CN112398896A

CN112398896A - Apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for providing service

Info

Publication number: CN112398896A
Application number: CN201910766174.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 温海波; 张凯宾; 宾梵翔
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Oyj
Priority date: 2019-08-19
Filing date: 2019-08-19
Publication date: 2021-02-23
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-19
Also published as: CN112398896B

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, methods, devices, and computer-readable storage media for providing services. For example, in the method, an access request is received at a first device from a second device for an access network, the access request comprising first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; in response to the successful passing of the authentication of the first authentication information, sending an authentication request to the service providing device, the authentication request including second authentication information; and in response to receiving a message indicating that the authentication of the second authentication information is successfully passed from the service providing apparatus, transmitting a connection request to the third apparatus to connect a fourth apparatus that provides resources for the service. The method enables the terminal device to efficiently and accurately attach to the virtual node deployed in the access network and utilize the service provided by the virtual node.

Description

Apparatus, method, device, and computer-readable storage medium for providing service

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to communication technology, and more particularly, to an apparatus, method, and device for providing a service, and a computer-readable storage medium.

Background

Cloud computing has many advantages such as scalability, resource allocation as required, simplicity and ease of use, and thus has been widely used in practice. Cloud computing can provide outsourced computing capacity and storage capacity for terminal equipment, and enables users of the terminal equipment to enjoy flexible and convenient services, so that workload of management infrastructure is reduced. The internet of things (IoT) connects hundreds of millions of smart devices to the internet. These devices generate large amounts of data that are sent to the cloud for further processing. Indeed, the benefits of sending the fully captured data to the cloud are limited, which can take up a significant amount of resources (e.g., network resources, storage resources, etc.). In addition, the connectivity between the cloud and the terminal device will also result in longer latency.

In this regard, an emerging architecture, the fog computing architecture, is proposed that is implemented at the edge of the network closer to the terminal device. The fog computing architecture distributes services closer to end users along Cloud-to-threads (Cloud-to-threads) and may provide computing and/or storage resources, as well as networking functionality. Fog computing covers both mobile and wireline scenarios, spanning both hardware and software and distributed among end users over an access network. The fog computing architecture can be realized by moving the application with larger energy consumption on the terminal equipment to the fog node, so as to achieve the purposes of reducing the energy consumption of the terminal equipment and prolonging the service life of the battery of the mobile terminal, and meanwhile, the communication delay can be reduced for some applications with low delay requirements. In addition, the fog computing architecture may also support new value added services, such as IoT applications.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, embodiments of the present disclosure propose devices, methods, and apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media, for providing services to users.

In a first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a first device. The first device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to: receiving an access request from a second device for an access network, the access request comprising first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; in response to the successful passing of the authentication of the first authentication information, sending an authentication request to the service providing device, the authentication request including second authentication information; and in response to receiving a message indicating that the authentication of the second authentication information is successfully passed from the service providing apparatus, transmitting a connection request to the third apparatus to connect a fourth apparatus that provides resources for the service.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a second device. The second device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to: sending an access request for an access network to a first device, the access request including first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; and receiving an access response from the first device, the access response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to a virtual node in a fourth device for providing resources for the service.

In a third aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a third apparatus. The third apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the third apparatus to: receiving a connection request from a first device of an access network, the connection request including location information of the second device and identification information of a service requested by the second device; determining a virtual node on a fourth device providing resources for the service based on the location information and a quality of service requirement of the service; and sending a connection response to the first device, the connection response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to the virtual node.

In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a fifth apparatus. The fifth apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the fifth apparatus to: receiving a service deployment request from a sixth device, the service deployment request including at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed; determining resources required for deploying the service based on the quality of service requirements; and sending a create message to the sixth device to cause the sixth device to create a virtual node for providing the resource.

In a fifth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a sixth apparatus. The sixth apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the sixth apparatus to: receiving a create message from a fifth device, the create message comprising: at least one function image in a group of function images associated with a service to be deployed, and resources required for deploying the at least one function image; and creating a virtual node for providing resources for the service based on the at least one functional image and the resources.

In a sixth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a seventh apparatus. The seventh apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the seventh apparatus to: sending a service deployment request to a fifth device, wherein the service deployment request at least comprises a service quality requirement aiming at a service to be deployed, so that a virtual node is created, and the virtual node is used for providing resources required by the service deployment; and receiving a service deployment response from the fifth device, the service deployment response including the address of the virtual node.

In a seventh aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for communication. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, at a first device, an access request for an access network from a second device, the access request including first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; in response to the successful passing of the authentication of the first authentication information, sending an authentication request to the service providing device, the authentication request including the second authentication information; and in response to receiving a message indicating that the authentication of the second authentication information is successfully passed from the service providing apparatus, transmitting a connection request to a third apparatus to connect a fourth apparatus providing resources for the service.

In an eighth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for communication. The method comprises the following steps: at a second device, sending an access request for an access network to a first device, the access request comprising first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; and receiving an access response from the first device, the access response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to a virtual node in a fourth device for providing resources for the service.

In a ninth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for communication. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, at a third device, a connection request from a first device of an access network, the connection request including location information of the second device and identification information of a service requested by the second device; determining a virtual node on a fourth device providing resources for the service based on the location information and a quality of service requirement of the service; and sending a connection response to the first device, the connection response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to the virtual node.

In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for communication. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, at a fifth device, a service deployment request from a sixth device, the service deployment request including at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed; determining resources required for deploying the service based on the quality of service requirements; and sending a create message to the sixth device to cause the sixth device to create a virtual node for providing the resource.

In an eleventh aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for communication. The method comprises the following steps: receiving, at a sixth device, a create message from a fifth device, the create message comprising: at least one function image in a group of function images associated with a service to be deployed, and resources required for deploying the at least one function image; and creating a virtual node for providing resources for the service based on the at least one functional image and the resources.

In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for communication. The method comprises the following steps: at the seventh device, sending a service deployment request to the fifth device, the service deployment request including at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed, such that a virtual node is created, the virtual node being configured to provide resources required for deploying the service; and receiving a service deployment response from the fifth device, the service deployment response including the address of the virtual node.

In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for communication. The apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to the seventh aspect.

In a fourteenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for communication. The apparatus comprises means for performing the method according to the eighth aspect.

In a fifteenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for communication. The apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to the ninth aspect.

In a sixteenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for communication. The apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to the tenth aspect.

In a seventeenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for communication. The apparatus comprises means for performing the method according to the eleventh aspect.

In an eighteenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus for communication. The apparatus comprises means for performing the method according to the twelfth aspect.

In a nineteenth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor on the device, cause the device to perform the method according to the seventh aspect.

In a twentieth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor on the device, cause the device to perform the method according to the eighth aspect.

In a twenty-first aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor on the device, cause the device to perform the method according to the ninth aspect.

In a twenty-second aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor on the device, cause the device to perform the method according to the tenth aspect.

In a twenty-third aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor on the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the method according to the eleventh aspect.

In a twenty-fourth aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor on the device, cause the device to perform the method according to the twelfth aspect.

It should be understood that what is described in this summary section is not intended to define key or critical features of the example embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description.

Drawings

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 2 illustrates signaling flows of an example interaction process, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an example network environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 7 illustrates signaling flows of an example interaction process, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of a method according to certain embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram of a device suitable for implementing certain embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium, in accordance with some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the various drawings, like or similar reference characters denote like or similar elements,

Detailed Description

Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

The term "include" and variations thereof as used herein is meant to be inclusive in an open-ended manner, i.e., "including but not limited to". Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "or" means "and/or". The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "example embodiment" and "certain embodiments" mean "at least one example embodiment". Other explicit and implicit definitions are also possible below.

The term "circuitry" as used herein refers to one or more of the following:

(a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and/or digital circuitry); and

(b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) a combination of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor and software (including a digital signal processor, software, and memory that work together to cause a device such as an OLT, DPU, or other computing device to perform various functions); and

(c) a hardware circuit and/or processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but may lack software when software is not required for operation.

The definition of circuit applies to all usage scenarios of this term in this application, including any claims. As another example, the term "circuitry" as used herein also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, or software or firmware accompanying it. For example, the term "circuitry" would also cover a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit or a similar integrated circuit in an OLT, DPU, or other computing device, as appropriate for a particular claim element.

The term "first device" as used herein includes any suitable authentication device or entity for authentication in an access network. For ease of discussion, in some embodiments, the first device may be an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) server in the access network.

The term "second device" as used herein includes any suitable device having wireless communication capabilities. By way of example and not limitation, such a device may be, for example, an IoT sensor or an end device that requests access to a network to use a service deployed by a service provider on a fog node. For ease of discussion, in some embodiments, a terminal device is taken as an example of the second device.

The term "third device" or "fifth device" as used herein includes a management device in the access network. Such a management device is any suitable device, such as a fog-edge computing (FEC) controller, that is responsible for controlling and managing resources on the computing device (e.g., fog nodes and edge clouds) side in the access network and utilizing these resources to provide services to the accessed terminal devices. For ease of discussion, in some embodiments, the management device is taken as an example of the third device or the fifth device.

The term "fourth device" or "sixth device" as used herein includes a computing device in an access network that claims to provide network resources or to provide computing storage resources to a fog platform. Such a computing device may be, for example, an intermediate node having resources available to the fog computing platform with an IP address of the management plane. Such intermediate nodes are also referred to herein as fog nodes or edge computing devices, on which the fog nodes may create virtual nodes to provide computing and storage resources, etc., as required by the network requirements of the terminal devices. By way of example and not limitation, the fourth device may be a gateway, an Optical Network Unit (ONU), an Optical Line Terminal (OLT), a switch, and so forth in the access network. The sixth device may also be the example device described above or any other suitable device.

The term "seventh device" as used herein refers to any suitable device or entity for deploying a service on a virtual node in an access network. By way of example and not limitation, a service provider accessing a network may initiate a service deployment request via its service application program interface or a web portal provided by the access network operator. For ease of discussion, in some embodiments, a service providing device is taken as an example of the seventh device.

As previously mentioned, uploading the massive data generated by hundreds of millions of devices in the IoT all to the cloud creates a lot of overhead and results in wasted resources. Furthermore, the latency introduced by the connectivity between the cloud and the terminal device is undesirable for latency sensitive applications (e.g., video applications) running on the smart device. To address these issues, traditional cloud computing architectures may be extended towards the network edge by means of a fog computing platform to reside a portion of the computing, storage, and networking capabilities at the network edge so that the IoT and/or end-user devices may rely on the computing and storage resources in their vicinity for fast response. The fog computing platform includes a data plane and a control plane. In access networks supporting fog computing, network nodes (e.g., Broadband Network Gateways (BNGs), switches, access nodes, end devices) for providing local computing/storage resources are referred to as fog nodes. Virtual nodes can be carried on the fog nodes to realize the service function of the fog computing application.

For users of the fog computing application (e.g., IoT sensors, terminal devices), they are directly attached to a virtual node in the access network without concern for the fog node that carries the virtual node. Since there may be one or more service providers in the access network, they may deploy a plurality of different virtual nodes, respectively. Therefore, a solution is needed to allow users of fog computing applications to attach to corresponding virtual nodes correctly and efficiently. Furthermore, there is a need for a mechanism to authenticate the terminal device so that only authorized terminal devices can attach to the virtual node.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a scheme is proposed that combines an authentication procedure for a terminal device with an attachment procedure to a corresponding virtual node. In this way, not only can the flow of the terminal device accessing the network be simplified, but also the user of the fog computing application can be efficiently and accurately attached to the corresponding virtual node deployed in the access network.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a network environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown, the network environment 100 includes a first device 110, a second device 120, a third device 130, fourth devices 140-1 and 140-2 (which may also be collectively referred to as fourth devices 140), and a service providing device 150. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the first device 110, the third device 130, and the fourth devices 140-1 and 140-2 constitute an access network that supports fog computing, and the second device 120 is an IoT sensor or terminal device that requests access to the access network.

The first device 110 may be implemented by any suitable machine and may be equipped with sufficient resources, such as signal processing and storage capabilities. In an embodiment where network environment 100 is implemented based on a fog computing architecture, first device 110 may be an AAA server of an access network. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the first device 110 may receive an authentication request from the second device 120 and determine whether to deliver the authentication request to a specific AAA server of a corresponding service provider, and the first device 110 may communicate with the specific AAA server of the corresponding service provider. Further, the first device 110 may also communicate with the third device 130 to acquire connection information for the second device 120 (e.g., an IP address of a virtual node to which the second device 120 is to be attached, an IP address of the fourth device 140 carrying the virtual node, etc.), and transmit location information of a user of the second device 120 and service provider information of a service requested by the user, etc. to the third device 130.

As described above, the second device 120 is an IoT sensor or terminal device requesting access to a network, which requests use of a service provided by a service provider. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the authenticated second device 120 may access the access network and be attached to a virtual node providing the requested service, such that traffic/data from the second device 120 may be sent to the virtual node. Example embodiments of this aspect are discussed below.

The third device 130 may be any suitable device in the access network that is responsible for controlling and managing the resources of the fog node and the edge cloud side and utilizing these resources to serve the accessed terminal devices, e.g., a fog-edge computing (FEC) controller. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the third device 130 maintains information about virtual nodes already present in the network for the fog-based computation-based application (e.g., quality of service (QoS) requirements), information about available fog-edge computing resources in the access network, location information of the user of the second device 120, and so on. The third device 130 may select an already existing virtual node that provides a service to the user of the second device 120 based on the information and provide the IP address for the second device 120. Alternatively, in the event that there are no satisfactory virtual nodes in the network, the third device 130 may cause a new satisfactory virtual node to be created on one or more of the fourth devices 140-1 and 140-2 and assigned an IP address. Example embodiments of this aspect are discussed below.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the fourth device 140 may be an intermediate node in a layer 2 access network having resources available to the fog computing platform. The fourth device 140 can be functionally divided into two parts, one part for implementing normal operation as a network node and the other part for providing an implementation environment for the virtual nodes carried thereon for implementing the services requested by the second device 120. In some embodiments, the fourth devices 140-1 and 140-2 may be the same type of network node, e.g., both are ONUs. In some other embodiments, the fourth devices 140-1 and 140-2 may also be different types of network nodes, the fourth device 140-1 being an ONU and the fourth device 140-2 being an OLT. The scope of the invention is not to be so limited.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the service providing device 150 may be any suitable device of a service provider in an access network for providing service functions associated with a fog-based computing application and for service authentication. As an example, the service providing device 150 may be an AAA server of a service provider.

It should be understood that the network environment 100 shown in FIG. 1 is for exemplary purposes only and does not imply any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be embodied in different network environments or architectures. Although one first device 110, second device 120, third device 130, service providing device 150, and two fourth devices 140 are shown in fig. 1, respectively, in practice, any suitable number of the above-described devices and components may be included depending on the scale and architecture of the network environment. It should also be understood that network environment 100 also includes other elements or entities for facilitating communication, such as access nodes, AAA servers of service providers, and the like. These network elements or entities may be physical or virtual and may be implemented in any suitable way. Moreover, the elements or entities may communicate using any communication technique currently known and developed in the future.

Fig. 2 illustrates signaling flows of an example interaction process, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The interaction process 200 may be implemented in the network environment 100 and involves the first device 110, the second device 120, the third device 130, the fourth device 140, and the service providing device 150 of the service provider as shown in fig. 1. It will be appreciated that although the process 200 is described with reference to fig. 1 for discussion purposes, the process shown in fig. 2 is equally applicable to other communication scenarios.

In process 200, second device 120 sends (205) an access request for an access network to first device 110 (e.g., an AAA server of the access network). In some example embodiments, the access request may include first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for the service providing device 150 in the access network. In this example, the first authentication information is used to request access to the network, and the second authentication information indicates a service requested by the second device 120 that is provided by a particular service provider through the corresponding service providing device 150 (e.g., an AAA server of the service provider), e.g., the second authentication information may include identification information of the service. In other words, a specific service provider may service-authenticate the second device 120 based on the second authentication information, so that the second device 120 is then attached to a service function, i.e., a virtual node, that the service provider deploys on the fourth device 140 through a corresponding service providing device.

The first device 110 authenticates the second device 120 based on the first authentication information (210). If the authentication of the first authentication information is successfully passed, the first device 110 may determine (215) a service providing device corresponding to the service requested by the second device 120, for example, by querying a stored table including identification information of the service and service providing devices of service providers. If the authentication of the first authentication information is not passed, the first device 110 transmits an access rejection response to the second device 120.

The first device 110 sends (220) an authentication request to the determined service providing device. The authentication request includes the second authentication information. The service providing device performs service authentication on the second authentication information in the authentication request, and in case the authentication successfully passes, transmits (225) a message indicating that the authentication of the second authentication information successfully passes to the first device 110.

The first device 110 sends (230) a connection request to a third device 130 (e.g. a management device, such as an FEC controller, managing computing devices in the access network) for connecting to a fourth device 140 providing resources for the service requested by the second device 120. In some example embodiments, the connection request includes location information of the second device 120 and identification information of the service requested thereby. The location information of the second device 120 may be sent by the second device 120 to the first device 110, for example, through an access request. It should be appreciated that the location information of the second device 120 may also be provided to the first device 110 in any other suitable manner, and the above examples are merely illustrative and not limiting.

The third device 130 finds (235) a matching virtual node from a set of already existing virtual nodes in the access network based on at least the location information, the identification information of the requested service and the QoS requirements of the service.

If no matching virtual node is found in the set of virtual nodes, the third device 130 selects the most suitable fourth device 140 (e.g., fourth device 140-1 or 140-2) based on the location information, the identification information of the requested service, and the QoS requirements of the service. The third device 130 sends a create message to the selected fourth device 140 instructing the fourth device 140 to create a new virtual node thereon. The fourth device 140 creates a new virtual node based on the create message and then sends a message to the third device 130 indicating the successful creation of the virtual node.

If a matching virtual node is found in the set of virtual nodes or a message indicating successful creation of a virtual node is received, the third device 130 assigns (240) a first address for the second device 120 and a second address for the matching virtual node. In this example, the first address and the second address may be IP addresses and are included in the same address space. The third device 130 then sends (245) a connection response to the first device 110, where the connection response includes the first address and the second address.

The first device 110 obtains the first address and the second address from the received connection response and sends (250) an access response to the second device 120, the access response including the first address and the second address. The second device 120 communicates with the corresponding virtual node using the assigned first and second addresses (255) to use the service function provided by the virtual node.

Although the various steps in the above-described interaction process 200 are described in a particular order, this order is for illustrative purposes only and is not limiting. Unless explicitly noted, it should not be understood that such interaction processes are required to be completed in the particular order shown or in sequential order. In some cases, multitasking or parallel processing may be beneficial. In addition, the interaction process 200 may also include additional operations not shown and/or may omit one or more of the operations shown.

Fig. 3 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 300 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 300 may be implemented at the first device 110 shown in fig. 1. For ease of discussion, the method 300 will be described below in connection with fig. 1 from the perspective of the first device 110.

As shown in fig. 3, at 310, a first device 110 receives an access request for an access network from a second device 120. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the access request comprises first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network. In some example embodiments, the second authentication information indicates a service requested by the second device 120 and provided by the service providing device.

At 320, the first device 110 authenticates the first authentication information in the access request. If the authentication of the first authentication information is successfully passed, the first device 110 transmits an authentication request to the service providing device at 330.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the authentication request includes at least second authentication information, and the second authentication information may include identification information of the service. In some example embodiments, one example implementation of the step of 330 may include: the first device 110 determines identification information of the service based on the second authentication information. The first device 110 selects a service providing device associated with the identification information from the one or more candidate service providing devices of the service provider based on the identification information, and transmits the authentication request to the selected service providing device.

In an additional embodiment, the first device 110 sends an access reject response to the second device 120 if the authentication of the first authentication information is not passed.

As described above, the second authentication information is used for service authentication by the service providing apparatus. In the case of a message that the authentication of the second authentication information by the service providing apparatus 150 successfully passes, the first apparatus 110 receives a message indicating that the authentication of the second authentication information successfully passes from the service providing apparatus 150 at 340. Based on the message, the first device 110 sends a connection request to the third device 130 at 350. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection request includes location information of the second device 120 and identification information of the requested service, and is used to connect a fourth device 140 (e.g., the fourth device 140-1 or 140-2) that provides resources for the service.

In some example embodiments, the method 300 may further include: the first device 110 receives the connection response from the third device 130. The connection response includes the first address assigned by the third device 130 to the second device 120 and the second address assigned to the virtual node in the fourth device 140 for providing resources for the service. The first device 110 then sends an access response including the first address and the second address to the second device 120.

In the above embodiment, the first device 110 may be an authentication device in the access network, the second device may be an end device requesting access to the access network, the third device may be a management device managing a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device may be a computing device in the access network.

Fig. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 400 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be implemented at the second device 120 shown in fig. 1. For ease of discussion, the method 400 will be described below in conjunction with fig. 1 from the perspective of the second device 120.

As shown in fig. 4, at 410, the second device 120 sends an access request for an access network to the first device 110. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the access request comprises first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network. In some example embodiments, the second authentication information indicates a service requested by the second device 120, which is provided by a service providing device deployed by a service provider.

At 420, the second device 120 receives an access response from the first device 110. In some example embodiments, the access response includes a first address assigned by the third device 130 to the second device 120 and a second address assigned to a virtual node in the fourth device 140 for providing resources for the service. The second device 120 can then communicate with the corresponding virtual node using the assigned first and second addresses to obtain the service function deployed on the virtual node.

In the above embodiments, the first device 110 may be an authentication device in the access network, the second device 120 may be an end device requesting access to the access network, the third device 130 may be a management device managing computing devices in the access network, and the fourth device 140 may be a computing device in the access network.

Fig. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 500 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 may be implemented at the third device 130 shown in fig. 1. For ease of discussion, the method 500 will be described below in connection with fig. 1 from the perspective of the third device 130.

As shown in fig. 5, the third device 130 receives a connection request from the first device 110 of the access network at 510. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection request may include location information of the second device 120 and identification information of a service requested by the second device 120.

At 520, the third device 130 determines a virtual node on the fourth device 140 that provides resources for the service based on the location information and the QoS requirements of the service. In some embodiments, an example implementation of the operations in 520 may include: the third device 130 looks up a matching virtual node from the set of virtual nodes in the access network based on the location information, the identification information of the service and the QoS requirements. If a matching virtual node is found, the third device 130 assigns a second address (e.g., an IP address) for the matching virtual node. If a matching virtual node is not found, the third device 130 causes the matching virtual node to be created in the access network and assigns an address (e.g., an IP address) to the created virtual node.

At 530, the third device 130 sends a connection response to the first device 110, the connection response including the first address assigned for the second device 120 and the second address assigned for the virtual node.

In the above embodiments, the first device 110 may be an authentication device in the access network, the second device may be an end device, the third device may be a management device that manages an edge computing device in the access network, and the fourth device 140 may be an edge computing device in the access network.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for flexible deployment of fog-computing based applications in an access network is provided. By this method, the service provider can provide service functions required by the user at the fog node closer to the edge of the network in a manner to accommodate the local network status and the user environment. In addition, the embodiment of the disclosure also provides a comprehensive authentication mechanism, which combines the process for access authentication and the process for service authentication to ensure fast response and processing requirements.

In some cases, to protect resources for the fog computing platform from any possible attacks, the fog node in the access network may only be visible to the network operator, but not to the end device/IoT sensor user and service provider. However, in practice, a service provider may wish to deploy the processing logic or service functions that it provides as close as possible to the users of the end devices/IoT sensors, which is advantageous for quality of service and quality of experience. Therefore, the operator of the access network needs to decide where to deploy the service functions of the service provider on the network, e.g. on a fog node or on an edge cloud. In view of this, there is a need for a service provisioning mechanism to ensure that the required processing logic or service functionality is implemented at the most appropriate site/network node for the access network.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an access network architecture supporting fog computing is proposed. Through the network architecture, different services associated with fog-computing-based applications provided by one or more service providers may be more flexibly and efficiently deployed.

Furthermore, in conventional access networks, the operator accesses the intermediate node using management plane IP addresses, which are not visible to the terminal device, to gather status data of the intermediate node (e.g. the fog node). According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a function of managing a plane IP address is added so that a network element that becomes a fogging node can communicate with a management device (e.g., FEC device) of an access network using the management plane IP address. The fog computing platform may enable interaction with the fog node via the management plane IP address, e.g., to instruct the fog node to create a virtual node.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a network environment 600 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown, network environment 600 includes a fifth device 650, sixth devices 660-1 and 660-2 (which may be collectively referred to as sixth device 660), a seventh device 670, and a terminal device 680. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the fifth device 650 and the sixth device 660 constitute an access network supporting fog computing, and the terminal device 680 is an IoT sensor or terminal device requesting access to the access network.

The fifth device 650 may be any suitable device in the access network, e.g. an FEC controller, responsible for controlling and managing the resources of the fog node and the edge cloud side and using these resources to serve the accessed terminal devices. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the fifth device 650 maintains information about virtual nodes already existing in the network (e.g., QoS requirements), information about available fog-edge computing resources in the access network, location information of the terminal device 680, and so on. The fifth device 650 can select an already existing virtual node that provides a service to the user of the terminal device 680 based on the information and provide an IP address for the terminal device 680. Alternatively, in the event that there are no satisfactory virtual nodes in the network, the fifth device 650 may cause a satisfactory new virtual node to be created on the at least one sixth device 660-1 and 660-2 and assigned an IP address. Example embodiments of this aspect are discussed below.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the sixth device 660 may be an intermediate node in a layer 2 access network having resources available to the fog computing platform. As previously mentioned, in some example embodiments, the sixth device may also be referred to as a fog node, which may create a virtual node thereon to provide computing and storage resources, etc., in accordance with the network requirements of the terminal device. The sixth device 660 may be functionally divided into two parts, one part for implementing normal operation as a network node and the other part for providing an implementation environment for a virtual node carried thereon, wherein the virtual node is used for implementing a service requested by the terminal device 680. In some embodiments, the sixth devices 660-1 and 660-2 may be the same type of network node, e.g., both are ONUs. In some further embodiments, the sixth devices 660-1 and 660-2 may also be different types of network nodes, the sixth device 660-1 being an ONU and the sixth device 660-2 being an OLT. The scope of the invention is not to be so limited.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the seventh device 670 may be any suitable device of a service provider in an access network for providing service functionality associated with a fog-based computing application and for service authentication. As an example, the seventh device 670 may be an AAA server of a service provider.

As described above, the terminal device 680 is an IoT sensor or terminal device that requests access to a network, which requests use of a service provided by a service provider. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, authenticated terminal device 680 may access the access network and be attached to a virtual node providing the requested service, such that traffic/data from terminal device 680 may be sent to the virtual node.

It should be understood that the network environment 600 shown in FIG. 6 is for exemplary purposes only and does not imply any limitation as to the scope of the disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be embodied in different network environments or architectures. The number of fifth devices 650, sixth devices 660, seventh devices 670, and terminal devices 680 shown in fig. 6 is merely illustrative, and in practice, any suitable number of the above-described devices and components may be included depending on the scale and architecture of the network environment. It should also be understood that network environment 600 also includes other elements or entities for facilitating communication, such as AAA servers of access networks, and so forth. These network elements or entities may be physical or virtual and may be implemented in any suitable way. Moreover, the elements or entities may communicate using any communication technique currently known and developed in the future.

Fig. 7 illustrates signaling flows of an example interaction process, in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The interaction process 700 may be implemented in the network environment 600 and involves the fifth device 650, the sixth device 660, the seventh device 670, and the terminal device 680 as shown in fig. 6. It will be appreciated that although the process 700 is described with reference to fig. 6 for discussion purposes, the process illustrated in fig. 7 is equally applicable to other communication scenarios.

In process 700, fifth device 650 receives (705) a service deployment request from seventh device 670. As an example, the service deployment request may be implemented via a function call in the fifth device 650 or a service API provided by a web portal. In an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the service deployment request comprises at least QoS requirements for the service to be deployed. QoS requirements include, but are not limited to, network bandwidth, latency, location information of the terminal device, a set of function images associated with the service, and the like.

The fifth device 650 determines (710) resources required for deploying the service at both the fog node and the edge cloud based on the QoS requirements. In some example embodiments, one example implementation of the operations in 710 includes: the fifth device 650 determines resources required for deploying at least one of the set of function images based on the available resources and the QoS requirements.

In some example embodiments, the fifth device 650 may include a service coordination module to coordinate services provided by the service provider or to break up the provided services into several service functions. In this example, the service coordination module may select the most appropriate sixth device(s) 660 (e.g., a foggy node) for implementing the respective service function(s), e.g., based on available resources and QoS requirements in the access network. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, these selected sixth devices 660 will be used to carry virtual nodes implementing service functions.

Based on the above selection by the service coordination module, the fifth device 650 sends (720) a create message to the selected sixth device 660 for the sixth device 660 to create a virtual node for providing the resource. Prior to 720, the fifth device 650 assigns 715 an address (e.g., a management plane IP address) for the virtual node and includes the address in the create message. For example, the service providing module in the fifth device 650 may implement address allocation by means of a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server module therein. In some example embodiments, the create message further includes the at least one function image and resources required for deploying the at least one function image.

The sixth device 660 creates (725) a virtual node for providing resources for the service based on the at least one function image and the resources in the received create message. For example, at least one function image is installed on the sixth device 660 to implement a virtual node, and the virtual node is configured with the assigned address. The sixth device 660 then sends 730 a message to the fifth device 650 indicating the successful creation of the virtual node.

In some example embodiments, if the service is coordinated to be implemented by multiple virtual nodes on different sixth devices 660, the steps in 720 and 730 may be repeated multiple times until all virtual nodes are successfully created.

After receiving the message from the sixth device 660 indicating successful creation of the virtual node, the fifth device 650 sends 735 a service deployment response to the seventh device 670 providing the service, the service deployment response including an address of the virtual node, e.g., the IP address (e.g., management plane IP address) of the first virtual node closest to the IoT sensor/end device requesting the service provided by the service provider.

In additional embodiments, seventh device 670 may configure the IoT sensor/terminal device to have its traffic/data (e.g., video stream) delivered from or to the created virtual node(s) for the desired operation.

Fig. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 800 may be implemented at the fifth device 650 shown in fig. 6. For ease of discussion, the method 800 will be described below in conjunction with fig. 6 from the perspective of the fifth device 650.

As shown in fig. 8, at 810, fifth device 650 receives a service deployment request from seventh device 670. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a service deployment request comprises at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed. In other embodiments, the service deployment request further includes a set of function images associated with the service.

At 820, the fifth device 650 determines the resources needed for deploying the service based on the quality of service requirements. 820 includes: the fifth device 650 determines resources required for deploying at least one function image of the set of function images based on the available resources and the QoS.

At 830, the fifth device 650 sends a create message to the sixth device 660 to cause the sixth device 660 to create a virtual node for providing resources. In some example embodiments, the create message includes the at least one function image and resources required for deploying the at least one function image.

In additional embodiments, the fifth device 650 may further allocate an address (e.g. a management plane IP address) for the virtual node, e.g. by means of a DHCP server module, and include the allocated address in the create message.

In additional embodiments, after receiving the message indicating successful creation of the virtual node from the sixth device 660, the fifth device 650 may send a service deployment response including the address of the virtual node to the seventh device 670 providing the service.

In the above embodiment, the fifth device may be a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, the sixth device may be a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device may be a service providing device of the access network.

Fig. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 900 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 900 may be implemented at the sixth apparatus 660 shown in fig. 6. For ease of discussion, the method 900 will be described below in connection with fig. 6 from the perspective of the sixth apparatus 660.

As shown in fig. 9, at 910, the sixth device 660 receives a create message from the fifth device 650. In some example embodiments, the create message includes at least one function image of a set of function images associated with the service to be deployed and resources required for deploying the at least one function image.

At 920, the sixth device 660 creates a virtual node for implementing the service function based on the at least one function image and the resource. In some example embodiments, the at least one functional image may be executable code provided by a service provider, a third party, or an operator of the access network supporting fog computing, by executing the executable code on the virtual node the corresponding service function may be implemented.

In additional embodiments, the sixth device 660 may send a message to the fifth device 650 indicating successful creation of the virtual node. In this example, the create message may also include an address assigned by the fifth device 650 for the virtual node.

In the above embodiment, the fifth device may be a management device that manages the computing device in the access network, and the sixth device may be the computing device in the access network.

Fig. 10 illustrates a flow diagram of a method 1000 in accordance with certain embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 1000 may be implemented at the seventh device 670 shown in fig. 6. For ease of discussion, the method 1000 will be described below in connection with fig. 6 from the perspective of the seventh device 670.

As shown in fig. 10, at 1010, the seventh device 670 sends a service deployment request to the fifth device 650. According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a service deployment request is used to provide resources required to deploy a service, and includes at least a quality of service requirement for the service to be deployed, such that a virtual node is created. In other embodiments, the service deployment request may also include a set of function mirror virtual nodes associated with the service.

At 1020, the seventh device 670 receives a service deployment response from the fifth device 650. In some example embodiments, the service deployment response includes an address of the virtual node.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, an access network architecture supporting fog computing is presented. In the access network architecture, the foggy node may be instructed to create a corresponding virtual node via a management plane IP address. Through the network architecture, different services associated with fog-computing-based applications provided by one or more service providers may be more flexibly and efficiently deployed.

In some example embodiments, the

methods

300, 400, 500, 800, 900, and 1000 described above with reference to fig. 3-5, and 8-10 may be performed by components that include instructions for performing the respective steps in the

methods

300, 400, 500, 800, 900, and 1000. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in circuits or software modules.

Fig. 11 illustrates a block diagram of a device 1100 suitable for implementing example embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1100 may be implemented at or part of the first device 110, the second device 120, the third device 130, the fourth device 140 shown in fig. 1, and the fifth device 650, the sixth device 660, and the seventh device 670 shown in fig. 6. As shown in fig. 11, the device 1100 includes at least one processor 1110, at least one memory 1120 coupled to the processor 1110, a communication module 1140 coupled to the processor 1110, and a communication interface (not shown) coupled to the communication module 1140. The memory 1120 stores at least a computer program 1130.

The communication module 1140 is used for bi-directional communication. The communication module 1140 has at least one antenna for facilitating communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication.

Processor 1110, by executing instructions, causes apparatus 1100 to perform the relevant operations and features of first apparatus 110, second apparatus 120, third apparatus 130, fourth apparatus 140, fifth apparatus 650, sixth apparatus 660, and seventh apparatus 670 described above with reference to fig. 3-5, and 8-10. As an example, the training process function of the coding scheme model may be performed on the first device 110 by executing instructions. All of the features described above with reference to fig. 3-5, and 8-10 apply to the apparatus 1100, and are not described again.

The processor 1110 may be of any suitable type suitable to the local technical environment and may include one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal controllers (DSPs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 1100 may include multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are subordinate in time to a clock that synchronizes the host processor.

The memory 1120 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, Read Only Memory (ROM)1124, Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a Compact Disk (CD), a Digital Video Disk (DVD), and other magnetic and/or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM)1122, and other volatile memory that is not maintained during power down.

Computer programs 1130 include computer-executable instructions that are executed by an associated processor 1110. The program 1140 may be stored in the ROM 1124. Processor 1110 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1130 into RAM 1122.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by way of program 1130 such that device 1100 may perform any of the processes discussed herein with reference to fig. 3-5, and 8-10. Example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

In some example embodiments, program 1130 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 1100 (such as memory 1120) or other storage device accessible by device 1100. The device 1100 may load the program 1130 from the computer-readable medium into the RAM 1122 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any type of tangible, non-volatile memory, such as a ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, or the like. Fig. 12 shows an example of a computer readable medium 1200 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer readable medium has stored thereon a program 1130.

In general, the various example embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Certain aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated or described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product comprises computer executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to implement the method as described above with reference to fig. 3-5, and 8-10. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. In various example embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided among the program modules described. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed facility, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Computer program code for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages. These computer program codes may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the program codes, when executed by the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, cause the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the computer, partly on the computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations described above. Examples of a carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

Examples of signals may include electrical, optical, radio, acoustic, or other forms of propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of a computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

Additionally, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking or parallel processing may be beneficial. Likewise, while the above discussion contains certain specific implementation details, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of any invention or claims, but rather as describing particular embodiments that may be directed to particular inventions. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Various example embodiments of the technology have been described. Alternatively or additionally to the above, the following examples are described. Features described in any of the examples below may be used with any of the other examples described herein.

Example 1: a first device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to: receiving an access request for an access network from a second device, the access request including first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; in response to the successful passing of the authentication of the first authentication information, sending an authentication request to the service providing device, the authentication request including the second authentication information; and in response to receiving a message indicating that the authentication of the second authentication information is successfully passed from the service providing apparatus, transmitting a connection request to a third apparatus to connect a fourth apparatus providing resources for the service.

Example 2: the first device of example 1, wherein the connection request includes location information of the second device and identification information of the service, and wherein the first device is further caused to: receiving a connection response from the third device, the connection response comprising: a first address allocated to the second device, and a second address allocated to a virtual node in the fourth device for providing resources for the service; and sending an access response to the second device, the access response including the first address and the second address.

Example 3: the first device of example 1, wherein the first device being caused to send an authentication request to the service providing device comprises: determining identification information of the service based on the second authentication information in the access request; selecting a service providing device associated with the identification information from one or more candidate service providing devices of a service provider based on the identification information; and transmitting the authentication request to the selected service providing apparatus.

Example 4: the first device of example 1, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is a terminal device, the third device is a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 5: a second device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to: sending an access request for an access network to a first device, the access request including first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; and receiving an access response from the first device, the access response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to a virtual node in a fourth device for providing resources for the service.

Example 6: the second device of example 5, wherein the second device is further caused to: communicating with the virtual node using the first address and the second address.

Example 7: the second device of example 5, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is a terminal device, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 8: a third device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the third apparatus to: receiving a connection request from a first device of an access network, the connection request including location information of the second device and identification information of a service requested by the second device; determining a virtual node on a fourth device providing resources for the service based on the location information and a quality of service requirement of the service; and sending a connection response to the first device, the connection response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to the virtual node.

Example 9: the third device of example 8, wherein the third device being caused to determine a virtual node on a fourth device that provides resources for the service comprises: searching a matched virtual node from a virtual node set in the access network based on the position information, the identification information of the service and the service quality requirement; in response to finding the matched virtual node, allocating an address for the matched virtual node; and in response to not finding a matching virtual node, causing the matching virtual node to be created in the access network, and assigning an address for the created virtual node.

Example 10: the third device of example 8, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is a terminal device, the third device is a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 11: a fifth apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the fifth apparatus to: receiving a service deployment request from a seventh device, the service deployment request including at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed; determining resources required for deploying the service based on the quality of service requirements; and sending a create message to the sixth device to cause the sixth device to create a virtual node for providing the resource.

Example 12: the fifth device of example 11, wherein the service deployment request further includes a set of function images associated with the service, and the fifth device caused to determine resources required for deploying the service comprises: determining resources required for deploying at least one functional image of the set of functional images based on available resources and the quality of service requirements.

Example 13: the fifth apparatus of example 12, wherein the create message includes the at least one functional image and resources required for deploying the at least one functional image.

Example 14: the fifth device of example 11, wherein the fifth device is further caused to: assigning an address for the virtual node; and including the address in the create message.

Example 15: the fifth device of example 14, wherein the fifth device is further caused to: in response to receiving a message from the sixth device indicating successful creation of the virtual node, sending a service deployment response including an address of the virtual node to a seventh device providing the service.

Example 16: the fifth device of example 11, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages a computing device in an access network, the sixth device is a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device is a service providing device of the access network.

Example 17: a sixth apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the sixth apparatus to: receiving a create message from a fifth device, the create message comprising: at least one function image in a group of function images associated with a service to be deployed, and resources required for deploying the at least one function image; and creating a virtual node for providing resources for the service based on the at least one functional image and the resources.

Example 18: the sixth device of example 17, wherein the sixth device is further caused to: sending a message to the fifth device indicating successful creation of the virtual node.

Example 19: the sixth device of example 17, wherein the create message further includes an address assigned by the fifth device for the virtual node.

Example 20: the sixth device of example 17, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages computing devices in an access network and the sixth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 21: a seventh apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the fifth apparatus to: sending a service deployment request to a fifth device, wherein the service deployment request at least comprises a service quality requirement aiming at a service to be deployed, so that a virtual node is created, and the virtual node is used for providing resources required by the service deployment; and receiving a service deployment response from the fifth device, the service deployment response including the address of the virtual node.

Example 22: the seventh apparatus of example 21, wherein the service deployment request further comprises a set of function images associated with the service.

Example 23: the seventh device of example 21, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages a computing device in an access network, the sixth device is a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device is a service providing device of the access network.

Example 24: a method for communication, comprising: receiving, at a first device, an access request for an access network from a second device, the access request including first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; in response to the successful passing of the authentication of the first authentication information, sending an authentication request to the service providing device, the authentication request including the second authentication information; and in response to receiving a message indicating that the authentication of the second authentication information is successfully passed from the service providing apparatus, transmitting a connection request to a third apparatus to connect a fourth apparatus providing resources for the service.

Example 25: the method of example 24, wherein the connection request includes location information of the second device and identification information of the service, and wherein the method further comprises: receiving a connection response from the third device, the connection response comprising: a first address allocated to the second device, and a second address allocated to a virtual node in the fourth device for providing resources for the service; and sending an access response to the second device, the access response including the first address and the second address.

Example 26: the method of example 24, wherein sending an authentication request to the service providing device comprises: determining identification information of the service based on the second authentication information in the access request; selecting a service providing device associated with the identification information from one or more candidate service providing devices of a service provider based on the identification information; and transmitting the authentication request to the selected service providing apparatus.

Example 27: the method of example 24, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is an end device, the third device is a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 28: a method for communication, comprising: at a second device, sending an access request for an access network to a first device, the access request comprising first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; and receiving an access response from the first device, the access response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to a virtual node in a fourth device for providing resources for the service.

Example 29: the method of example 28, further comprising: communicating with the virtual node using the first address and the second address.

Example 30: the method of example 28, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is an end device, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 31: a method for communication, comprising: receiving, at a third device, a connection request from a first device of an access network, the connection request including location information of the second device and identification information of a service requested by the second device; determining a virtual node on a fourth device providing resources for the service based on the location information and a quality of service requirement of the service; and sending a connection response to the first device, the connection response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to the virtual node.

Example 32: the method of example 31, wherein determining a virtual node on a fourth device that provides resources for the service comprises: searching a matched virtual node from a virtual node set in the access network based on the position information, the identification information of the service and the service quality requirement; in response to finding the matched virtual node, allocating an address for the matched virtual node; and in response to not finding a matching virtual node, causing the matching virtual node to be created in the access network, and assigning an address for the created virtual node.

Example 33: the method of example 31, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is an end device, the third device is a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 34: a method for communication, comprising: receiving, at a fifth device, a service deployment request from a sixth device, the service deployment request including at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed; determining resources required for deploying the service based on the quality of service requirements; and sending a create message to the sixth device to cause the sixth device to create a virtual node for providing the resource.

Example 35: the method of example 34, wherein the service deployment request further includes a set of function images associated with the service, and wherein determining resources required for deploying the service comprises: determining resources required for deploying at least one functional image of the set of functional images based on available resources and the quality of service requirements.

Example 36: the method of example 35, wherein the create message includes the at least one functional image and resources required for deploying the at least one functional image.

Example 37: the method of example 34, further comprising: assigning an address for the virtual node; and including the address in the create message.

Example 38: the method of example 37, further comprising: in response to receiving a message from the sixth device indicating successful creation of the virtual node, sending a service deployment response including an address of the virtual node to a seventh device providing the service.

Example 39: the method of example 34, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages a computing device in an access network, the sixth device is a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device is a service providing device of the access network.

Example 40: a method for communication, comprising: receiving, at a sixth device, a create message from a fifth device, the create message comprising: at least one function image in a group of function images associated with a service to be deployed, and resources required for deploying the at least one function image; and creating a virtual node for providing resources for the service based on the at least one functional image and the resources.

Example 41: the method of example 40, further comprising: sending a message to the fifth device indicating successful creation of the virtual node.

Example 42: the method of example 40, wherein the create message further includes an address assigned by the fifth device for the virtual node.

Example 43: the method of example 40, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages computing devices in an access network, and the sixth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 44: a method for communication, comprising: at the seventh device, sending a service deployment request to the fifth device, the service deployment request including at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed, such that a virtual node is created, the virtual node being configured to provide resources required for deploying the service; and receiving a service deployment response from the fifth device, the service deployment response including the address of the virtual node.

Example 45: the method of example 44, wherein the service deployment request further includes a set of function images associated with the service.

Example 46: the method of example 44, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages a computing device in an access network, the sixth device is a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device is a service providing device of the access network.

Example 47: an apparatus for communication, comprising: means for receiving an access request from a second device for an access network, the access request comprising first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; means for transmitting an authentication request to the service providing apparatus in response to the authentication of the first authentication information passing successfully, the authentication request including the second authentication information; and means for transmitting a connection request to a third device to connect a fourth device providing resources for the service in response to receiving a message indicating that authentication of the second authentication information is successfully passed from the service providing device.

Example 48: the apparatus of example 47, wherein the connection request includes location information of the second device and identification information of the service, and wherein the apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a connection response from the third device, the connection response comprising: a first address allocated to the second device, and a second address allocated to a virtual node in the fourth device for providing resources for the service; and means for sending an access response to the second device, the access response including the first address and the second address.

Example 49: the apparatus of example 47, wherein the means for sending an authentication request to the service providing device comprises: determining identification information of the service based on the second authentication information in the access request; selecting a service providing device associated with the identification information from one or more candidate service providing devices of a service provider based on the identification information; and transmitting the authentication request to the selected service providing apparatus.

Example 50: the apparatus of example 47, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is a terminal device, the third device is a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 51: an apparatus for communication, comprising: means for sending an access request for an access network to a first device, the access request comprising first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; and means for receiving an access response from the first device, the access response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to a virtual node in a fourth device for providing resources for the service.

Example 52: the apparatus of example 51, further comprising: means for communicating with the virtual node using the first address and the second address.

Example 53: the apparatus of example 51, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is an end device, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 54: an apparatus for communication, comprising: means for receiving a connection request from a first device of an access network, the connection request including location information of the second device and identification information of a service requested by the second device; means for determining a virtual node on a fourth device that provides resources for the service based on the location information and a quality of service requirement of the service; and means for sending a connection response to the first device, the connection response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to the virtual node.

Example 55: the apparatus of example 54, wherein means for determining a virtual node on a fourth device that provides resources for the service comprises: searching a matched virtual node from a virtual node set in the access network based on the position information, the identification information of the service and the service quality requirement; in response to finding the matched virtual node, allocating an address for the matched virtual node; and in response to not finding a matching virtual node, causing the matching virtual node to be created in the access network, and assigning an address for the created virtual node.

Example 56: the apparatus of example 54, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is an end device, the third device is a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 57: an apparatus for communication, comprising: means for receiving a service deployment request from a sixth device, the service deployment request comprising at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed; means for determining resources required for deploying the service based on the quality of service requirements; and means for sending a create message to the sixth device to cause the sixth device to create a virtual node for providing the resource.

Example 58: the apparatus of example 57, wherein the service deployment request further comprises a set of function images associated with the service, and wherein the means for determining resources required for deploying the service comprises: determining resources required for deploying at least one functional image of the set of functional images based on available resources and the quality of service requirements.

Example 59: the apparatus of example 58, wherein the create message includes the at least one functional image and resources required for deploying the at least one functional image.

Example 60: the apparatus of example 57, further comprising: means for assigning an address for the virtual node; and means for including the address in the create message.

Example 61: the apparatus of example 59, further comprising: means for sending a service deployment response including an address of the virtual node to a seventh device providing the service in response to receiving a message from the sixth device indicating successful creation of the virtual node.

Example 62: the method of example 57, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages computing devices in an access network, the sixth device is a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device is a service providing device of the access network.

Example 63: an apparatus for communication, comprising: means for receiving a create message from a fifth device, the create message comprising: at least one function image in a group of function images associated with a service to be deployed, and resources required for deploying the at least one function image; and means for creating a virtual node for providing resources for the service based on the at least one functional image and the resources.

Example 64: the apparatus of example 63, further comprising: means for sending a message to the fifth device indicating successful creation of the virtual node.

Example 65: the apparatus of example 63, wherein the create message further comprises an address assigned by the fifth device for the virtual node.

Example 66: the apparatus of example 63, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages computing devices in an access network and the sixth device is a computing device in the access network.

Example 67: an apparatus for communication, comprising: means for sending a service deployment request to a fifth device, the service deployment request comprising at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed such that a virtual node is created, the virtual node for providing resources required to deploy the service; and means for receiving a service deployment response from the fifth device, the service deployment response including the address of the virtual node.

Example 68: the apparatus of example 67, wherein the service deployment request further comprises a set of function images associated with the service.

Example 69: the apparatus of example 67, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages computing devices in an access network, the sixth device is a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device is a service providing device of the access network.

Example 70: a computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of examples 24 to 27.

Example 71: a computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any of examples 28 to 30.

Example 72: a computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any of examples 31 to 33.

Example 73: a computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any of examples 34 to 39.

Example 74: a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any of examples 40 to 43.

Example 75: a computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of examples 44 to 46.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to:

receiving an access request for an access network from a second device, the access request including first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device;

in response to the successful passing of the authentication of the first authentication information, sending an authentication request to the service providing device, the authentication request including the second authentication information; and

in response to receiving a message indicating that the authentication of the second authentication information is successfully passed from the service providing apparatus, transmitting a connection request to a third apparatus to connect a fourth apparatus providing resources for the service.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the connection request includes location information of the second device and identification information of the service, and

wherein the first device is further caused to:

receiving a connection response from the third device, the connection response comprising: a first address allocated to the second device, and a second address allocated to a virtual node in the fourth device for providing resources for the service; and

transmitting an access response to the second device, the access response including the first address and the second address.

3. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device being caused to send an authentication request to the service providing device comprises:

determining identification information of the service based on the second authentication information in the access request;

selecting a service providing device associated with the identification information from one or more candidate service providing devices of a service provider based on the identification information; and

transmitting the authentication request to the selected service providing device.

4. A first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is an end device, the third device is a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

5. A second device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to:

sending an access request for an access network to a first device, the access request including first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; and

receiving an access response from the first device, the access response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to a virtual node in a fourth device for providing resources for the service.

6. The second device of claim 5, wherein the second device is further caused to:

communicating with the virtual node using the first address and the second address.

7. The second device of claim 5, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is a terminal device, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

8. A third device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the third apparatus to:

receiving a connection request from a first device of an access network, the connection request including location information of the second device and identification information of a service requested by the second device;

determining a virtual node on a fourth device providing resources for the service based on the location information and a quality of service requirement of the service; and

sending a connection response to the first device, the connection response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to the virtual node.

9. The third device of claim 8, wherein the third device being caused to determine a virtual node on a fourth device that provides resources for the service comprises:

searching a matched virtual node from a virtual node set in the access network based on the position information, the identification information of the service and the service quality requirement;

in response to finding the matched virtual node, allocating an address for the matched virtual node; and

in response to not finding a matching virtual node,

causing the matching virtual node to be created in the access network, an

Assigning an address for the created virtual node.

10. A third device according to claim 8, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is an end device, the third device is a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

11. A fifth apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the fifth apparatus to:

receiving a service deployment request from a seventh device, the service deployment request including at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed;

determining resources required for deploying the service based on the quality of service requirements; and

sending a create message to the sixth device to cause the sixth device to create a virtual node for providing the resource.

12. The fifth device of claim 11, wherein the service deployment request further comprises a set of function images associated with the service, and

the fifth device caused to determine resources required for deploying the service comprises:

determining resources required for deploying at least one functional image of the set of functional images based on available resources and the quality of service requirements.

13. The fifth device of claim 12, wherein the create message includes the at least one functional image and resources required for deploying the at least one functional image.

14. The fifth device of claim 11, wherein the fifth device is further caused to:

assigning an address for the virtual node; and

including the address in the create message.

15. The fifth device of claim 14, wherein the fifth device is further caused to:

in response to receiving a message from the sixth device indicating successful creation of the virtual node, sending a service deployment response including an address of the virtual node to a seventh device providing the service.

16. The fifth device of claim 11, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages a computing device in an access network, the sixth device is a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device is a service providing device of the access network.

17. A sixth apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the sixth apparatus to:

receiving a create message from a fifth device, the create message comprising: at least one function image in a group of function images associated with a service to be deployed, and resources required for deploying the at least one function image; and

creating a virtual node for providing resources for the service based on the at least one functional image and the resources.

18. The sixth device of claim 17, wherein the sixth device is further caused to:

sending a message to the fifth device indicating successful creation of the virtual node.

19. The sixth device of claim 17, wherein the create message further includes an address assigned by the fifth device for the virtual node.

20. The sixth device of claim 17, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages computing devices in an access network, and the sixth device is a computing device in the access network.

21. A seventh apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code,

sending a service deployment request to a fifth device, wherein the service deployment request at least comprises a service quality requirement aiming at a service to be deployed, so that a virtual node is created, and the virtual node is used for providing resources required by the service deployment; and

receiving a service deployment response from the fifth device, the service deployment response including an address of the virtual node.

22. The seventh device of claim 21, wherein the service deployment request further comprises a set of function images associated with the service.

23. The seventh device of claim 21, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages a computing device in an access network, the sixth device is a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device is a service providing device of the access network.

24. A method for communication, comprising:

receiving, at a first device, an access request for an access network from a second device, the access request including first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device;

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the connection request includes location information of the second device and identification information of the service, and

wherein the method further comprises:

26. The method of claim 24, wherein sending an authentication request to the service providing device comprises:

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is an end device, the third device is a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

28. A method for communication, comprising:

at a second device, sending an access request for an access network to a first device, the access request comprising first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; and

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is an end device, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

31. A method for communication, comprising:

receiving, at a third device, a connection request from a first device of an access network, the connection request including location information of the second device and identification information of a service requested by the second device;

32. The method of claim 31, wherein determining a virtual node on a fourth device that provides resources for the service comprises:

in response to not finding a matching virtual node,

causing the matching virtual node to be created in the access network, an

Assigning an address for the created virtual node.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the first device is an authentication device in the access network, the second device is an end device, the third device is a management device that manages a computing device in the access network, and the fourth device is a computing device in the access network.

34. A method for communication, comprising:

receiving, at a fifth device, a service deployment request from a sixth device, the service deployment request including at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed;

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the service deployment request further comprises a set of function images associated with the service, and

wherein determining resources required for deploying the service comprises:

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the create message includes the at least one functional image and resources required for deploying the at least one functional image.

37. The method of claim 34, further comprising:

assigning an address for the virtual node; and

including the address in the create message.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

39. The method of claim 34, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages computing devices in an access network, the sixth device is a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device is a service providing device of the access network.

40. A method for communication, comprising:

receiving, at a sixth device, a create message from a fifth device, the create message comprising: at least one function image in a group of function images associated with a service to be deployed, and resources required for deploying the at least one function image; and

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the create message further comprises an address assigned by the fifth device for the virtual node.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages computing devices in an access network and the sixth device is a computing device in the access network.

44. A method for communication, comprising:

at the seventh device, sending a service deployment request to the fifth device, the service deployment request including at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed, such that a virtual node is created, the virtual node being configured to provide resources required for deploying the service; and

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the service deployment request further comprises a set of function images associated with the service.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the fifth device is a management device that manages computing devices in an access network, the sixth device is a computing device in the access network, and the seventh device is a service providing device of the access network.

47. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for receiving an access request from a second device for an access network, the access request comprising first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device;

means for transmitting an authentication request to the service providing apparatus in response to the authentication of the first authentication information passing successfully, the authentication request including the second authentication information; and

means for transmitting a connection request to a third device to connect a fourth device providing resources for the service in response to receiving a message indicating that authentication of the second authentication information successfully passes from the service providing device.

48. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for sending an access request for an access network to a first device, the access request comprising first authentication information for the access network and second authentication information for a service providing device in the access network, the second authentication information indicating a service requested by the second device and provided by the service providing device; and

means for receiving an access response from the first device, the access response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to a virtual node in a fourth device for providing resources for the service.

49. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for receiving a connection request from a first device of an access network, the connection request including location information of the second device and identification information of a service requested by the second device;

means for determining a virtual node on a fourth device that provides resources for the service based on the location information and a quality of service requirement of the service; and

means for sending a connection response to the first device, the connection response comprising: a first address assigned to the second device, and a second address assigned to the virtual node.

50. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for receiving a service deployment request from a sixth device, the service deployment request comprising at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed;

means for determining resources required for deploying the service based on the quality of service requirements; and

means for sending a create message to the sixth device to cause the sixth device to create a virtual node for providing the resource.

51. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for receiving a create message from a fifth device, the create message comprising: at least one function image in a group of function images associated with a service to be deployed, and resources required for deploying the at least one function image; and

means for creating a virtual node for providing resources for the service based on the at least one functional image and the resources.

52. An apparatus for communication, comprising:

means for sending a service deployment request to a fifth device, the service deployment request comprising at least a quality of service requirement for a service to be deployed such that a virtual node is created, the virtual node for providing resources required to deploy the service; and

means for receiving a service deployment response from the fifth device, the service deployment response including an address of the virtual node.

53. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 24 to 27.

54. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 28 to 30.

55. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 31 to 33.

56. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 34 to 39.

57. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 40 to 43.

58. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any of claims 44 to 46.