CN113573303B

CN113573303B - Method and device for determining edge application server

Info

Publication number: CN113573303B
Application number: CN202110820788.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 邢天齐; 任驰; 马瑞涛; 马泽芳
Original assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-07-20
Filing date: 2021-07-20
Publication date: 2022-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 2041-07-20
Also published as: CN113573303A

Abstract

The application provides a method and a device for determining an edge application server, relates to the technical field of communication, and can reduce time delay in an EAS (electronic article surveillance) discovery process. The method comprises the following steps: sending at least one FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN to a network data analysis function NWDAF; receiving first indication information from the NWDAF; the first indication information is used for indicating a first edge application server interworking protocol (EAS) IP address associated with each FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN; determining a mapping table according to the first indication information; the mapping table comprises a mapping relation between at least one FQDN and at least one first EAS IP address; receiving a target FQDN from an edge application server discovery function EASDF; acquiring core network data corresponding to a target FQDN; determining a target EAS IP address from the mapping table according to the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN; the target EAS IP address is sent to the EASDF. The method and the device are used in the process of determining the edge application server.

Description

Method and device for determining edge application server

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for determining an edge application server.

Background

Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) refers to deploying a device at a position close to an access point of a terminal, so that an operator and an independent professional service provider can be closer to the access point of the terminal, thereby improving service efficiency and reducing transmission delay. If the MEC is to be used in a mobile network, a corresponding Edge Application Server (EAS) needs to be started.

Starting the corresponding EAS requires completing discovery of the corresponding EAS, i.e., determining an Interworking Protocol (IP) address of the corresponding EAS. In the prior art, an Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF) and a Domain Name System (DNS) are generally used to determine an IP address of a corresponding EAS. However, the DNS server is a network device located in a Data Network (DN), and a large time delay is generated in an interaction process between the DNS server and a terminal, so that a problem that service efficiency is reduced occurs.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method and a device for determining an edge application server, which can reduce time delay in an EAS discovery process.

In order to achieve the purpose, the technical scheme is as follows:

in a first aspect, the present application provides a method for determining an edge application server, where the method includes: sending the at least one FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN to a network data analysis function NWDAF; receiving first indication information from the NWDAF; the first indication information is used for indicating a first edge application server interworking protocol (EAS) IP address associated with each FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN; determining a mapping table according to the first indication information; the mapping table comprises a mapping relation between at least one FQDN and at least one first EAS IP address; receiving a target FQDN from an edge application server discovery function EASDF; acquiring core network data corresponding to a target FQDN; determining a target EAS IP address from the mapping table according to the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN; the target EAS IP address is sent to the EASDF.

Based on the technical scheme, the method for determining the edge application server establishes a mapping table comprising a mapping relation between at least one FQDN and at least one first EAS IP address through interaction of a Session Management Function (SMF), an EASDF and an NWDAF, so that the SMF can determine a target EAS IP address corresponding to the target FQDN according to the mapping table, and thus, the determination of the target EAS IP address can be completed only through a network element on a core network side, interaction with a DNS server is avoided, and further, delay in an EAS discovery process is reduced.

In one possible implementation, in a case that the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN are included in the mapping table, determining a first EAS IP address associated with the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN from the mapping table; the first EAS IP address is determined to be the target EAS IP address. In the implementation mode, under the condition that the mapping table comprises the target FQDN, the SMF can directly determine the first EAS IP address corresponding to the target FQDN from the mapping table, so that the SMF directly determines the operation from the mapping table simply and quickly, and the time delay in the EAS discovery process is reduced; interaction with the DNS server during EAS discovery is also avoided, further reducing latency in the EAS discovery process.

In one possible implementation manner, when the mapping table does not include the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN, the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN are sent to the NWDAF; receiving a second EAS IP address from the NWDAF, the second EAS IP address being an EAS IP address associated with the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN, the EAS IP address being determined by the NWDAF; determining the second EAS IP address as the target EAS IP address. In the implementation mode, under the condition that the mapping table does not include the target FQDN, the SMF interacts with the NWDAF to determine the first EAS IP address corresponding to the target FQDN, so that the interaction with the DNS server in the EAS discovery process is avoided, and the time delay in the EAS discovery process is further reduced.

In one possible implementation manner, before determining the target EAS IP address from the mapping table according to the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN, the method further includes: receiving a low latency preference indication parameter from the EASDF; the low-delay preference indication parameter is used for indicating the SMF to judge whether the mapping table comprises the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN. In the implementation mode, the low-delay preference indication parameter is added into the first request message to indicate the SMF to judge whether the mapping table comprises the target FQDN without interacting with the DNS, so that the interaction with the DNS server in the EAS discovery process is avoided, and the delay in the EAS discovery process is further reduced.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for determining an edge application server, including: receiving first request information from a terminal device, wherein the first request information comprises: a target full name domain name FQDN; analyzing the first request information, and determining a target FQDN; sending a target FQDN to a session management function SMF; a target EAS IP address is received from a session management function SMF.

In a possible implementation manner, the first request information further includes: a low latency preference indication parameter, the method further comprising: analyzing the first request information, and determining a low-delay preference indication parameter; a low latency preference indication parameter is sent to the SMF.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a method for determining an edge application server, including: receiving at least one full name domain name FQDN from a session management function SMF and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN; determining a first edge application server intercommunication protocol (EAS) IP address corresponding to each FQDN according to the at least one FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN; sending first indication information to a Session Management Function (SMF); the first indication information is used to indicate a first EAS IP address associated with each FQDN and the core network data corresponding to each FQDN.

In a possible implementation manner, after sending the first indication information to the session management function SMF, the method further includes: receiving a target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN; determining a second EAS IP address corresponding to the target FQDN according to the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN; sending a second EAS IP address to the SMF; the second EAS IP address is an EAS IP address associated with the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides an edge application server determining apparatus, including: the method comprises the following steps: a communication unit and a processing unit; the communication unit is used for sending the at least one FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN to the network data analysis function NWDAF; a communication unit further configured to receive first indication information from the NWDAF; the first indication information is used for indicating a first edge application server interworking protocol (EAS) IP address associated with each FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN; the processing unit is used for determining a mapping table according to the first indication information; the mapping table comprises a mapping relationship between at least one FQDN and at least one first EAS IP address; a communication unit, further configured to receive a target FQDN from an edge application server discovery function EASDF; the communication unit is also used for acquiring core network data corresponding to the target FQDN; the processing unit is also used for determining a target EAS IP address from the mapping table according to the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN; and the communication unit is also used for sending the target EAS IP address to the EASDF.

In a fifth aspect, the present application provides an edge application server determining apparatus, including: the method comprises the following steps: a communication unit and a processing unit; a communication unit, configured to receive first request information from a terminal device, where the first request information includes: a target full name domain name FQDN; the processing unit is used for analyzing the first request information and determining a target FQDN; the communication unit is also used for sending a target FQDN to the session management function SMF; and the communication unit is also used for receiving the target EAS IP address from the session management function SMF.

In a sixth aspect, the present application provides an edge application server determining apparatus, including: the method comprises the following steps: a communication unit and a processing unit; the communication unit is used for receiving at least one full-name domain name FQDN from the session management function SMF and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN; the processing unit is used for determining a first edge application server intercommunication protocol EAS IP address corresponding to each FQDN according to the at least one FQDN and the core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN; the communication unit is used for sending first indication information to the session management function SMF; the first indication information is used to indicate a first EAS IP address associated with each FQDN and the core network data corresponding to each FQDN.

The advantageous effects of the second aspect to the sixth aspect can all be understood with reference to the advantageous effects of the first aspect.

In a seventh aspect, the present application provides an edge application server determining apparatus, including: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is coupled to a processor, which is configured to execute a computer program or instructions to implement the edge application server determining method as described in the first aspect, any of the possible implementations of the first aspect, the second aspect, any of the possible implementations of the second aspect, the third aspect, or any of the possible implementations of the third aspect.

In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, where instructions are stored, and when the instructions are executed on a terminal, the terminal is caused to execute the method for determining an edge application server as described in the first aspect, any possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the third aspect, and any possible implementation manner of the third aspect.

In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on an edge application server determining apparatus, cause the edge application server determining apparatus to perform the method for determining an edge application server as described in the first aspect, any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the second aspect, any possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the third aspect, or any possible implementation manner of the third aspect.

In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a chip, where the chip includes a processor and a communication interface, where the communication interface is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions to implement the edge application server determining method as described in the first aspect, any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the second aspect, any possible implementation manner of the second aspect, and any possible implementation manner of the third aspect.

In particular, the chip provided herein further comprises a memory for storing computer programs or instructions.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is an architecture diagram of a 5G network according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a method for determining an edge application server according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a flowchart of another method for determining an edge application server according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a flowchart of another method for determining an edge application server according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a flowchart of another method for determining an edge application server according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a flowchart of another method for determining an edge application server according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an edge application server determining apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another edge application server determining apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of another edge application server determining apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The following describes the method and apparatus for determining an edge application server according to the embodiments of the present application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The term "and/or" herein is merely an association describing an associated object, meaning that three relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B, may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

The terms "first" and "second" and the like in the description and drawings of the present application are used for distinguishing different objects or for distinguishing different processes for the same object, and are not used for describing a specific order of the objects.

Furthermore, the terms "including" and "having," and any variations thereof, as referred to in the description of the present application, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those steps or elements but may alternatively include other steps or elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

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

In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" means two or more unless otherwise specified.

Hereinafter, terms related to the embodiments of the present application are explained for the convenience of the reader.

(1) MEC refers to a technology that allows an operator as well as an independent professional facilitator to be closer to an access point of a terminal by deploying equipment at a location close to the access point of the terminal. The MEC may improve the service efficiency of the network and reduce the delay of transmitting data.

Illustratively, the MEC deployed equipment described above may be EAS.

It should be noted that the MEC may define EASDF in the core network of the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5th generation, 5G), and the EASDF may be used to determine the IP address of the EAS that needs to be booted.

(2) The network data analysis function (NWDAF) is a data perception analysis network element, and can perform corresponding data acquisition, data analysis and analysis result feedback on data in a standardized communication network flow, and participate in the whole life cycle of network planning, construction, operation and maintenance, network optimization and operation, so that the network is easy to maintain and control, the use efficiency of network resources is improved, and the user service experience is improved.

It should be noted that the NWDAF may have various types of neural network models built therein, that is, the NWDAF may be a collection of various types of neural network models. Therefore, the NWDAF can analyze and train a large amount of input data by a model training method to obtain a prediction model, and analyze data to be predicted by the prediction model to obtain a prediction result.

(3) The DNS is a service of the internet as a distributed database that maps domain names and IP addresses to each other, so that terminal devices can access the network more conveniently.

(4) A Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) refers to a fully qualified form of a domain Name. The domain name is the name of a computer or group of computers in the network, which is composed of a string of names separated by points, and is used for positioning identification of the computer during data transmission.

The above is a brief introduction to some of the concepts involved in the embodiments of the present application.

The method and the device can be applied to 4G systems, various systems based on 4G system evolution, 5G systems and various systems based on 5G system evolution. Among them, the 4G system may also be referred to as an Evolved Packet System (EPS). The core network of the 4G system may be referred to as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC), and the access network may be referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE). The core network of the 5G system may be referred to as 5GC (5G core), and the access network may be referred to as New Radio (NR). For convenience of description, the present application is exemplified below by applying the present application to a 5G system, but it is understood that the present application is also applicable to a 4G system, a third Generation (3G) system, and the like, without limitation.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system 10. As shown in fig. 1, communication system 10 includes SMF11, EASDF 12, NWDAF 13, and terminal 14.

SMF11 is used to take charge of session management for the user.

It is noted that SMF11 may interact with EASDF 12 and NWDAF 13. For example, SMF11 may receive data sent by EASDF 12 and send the data to NWDAF 13.

The EASDF 12 may support a servitized interface and a servitized protocol, and may also support a non-servitized interface (N6 interface) for the user plane.

It is noted that EASDF 12 may be used to interact with SMF11 and terminal 13. For example, EASDF 12 may receive data sent by terminal 13 and send the data to SMF 11.

The NWDAF 13 is used for data acquisition, data analysis and analysis result feedback.

For example, the NWDAF 13 may obtain a certain analysis result from the data collected from the SMF11 through a certain big data analysis network element, and send the result to the SMF11 as required.

The terminals 14 may communicate with the EASDF 12 via a wired means (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), type-c), etc. Of course, the terminal 14 may also communicate with the EASDF 12 wirelessly. For example, the terminal 14 communicates with the EASDF 12 via wireless fidelity (WiFi).

Fig. 2 shows a network architecture diagram of a 5G network, and referring to fig. 2, the 5G network includes the following network element functional entities: a 5G (wireless) access network (R) AN), a User Equipment (UE), a User Plane Function (UPF), a Data Network (DN), and a network element function entity in a 5G core network. Wherein, the network element functional entity in the 5G core network comprises: access and mobility management function (AMF), SMF, authentication service function (AUSF), Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF), network capability exposure function (NEF), network element repository function (NF, NRF), Policy Control Function (PCF), unified data management function (UDM), and application layer function (AF). The network element functional entity has the following specific functions: the AMF is used for being responsible for access and mobility management of users; the SMF is used for being responsible for session management of the user; AUSF is responsible for authenticating 3GPP and non-3 GPP access of users; the UPF is used for being responsible for user plane processing; the DN is responsible for data networks such as operator services, internet access or third party services; the NSSF is used for selecting the network slice adopted by the user service; NRF is responsible for registration, discovery and selection of network functions; NEF is responsible for opening the capabilities of the 5G network to external systems; the PCF is used for being responsible for the policy control of the user, including the policy of the session, the mobility policy and the like; the UDM is used for being responsible for subscription data management of the user; the AF is responsible for interworking with the core network to provide services to the user.

The connection relationship of the network element functional entities is as follows:

the UE is connected with the AMF through an N1 interface.

The (R) AN and AMF are connected via AN N2 interface.

The (R) AN and UPF are connected via AN N3 interface.

The UPF interfaces with the SMF through an N4 interface.

The UPF internally transmits data over an N9 interface (data is transmitted between the upstream classifier UPF and the anchor UPF over an N9 interface).

The UPF and DN interface via N6.

An IT bus is adopted in the service architecture:

the AMF accesses the bus through a service-based interface Namf.

The AUSF accesses the bus through a service-based interface Nausf.

The SMF accesses the bus via a service based interface Nsmf.

The NSSF accesses the bus through a service based interface NSSF.

The NEF accesses the bus via a service-based interface Nnef.

The NRF accesses the bus via a service based interface, nrrf.

The PCF accesses the bus via a service based interface Npcf.

The UDM accesses the above-mentioned bus via a service-based interface numm.

The AF accesses the bus through a service-based interface Naf.

In the above, the application scenario of the present application is briefly introduced.

The TAU flow of the terminal moving from the 5G network to the 4G network needs to be applied in the 4G/5G system, the 4G network and the 5G network are needed in the 4G/5G system, and a communication link is provided between the 4G network and the 5G network in the 4G/5G system, so that data can be transmitted (for example, communication is performed between the AMF and the MME through the communication link).

In addition, the communication system described in the embodiment of the present application is for more clearly illustrating the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation to the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, and it is known by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems with the evolution of network architecture and the appearance of new communication systems.

Currently, determining the IP address of the EAS that needs to be booted typically passes through the EASDF and the DNS server. And the DNS server is located in a Data Network (DN), resulting in higher latency for the terminal to interact with the DNS server than for the terminal to interact with a network element (e.g., SMF) in the core network. In addition, when a single DNS server is unable to resolve an IP address identifying an EAS that needs to be powered up, recursive queries may be performed on multiple DNS servers, which may also increase the latency in the EAS discovery process.

In order to solve the problems in the prior art, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining an edge application server, which can reduce a time delay in an EAS discovery process. As shown in fig. 3, the method includes:

s301, the SMF sends the at least one FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN to the NWDAF. Accordingly, the NWDAF receives the at least one FQDN from the SMF and core network data corresponding to each of the at least one FQDN.

It should be noted that each FQDN has its corresponding core network data. Illustratively, the first FQDN has core network data corresponding to the first FQDN, and the second FQDN has core network data corresponding to the second FQDN.

In a possible implementation manner, before S301, the SMF sends an analysis request (e.g., service analysis) to the NWDAF, and the NWDAF sends subscription event exposure information to the SMF after receiving the analysis request from the SMF, and accordingly, the SMF receives the subscription event exposure information from the NWDAF, and the foregoing process may enable the NWDAF to obtain data (e.g., FQDN, core network data corresponding to the FQDN, etc.) acquired by the SMF.

In one possible implementation, the core network data may include: the method includes the steps of analyzing data by using location information, application identification, single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI), Data Network Name (DNN), Data Network Access Identifier (DNAI), user plane function protocol data unit session anchor (uppsa) of a terminal. The location information of the terminal may be obtained through interaction with the AMF. It should be noted that the above is only an example of the core network data, and the core network data is not limited in any way.

S302, the NWDAF determines a first EAS IP address related to each FQDN and the core network data corresponding to each FQDN according to the at least one FQDN and the core network data corresponding to each FQDN.

It should be noted that a first EAS IP address may correspond to a FQDN or FQDNs. Illustratively, the first EAS IP _A1 Corresponding FQDN _F1 First EAS IP _A2 Corresponding FQDN _F2 -FQDN _F4 。

It should be noted that the NWDAF may analyze the at least one FQDN and the core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN through the EAS IP address prediction model to obtain the first EAS IP address corresponding to each FQDN.

S303, the NWDAF transmits the first indication information to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF receives the first indication from the NWDAF.

The first indication information is used for indicating each FQDN and a first EAS IP address corresponding to the core network data corresponding to each FQDN.

S304, the SMF determines a mapping table according to the first indication information.

Wherein the mapping table includes a mapping relationship of the at least one FQDN to the at least one first EAS IP address.

S305, the EASDF receives the first request information from the terminal equipment.

Wherein, the first request information includes: the target FQDN.

In one possible implementation, the first request information may be DNS query information.

In one possible implementation, before S301, the SMF needs to send the IP address of the EASDF to the terminal to indicate that the SMF interacts with the specified EASDF in the subsequent operation process.

It should be noted that the SMF may send the IP address of the EASDF to the terminal in the process of establishing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, and may also send the EASDF IP address to the terminal in the PDU session change procedure.

S306, the EASDF analyzes the first request information and determines a target FQDN.

S307, the EASDF sends the target FQDN to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF receives the target FQDN from the EASDF.

S308, the SMF acquires core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

It should be noted that the core network data may include multiple kinds of information, and the SMF determines a corresponding network element according to the type of each of the multiple kinds of information, and performs interactive acquisition with the network element corresponding to each information. Illustratively, the location information of the terminal included in the core network data may be obtained through interaction with the AMF.

S309, the SMF determines the target EAS IP address from the mapping table according to the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

S310, the SMF sends the target EAS IP address to the EASDF. Accordingly, the EASDF receives the target EAS IP address from the SMF.

It should be noted that the mapping table includes a mapping relationship between at least one FQDN and at least one first EAS IP address, the SMF determines whether the mapping table includes core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the target FQDN, if so, the SMF directly determines the first EAS IP address associated with the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the target FQDN according to the association relationship in the mapping table, determines the first EAS IP address associated with the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the target FQDN as the target EAS IP address, and sends the target EAS IP address to the EASDF; and if not, the SMF interacts with the NWDAF again, determines a second EAS IP address corresponding to the target FQDN, adds the corresponding relation between the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the associated second EAS IP address into the mapping table, determines the target EAS IP address from the mapping table according to the target FQDN, and sends the target EAS IP address to the EASDF.

The application provides a method for determining an edge application server, which comprises the steps of establishing a mapping table comprising a mapping relation between at least one FQDN and at least one first EAS IP address through interaction among an SMF, an EASDF and an NWDAF, so that the SMF can determine a target EAS IP address associated with core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the target FQDN according to the mapping table, the target EAS IP address can be determined only through a network element on the core network side, interaction with a DNS server is avoided, and further delay in an EAS discovery process is reduced.

In a possible implementation manner, with reference to fig. 3, as shown in fig. 4 and fig. 5, the step S309 may specifically include: case 1.1, including the target FQDN in the mapping table, and case 1.2, not including the target FQDN in the mapping table. Case 1.1 and case 1.2 are described in detail below, respectively.

In case 1.1, the mapping table includes the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

The case 1.1 includes the following S401 to S402.

S401, under the condition that the mapping table comprises the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN, the SMF determines a first EAS IP address related to the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN from the mapping table.

S402, the SMF determines that the first EAS IP address is the target EAS IP address.

The application provides a method for determining an edge application server, under the condition that a mapping table comprises a target FQDN, an SMF can directly determine a first EAS IP address associated with core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the target FQDN from the mapping table, so that the SMF can directly determine the operation from the mapping table simply and quickly, and the time delay in the EAS discovery process is reduced; interaction with the DNS server during EAS discovery is also avoided, further reducing latency during EAS discovery.

In case 1.2, the mapping table does not include the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

Case 1.2 includes the following steps S501 to S504.

S501, when the mapping table does not include the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN, the SMF transmits the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN to the NWDAF. Correspondingly, the NWDAF receives the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

And S502, the NWDAF determines the target FQDN and a second EAS IP address associated with the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN according to the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

S503, the NWDAF sends the SMF a second EAS IP address. Accordingly, the SMF receives a second EAS IP address from the NWDAF.

And the second EAS IP address is the EAS IP address which is determined by the NWDAF and is associated with the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

S504, the SMF determines that the second EAS IP address is the target EAS IP address.

In a possible implementation manner, the specific implementation process of S504 may be: and the SMF adds the target FQDN, the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the corresponding relation of the second EAS IP address associated with the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the target FQDN into the mapping table, and determines the target EAS IP address from the mapping table according to the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the target FQDN.

The application provides a method for determining an edge application server, under the condition that a target FQDN is not included in a mapping table, an SMF interacts with an NWDAF to determine a first EAS IP address associated with core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the target FQDN, interaction with a DNS server in an EAS discovery process is avoided, and further time delay in the EAS discovery process is reduced.

In a possible implementation manner, as shown in fig. 6 in conjunction with fig. 3, before S309, the method may further include the following S601 to S602.

S601, the EASDF analyzes the first request information and determines a low-delay preference indication parameter.

Wherein, the first request information further comprises: a low latency preference indication parameter.

The low-delay preference indication parameter is used for indicating the SMF to judge whether the mapping table comprises the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

It should be noted that S601 and S306 may be the same step, that is, the EASDF parses the first request message once to determine the low latency preference indication parameter and the target FQDN. S601 and S306 may also be two steps, but the sequential execution order of S601 and S306 is not limited in this application.

It is noted that, in the case where the first request information is parsed once, and two parameters, the low-latency preference indication parameter and the target FQDN, are determined, the first request information may be request information generated by the terminal according to the two parameters,

s602, the EASDF sends a low latency preference indication parameter to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF receives a low latency preference indication parameter from the EASDF.

It should be noted that S602 and S307 may be merged into the same step, that is, the EASDF sends two parameters, namely, the low-latency preference indication parameter and the target FQDN at a time. S602 and S307 may also be two steps, but the sequential execution order of S602 and S307 is not limited in this application.

The application provides a method for determining an edge application server, wherein a low-delay preference indication parameter is added into first request information to indicate an SMF (simple message format) to judge whether core network data corresponding to a target FQDN and the target FQDN are included in a mapping table or not without interacting with a DNS (domain name system), so that interaction with the DNS server in an EAS (electronic article surveillance) discovery process is avoided, and delay in the EAS discovery process is further reduced.

In a possible implementation manner, referring to fig. 3, as shown in fig. 7, after S310 described above, the method may further include the following S701 to S712.

S701, the SMF determines a DNS message processing rule corresponding to the target FQDN.

S702, the SMF sends a DNS message processing rule to the EASDF. Accordingly, the EASDF receives DNS message handling rules from the SMF.

S703, the EASDF determines the DNS server according to the DNS message processing rule.

S704, the EASDF sends a second request message to the DNS server. Accordingly, the DNS server receives the second request message from the EASDF.

In one possible implementation, the second request information may be DNS query information.

It should be noted that, in the case that the first request information is also DNS query information, the second request information may not be repeatedly sent (i.e., in this case, S704 is not executed), and then in the subsequent process, all actions that need to be executed according to the second request information are executed according to the first request information.

And S705, the DNS server determines a third EAS IP address associated with the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN according to the second request message.

And the third EAS IP address is the EAS IP address which is determined by the DNS server and is associated with the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

In conjunction with the above example, in the case that the first request information is also DNS query information, S705 may be: the DNS server determines a third EAS IP address associated with the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN from the first request message.

S706, the DNS server sends the third EAS IP address to the EASDF. Accordingly, the EASDF receives a third EAS IP address from the DNS server.

It should be noted that, the specific implementation process of S701-S706 may refer to the prior art, and is not described in detail in this application.

S707, EASDF judges whether the target EAS IP address is consistent with the third EAS IP address.

It is noted that the determination by the EASDF of whether the target EAS IP address is consistent with the third EAS IP address includes the following cases 2.1 and 2.2. The following are specifically described below:

case 2.1, the target EAS IP address coincides with the third EAS IP address. In case 2.1, the flow ends.

Case 2.2, the target EAS IP address does not coincide with the third EAS IP address. In case 2.2, the following S708-S712 are performed.

S708, the EASDF sends the third EAS IP address, the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF receives the third EAS IP address from the EASDF, the target FQDN, and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

S709, the SMF sends the third EAS IP address, the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN to the NWDAF. Accordingly, the NWDAF receives the third EAS IP address from the SMF, the target FQDN, and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

And S710, performing strengthening training by the NWDAF according to the third EAS IP address, the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN, and outputting a fourth EAS IP address.

And the fourth EAS IP address is the EAS IP address which is obtained by the NWDAF according to the third EAS IP address, the target FQDN and the core network data strengthening training corresponding to the target FQDN and is associated with the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

And S711, the NWDAF associates the fourth EAS IP address with the transmitted SMF target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN. Accordingly, the SMF receives the target FQDN from the NWDAF and a fourth EAS IP address associated with core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

And S712, the SMF adds the target FQDN and the association relationship between the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN and the fourth EAS IP address to the mapping table.

The application provides a method for determining an edge application server, after a target EAS IP address associated with core network data corresponding to a target FQDN and the target FQDN is determined through interaction of SMF, EASDF and NWDAF, a DNS server is interacted to determine a third EAS IP address corresponding to the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN, and under the condition that the target EAS IP address is inconsistent with the third EAS IP address, the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN are sent to the NWDAF again, so that the NWDAF can carry out reinforced training, the accuracy of a neural network model is improved, and the subsequent EAS IP address determined through the NWDAF can be more accurate; and sending the fourth EAS IP address obtained after the NWDAF strengthening training to the SMF, so that the SMF renews the target FQDN in the mapping table and the EAS IP address associated with the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN, and the subsequent EAS IP address determined according to the mapping table can be more accurate.

It is to be understood that the above-described edge application server determining method may be implemented by an edge application server determining apparatus. The edge application server determining means includes hardware structures and/or software modules for performing the respective functions in order to realize the above functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the various illustrative modules and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed as hardware or computer software drives hardware depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

The edge application server determining device generated according to the method example described above may divide the functional modules, for example, each functional module may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in a hardware mode, and can also be realized in a software functional module mode. It should be noted that, the division of the modules in the embodiments disclosed in the present application is schematic, and is only one division of logic functions, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an edge application server determining apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 8, the edge application server determining apparatus 80 may be configured to perform the edge application server determining method shown in fig. 3-7. The edge application server determining device 80 includes a communication unit 801, a processing unit 802;

a communication unit 801, configured to send the at least one FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN to the NWDAF.

A communication unit 801 further configured to receive first indication information from the NWDAF; the first indication information is used for indicating a first edge application server interworking protocol (EAS) IP address associated with each FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN.

A processing unit 802, configured to determine a mapping table according to the first indication information; the mapping table includes a mapping of at least one FQDN to at least one first EAS IP address.

The communication unit 801 is further configured to receive the target FQDN from the EASDF.

The communication unit 801 is further configured to acquire core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

The processing unit 802 is further configured to determine the target EAS IP address from the mapping table according to the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

The communication unit 801 is further configured to send the target EAS IP address to the EASDF.

In the case of implementing the functions of the integrated modules in the form of hardware, the embodiment of the present invention provides another possible structural schematic diagram of the electronic device related to the above embodiment. As shown in fig. 9, an electronic device 90, for example, is configured to perform the edge application server determination methods shown in fig. 3-7. The electronic device 90 includes a processor 901, memory 902, and a bus 903. The processor 901 and the memory 902 may be connected by a bus 903.

The processor 901 is a control center of the communication apparatus, and may be a single processor or a collective term for a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor 901 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, or the like. Wherein the general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like.

For one embodiment, processor 901 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU 0 and CPU 1 shown in fig. 9.

The memory 902 may be, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that may store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that may store information and instructions, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

As a possible implementation, the memory 902 may be separate from the processor 901, and the memory 902 may be connected to the processor 901 via the bus 903 for storing instructions or program code. The processor 901 can implement the rich media determination method provided by the embodiment of the present invention when calling and executing the instructions or program codes stored in the memory 902.

In another possible implementation, the memory 902 may also be integrated with the processor 901.

The bus 903 may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended ISA (enhanced Industry Standard Architecture) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 9, but this does not indicate only one bus or one type of bus.

It is to be noted that the structure shown in fig. 9 does not constitute a limitation of the electronic apparatus 90. The electronic device 90 may include more or fewer components than shown, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components than shown in fig. 9.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 9, the electronic device 90 provided in the embodiment of the present invention may further include a communication interface 904.

A communication interface 904 for connecting with other devices through a communication network. The communication network may be an ethernet network, a radio access network, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), etc. The communication interface 904 may include a receiving unit for receiving data, and a transmitting unit for transmitting data.

In one design, in the electronic device provided by the embodiment of the present invention, the communication interface may be further integrated in the processor.

Fig. 10 shows another hardware configuration of an electronic device (including a first device and a second device) in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 10, electronic device 100 may include a processor 1001 and a communication interface 1002. The processor 1001 is coupled to the communication interface 1002.

The functions of the processor 1001 may refer to the description of the processor 1001 described above. The processor 1001 also has a memory function, and the function of the memory 1002 can be referred to.

The communication interface 1002 is used to provide data to the processor 1001. The communication interface 1002 may be an internal interface of the communication device, or may be an external interface (corresponding to the communication interface 1004) of the communication device.

It is noted that the configuration shown in fig. 10 does not constitute a limitation of the electronic device 100, and that the electronic device 100 may include more or less components than those shown in fig. 10, or combine some components, or a different arrangement of components, in addition to the components shown in fig. 10.

Through the above description of the embodiments, it is clear for a person skilled in the art that, for convenience and simplicity of description, only the division of the above functional units is illustrated. In practical applications, the above function allocation may be performed by different functional units according to requirements, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional units to perform all or part of the above described functions. For the specific working processes of the system, the apparatus and the unit described above, reference may be made to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and details are not described here again.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium, where instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer executes each step in the method flow shown in the above method embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of determining rich media in the above-described method embodiments.

The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, and a hard disk. Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), registers, a hard disk, an optical fiber, a portable Compact disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any other form of computer-readable storage medium, in any suitable combination, or as appropriate in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). In embodiments of the invention, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Since the apparatus, the device, the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program product in the embodiments of the present invention may be applied to the method described above, for technical effects that can be obtained by the apparatus, the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program product, reference may also be made to the method embodiments described above, and details of the embodiments of the present invention are not repeated herein.

The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention are intended to be covered by the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An edge application server determination method applied to a Session Management Function (SMF) includes:

sending at least one full-name domain name FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN to a network data analysis function NWDAF;

receiving first indication information from the NWDAF; the first indication information is used for indicating a first edge application server interworking protocol (EAS) IP address associated with each FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN;

determining a mapping table according to the first indication information; the mapping table comprises a mapping relation between the at least one FQDN and at least one first EASIP address;

receiving a target FQDN from an edge application server discovery function EASDF;

acquiring core network data corresponding to the target FQDN;

determining a target EAS IP address from the mapping table according to the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN;

and sending the target EASIP address to the EASDF.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said determining a target EAS IP address from said mapping table based on said target FQDN and core network data corresponding to said target FQDN comprises:

determining a first EAS IP address associated with the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN from the mapping table under the condition that the mapping table comprises the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN;

determining the first EAS IP address as the target EAS IP address.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determining a target EASIP address from the mapping table according to the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN comprises:

sending the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN to the NWDAF when the mapping table does not include the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN;

receiving a second EASIP address from the NWDAF, the second EAS IP address being an EASIP address associated with the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN determined by the NWDAF;

determining the second EAS IP address as the target EAS IP address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to determining a target EAS IP address from the mapping table based on the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN, the method further comprises:

receiving a low latency preference indication parameter from the EASDF; and the low-delay preference indication parameter is used for indicating the SMF to judge whether the mapping table comprises the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

5. An edge application server determining method applied to an Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF) includes:

receiving first request information from a terminal device, wherein the first request information comprises: a target full name domain name FQDN;

analyzing the first request information to determine the target FQDN;

sending the target FQDN to a Session Management Function (SMF);

a target EAS IP address is received from a session management function SMF.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first request message further comprises: a low latency preference indication parameter, the method further comprising:

analyzing the first request information, and determining the low-delay preference indication parameter;

sending the low latency preference indication parameter to the SMF.

7. An edge application server determination method applied to a network data analysis function (NWDAF) comprises the following steps:

receiving at least one full name domain name FQDN from a session management function SMF and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN;

determining a first Edge Application Server Interworking Protocol (EASIP) address corresponding to each FQDN according to the at least one FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN;

sending first indication information to a Session Management Function (SMF); the first indication information is used for indicating a first EASIP address associated with each FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein after sending the first indication information to the Session Management Function (SMF), the method further comprises:

receiving a target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN;

determining a second EASIP address corresponding to the target FQDN according to the target FQDN and the core network data corresponding to the target FQDN;

sending a second EAS IP address to the SMF; the second EAS IP address is an EASIP address associated with the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN.

9. An edge application server determination device applied to a Session Management Function (SMF), comprising: a communication unit and a processing unit;

the communication unit is used for sending at least one FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN to a network data analysis function NWDAF;

the communication unit is further used for receiving first indication information from the NWDAF; the first indication information is used for indicating a first edge application server interworking protocol (EAS) IP address associated with each FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN;

the processing unit is used for determining a mapping table according to the first indication information; the mapping table comprises a mapping relation between the at least one FQDN and at least one first EASIP address;

the communication unit is further used for receiving a target FQDN from an Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF);

the communication unit is further configured to acquire core network data corresponding to the target FQDN;

the processing unit is further configured to determine a target EAS IP address from the mapping table according to the target FQDN and core network data corresponding to the target FQDN;

the communication unit is further configured to send the destination EASIP address to the EASDF.

10. An edge application server determining apparatus, applied to an Edge Application Server Discovery Function (EASDF), includes: a communication unit and a processing unit;

the communication unit is configured to receive first request information from a terminal device, where the first request information includes: a target full name domain name FQDN;

the processing unit is used for analyzing the first request information and determining the target FQDN;

the communication unit is further used for sending the target FQDN to a Session Management Function (SMF);

the communication unit is further configured to receive a target EAS IP address from the session management function SMF.

11. An edge application server determination apparatus applied to a network data analysis function NWDAF, comprising: a communication unit and a processing unit;

the communication unit is used for receiving at least one full-name domain name FQDN from a session management function SMF and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN;

the processing unit is used for determining a first edge application server interworking protocol (EAS) IP address corresponding to each FQDN according to the at least one FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN in the at least one FQDN;

the communication unit sends first indication information to a Session Management Function (SMF); the first indication information is used for indicating a first EASIP address associated with each FQDN and core network data corresponding to each FQDN.

12. An edge application server determining apparatus, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is coupled to the processor for executing a computer program or instructions for implementing the edge application server determination method as claimed in any of claims 1-8.

13. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method for determining an edge application server as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.