CN114158078A

CN114158078A - Network slice management method and device and computer readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN114158078A
Application number: CN202111536065.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李静; 董秋丽; 李福昌
Original assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-15
Filing date: 2021-12-15
Publication date: 2022-03-08
Anticipated expiration: 2041-12-15
Also published as: CN114158078B

Abstract

The application provides a network slice management method, a network slice management device and a computer readable storage medium, relates to the field of communication, and is used for guaranteeing the service capability of sharing a network slice. The method comprises the following steps: the control device sends a first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of a first network and a second network slice management function network element of a second network respectively, wherein the first network slice parameter is used for deploying a first network slice, the first network is a network for establishing a shared access network, and the second network is a network using the shared access network. The control device receives deployment information of an access network sub-slice of a first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from a first network slice management function network element. And the control equipment sends first indication information to a second network slice management function network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating that the first network slice is successfully deployed.

Description

Network slice management method and device and computer readable storage medium

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method and an apparatus for managing network slices, and a computer-readable storage medium.

Background

The concept of network slicing arose in order to reduce the cost of building the network infrastructure. Network slicing refers to virtual end-to-end networks separated by different operators on the same network infrastructure, so that traffic and logical isolation of network resources can be provided end-to-end to provide services for different vertical industries with different service requirements.

Currently, the third generation partnership project (3 GPP) standard only specifies three large slice scenarios, namely enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mtc), and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC), and the deployment strategy of more slices is customized by different operators.

At present, an access network device of an operator a, which establishes a certain regional network slice, provides corresponding wireless resources and services according to a slice deployment policy of the operator a, but when a user of a certain operator B, which uses the regional network slice, accesses the access network device of the operator a, because the operators operate independently and even have a competitive relationship, the user of the operator B may not know the slice deployment policy of the operator a, and thus the access network device of the operator a may not provide corresponding slice services for the user of the operator B, and accordingly, the service capability of the slice cannot be guaranteed correspondingly.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a network slice management method, a network slice management device and a computer readable storage medium, which are used for guaranteeing the service capability of a shared network slice.

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

in a first aspect, a network slice management method is provided, which may be performed by a control device, the method including: the control device sends a first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of a first network and a second network slice management function network element of a second network respectively, wherein the first network slice parameter is used for deploying a first network slice, the first network is a network for establishing a shared access network, and the second network is a network using the shared access network. The control device receives deployment information of an access network sub-slice of a first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from a first network slice management function network element. And the control equipment sends first indication information to a second network slice management function network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating that the first network slice is successfully deployed.

In the network slice management method provided by the application, the control device initiates deployment of the first network slice, and issues the first network slice parameters to the first network and the second network respectively, so that the first network deploys the shared access network sub-slice and the shared transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice. Since the first network slice parameter is known to the first network and the second network, the situation that slice deployment strategies are not communicated does not occur, so that the terminal device of the second network can smoothly access the access network device of the first network, and the service capability of the network slice is further ensured.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain embodiments of the first aspect, the method further comprises: and the control equipment sends the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice to a second network slice management function network element. In the scheme, the openness degree of the first network to the second network is higher, and the owner of the second network can deploy the sub-slice by referring to the received deployment information of the sub-slice, so that the sharing of the network slice information is facilitated.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain embodiments of the first aspect, the method further comprises: and the control equipment receives a second message from the second network slice management function network element, wherein the second message comprises a second network slice parameter and is used for requesting the terminal equipment of the second network to access the network slice meeting the second network slice parameter. And under the condition that the control equipment determines that the first network slice is the network slice meeting the second network slice parameter, the control equipment sends a third message to the first network slice management function network element, wherein the third message is used for requesting the terminal equipment of the second network to access the first network slice. And the control equipment receives second indication information from the first network slice management function network element, wherein the second indication information is used for indicating that the terminal equipment of the second network is successfully accessed into the first network slice. And the control equipment sends second indication information to the second network slice management function network element. In this scheme, on the basis that the first network slice satisfying the second network parameter has been deployed, the terminal device of the second network may access to the shared first network slice through the control device.

In a second aspect, there is provided another network slice management method, which may be performed by a control device, the method comprising: the control device receives a first network slice parameter from a second network slice management function network element of a second network, wherein the first network slice parameter is used to deploy a first network slice. If the control device determines that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are not stored, the control device sends a first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of the first network, wherein the first network is a network for establishing a shared access network, and the second network is a network using the shared access network. The control device receives deployment information of an access network sub-slice of a first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from a first network slice management function network element. And the control equipment sends first indication information to a second network slice management function network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating that the first network slice is successfully deployed.

In the network slice management method provided in the embodiment of the present application, a second network slice management function network element initiates deployment of a first network slice according to its own slice requirement, and issues a first network slice parameter to a first network through a control device under the condition that the control device does not store deployment information of an access network sub-slice and a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice, so that the first network deploys shared access network sub-slices and transport network sub-slices of the first network slice. Since the first network slice parameter is known to the first network and the second network, the situation that slice deployment strategies are not communicated does not occur, so that the terminal device of the second network can smoothly access the access network device of the first network, and the service capability of the network slice is further ensured.

With reference to the second aspect, in certain embodiments of the second aspect, the method further comprises: and if the control equipment determines that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are stored, the control equipment sends first indication information to a second network slice management function network element.

With reference to the second aspect, in certain embodiments of the second aspect, the method further comprises: the control device receives deployment information of an access network sub-slice of a first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from a first network slice management function network element. In the method, the control device may store the received access network sub-slice deployment information and transmission network sub-slice deployment information of the first network slice, and when the second network slice management function network element initiates deployment of the first network slice, may directly feed back an indication that deployment is successful to the second network slice management function network element.

With reference to the second aspect, in certain embodiments of the second aspect, the method further comprises: and the control equipment sends the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice to a second network slice management function network element. In the scheme, the openness degree of the first network to the second network is higher, and the owner of the second network can deploy the sub-slice by referring to the received deployment information of the sub-slice, so that the sharing of the network slice information is facilitated.

With reference to the second aspect, in certain embodiments of the second aspect, the method further comprises: and the control equipment receives a second message from the second network slice management function network element, wherein the second message comprises a second network slice parameter and is used for requesting the terminal equipment of the second network to access the network slice meeting the second network slice parameter. And under the condition that the control equipment determines that the first network slice is the network slice meeting the second network slice parameter, the control equipment sends a third message to the first network slice management function network element, wherein the third message is used for requesting the terminal equipment of the second network to access the first network slice. And the control equipment receives second indication information from the first network slice management function network element, wherein the second indication information is used for indicating that the terminal equipment of the second network is successfully accessed into the first network slice. And the control equipment sends second indication information to the second network slice management function network element. In this scheme, on the basis that the first network slice satisfying the second network parameter has been deployed, the terminal device of the second network may access to the shared first network slice through the control device.

In a third aspect, there is provided a network slice management method for a control device according to the first aspect. The control device comprises corresponding modules, units or means (means) for implementing the above method, and the modules, units or means can be implemented by hardware, software or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

With reference to the third aspect, in certain embodiments of the third aspect, the control apparatus comprises: a transceiver module; and the transceiver module is used for respectively sending a first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of a first network and a second network slice management function network element of a second network, wherein the first network slice parameter is used for deploying a first network slice, the first network is a network for establishing a shared access network, and the second network is a network using the shared access network. The transceiver module is further configured to receive deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice. And the transceiver module is further configured to send first indication information to the second network slice management function network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the first network slice is successfully deployed.

With reference to the third aspect, in some embodiments of the third aspect, the transceiver module is further configured to send, to the second network slice management function network element, deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a delivery network sub-slice of the first network slice.

With reference to the third aspect, in certain embodiments of the third aspect, the control device further comprises a processing module; and the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second message from the second network slice management function network element, where the second message includes a second network slice parameter, and is used for a terminal device of the second network to request access to a network slice meeting the second network slice parameter. And the transceiver module is further configured to send a third message to the first network slice management function network element when the processing module determines that the first network slice is a network slice satisfying the second network slice parameter, where the third message is used for a terminal device of the second network to request access to the first network slice. The transceiver module is further configured to receive second indication information from the first network slice management function network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device of the second network successfully accesses the first network slice. And the transceiver module is further configured to send second indication information to the second network slice management function network element.

The technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the third aspect may be referred to the technical effects brought by the different design manners in the first aspect, and are not described herein again.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a network slice management method of the second aspect of the control device. The control device comprises corresponding modules, units or means (means) for implementing the above method, and the modules, units or means can be implemented by hardware, software or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in certain embodiments of the fourth aspect, the control apparatus comprises: a transceiver module and a processing module; a transceiver module, configured to receive a first network slice parameter from a second network slice management function network element of a second network, where the first network slice parameter is used to deploy a first network slice. The transceiver module is further configured to send the first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of the first network if it is determined by the processing module that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are not stored, where the first network is a network that establishes a shared access network, and the second network is a network that uses the shared access network. The transceiver module is further configured to receive deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice. And the transceiver module is further configured to send first indication information to the second network slice management function network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the first network slice is successfully deployed.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is further configured to send the first indication information to the second network slice management function network element if the processing module determines that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are stored.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is further configured to receive deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is further configured to send deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of the transport network sub-slice of the first network slice to the second network slice management function network element.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second message from the second network slice management function network element, where the second message includes a second network slice parameter, and is used for a terminal device of the second network to request access to a network slice that satisfies the second network slice parameter. And the transceiver module is further configured to send a third message to the first network slice management function network element when the processing module determines that the first network slice is a network slice satisfying the second network slice parameter, where the third message is used for a terminal device of the second network to request access to the first network slice. The transceiver module is further configured to receive second indication information from the first network slice management function network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device of the second network successfully accesses the first network slice. And the transceiver module is further configured to send second indication information to the second network slice management function network element.

The technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the fourth aspect can be referred to the technical effects brought by the different design manners in the second aspect, and are not described herein again.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a control apparatus comprising: at least one processor; the processor is adapted to execute a computer program or instructions to cause the control device to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

With reference to the fifth aspect, in certain embodiments of the fifth aspect, the control device further comprises a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data. The memory may be coupled to the processor or may be independent of the processor.

In some possible designs, the control device may be a chip or a system of chips. When the control device is a chip system, the control device may be formed by a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, having stored thereon computer instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first or second aspect.

In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a first network slice management function network element, a second network slice management function network element, and a control device for executing the method of the first aspect or the second aspect.

For technical effects brought by any one of the design manners in the fifth aspect to the eighth aspect, reference may be made to the technical effects brought by different design manners in the first aspect or the second aspect, which are not described herein again.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating slice co-construction sharing in the prior art;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a flowchart of a network slice management method according to an embodiment of the present application;

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

fig. 5 is a flowchart of another network slice management method according to an embodiment of the present application;

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

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another control apparatus provided in the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of another control device provided in the present application.

Detailed Description

To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief description of related technologies or terms of the present application is first given as follows.

First, network slicing

Currently, the 3GPP standard defines Network Slice Selection Assistance Information (NSSAI) to identify a network slice. On a Radio Access Network (RAN) side, a slice type may be identified and a service provided through NSSAI. Each NSSAI may include a set of single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI), and each S-NSSAI may include a slice/service type (SST) and a Slice Differential (SD).

SST is the mandatory information to represent the functionality and services of the network slice. Usually, the SST can occupy 8 bits and take values of 0 to 255, wherein 0 to 127 can represent a standardized SST, and 128 to 255 can represent an SST specified by an operator. In the fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) mobile communication technology, SSTs that have been standardized are shown in table 1. SST is standardized to facilitate interoperability among global operators, and in particular, different operators can more efficiently support slice roaming using a unified set of standards.

TABLE 1

Slicing scene	SST value	Feature(s)
			eMBB	1	Slice suitable for processing 5G enhanced mobile broadband
URLLC	2	Slicing suitable for processing ultra-reliable low-latency communication
			mMTC	3	Section suitable for processing large-scale internet of things

SD is optional information for further subdividing the network slice subclass of various needs under the same SST. Typically, the SD may occupy 24 bits.

Second, the existing slice co-construction sharing architecture

Fig. 1 shows an existing slice co-construction sharing architecture. Wherein one network slice comprises a wireless network sub-slice, a bearer network sub-slice and a core network sub-slice. When the operator A user accesses the sharing base station of the operator A, the data reaches the Internet or the service network of the operator A through the access network, the carrying network and the core network of the operator A; when the user of the operator a accesses the shared base station of the operator B, the data reaches the internet or the service network of the operator a via the access network of the operator B, the bearer network of the operator a, and the core network of the operator a. Similarly, when the operator B user accesses the shared base station of the operator B, the data reaches the internet or service network of the operator B via the access network, the bearer network, and the core network of the operator B; when the user of the operator B accesses the shared base station of the operator a, the data reaches the internet or the service network of the operator B via the access network of the operator a, the bearer network of the operator B, and the core network of the operator B. That is, the operator a user may use the access network and bearer network of the operator B, and the operator B user may also use the access network and bearer network of the operator a, but the core network cannot be shared.

In a co-construction sharing scenario, as described in the background, the operator that underwent the network slice and the operator that used the network slice may be different. In fact, the operator's brand remains independent of the operation, and there is also a degree of competition in the user market. However, when the user of the operator B accesses the access network device of the operator a, good cooperation between the operators is required to ensure the best user experience, and this contradiction requires standardization of the docking process between the management process and the operators.

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Where in the description of the present application, "/" indicates a relationship where the objects associated before and after are an "or", unless otherwise stated, for example, a/B may indicate a or B; in the present application, "and/or" is only an association relationship describing an associated object, and means that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, and may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural. Also, in the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more than two unless otherwise specified. "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of the singular or plural items. For example, at least one (one) of a, b, or c, may represent: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, wherein a, b, c may be single or multiple. In addition, in order to facilitate clear description of technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items having substantially the same functions and actions. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the terms "first," "second," etc. do not denote any order or quantity, nor do the terms "first," "second," etc. denote any order or importance. Also, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as examples, illustrations or illustrations. 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 for ease of understanding.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 2 illustrates a communication system 20 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 20 may comprise a control device 201, a first network slice management function network element 202 and a second network slice management function network element 203. Wherein, the first network slice management function network element 202 belongs to a first network, the second network slice management function network element 203 belongs to a second network, and the first network slice management function network element 202 and the second network slice management function network element 203 can communicate with each other through the control device 201.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the first network and the second network are different networks sharing the same set of radio access network. That is, the first network and the second network are different networks. The first network and the second network may correspond to the same operator or different operators, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. Illustratively, the first network is a first Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network and the second network is a second PLMN network (e.g., a telecommunications network). The first PLMN network may be, for example, a connected network, and the second PLMN network may be, for example, a telecommunications network; or the first PLMN network is beijing mobile and the second PLMN network is hebei mobile. Or, exemplarily, the first network is a public network, and the second network is a private network; or the first network is a private network and the second network is a public network; or the first network is a first public network, and the second network is a second public network; or, the first network is a first private network, the second network is a second private network, and so on, which are collectively described herein, and this is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

In a possible implementation manner, the control device 201 is configured to send a first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element 202 of a first network and a second network slice management function network element 203 of a second network, respectively, where the first network slice parameter is used to deploy a first network slice, the first network is a network that establishes a shared access network, and the second network is a network that uses the shared access network. A first network slice management function network element 202, configured to receive the first network slice parameter from the control apparatus 201. A second network slice management function network element 203, configured to receive the first network slice parameter from the control apparatus 201. The first network slice management function network element 202 is further configured to send, to the control device 201, deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice. The control device 201 is further configured to receive deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element 202. The control device 201 is further configured to send first indication information to the second network slice management function network element 203, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the first network slice deployment is successful. The second network slice management function network element 203 is further configured to receive the first indication information from the control apparatus 201. The specific implementation and technical effects of the scheme will be described in detail in the following method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In another possible implementation manner, the second network slice management function network element 203 of the second network is configured to send the first network slice parameter to the control device 201, where the first network slice parameter is used to deploy the first network slice. A control device 201 for receiving a first network slice parameter from a second network slice management function network element 203. The control device 201 is further configured to send the first network slice parameter to the first network slice management function network element 202 of the first network if the control device 201 determines that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are not stored, where the first network is a network that establishes a shared access network, and the second network is a network that uses the shared access network. A first network slice management function network element 202, configured to receive the first network slice parameter from the control apparatus 201. The first network slice management function network element 202 is further configured to send, to the control device 201, deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice. The control device 201 is further configured to receive deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element 202. The control device 201 is further configured to send first indication information to the second network slice management function network element 203, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the first network slice deployment is successful. The second network slice management function network element 203 is further configured to receive the first indication information from the control apparatus 201. The specific implementation and technical effects of the scheme will be described in detail in the following method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

The network slice management method provided by the embodiment of the present application will be specifically described below with reference to fig. 2.

As shown in fig. 3, a network slice management method provided in an embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

s301, the control device sends a first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of a first network and a second network slice management function network element of a second network respectively, wherein the first network slice parameter is used for deploying a first network slice, the first network is a network for establishing a shared access network, and the second network is a network using the shared access network. Accordingly, the first network slice management function network element receives the first network parameter from the control device, and the second network slice management function network element receives the first network parameter from the control device.

For example, the control device in the embodiment of the present application may employ a federal learning algorithm. The federal learning algorithm can train a complete prediction model by training the weights. Parameters of the model can be encrypted and exchanged with information of the first network or the second network, so that business requirements of a construction party for constructing the network slice and a sharing party using the network slice on the network slice are coordinated. By analyzing the service requirements of the network slices, the control device can design corresponding network slice parameters to complete the planning of new network slices. The encryption exchange can guarantee the data privacy of the construction party and the sharing party. In addition, the control device may also manage and maintain protocols for sharing network slices between the contractor and the sharer, such as modifying current protocols.

As shown in fig. 4, the control device may include a Database (DB), a Data Analysis Function (DAF), and a coordination & management function (C & M). The functions of the various modules are described as follows:

the DB is used for storing the deployment information of the network slices and the related historical information in the processing process, so that the DAF can perform intelligent analysis, and the flexibility of meeting the service requirement is increased.

DAF is used to provide network slice specific data analysis. The DAF may send the results of the analysis of the network slice to other modules for scheduling or administrative use. In addition, the DAF may employ a federated learning algorithm to improve the ability to dynamically plan network slices while preserving data privacy.

The C & M may process network slice related requests, such as access requests, parameter modification requests, or query requests, based on the analysis result of the DAF feedback.

Illustratively, the network slice management function network element may be a Network Slice Management Function (NSMF). NSMF can be used for network slice instantiation management and orchestration. For example, the NSMF may convert the resource configuration scheme of the network slice into a resource configuration scheme of each domain sub-slice, and transmit the resource configuration scheme of each domain sub-slice to a Network Slice Subnet Management Function (NSSMF) of each subnet. The NSSMF may be configured to manage and organize each domain sub-slice, and includes AN access network slice subnet management function (AN-NSSMF), a transport network slice subnet management function (TN-NSSMF), and a core network slice subnet management function (CN-NSSMF).

Exemplarily, after performing step S301, on the first network side, the first NSMF and the first CN-NSSMF may interact as follows: the first NSMF sends parameters of a core network subslice of the first network slice to the first CN-NSSMF. And after receiving the parameters of the core network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first NSMF, the first CN-NSSMF completes the deployment of the core network sub-slice and feeds back the deployment information of the core network sub-slice to the first NSMF.

Exemplarily, after performing step S301, on the first network side, the first NSMF and the first TN-NSSMF may interact as follows: the first NSMF sends, to the first TN-NSSMF, parameters of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice, including an NSSAI, a radio indoor baseband unit (BBU) identifier, a port number of a User Plane Function (UPF) of a core network, and a port number of a Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN). And after receiving the parameters of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first NSMF, the first CN-NSSMF completes the deployment of the transmission network sub-slice and feeds back the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice to the first NSMF.

Exemplarily, after performing step S301, on the first network side, the first NSMF and the first AN-NSSMF may interact as follows: the first NSMF sends parameters of AN access network sub-slice of the first network slice to the first AN-NSSMF. And after receiving the parameters of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first NSMF, the first AN-NSSMF completes the deployment of the access network sub-slice and feeds back the deployment information of the access network sub-slice to the first NSMF.

Exemplarily, after performing step S301, on the second network side, the second NSMF and the second CN-NSSMF may interact as follows: the second NSMF sends parameters of the core network subslice of the first network slice to the second CN-NSSMF. And after receiving the parameters of the core network sub-slice of the first network slice from the second NSMF, the second CN-NSSMF completes the deployment of the core network sub-slice and feeds back the deployment information of the core network sub-slice to the second NSMF.

The specific interaction process between the NSMF and the NSSMF can be referred to in the prior art, and is not described herein again.

In an embodiment of the present application, the first network slicing parameter may be, for example, at least one of a rate of slicing, a resource size, or a number of supported users.

S302, the first network slice management function network element sends deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice to the control device. Accordingly, the control device receives deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element.

In conjunction with fig. 4, the control device may store the received deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the delivery network sub-slice of the first network slice in the DB.

In this embodiment of the present application, since the contractor and the sharer do not share the core network sub-slice of the first network slice, the first network slice management functional network element only needs to feed back the deployment information of the access network sub-slice and the transmission network sub-slice.

S303, the control device sends first indication information to the second network slice management function network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the first network slice is successfully deployed. Accordingly, the second network slice management function network element receives the first indication information from the control device.

In one possible implementation, the first indication information may be characterized by 1 bit. For example, a bit value of "1" indicates that the first network slice deployment was successful. Alternatively, the bit value "0" indicates that this embodiment is not limited in any way.

Optionally, the network slice management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes: and the control equipment sends the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice to a second network slice management function network element. Accordingly, the second network slice management function network element receives deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from the control device. In the scheme, the openness degree of the first network to the second network is higher, and the owner of the second network can deploy the sub-slice by referring to the received deployment information of the sub-slice, so that the sharing of the network slice information is facilitated.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 5, the network slice management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes the following steps:

s501, the second network slice management function network element sends a second message to the control device, where the second message includes a second network slice parameter, and is used for a terminal device of the second network to request access to a network slice meeting the second network slice parameter. Accordingly, the control device receives a second message from the second network slice management function network element.

In this embodiment, the second network slice parameter may be a parameter related to a network slice that the terminal device of the second network desires to access, and may be, for example, at least one of a rate of slicing, a resource size, or a number of supported users.

Optionally, the second network slice parameter may further include a parameter value range of a network slice that the terminal device of the second network desires to access.

And S502, under the condition that the control equipment determines that the first network slice is the network slice meeting the second network slice parameter, the control equipment sends a third message to the first network slice management function network element, wherein the third message is used for requesting to access the first network slice by the terminal equipment of the second network. Accordingly, the first network slice management function network element receives the third message from the control device.

S503, the first network slice management function network element sends second indication information to the control device, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device of the second network successfully accesses the first network slice. Accordingly, the control device receives second indication information from the first network slice management function network element.

S504, the control device sends second indication information to a second network slice management function network element. Accordingly, the second network slice management function network element receives the second indication information from the control device. In this scheme, on the basis that the first network slice satisfying the second network parameter has been deployed, the terminal device of the second network may access to the shared first network slice through the control device.

Alternatively, after step S501 is executed, the following steps are executed: and under the condition that the control equipment determines that any one of the deployed network slices is not the network slice meeting the second network slice parameter, the control equipment sends third indication information to a second network slice management function network element, wherein the third indication information is used for indicating that the terminal equipment of the second network fails to access the first network slice. Accordingly, the second network slice management function network element receives the third indication information from the control device.

With reference to fig. 4, the above step or step S502 may be implemented as follows: and the DAF analyzes whether the network slice meeting the second network slice parameter exists or not by combining the deployed network slice information stored in the DB, and transmits the analysis result to the C & M for the C & M to make a decision. And then, the C & M sends a third message to the first network slice management function network element, or the C & M sends third indication information to the second network slice management function network element.

In one possible implementation, the second indication information and the third indication information may be characterized by 1 bit. For example, the bit value of the second indication information is "1", which indicates that the terminal device of the second network successfully accesses the first network slice; and the bit value of the third indication information is '0', which indicates that the terminal equipment of the second network fails to access the first network slice. Or, the bit value of the second indication information is "0", which indicates that the terminal device of the second network successfully accesses the first network slice; and the bit value of the third indication information is '1', which indicates that the terminal equipment of the second network fails to access the first network slice. The embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

As shown in fig. 6, another network slice management method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

s601, a second network slice management function network element of a second network sends a first network slice parameter to a control device, wherein the first network slice parameter is used for deploying a first network slice. Accordingly, the control device receives a first network slice parameter from a second network slice management function network element.

For the related description of step S601, reference may be made to step S301, which is not described herein again.

S602, if the control device determines that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are not stored, the control device sends a first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of the first network, where the first network is a network that establishes a shared access network, and the second network is a network that uses the shared access network. Accordingly, the first network slice management function network element receives the first network slice parameter from the control device.

In conjunction with fig. 4, the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the delivery network sub-slice of the first network slice may be stored in the DB.

Taking the first network slice management function network element as the first NSMF as an example, after the first NSMF receives the first network slice parameter from the control device, the first NSMF may interact with NSSMFs of domains of the first network to implement deployment of the first network slice. For a specific interaction process, reference may be made to step S301, which is not described herein again.

S603, the first network slice management function network element sends, to the control device, deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice. Accordingly, the control device receives deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element.

The related description of step S603 may refer to step S302, which is not described herein again.

S604, the control device sends first indication information to a second network slice management function network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating that the first network slice is successfully deployed. Accordingly, the second network slice management function network element receives the first indication information from the control device.

For an example of the first indication information, reference may be made to the step S303, which is not described herein again.

Alternatively, after step S601 is executed, the following steps are executed: and if the control equipment determines that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are stored, the control equipment sends first indication information to a second network slice management function network element. Accordingly, the second network slice management function network element receives the first indication information from the control device.

Optionally, the network slice management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes: and the first network slice management function network element sends the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice to the control equipment. Accordingly, the control device receives deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element. In the method, the control device may store the received access network sub-slice deployment information and transmission network sub-slice deployment information of the first network slice, and when the second network slice management function network element initiates deployment of the first network slice, may directly feed back an indication that deployment is successful to the second network slice management function network element.

When a plurality of network slices are deployed, all network slices may be deployed by using the embodiment shown in fig. 3 or fig. 6, or a part of network slices may be deployed by using the embodiment shown in fig. 3, and another part of network slices may be deployed by using the embodiment shown in fig. 6, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. Whichever deployment above is employed, the embodiment shown in fig. 5 may be employed to access the network slice.

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

In the embodiment of the present application, the control device may be divided into the functional modules according to the method example, 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. Optionally, the division of the modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, and is only a logic function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation. Further, a "module" herein may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and/or other devices that may provide the described functionality.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic structural diagram of a control device 70 in the case of functional block division. As shown in fig. 7, the control device 70 includes a transceiver module 701. The transceiver module 701, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

In some embodiments, the control device 70 may also include a processing module 702. Although not shown, the control device 70 may also include a memory module for storing program instructions and data. In particular, the storage module may be configured to store deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a delivery network sub-slice of the first network slice.

A transceiver module 701, configured to send a first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of a first network and a second network slice management function network element of a second network, respectively, where the first network slice parameter is used to deploy a first network slice, the first network is a network that establishes a shared access network, and the second network is a network that uses the shared access network; the transceiver module 701 is further configured to receive deployment information of an access network sub-slice of a first network slice from a first network slice management function network element and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice; the transceiver module 701 is further configured to send first indication information to a second network slice management function network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the first network slice is successfully deployed.

As a possible implementation, the transceiver module 701 is further configured to send deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice to the second network slice management function network element.

As a possible implementation, the transceiver module 701 is further configured to receive a second message from a second network slice management function network element, where the second message includes a second network slice parameter, and is used for a terminal device of a second network to request access to a network slice meeting the second network slice parameter; the transceiver module 701 is further configured to send a third message to the first network slice management function network element when the processing module 702 determines that the first network slice is a network slice satisfying the second network slice parameter, where the third message is used for a terminal device of the second network to request to access the first network slice; the transceiver module 701 is further configured to receive second indication information from the first network slice management function network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device of the second network successfully accesses the first network slice; the transceiver module 701 is further configured to send second indication information to a second network slice management function network element.

Or, the transceiver module 701 is configured to receive a first network slice parameter from a second network slice management function network element of a second network, where the first network slice parameter is used to deploy a first network slice; the transceiver module 701 is further configured to send a first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of a first network if it is determined by the processing module 702 that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are not stored, where the first network is a network that establishes a shared access network, and the second network is a network that uses the shared access network; the transceiver module 701 is further configured to receive deployment information of an access network sub-slice of a first network slice from a first network slice management function network element and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice; the transceiver module 701 is further configured to send first indication information to a second network slice management function network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the first network slice is successfully deployed.

As a possible implementation, the transceiver module 701 is further configured to send the first indication information to the second network slice management function network element if it is determined by the processing module 702 that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are stored.

As a possible implementation, the transceiver module 701 is further configured to receive deployment information of an access network sub-slice of a first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from a first network slice management function network element.

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

In the case of implementing the functions of the above functional blocks in the form of hardware, fig. 8 shows a schematic structural diagram of another control device 80. As shown in fig. 8, the control device 80 includes a processor 801, a memory 802, and a bus 803. The processor 801 and the memory 802 may be connected by a bus 803.

The processor 801 is a control center of the control device 80, and may be a single processor or a collective term for a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor 801 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), other general-purpose processors, or the like. Wherein a general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like.

For one embodiment, processor 801 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU 0 and CPU1 shown in FIG. 8.

The memory 802 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 802 may exist separately from the processor 801, and the memory 802 may be connected to the processor 801 via the bus 803 for storing instructions or program code. The processor 801, when calling and executing instructions or program codes stored in the memory 802, can implement the network slice management method provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

In another possible implementation, the memory 802 may also be integrated with the processor 801.

The bus 803 may be an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Extended ISA (EISA) bus, or the like. The bus may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 8, but this is not intended to represent only one bus or type of bus.

It is to be noted that the structure shown in fig. 8 does not constitute a limitation of the control device 80. In addition to the components shown in fig. 8, the control device 80 may include more or fewer components than shown, or some components may be combined, or a different arrangement of components.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 8, the control device 80 provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include a communication interface 804.

A communication interface 804 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 804 may include a receiving unit for receiving data and a transmitting unit for transmitting data.

In a possible implementation manner, in the control device 80 provided in this embodiment of the present application, the communication interface 804 may also be integrated in the processor 801, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

As an example, in connection with fig. 7, the processing module 702 in the control device 70 implements the same function as the processor 801 in fig. 8, and the transceiver module 701 in the control device 70 implements the same function as the communication interface 804 in fig. 8. Alternatively, the processing module 702 and the transceiver module 701 in the control device 70 implement the same functions as the processor 801 in fig. 8. Alternatively, the function implemented by the memory module in the control device 70 is the same as that of the memory 802 in fig. 8.

As one possible product form, the control device of the embodiment of the present application may also be implemented using: one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuitry, or any combination of circuitry capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

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 can be performed by different functional units according to needs, 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.

An 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 foregoing method embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the steps of the method flow illustrated 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 values 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 ASIC. In embodiments of the present application, 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 control device, the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program product provided in this embodiment may be applied to the network slice management method provided in the foregoing embodiment, for technical effects that can be obtained by the control device, the computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program product, reference may also be made to the foregoing method embodiment, and details of the embodiment of the present invention are not repeated herein.

While the present application has been described in connection with various embodiments, other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from a review of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

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

Claims

1. A method for network slice management, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that control equipment respectively sends first network slice parameters to a first network slice management function network element of a first network and a second network slice management function network element of a second network, wherein the first network slice parameters are used for deploying a first network slice, the first network is a network for establishing a shared access network, and the second network is a network using the shared access network;

the control device receives deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element;

and the control device sends first indication information to the second network slice management function network element, wherein the first indication information is used for indicating that the first network slice is successfully deployed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and the control equipment sends the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice to the second network slice management function network element.

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

the control device receives a second message from the second network slice management function network element, wherein the second message comprises a second network slice parameter and is used for a terminal device of the second network to request to access a network slice meeting the second network slice parameter;

when the control device determines that the first network slice is a network slice satisfying the second network slice parameter, the control device sends a third message to the first network slice management function network element, where the third message is used for a terminal device of the second network to request to access the first network slice;

the control device receives second indication information from the first network slice management function network element, wherein the second indication information is used for indicating that the terminal device of the second network successfully accesses the first network slice;

and the control equipment sends the second indication information to the second network slice management function network element.

4. A method for network slice management, comprising:

the control equipment receives a first network slice parameter of a second network slice management function network element of a second network, wherein the first network slice parameter is used for deploying a first network slice;

if the control device determines that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are not stored, the control device sends the first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of a first network, wherein the first network is a network for establishing a shared access network, and the second network is a network using the shared access network;

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

if the control device determines that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are stored, the control device sends first indication information to the second network slice management function network element.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

the control device receives deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element.

7. A control apparatus, characterized in that the control apparatus comprises: a transceiver module;

the transceiver module is configured to send a first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of a first network and a second network slice management function network element of a second network, respectively, where the first network slice parameter is used to deploy a first network slice, the first network is a network that establishes a shared access network, and the second network is a network that uses the shared access network;

the transceiver module is further configured to receive deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element;

the transceiver module is further configured to send first indication information to the second network slice management function network element, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the first network slice is successfully deployed.

8. The control device of claim 7, wherein the transceiver module is further configured to send deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and deployment information of the transport network sub-slice of the first network slice to the second network slice management function network element.

9. The control device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the control device further comprises a processing module;

the transceiver module is further configured to receive a second message from the second network slice management function network element, where the second message includes a second network slice parameter, and is used for a terminal device of the second network to request access to a network slice meeting the second network slice parameter;

the transceiver module is further configured to send a third message to the first network slice management function network element when the processing module determines that the first network slice is a network slice satisfying the second network slice parameter, where the third message is used for a terminal device of the second network to request to access the first network slice;

the transceiver module is further configured to receive second indication information from the first network slice management function network element, where the second indication information is used to indicate that the terminal device of the second network successfully accesses the first network slice;

the transceiver module is further configured to send the second indication information to the second network slice management function network element.

10. A control apparatus, characterized in that the control apparatus comprises: a transceiver module and a processing module;

the transceiver module is configured to receive a first network slice parameter from a second network slice management function network element of a second network, where the first network slice parameter is used to deploy a first network slice;

the transceiver module is further configured to send the first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of a first network if it is determined by the processing module that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are not stored, where the first network is a network that establishes a shared access network, and the second network is a network that uses the shared access network;

11. The control apparatus according to claim 10,

the transceiver module is further configured to send first indication information to the second network slice management function network element if the processing module determines that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice in which the first network slice is stored and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice in which the first network slice is transmitted are stored.

12. The control apparatus according to claim 11,

the transceiver module is further configured to receive deployment information of an access network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element and deployment information of a transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice.

13. A control apparatus, characterized by comprising: a processor;

the processor is configured to read computer-executable instructions in the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the control device to perform the method of any one of claims 1-3 or 4-6.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program or instructions are stored which, when executed by the control device, carry out the method according to any one of claims 1-3 or 4-6.

15. A communication system comprising a first network slice management function network element, a second network slice management function network element and a control device according to any of claims 7-9 or any of claims 10-12.