, reference may be made to the description in S406a, which is not repeated herein.
After the above operation is performed on UPF controlled by SMF, NRF knows SMF service area
The second method comprises the following steps: the NRF receives service area information of the SMF from the SMF.
Specifically, the NRF or the first UPF transmits the service area information of the first UPF to the SMF. The SMF adds the service area of the first UPF to the service area of the SMF. After the operations are executed on the UPFs controlled by the SMF, the SMF determines the service area of the SMF. Then, the SMF sends the service area information of the SMF to the NRF, and the service area information of the SMF includes the service area information of the UPF controlled by the SMF.
When the NRF sends the service area information of the first UPF to the SMF, the NRF needs to determine that the first UPF is controlled or subscribed by the SMF, and as to how the NRF determines that the first UPF is controlled or subscribed by the SMF, reference may be made to the description in S406b, which is not repeated herein. In the case that the first UPF sends the service area information of the first UPF to the SMF, the SMF actively establishes a connection with the first UPF in the prior art, which is not described in detail herein.
Through the method, the NRF learns that the service area of the first base station is a part of the service area of the first UPF according to the N3 interface information of the first base station and the target network information of the first UPF, and further learns that the service area of the first UPF is a part of the service area of the SMF. The same operation is performed on the base station to which the first UPF is interfaced, and the same operation is performed on the UPF controlled by the SMF, thereby determining the service area of the first UPF and the service area of the SMF. The method realizes the automatic configuration of the service area, avoids the complex manual configuration process and reduces the workload of network configuration.
On the basis of fig. 3, fig. 4 is a method for determining a service area according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method includes the following steps:
s401: the one or more base stations transmit respective N3 interface information and service area information to the NRF, so that the NRF acquires the N3 interface information and service area information of the one or more base stations.
The following description takes a first base station of the one or more base stations as an example. For the N3 interface information of the first base station, the service area information of the first base station, and how the first base station sends the N3 interface information and the service area information of the first base station to the NRF, refer to the description in S301 specifically, and are not described again.
S402: one or more UPFs obtain the target network information of the N3 interface through the routing protocol after the N3 interface is configured with the routing protocol.
Specifically, refer to the description in S302, and are not repeated.
S403: the first UPF sends the target network information to the NRF such that the NRF receives the target network information from the first UPF.
Specifically, refer to the description in S303, which is not repeated.
The sequence relationship between S401 and S402-S403 can refer to the description in S303, and is not described herein again.
S404: the NRF determines that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable according to the N3 interface information of the first base station and the target network information.
Specifically, the NRF determines that the first UPF can transmit data to the first base station according to the N3 interface information and the target network information of the first base station. For example, the N3 interface information of the first base station includes the IP address 192.168.300.21 of the N3 interface of the first base station, and it can be determined that the first UPF passes through the router R1 according to 192.168.300.0/255.255.255.0 included in the target network information, and transmits data to the first base station through an intermediate routing network. Thus, the NRF determines that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable. If the N3 interface information of the first base station includes the first network instance id and the target network information includes the third network instance id, the NRF further needs to determine that the first network instance id is the same as the third network instance id when determining that the N3 interface exists between the first base station and the first UPF.
It should be noted that, this step is taken as an example that the NRF determines that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable, and reference may also be made to this step when the NRF determines that an N3 interface exists between the first base station and the first UPF, which is not described herein again.
S405: and after the NRF determines that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable, adding the service area of the first base station into the service area of the first UPF.
Specifically, refer to the description of the first method in S304, which is not repeated herein.
It should be noted that, the NRF determines that the route between the one or more base stations in S401 and the first UPF is reachable, and finally determines that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable. Similarly, the NRF may determine that the route between the other base station and the first UPF is reachable, and determine the service area of the first UPF after performing the same actions as the first base station for the base station having the N3 interface with the first UPF.
The following steps are the refinement of S305, the first method in S305 is detailed in S406a, and the second method in S305 is detailed in S406b-S408 b.
S406 a: the NRF adds the service area of the first UPF to the service area of the SMF.
Specifically, the NRF determines that the first UPF is controlled by the SMF, and adds the service area of the first UPF to the service area of the SMF.
The NRF determines that the first UPF is controlled by the SMF, specifically by: when the first UPF is registered, providing a first service area identification information to the NRF, the SMF may also provide a second service area identification information to the NRF, and if the NRF determines that the second service area identification information provided by the first UPF includes or is equal to the first service area identification information, the NRF determines that the first UPF is SMF-controlled. The SMF may provide a second service area identification information to the NRF during registration, where the first service area identification information and the second service area identification information are both defined as a character string capable of indicating a geographic location at present, and it is understood that, as long as the information capable of indicating a geographic location is the service area identification information in the embodiment of the present application, the present application is not limited to this.
It should be noted that, in addition to the first UPF, the NRF may perform the above operations on the UPF controlled by the SMF, thereby determining the service area of the SMF. The NRF may determine the service area of the SMF during the initial registration of the SMF, or may determine the service area of the SMF when the UPF controlled by the SMF is registered, deleted, or changed, so as to update the service area of the SMF.
S406 b: the NRF sends the service area information of the first UPF to the SMF such that the SMF receives the service area information of the first UPF from the NRF.
In one example, the NRF determines that the first UPF is under control of the SMF before sending the service area information of the first UPF to the SMF. For how the NRF determines that the first UPF is controlled by the SMF, reference may be made to the description in S406a, which is not repeated herein.
In one example, the SMF subscribes to the NRF for notification of a change to the profile of the UPF it controls, then the NRF determines that the first UPF is subscribed to the SMF, and sends the service area information of the first UPF to the SMF. Specifically, when the SMF subscribes to the NRF for the notification of the change of the configuration file of the UPF controlled by the SMF, the SMF provides the NRF with the second service area identification information, and the NRF determines that the second service area identification information includes the first service area identification information according to the first service area identification information provided when the first UPF is registered, thereby determining that the SMF subscribes to the first UPF, and sends the service area information of the first UPF to the SMF. Alternatively, when the SMF subscribes to the NRF for notification of a change in the configuration file of the UPF it controls, the NRF is provided with a list of the UPFs it controls, and the NRF determines that the list includes the first UPF, thereby transmitting the service area information of the first UPF to the SMF.
It should be noted that, the NRF may provide all the service area information of the UPF controlled by the SMF after the SMF subscribes to the change notification of the configuration file of the UPF controlled by the SMF, or provide the updated service area information of the UPF to the SMF after the SMF subscribes to the change notification of the configuration file of the UPF, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.
It is understood that this step is performed by taking the first UPF as an example, and is also performed by the NRF for other UPFs controlled or subscribed by the SMF.
S407 b: the SMF adds the service area of the first UPF to the service area of the SMF.
It will be appreciated that the SMF determines the service area of the SMF after performing the above operations for each UPF controlled by the SMF.
S408 b: optionally, the SMF sends the service area information of the SMF to the NRF, so that the NRF receives the service area information of the SMF.
The service area information of the SMF comprises service area information of UPF controlled by the SMF, and the NRF stores the service area information of the SMF in a configuration file of the SMF after receiving the service area information of the SMF.
It should be noted that, through S406a, after the NRF knows the service area of the SMF, the NRF may send the service area information of the SMF to the SMF; after the service area of the SMF is known by the NRF through S406a or S406b-S408b, other network elements, such as AMF, may be notified so that the other network elements perform corresponding operations.
By the method, the NRF determines that the route between the first base station and the first UPF is reachable according to the N3 interface information of the first base station and the target network information of the first UPF, and learns that the service area of the first base station is a part of the service area of the first UPF, and further learns that the service area of the first UPF is a part of the service area of the SMF. The same operation is performed on the base station to which the first UPF is interfaced, and the same operation is performed on the UPF controlled by the SMF, thereby determining the service area of the first UPF and the service area of the SMF. The method realizes the automatic configuration of the service area, avoids the complex manual configuration process and reduces the workload of network configuration.
On the basis of fig. 3 and fig. 4, fig. 5 is a method for determining a service area according to an embodiment of the present application, where for convenience of description, the method includes the following steps:
s501: the one or more base stations transmit respective N3 interface information and service area information to the NRF, so that the NRF acquires the N3 interface information and service area information of the one or more base stations.
Specifically refer to the description in S301, which is not repeated
S502: the first UPF obtains the target network information of the N3 interface through the routing protocol after the N3 interface is configured with the routing protocol.
Specifically, refer to the description in S302, and are not repeated.
S503: the first UPF queries or subscribes to the NRF for service area information of the base station with which it exists an N3 interface.
Specifically, the first UPF may query the service area information of the base station with which the N3 interface exists by: the first UPF sends a query request to the NRF, the query request including the target network information.
In one example, the first UPF may subscribe to service area information of a base station with which it exists an N3 interface simultaneously with the query to the NRF, or separately.
The first UPF may subscribe to the service area information of the base station with which the N3 interface exists by: and the NRF sends a subscription request to the NRF, wherein the subscription request comprises target network information, and if a new base station is registered subsequently and the NRF judges that the new base station is subscribed by the first UPF, the NRF sends the service area information of the new base station to the first UPF.
The sequence relationship between S501 and S502-S503 can refer to the description in S503, which is not repeated herein.
S504: the NRF determines that the first UPF queries or subscribes to service area information of the first base station.
Specifically, the NRF determines that the first UPF queries or subscribes to the service area information of the first base station according to the N3 interface information of the first base station and the target network information. For example: the interface information of the N3 of the first base station includes the IP address 192.168.300.21 of the N3 interface of the first base station, the target network information includes 192.168.300.0/255.255.255.0, the NRF logically and-operates 192.168.300.21 and 255.255.255.255.0 to obtain 192.168.300.0, and determines that the first UPF queries or subscribes to the service area information of the first base station. If the N3 interface information of the first base station includes the first network instance id and the target network information includes the third network instance id, the NRF further needs to determine that the first network instance id is the same as the third network instance id when determining that the N3 interface exists between the first UPFs.
S505: the NRF transmits service area information of the first base station to the first UPF so that the first UPF receives the service area information of the first base station from the NRF.
S506: and the first UPF adds the service area of the first base station into the service area of the first UPF according to the service area information of the first base station.
After the above operations are performed on the base station to which the first UPF is interfaced, the first UPF determines the service area of the first UPF.
S507: the first UPF sends the service area information of the first UPF to the NRF, so that the NRF stores the updated service area information of the first UPF into a configuration file of the first UPF.
S508: the NRF or the first UPF transmits the service area information of the first UPF to the SMF so that the SMF receives the service area information of the first UPF from the NRF or the first UPF.
The NRF sends the service area information of the first UPF to the SMF, with specific reference to the description in S406 b.
S509: the SMF adds the service area of the first UPF to the service area of the SMF.
Specifically, reference is made to the description in S407b, which is not repeated.
S510: optionally, the SMF sends the service area information of the SMF to the NRF, so that the NRF receives the service area information of the SMF.
Specific reference is made to the description in S408b, which is not repeated.
Through the method, the NRF determines that the first UPF subscribes or queries the first base station according to the N3 interface information of the first base station and the target network information of the first UPF, so that the service area information of the first base station is sent to the first UPF, and the first UPF determines the service area of the first UPF. The NRF or the first UPF also provides service area information of the first UPF to the SMF, such that the SMF determines the service area of the SMF. The method realizes the automatic configuration of the service area, avoids the complex manual configuration process and reduces the workload of network configuration.
The above-mentioned solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are introduced mainly from the perspective of interaction between network elements, and it can be understood that, in order to implement the above-mentioned functions, the network storage network element, the user plane network element, and the session management network element include hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to the execution of the above-mentioned functions. Those of skill in the art would readily appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.
In the embodiment of the present application, functional modules may be divided according to the above method example for a network storage network element, a user plane network element, and a session management network element, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module, where the integrated module may be implemented in a form of hardware or a form of software functional module. It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the module is schematic, and is only one logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.
For example, the above network elements or functions may be implemented by the communication device of fig. 6. As shown in fig. 6, the communication device 600 may be a network storage network element, a user plane network element, or a session management network element. The communication device comprises a processing unit 601, a communication unit 602, and optionally a storage unit 603. Further, the communication unit 602 may be divided into a receiving unit and a transmitting unit, which perform functions of receiving information and transmitting information, respectively.
The processing unit 601 is configured to control an action of the network element, for example, support the network element to perform the method and steps provided in the embodiments of the present application. The sending unit 602 is configured to support the network element to send information to other network entities, for example, in this embodiment, the network element sends information to other network entities. The receiving unit 603 is configured to support the network element to receive information sent by another network entity, for example, in this embodiment, the network element receives information sent by another network entity. The storage unit 603 is used for storing the data and codes of the network elements.
The communication apparatus 600 may be a network storage network element, and fig. 6a shows a schematic structural diagram of a network storage network element 610, which includes a processing unit 611, a communication unit 612, and optionally, a storage unit 613.
In one embodiment, the network storage network element 610 may be configured to perform the operations of the network storage network element in the above method embodiments, for example:
the processing unit 611 is configured to obtain interface information of the first base station and service area information of the first base station, where the interface information of the first base station is information of an interface between the first base station and one or more user plane network elements, and the one or more user plane network elements include the first user plane network element. Reference may be made specifically to S301 in fig. 3.
A communication unit 612, configured to receive target network information from the first user plane network element, where the target network information is information of a reachable route with the first user plane network element. Reference may be made specifically to S303 in fig. 3.
The processing unit 611 is configured to obtain that the service area of the first base station is a part of the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information. Reference may be made specifically to S304 in fig. 3.
Further, the network storage network element may be configured to perform corresponding steps in fig. 3, 4 or 5, which may specifically refer to the description in the foregoing method embodiment, for example:
the processing unit 611 may be configured to execute steps S305, S401, S404, S405, S406a, S501, and S504, and specifically refer to the description in the above steps.
The communication unit 612 may be configured to execute steps S403, S406b, S408b, S503, S505, S507, S508, and S510, and specifically refer to the description in the above steps.
The communication apparatus 600 may also be a user plane network element, and fig. 6b shows a schematic structural diagram of a user plane network element 620, where the user plane network element includes a processing unit 621, a communication unit 622, and optionally, a storage unit 623.
In an embodiment, the user plane network element 620 may be configured to perform the operations of the first user plane network element in the foregoing method embodiments, for example:
a communication unit 622, configured to send target network information to the network storage network element, where the target network information is information of a route reachable with the first user plane network element, and is used to determine one or more base stations reachable with the route between the first user plane network element. Reference may be made specifically to S303 in fig. 3.
And receiving service area information for one or more base stations from a network storage network element. Reference may be made specifically to S304 in fig. 3.
A processing unit 621, configured to determine a service area of the first user plane network element according to the service area information of the one or more base stations. Reference may be made specifically to S304 in fig. 3.
Further, the user plane element may be configured to perform corresponding steps in fig. 3, 4, 5 or 6, which may specifically refer to the description in the foregoing method embodiment, for example:
the processing unit 621 may be configured to execute steps S302, S402, S502, and S506, and refer to the description in the above steps.
The communication unit 622 may be configured to execute steps S403, S503, S505, S507, and S508, and specifically refer to the description in the above steps.
The communication apparatus 600 may also be a session management network element, and fig. 6c shows a schematic structural diagram of a session management network element 630, where the session management network element includes a processing unit 631 and optionally a storage unit 633.
In an embodiment, the session management network element 630 may be configured to perform the operations of the session management network element in the foregoing method embodiments, for example:
the processing unit 631 is configured to obtain service area information of one or more user plane network elements, where the one or more user plane network elements are network elements controlled by the session management network element. Specifically, reference may be made to S305 in fig. 3.
And determining the service area of the session management network element according to the service area information of the one or more user plane network elements. Specifically, reference may be made to S305 in fig. 3.
Further, the session management network element may be configured to perform corresponding steps in fig. 3, 4, or 5 or 6, which may specifically refer to the description in the foregoing method embodiment, for example:
the processing unit 631 may be configured to execute S407b and S509, and specifically refer to the description in the above steps.
The communication unit 632 may be configured to execute steps S406b, S408b, S508, and S510, and refer to the description in the above steps.
When the processing unit 601, 611, 621, or 631 may be one or more processors, the communication unit 602, 612, 622, or 632 may be one or more transceivers, and the storage unit 603, 613, 623, or 633 may be one or more memories, the network storage element, the user plane element, or the session management element according to the embodiment of the present application may have a structure as shown in fig. 7.
Referring to fig. 7, the communication device 700 includes: the processor 701, the transceiver 702, and optionally the memory 703 and the bus 704. The processor 701, the transceiver 702, and the memory 703 are connected by a bus 704. The processor 701 may be, for example, a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (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 application. A processor may also be a combination of computing functions, e.g., comprising one or more microprocessors, a DSP and a microprocessor, or the like. The bus 704 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus 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. 7, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.
The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system 800, which includes at least one processor 801 and an interface circuit 802, where the processor 801 is connected to the interface circuit 802.
The processor 801 may be an integrated circuit chip having signal processing capabilities. In implementation, the steps of the above method may be performed by integrated logic circuits of hardware or instructions in the form of software in the processor 801. The processor 801 described above may be a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components. The methods, steps disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented or performed. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.
The interface circuit 802 may perform data, commands, or information transmission or reception, and the processor 801 may perform processing using the data, commands, or other information received by the interface circuit 802, and may transmit the processing completion information through the interface circuit 802.
Optionally, the system-on-chip also includes a memory 803, and the memory 803 may include both read-only memory and random access memory, and provides operating instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory 803 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).
Optionally, the memory 803 stores executable software modules or data structures, and the processor 803 may perform corresponding operations by calling the operation instructions stored in the memory (the operation instructions may be stored in an operating system).
Optionally, the chip system may be used in a session management network element, a user plane network element, or a third-party device according to the embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the interface circuit 802 is configured to perform the steps of receiving and sending of the network storage network element, the user plane network element or the session management network element in the embodiments shown in fig. 3 to fig. 5. The processor 801 is configured to perform the steps of the network storage element, the user plane element or the session management element processing in the embodiments shown in fig. 3 to 5. The memory 803 is used for storing data and instructions of a network storage element, a user plane element or a session management element in the embodiments shown in fig. 3 to 5.
The embodiment of the application also provides a computer readable storage medium. The methods described in the above method embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media may include computer storage media and communication media, and may include any medium that can communicate a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer.
As an alternative design, a computer-readable medium may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes Compact Disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
The embodiment of the application also provides a computer program product. The methods described in the above method embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. If 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. The procedures or functions described in the above method embodiments are generated in whole or in part when the above computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, a network appliance, a user device, or other programmable apparatus.
The above embodiments are provided to explain the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application in further detail, and it should be understood that the above embodiments are merely illustrative of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements and the like made on the basis of the technical solutions of the present application should be included in the scope of the present application.

Claims (30)

1. A method of determining a service area, comprising:
a network storage network element acquires interface information of a first base station and service area information of the first base station, wherein the interface information of the first base station is information of an interface between the first base station and one or more user plane network elements, and the one or more user plane network elements comprise a first user plane network element;
the network storage network element receives target network information from the first user plane network element, wherein the target network information is information of a route which can be reached by the first user plane network element;
and the network storage network element acquires the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information, wherein the service area of the first user plane network element comprises the service area of the first base station.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network storage network element obtaining the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information comprises:
the network storage network element determines that the route between the first base station and the first user plane network element is reachable according to the interface information and the target network information;
and the network storage network element adds the service area of the first base station to the service area of the first user plane network element.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network storage network element obtaining the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information comprises:
the network storage network element determines that the route between the first base station and the first user plane network element is reachable according to the interface information and the target network information;
the network storage network element sends the service area information of the first base station to the first user plane network element;
the network storage network element receives service area information of the first user plane network element from the first user plane network element.
4. The method of any one of claims 1-3, further comprising:
the network storage network element obtains a service area of a session management network element, wherein the session management network element is a network element for controlling the first user plane network element, and the service area of the session management network element includes the service area of the first user plane network element.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the network storage network element learning the service area of the session management network element comprises:
and the network storage network element adds the service area of the first user plane network element to the service area of the session management network element.
6. The method of claim 4, wherein the network storage network element learning the service area of the session management network element comprises:
the network storage network element sends the service area information of the first user plane network element to the session management network element;
the network storage network element receives service area information of the session management network element from the session management network element.
7. The method of any one of claims 4-6, further comprising:
the network storage network element receives first service area identification information from the first user plane network element, wherein the first service area identification information is used for indicating a service area corresponding to the first user plane network element;
the network storage network element receives second service area identification information from the session management network element, wherein the second service area identification information is used for indicating a service area corresponding to the session management network element;
if it is determined that the second service area identification information includes the first service area identification information, the network storage network element determines that the first user plane network element is controlled by the session management network element; or
If it is determined that the second service area identification information includes the first service area identification information, the network storage element determines that the first user plane network element is subscribed by the session management element.
8. A method of determining a service area, comprising:
a first user plane network element sends target network information to a network storage network element, wherein the target network information is information of a route reachable by the first user plane network element and is used for determining one or more base stations reachable by the route between the first user plane network element and the first user plane network element;
the first user plane network element receiving service area information of the one or more base stations from the network storage network element;
and the first user plane network element determines the service area of the first user plane network element according to the service area information of the one or more base stations.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
and the first user plane network element sends the service area information of the first user plane network element to the network storage network element.
10. The method of claim 8 or 9, further comprising:
and the first user plane network element sends the service area information of the first user plane network element to a session management network element, wherein the session management network element is a network element for controlling the first user plane network element.
11. A method of determining a service area, comprising:
a session management network element acquires service area information of one or more user plane network elements, wherein the one or more user plane network elements are network elements controlled by the session management network element;
and the session management network element determines the service area of the session management network element according to the service area information of the one or more user plane network elements.
12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
and the session management network element sends the service area information of the session management network element to a network storage network element.
13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein the obtaining, by the session management network element, service area information of the one or more user plane network elements comprises:
the session management network element acquires service area information of the one or more user plane network elements from the one or more user plane network elements; or
And the session management network element acquires the service area information of the one or more user plane network elements from a network storage network element.
14. A network storage network element is characterized by comprising a processing unit and a communication unit;
the processing unit is configured to obtain interface information of a first base station and service area information of the first base station, where the interface information of the first base station is information of an interface between the first base station and one or more user plane network elements, and the one or more user plane network elements include a first user plane network element;
the communication unit is configured to receive target network information from the first user plane network element, where the target network information is information of a reachable route with the first user plane network element;
the processing unit is configured to acquire a service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information, where the service area of the first user plane network element includes the service area of the first base station.
15. The network storage network element of claim 14, wherein the processing unit, configured to learn the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information, comprises:
the processing unit is configured to determine, according to the interface information and the target network information, that a route between the first base station and the first user plane network element is reachable;
and adding the service area of the first base station to the service area of the first user plane network element.
16. The network storage network element of claim 14, wherein the processing unit, configured to learn the service area of the first user plane network element according to the interface information of the first base station and the target network information, comprises:
the processing unit is configured to determine, according to the interface information and the target network information, that a route between the first base station and the first user plane network element is reachable;
the processing unit is configured to send service area information of the first base station to the first user plane network element through the communication unit;
the processing unit is configured to receive, through the communication unit, service area information of the first user plane network element from the first user plane network element.
17. The network storage network element of any of claims 14-16, wherein the processing unit is further configured to learn a service area of a session management network element, wherein the session management network element is a network element that controls the first user plane network element, and the service area of the session management network element comprises the service area of the first user plane network element.
18. The network storage network element of claim 17, wherein the processing unit configured to learn the service area of the session management network element comprises:
the processing unit is configured to add the service area of the first user plane network element to the service area of the session management network element.
19. The network storage network element of claim 17, wherein the processing unit configured to learn the service area of the session management network element comprises:
the processing unit is configured to send service area information of the first user plane network element to the session management network element through the communication unit;
the processing unit is configured to receive, through the communication unit, service area information of the session management network element from the session management network element.
20. The network storage network element of any of claims 17-19,
the communication unit is further configured to receive first service area identification information from the first user plane network element, where the first service area identification information is used to indicate a service area corresponding to the first user plane network element;
the communication unit is further configured to receive second service area identification information from the session management network element, where the second service area identification information is used to indicate a service area corresponding to the session management network element;
if the processing unit is further configured to determine that the second service area identification information includes the first service area identification information, the processing unit is further configured to determine that the first user plane network element is controlled by the session management network element; or
If the processing unit is further configured to determine that the second service area identification information includes the first service area identification information, the processing unit is further configured to determine that the first user plane network element is subscribed by the session management network element.
21. A user plane network element, comprising: a processing unit and a communication unit;
the communication unit is configured to send target network information to a network storage network element, where the target network information is information of a route reachable by the first user plane network element, and is used to determine one or more base stations reachable by the route with the first user plane network element;
the communication unit is configured to receive service area information of the one or more base stations from the network storage network element;
the processing unit is configured to determine a service area of the first user plane network element according to the service area information of the one or more base stations.
22. The user plane network element of claim 21, wherein the communication unit is further configured to send service area information of the first user plane network element to the network storage network element.
23. The user plane network element of claim 21 or 22, wherein the communication unit is further configured to send service area information of the first user plane network element to a session management network element, wherein the session management network element is a network element that controls the first user plane network element.
24. A session management network element, comprising a processing unit;
the processing unit is configured to obtain service area information of one or more user plane network elements, where the one or more user plane network elements are network elements controlled by the session management network element;
and determining the service area of the session management network element according to the service area information of the one or more user plane network elements.
25. A session management network element according to claim 24, further comprising a communication unit;
the communication unit is used for sending the service area information of the session management network element to a network storage network element.
26. The session management network element of claim 24 or 25, wherein the processing unit configured to obtain service area information of one or more user plane network elements comprises:
the processing unit is configured to obtain service area information of the one or more user plane network elements from the one or more user plane network elements; or
The processing unit is configured to obtain service area information of the one or more user plane network elements from a network storage network element.
27. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7 or the network storage network element of any one of claims 14 to 20,
the interface information of the first base station includes an internet protocol IP address of an interface between the first base station and the first user plane network element.
28. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7 or the network storage network element of any one of claims 14 to 20,
the service area information of the first base station includes a tracking area identifier and/or a cell identifier of the first base station.
29. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, the network storage network element of any one of claims 14 to 20, or the user plane network element of any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the target network information comprises reachable destination address information, the reachable destination address information comprising any one or more of:
one or more Internet Protocol (IP) addresses which are reachable by routing with the network storage network element;
one or more address segments that are routable to said network storage network element;
one or more IP addresses reachable by the route with the network storage network element are masked.
30. A system for determining a service area, comprising any plurality of the network storage element of any of claims 14-20, the user plane element of any of claims 21-23, and the session management element of any of claims 24-26.
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