CN112398675B

CN112398675B - Network element allocation method and device

Info

Publication number: CN112398675B
Application number: CN201910765685.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈殿福; 邱雪峰; 刘雁
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-08-19
Filing date: 2019-08-19
Publication date: 2023-03-24
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-19
Also published as: WO2021032100A1; CN112398675A

Abstract

The application provides a network element allocation method and device, relates to the technical field of communication, and is used for automatically selecting related network elements of enterprise private lines and improving the efficiency of operators in deploying the enterprise private lines. The method comprises the following steps: the method comprises the steps that a first network element receives first request information sent by a network slice management network element, the first request information is used for requesting to allocate a target UPF network element to an enterprise DC, and the first request information comprises position information of the enterprise DC; the first network element determines k target UPF network elements according to the position information of the enterprise DC, wherein k is a positive integer; and then, the first network element sends first indication information to the network slice management network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the k target UPF network elements. The method and the device are suitable for the opening process of the enterprise private line.

Description

Network element allocation method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a network element allocation method and apparatus.

Background

With the continuous emergence of various communication services, the requirements of different communication services on network performance are significantly different, and the fifth generation (5th generation, 5g) mobile communication system introduces the concept of network slice to deal with the difference of the requirements of different communication services on network performance.

Network slicing refers to customizing different logical networks according to different service requirements on physical or virtual network infrastructures. The network slice may be a complete end-to-end network comprising the terminal device, the access network, the transport network, the core network and the application server, which is capable of providing complete communication services. The network slice may also be any combination of terminal device, access network, transport network, core network and application server.

With the deployment of the 5G network, an operator can use the network slicing function of the 5G system to open the enterprise private line, so that the opening time of the enterprise private line service is shortened, and the enterprise private line can be adjusted quickly and efficiently along with the change of enterprise requirements. Most enterprise private lines have low requirements on isolation, so an operator can select related network elements on the existing enterprise slice/user slice to perform parameter configuration so as to conveniently open enterprise private line services for enterprises. At present, operators manually select related network elements for enterprise private lines, and the efficiency is low.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a network element allocation method and device, which are used for automatically selecting related network elements of an enterprise private line under the scene of opening the enterprise private line by a network slicing function, and improving the efficiency of deploying the enterprise private line by an operator.

In a first aspect, a network element allocation method is provided, including: a first network element receives first request information from a network slice management network element, wherein the first request information is used for requesting allocation of a User Plane Function (UPF) network element to an enterprise Data Center (DC), and the first request information comprises position information of the enterprise DC; then, the first network element determines k target UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the position information of the enterprise DC, wherein k is a positive integer; and the first network element sends first indication information to the network slice management network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the k target UPF network elements.

Compared with the prior art, in the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application, the first network element can automatically select a proper UPF network element for the enterprise DC in real time according to the first request sent by the network slice management network element, and notify the network slice management network element with the first indication information. Therefore, the enterprise private line is deployed without the process of manually selecting the network element, and the efficiency of deploying the enterprise private line by an operator can be improved.

In one possible design, the determining, by the first network element, k target UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the location information of the enterprise DC includes: according to the position information of the enterprise DC, acquiring the information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC, wherein the information of the candidate UPF network elements comprises the following steps: position information of candidate UPF network elements, wherein m is a positive integer greater than or equal to k; k target UPF network elements are determined from the m candidate UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the obtaining, by the first network element, information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the location information of the enterprise DC includes: sending second request information to a network storage function (NRF), the second request information being used for requesting information of a UPF network element located in the same area as the enterprise DC, the second request information including location information of the enterprise DC; and receiving second response information from the NRF, wherein the second response information comprises information of m candidate UPF network elements, and the m candidate UPF network elements are positioned in the same area as the enterprise DC.

In one possible design, the obtaining, by the first network element, information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the location information of the enterprise DC includes: and acquiring the information of the m candidate UPF network elements from the information of the plurality of UPF network elements stored in the first network element.

In one possible design, m candidate UPF network elements are located in n operators DC, where n is a positive integer less than or equal to m.

In one possible design, the determining, by the first network element, k target UPF network elements from m candidate UPF network elements includes: under the condition that m candidate UPF network elements support bandwidth increase, k target operator DCs are determined from the n operator DCs, the k target operator DCs are k operator DCs with the minimum distance between the k target operator DCs and the enterprise DCs in the n operator DCs, and k is smaller than or equal to n; for each target operator DC in the k target operator DCs, determining a target UPF network element from candidate UPF network elements contained in the target operator DC, wherein the target UPF network element is the candidate UPF network element meeting the preset condition in the target operator DC. It is understood that in the case where k is equal to or greater than 2, redundant backup may be implemented based on the design.

In one possible design, the determining, by the first network element, k target UPF network elements from m candidate UPF network elements includes: under the condition that the m candidate UPF network elements support bandwidth increase, acquiring distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the position information of the enterprise DC and the position information of the m candidate UPF network elements, wherein the distance information is used for indicating the distance between the candidate UPF network elements and the enterprise DC; and according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, selecting k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements, wherein the k target UPF network elements are k candidate UPF network elements with the minimum distance from the enterprise DC in the m candidate UPF network elements. It is understood that in the case where k is equal to or greater than 2, redundant backup may be implemented based on the design. Furthermore, since the k target UPF network elements are distributed in different operator DCs, it is avoided that one operator DC fails to provide service to the enterprise DC due to the k target UPF network elements, thereby further improving reliability.

In one possible design, the first request information further includes bandwidth information of the enterprise DC, the bandwidth information of the enterprise DC indicating a bandwidth required by the enterprise DC; the information of the candidate UPF network element further includes: and the bandwidth information of the candidate UPF network element is used for indicating the bandwidth which can be provided by the candidate UPF network element.

In one possible design, the determining, by the first network element, k target UPF network elements from m candidate UPF network elements includes: under the condition that the m candidate UPF network elements do not support bandwidth increase, acquiring distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the position information of the enterprise DC and the position information of the m candidate UPF network elements, wherein the distance information is used for indicating the distance between the candidate UPF network elements and the enterprise DC; according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, the bandwidth information of the m candidate UPF network elements and the bandwidth information of the enterprise DC, k target UPF network elements are selected from the m candidate UPF network elements, the sum of the bandwidths provided by the k target UPF network elements is larger than or equal to the bandwidth required by the enterprise DC, and the k target UPF network elements are the k candidate UPF network elements with the smallest distance with the enterprise DC in the m candidate UPF network elements. It can be understood that, based on the design, on one hand, the distance requirement of the enterprise DC to the UPF network element is satisfied; and on the other hand, the bandwidth requirement of the enterprise DC on the UPF network element is met.

In one possible design, the obtaining, by the first network element, the distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the location information of the enterprise DC and the location information of the m candidate UPF network elements includes: sending third request information to a Geographic Information System (GIS), wherein the third request information is used for requesting the distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements; the third request information includes: position information of the enterprise DC and position information of the m candidate UPF network elements; and receiving third response information from the GIS, wherein the third response information comprises the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the first request message is further used to request that a target session management function (SMF network element) be allocated to the enterprise DC. The information of the candidate UPF network element also comprises SMF network element area identification corresponding to the candidate UPF network element.

In one possible design, the method further includes: the first network element determines p target SMF network elements according to the SMF network element area identifications corresponding to the k target UPF network elements, wherein p is a positive integer; and the first network element sends second indication information to the network slice management network element, wherein the second indication information is used for indicating the p target SMF network elements. Based on the design, an operator does not need to manually select the SMF network element for the enterprise DC, and the efficiency of deploying enterprise private lines by the operator is improved.

In a second aspect, an apparatus is provided, which may be a first network element, or a chip or a system on chip in the first network element. The apparatus may include a module corresponding to one or more of the methods/operations/steps/actions described in the first aspect, where the module may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. In one design, the apparatus may include a processing module and a communication module.

For example, the communication module is configured to receive first request information from a network slice management network element, where the first request information is used to request that a target UPF network element be allocated to the enterprise DC, and the first request information includes location information of the enterprise DC. And the processing module is used for determining k target UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the position information of the enterprise DC, wherein k is a positive integer. And the communication module is further configured to send first indication information to the network slice management network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate the k target UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the processing module is specifically configured to obtain information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the location information of the enterprise DC, where the information of the candidate UPF network elements includes: position information of candidate UPF network elements, wherein m is a positive integer greater than or equal to k; and determining k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the communication module is further configured to send second request information to the NRF, where the second request information is used to request information of a UPF network element located in the same area as the enterprise DC, and the second request information includes location information of the enterprise DC; and receiving second response information from the NRF, wherein the second response information includes information of m candidate UPF network elements, and the m candidate UPF network elements are located in the same area as the enterprise DC.

In one possible design, the processing module is specifically configured to obtain information of m candidate UPF network elements from information of a plurality of UPF network elements stored in advance.

In one possible design, the processing module is specifically configured to determine k target operator DCs from the n operator DCs, where the k target operators are k operator DCs having a smallest distance to the enterprise DC among the n operator DCs, and k is less than or equal to n, where m candidate UPF network elements support increasing bandwidth; for each target operator DC in the k target operator DCs, determining a target UPF network element from candidate UPF network elements contained in the target operator DC, wherein the target UPF network element is the candidate UPF network element meeting the preset condition in the target operator DC.

In one possible design, the processing module is specifically configured to, under the condition that m candidate UPF network elements support bandwidth increase, obtain distance information of each candidate UPF network element of the m candidate UPF network elements according to the location information of the enterprise DC and the location information of the m candidate UPF network elements, where the distance information is used to indicate a distance between the candidate UPF network element and the enterprise DC; and according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, selecting k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements, wherein the k target UPF network elements are k candidate UPF network elements with the minimum distance from the enterprise DC in the m candidate UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the processing module is specifically configured to, under the condition that the m candidate UPF network elements do not support bandwidth increase, obtain distance information of each candidate UPF network element of the m candidate UPF network elements according to the location information of the enterprise DC and the location information of the m candidate UPF network elements, where the distance information is used to indicate a distance between the candidate UPF network element and the enterprise DC; according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, the bandwidth information of the m candidate UPF network elements and the bandwidth information of the enterprise DC, k target UPF network elements are selected from the m candidate UPF network elements, the sum of the bandwidths provided by the k target UPF network elements is larger than or equal to the bandwidth required by the enterprise DC, and the k target UPF network elements are the k candidate UPF network elements with the smallest distance with the enterprise DC in the m candidate UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the communication module is further configured to send third request information to the GIS, where the third request information is used to request distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements; the third request information includes: position information of the enterprise DC and position information of the m candidate UPF network elements; and receiving third response information from the GIS, wherein the third response information comprises the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the first request message is further configured to request allocation of a target SMF network element to the enterprise DC; the information of the candidate UPF network element also comprises SMF network element area identification corresponding to the candidate UPF network element.

In one possible design, the processing module is further configured to determine p target SMF network elements according to the SMF network element region identifiers corresponding to the k target UPF network elements, where p is a positive integer; and the communication module is further configured to send second indication information to the network slice management network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate the p target SMF network elements.

In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, including: a processor and a memory, the memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the communication device to perform the method as designed in any of the first aspects above. Optionally, the communication device may further include a communication interface for the communication device to communicate with other devices, for example, a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, or other types of communication interfaces.

In a fourth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which has stored therein instructions that, when executed on a computer, can cause the computer to perform the method as designed in any of the first aspects above.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as designed in any of the first aspects above.

In a sixth aspect, a chip is provided, the chip comprising a processor configured to perform the method according to any of the designs of the first aspect when the processor executes instructions. The instructions may come from memory internal to the chip or from memory external to the chip. Optionally, the chip further comprises an input-output circuit.

A seventh aspect provides a communication system, a network slice management network element and a first network element. A network slice management network element, configured to send first request information to the first network element, where the first request information is used to request allocation of a target User Plane Function (UPF) network element to an enterprise DC, and the first request information includes location information of the enterprise DC; and receiving first indication information sent by the first network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the k target UPF network elements. A first network element, configured to receive first request information; determining k target UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the position information of the enterprise DC, wherein k is a positive integer; and sending the first indication information to a network slice management network element.

The technical effects brought by any design of the second to seventh aspects can be seen in the technical effects brought by the corresponding method above.

Drawings

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

fig. 2 is a schematic architecture diagram of a network element allocation system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic system architecture diagram of a 5G network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a flowchart of a network element allocation method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of another network element allocation method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart of another network element allocation method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a flowchart of another network element allocation method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In the description of this application, "/" means "or" unless otherwise stated, for example, A/B may mean A or B. "and/or" herein is merely 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. Further, "at least one" means one or more, "a plurality" means two or more. The terms "first", "second", and the like do not necessarily limit the number and execution order, and the terms "first", "second", and the like do not necessarily limit the difference.

It is noted that, in the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean exemplary, illustrative, or descriptive. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "e.g.," is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, use of the word "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present relevant concepts in a concrete fashion.

The identifier may be referred to as an index, a name, or the like, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

In the description of the present application, "indication" may include direct indication and indirect indication, and may also include explicit indication and implicit indication. If information indicated by certain information (for example, first indication information and second indication information described below) is referred to as information to be indicated, there are many ways of indicating the information to be indicated in a specific implementation process. For example, the information to be indicated may be directly indicated, wherein the information to be indicated itself or an index of the information to be indicated, and the like. For another example, the information to be indicated may also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the information to be indicated have an association relationship. For another example, only a part of the information to be indicated may be indicated, and the other part of the information to be indicated may be known or predetermined. In addition, the indication of the specific information can be realized by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, specified by a protocol), so that the indication overhead can be reduced to a certain extent.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a network slice according to an embodiment of the present application.

The service support system (BSS) may include a Communication Service Management Function (CSMF) network element. The CSMF network element is mainly responsible for converting telecommunication service requirements of an operator and/or a third party customer into requirements for network slicing, sending requirements (such as creation, termination, modification requirements, and the like) for network slicing to a Network Slice Management Function (NSMF), and receiving subscription requirements of the operator and/or the third party customer for network slice management data (such as performance data, fault repair data, and the like), so that the NSMF network element can obtain management data of a network slice instance, and the like.

The NSMF network element is mainly responsible for receiving end-to-end network slice management requirements sent by the CSMF network element and managing the life cycle, performance, faults and the like of the network slice example. The NSMF network element arranges management actions of network slice instances, decomposes management requirements of end-to-end network slices into requirements of each network slice subnet instance, and respectively sends a Network Slice Subnet Instance (NSSI) management request to the NSSMF network element, wherein the requirements comprise requirements of an access network (RAN), a Transport Network (TN) and a Core Network (CN).

A network slice sub-management function (NSSMF) is mainly responsible for receiving a network slice subnet management requirement sent by an NSMF network element, managing a network slice subnet instance, and arranging an action inside the network slice subnet instance. Specific actions within a network slice subnet include decomposing the requirements of a network slice subnet instance into network functions and/or requirements of nested network slice subnet instances, possibly sending nested network slice subnet instance management requests to other NSSMF network elements. The NSSMF network element also needs to perform life cycle management, performance management, fault management, etc. on the managed NSSI, and feed back management data and measurement data of the NSSI to the NSMF network element.

NSSMF network elements of a TN domain are implemented based on Software Defined Network (SDN) adapters (adapters). The SDN adapter may manage an IP domain as well as a Customer Premise Equipment (CPE).

A management and orchestrator (MANO) is mainly responsible for managing Network Function Virtualization (NFV) Infrastructure (NFVI), orchestrating and allocating resources required for Network Services (NS) and Virtual Network Functions (VNF). In the management of end-to-end network slices, a MANO receives management requirements from NSSMF network elements, orchestrates the NS or VNFs required to form NSSIs.

A charging function (CHF) and an Element Management System (EMS) may be deployed in the core network. The charging function is used for charging the resources such as network slices used by individual users/enterprise users. The EMS may modify the service parameters according to the instructions of the NSSMF network element.

Enterprise slices and/or user slices may be deployed in the core network. Enterprise slicing of a core network includes: a Control Plane (CP) network element and a User Plane (UP) network element. The user slicing of the core network comprises: a control plane network element and a user plane network element. In the core network, whether the user slice or the enterprise slice, the control plane network element includes but is not limited to an SMF network element, and the user plane network element includes but is not limited to a UPF network element.

The user plane network elements of the user slice of the core network can be directly connected with the user slice of the IP domain.

To ensure security, the user plane network elements of the enterprise slice of the core network may connect the enterprise slice of the IP domain in a Virtual Private Network (VPN) manner. The tunnel between the user plane network element of the enterprise slice of the core network and the VPN may be a Generic Routing Encapsulation (GRE) tunnel. The VPN may include: cloud (cloud) Firewalls (FWs) and cloud CPEs.

In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solution of the present application, the following first introduces an opening process of an enterprise private line.

An enterprise user inputs enterprise private line requirements on a BSS/CSMF network element self-service portal (portal) of an operator, wherein the enterprise private line requirements comprise at least one of the following items: (1) Location information, bandwidth information for each of the plurality of enterprise DCs; (2) An International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) list, where the IMSI list is used to record an IMSI that can access an enterprise private line; (3) The isolation requirement, for example, may be high, medium, or low.

And the BSS/CSMF network element generates a corresponding service template according to the enterprise private line requirement input by the enterprise user. And then the BSS/CSMF network element sends the service template to the NSMF network element.

The NSMF network element can distribute corresponding network slices for the enterprise users according to the isolation requirements input by the enterprise users. For example, in the case that the isolation requirement entered by the enterprise user is medium, the NSMF network element may allocate an enterprise sharing slice to the enterprise user; under the condition that the isolation requirement input by the enterprise user is low, the NSMF network element can allocate a user slice to the enterprise user. After the network slice is allocated to the enterprise user, the NSMF network element may allocate a dedicated S-NSSAI to the enterprise user, so that the operator performs access management and charging management on the enterprise user according to the S-NSSAI. In addition, the NSMF network element also allocates various enterprise private line requirements in the service template to NSSMF network elements in various fields, for example: NSSMF network elements of an access network, NSSMF network elements of a bearer network, and NSSMF network elements of a core network.

And the NSSMF network elements in each field complete the parameter configuration of the network slice according to the enterprise special line requirements in the field. Specifically, the NSSMF network element of the core network needs to configure a corresponding network element, such as an SMF network element, a UPF network element, etc., for the enterprise private line in the network slice.

And after completing the parameter configuration of the network slice, the NSSMF network elements in each field send the configuration result to the BSS.

And the BSS completes the configuration of the subscription information of the enterprise staff according to the enterprise private line requirement input by the enterprise user. Therefore, the operator completes the opening of the enterprise private line, and enterprise staff can use the enterprise private line. Specifically, the terminals of the enterprise employees access the mobile network according to the S-NSSAI corresponding to the enterprise users, and establish sessions. The UPF network element assigned to the enterprise private line may route packets of the session to the VPN of the enterprise.

It should be noted that, in the above opening process of the enterprise private line, how the NSSMF network element of the core network allocates the corresponding UPF network element and SMF network element to the enterprise private line in the network slice is a technical problem to be considered.

One scheme is that NSSMF network elements of a core network distribute UPF network elements and SMF network elements for enterprise private lines in the whole network. The problem with this solution is: and (1) the number of UPF network elements and SMF network elements of the whole network is huge. Therefore, the operator needs to modify the configuration of the huge number of UPF network elements and SMF network elements, which results in a large amount of engineering. Therefore, the opening efficiency of the enterprise private line is low. And (2) the number of small and medium-sized enterprises is large. With the increase of enterprise users for opening enterprise private lines, an operator cannot support the configuration information of each enterprise for opening enterprise private lines on each UPF network element and SMF network element.

Therefore, in a scenario where an enterprise user applies for opening an enterprise private line to an operator, the NSSMF network element of the core network may only configure the UPF network element and the SMF network element near the enterprise DC, so as to reduce the number of network elements that need to be configured.

At present, an operator mainly manually configures a UPF network element and an SMF network element near an enterprise DC on an NSSMF network element of a core network, which affects the efficiency of the operator in opening an enterprise private line.

In order to solve the foregoing technical problem, embodiments of the present application provide a method, an apparatus, and a system for allocating a network element, and details can be referred to as the following.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, such as a 5G mobile communication system, a future evolution system or a plurality of communication convergence systems. The network architecture and the service scenario described in the embodiment of the present application are for more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and do not form a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, and as a person of ordinary skill in the art knows that along with the evolution of the network architecture and the appearance of a new service scenario, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

As shown in fig. 2, a network element allocating system provided in the embodiment of the present application includes: a first network element 101 and a network slice management network element 102.

The network element slice management network element 102 is configured to send first request information to the first network element 101, where the first request information is used to request that a UPF network element is allocated to the enterprise DC, and the first request information includes location information of the enterprise DC.

The first network element 101 is configured to, after receiving the first request information, determine information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the location information of the enterprise DC in the first request information; then, k target UPF network elements are determined from the m candidate UPF network elements; and sending first indication information to a network slice management network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the k target UPF network elements. Wherein k is a positive integer, and m is a positive integer greater than or equal to k.

Under the condition that the first request information is further used for requesting allocation of the SMF network elements to the enterprise DC, the first network element 101 is further used for determining p target SMF network elements according to the SMF network element area identifiers corresponding to the k target UPF network elements; and sending second indication information to the network slice management network element 102, where the second indication information is used to indicate the p target SMF network elements.

Optionally, the network element allocation system further includes: NRF network element 103. In this embodiment, the NRF network element 103 is configured to provide the first network element 101 with relevant information of the UPF network element, for example: location information of UPF network elements, SMF network element area identifiers and the like.

Optionally, the network element allocation system further includes: a geographic information system 104. The geographical information system 104 is used to provide the first network element 101 with the distance between the UPF network element and the enterprise DC.

Optionally, the network slice management network element shown in fig. 2 may be an NSSMF network element, and the NSSMF network element may be an NSSMF network element of a core network.

Optionally, assuming that the network element allocation system shown in fig. 2 is applied to a 5G network, the first network element 101 may be a newly added network element in the 5G network, or the first network element 101 may be integrated on an existing network element in the current 5G network.

Fig. 3 is a system architecture diagram of the current 5G network. The 5G network may include: UE, access network (RAN), core network, and Data Network (DN). The core network may include the following network elements: the network element includes a UPF network element, an SMF network element, an NRF network element, a network open function (NEF) network element, an authentication server function (AUSF) network element, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element, a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element, and an Application Function (AF) network element.

The terminal communicates with the AMF network element through a Next generation network (N) 1 interface (N1 for short), the RAN equipment communicates with the AMF network element through an N2 interface (N2 for short), the RAN equipment communicates with the UPF network element through an N3 interface (N3 for short), and the UPF network element communicates with the DN through an N6 interface (N6 for short).

Control plane network elements such as an AMF network element, an SMF network element, an UDM network element, an AUSF network element, or a PCF network element can also adopt a service interface for interaction. For example, as shown in fig. 3, the service interface provided by the AMF to the outside may be Namf; the service interface provided by the SMF network element may be an NSMF network element; a serving interface externally provided by the UDM network element can be Nudm; the service interface externally provided by the PCF network element may be Npcf, and the service interface externally provided by the AUSF network element may be Nausf; and will not be described one by one here.

For example, the first network element may be integrated on an NRF network element or an NSSMF network element, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

Optionally, the first network element 101, the network slice management network element 102, the NRF network element 103, and the geographic information system 104 in fig. 2 may be implemented by one entity device, or may be implemented by multiple entity devices together, or may be a logic function module in one entity device, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

For example, the first network element 101, the network slice management network element 102, the NRF network element 103, and the geographic information system 104 in fig. 2 may be implemented by the communication device in fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a hardware structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device comprises at least one processor 201, a communication line 202, a memory 203 and at least one communication interface 204.

The processor 201 may be a general processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more ics for controlling the execution of programs in accordance with the present invention.

The communication line 202 is used to transmit information between the above components.

The communication interface 204 may be any device, such as a transceiver, for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as an ethernet, a Radio Access Network (RAN), a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc.

The memory 203 may be, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, optical disk storage (including compact disk, laser disk, optical disk, digital versatile disk, blu-ray disk, etc.), magnetic disk storage media 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. The memory may be separate and coupled to the processor via communication line 202. The memory may also be integral to the processor.

The memory 203 is used for storing computer execution instructions for executing the scheme of the application, and is controlled by the processor 201 to execute. The processor 201 is configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 203, so as to implement the session establishment method provided by the following embodiments of the present application.

Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application program codes, which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

In particular implementations, processor 201 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in fig. 4, as one embodiment.

In particular implementations, the communication device may include multiple processors, such as processor 201 and processor 207 in fig. 4, for example, as an embodiment. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

In particular implementations, the communication device may also include an output device 205 and an input device 206, as one embodiment. The output device 205 is in communication with the processor 201 and may display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 205 may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display device, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) display device, a projector (projector), or the like. The input device 206 is in communication with the processor 201 and may receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 206 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensing device, among others.

The communication device may be a general purpose device or a dedicated device. In a specific implementation, the communication device may be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, or a device with a similar structure as in fig. 4. The embodiment of the application does not limit the type of the communication equipment.

The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are specifically described below with reference to the drawings of the specification.

As shown in fig. 5, a network element allocating method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

s101, the network slice management network element sends first request information to the first network element, and correspondingly, the first network element receives the first request information from the network slice management network element.

The first request information is used for requesting to allocate the target UPF network element for the enterprise. It should be noted that the target UPF network element is a UPF network element for providing a service to the enterprise DC. Or, the target UPF network element is the UPF network element that the network slice management network element needs to perform parameter configuration in the process of opening the enterprise private line.

The first request information may include location information of the enterprise DC. For example, the location information of the corporate DC may be latitude and longitude coordinates, geographical name, and the like. The geographic name may include: city name, street name in city, etc.

Optionally, the first request information may further include an identification of the enterprise DC and/or bandwidth information of the enterprise DC. The bandwidth information of the enterprise DC is used to indicate the bandwidth required by the enterprise DC. In embodiments of the present application, bandwidth is used to characterize data transmission capabilities. That is, bandwidth may refer to the amount of data that passes through a link per unit time.

It should be noted that, if the network slice management network element learns that all the UPF network elements deployed by the operator support bandwidth increase, the first request information may not carry bandwidth information of the enterprise DC.

The UPF network element supports bandwidth increase, which means that the maximum bandwidth supported by the UPF network element can be changed according to the requirement of a user. The UPF network element does not support bandwidth increase, which means that the maximum bandwidth supported by the UPF network element is not changed. In the embodiment of the present application, whether the UPF network element supports bandwidth increase is predetermined by an operator. It should be noted that the UPF network element supports bandwidth increase, which may also be referred to as UPF network element support capacity expansion; the UPF network element does not support bandwidth increase, which may also be referred to as the UPF network element does not support capacity expansion.

Optionally, the first Request message may be carried in a network function allocation Request (e.g., NF Assignment Request), which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

S102, the first network element determines k target UPF network elements according to the position information of the enterprise DC.

As an implementation manner, the first network element obtains information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the location information of the enterprise DC. Then, the first network element determines k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements. Wherein k is a positive integer, and m is a positive integer greater than or equal to k.

For each candidate UPF network element of the m candidate UPF network elements, the information of the candidate UPF network element at least includes: the identification of the candidate UPF network element and the location information of the candidate UPF network element. For example, the location information of the candidate UPF network element may be: geographic names, latitude and longitude coordinates, etc.

Optionally, the information of the candidate UPF network element may further include: the bandwidth information of the candidate UPF network element and/or the SMF network element area identification corresponding to the candidate UPF network element.

It should be noted that, for each candidate UPF network element of the m candidate UPF network elements, the candidate UPF network element is a UPF network element located in the same geographical area as the enterprise DC. Here, the geographical area may refer to a street, city, or province where the enterprise DC is located. Alternatively, the geographic region is a regular or irregular region centered around the enterprise DC. For example, the geographic area is a circular area centered on the corporate DC and having a predetermined length as a radius. For another example, the geographic area is a rectangular area with a preset length as a side length and with the enterprise DC as a center.

It is understood that the UPF network element is located in an operator DC, and an operator may deploy multiple operator DCs, so that m candidate UPF network elements may be located in n operator DCs, where n is a positive integer less than or equal to m. For each of the n operator DCs, the operator DC comprises one or more candidate UPF network elements. It will be appreciated that the above-described,

wherein m is _i Is the number of candidate UPF network elements comprised by the ith operator DC of the n operator DCs.

Besides the UPF network elements, the operator DC may also deploy other network elements of the core network and/or devices of the access network. The device of the access network may refer to a Base Band Unit (BBU) of the base station. Alternatively, the operator DC may be referred to as a computer room, a central computer room, or the like.

In this embodiment of the present application, the information of the candidate UPF network element may indicate an operator DC where the candidate UPF network element is located. For example, the information of the candidate UPF network element includes location information of the candidate UPF network element, and the location information of the candidate UPF network element is location information of an operator DC where the candidate UPF network element is located. As another example, the information of the candidate UPF network element further includes an identification of the operator DC where the candidate UPF network element is located.

In this embodiment of the present application, the first network element obtains information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC, and may adopt one of the following implementation manners:

(1-1) the first network element stores information of a plurality of UPF network elements in advance. In this case, the first network element obtains information of m candidate UPF network elements from information of a plurality of UPF network elements stored in advance by the first network element according to the location information of the enterprise DC.

Alternatively, the first network element may store information of a plurality of UPF network elements in the form of a table. Of course, the first network element may also store information of a plurality of UPF network elements in other manners, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Illustratively, table 1 is used to store information for a plurality of UPF network elements. For example, referring to table 1, in a case where the location information of the enterprise DC is beijing, and in a case where the candidate UPF network element is located in the same city as the enterprise DC, the first network element may determine that the candidate UPF network element is an UPF network element #1 and an UPF network element #3.

TABLE 1

Identification of UPF network elements	Geographical area where UPF network element is located
		UPF network element #1	Beijing
UPF network element #2	Shanghai province
		UPF network element #3	Beijing
UPF network element #4	Shanghai province
		UPF network element #5	Shenzhen (Shenzhen medicine)

And (1-2) the first network element acquires the information of the m candidate UPF network elements from other equipment. Illustratively, the first network element obtains information of m candidate UPF network elements from the NRF, and the specific implementation steps thereof can be seen in steps S201 to S203 in fig. 6.

In this embodiment of the present application, the first network element determines k target UPF network elements from m candidate UPF network elements, which may adopt one of the following implementation manners:

and (2-1) under the condition that the m candidate UPF network elements all support bandwidth increase, the first network element acquires the distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the position information of the enterprise DC and the position information of the m candidate UPF network elements. And then, the first network element selects k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements.

Wherein, the value of k is preset or set according to enterprise requirements.

The distance information of the candidate UPF network element is used for indicating the distance between the candidate UPF network element and the enterprise DC.

In one possible design, the k target UPF network elements are k candidate UPF network elements with the smallest distance to the enterprise DC among the m candidate UPF network elements. For example, assume that the value of k is 2,m candidate UPF network elements including UPF network element #1, UPF network element #2, UPF network element #3, and UPF network element #4. The distance between the UPF network element #1 and the enterprise DC is 10 kilometers, the distance between the UPF network element #2 and the enterprise DC is 9 kilometers, the distance between the UPF network element #3 and the enterprise DC is 8 kilometers, and the distance between the UPF network element #4 and the enterprise DC is 7 kilometers. In this case, UPF network element #3 and UPF network element #4 are target UPF network elements.

(2-2) in case that the m candidate UPF network elements all support increased bandwidth, the first network element determines k target operator DCs from the n operator DCs. Then, for each of the k target operator DCs, the first network element determines one target UPF network element from candidate UPF network elements included in the target operator DC.

Wherein k is less than or equal to n. The value of k is preset or set according to enterprise requirements.

In one possible design, the k target operator DCs are the k operator DCs with the smallest distance to the enterprise DC among the n operator DCs. For example, assume that the value of k is 2,n operator DCs including operator DC #1, operator DC #2, operator DC #3, operator DC #4, and operator DC #5. Wherein, the distance between operator DC #1 and the enterprise DC is 10 kilometers, the distance between operator DC #2 and the enterprise DC is 15 kilometers, the distance between the remaining enterprise DCs of operator DC #3 is 11 kilometers, the distance between operator DC #4 and the enterprise DC is 9 kilometers, and the distance between operator DC #5 and the enterprise DC is 50 kilometers. In this case, operator DC #4 and operator DC #1 are target operators.

Since the UPF network element is deployed in the operator DC, the geographical location of the UPF network element may be equivalent to the geographical location of the operator DC. Therefore, the distance between the enterprise DC and the operator DC may be equal to the distance between the enterprise DC and the UPF network element in the operator DC.

In one possible design, the target UPF network element is a candidate UPF network element that meets the preset conditions in the target operator DC.

Illustratively, the preset conditions are: the target UPF network element is a candidate UPF network element with the minimum load in the target operator DC; or, the target UPF network element is a candidate UPF network element with the largest supported bandwidth in the target operator DC.

Optionally, the load may refer to a ratio between a maximum bandwidth currently provided by the UPF network element and an occupied bandwidth.

Based on the implementation manner (2-2), when k is greater than or equal to 2, the target UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC are respectively located in different operator DCs. Therefore, when one operator DC fails, the target UPF network elements in other operator DCs can continue to provide service for the enterprise DC, so that redundant backup is realized, and the failure of the enterprise private line is avoided.

And (2-3) under the condition that the m candidate UPF network elements do not support bandwidth increase, the first network element acquires the distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the position information of the enterprise DC and the position information of the m candidate UPF network elements. And then, the first network element selects k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, the bandwidth information of the m candidate UPF network elements and the bandwidth information of the enterprise DC.

In one possible design, the sum of the bandwidths provided by the k target UPF network elements is greater than or equal to the bandwidth required by the enterprise DC. And the k target UPF network elements are k candidate UPF network elements with the smallest distance with the enterprise DC in the m candidate UPF network elements.

Optionally, the sum of the bandwidths provided by the k target UPF network elements may be greater than or equal to 2 times of the bandwidth required by the enterprise DC, so as to implement redundant backup, and avoid that when a part of the target UPF network elements in the k target UPF network elements fails, the communication of the enterprise private line is affected.

For example, the m candidate UPF network elements are UPF network element #1, UPF network element #2, UPF network element #3, UPF network element #4, UPF network element #5, and UPF network element #5. The distance between the UPF network element #1 and the enterprise DC is 10 kilometers, the distance between the UPF network element #2 and the enterprise DC is 9 kilometers, the distance between the UPF network element #3 and the enterprise DC is 8 kilometers, the distance between the UPF network element #4 and the enterprise DC is 7 kilometers, and the distance between the UPF network element #5 and the enterprise DC is 12 kilometers. The distance between the candidate UPF network element and the enterprise DC is sorted from small to large as follows: UPF network element #4, UPF network element #3, UPF network element #2, UPF network element #1 and UPF network element #5. Assume that the bandwidth that can be provided by UPF network element #4 is 1.5 gigabits per second (GB/s), the bandwidth that can be provided by UPF network element #3 is 2.5GB/s, the bandwidth that can be provided by UPF network element #2 is 1GB/s, the bandwidth that can be provided by UPF network element #1 is 3GB/s, and the bandwidth that can be provided by UPF network element #5 is 1.2GB/s.

If the bandwidth required by the enterprise DC is 5GB/s, the first network element may determine that the k target UPF network elements are: UPF network element #4, UPF network element #3, and UPF network element #2.

If the bandwidth required by the enterprise DC is 6GB/s, the first network element may determine that the k target UPF network elements are: UPF network element #4, UPF network element #3, UPF network element #2, and UPF network element #1.

It should be noted that, in the implementation (2-1) or the implementation (2-3), for each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements, the first network element may determine the distance information of the candidate UPF network element according to the location information of the enterprise DC and the location information of the candidate UPF network element; alternatively, the first network element may also obtain distance information of the candidate UPF network element from other devices. For example, the first network element may obtain distance information of m candidate UPF network elements from the GIS, and the specific implementation steps may refer to steps S301 to S303 in fig. 7.

S103, the first network element sends first indication information to the network slice management network element, and correspondingly, the network slice management network element receives the first indication information from the first network element.

The first indication information is used for indicating k target UPF network elements.

In one design, the first indication information includes identities of k target UPF network elements.

Optionally, the first indication information may further include an identifier of the enterprise DC to indicate the enterprise DC to which the first indication information corresponds.

Alternatively, the first indication information may be carried in a network function Assignment Response (NF Assignment Response).

Based on the technical solution shown in fig. 5, the first network element may automatically select an appropriate UPF network element for the enterprise DC in real time according to the first request sent by the network slice management network element, and notify the network slice management network element with the first indication information. Therefore, the process of manually selecting the network element is not needed, and the efficiency of the operator for deploying the enterprise private line can be improved.

Based on the network element allocation method shown in fig. 5, as shown in fig. 6, the network element allocation method further includes steps S201 to S203 after step S101.

S201, the first network element sends the second request message to the NRF, and accordingly, the NRF receives the second request message from the first network element.

Wherein the second request message is used to request information of a UPF network element located in the same geographical area as the enterprise DC. Or, the second request message is used to request information of a candidate UPF network element corresponding to the enterprise DC.

The second request information includes location information of the enterprise DC.

Optionally, the second request information may further include an identifier of the enterprise DC to indicate the enterprise DC to which the second request information corresponds.

Optionally, the second Request information is carried in a UPF network element information Request (e.g. UPF info Request); alternatively, the second Request message is carried in a network function discovery Request (e.g., nrf _ NFDiscovery Request).

It should be noted that, compared to the network function discovery request in the prior art, the network function discovery request adopted in the embodiment of the present application is added with one cell to carry the location information of the enterprise DC.

S202, the NRF determines the information of m candidate UPF network elements according to the position information of the enterprise DC.

It will be appreciated that the NRF pre-stores information for a plurality of UPF network elements.

The implementation manner of step S202 can refer to the related description of implementation manner (1-1) above, and is not described herein again.

S203, the NRF sends the second response information to the first network element, and accordingly, the first network element receives the second response information from the NRF.

And the second response information comprises the information of the m candidate UPF network elements.

Optionally, the second response information may further include an identifier of the enterprise DC to indicate the enterprise DC to which the second response information corresponds.

Alternatively, the second response information may include a plurality of information elements. Wherein, for each of the plurality of cells, the cell may include information of one candidate UPF network element; alternatively, the information element may comprise information of one or more candidate UPF network elements located in the same operator DC.

It is understood that the second response message may be transmitted as a whole, or may be transmitted separately by being divided into a plurality of sub messages.

Optionally, the second response information is carried in a UPF network element information response (e.g. UPF info response); alternatively, the second Response information is carried in a network function discovery Response (e.g., nnrf _ NFdiscovery Response).

Based on the technical scheme shown in fig. 6, the first network element may obtain information of m candidate UPF network elements from the NRF, so that the first network element determines k target UPF network elements.

Based on the network element allocating method shown in fig. 5, as shown in fig. 7, the network element allocating method further includes steps S301 to S303 after step S101.

S301, the first network element sends the third request information to the GIS, and correspondingly, the GIS receives the third request information from the first network element.

The third request information is used for requesting the distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements. The distance information of the candidate UPF network element is used to indicate the distance between the candidate UPF network element and the enterprise DC.

The third request message includes location information of the enterprise DC and location information of the m candidate UPF network elements.

Optionally, the third request information may further include an identifier of the enterprise DC to indicate the enterprise DC to which the third request information corresponds.

Optionally, the third Request information may be carried in a UPF Distance information Request (e.g., UPF Distance Info Request).

It should be noted that the GIS is a computer system having functions of collecting, storing, operating, displaying geographic reference information, and the like. The GIS can be built by an operator or provided by a third-party service provider.

S302, the GIS determines the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements.

As an implementation manner, for each candidate UPF network element of the m candidate UPF network elements, the GIS determines the distance information of the candidate UPF network element according to the location information of the enterprise DC and the location information of the candidate UPF network element.

For example, the location information of the enterprise DC includes longitude and latitude coordinates of the enterprise DC, and the location information of the candidate UPF network element includes longitude and latitude coordinates of the candidate UPF network element. In this case, the GIS may calculate the distance between the enterprise DC and the candidate UPF network element according to the longitude and latitude coordinates of the enterprise DC and the longitude and latitude coordinates of the candidate UPF network element, thereby determining the distance information of the candidate UPF network element.

As another example, the location information of the enterprise DC includes a geographic name of the enterprise DC, and the location information of the candidate UPF network element includes a geographic name of the candidate UPF network element. In this case, the GIS may determine the longitude and latitude coordinates of the corporate DC according to the geographical name of the corporate DC; the GIS can determine the longitude and latitude coordinates of the candidate UPF network element according to the geographic name of the candidate UPF network element; and then, the GIS can calculate the distance between the enterprise DC and the candidate UPF network element according to the longitude and latitude coordinates of the enterprise DC and the longitude and latitude coordinates of the candidate UPF network element, so as to determine the distance information of the candidate UPF network element.

S303, the GIS sends the third response information to the first network element, and accordingly, the first network element receives the third response information from the GIS.

And the third response information comprises the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements.

Optionally, the third Response information may be carried in a UPF Distance information Response (e.g., UPF Distance Info Response).

Based on the technical scheme shown in fig. 7, the first network element may obtain distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements from the GIS, so that the first network element selects k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements.

Optionally, on the basis of the network element allocation method shown in fig. 5, if the first request information is also used to request that the target SMF network element is allocated to the enterprise DC, as shown in fig. 8. The network element allocation method may further include steps S104 and S105 after step S102.

S104, the first network element determines p target SMF network elements according to the SMF network element area identifications corresponding to the k target UPF network elements.

Wherein p is a positive integer.

In an embodiment of the present application, the target SMF network element is an SMF network element for providing a service to the enterprise DC. Or, the target SMF network element is an SMF network element for which parameter configuration is required in the process of opening the enterprise private line by the network slice management network element.

It should be noted that the SMF network element area identifiers corresponding to the multiple target UPF network elements may be the same.

It should be noted that the SMF network element area identifier corresponds to one or more SMF network elements. That is, there is a corresponding relationship between the SMF network element area identifier and the SMF network element. The correspondence between the SMF network element area identifier and the SMF network element can be referred to as shown in table 2. In table 2, the SMF network element area identifier #1 corresponds to the SMF network element #1 and the SMF network element #2. The SMF network element area identifier #2 corresponds to the SMF network element #4. The SMF network element area identifier #4 corresponds to the SMF network element #6.

TABLE 2

For example, referring to table 2, it is assumed that the k target UPF network elements are UPF network element #1, UPF network element #2, and UPF network element #3, where UPF network element #1 corresponds to SMF network element area identifier #1, UPF network element #2 corresponds to SMF network element area identifier #1, and UPF network element #3 corresponds to SMF area identifier #2, so that the first network element may determine that the target SMF is: SMF network element #1, SMF network element #2, and SMF network element #4.

S105, the first network element sends second indication information to the network slice management network element, and correspondingly, the network slice management network element receives the second indication information from the first network element.

Wherein the second indication information is used for indicating p target SMF network elements.

In one design, the second indication information includes identities of the P target SMF network elements.

Optionally, the second indication information may further include an identifier of the enterprise DC to indicate the enterprise DC to which the second indication information corresponds.

It should be noted that the second indication information and the first indication information may be carried in the same signaling, for example, the first response information, and the first response information may allocate a response for the above-mentioned network function. The second indication information and the first indication information may also be respectively carried in different signaling.

If the second indication information and the first indication information are carried in the same signaling, step S103 and step S105 may be executed simultaneously, so that the execution sequence of step S104 is before step S103.

If the second indication information and the first indication information are carried in different signaling, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution sequence between step S103 and steps S104 to S105. For example, step S103 may be performed first, and then steps S104 to S105 may be performed; or, executing steps S104-S105 first, and then executing step S103; still alternatively, step S103, and steps S104-S105 are performed simultaneously.

Based on the technical scheme shown in fig. 8, the network slice management network element obtains information of p target SMF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC from the network allocation function network element in an automated manner. The process does not need manual participation, and the efficiency is improved.

The embodiments shown in fig. 5-8 describe how the relevant network elements are selected for an enterprise DC from the perspective of one enterprise DC. It can be understood that an enterprise may have multiple enterprise DCs, and therefore, when an operator opens an enterprise private line service for the enterprise, the network slice management network element may need to perform parameter configuration of related network elements for the multiple enterprise DCs. Thus, for each of the plurality of enterprise DCs, the embodiments illustrated in fig. 5-8 described above may be employed to select the relevant network element for the enterprise DC.

In the embodiments provided in the present application, the method provided in the embodiments of the present application is introduced mainly from the perspective of interaction between the first network element and the network slice management network element. In order to implement the method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the first network element and the network slice management network element may include a hardware structure and/or a software module, and implement the functions in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Whether any of the above-described functions is implemented as a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the technical solution.

The division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic, and only one logical function division is provided, and in actual implementation, there may be another division manner, and in addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated in one processor, may also exist alone physically, or may also be integrated in one module by two or more modules. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. The following description will be given by taking each function module corresponding to each function as an example:

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 9, the communication apparatus includes a processing module 301 and a communication module 302.

In one embodiment, the communication device may be configured to perform the operations of the first network element in fig. 5 to 8 described above.

For example, the communication module 302 is configured to receive first request information from a network slice management network element, where the first request information is used to request that a target UPF network element be allocated to the enterprise DC, and the first request information includes location information of the enterprise DC.

The processing module 301 is configured to determine k target UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the location information of the enterprise DC, where k is a positive integer. And the communication module is further configured to send first indication information to the network slice management network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate the k target UPF network elements.

Therefore, the communication device provided by the embodiment of the application can automatically select a proper UPF network element for the enterprise DC according to the first request sent by the network slice management network element in real time, and inform the network slice management network element by the first indication information. Therefore, the enterprise private line is deployed without the process of manually selecting the network element, and the efficiency of deploying the enterprise private line by an operator can be improved.

In one possible design, the processing module 301 is specifically configured to obtain, according to the location information of the enterprise DC, information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC, where the information of the candidate UPF network elements includes: position information of candidate UPF network elements, wherein m is a positive integer greater than or equal to k; and determining k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the communication module 302 is further configured to send a second request message to the NRF, where the second request message is used to request information of a UPF network element located in the same area as the enterprise DC, and the second request message includes location information of the enterprise DC; and receiving second response information from the NRF, wherein the second response information includes information of m candidate UPF network elements, and the m candidate UPF network elements are located in the same area as the enterprise DC.

In a possible design, the processing module 301 is specifically configured to obtain information of m candidate UPF network elements from information of a plurality of UPF network elements stored in advance.

In one possible design, the processing module 301 is specifically configured to determine k target operator DCs from the n operator DCs, where k target operators are k operator DCs having a smallest distance to the enterprise DC among the n operator DCs, and k is less than or equal to n, where m candidate UPF network elements support increasing bandwidth; for each target operator DC in the k target operator DCs, determining a target UPF network element from candidate UPF network elements contained in the target operator DC, wherein the target UPF network element is the candidate UPF network element meeting the preset condition in the target operator DC.

In one possible design, the processing module 301 is specifically configured to, under the condition that m candidate UPF network elements support bandwidth increase, obtain distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the location information of the enterprise DC and the location information of the m candidate UPF network elements, where the distance information is used to indicate a distance between the candidate UPF network element and the enterprise DC; and according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, selecting k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements, wherein the k target UPF network elements are k candidate UPF network elements with the minimum distance from the enterprise DC in the m candidate UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the processing module 301 is specifically configured to, under the condition that m candidate UPF network elements do not support bandwidth increase, obtain distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the location information of the enterprise DC and the location information of the m candidate UPF network elements, where the distance information is used to indicate a distance between the candidate UPF network element and the enterprise DC; and according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, the bandwidth information of the m candidate UPF network elements and the bandwidth information of the enterprise DC, selecting k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements, wherein the sum of the bandwidths provided by the k target UPF network elements is more than or equal to the bandwidth required by the enterprise DC, and the k target UPF network elements are k candidate UPF network elements with the minimum distance from the enterprise DC in the m candidate UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the communication module 302 is further configured to send third request information to the GIS, where the third request information is used to request distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements; the third request information includes: position information of the enterprise DC and position information of the m candidate UPF network elements; and receiving third response information from the GIS, wherein the third response information comprises the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements.

In one possible design, the processing module 301 is further configured to determine p target SMF network elements according to the SMF network element region identifiers corresponding to the k target UPF network elements, where p is a positive integer; and the communication module is further configured to send second indication information to the network slice management network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate the p target SMF network elements.

All relevant contents of each step related to the above method embodiment may be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and are not described herein again.

In the embodiment of the present application, the communication apparatus shown in fig. 9 may be presented in a form of dividing each functional module in an integrated manner. A "module" herein may refer to a particular ASIC, a circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and/or other device that provides the described functionality.

In a simple embodiment, the communication means shown in fig. 9 may take the form of the communication device shown in fig. 4, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

That is, the processor 201 of the communication device shown in fig. 4 may cause the communication device shown in fig. 4 to execute the network element allocation method in the above-described method embodiment by calling the computer program instructions stored in the memory 203.

Illustratively, the processing module 301 in fig. 9 may be implemented by the processor 201 in fig. 4. The communication module 302 in fig. 9 may be implemented by the communication interface 203 in fig. 4.

The embodiment of the application also provides a computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium stores computer instructions; when the computer-readable storage medium runs on a communication device, the communication device is caused to perform the network element allocation method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or can comprise one or more data storage devices, such as servers, data centers, and the like, that can be integrated with the medium. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium, or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product containing computer instructions, which when run on a communication apparatus, enables the communication apparatus to execute the network element allocation method provided in the embodiments of the present application.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip system, where the chip system includes a processor, and is used to implement the network element allocation method provided in the embodiment of the present application. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for storing program instructions and/or data necessary for the apparatus of an embodiment of the present invention. In one possible design, the system-on-chip further includes a memory for the processor to call application code stored in the memory. The chip system may be composed of one or more chips, and may also include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the disclosure herein may be embodied in hardware or in software instructions executed by a processor. The software instructions may consist of corresponding software modules that may be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable hard disk, a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a core network interface device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a core network interface device. Alternatively, the memory may be coupled to the processor, for example, the memory may be separate and coupled to the processor via a bus. The memory may also be integral to the processor. The memory can be used for storing application program codes for executing the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application, and the processor is used for controlling the execution. The processor is used for executing the application program codes stored in the memory, so as to realize the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application.

Through the above description of the embodiments, it is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and simplicity of description, the foregoing division of the functional modules is merely used as an example, and in practical applications, the above function distribution may be completed by different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device may be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the above described functions.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the modules or units is only one logical functional division, and there may be other divisions when actually implemented, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or may be integrated into another device, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed in multiple different places. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, functional units in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units are integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware, and can also be realized in a form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application may be essentially or partially contributed to by the prior art, or all or part of the technical solutions may be embodied in the form of a software product, where the software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to enable a device (which may be a single chip, a chip, or the like) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a U disk, a removable hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

The above description is only an embodiment of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present disclosure should be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for allocating network elements, comprising:

receiving first request information from a network slice management network element, wherein the first request information is used for requesting to allocate a target User Plane Function (UPF) network element to an enterprise Data Center (DC), and the first request information comprises position information of the enterprise DC;

determining k target UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the position information of the enterprise DC, wherein k is a positive integer;

and sending first indication information to the network slice management network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating the k target UPF network elements.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining k target UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the location information of the enterprise DC includes:

acquiring information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the position information of the enterprise DC, wherein the information of the m candidate UPF network elements comprises the following steps: the m candidate UPF network elements are position information, and m is a positive integer greater than or equal to k;

and determining k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the obtaining, according to the location information of the enterprise DC, information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC includes:

sending second request information to a network storage function (NRF), wherein the second request information is used for requesting information of a UPF network element in the same area as the enterprise DC, and the second request information comprises position information of the enterprise DC;

receiving second response information from the NRF, wherein the second response information comprises information of the m candidate UPF network elements, and the m candidate UPF network elements are located in the same area as the enterprise DC.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the obtaining, according to the location information of the enterprise DC, information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC includes:

and acquiring the information of the m candidate UPF network elements from the stored information of the plurality of UPF network elements.

5. The method according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the m candidate UPF network elements are located in n operator DCs, and n is a positive integer less than or equal to m.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the determining k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements comprises:

determining k target operator DCs from the n operator DCs, where k is the k operator DCs with the smallest distance to the enterprise DC among the n operator DCs, and k is less than or equal to n, if the m candidate UPF network elements support increased bandwidth;

for each target operator DC in the k target operator DCs, determining a target UPF network element from candidate UPF network elements included in the target operator DC, wherein the target UPF network element is a candidate UPF network element meeting preset conditions in the target operator DC.

7. The method according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the determining k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements comprises:

under the condition that the m candidate UPF network elements support bandwidth increase, acquiring distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the position information of the enterprise DC and the position information of the m candidate UPF network elements, wherein the distance information is used for indicating the distance between the candidate UPF network elements and the enterprise DC;

and selecting k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, wherein the k target UPF network elements are k candidate UPF network elements with the smallest distance between the k target UPF network elements and the enterprise DC in the m candidate UPF network elements.

8. The network element allocation method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the first request information further includes bandwidth information of the enterprise DC, and the bandwidth information of the enterprise DC is used for indicating a bandwidth required by the enterprise DC;

the information of the candidate UPF network element further includes: and the bandwidth information of the candidate UPF network element is used for indicating the bandwidth which can be provided by the candidate UPF network element.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the determining k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements comprises:

under the condition that the m candidate UPF network elements do not support bandwidth increase, acquiring distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the position information of the enterprise DC and the position information of the m candidate UPF network elements, wherein the distance information is used for indicating the distance between the candidate UPF network elements and the enterprise DC;

and selecting k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, the bandwidth information of the m candidate UPF network elements and the bandwidth information of the enterprise DC, wherein the sum of the bandwidths provided by the k target UPF network elements is greater than or equal to the bandwidth required by the enterprise DC, and the k target UPF network elements are the k candidate UPF network elements with the minimum distance between the k target UPF network elements and the enterprise DC.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein obtaining the distance information of each candidate UPF network element of the m candidate UPF network elements according to the location information of the enterprise DC and the location information of the m candidate UPF network elements comprises:

sending third request information to a Geographic Information System (GIS), wherein the third request information is used for requesting the distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements; the third request information includes: location information of the enterprise DC and location information of the m candidate UPF network elements;

and receiving third response information from the GIS, wherein the third response information comprises the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements.

11. The method according to any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the first request message is further used to request allocation of a target Session Management Function (SMF) network element to the enterprise DC;

the information of the candidate UPF network element also comprises an SMF network element area identifier corresponding to the candidate UPF network element.

12. The method of network element allocation according to claim 11, wherein said method further comprises:

determining p target SMF network elements according to the SMF network element region identifiers corresponding to the k target UPF network elements, wherein p is a positive integer;

and sending second indication information to the network slice management network element, wherein the second indication information is used for indicating the p target SMF network elements.

13. A communications apparatus, comprising:

the system comprises a communication module, a network slice management network element and a client side, wherein the communication module is used for receiving first request information from the network slice management network element, the first request information is used for requesting to allocate a target User Plane Function (UPF) network element to an enterprise Data Center (DC), and the first request information comprises position information of the enterprise DC;

a processing module, configured to determine k target UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC according to the location information of the enterprise DC, where k is a positive integer;

the communication module is further configured to send first indication information to the network slice management network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate the k target UPF network elements.

14. The communications apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to obtain, according to the location information of the enterprise DC, information of m candidate UPF network elements corresponding to the enterprise DC, where the information of the m candidate UPF network elements includes: m is a positive integer greater than or equal to k; and determining k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements.

15. The communications apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the communications module is further configured to send a second request message to a network storage function NRF, the second request message requesting information of a UPF network element located in the same area as the enterprise DC, and the second request message includes location information of the enterprise DC; and receiving second response information from the NRF, wherein the second response information includes information of the m candidate UPF network elements, and the m candidate UPF network elements are located in the same area as the enterprise DC.

16. The communications apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to obtain the information of the m candidate UPF network elements from information of a plurality of UPF network elements stored in advance.

17. The communication apparatus according to any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the m candidate UPF network elements are located in n operator DCs, n being a positive integer less than or equal to m.

18. The communication device of claim 17,

the processing module is specifically configured to determine k target operator DCs from the n operator DCs when the m candidate UPF network elements support bandwidth increase, where the k target operators are k operator DCs having a smallest distance to the enterprise DC among the n operator DCs, and k is less than or equal to n; for each target operator DC in the k target operator DCs, determining a target UPF network element from candidate UPF network elements included in the target operator DC, wherein the target UPF network element is a candidate UPF network element meeting preset conditions in the target operator DC.

19. The communication device according to any one of claims 14 to 16,

the processing module is specifically configured to, when the m candidate UPF network elements support bandwidth increase, obtain distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the location information of the enterprise DC and the location information of the m candidate UPF network elements, where the distance information is used to indicate a distance between the candidate UPF network element and the enterprise DC; and selecting k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, wherein the k target UPF network elements are k candidate UPF network elements with the smallest distance between the k target UPF network elements and the enterprise DC in the m candidate UPF network elements.

20. The communications apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the first request message further includes bandwidth information of the enterprise DC, the bandwidth information of the enterprise DC indicating a bandwidth required by the enterprise DC;

21. The communication device of claim 20,

the processing module is specifically configured to, when the m candidate UPF network elements do not support bandwidth increase, obtain distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements according to the location information of the enterprise DC and the location information of the m candidate UPF network elements, where the distance information is used to indicate a distance between the candidate UPF network element and the enterprise DC; and selecting k target UPF network elements from the m candidate UPF network elements according to the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements, the bandwidth information of the m candidate UPF network elements and the bandwidth information of the enterprise DC, wherein the sum of the bandwidths provided by the k target UPF network elements is greater than or equal to the bandwidth required by the enterprise DC, and the k target UPF network elements are the k candidate UPF network elements with the minimum distance between the k target UPF network elements and the enterprise DC.

22. The communication device of claim 21,

the communication module is further configured to send third request information to a geographic information system GIS, where the third request information is used to request distance information of each candidate UPF network element in the m candidate UPF network elements; the third request information includes: location information of the enterprise DC and location information of the m candidate UPF network elements; and receiving third response information from the GIS, wherein the third response information comprises the distance information of the m candidate UPF network elements.

23. The communication apparatus according to any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the first request information is further configured to request allocation of a target session management function, SMF, network element to the enterprise DC;

24. The communication device of claim 23,

the processing module is further configured to determine p target SMF network elements according to the SMF network element region identifiers corresponding to the k target UPF network elements, where p is a positive integer;

the communication module is further configured to send second indication information to the network slice management network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate the p target SMF network elements.

25. A communications apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the processor and memory coupled, the memory configured to store computer program instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the communications apparatus to perform the network element allocation method of any one of claims 1 to 12.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising computer instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the network element allocation method of any one of claims 1 to 12.