CN114158078B

CN114158078B - Network slice management method, device and computer readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN114158078B
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: 2023-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 2041-12-15
Also published as: CN114158078A

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 service capacity of shared network slices. The method comprises the following steps: the control device 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 respectively, wherein the first network slice parameters are used for deploying the first network slice, the first network is a network for supporting 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 from a first network slice management function network element and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice. 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 deployment is successful.

Description

Network slice management method, device and computer readable storage medium

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a network slice management method, apparatus, and computer readable storage medium.

Background

In order to reduce the construction costs of network infrastructure, the concept of network slicing has been developed. Network slicing refers to virtual end-to-end networks separated by different operators on the same network infrastructure, thereby enabling end-to-end logical isolation of provisioning traffic and network resources to serve different vertical industries with different service requirements.

The current third generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project,3GPP) standard only specifies three large slice scenarios, namely enhanced mobile broadband (enhance mobile broadband, emmbb), large-scale mechanical communications (massive machine type communication, mctc), and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (ultra reliable low latency communication, URLLC), with more slice deployment strategies customized by different operators.

At present, the access network device of the operator a that supports a certain regional network slice provides corresponding wireless resources and services according to the slice deployment policy of the operator a, but when a user of a certain operator B that uses the regional network slice accesses the access network device of the operator a, because the operators are operated independently and even have a competition 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 may not be ensured 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 service capability of shared network slices.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the present application adopts the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, a network slice management method is provided, which may be performed by a control device, the method comprising: the control device 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 respectively, wherein the first network slice parameters are used for deploying the first network slice, the first network is a network for supporting 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 from a first network slice management function network element and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice. 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 deployment is successful.

In the network slice management method provided by the application, the control equipment initiates the deployment of the first network slice, and the first network slice parameters are respectively issued to the first network and the second network so as to enable the first network to deploy the shared access network sub-slice and the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice. The first network slicing parameters are known to the first network and the second network, so that the situation that slicing deployment strategies are not communicated is avoided, terminal equipment of the second network can smoothly access network equipment of the first network, and the service capability of network slicing is further guaranteed.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain embodiments of the first aspect, the method further comprises: the control device 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 second network slice management function network element. In the scheme, the opening degree of the first network to the second network is higher, and the owner of the second network can deploy the sub-slice according 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: the control device receives a second message from a second network slice management function network element, the second message comprising a second network slice parameter, a terminal device for the second network requesting access to a network slice satisfying the second network slice parameter. In case 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, the third message being for the terminal device of the second network requesting access to 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 is successfully accessed to the first network slice. The control device sends second indication information to the second network slice management function network element. In the scheme, on the basis that the first network slice meeting the second network parameter is deployed, the terminal equipment of the second network can access the shared first network slice through the control equipment.

In a second aspect, there is provided another network slice management method, the method being executable 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 the 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 the first network, wherein the first network is a network for building 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 from a first network slice management function network element and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice. 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 deployment is successful.

In the network slice management method provided by the embodiment of the application, the second network slice management function network element initiates deployment of the first network slice according to slice requirements of the second network slice management function network element, and the control equipment issues the first network slice parameters to the first network for the first network to deploy and share the access network slice and the transmission network slice of the first network slice under the condition that the control equipment does not store deployment information of the access network slice and the transmission network slice of the first network slice. The first network slicing parameters are known to the first network and the second network, so that the situation that slicing deployment strategies are not communicated is avoided, terminal equipment of the second network can smoothly access network equipment of the first network, and the service capability of network slicing is further guaranteed.

With reference to the second aspect, in certain embodiments of the second aspect, the method further comprises: 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 from a first network slice management function network element and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice. In the method, the control device can store the received access network slice deployment information and the received transmission network slice deployment information of the first network slice, and when the second network slice management function network element initiates the deployment of the first network slice, the indication of successful deployment can be directly fed back 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: the control device 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 second network slice management function network element. In the scheme, the opening degree of the first network to the second network is higher, and the owner of the second network can deploy the sub-slice according 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: the control device receives a second message from a second network slice management function network element, the second message comprising a second network slice parameter, a terminal device for the second network requesting access to a network slice satisfying the second network slice parameter. In case 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, the third message being for the terminal device of the second network requesting access to 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 is successfully accessed to the first network slice. The control device sends second indication information to the second network slice management function network element. In the scheme, on the basis that the first network slice meeting the second network parameter is deployed, the terminal equipment of the second network can access the shared first network slice through the control equipment.

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

With reference to the third aspect, in certain embodiments of the third aspect, the control device includes: a transceiver module; and the receiving and transmitting module is used for respectively transmitting first network slice parameters to a first network slice management function network element of the first network and a second network slice management function network element of the second network, wherein the first network slice parameters are used for deploying the first network slice, the first network is a network for building 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. 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 deployment is successful.

With reference to the third aspect, in certain embodiments of the third 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 third aspect, in certain embodiments of the third aspect, the control device further includes a processing module; the transceiver module 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 the terminal device of the second network requests access to a network slice that satisfies the second network slice parameter. And the receiving and transmitting module is further used for transmitting a third message to the first network slice management function network element when the processing module determines that the first network slice is the network slice meeting the second network slice parameter, wherein the third message is used for requesting the terminal equipment of the second network 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 accesses the first network slice successfully. And the receiving and transmitting module is also used for transmitting second indication information to the second network slice management function network element.

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

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

With reference to the fourth aspect, in certain embodiments of the fourth aspect, the control device includes: a transceiver module and a processing module; and the transceiver module is used for receiving a first network slice parameter of a second network slice management function network element from the second network, wherein the first network slice parameter is used for deploying the first network slice. And the receiving and transmitting module is further used for transmitting the first network slice parameter to a first network slice management function network element of the first network 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 not stored, wherein the first network is a network for building 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. 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 deployment is successful.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations 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 transport network sub-slice of the first network slice are stored.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in certain implementations 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 certain implementations 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 certain implementations of the fourth aspect, the transceiver module 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 the terminal device for the second network requests access to a network slice that satisfies the second network slice parameter. And the receiving and transmitting module is further used for transmitting a third message to the first network slice management function network element when the processing module determines that the first network slice is the network slice meeting the second network slice parameter, wherein the third message is used for requesting the terminal equipment of the second network 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 accesses the first network slice successfully. And the receiving and transmitting module is also used for transmitting second indication information to the second network slice management function network element.

The technical effects of any one of the design manners in the fourth aspect may be referred to the technical effects of the different design manners in the second aspect, and will not be described herein.

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

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

In some possible designs, the control device may be a chip or a system-on-chip. 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, there is provided a computer readable storage medium having stored therein computer instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first or second aspect described above.

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 described above.

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

The technical effects of any one of the fifth to eighth aspects may be referred to the technical effects of the different designs in the first or second aspects, and are not described herein.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art architecture for slice co-building sharing;

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 disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another control device provided herein;

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

Detailed Description

For the convenience of understanding the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief description of related technologies or terms of the present application is given below.

First, network slice

Currently, the 3GPP standard defines network slice selection assistance information (network slice selection assistance information, NSSAI) to identify network slices. On the radio access network (radio access network, RAN) side, the slice type can be identified and services provided by NSSAI. Each nsai may include a set of single network slice selection assistance information (single network slice selection assistance information, S-nsai), and each S-nsai may include a slice/service type (SST) and a slice discriminator (slice differentiator, SD).

Wherein SST is mandatory information for representing functions and services of a network slice. Typically, SSTs can take 8 bits, taking values of 0-255, where 0-127 can represent standardized SSTs and 128-255 can represent operator-specified SSTs. In the fifth generation (5th generation,5G) mobile communication technology, SST that has been standardized is shown in table 1. Normalizing SST facilitates the cooperation of global operators, and in particular, different operators can support slice roaming more efficiently using a unified set of standards.

TABLE 1

Slice scene	SST value	Features (e.g. a character)
			eMBB	1	Slice suitable for processing 5G enhanced mobile broadband
URLLC	2	Slice suitable for processing ultra-reliable low-delay communication
			mMTC	3	Slice suitable for processing large-scale internet of things

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

Second, the existing slice co-building sharing architecture

Fig. 1 shows a prior art slice co-building shared architecture. One of the network slices includes a radio network sub-slice, a carrier network sub-slice, and a core network sub-slice. When a user of the operator A accesses the shared base station of the operator A, data arrives at the Internet or the service network of the operator A through the access network, the bearing network and the core network of the operator A; when a user of the operator a accesses the shared base station of the operator B, the data arrives to the internet or service network of the operator a via the access network of the operator B, the carrier network of the operator a and the core network of the operator a. Similarly, when a user of carrier B accesses a shared base station of carrier B, data arrives via the access network, bearer network, and core network of carrier B to the internet or service network of carrier B; when a user of the operator B accesses the shared base station of the operator a, data arrives to the internet or service network of the operator B via the access network of the operator a, the carrier 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 the bearer network of the operator B, and the operator B user may also use the access network and the bearer network of the operator a, but the core network cannot be shared.

In a co-building sharing scenario, as described in the background, the operators that are hosting the network slices and the operators that use the network slices may be different. In fact, the brands of operators remain independent of the operation, and there is also a degree of competition in the consumer market. However, when the user of the operator B accesses the access network device of the operator a, good cooperation between operators is required to ensure the best user experience, and this contradiction is urgent to specify the management flow and the docking flow between 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. Wherein, in the description of the present application, "/" means that the related objects are in a "or" relationship, unless otherwise specified, for example, a/B may mean a or B; the term "and/or" in this application is merely an association relation describing an association object, and means that three kinds of relations may exist, for example, a and/or B may mean: there are three cases, a alone, a and B together, and B alone, wherein a, B may be singular or plural. Also, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise indicated, "a plurality" means two or more than two. "at least one of" or the like means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item(s) or plural items(s). 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 plural. In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first", "second", and the like are used to distinguish the same item or similar items having substantially the same function and effect. It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art that the words "first," "second," and the like do not limit the amount and order of execution, and that the words "first," "second," and the like do not necessarily differ. Meanwhile, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "such as" are used to mean serving as examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described herein as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "such as" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete fashion that may be readily understood.

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 from each other. The first network and the second network may correspond to the same operator, or may correspond to different operators, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application. Illustratively, the first network is a first public land mobile network (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 connectivity network, and the second PLMN network may be, for example, a telecommunications network; alternatively, the first PLMN network is a beijing mobile and the second PLMN network is a hebetor mobile. Or, by way of example, 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; alternatively, 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 embodiments of the present application are not specifically limited thereto.

In a possible implementation manner, the control device 201 is configured to send first network slice parameters to the first network slice management function network element 202 of the first network and the second network slice management function network element 203 of the second network, respectively, where the first network slice parameters are used for deploying the first network slice, the first network is a network that supports the shared access network, and the second network is a network that uses the shared access network. The first network slice management function network element 202 is configured to receive the first network slice parameters from the control device 201. The second network slice management function network element 203 is configured to receive the first network slice parameters from the control device 201. The first network slice management function network element 202 is further configured to send 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 to the control device 201. 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 transport 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 device 201. The specific implementation and technical effects of this scheme will be described in detail in the following method embodiments, and are not described here again.

In another possible implementation, the second network slice management function network element 203 of the second network is configured to send a 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 transport network sub-slice of the first network slice are not stored, where the first network is a network that supports the shared access network, and the second network is a network that uses the shared access network. The first network slice management function network element 202 is configured to receive the first network slice parameters from the control device 201. The first network slice management function network element 202 is further configured to send 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 to the control device 201. 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 transport 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 device 201. The specific implementation and technical effects of this scheme will be described in detail in the following method embodiments, and are not described here again.

The network slice management method provided in 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 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 the first network slice, the first network is a network for building 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.

Illustratively, the control device in embodiments of the present application may employ a federal learning algorithm. The federal learning algorithm can train a complete predictive model by training weights. Parameters of the model may be exchanged with information of the first network or the second network in an encrypted manner to coordinate traffic demands on the network slices by the contractor who is in possession of the network slice and the sharer who uses the network slice. By analyzing the traffic demand of the network slice, the control device can design the corresponding network slice parameters to complete the planning of the new network slice. The encryption exchange can ensure the data privacy of the contractor and the sharing party. In addition, the control device may also manage and maintain protocols that share network slices between the contractor and the sharer, such as modifying the current protocol.

As shown in fig. 4, the control device may include a Database (DB), a data analysis function (data analytics function, DAF), and a coordination & management function (C & M). The function of each module is introduced as follows:

the DB is used for storing deployment information of the network slice and related history information in the processing process so that the DAF can conduct intelligent analysis, and flexibility of dealing with service requirements is improved.

DAF is used to provide data analysis specific to network slices. The DAF may send the analysis results of the network slice to other modules for scheduling or management use. In addition, the DAF can adopt a federal learning algorithm to improve the capability of dynamically planning network slices on the premise of ensuring data privacy.

The C & M may process a request related to the network slice, such as an access request, a parameter modification request, or a query request, according to the analysis result fed back by the DAF.

Illustratively, the network slice management function network element may be a network slice management function (network slice management function, NSMF). NSMF may be used for network slice instantiation management and orchestration. For example, NSMF may convert the resource allocation scheme of the network slice into the resource allocation scheme of each domain sub-slice and transmit the resource allocation scheme of each domain sub-slice to the network slice sub-network management function (network slice subnet management function, NSSMF) of each sub-network. The NSSMF can be used for managing and arranging the sub-slices of each domain, and comprises AN access network slice sub-network management function (access network-network slice subnet management function, AN-NSSMF), a transport network slice sub-network management function (transport network-network slice subnet management function, TN-NSSMF) and a core network slice sub-network management function (core network-network slice subnet management function, CN-NSSMF).

Illustratively, 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 the core network sub-slice of the first network slice to the first CN-NSSMF. After the first CN-NSSMF receives the parameters of the core network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first NSMF, the deployment of the core network sub-slice is completed, and the deployment information of the core network sub-slice is fed back to the first NSMF.

Illustratively, 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 transport network sub-slices of the first network slice including NSSAI, wireless indoor baseband processing unit (building baseband unit, BBU) identification, port number of core network user plane function (user plane function, UPF), and port number of virtual local area network (virtual local area network, VLAN). After the first CN-NSSMF receives the parameters of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first NSMF, the deployment of the transmission network sub-slice is completed, and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice is fed back to the first NSMF.

Illustratively, 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 the access network sub-slice of the first network slice to the first AN-NSSMF. After the first AN-NSSMF receives the parameters of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice from the first NSMF, deployment of the access network sub-slice is completed, and deployment information of the access network sub-slice is fed back to the first NSMF.

Illustratively, 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 the parameters of the core network sub-slice of the first network slice to the second CN-NSSMF. After the second CN-NSSMF receives the parameters of the core network sub-slice of the first network slice from the second NSMF, the deployment of the core network sub-slice is completed, and the deployment information of the core network sub-slice is fed back to the second NSMF.

The specific interaction flow between NSMF and NSSMF may be referred to in the prior art, and will not be described herein.

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

S302, the first network slice management function network element sends 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 control equipment. Accordingly, the control device receives 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 transport network sub-slice of the first network slice.

In connection 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 received deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice in the DB.

In the 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 function network element only needs to feed back the deployment information of the access network sub-slice and the transport network sub-slice.

S303, the control equipment 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 deployment is successful. Accordingly, the second network slice management function network element receives the first indication information from the control device.

In a 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, a bit value of "0" indicates that the embodiment of the present application does not limit this in any way.

Optionally, the network slice management method provided in the embodiment of the present application further includes: the control device 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 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 from the control device and deployment information of the transport network sub-slice of the first network slice. In the scheme, the opening degree of the first network to the second network is higher, and the owner of the second network can deploy the sub-slice according 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, wherein the second message comprises second network slice parameters, and the terminal device of the second network requests to access the network slices meeting the second network slice parameters. Accordingly, the control device receives a second message from a second network slice management function network element.

In this embodiment of the present application, 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 the slice, 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.

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 the terminal equipment of the second network to access the first network slice. Accordingly, the first network slice management function network element receives a third message from the control device.

S503, the first network slice management function network element sends second indication information to the control device, wherein the second indication information is used for indicating that the terminal device of the second network is successfully accessed to 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 the second network slice management function network element. Accordingly, the second network slice management function network element receives second indication information from the control device. In the scheme, on the basis that the first network slice meeting the second network parameter is deployed, the terminal equipment of the second network can access the shared first network slice through the control equipment.

Alternatively, after step S501 is performed, the following steps are performed: 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 parameters, the control equipment sends third indication information to the 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.

In connection with fig. 4, the above-mentioned step or step S502 may be implemented as follows: the DAF analyzes whether there is a network slice satisfying the second network slice parameter in combination with 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 a 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; the bit value of the third indication information is "0", which indicates that the terminal device 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 equipment of the second network is successfully accessed to the first network slice; the bit value of the third indication information is "1", which indicates that the terminal device of the second network fails to access the first network slice. The embodiments of the present application are not limited in any way.

As shown in fig. 6, another network slice management method provided in an 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 control equipment, wherein the first network slice parameter is used for deploying the first network slice. Accordingly, the control device receives the first network slice parameters from the second network slice management function network element.

The related description of step S601 may refer to step S301, and will not be described herein.

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, wherein the first network is a network for building 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 slice parameters from the control device.

In connection with fig. 4, 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 may be stored in the DB.

Taking the first network slice management function network element as a first NSMF as an example, after the first NSMF receives the first network slice parameters 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. The specific interaction flow may refer to step S301, and will not be described herein.

S603, the first network slice management functional network element sends 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 control equipment. Accordingly, the control device receives 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 transport network sub-slice of the first network slice.

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

S604, 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 deployment is successful. Accordingly, the second network slice management function network element receives the first indication information from the control device.

An example of the first indication information may refer to the above step S303, and will not be described herein.

Alternatively, after step S601 is performed, the following steps are performed: 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: the first network slice management function network element sends 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 control equipment. Accordingly, the control device receives 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 transport network sub-slice of the first network slice. In the method, the control device can store the received access network slice deployment information and the received transmission network slice deployment information of the first network slice, and when the second network slice management function network element initiates the deployment of the first network slice, the indication of successful deployment can be directly fed back to the second network slice management function network element.

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

The scheme provided by the embodiment of the application is mainly introduced from the interaction point of network equipment. In order to achieve the above functions, the control device, the first network slice management function network element or the second network slice management function network element comprises a hardware structure and/or a software module for executing the respective functions. Those of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the elements and algorithm steps of the examples described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware or combinations of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented as hardware or computer software driven 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.

The embodiment of the present application may divide the functional modules of the control device according to the above 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 modules may be implemented in hardware or in software functional modules. Optionally, the division of the modules in the embodiments of the present application is schematic, which is merely a logic function division, and other division manners may be actually implemented. Further, "module" herein may refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electrical circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and/or other devices that can provide the above-described functionality.

In the case of using the functional block division, fig. 7 shows a schematic configuration of a control device 70. As shown in fig. 7, the control device 70 includes a transceiver module 701. The transceiver module 701 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, and 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 transport network sub-slice of the first network slice.

A transceiver module 701, configured to send 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, where the first network slice parameters are used for deploying the first network slice, the first network is a network that supports 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 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; the transceiver module 701 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 deployment is successful.

As a possible implementation, the transceiver module 701 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.

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 the terminal device of the second network requests access to a network slice that meets 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, where the processing module 702 determines that the first network slice is a network slice that meets the second network slice parameter, and the third message is used for a terminal device of the second network to request access to 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 accesses the first network slice successfully; 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 the second network, where the first network slice parameter is used to deploy the 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 the first network if the processing module 702 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 supports 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 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; the transceiver module 701 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 deployment is successful.

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 the processing module 702 determines that the deployment information of the access network sub-slice of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transport 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 the first network slice from the first network slice management function network element and deployment information of a transport network sub-slice of the first network slice.

All relevant contents of each step related to the above method embodiment may be cited to the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, which are not described herein.

In the case of realizing the functions of the above-described functional modules in the form of hardware, fig. 8 shows a schematic diagram of another control apparatus 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 apparatus 80, and may be one processor or a collective name of a plurality of processing elements. For example, the processor 801 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (central processing unit, CPU), or may be another general-purpose processor. Wherein the general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like.

As one example, processor 801 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU 0 and CPU1 shown in fig. 8.

Memory 802 may be, but is not limited to, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (random access memory, RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk storage 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 through the bus 803 for storing instructions or program code. The processor 801, when calling and executing instructions or program code 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.

Bus 803 may be an industry standard architecture (Industry Standard Architecture, ISA) bus, a peripheral component interconnect (Peripheral Component Interconnect, PCI) bus, or an extended industry standard architecture (Extended Industry Standard Architecture, EISA) bus, among others. The bus may be classified as an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in fig. 8, but not only one bus or one type of bus.

It should be noted that the structure shown in fig. 8 does not constitute a limitation of the control apparatus 80. In addition to the components shown in fig. 8, the control device 80 may include more or fewer components than shown, or may combine certain components, or may have 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 via a communication network. The communication network may be an ethernet, a radio access network, a wireless local area network (wireless local area networks, 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 the embodiment of the present application, the communication interface 804 may also be integrated in the processor 801, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

As an example, in connection with fig. 7, the processing module 702 in the control device 70 performs the same function as the processor 801 in fig. 8, and the transceiver module 701 in the control device 70 performs 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 memory module in the control device 70 performs the same function as the memory 802 in fig. 8.

As a possible product form, the control device of the embodiment of the present application may also be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (field programmable gate array, FPGA), programmable logic devices (programmable logic device, PLD), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuit or combination of circuits capable of performing the various functions described throughout this application.

From the above description of embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing functional unit divisions are merely illustrative for convenience and brevity of description. In practical applications, the above-mentioned function allocation may be performed by different functional units, i.e. the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional units, as needed, to perform all or part of the functions described above. The specific working processes of the above-described systems, devices and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which are not described herein.

The embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium, where instructions are stored, and when the computer executes the instructions, 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 steps of the method flow shown in the method embodiments described above.

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 a combination of any of the foregoing. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable storage medium would include the following: electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer diskette, hard disk. Random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), read-Only Memory (ROM), erasable programmable Read-Only Memory (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, EPROM), registers, hard disk, optical fiber, portable compact disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any other form of computer-readable storage medium suitable for use in combination with the above, or as a numerical value 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. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in a special purpose ASIC. In the context 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 the present embodiment can be applied to the network slice management method provided in the above embodiment, the technical effects obtained by the control device, the computer readable storage medium and the computer program product can also refer to the above method embodiment, and the embodiments of the present invention are not repeated herein.

Although the present application has been described herein 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 figures, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the "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 connection with specific features and embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that various modifications and combinations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present application as defined in the appended claims and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents that fall within the scope of the present application. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present application without departing from the spirit or scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims and the equivalents thereof, the present application is intended to cover such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A network slice management method, comprising:

the 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 first network slices, the first network is a network for building a shared access network, and the second network is a network using the shared access network;

the control equipment receives 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;

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 deployment is successful.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

and the control equipment 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 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 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;

in the case that 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 requesting access to the first network slice by a terminal device of the second network;

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 terminal equipment of the second network is successfully accessed to the first network slice;

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

4. A network slice management method, comprising:

the control equipment receives a first network slice parameter of a second network slice management function network element from 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 building a shared access network, and the second network is a network using the shared access network;

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein 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 the second network slice management function network element.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

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.

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

the transceiver module is configured to send 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, where the first network slice parameters are used for deploying a first network slice, the first network is a network for building 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;

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 deployment is successful.

8. The control device of claim 7, wherein the transceiver module is further configured to send 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 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 that meets 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, where the processing module determines that the first network slice is a network slice that meets 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 accesses the first network slice successfully;

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 the processing module determines that 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 are not stored, where the first network is a network that supports 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, wherein,

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 of the first network slice and the deployment information of the transmission network sub-slice of the first network slice are stored.

12. The control apparatus according to claim 11, wherein,

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.

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

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

14. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that it has stored therein a computer program or instructions which, when executed by the control device, implement the method according to any of claims 1-3 or any of claims 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 one of claims 7-9 or any one of claims 10-12.