CN115413063A

CN115413063A - Method, device and system for establishing connection

Info

Publication number: CN115413063A
Application number: CN202110585190.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 胡翔
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-05-27
Filing date: 2021-05-27
Publication date: 2022-11-29
Also published as: WO2022247875A1

Abstract

The application discloses a method, a device and a system for establishing connection. According to the scheme provided by the embodiment of the application, the SMF sends session information to the TD-SMF, the session information comprises a first tunnel endpoint identifier of the PSA-UPF, an IP address of the terminal and an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address, the TD-SMF sends the session information to the TD-UPF, so that the TD-UPF issues the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask of the terminal to the network and establishes a downlink tunnel between the TD-UPF and the PSA-UPF, and the TD-UPF can receive data of the terminal from the network and send the data to the PSA-UPF; and then the TD-SMF sends the second tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF to the SMF, and the SMF sends the second tunnel endpoint identification to the PSA-UPF, so that the PSA-UPF can establish an uplink tunnel with the TD-UPF.

Description

Method, device and system for establishing connection

Technical Field

The present invention relates to wireless communication technologies, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, and a system for establishing a connection.

Background

A Traffic Detection Function (TDF) is used to perform application Detection. The TDF is divided into a traffic detection Control plane function (TDF-C) and a traffic detection User plane function (TDF User plane function, TDF-U). In a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, the TDF detected application and its traffic data flow description may be reported to a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF). Application detection may also be performed by a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) that deploys Application Detection and Control (ADC) functions.

However, at present, the core network element only copies the session information to the TDF-C device, and does not sense whether the TDF-C device or other devices successfully establish the corresponding session based on the received information. Moreover, special routers need to be deployed between the gateway nodes and the TDF-us to enable data between the gateway nodes and the internet to be routed to the corresponding TDF-us, increasing the cost of network deployment.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method, a device and a system for establishing connection, so that a core network can determine whether the corresponding TDF session or user plane path is established successfully, and route deployment cost can be simplified.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for establishing a connection, where the method includes:

the session management function sends an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function to the traffic detection user plane function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, and the downlink tunnel is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session;

the session management function receives a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the flow detection user plane function from the flow detection user plane function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the flow detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting uplink data of the first session;

the session management function sends the second tunnel endpoint identification to the user plane function.

According to the method of the first aspect, the session management function may confirm whether the traffic detection user plane function successfully establishes the first session by whether the tunnel endpoint identifier of the traffic detection user plane function is obtained. And the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask of the terminal of the first session are issued to the network by the traffic detection user plane function, so that the traffic detection user plane function can receive the data of the first session from the network and forward the data to the user plane function through a tunnel between the traffic detection user plane function and the user plane function. For the first session, the traffic detection user plane function is deployed as a hop in the core network user plane, and does not need to be deployed as a part of the data network, so that the routing of the traffic detection user plane function to the data of the first session is realized without re-planning the routing when the traffic detection user plane function is deployed, that is, without modifying the data network.

As an alternative design, the user plane function is an anchor user plane function.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

the session management function subscribes information of a flow detection user plane function;

and the session management function selects a flow detection user plane function according to the information.

As an optional design, the IP network segment routing mask is used for issuing the traffic detection user plane function to the network, and the IP address belongs to the address range indicated by the IP network segment routing mask.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

the session management function receives an IP address and an IP network segment routing mask from the user plane function; or,

the session management function determines an IP address and an IP segment routing mask,

the session management function sends the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask to the user plane function.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

and the session management function sends a third tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function to the access network node or the intermediate user plane function, the third tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the access network node or the intermediate user plane node and the user plane node, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for establishing a connection, where the method includes:

the traffic detection user plane function receives an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function from the session management function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, and the downlink tunnel is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session;

the flow detection user plane function issues an IP address and an IP network segment routing mask to the network;

and the traffic detection user plane function sends a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the traffic detection user plane function to the session management function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

According to the method of the second aspect, the traffic detection user plane function may enable the session management function to confirm that the traffic detection user plane function successfully establishes the first session by feeding back the tunnel endpoint identification of the traffic detection user plane function to the session management function. And the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask of the terminal of the first session are issued to the network by the traffic detection user plane function, so that the traffic detection user plane function can receive the data of the first session from the network and forward the data to the user plane function through a tunnel between the traffic detection user plane function and the user plane function. For the first session, the traffic detection user plane function is deployed as a hop in the core network user plane, and does not need to be deployed as a part of the data network, so that the routing of the traffic detection user plane function to the data of the first session is realized without re-planning the routing when the traffic detection user plane function is deployed, that is, without modifying the data network.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for establishing a connection, where the method includes:

the session management function sends an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function to the traffic detection control plane function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, the downlink tunnel is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session, and the traffic detection control plane function is used for managing the traffic detection user plane function;

the session management function receives a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the traffic detection user plane function from the traffic detection control plane function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting uplink data of the first session;

According to the method of the third aspect, the session management function may confirm whether the traffic detection user plane function successfully establishes the first session by whether the tunnel endpoint identifier of the traffic detection user plane function is obtained. And the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask of the terminal of the first session are issued to the network by the traffic detection user plane function, so that the traffic detection user plane function can receive the data of the first session from the network and forward the data to the user plane function through a tunnel between the traffic detection user plane function and the user plane function. For the first session, the traffic detection user plane function is deployed as a hop in the core network user plane, and does not need to be deployed as a part of the data network, so that the routing of the data of the first session by the traffic detection user plane function is realized without replanning the routing when the traffic detection user plane function is deployed, that is, the data network does not need to be modified.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

the session management function subscribes information of a flow detection control plane function;

and the session management function selects the flow detection control plane function according to the information.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

the session management function sends session establishment information to the traffic detection control plane function, the session establishment information including one or more of the following: the method comprises the steps of identifying the equipment identity of a terminal, the name of an Access Point (APN), the name of a data network (DNN) and single-network slice selection support information S-NSSAI.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

a session management function receives a subscription request of a flow detection control plane function, wherein the subscription request is used for subscribing session information;

the session management function sending the session establishment information to the traffic detection control plane function includes:

in response to the subscription request, the session management function sends session establishment information to the traffic detection control plane function.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

the session management function determines the IP address and IP network segment routing mask,

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for establishing a connection, where the method includes:

the flow detection control plane function receives an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of a user plane function from the session management function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and the flow detection user plane function, and the downlink tunnel is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session;

the flow detection control plane function sends an IP address, an IP network segment routing mask code and a first tunnel endpoint identifier to the flow detection user plane function;

and the traffic detection control plane function sends a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the traffic detection user plane function to the session management function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

According to the method of the fourth aspect, the traffic detection control plane function may enable the session management function to confirm that the traffic detection control plane function and the traffic detection user plane function successfully establish the first session by feeding back the tunnel endpoint identification of the traffic detection user plane function to the session management function. And the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask of the terminal of the first session are sent to the traffic detection user plane function, and the traffic detection user plane function issues the traffic detection user plane function to the network, so that the traffic detection user plane function can receive the data of the first session from the network and forward the data to the user plane function through a tunnel between the traffic detection user plane function and the user plane function. For the first session, the traffic detection user plane function is deployed as a hop in the core network user plane, and does not need to be deployed as a part of the data network, so that the routing of the traffic detection user plane function to the data of the first session is realized without re-planning the routing when the traffic detection user plane function is deployed, that is, without modifying the data network.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

the traffic detection control plane function receives a second tunnel endpoint identifier from the traffic detection user plane function; or,

the traffic detection control plane function generates a second tunnel endpoint identification for the first session,

the traffic detection control plane function sends a second tunnel endpoint identification to the traffic detection user plane function.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

the flow detection control plane function subscribes the information of the flow detection user plane function;

and the traffic detection control plane function selects the traffic detection user plane function according to the information.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

the traffic detection control plane function receives session establishment information from the session management function, the session establishment information including one or more of the following: the method comprises the steps of identifying the equipment identity of a terminal, the name of an Access Point (APN), the name of a data network (DNN) and single-network slice selection support information S-NSSAI.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

the traffic detection control plane function sends a subscription request to the session management function, where the subscription request is used to subscribe to session information.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for establishing a connection, where the method includes:

the traffic detection user plane function receives an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function from the traffic detection control plane function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, and the downlink tunnel is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session;

and the traffic detection user plane function sends a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the traffic detection user plane function to the traffic detection control plane function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

According to the method of the fifth aspect, the traffic detection user plane function may make the session management function confirm that the traffic detection user plane function successfully established the first session by feeding back its tunnel endpoint identity. And the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask of the terminal of the first session are issued to the network by the traffic detection user plane function, so that the traffic detection user plane function can receive the data of the first session from the network and forward the data to the user plane function through a tunnel between the traffic detection user plane function and the user plane function. For the first session, the traffic detection user plane function is deployed as a hop in the core network user plane, and does not need to be deployed as a part of the data network, so that the routing of the traffic detection user plane function to the data of the first session is realized without re-planning the routing when the traffic detection user plane function is deployed, that is, without modifying the data network.

As an optional design, the receiving, by the traffic detection user plane function, the internet protocol IP address of the terminal, the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address, and the first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function from the traffic detection control plane function includes:

the flow detection user plane function receives an IP address, an IP network segment routing mask code and a first tunnel endpoint identifier from the session management function from the flow detection control plane function;

the sending, by the traffic detection user plane function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier of the traffic detection user plane function to the traffic detection control plane function includes:

the traffic detection user plane function sends the second tunnel endpoint identity to the session management function through the traffic detection control plane function.

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for establishing a connection, where the method includes:

the user plane function acquires an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, and the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session;

and the user plane function receives a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the flow detection user plane function from the session management function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the flow detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

According to the method of the sixth aspect, after the user plane function acquires the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask of the terminal of the first session, the traffic detection user plane function issues the traffic detection user plane function to the network, so that the traffic detection user plane function can receive the data of the first session from the network, and forward the data to the user plane function through the tunnel between the traffic detection user plane function and the user plane function. For the first session, the traffic detection user plane function is deployed as a hop in the core network user plane, and does not need to be deployed as a part of the data network, so that the routing of the traffic detection user plane function to the data of the first session is realized without re-planning the routing when the traffic detection user plane function is deployed, that is, without modifying the data network.

As an optional design, the obtaining, by the user plane function, an internet protocol IP address of the terminal and an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address includes:

the user plane function determines the IP address and IP network segment routing mask,

the user plane function sends an IP address and an IP network segment routing mask to the session management function; or,

the user plane function receives an IP address and an IP network segment routing mask from the session management function.

As an optional design, the obtaining, by the user plane function, the first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function includes:

the user plane function generates a first tunnel endpoint identification for the first session,

the user plane function sends a first tunnel endpoint identifier to the session management function; or,

the user plane function receives a first tunnel endpoint identification from the session management function.

As an optional design, the method further comprises:

the user plane function obtains a third tunnel endpoint identifier of the second user plane function, the third tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the access network node or the intermediate user plane node and the user plane node, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, including a processor and a memory, where the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, so as to cause the communication apparatus to execute the method according to the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication apparatus, which includes a processor and a memory, where the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, so as to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method according to the second aspect.

In a ninth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication apparatus, including a processor and a memory, where the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, so as to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method according to the third aspect.

In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication apparatus, which includes a processor and a memory, where the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, so as to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method according to the fourth aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication apparatus, including a processor and a memory, where the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, so as to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method according to the fifth aspect.

In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication apparatus, comprising a processor and a memory, the processor being configured to execute a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, so as to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method according to the sixth aspect.

In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus, configured to implement the functions of the communication apparatus in the seventh aspect or the communication apparatus in the ninth aspect. The communication apparatus of the thirteenth aspect includes corresponding modules, units, or means (means) for implementing the above functions, and the modules, units, or means may 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.

In a fourteenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication apparatus for implementing the functions of the communication apparatus of the eighth aspect, the eleventh aspect, or the twelfth aspect. The communication apparatus of the fourteenth aspect includes corresponding modules, units, or means (means) for implementing the above functions, and the modules, units, or means may 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.

In a fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication apparatus for implementing the communication apparatus of the tenth aspect. The communication apparatus of the fifteenth aspect includes corresponding modules, units, or means (means) for implementing the above functions, and the modules, units, or means may 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.

In a sixteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, including the communication apparatus according to the eighth aspect, or the thirteenth aspect, and the ninth aspect, or the fourteenth aspect.

As an optional design, the communication system further includes the communication device of the fifteenth aspect.

In a seventeenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the methods of the first to seventh aspects.

Eighteenth aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which is characterized in that the computer program product includes computer program code, and when the computer program code runs on a computer, the method in any of the first to seventh aspects is executed.

Drawings

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

fig. 2A is a schematic flowchart of a connection establishment process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 2B is a schematic flowchart of another connection establishment process provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a process for acquiring TD-SMF information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart of acquiring TD-UPF information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 is a schematic flowchart of another connection establishment process provided in the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solution in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that the terms "first" or "second" or "third" in the examples of the present application are used for distinguishing and not limiting the present application in any way.

The method of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a long term evolution-advanced (LTE-a) system, an enhanced Long Term Evolution (LTE), a New Radio (NR) system of a fifth generation (the 5th generation, 5g) mobile communication system, and similar wireless communication systems, such as a wireless fidelity (WiFi), a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WIMAX), and a third generation partnership project (3 rd generation partnership project) related cellular system.

Fig. 1 is a network architecture 100 applied to the embodiment of the present application, and each network element that may be involved in the network architecture is separately illustrated.

The terminal equipment: may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless communication capabilities, as well as various forms of terminals, mobile Stations (MSs), terminals (terminals), user Equipment (UEs), soft terminals, and so forth.

(radio access network, (R) AN) network element: the method and the device are used for providing a network access function for authorized terminal equipment in a specific area, and can use transmission tunnels with different qualities according to the grade of the terminal equipment, the service requirement and the like.

The (R) AN network element can manage wireless resources and provide access service for the terminal equipment, and then completes the forwarding of control signals and terminal equipment data between the terminal equipment and the core network, and the (R) AN network element can also be understood as a base station in the traditional network.

It should be noted that the "network element" may also be referred to as an entity, a device, an apparatus, a module, or the like, and the application is not particularly limited. Also, in the present application, for convenience of understanding and explanation, a description of "network element" is omitted in a part of the description, for example, AN (R) AN network element is abbreviated as (R) AN, in which case the "(R) AN network element" is understood as AN (R) AN network element or AN (R) AN entity, and explanation of the same or similar case is omitted below.

A user plane network element: for packet routing and forwarding, quality of service (QoS) handling of user plane data, etc.

In the 5G communication system, the user plane network element may be a User Plane Function (UPF) network element. In a future communication system, the user plane network element may still be a UPF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

The UPFs may include an anchor UPF and an intermediate UPF. The anchor point UPF may be a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session anchor Point (PSA) UPF (PSA-UPF) in fig. 1. The middle UPF may be the middle UPF (I-UPF) in fig. 1.

Data network: for providing a network for transmitting data.

In a 5G communication system, the data network may be a Data Network (DN). In future communication systems, the data network may still be the DN, or may have other names, and the present application is not limited thereto.

Accessing a management network element: the method is mainly used for mobility management, access management and the like, and can be used for realizing other functions except session management in Mobility Management Entity (MME) functions, such as functions of lawful interception, access authorization/authentication and the like.

In the 5G communication system, the access management network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. In a future communication system, the access management network element may still be an AMF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

A session management network element: the method is mainly used for session management, internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management of terminal equipment, selection of a termination point capable of managing a user plane function, a policy control and charging function interface, downlink data notification and the like.

In the 5G communication system, the session management network element may be a Session Management Function (SMF) network element. In future communication systems, the session management network element may still be an SMF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

The strategy control network element: the unified policy framework is used for guiding network behavior, providing policy rule information for control plane function network elements (such as AMF, SMF network elements and the like), and the like.

In the 4G communication system, the policy control network element may be a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) network element. In a 5G communication system, the policy control network element may be a Policy Control Function (PCF) network element. In future communication systems, the policy control network element may still be a PCF network element, or may also have another name, which is not limited in this application.

A data management network element: the method is used for processing terminal equipment identification, access authentication, registration, mobility management and the like.

In the 5G communication system, the data management network element may be a Unified Data Management (UDM) network element. In future communication systems, the unified data management may still be a UDM network element, or may also have other names, which is not limited in this application.

A data network: for providing a network for transmitting data.

In a 5G communication system, the data network may be a (data network, DN). In future communication systems, the data network element may still be DN, or may also have other names, which is not limited in this application.

And (4) flow detection function: for application detection. The traffic detection function may be divided into a traffic detection control plane function and a traffic detection user plane function.

In the 5G communication system, the traffic detection control plane function may be a TD-SMF network element. The traffic detection user plane function may be a TD-UPF network element, which may be understood as a special form of the user plane functional entity. The TD-SMF element is used for managing the TD-UPF element. The TD-SMF element may be deployed in conjunction with the SMF element, or the SMF element may be deployed with the functionality of the TD-SMF, in which case the TDF may be understood as TD-UPF. In a future communication system, the traffic detection function may still include a TD-SMF network element and a TD-UPF network element, and may also have other names, which is not limited in this application.

It should be noted that the "network element" may also be referred to as an entity, a device, an apparatus, a module, or the like, and the application is not particularly limited. In the present application, for convenience of understanding and explanation, a description of "network element" is omitted in the following description, for example, an SMF network element is abbreviated as SMF, in which case, the "SMF" should be understood as an SMF network element or an SMF entity, and explanation of the same or similar cases is omitted below.

It is to be understood that the above network elements or functions may be network elements in a hardware device, or may be software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

It should be understood that fig. 1 is only an exemplary network architecture described from the perspective of a service architecture, and a network architecture to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable is not limited thereto, and any network architecture capable of implementing the functions of the network elements described above is applicable to the embodiments of the present application.

For example, in some Network architectures, network Function entities such as AMF, SMF, PCF, and UDM are all called Network Function (NF) Network elements; alternatively, in other network architectures, a set of network elements such as the AMF, the SMF, the PCF, and the UDM may be referred to as a Control Plane Function (CPF) network element.

The details of the scheme are described below by taking the network element in the 5G system as an example. It is to be understood that, when the scheme is applied to an LTE system or a future communication system, each network element in the scheme may be replaced by another network element having a corresponding function, which is not limited in this application.

Fig. 2A is a schematic flow chart of a method for establishing a connection according to the present application. The method shown in fig. 2A may be applied to a scenario in which SMF is deployed separately from TD-SMF.

S201: and the SMF sends the IP address of the UE corresponding to the session #1, the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address of the UE and the tunnel endpoint identification of the UPF allocated to the session #1 to the TD-SMF. Accordingly, the TD-SMF receives the above information from the SMF.

The IP address of the UE corresponding to session #1 is hereinafter simply referred to as the IP address of the UE. The IP address corresponds to session #1. The IP address belongs to the address range indicated by the IP network segment routing mask.

The SMF may determine whether the session #1 requires a TDF according to the configuration information. The configuration information may include a condition that requires a TDF, such as an Access Point Name (APN), whether roaming, and the SMF determines whether the session #1 requires a TDF according to whether the session #1 satisfies the condition.

Whether the session #1 requires a TDF may be understood as whether a TD-SMF needs to be selected for the session #1, or whether a TD-UPF needs to be required for the session #1, or whether session information for the session #1 needs to be sent to the TD-SMF.

The SMF may generate or obtain the IP address of the UE and the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address of the UE according to whether the session #1 requires the TDF, and/or the APN of the session #1, and/or whether the session #1 roams.

Before S201, the SMF may receive a session establishment request from the UE to request establishment of the session #1; SMF selects UPF for session #1; the SMF allocates the tunnel endpoint identifier of the UPF for the session #1, or the SMF receives the tunnel endpoint identifier allocated by the UPF for the session #1; the SMF allocates the IP address of the UE corresponding to session #1, or the SMF receives the IP address of the UE allocated by UPF for session #1. For the process, reference may be made to section 3gpp ts23.5024.3.2, which is not described herein.

It is understood that when the SMF selects a plurality of UPFs for session #1, the tunnel endpoint identification of the UPF assigned for session #1 in S201 is the tunnel endpoint identification of the anchor UPF for that session #1. The anchor UPF may be understood as the PSA-UPF, or the last UPF in the uplink user plane path of the session #1, or the UPF assigned the IP address of the UE.

The tunnel endpoint id of the UPF is used to establish a downlink tunnel between the UPF and the subsequent TD-UPF, and the downlink tunnel is used to transmit the downlink data of session #1, that is, the tunnel endpoint id is used to transmit the downlink data of session #1, or the TD-UPF sends the downlink data of session #1 to the UPF according to the tunnel endpoint id. The UPF can learn that the data carrying the tunnel endpoint identification belongs to session #1. The tunnel endpoint identification may be distinct from the tunnel endpoint identification used by the UPF to receive data from the intermediate UPF or from the RAN. The downlink data may be understood as a data packet sent from the DN to the UE.

S202: the TD-SMF selects the TD-UPF and assigns a tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF to the session #1.

Specifically, the TD-SMF selects the TD-UPF according to the IP address of the UE and/or the IP network segment routing mask. It can be understood that the TD-SMF selects the same TD-UPF for the UE IP address field in the range of the routing mask of the same IP network segment.

S203: and the TD-SMF sends the IP address of the UE, the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address of the UE, the tunnel endpoint identification of the UPF and the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF to the TD-UPF. Accordingly, the TD-UPF receives the above information from the TD-SMF.

The TD-UPF establishes a tunnel between the TD-UPF and the UPF according to the tunnel endpoint identification of the UPF, wherein the tunnel can be understood as a downlink tunnel, so that after the TD-UPF receives downlink data of the session #1, the data can be sent to the UPF through the tunnel.

The tunnel endpoint id of the TD-UPF may be used to transmit the uplink data of session #1, that is, the UPF sends the uplink data of session #1 to the TD-UPF according to the tunnel endpoint id. The TD-UPF can know that the data carrying the tunnel endpoint identification belongs to session #1. Here, the uplink data may be understood as a data packet sent from the UE to the DN.

S204: and the TD-UPF issues the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask of the UE to the network.

Based on S204, the downlink data with the IP address of the UE can be routed to the TD-UPF. The TD-UPF may then send the data to the UPF based on the tunnel endpoint identification of the UPF.

It is understood that the IP address and IP segment routing mask of the UE are determined by the SMF or UPF and are released to the network by the TD-UPF, not by the UPF.

Optionally, the TD-UPF may also publish the IP network segment routing mask to the network, instead of publishing the IP address of the UE, so that the data whose IP address belongs to the IP network segment routing mask may be routed to the TD-UPF.

S205: and the TD-SMF sends the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF receives the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF from the TD-SMF.

Optionally, the application does not limit the timing relationship between S204 and S205. S205 may be performed at any time after the TD-SMF receives the acknowledgement message from the TD-UPF.

S206: and the SMF sends the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF to the UPF. Accordingly, the UPF receives the tunnel endpoint identification for the TD-UPF from the SMF.

And the UPF establishes an uplink tunnel between the UPF and the TD-UPF according to the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF, so that the UPF can send the data to the TD-UPF through the tunnel after receiving the uplink data of the session #1.

Through the above process, the SMF can confirm whether the TD-SMF and the TD-UPF successfully establish the session #1 by whether the tunnel endpoint identifier of the TD-UPF is acquired. And, the IP address and the IP segment routing mask of the UE of session #1 are issued to the network by the TD-UPF, so that the TD-UPF can receive the data of session #1 from the network and forward the data to the UPF through the tunnel between the TD-UPF and the UPF. For the session #1, the TD-UPF is deployed as a hop in the user plane of the core network, and does not need to be deployed as a part of the data network, so that the routing of the data of the session #1 by the TD-UPF is realized without re-planning the routing when the TD-UPF is deployed, that is, without modifying the data network.

As shown in fig. 2B, in one possible implementation, session #1 may be assigned a tunnel endpoint identification for the TD-UPF by the TD-UPF. At this time, S202 and S203 may be replaced with:

s202: and TD-SMF selects TD-UPF.

S203a: and the TD-SMF sends the IP address of the UE, the IP network segment routing mask and the tunnel endpoint identification of the UPF to the TD-UPF. Accordingly, the TD-UPF receives the above information from the TD-SMF.

S203b: and the TD-UPF allocates the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF to the session #1.

S203c: and the TD-UPF sends the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF to the TD-SMF.

In a possible implementation manner, before the above S201, the SMF may determine the TD-SMF by:

s201a: TD-SMF is registered with NRF.

The TD-SMF may register the uplink and downlink status of the local network element and/or select a policy in the NRF. So that the SMF can select a suitable SMF by means of the registration information of the TD-SMF on the NRF.

S201b: the SMF subscribes to information of the TD-SMF from the NRF.

S201c: and the SMF selects a proper TD-SMF according to the subscribed information of the TD-SMF.

Wherein, when the SMF determines that a TD-SMF needs to be selected for session #1, the SMF selects an appropriate TD-SMF according to the information of the subscribed TD-SMF.

Optionally, the SMF further selects an appropriate TD-SMF according to the locally configured information.

In another possible implementation manner, before the above S201, the TD-SMF sends a subscription request to the SMF. The subscription request is for subscribing to information of the session requiring TDF. When the session #1 is newly established, updated, deleted and the like, the SMF responds to the subscription of the TD-SMF and sends the related information of the session #1 to the TD-SMF.

The above S201a to S201c can be specifically realized by the method shown in fig. 3.

In one possible implementation, the SMF and TD-SMF interact through PCF. Optionally, the implementation may be applicable to a scenario where direct communication between the SMF and the TD-SMF is not possible.

At this time, S201 may be replaced with: the SMF sends the IP address of the UE corresponding to the session #1, the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address of the UE and the tunnel endpoint identification of the UPF allocated to the session #1 to the PCF. Correspondingly, the PCF receives the information from the SMF and sends the information to the TD-SMF.

The process of the PCF determining the SMF may refer to the process of the SMF determining the TD-SMF in S201a to S201c, and replace the actions performed by the SMF in S201a to S201c with the actions performed by the PCF.

In one possible implementation, the SMF and the TD-SMF may be deployed in a unified manner, or the SMF has the function of the TD-SMF. In this case, the interaction between the SMF and the TD-SMF may be omitted, and the actions performed by the TD-SMF may be performed by the SMF. It is understood that at this time, the SMF selects the TD-UPF, and specifically, reference may be made to the process of selecting the TD-UPF by the TD-SMF in S202.

The following takes the application of the method to a 5G system as an example, and further describes the technical solution in the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart of an SMF acquiring TD-SMF information. As shown in fig. 3, the process specifically includes:

s301: and the TD-SMF registers the up-down line state and the selection strategy of the TD-SMF through a service interface Nnrf _ NFManagement _ NFRegister service operation of the NRF.

Among the registration input parameters of the NRF, the Names of supported NF services (if applicable) parameter may include a TDF function, so that other NFs may sense that the SMF has the TD-SMF role when subscribing. It is understood that the TD-SMF may indicate that the SMF is the TD-SMF by other manners, for example, adding indication information in the registration input parameter, and the like, and the application is not limited in this application.

S302: the SMF subscribes the information of the TD-SMF through a service interface Nnrf _ NFManagement _ NFStatusSubscription service operation of the NRF.

S303: the NRF sends the uplink and downlink state and the selection strategy of the TD-SMF to the SMF through a service interface Nnrf _ NFManagement _ NFStatusNotification service operation of the NRF.

The SMF can confirm the role of the TD-SMF through a Names of supported NF services (if applicable) parameter.

Illustratively, the selection policy may include a service area of the TD-SMF, and the SMF selects an appropriate TD-SMF according to the address of the UE.

Fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart of TD-SMF acquiring TD-UPF information. As shown in fig. 4, the process specifically includes:

s401: and the TD-UPF registers the uplink and downlink states and the selection strategy of the TD-UPF through a service interface Nnrf _ NFManagement _ NFRegister service operation of the NRF.

Among the registration input parameters of the NRF, the Names of supported NF services (if application) parameter may include a TDF function, so that other NFs may sense that the UPF is in the TD-UPF role when subscribing. It is understood that the TD-UPF may indicate that the UPF is the TD-UPF by other means, for example, adding indication information in the registration input parameter, and the like, and the application is not limited in this application.

S402: and the TD-SMF subscribes the information of the TD-UPF through a service interface Nnrf _ NFManagement _ NFStatusSubscription service operation of the NRF.

S403: the NRF sends the up-down line state and the selection strategy of the TD-UPF to the TD-SMF through a service interface Nnrf _ NFManagement _ NFStatusNotification service operation of the NRF.

The role of TD-UPF can be confirmed by TD-SMF through the Names of supported NF services (if applicable) parameter.

It will be appreciated that when the SMF is co-located with the TD-SMF, or the SMF is TD-SMF capable, the SMF may select the TD-UPF by retrieving the TD-UPF information in a manner similar to that of fig. 4. That is, the TD-SMF in fig. 4 may be replaced with SMF.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for establishing a connection, which may be used to implement the method shown in fig. 2A or fig. 2B. As shown in fig. 5, the process includes:

s501: the SMF receives a session establishment request from the UE.

The SMF receives a session establishment request from the UE through the access network node and the AMF.

The session establishment request includes an identification of session #1, subsequently abbreviated as session identification #1. The session establishment request is for requesting establishment of session #1. The session establishment request further includes information such as UE identity, data network name DNN, and UE address.

S502: SMF selects TD-SMF.

Optionally, the SMF may select the TD-SMF according to the selection policy obtained in S303 above

Selecting the TD-SMF may be selecting one TD-SMF from a plurality of TD-SMFs; it may also be determined whether a unique TD-SMF is selected.

S503: the SMF selects a UPF and sends an N4 session establishment request to the UPF to request establishment of session #1.

The process of selecting the UPF by the SMF may specifically refer to section 3GPP ts23.5024.3.2, which is not described herein.

The present application does not limit the execution order of S502 and S503.

S504: the UPF sends an N4 session setup response to the SMF.

The N4 session establishment response includes the IP address of the UE allocated to session #1, the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address of the UE, and the tunnel endpoint id of the UPF allocated to session #1. The tunnel endpoint identifier is used to establish a tunnel with the TD-UPF. The tunnel endpoint identification may be understood as a tunnel endpoint identification of a downlink tunnel with the TD-UPF.

The N4 session establishment response also includes an uplink tunnel endpoint identification of the UPF assigned for the session #1, which is used to establish an uplink tunnel between the RAN and the UPF. And the RAN sends the uplink data of the session #1 to the UPF according to the uplink tunnel endpoint identification.

When the SMF selects multiple UPFs, the UPF may be understood as the anchor UPF, or may be understood as the last UPF in the uplink user plane path for the session #1, or may be understood as the UPF that assigns the IP address of the UE. At this time, the uplink tunnel endpoint identifier is used to establish an uplink tunnel between the intermediate UPF and the anchor UPF. And the middle UPF sends the uplink data of the session #1 to the UPF according to the uplink tunnel endpoint identifier.

Optionally, the IP address of the UE, the corresponding IP network segment routing mask, or the tunnel endpoint identifier of the UPF, or the uplink tunnel endpoint identifier may be determined or generated by the SMF, and at this time, the SMF sends the uplink tunnel endpoint identifier to the UPF (for example, the uplink tunnel endpoint identifier may be carried in a session establishment request sent by the SMF to the UPF), and the SMF does not need to obtain the uplink tunnel endpoint identifier from the UPF.

S505: and the SMF sends the IP address of the UE, the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address of the UE and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the UPF to the TD-SMF through an Nsmf _ PDScess _ Create service operation interface.

Optionally, the information may be carried in an Nsmf _ pdusesion _ tdfcerate service operation in the interface.

Optionally, the SMF further sends session establishment information of session #1 to the TD-SMF through the interface, where the session establishment information may include one or more of a terminal device identifier of the UE, an APN, a Data Network Name (DNN), and single network slice selection establishment information (S-NSSAI).

This step may refer to S201.

Optionally, the SMF may send the above information to the TD-SMF via the PCF. That is, S505 may be replaced with:

s505a: SMF sends IP address of UE, IP network segment route mask corresponding to IP address of UE and tunnel end point identification of UPF to PCF.

S505b: PCF sends the IP address of the UE, the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address of the UE and the tunnel endpoint identification of the UPF to TD-SMF through an Nsmf _ PDScess _ Create service operation interface.

S506: and TD-SMF selects TD-UPF.

And the TD-SMF selects the TD-UPF according to the IP address of the UE, the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address of the UE and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the UPF.

Optionally, the TD-SMF may obtain the TDF related policies and rules for the session #1 from the PCF.

This step may refer to S202.

S507: and the TD-SMF sends an N4 session establishment request to the TD-UPF.

The N4 session establishment request includes the IP address of the UE, the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address of the UE, and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the UPF.

This step may refer to S203.

It is understood that when the SMF is deployed in conjunction with the TD-SMF, or the SMF has the function of the TD-SMF, S505-S507 may be replaced by: the SMF sends an N4 session establishment request to the TD-UPF. The session establishment request includes the IP address of the UE, the IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address of the UE, and the tunnel endpoint identifier of the UPF. In this scenario, the TD-UPF may be selected by the SMF. Illustratively, the SMF may select the TD-UPF based on the manner shown in fig. 4.

S508: and the TD-UPF sends an N4 session establishment response to the TD-SMF.

The N4 session establishment response includes the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF.

Optionally, the tunnel endpoint identifier of the TD-UPF may also be generated by the TD-SMF. At this time, the N4 session establishment request of S507 further includes the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF, without the TD-UPF sending the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF to the SMF in S508.

It is understood that when the SMF is deployed in combination with the TD-SMF, or the SMF has the function of the TD-SMF, S508 may be replaced by: the TD-UPF sends an N4 session setup response to the SMF. And S510 need not be performed.

S509: and the TD-UPF issues the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask of the UE.

Optionally, the application does not limit the timing relationship between S508 and S509.

This step may refer to S204.

S510: and the TD-SMF sends the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF to the SMF through an Nsmf _ PDSSSession _ Create Response interface.

This step may refer to S205.

S511: the SMF sends an N4 session modification request to the UPF.

The N4 session modify request includes the tunnel endpoint identification of the TD-UPF.

This step may refer to S206.

S512: the SMF sends a session setup response to the RAN.

The session response includes the UPF's upstream tunnel endpoint identification. Through the above process, the SMF can confirm whether the TD-SMF and the TD-UPF successfully establish the session #1 by whether the tunnel endpoint identifier of the TD-UPF is acquired. And, the IP address and the IP segment routing mask of the UE of session #1 are issued to the network by the TD-UPF, so that the TD-UPF can receive the data of session #1 from the network and forward the data to the UPF through the tunnel between the TD-UPF and the UPF. For the session #1, through the above process, the TD-UPF is deployed as a hop in the user plane of the core network, and does not need to be deployed as a part of the data network, so that it is not necessary to re-plan the route when the TD-UPF is deployed to implement the route of the TD-UPF on the data of the session #1, that is, it is not necessary to modify the data network.

The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in detail above with reference to fig. 2A to 5. Hereinafter, a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application will be described with reference to fig. 6 to 7. The communication device may be used to implement the functionality of the SMF of fig. 2A to 5, the UPF of fig. 2A, 2B, 5, the TD-UPF of fig. 2A, 2B, 5, the UDM of fig. 3, 4, or the TD-SMF of fig. 2A to 5, for example. In the embodiment of the present application, the communication apparatus may be divided into the functional units according to the method embodiments, for example, each functional unit may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more units may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware or a form of a software functional module. It should be noted that the division of the unit 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.

The structure of the communication apparatus can be referred to fig. 6.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 600 provided in the present application. The communication device 600 includes one or more processors 601, a communication link 602, and at least one communication interface (which is only exemplary in fig. 6 to include a communication interface 603 and one processor 601 for illustration), and optionally may also include a memory 604.

The processor 601 may be a general processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more ics for controlling the execution of programs in accordance with the present disclosure.

Communication lines 602 are used to connect the various components.

The communication interface 603 may be a transceiver module for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as ethernet, RAN, wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), etc. For example, the transceiver module may be a transceiver, a network card, or an optical fiber switching device. Optionally, the communication interface 603 may also be a transceiver circuit located in the processor 601 for implementing signal input and signal output of the processor.

The memory 604 may be a device having a storage function. Such as, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that may store static information and instructions, random Access Memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that may store information and instructions, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, optical disk storage (including compact disk, laser disk, optical disk, digital versatile disk, blu-ray disk, etc.), magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. The memory may be separate and coupled to the processor via a communication link 1002. The memory may also be integral to the processor.

The memory is used for storing computer execution instructions for executing the scheme of the application and is controlled by the processor to execute. The processor is configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in the memory, thereby implementing the functions of the SMF in fig. 2A to 5, the UPF in fig. 2A, 2B, and 5, the TD-UPF in fig. 2A, 2B, and 5, the UDM in fig. 3 and 4, or the TD-SMF in fig. 2A to 5. The computer execution instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application program codes, computer program instructions, or program instructions, which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

In particular implementations, processor 601 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in fig. 6, as one embodiment.

In particular implementations, communications apparatus 600 may include multiple processors, such as processor 601 and processor 605 of fig. 6, for example, as an example. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and/or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

The communication device 600 may be a general-purpose device or a special-purpose device. For example, the communication apparatus 600 may be a network server, an embedded device, a desktop computer, a portable computer, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, or a device having a similar structure as in fig. 6. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of the communication apparatus 600.

It is to be understood that, in the above embodiments, the method and/or steps implemented by the SMF in fig. 2A to 5, the UPF in fig. 2A, 2B, and 5, the TD-UPF in fig. 2A, 2B, and 5, the UDM in fig. 3 and 4, or the TD-SMF in fig. 2A to 5 may also be implemented by a chip system implementing the functions of the SMF in fig. 2A to 5, the UPF in fig. 2A, 2B, and 5, the TD-UPF in fig. 2A, 2B, and 5, the UDM in fig. 3 and 4, or the TD-SMF in fig. 2A to 5.

The structure of the above communication apparatus can also refer to fig. 7. The communication device 700 includes a processing unit 711 and a transceiving unit 112.

The communication device may be used to implement the functionality of the SMF of fig. 2A-5. The transceiving unit 712 performs the receiving and transmitting operations performed by the SMF in the methods of fig. 2A to 5 described above, and the processing unit 711 performs operations other than the receiving and transmitting operations.

The communication device may be used to implement the functions of the UPF of fig. 2A, 2B, 5. The transceiving unit 712 performs the receiving and transmitting operations performed by the UPF in fig. 2A, 2B, and 5 described above, and the processing unit 711 performs operations other than the receiving and transmitting operations.

The communication device can be used for realizing the functions of the TD-UPF in the figures 2A, 2B and 5. The transceiving unit 712 performs the receiving and transmitting operations performed by the TD-UPF in fig. 2A, 2B, and 5, and the processing unit 711 performs operations other than the receiving and transmitting operations.

The communication device can be used to implement the functions of the UDM in fig. 3 and 4. The transceiving unit 712 performs the receiving and transmitting operations performed by the UDM in fig. 3 and 4 described above, and the processing unit 711 performs operations other than the receiving and transmitting operations.

The communication device may be used to implement the functionality of the TD-SMF in fig. 2A to 5. The transceiving unit 712 performs the receiving and transmitting operations performed by the TD-SMF in fig. 2A to 5 described above, and the processing unit 711 performs operations other than the receiving and transmitting operations.

In the embodiment of the present application, the communication apparatus may be divided into functional units according to the method embodiment, for example, each functional unit may be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more units may be integrated into one processing module. The integrated unit can be realized in a form of hardware or a form of a software functional module. It should be noted that the division of the unit 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.

The functions/implementation procedures of the processing unit 711 and the transceiving unit 712 in fig. 7 may be implemented by a processor in the communication device shown in fig. 6 calling a computer executing instructions stored in a memory. Alternatively, the function/implementation procedure of the processing unit 711 in fig. 7 may be implemented by a processor in the communication device shown in fig. 6 calling a computer executing instruction stored in a memory, and the function/implementation procedure of the transceiving unit 712 in fig. 7 may be implemented by a communication interface in the communication device shown in fig. 6.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. The procedures or functions described in accordance with the embodiments of the present application are all or partially generated upon loading and execution of computer program instructions on a computer. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored on a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, for example, from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or can comprise one or more data storage devices, such as servers, data centers, and the like, that can be integrated with the medium. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid State Disk (SSD)), among others. In the embodiment of the present application, the computer may include the aforementioned apparatus.

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 establishing a connection, comprising:

a session management function sends an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of a user plane function to a flow detection user plane function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and the flow detection user plane function, and the downlink tunnel is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session;

the session management function receives a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the traffic detection user plane function from the traffic detection user plane function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting uplink data of the first session;

and the session management function sends the second tunnel endpoint identification to the user plane function.

2. The method of claim 1, the user plane function is an anchor user plane function.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

and the session management function selects the flow detection user plane function according to the information.

4. The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the IP segment routing mask is used for the traffic detection user plane function to issue to the network, and the IP address belongs to the address range indicated by the IP segment routing mask.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the session management function receives the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask from the user plane function; or,

the session management function determines the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask,

and the session management function sends the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask to the user plane function.

6. The method of any of claims 1-5, further comprising:

and the session management function sends a third tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function to an access network node or an intermediate user plane function, wherein the third tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the access network node or the intermediate user plane node and the user plane node, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

7. A method for establishing a connection, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that a flow detection user plane function receives an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function from a session management function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and the flow detection user plane function, and the downlink tunnel is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session;

the flow detection user plane function issues the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask to a network;

and the flow detection user plane function sends a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the flow detection user plane function to the session management function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the flow detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

8. The method of claim 1, the user plane function is an anchor user plane function.

9. A method for establishing a connection, comprising:

a session management function sends an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of a user plane function to a traffic detection control plane function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, the downlink tunnel is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session, and the traffic detection control plane function is used for managing the traffic detection user plane function;

the session management function receives a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the traffic detection user plane function from the traffic detection control plane function, where the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used to establish an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used to transmit uplink data of the first session;

and the session management function sends the second tunnel endpoint identifier to the user plane function.

10. The method of claim 9, the user plane function is an anchor user plane function.

11. The method of claim 9 or 10, further comprising:

12. The method according to any of claims 9-11, further comprising:

the session management function sends session establishment information to the traffic detection control plane function, the session establishment information including one or more of the following: the terminal comprises a device identifier, an Access Point Name (APN), a Data Network Name (DNN) and single network slice selection support information (S-NSSAI).

13. The method as claimed in any one of claims 9-12, wherein the IP segment routing mask is used for the traffic detection user plane function to issue to the network, and the IP address belongs to the address range indicated by the IP segment routing mask.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9-13, further comprising:

15. The method according to any of claims 9-14, further comprising:

16. A method for establishing a connection, comprising:

receiving, by a traffic detection control plane function, an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address, and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of a user plane function from a session management function, where the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used to establish a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and the traffic detection user plane function, and the downlink tunnel is used to transmit downlink data of the first session;

the flow detection control plane function sends the IP address, the IP network segment routing mask code and the first tunnel endpoint identifier to a flow detection user plane function;

and the flow detection control plane function sends a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the flow detection user plane function to the session management function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the flow detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

the traffic detection control plane function receiving the second tunnel endpoint identification from the traffic detection user plane function; or,

the traffic detection control plane function generates the second tunnel endpoint identification for the first session,

and the flow detection control plane function sends the second tunnel endpoint identifier to the flow detection user plane function.

18. The method of claim 16 or 17, the user plane function being an anchor user plane function.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16-18, the method further comprising:

the flow detection control plane function subscribes information of the flow detection user plane function;

20. The method according to any of claims 16-19, further comprising:

the traffic detection control plane function receives session establishment information from the session management function, the session establishment information including one or more of the following: the terminal comprises a device identifier, an Access Point Name (APN), a Data Network Name (DNN) and single network slice selection support information (S-NSSAI).

21. The method as claimed in any one of claims 16-20, wherein the IP segment routing mask is used for the traffic detection user plane function to issue to the network, and the IP address belongs to the address range indicated by the IP segment routing mask.

22. A method for establishing a connection, comprising:

a flow detection user plane function receives an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function from a flow detection control plane function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and the flow detection user plane function, and the downlink tunnel is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session;

and the flow detection user plane function sends a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the flow detection user plane function to the flow detection control plane function, the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the flow detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first and second portions are selected from the group consisting of,

the receiving, by the traffic detection user plane function, an internet protocol IP address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address, and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function from the traffic detection control plane function includes:

the traffic detection user plane function receives the IP address, the IP network segment routing mask and the first tunnel endpoint identifier from a session management function from a traffic detection control plane function;

and the flow detection user plane function sends the second tunnel endpoint identifier to the session management function through the flow detection control plane function.

24. The method of claim 22 or 23, the user plane function being an anchor user plane function.

25. A method for establishing a connection, comprising:

a user plane function acquires an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a terminal, an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address and a first tunnel endpoint identifier of the user plane function, wherein the IP address corresponds to a first session of the terminal, the first tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing a downlink tunnel between the user plane function and a flow detection user plane function, and the downlink tunnel is used for transmitting downlink data of the first session;

and the user plane function receives a second tunnel endpoint identifier of the flow detection user plane function from the session management function, wherein the second tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between the user plane function and the flow detection user plane function, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the obtaining, by the user plane function, an internet protocol IP address of the terminal and an IP network segment routing mask corresponding to the IP address comprises:

the user plane function determines the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask,

the user plane function sends the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask to the session management function; or,

the user plane function receives the IP address and the IP network segment routing mask from the session management function.

27. The method of claim 25 or 26, the user plane function obtaining a first tunnel endpoint identification for the user plane function comprising:

the user plane function generates the first tunnel endpoint identification for the first session,

the user plane function sends the first tunnel endpoint identifier to the session management function; or,

the user plane function receives the first tunnel endpoint identification from the session management function.

28. The method according to any of claims 25-27, further comprising:

the user plane function obtains a third tunnel endpoint identifier of the second user plane function, the third tunnel endpoint identifier is used for establishing an uplink tunnel between an access network node or an intermediate user plane node and the user plane node, and the uplink tunnel is used for transmitting the uplink data of the first session.

29. The method according to any of claims 8-11, wherein the user plane function is an anchor user plane function.

30. A communications apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the processor being configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to cause the communications apparatus to perform any of claims 1 to 6.

31. A communication apparatus, comprising a processor and a memory, the processor being configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method of claim 7 or 8.

32. A communications apparatus, comprising a processor and a memory, the processor being configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to cause the communications apparatus to perform any of claims 9 to 15.

33. A communications apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the processor being configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to cause the communications apparatus to perform any of claims 16 to 21.

34. A communications apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the processor being configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to cause the communications apparatus to perform any of claims 22 to 24.

35. A communications apparatus comprising a processor and a memory, the processor being configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to cause the communications apparatus to perform any of claims 25 to 28.

36. A communication system comprising a communication device according to claim 30 and a communication device according to claim 31.

37. A communication system comprising a communication apparatus according to claim 32, a communication apparatus according to claim 33, and an apparatus according to claim 34.

38. The communication system of claim 36 or 37, further comprising:

the communications apparatus of claim 35.

39. A computer-readable storage medium, having stored thereon a computer program which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to carry out any of claims 1 to 29.

40. A computer program product, characterized in that it comprises computer program code which, when run on a computer, causes the method of any one of claims 1 to 29 to be performed.