CN116669227A

CN116669227A - Tunnel establishment method, device, apparatus and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN116669227A
Application number: CN202210158475.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李芸; 刘强
Original assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Current assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-02-21
Filing date: 2022-02-21
Publication date: 2023-08-29
Also published as: WO2023155919A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a tunnel establishment method, equipment, a device and a storage medium, wherein the method is applied to a session management functional entity, and comprises the following steps: transmitting an N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity, wherein the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of user plane functional entities; wherein the plurality of user plane functional entities comprises one or more second user plane functional entities that need to establish a tunnel with the first user plane functional entity. By the tunnel establishment method, the device, the apparatus and the storage medium provided by the embodiment of the application, the session management functional entity sends the N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity, and the N4 session request message carries the tunnel information of a plurality of user plane functional entities, so that the establishment of the tunnel between the first user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity can be completed, the number of times of interaction between the session management functional entity and the user plane functional entity can be reduced, and transmission resources can be saved.

Description

Tunnel establishment method, device, apparatus and storage medium

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of wireless communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium for tunnel establishment.

Background

The fifth generation mobile communication (the 5th generation mobile communication,5G) local area Network (Local Area Network, LAN) technology is a technology for implementing a data transmission procedure between one or more terminals (also referred to as User Equipment (UE)) in the same 5G Virtual Network (VN) group. In the prior art, in a LAN scenario (e.g., in a 5G LAN scenario), each group member UE establishes a protocol data unit (Protocol Data Unit, PDU) session, and the session management function (Session Management Function, SMF) needs to match PDU session anchor points (PDU Session Anchor, PSA) and update forwarding rules to establish a corresponding data transmission tunnel, which requires frequent interaction between the control plane and the user plane, and consumes more transmission resources.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a tunnel establishment method, equipment, a device and a storage medium, which are used for reducing the interaction times between a control plane and a user plane and saving transmission resources.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a tunnel establishment method, which is applied to a session management functional entity, including:

an N4 session request message is sent to a first user plane functional entity, wherein the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of user plane functional entities;

Wherein the plurality of user plane functional entities comprises one or more second user plane functional entities which need to establish a tunnel with the first user plane functional entity.

Optionally, the sending the N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity includes:

based on the target scene, sending an N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity;

the target scene comprises a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

Optionally, in the case that the target scenario includes a local switching scenario, the first user plane function entity includes an anchor user plane function entity of the local switching scenario;

the sending the N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity includes:

an N4 session establishment request message is sent to the anchor user plane functional entity, wherein the N4 session establishment request message carries tunnel information of the anchor user plane functional entity and tunnel information of the second user plane functional entity; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

and sending a group-level N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity, wherein the group-level N4 session establishment request message carries the number information of tunnels to be established and the tunnel information of a plurality of second user plane functional entities.

Optionally, before the sending the N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity, the method further includes:

and distributing tunnel information for the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity.

Optionally, the allocating tunnel information for the anchor user plane function entity and the second user plane function entity includes:

and under the condition that the target session is determined to be a Local Area Network (LAN) type session, tunnel information is distributed to the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

and distributing tunnel information for a third user plane functional entity, wherein the third user plane functional entity is other user plane functional entities except the anchor point user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity on a target user plane path.

Optionally, the sending a group level N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity includes:

and sending a group level N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity under the condition that the timer is determined to be overtime or that all terminals in the virtual network group establish the user plane path to the second user plane functional entity.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

and starting a timer under the condition that the existence of the terminal which does not establish the session exists in the virtual network group.

Optionally, in the case that the target scenario includes an N19 switching scenario, the first user plane functional entity includes a first anchor user plane functional entity, and the second user plane functional entity includes a second anchor user plane functional entity that needs to establish a tunnel with the first anchor user plane functional entity;

and sending a group-level N4 session modification request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity, wherein the group-level N4 session modification request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities.

Optionally, the sending a group level N4 session modification request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity includes:

and sending a group level N4 session modification request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity under the condition that the timer is overtime or that all terminals in the virtual network group are established to the user plane path of the corresponding anchor user plane functional entity is determined.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

And starting a timer under the condition that the user plane path of the anchor user plane functional entity corresponding to the first terminal is established by the first terminal in the virtual network group or the existence of the terminal which does not establish the session in the virtual network group is determined.

Optionally, the plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities include anchor user plane functional entities that partially or completely need to establish a tunnel with the first anchor user plane functional entity.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a tunnel establishment method, applied to a first user plane functional entity, including:

receiving an N4 session request message sent by a session management functional entity, wherein the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of user plane functional entities;

Optionally, the receiving the N4 session request message sent by the session management function entity includes:

based on the target scene, receiving an N4 session request message sent by a session management functional entity;

the target scene comprises a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

the receiving the N4 session request message sent by the session management function entity includes:

receiving an N4 session establishment request message sent by a session management functional entity, wherein the N4 session establishment request message carries tunnel information of the anchor user plane functional entity and tunnel information of the second user plane functional entity; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

and receiving a group-level N4 session establishment request message sent by a session management functional entity, wherein the group-level N4 session establishment request message carries the number information of tunnels to be established and the tunnel information of a plurality of second user plane functional entities.

And receiving a group-level N4 session modification request message sent by a session management functional entity, wherein the group-level N4 session modification request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of second anchor point user plane functional entities.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a session management functional entity, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

a memory for storing a computer program; a transceiver for transceiving data under control of the processor; a processor for reading the computer program in the memory and performing the following operations:

the target scene comprises a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

Optionally, before the sending the N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane function entity, the operations further include:

Optionally, the operations further comprise:

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a first user plane functional entity, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

the target scene comprises a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a tunnel establishment apparatus, applied to a session management functional entity, including:

a sending unit, configured to send an N4 session request message to a first user plane functional entity, where the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of multiple user plane functional entities;

In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a tunnel establishment apparatus, applied to a first user plane functional entity, including:

a receiving unit, configured to receive an N4 session request message sent by a session management function entity, where the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of multiple user plane function entities;

In a seventh aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to perform the steps of the tunnel establishment method as described in the first aspect or the steps of the tunnel establishment method as described in the second aspect.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, where a computer program is stored, where the computer program is configured to cause the communication device to perform the steps of the tunnel establishment method as described in the first aspect or perform the steps of the tunnel establishment method as described in the second aspect.

In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a processor to perform the steps of the tunnel establishment method as described in the first aspect or the steps of the tunnel establishment method as described in the second aspect.

In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a chip product, in which a computer program is stored, the computer program being configured to cause the chip product to perform the steps of the tunnel establishment method as described in the first aspect or perform the steps of the tunnel establishment method as described in the second aspect.

According to the tunnel establishment method, the device and the storage medium provided by the embodiment of the application, the session management functional entity sends the N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity, and the N4 session request message carries the tunnel information of a plurality of user plane functional entities, so that the establishment of the tunnel between the first user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity can be completed, the interaction times between the session management functional entity and the user plane functional entity can be reduced, and the transmission resources can be saved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the related art, the drawings that are required to be used in the embodiments or the related technical descriptions will be briefly described, and it is apparent that the drawings in the following descriptions are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings may be obtained according to the drawings without inventive effort for those skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a non-roaming user plane architecture supporting 5G LAN type services through a local exchange provided in the related art;

fig. 2 is a flow chart of a tunnel establishment process of a local switching scenario provided in the related art;

fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a non-roaming user plane architecture for supporting 5G LAN type services through an N19 tunnel provided by the related art;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a tunnel establishment procedure for an N19 switching scenario provided by the related art;

fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart of a tunnel establishment method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a second flow chart of a tunnel establishment method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a local switching scenario tunnel establishment procedure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a second flowchart of a local switching scenario tunnel establishment procedure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a third flowchart of a local switching scenario tunnel establishment procedure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10 is a fourth flowchart of a local switching scenario tunnel establishment procedure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of an N19 switch scene tunnel establishment process provided by an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of a local exchange and N19 exchange scenario tunnel establishment procedure provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a session management functional entity according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a first user plane functional entity according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a tunnel establishment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 16 is a second schematic structural diagram of a tunnel establishment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

In the embodiment of the application, the term "and/or" describes the association relation of the association objects, which means that three relations can exist, for example, a and/or B can be expressed as follows: a exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the context-dependent object is an "or" relationship.

The term "plurality" in embodiments of the present application means two or more, and other adjectives are similar.

The following description of the embodiments of the present application will be made clearly and completely with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is apparent that the embodiments described are only some embodiments, but not all embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the application without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the application.

In order to facilitate a clearer understanding of embodiments of the present application, some technical matters related to the embodiments of the present application will be first described.

The 5G LAN technology is a technology for implementing a data transmission process between one or more UEs in the same 5G VN group, and is divided into three transmission modes: local exchange, N6 exchange, and N19 exchange. The N6-based transmission manner relates to a Data Network (DN) device, and a session establishment procedure of a local switching scenario and an N19 switching scenario is mainly described below.

(1) Local switching scenarios

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a non-roaming user plane architecture supporting 5G LAN type services through local switching, provided in the related art, as shown in fig. 1, if one user plane function (User Plane Function, UPF) is a common PSA UPF for different PDU sessions of the same 5G VN group, then the user plane traffic is forwarded locally on this PSA. In the figure, the (R) AN refers to AN Access Network (AN) or a radio Access Network (Radio Access Network, RAN) node, and the I-UPF refers to AN intermediate UPF.

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of a tunnel establishment process of a local switching scenario provided in the related art, as shown in fig. 2, in which a unicast data communication process of UE1 and UE2 is taken as an example, and a process of establishing a data transmission tunnel from UE1 to UE2 mainly includes two parts of tunnel establishment from UE1 to PSA and tunnel establishment from UE2 to PSA.

1. UE1 initiates a PDU session establishment request, after SMF receives the PDU session establishment request of access and mobility management function (Access and Mobility Management Function, AMF), UPF1 is selected, the session establishment request is sent to UPF1, UPF1 distributes own tunnel information and sends to SMF; then, the SMF sends a session establishment request to the PSA, the request carries the tunnel information of UPF1, and the PSA distributes own tunnel information and sends the tunnel information to the SMF; then, the SMF informs UPF1 of tunnel information of the PSA, completing tunnel establishment of UE1 to the PSA.

2. UE2 initiates a PDU session establishment request, after SMF receives the PDU session establishment request of AMF, UPF2 is selected, the session establishment request is sent to UPF2, UPF2 distributes own tunnel information and sends to SMF; then, the SMF sends a session establishment request to the PSA, the request carries the tunnel information of UPF2, and the PSA distributes own tunnel information and sends the tunnel information to the SMF; the SMF then informs UPF2 of the tunnel information of the PSA, completing the tunnel establishment of UE2 to the PSA.

(2) N19 switching scenarios

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a non-roaming user plane architecture for supporting a 5G LAN type service through an N19 tunnel, which is provided in the related art, and as shown in fig. 3, uplink/downlink traffic of a 5G VN group communication in a transmission process based on N19 is forwarded between PSAUPFs of different PDU sessions through an N19 interface. N19 is based on a shared user plane tunnel, connecting different PSA UPFs within a single 5G VN group, if an N19 based forwarding mode needs to be used, the SMF establishes an N19 tunnel between the PSA UPFs to support the N19 mode traffic forwarding.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart of a tunnel establishment process of an N19 switching scenario provided by the related art, as shown in fig. 4, in which a user plane tunnel establishment of group members UE1 to UE3 is taken as an example, and the main flow includes:

1. UE1 initiates a PDU session establishment request;

2. after receiving PDU session establishment request of AMF, SMF selects PSA1, sends group level N4 establishment request to PSA1, PSA1 distributes own N19 tunnel information and sends to SMF;

3. UE2 initiates PDU session establishment request;

4. after receiving a PDU session establishment request of the AMF, the SMF selects a PSA2, sends a group level N4 establishment request to the PSA2, wherein the request carries N19 tunnel information of the PSA1, and the PSA2 distributes own N19 tunnel information and sends the information to the SMF;

5. The SMF sends a group level N4 modification request to the PSA1, wherein the request carries the N19 tunnel information of the PSA 2;

6. UE3 initiates PDU session establishment request;

7. after receiving a PDU session establishment request of the AMF, the SMF selects a PSA3, sends a group level N4 establishment request to the PSA3, wherein the request carries N19 tunnel information of the PSA1 and the PSA2, and the PSA3 distributes own N19 tunnel information and sends the information to the SMF;

8. the SMF sends a group level N4 modification request to the PSA1, wherein the request carries the N19 tunnel information of the PSA 3;

9. the SMF sends a group level N4 modification request to PSA2, with the N19 tunnel information of PSA 3.

In the current LAN scenario (for example, in the 5G LAN scenario), each group member UE establishes a PDU session, and the SMF needs to perform matching on the PSA and update the forwarding rule to establish a corresponding data transmission tunnel, which requires frequent interaction between the control plane and the user plane, and consumes more transmission resources. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application provide a solution to reduce the number of interactions between the control plane and the user plane and save transmission resources.

For example, although a 5G LAN scenario is described herein as an example, other LANs that are currently or later become capable of implementing the 5G LAN scenario functionality, or other networks, may be employed herein, without limitation.

Fig. 5 is a schematic flow chart of a tunnel establishment method according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method is applicable to a session management functional entity, as shown in fig. 5, and the method includes the following steps:

step 500, an N4 session request message is sent to a first user plane functional entity, where the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of user plane functional entities;

wherein the plurality of user plane functional entities comprises one or more second user plane functional entities that need to establish a tunnel with the first user plane functional entity.

Specifically, in a 5G LAN scenario, in order to implement data transmission between UEs in the same virtual network group, a user plane tunnel between different UEs needs to be established, in the embodiment of the present application, in the process of establishing a tunnel between a first user plane functional entity and a second user plane functional entity, a session management functional entity may send an N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity, where the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of multiple user plane functional entities, and the multiple user plane functional entities include one or multiple second user plane functional entities. It should be noted that, in the case that the plurality of user plane function entities includes a second user plane function entity, the plurality of user plane function entities may also include other user plane function entities, for example, the first user plane function entity, that is, the N4 session request message may carry tunnel information of the second user plane function entity, and other tunnel information such as the first user plane function entity.

The session management function entity may be an SMF or other network element with a session management like function, and the user plane function entity may be a UPF or other network element with a user plane like function. Taking the example of a user plane function as a UPF, the first user plane function may be a non-PSA-attribute UPF (which may be understood as a normal UPF) or a PSA-attribute UPF (hereinafter referred to as PSA), and correspondingly, the second user plane function may be a UPF that needs to establish a tunnel with the first user plane function, and may be a non-PSA-attribute UPF or a PSA-attribute UPF.

Taking the local switching scenario as an example, the first user plane functional entity may be a common PSA in the local switching scenario, such as the PSA in fig. 2; the second user plane function entity may be a UPF corresponding to each UE, for example, UPF1 corresponding to UE1 and UPF2 corresponding to UE2 in fig. 2, where a tunnel needs to be established with the common PSA.

According to the tunnel establishment method provided by the embodiment of the application, the session management functional entity sends the N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity, and the N4 session request message carries the tunnel information of a plurality of user plane functional entities, so that the establishment of the tunnel between the first user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity can be completed, the interaction times between the session management functional entity and the user plane functional entity can be reduced, and the transmission resources are saved.

Optionally, sending an N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity includes:

the target scenes comprise a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, the session management functional entity may send an N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity based on different target scenarios, so as to complete tunnel establishment of the corresponding scenario.

For example, the target scenario may be a local exchange scenario, an N19 exchange scenario, or a scenario in which both a local exchange and an N19 exchange exist. If the target scene includes a local exchange scene and an N19 exchange scene, the session management functional entity may send a corresponding N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity of the corresponding scene for two different scenes, where for a specific scene, the tunnel establishment method of the corresponding scene provided by the embodiments of the present application may be used to complete tunnel establishment of the corresponding scene.

Optionally, in the case that the target scenario comprises a local switching scenario, the first user plane functional entity comprises an anchor user plane functional entity of the local switching scenario;

The method for sending the N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity comprises the following steps:

an N4 session establishment request message is sent to the anchor user plane functional entity, wherein the N4 session establishment request message carries tunnel information of the anchor user plane functional entity and tunnel information of a second user plane functional entity; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

and sending a group level N4 session establishment request message to the anchor point user plane functional entity, wherein the group level N4 session establishment request message carries the number information of tunnels to be established and the tunnel information of a plurality of second user plane functional entities.

Specifically, the anchor user plane function entity may be a PSA, or other user plane function entity having a PDU-like session anchor function. Taking PSA as an example, the anchor user plane functional entity of the local switching scenario may be understood as a common PSA in the local switching scenario, such as the PSA in fig. 2.

In the case that the target scenario includes a local switching scenario, the session management functional entity may send an N4 session establishment request message to an anchor user plane functional entity of the local switching scenario, where the N4 session establishment request message carries tunnel information of the anchor user plane functional entity and tunnel information of a second user plane functional entity that needs to establish a tunnel with the anchor user plane functional entity, so that after the anchor user plane functional entity receives the N4 session establishment request message, the tunnel information carried in the anchor user plane functional entity may be obtained to establish a tunnel between the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity.

In another possible implementation manner, in the case that the target scenario includes the local switching scenario, the session management functional entity may send a group-level N4 session establishment request message to an anchor user plane functional entity of the local switching scenario, where the group-level N4 session establishment request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of second user plane functional entities and information of a number of tunnels to be established, so that after the anchor user plane functional entity receives the group-level N4 session establishment request message, the anchor user plane functional entity may acquire the tunnel information carried therein and determine the number of tunnels to be established. Optionally, the anchor user plane functional entity may allocate own tunnel information corresponding to a plurality of tunnels to be established according to the received set of N4 session establishment request messages, and send the tunnel information to the session management functional entity, so as to establish tunnels between the anchor user plane functional entity and a plurality of second user plane functional entities.

Optionally, before sending the N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity, the method further comprises:

and allocating tunnel information for the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, unlike the prior art in which the tunnel information is allocated by the user plane functional entity, the session management functional entity may allocate tunnel information for the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity, and then send an N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity, where the tunnel information of the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity is carried in the N4 session establishment request message.

Optionally, the session management functional entity may further send an N4 session establishment request message to the second user plane functional entity after allocating tunnel information to the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity, where the N4 session establishment request message carries tunnel information of the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity.

According to the tunnel establishment method provided by the embodiment of the application, the session management functional entity can distribute tunnel information for the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity, then the N4 session establishment request message is sent to the anchor user plane functional entity, and the tunnel information of the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity is carried in the N4 session establishment request message, so that the process of indicating the user plane functional entity to distribute the tunnel information and transmitting the tunnel information to the session management functional entity is avoided, the interaction times between the session management functional entity and the user plane functional entity are reduced, and the transmission resources are saved.

Optionally, allocating tunnel information for the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity includes:

Specifically, after receiving the PDU session establishment request, the session management functional entity may determine that the target session to be established is a LAN type session, for example, a 5G LAN type session, allocate tunnel information for the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity corresponding to the target session, and then send an N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity, where the N4 session establishment request message carries the tunnel information of the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

tunnel information is distributed to a third user plane functional entity, wherein the third user plane functional entity is other user plane functional entities except for the anchor point user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity on the target user plane path.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present application, the session management functional entity may allocate tunnel information for the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity, and may also allocate tunnel information for a third user plane functional entity, where the third user plane functional entity may be another user plane functional entity except for the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity on the target user plane path.

The target user plane path may be understood as a user plane path corresponding to the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity, where other intermediate user plane functional entities may exist in the target user plane path besides the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity, and the session management functional entity may allocate tunnel information for the intermediate user plane functional entities. In one possible implementation, tunnel information of all the user plane functional entities on the target user plane path may be allocated by the session management functional entity.

Optionally, sending a group level N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity, including:

Specifically, in order to reduce the number of interactions between the session management functional entity and the user plane functional entity, in the embodiment of the present application, the session management functional entity may temporarily not send the tunnel information of the second user plane functional entity to the anchor user plane functional entity after obtaining the tunnel information of the second user plane functional entity, but send a group level N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity under the condition that a timer is determined to be overtime or that all UEs in the VN group establish a user plane path to the second user plane functional entity, where the group level N4 session establishment request message carries the obtained tunnel information of a plurality of second user plane functional entities and the number information of tunnels to be established. The timer may be preset by the session management functional entity according to different situations, which is not limited herein.

According to the tunnel establishment method provided by the embodiment of the application, after the tunnel information of the second user plane functional entity is acquired, the session management functional entity can temporarily not send the tunnel information of the second user plane functional entity to the anchor user plane functional entity, but send a group-level N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity under the condition that a timer is overtime or that all UE in the VN group is established to the user plane path of the second user plane functional entity is determined, the acquired tunnel information of a plurality of second user plane functional entities and the tunnel number information required to be established are carried in the group-level N4 session establishment request message, so that the number of interactions between the session management functional entity and the anchor user plane functional entity is reduced by sending the tunnel information of the plurality of second user plane functional entities to the anchor user plane functional entity in one message, and transmission resources are saved.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

In particular, in one possible implementation, the session management function entity may start a timer if it determines that there are UEs in the VN group for which a session has not been established.

For example, the session management function entity may determine whether there are UEs for which a PDU session is not established after a certain number (e.g., 1 or 2 or other number) of UEs have established a user plane path to the corresponding second user plane function entity, and start a timer if it is determined that there are UEs for which a PDU session is not established in the VN group.

Optionally, after starting the timer, the session management functional entity may call the UE that has not established the PDU session to establish the PDU session, and then send a group level N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity, where the group level N4 session establishment request message carries the obtained tunnel information of the plurality of second user plane functional entities and the number of tunnels to be established, under the condition that it is determined that the timer is overtime or that all UEs in the VN group establish a user plane path to the second user plane functional entity.

Specifically, the anchor user plane function entity may be a PSA, or other user plane function entity having a PDU-like session anchor function. In the case where the target scenario includes an N19 switching scenario, the first user plane functional entity may include a first anchor user plane functional entity, taking PSA as an example, the first anchor user plane functional entity may refer to any PSA within a single VN group, such as PSA1, PSA2, etc. in fig. 4; the second user plane function may include a second anchor user plane function, for example, assuming PSA1 in fig. 4 is the first anchor user plane function, the second anchor user plane function may refer to PSA2 and PSA3 in fig. 4.

In the case that the target scenario includes an N19 switch scenario, the session management functional entity may send a group level N4 session establishment request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity, and then, when sending the group level N4 session modification request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity, carry tunnel information of a plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities in the group level N4 session modification request message, so that after the first anchor user plane functional entity receives the group level N4 session modification request message, the first anchor user plane functional entity may acquire the plurality of second anchor user plane functional entity tunnel information carried therein, so as to establish tunnels between the first anchor user plane functional entity and the plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities.

Optionally, the plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities includes anchor user plane functional entities that partially or fully need to establish a tunnel with the first anchor user plane functional entity.

Optionally, sending a group level N4 session modification request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity, including:

Specifically, in order to reduce the number of interactions between the session management functional entity and the first anchor user plane functional entity, in the embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the tunnel information of the second anchor user plane functional entity, the session management functional entity may temporarily not send the tunnel information of the second anchor user plane functional entity to the first anchor user plane functional entity, but send a group level N4 session modification request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity under the condition that it is determined that the timer is overtime or that all UEs in the VN group establish user plane paths to the corresponding anchor user plane functional entity, and the obtained tunnel information of a plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities is carried in the group level N4 session modification request message. The timer may be preset by the session management functional entity according to different situations, which is not limited herein.

According to the tunnel establishment method provided by the embodiment of the application, after the tunnel information of the second anchor user plane functional entity is acquired, the session management functional entity can temporarily not transmit the tunnel information of the second anchor user plane functional entity to the first anchor user plane functional entity, but transmit a group-level N4 session modification request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity under the condition that a timer is determined to be overtime or a user plane path to the corresponding anchor user plane functional entity is determined to be established by all UE in the VN group, and the acquired tunnel information of a plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities is carried in the group-level N4 session modification request message, so that the number of interactions between the session management functional entity and the first anchor user plane functional entity is reduced by transmitting the tunnel information of the plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities to the first anchor user plane functional entity in one message, and transmission resources are saved.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

and starting a timer under the condition that the first terminal in the virtual network group is determined to have established a user plane path to an anchor user plane functional entity corresponding to the first terminal or the existence of a terminal which does not establish a session in the virtual network group is determined.

Specifically, the first terminal may refer to any terminal in the virtual network group, which is not limited herein. Alternatively, the first terminal may refer to the first terminal that initiates the session establishment request. In one possible implementation manner, the session management functional entity may start a timer when it is determined that a first UE initiating a session establishment request in the VN group has established a user plane path to an anchor user plane functional entity corresponding to the UE.

In another possible implementation, the session management function entity may start a timer if it determines that there are UEs in the VN group for which a session has not been established.

For example, the session management function entity may determine whether there are UEs for which a PDU session is not established after a certain number (e.g., 1 or 2 or other number) of UEs have established a user plane path to the corresponding anchor user plane function entity, and start a timer if it is determined that there are UEs for which a PDU session is not established in the VN group.

Optionally, after starting the timer, the session management functional entity may call the UE that has not established the PDU session to establish the PDU session, and then send a group level N4 session modification request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity, where the group level N4 session modification request message carries the obtained tunnel information of the plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities, under the condition that it is determined that the timer is overtime or that all UEs in the VN group establish user plane paths to the corresponding anchor user plane functional entities.

Fig. 6 is a second flowchart of a tunnel establishment method according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method is applicable to a first user plane function entity, as shown in fig. 6, and the method includes the following steps:

step 600, receiving an N4 session request message sent by a session management function entity, where the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of user plane function entities;

Specifically, in a 5G LAN scenario, in order to implement data transmission between UEs in the same virtual network group, a user plane tunnel between different UEs needs to be established, in the embodiment of the present application, in the process of establishing a tunnel between a first user plane functional entity and a second user plane functional entity, a session management functional entity may send an N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity, where the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of multiple user plane functional entities, where the multiple user plane functional entities include one or multiple second user plane functional entities, and after the first user plane functional entity receives the N4 session request message, the first user plane functional entity may acquire the tunnel information carried therein to establish the tunnel between the first user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity.

It should be noted that, in the case that the plurality of user plane function entities includes a second user plane function entity, the plurality of user plane function entities may also include other user plane function entities, for example, the first user plane function entity, that is, the N4 session request message may carry tunnel information of the second user plane function entity, and other tunnel information such as the first user plane function entity.

Optionally, receiving an N4 session request message sent by the session management function entity includes:

the target scenes comprise a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

receiving an N4 session request message sent by a session management functional entity, including:

receiving an N4 session establishment request message sent by a session management functional entity, wherein the N4 session establishment request message carries tunnel information of an anchor point user plane functional entity and tunnel information of a second user plane functional entity; or alternatively, the process may be performed,

and receiving a group-level N4 session establishment request message sent by the session management functional entity, wherein the group-level N4 session establishment request message carries the number information of tunnels to be established and the tunnel information of a plurality of second user plane functional entities.

In the case that the target scenario includes a local switching scenario, the session management functional entity may send an N4 session establishment request message to an anchor user plane functional entity of the local switching scenario, where the N4 session establishment request message carries tunnel information of the anchor user plane functional entity and tunnel information of a second user plane functional entity that needs to establish a tunnel with the anchor user plane functional entity, and after the anchor user plane functional entity receives the N4 session establishment request message, the anchor user plane functional entity may acquire the tunnel information carried therein to establish a tunnel between the anchor user plane functional entity and the second user plane functional entity.

In another possible implementation manner, in the case that the target scenario includes the local switching scenario, the session management functional entity may send a group level N4 session establishment request message to an anchor user plane functional entity of the local switching scenario, where the group level N4 session establishment request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of second user plane functional entities and information of a number of tunnels to be established, and after the anchor user plane functional entity receives the group level N4 session establishment request message, the anchor user plane functional entity may acquire the tunnel information carried therein and determine a number of tunnels to be established. Optionally, the anchor user plane functional entity may allocate own tunnel information corresponding to a plurality of tunnels to be established according to the received set of N4 session establishment request messages, and send the tunnel information to the session management functional entity, so as to establish tunnels between the anchor user plane functional entity and a plurality of second user plane functional entities.

and receiving a group-level N4 session modification request message sent by the session management functional entity, wherein the group-level N4 session modification request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of second anchor point user plane functional entities.

In the case that the target scenario includes an N19 switch scenario, the session management functional entity may send a group level N4 session establishment request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity, and then, when sending the group level N4 session modification request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity, carry tunnel information of a plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities in the group level N4 session modification request message, and after the first anchor user plane functional entity receives the group level N4 session modification request message, may acquire the plurality of second anchor user plane functional entity tunnel information carried therein, so as to establish tunnels between the first anchor user plane functional entity and the plurality of second anchor user plane functional entities.

The methods provided by the embodiments of the present application are based on the same application conception, so that the implementation of each method can be referred to each other, and the repetition is not repeated.

The method provided by each of the above embodiments of the present application is exemplified by the following specific examples.

Embodiment one: unicast tunnel establishment procedure 1 for local switching scenarios

Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a local exchange scenario tunnel establishment procedure provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 7, taking UE1 to UE2 (selected PSA together) establish a user plane tunnel as an example, the main procedure is as follows:

1. UE1 initiates the establishment of a PDU session, carrying UE2 identity, such as a generic public user identity (Generic Public Subscription Identifier, GPSI).

2. After receiving the PDU session establishment request of the AMF, the SMF determines that the session is a session of 5G LAN type according to the data network name (Data Network Name, DNN) and single network slice selection assistance information (Single Network Slice Selection Assistance Information, S-nsai), i.e., (DNN, S-nsai), the SMF selects UPFs (including UPF1 and PSA), and assigns tunnel info to all the selected UPFs.

3. The SMF sends an N4 session establishment request to the UPF1, and carries the tunnel information of the allocated UPF1 and PSA.

4. The SMF sends an N4 session establishment request to the PSA, wherein the request carries tunnel information of UPF1 and the PSA.

5. The SMF determines whether the UE2 has completed session establishment.

6. If not, the session establishment procedure of the UE2 may be called in the following call-initiation manner.

Procedure by which the UE calls up other UEs to establish PDU session (the following embodiments may use this way to call up the UE's session establishment procedure): the calling UE initiates a data transmission process to the called UE, the calling UE needs to carry out a PDU session establishment process, the PDU session establishment request message carries a mobile phone number identification opposite terminal UE (namely the called UE), and the SMF determines whether a path exists between the calling and the called. If not, the SMF sends signaling to the called UE through the AMF to trigger the session establishment flow of the called UE, and after the session establishment of the called UE is completed, an inter-satellite link (if any) is established, so that the calling data service transmission can be performed.

Other procedures of this embodiment are the same as the existing PDU session establishment procedure.

The difference with the prior art is that: in the prior art, in the PDU session establishment process, the UPF allocates tunnel information and informs other UPFs through the SMF, in this embodiment, the SMF adds a judgment on the type of 5G LAN, and when this type is the case, the SMF allocates tunnel information of all UPFs (including PSA).

Embodiment two: multicast tunnel establishment procedure 1 for local switching scenarios

Fig. 8 is a second flowchart of a local switch scenario tunnel establishment procedure provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 8, taking UE1 sending multicast data to UE2 and UE3 as an example, the main procedure is as follows:

in the figures, steps 1 to 4, 5 to 8, and 11 to 13 are referred to in steps 1 to 4 of the first embodiment.

1. UE1 initiates the establishment of a PDU session, carrying UE2 and UE3 identities, such as GPSI.

2. After receiving the PDU session establishment request of the AMF, the SMF judges that the session is a session of 5G LAN type according to (DNN, S-NSSAI), and selects UPF (comprising UPF1 and PSA) and distributes tunnel information for all the selected UPF.

5. UE2 initiates the establishment of a PDU session.

6. After receiving the PDU session establishment request of the AMF, the SMF judges that the session is a session of 5G LAN type according to (DNN, S-NSSAI), and selects UPF (comprising UPF2 and PSA) and distributes tunnel information for all the selected UPF.

7. The SMF sends an N4 session establishment request to the UPF2, carrying the tunnel information of the allocated UPF2 and PSA.

8. The SMF sends an N4 session establishment request to the PSA, wherein the request carries tunnel information of UPF2 and the PSA.

9. The SMF determines whether there are more UEs in the multicast group that have not established a PDU session.

10. The SMF calls the UE3 which has not established PDU session, the UE3 establishes PDU session, the process is the same as the UE1 and the UE2, the SMF completes the distribution of tunnel information and issues the tunnel information of the home terminal and the opposite terminal through the N4 establishment process, thereby completing the tunnel establishment process.

11. After receiving the PDU session establishment request of the AMF, the SMF judges that the session is a session of 5G LAN type according to (DNN, S-NSSAI), and selects UPF (comprising UPF3 and PSA) and distributes tunnel information for all the selected UPF.

12. The SMF sends an N4 session establishment request to the UPF3, carrying the tunnel information of the allocated UPF3 and PSA.

It should be noted that, the foregoing is an example in which UE1 transmits multicast data to UE2 and UE3, and the session establishment procedure of more UEs in the broadcast scenario is the same as the establishment procedure described above.

Compared with the first embodiment, the present embodiment is different in that: after the completion of the session establishment between UE1 and UE2, the SMF confirms that there is a UE (UE 3) that has not established a session, and the SMF calls up the UE3 that has not established a session, thereby triggering a session establishment request of the UE3, as shown in steps 9 to 10.

Embodiment III: unicast tunnel establishment procedure 2 for local switching scenarios

The idea of the embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the difference is that: after the SMF in the first embodiment determines that the session is of the 5G LAN type, tunnel information is allocated to all UPFs, including UPFs that do not directly tunnel with the PSA. The embodiment may be that the SMF only allocates the UPF directly connected to the PSA and the tunnel information of the PSA, and the other UPFs still allocate the respective tunnel information by the respective UPFs themselves.

Embodiment four: unicast tunnel establishment procedure 3 for local switching scenario

Fig. 9 is a third flowchart of a local switch scenario tunnel establishment procedure provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 9, taking UE1 to UE2 send unicast data as an example, the main procedure is as follows:

1. UE1 initiates a session establishment procedure, carrying UE2 identity, e.g. GPSI.

2. The SMF selects the UPF (including UPF 1) corresponding to UE 1.

3. The SMF sends an N4 session setup request to a UPF (including UPF 1) other than the PSA.

4. If UE2 has not established this PDU session (DNN, S-NSSAI), then SMF calls UE2 to establish the PDU session.

5. The SMF sends an N4 session setup request to a UPF (including UPF 2) other than the PSA.

6. The SMF determines that both UE1 and UE2 complete the user plane path establishment to UPF, initiates the set-up procedure of group level N4 session to PSA, and adds the bearer:

a. The number of AN-side tunnels that need to be established (here, 2, refer to the tunnels between PSA and UPF1 and UPF2, respectively);

tunnel information of upf 1;

tunnel information for upf 2.

7-8, the SMF informs the UPF1 and UFP2 of the tunnel information of the PSA allocated by the PSA through the N4 session modification request.

The present embodiment is different from the prior art in that: 1) Group level N4 sessions are used in the local switching scenario; 2) The parameters shown in the step 6 are added in the process of establishing the group level N4 session; 3) If the UE2 has not established the PDU session, the call-up mode described in the first embodiment calls up the UE2.

Fifth embodiment: multicast tunnel establishment procedure 2 for local switching scenarios

Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a local exchange scenario tunnel establishment procedure provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 10, taking a tunnel establishment procedure of UE1 to UE3 (same PSA) as an example, the main procedure is as follows:

in the figures, steps 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 are referred to in steps 1 to 3 of the fourth embodiment.

1. UE1 initiates a session establishment procedure, carrying UE2 and UE3 identities, such as GPSI.

2. The SMF selects the UPF (including UPF 1) corresponding to UE 1.

4. UE2 initiates a session establishment procedure.

5. The SMF selects the UPF (including UPF 2) corresponding to the UE2.

6. The SMF sends an N4 session setup request to a UPF (including UPF 2) other than the PSA.

7. The SMF determines whether there are UEs not establishing a PDU session and starts a timer.

8. The SMF calls up the UE3 that has not yet established the PDU session to establish the PDU session.

9. The SMF selects the UPF (including UPF 3) corresponding to the UE 3.

10. The SMF sends an N4 session setup request to a UPF (including UPF 3) other than the PSA.

11. If the timer times out or the SMF judges that all UEs complete the user plane path establishment to the UPF, the SMF initiates a group level N4 session establishment procedure to the PSA and increases the carrying:

a. the number of tunnels that need to be established (here 3, referring to the tunnels between the PSA and UPF1, UPF2 and UPF3, respectively);

tunnel information of UPF1 to UPF3.

12-14, the SMF informs UPF1, UPF2 and UPF3 of the tunnel information of the PSA assigned by the PSA through the N4 session modification request.

Example six: tunnel establishment for N19 switching scenarios

Fig. 11 is a flow chart of a process for establishing an N19 switch scene tunnel according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 11, taking an example of establishing an N19 tunnel between members UE1 to UE3 in a group, the main process is as follows:

1. UE1 establishes a tunnel to the corresponding PSA 1.

2. The SMF establishes a group level N4 session to PSA1 and instructs PSA1 to allocate N19 tunnel information.

3. The SMF starts a timer.

4. UE2 establishes a tunnel to the corresponding PSA 2.

5. The SMF establishes a group level N4 session to PSA2 and instructs PSA2 to allocate N19 tunnel information.

6. The SMF judges whether the UE which does not establish the PDU session in the group exists or not, if so, the step 7 is skipped, and if not, the step 9 is skipped.

7. The (optional) SMF calls up group member UE3 that has not yet established a PDU session.

8. The SMF sends an instruction to allocate PSA 3N 19 tunnel information to the PSA3 through the group level N4 session, and the PSA3 allocates the tunnel information and returns the tunnel information to the SMF.

9-10, the SMF judges that all UEs have completed user plane path establishment to the PSA or the timer times out, and the SMF transmits N19 tunnel information of other PSA except the PSA to each PSA. Such as SMF, sends N19 tunnel information of other PSAs (PSA 2, PSA 3) other than PSA1 to PSA 1.

It should be noted that:

a. in a possible implementation manner, in step 5 and step 8, the N19 tunnel information of the PSA may not be carried in the group-level N4 session establishment request sent by the SMF; in another possible implementation manner, the group level N4 session establishment request sent by the SMF in step 5 may carry N19 tunnel information of PSA1, and the group level N4 session establishment request sent by the SMF in step 8 carries N19 tunnel information of PSA1 and PSA2, so that when the SMF in steps 9-10 sends a group level N4 session modification request to each PSA, only N19 tunnel information of other PSA unknown to each PSA is carried.

b. The timer may also be set after the judgment of step 6.

Embodiment seven: tunnel establishment for local exchange+n19 exchange scenario

Fig. 12 is a flow chart of a process for establishing a local exchange and N19 exchange scene tunnel, as shown in fig. 12, taking UE1 to UE2 to establish a local exchange scene data transmission tunnel and UE3 to UE4 to establish an N19 exchange scene data transmission tunnel as an example, where UE1 and UE2 correspond to the same PSA1, UE3 corresponds to PSA2, and UE4 corresponds to PSA3, and the main process includes:

1. tunnel establishment of local switching scenario: as in the first, third or fourth embodiments.

2. Tunnel establishment for N19 switching scenarios: as in the sixth embodiment.

It should be noted that the sequences 1 and 2 are not sequential, and may be performed simultaneously.

The method and the device provided by the embodiments of the present application are based on the same application conception, and because the principles of solving the problems by the method and the device are similar, the implementation of the device and the method can be referred to each other, and the repetition is not repeated.

Fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a session management functional entity according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 13, the session management functional entity includes a memory 1320, a transceiver 1310 and a processor 1300; wherein the processor 1300 and the memory 1320 may also be physically separate.

A memory 1320 for storing a computer program; a transceiver 1310 for transceiving data under the control of the processor 1300.

In particular, the transceiver 1310 is configured to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 1300.

Where in FIG. 13, a bus architecture may comprise any number of interconnected buses and bridges, with various circuits of the one or more processors, specifically represented by processor 1300, and the memory, represented by memory 1320, being linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, power management circuits, etc., all as are well known in the art and, therefore, will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1310 may be a number of elements, including a transmitter and a receiver, providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium, including wireless channels, wired channels, optical cables, etc.

The processor 1300 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1320 may store data used by the processor 1300 in performing operations.

Processor 1300 may be a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), application specific integrated circuit (Application Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), field programmable gate array (Field-Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) or complex programmable logic device (Complex Programmable Logic Device, CPLD), and may also employ a multi-core architecture.

Processor 1300 is operable to execute any of the methods provided by embodiments of the present application in accordance with the obtained executable instructions by invoking a computer program stored in memory 1320, for example: transmitting an N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity, wherein the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of user plane functional entities; wherein the plurality of user plane functional entities comprises one or more second user plane functional entities that need to establish a tunnel with the first user plane functional entity.

the target scenes comprise a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

Fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a first user plane functional entity according to an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 14, where the first user plane functional entity includes a memory 1420, a transceiver 1410 and a processor 1400; wherein the processor 1400 and the memory 1420 may also be physically separate.

A memory 1420 for storing a computer program; a transceiver 1410 for transceiving data under the control of the processor 1400.

In particular, the transceiver 1410 is configured to receive and transmit data under the control of the processor 1400.

Wherein in fig. 14, a bus architecture may comprise any number of interconnected buses and bridges, and in particular one or more processors represented by the processor 1400 and various circuits of the memory represented by the memory 1420, linked together. The bus architecture may also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, power management circuits, etc., all as are well known in the art and, therefore, will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1410 may be a number of elements, i.e., including a transmitter and a receiver, providing a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium, including wireless channels, wired channels, optical cables, etc.

The processor 1400 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1420 may store data used by the processor 1400 in performing operations.

Processor 1400 may be CPU, ASIC, FPGA or a CPLD, and the processor may also employ a multi-core architecture.

Processor 1400 is operable to execute any of the methods provided by embodiments of the present application in accordance with the obtained executable instructions by invoking a computer program stored in memory 1420, for example: receiving an N4 session request message sent by a session management functional entity, wherein the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of user plane functional entities; wherein the plurality of user plane functional entities comprises one or more second user plane functional entities that need to establish a tunnel with the first user plane functional entity.

the target scenes comprise a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

It should be noted that, the session management functional entity and the first user plane functional entity provided in the embodiments of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in the method embodiments and achieve the same technical effects, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the method embodiments in the embodiments are omitted herein.

Fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of a tunnel establishment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, where the apparatus is applicable to a session management functional entity, as shown in fig. 15, and the apparatus includes:

a sending unit 1500, configured to send an N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity, where the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of multiple user plane functional entities;

the target scenes comprise a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises:

an allocation unit 1510 is configured to allocate tunnel information for the anchor user plane function entity and the second user plane function entity.

Optionally, the allocation unit 1510 is further configured to:

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises:

a first timing unit 1520, configured to start a timer if it is determined that there is a terminal in the virtual network group for which a session has not been established.

Optionally, the apparatus further comprises:

a second timing unit 1530, configured to start a timer when it is determined that the first terminal in the virtual network group has established a user plane path to an anchor user plane function entity corresponding to the first terminal, or it is determined that a terminal in the virtual network group has not established a session yet.

Fig. 16 is a second schematic structural diagram of a tunnel establishment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, which is applicable to a first user plane functional entity, as shown in fig. 16, and includes:

a receiving unit 1600, configured to receive an N4 session request message sent by a session management function entity, where the N4 session request message carries tunnel information of a plurality of user plane function entities;

the target scenes comprise a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the division of the units is schematic, which is merely a logic function division, and other division manners may be implemented in actual practice. In addition, each functional unit in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units may be integrated in one unit. The integrated units may be implemented in hardware or in software functional units.

The integrated units, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as stand-alone products, may be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be embodied in essence or a part contributing to the prior art or all or part of the technical solution in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium, including several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) or a processor (processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing program codes.

It should be noted that, the above device provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in the method embodiment and achieve the same technical effects, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiment in this embodiment are omitted.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing a computer to execute the tunnel establishment method provided in each of the above embodiments.

It should be noted that, the computer readable storage medium provided in the embodiment of the present application can implement all the method steps implemented in the above method embodiment and achieve the same technical effects, and detailed descriptions of the same parts and beneficial effects as those in the method embodiment in this embodiment are omitted.

The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device that can be accessed by a computer, including, but not limited to, magnetic storage (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, magneto-optical disks (MOs), etc.), optical storage (e.g., CD, DVD, BD, HVD, etc.), and semiconductor storage (e.g., ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, nonvolatile storage (NAND FLASH), solid State Disk (SSD)), etc.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application can be suitable for various systems, in particular to a 5G system. For example, suitable systems may be global system for mobile communications (global system of mobile communication, GSM), code division multiple access (code division multiple access, CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access, WCDMA) universal packet Radio service (general packet Radio service, GPRS), long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE), LTE frequency division duplex (frequency division duplex, FDD), LTE time division duplex (time division duplex, TDD), long term evolution-advanced (long term evolution advanced, LTE-a), universal mobile system (universal mobile telecommunication system, UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (worldwide interoperability for microwave access, wiMAX), 5G New air interface (New Radio, NR), and the like. Terminal devices and network devices are included in these various systems. Core network parts such as evolved packet system (Evloved Packet System, EPS), 5G system (5 GS) etc. may also be included in the system.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present application may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present application may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present application may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, magnetic disk storage, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable instructions. These computer-executable instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These processor-executable instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present application without departing from the spirit or scope of the application. Thus, it is intended that the present application also include such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A tunnel establishment method, applied to a session management functional entity, comprising:

2. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 1, wherein the sending the N4 session request message to the first user plane function entity comprises:

the target scene comprises a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

3. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 2, wherein in case the target scenario comprises a local switching scenario, the first user plane function entity comprises an anchor user plane function entity of the local switching scenario;

4. The tunnel establishment method of claim 3, wherein before the sending the N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity, the method further comprises:

5. The method of tunnel establishment according to claim 4, wherein said allocating tunnel information for the anchor user plane function entity and the second user plane function entity comprises:

6. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the method further comprises:

7. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 3, wherein said sending a group level N4 session establishment request message to said anchor user plane function entity comprises:

8. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 7, characterized in that the method further comprises:

9. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 2, wherein in case the target scenario comprises an N19 switching scenario, the first user plane functional entity comprises a first anchor user plane functional entity, and the second user plane functional entity comprises a second anchor user plane functional entity that needs to establish a tunnel with the first anchor user plane functional entity;

10. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 9, wherein said sending a group level N4 session modification request message to said first anchor user plane function entity comprises:

11. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 10, characterized in that the method further comprises:

12. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of the second anchor user plane function entities includes an anchor user plane function entity that partially or totally needs to establish a tunnel with the first anchor user plane function entity.

13. A tunnel establishment method, applied to a first user plane functional entity, comprising:

14. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 13, wherein the receiving the N4 session request message sent by the session management function entity comprises:

the target scene comprises a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

15. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 14, wherein in case the target scenario comprises a local switching scenario, the first user plane function entity comprises an anchor user plane function entity of the local switching scenario;

16. The tunnel establishment method according to claim 14, wherein in case the target scenario comprises an N19 switching scenario, the first user plane function entity comprises a first anchor user plane function entity, and the second user plane function entity comprises a second anchor user plane function entity that needs to establish a tunnel with the first anchor user plane function entity;

17. A session management functional entity, comprising a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

18. The session management functional entity of claim 17, wherein the sending the N4 session request message to the first user plane functional entity comprises:

the target scene comprises a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

19. The session management function of claim 18, wherein, in the case where the target scenario comprises a local switching scenario, the first user plane function comprises an anchor user plane function of the local switching scenario;

20. The session management function of claim 19, wherein prior to the sending of the N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane function, the operations further comprise:

21. The session management function of claim 20, wherein the assigning tunnel information for the anchor user plane function and the second user plane function comprises:

22. The session management functional entity of claim 19, wherein the sending the group level N4 session establishment request message to the anchor user plane functional entity comprises:

23. The session management functional entity of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise:

24. The session management function of claim 18, wherein in the case where the target scenario comprises an N19 switch scenario, the first user plane function comprises a first anchor user plane function, and the second user plane function comprises a second anchor user plane function that requires tunneling with the first anchor user plane function;

25. The session management functional entity of claim 24, wherein the sending a group level N4 session modification request message to the first anchor user plane functional entity comprises:

26. The session management functional entity of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise:

27. A first user plane functional entity comprising a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

28. The first user plane function entity of claim 27, wherein the receiving the N4 session request message sent by the session management function entity comprises:

the target scene comprises a local exchange scene and/or an N19 exchange scene.

29. The first user plane function entity of claim 28, wherein in the case where the target scenario comprises a local switching scenario, the first user plane function entity comprises an anchor user plane function entity of the local switching scenario;

30. The first user plane function entity of claim 28, wherein in the case where the target scenario comprises an N19 switch scenario, the first user plane function entity comprises a first anchor user plane function entity, and the second user plane function entity comprises a second anchor user plane function entity that needs to establish a tunnel with the first anchor user plane function entity;

31. A tunnel establishment apparatus, applied to a session management function entity, comprising:

32. A tunnel establishment apparatus, applied to a first user plane functional entity, comprising:

33. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program for causing a computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 12 or to perform the method of any one of claims 13 to 16.