CN116866985A

CN116866985A - Data forwarding method, network system and computer readable storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN116866985A
Application number: CN202310960747.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吴超; 王炜; 张广顺; 谢玮博
Original assignee: Beijing Topsec Technology Co Ltd; Beijing Topsec Network Security Technology Co Ltd; Beijing Topsec Software Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Topsec Technology Co Ltd; Beijing Topsec Network Security Technology Co Ltd; Beijing Topsec Software Co Ltd
Priority date: 2023-08-01
Filing date: 2023-08-01
Publication date: 2023-10-10

Abstract

The application provides a data forwarding method, a network system and a computer readable storage medium, and relates to the technical field of network communication. The method comprises the following steps: forwarding the target data acquired from the application function module to the session management module based on the user plane function module; forwarding target data to a target network function module of a plurality of network function modules in the network system based on the session management module; the target data are data related to application functions; the application function module is in communication connection with the user plane function module based on the first interface; the user plane functional module and the session management module are in communication connection based on a second interface; the session management module is communicatively coupled to the plurality of network function modules based on the third interface. The data forwarding function is realized on the original communication interfaces of the user plane function module and the session management module, and a new communication interface is created in the session management module to realize the data forwarding function, so that other network elements or interfaces are not required to be deployed, and the applicability of the network system is improved.

Description

Data forwarding method, network system and computer readable storage medium

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of network communications technologies, and in particular, to a data forwarding method, a network system, and a computer readable storage medium.

Background

Currently, 5G (5 th-Generation, fifth Generation mobile communication technology) has been widely used. The 5G core network defines a NEF (Network Exposure Function, network capability opening function) to enable network capability opening, through which an operator provides some user behavior and service related information in the mobile network to applications. The network capabilities provided by the 5G network include both network capabilities of the core network and network capabilities associated with the access network. The application can more pertinently optimize and adjust the application and the service according to the network capability opening information, so as to achieve better user experience.

MEC (Multi-Access Edge Computing, multiple access edge computing) is one of the core applications of 5G, and by placing data commonly used by users at edge nodes closer to the users, the effect of reducing access delay of the users and reducing traffic of the core network is achieved. Low latency and high bandwidth applications are increasingly deployed on MEC platforms. The MEC can optimize application deployment more pertinently according to the information of the 5G network, particularly the access network information (such as the coverage state of the wireless network, the air interface rate and bandwidth of the user wireless network, and the like), provides better time delay and bandwidth performance, and has important application prospect.

In the prior art, in order to implement multi-level data forwarding in a system architecture of a 5G network, a new network function nenf (Edge NEF) is generally introduced at a RAN (Radio Access Network ) side, and the new network function nenf and the two network functions RAN and NEF each have a protocol reference point interface, and data forwarding is performed through the nenf and the set interfaces, so that an open capability service of the RAN can be obtained. However, in practical application, if the number of MECs is numerous, more nenfs need to be deployed, and this solution adds more network elements and interfaces, which increases complexity, workload and communication cost of deployment, and is not applicable to multiple different network systems.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, an objective of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a data forwarding method, a network system and a computer readable storage medium, so as to solve the problem of low applicability caused by high complexity, workload and communication cost of deployment in the network system in the prior art.

In order to solve the above problems, in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a data forwarding method, where the method includes:

forwarding the target data acquired from the application function module to the session management module based on the user plane function module;

Forwarding the target data to a target network function module of a plurality of network function modules in a network system based on the session management module;

wherein the target data is data related to an application function; the application function module is in communication connection with the user plane function module based on a first interface; the user plane function module and the session management module are in communication connection based on a second interface; the session management module is communicatively connected with a plurality of the network function modules based on a third interface.

In the implementation process, the forwarding of the target data can be realized on the original communication interfaces of the user plane function module and the session management module, and a new communication interface is established in the session management module so as to forward the target data to the corresponding target network function module for processing, thereby realizing the data forwarding function between the application function module and the network function module. When the data forwarding is carried out, other network elements or more interfaces are not required to be arranged in the network system, the existing interface functions are multiplexed and simply expanded, the complexity, the workload and the communication cost of the arrangement are effectively reduced, the method is suitable for network systems with various different structures, the applicability of the network system is improved, and the opening performance of the edge network capability of the network system is realized.

Optionally, the forwarding, based on the user plane function module, the target data acquired from the application function module to the session management module includes:

based on the session management module, issuing rule information to the user plane function module according to an independent session channel established by the second interface;

transmitting an initial data packet to the user plane function module through the first interface based on the application function module;

processing according to the initial data packet and the rule information based on the user plane function module to obtain the target data;

and transmitting the target data to the session management module through the independent session channel based on the user plane function module.

In the implementation process, an independent session channel can be established on the original second interface between the session management module and the user plane function module, so that rule information for defining details of data forwarding can be issued through the independent session channel. The user plane function module can receive the initial data packet sent by the application function module through the first interface, process the initial data packet correspondingly based on the rule information to obtain target data, and send the target data to the session management module based on the established independent session channel. The data forwarding function can be realized on the original second interface between the session management module and the user plane function module, and the newly added network element and interface are not needed for data forwarding, so that the complexity, the workload and the communication cost in deployment are effectively reduced.

Optionally, the independent session channel is established by:

establishing communication association between the user plane function module and the session management module based on a target communication protocol;

and establishing independent session channels of the user plane function module and the session management module based on the communication association and the second interface.

In the implementation process, communication association is established through a target communication protocol, and then an independent session channel which is not mutually affected with other functions is established on an original second interface between the session management module and the user plane function module, so that data forwarding between the application function module and a core network of the network system is realized.

Optionally, the rule information includes: packet detection rules and forwarding action rules;

the processing is performed by the user plane function module according to the initial data packet and the rule information to obtain the target data, including:

determining a target detection rule of the initial data packet according to the packet detection rule based on the user plane function module;

determining a corresponding target forwarding rule according to forwarding identity information corresponding to the target detection rule based on the user plane function module;

And processing the initial data packet according to the target detection rule and the target forwarding rule based on the user plane function module to obtain the target data.

In the implementation process, the received initial data packet can be matched through the packet detection rule, the corresponding target detection rule and forwarding identity information corresponding to the target detection rule are determined, and the target forwarding rule is determined, so that the initial data packet is processed according to the target detection rule and the target forwarding rule, and corresponding target data is obtained. The data packet can be correspondingly processed according to the defined data forwarding detail rule, so that the data can meet the corresponding processing rule, and a front data processing function is provided for data forwarding, so that the success rate of data forwarding is improved.

Optionally, the network system includes a plurality of user plane function modules and a plurality of session management modules; the plurality of user plane function modules are in communication connection based on a fourth interface; each user plane function module and the corresponding session management module are provided with the corresponding independent session channel;

the sending, based on the user plane function module, the target data to the session management module through the independent session channel includes:

Determining a target user plane function module in a plurality of user plane function modules based on the target detection rule and the target forwarding rule, and determining a target session management module in a plurality of session management modules;

forwarding the target data through the fourth interface based on a plurality of user plane function modules until the target data is forwarded to the corresponding target user plane function module;

and transmitting the target data to the target session management module through a corresponding target independent session channel based on the target user plane function module.

In the implementation process, in some network systems with complex structures, the network system may include a plurality of user plane function modules and a plurality of session management modules, when data forwarding is performed, the user plane function module connected with the application function module may not be directly connected with a target session management module receiving data in a plurality of target session management modules, so in order to adapt to a more complex network architecture, according to a target detection rule and a target forwarding rule, the target user plane function module and the target session management module may be determined in the current plurality of user plane function modules and the plurality of session management modules, and based on a fourth interface between the plurality of user plane function modules, the target data is sequentially processed and forwarded until the target data is forwarded to the corresponding target user plane function module, and then the target user plane function module sends the target data to the target session management module through a corresponding target independent session channel. The method can determine the object to be forwarded according to the rule condition of the target data, and realize the data forwarding function through relay forwarding among a plurality of user plane function modules.

Optionally, the forwarding, based on the session management module, the target data to a target network function module of a plurality of network function modules in a network system includes:

filling and identifying the target data based on the session management module to obtain application data and identity information;

determining the target network function module from a plurality of network function modules based on the session management module according to the identity information; wherein, the identity information comprises: at least one of a module type, a module instance name, a module instance identification;

and sending the application data to the target network function module through the established third interface based on the session management module.

In the implementation process, since a plurality of network function modules of different types exist in the network system, in order to forward the target data to the corresponding modules for processing, the session management module may first perform filling and identifying processing on the target data to obtain application data with corresponding information of the session management module and identity information of the network function modules, so as to determine the corresponding target network function module among the plurality of network function modules according to the identity information, and send the corresponding application data to the target network function module for processing through the established third interface. Application data corresponding to the target data can be forwarded to the corresponding target network function module for processing, and the effectiveness and accuracy of data forwarding are improved.

Optionally, the third interface is established by:

establishing a logic entity according to a target communication protocol;

constructing the third interface based on the communication service defined in the logical entity; wherein the communication service includes: establishing a session channel, providing rule information, an information processing function and an information transmitting function.

In the above implementation manner, a new logic entity may be established in the session management module according to the target communication protocol, so as to construct a third interface according to multiple communication functions defined in the logic entity, and a corresponding communication service is implemented in the third interface, so that the session management module can process and forward data, so as to implement a data forwarding function between the session management module and the network function module.

Optionally, the method further comprises:

acquiring response data fed back by the target network function module through the third interface based on the session management module;

forwarding the response data to the user plane function module through the second interface based on the session management module;

and forwarding the response data to the application function module through the first interface based on the user plane function module.

In the implementation process, after the target network function module processes the target data, the target network function module can generate feedback response data, and forward the response data to the session management module through the third interface, the session management module forwards the response data to the user plane function module through the second interface, and the user plane function module forwards the response data to the application function module through the first interface, so that a bidirectional data forwarding flow is realized, and a data forwarding function between the application function module and the network function module is realized.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a network system, where the system includes: the system comprises a user plane function module, a session management module, an application function module and a plurality of network function modules; the application function module is in communication connection with the user plane function module based on a first interface; the user plane function module and the session management module are in communication connection based on a second interface; the session management module is in communication connection with a plurality of network function modules based on a third interface;

the application function module is used for sending target data to the user plane function module; wherein the target data is data related to an application function;

The user plane function module is used for receiving the target data and forwarding the target data to the session management module;

the session management module is used for receiving the target data, determining a target network function module in a plurality of network function modules, and forwarding the target data to the target network function module.

In the implementation process, the forwarding of the target data is realized through the original communication interfaces of the user plane function module and the session management module, and a new communication interface is created in the session management module so as to forward the target data to the corresponding target network function module for processing through the session management module, thereby realizing the data forwarding function between the application function module and the network function module.

In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a computer readable storage medium having stored therein computer program instructions which, when read and executed by a processor, perform the steps of any implementation of the data forwarding method described above.

In summary, the embodiments of the present application provide a data forwarding method, a network system, and a computer readable storage medium, which can implement a data forwarding function on an original communication interface of a user plane function module and a session management module, and create a new communication interface in the session management module to implement the data forwarding function, without deploying other network elements or interfaces, by multiplexing and simply expanding the existing interface function, effectively reduce the complexity of deployment, workload, and communication cost, and is suitable for network systems with various different structures, and improve the applicability of the network system, so as to implement the opening performance of the edge network capability of the network system.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are needed in the embodiments of the present application will be briefly described below, it should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate some embodiments of the present application and should not be considered as limiting the scope, and other related drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic flow chart of a data forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a detailed flowchart of step S100 according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a detailed flowchart of step S130 according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a detailed flowchart of step S140 according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a detailed flowchart of step S200 according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a flow chart of another data forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Icon: 410-a user plane function module; 420-session management module; 430-an application function module; 440-a network function module; 451-a first interface; 452-a second interface; 453-third interface.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It will be apparent that the described embodiments are only some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art based on embodiments of the present application without making any inventive effort, are intended to fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Existing 5G network system architectures typically include: UE (User Equipment), RAN (Radio Access Network ) and 5GC (5G Core network,5G core network).

Wherein the 5GC includes a control plane and a user plane. The control plane adopts an SBA architecture (Service Based Architecture, based on a service architecture), each NF (Network Function module) is divided according to functions, and the NF provides services for other NF through an SBI interface (Service Based Interface, service interface). The user plane function of the 5GC is UPF (User Plane Function, user plane function module) to provide a transmission channel for service packets of a user accessing DN (Data Network module). The 5GC adopts a CUPS (Control and User Plane Separation ) architecture, supports the separate deployment of the control plane and the user plane, and provides the flexibility of deployment. The control plane NF of the 5G core network includes: SMF (Session Management Function ), responsible for session access management, UPF selection; AMF (Access Management Function ), responsible for UE access and mobility management; AUSF (Authentication Server Function, authentication service management function), responsible for UE authentication; NRF (Network Repository Function, network function repository module) responsible for establishing network function discovery; PCF, responsible for policy rules of control plane; UDM (Unified Data Management, unified data management module) responsible for information management such as user ID; NEF (Network Exposure Function, network open function module) is a function module for the 3GPP network to provide network capability opening for third party software; AF (Application Function, application function module) refers to various services of the application layer. The AF may be an application in the operator or an AF of a third party. If the AF is an intra-operator AF, the AF and other NF are in a trusted domain, and can be directly accessed interactively with other NF such as PCF, while the AF of a third party is not in the trusted domain, and the other NF must be accessed through NEF.

The 5GC control plane NF provides services (producers) to other NF by using the SBI interface, and the other NF (consumers) can realize information acquisition or function call by calling the services of the producer NF. For example, the services provided by the AMF include: namf Communication (for supporting Communication of other NFs with terminals, RANs, through N1/N2 interfaces), namf eventExposure (AMF provides this service as a service producer to enable NFs to subscribe to event notifications and get notifications about events on behalf of another NF by themselves or by known service consumers like NEF, SMF, SUM etc.), namf Location (AMF provides UE Location information through this service), etc. The services provided by the SMF include nsmf_pduse (the SMF provides this service enabling other NFs to set up, modify or release PDU sessions for the UE). The control plane and the user plane of the 5G core network can be connected through an N4 interface, and the N4 interface is constructed between the SMF of the control plane and the UPF of the user plane by adopting a PFCP protocol.

The core idea of MEC (Multi-Access Edge Computing ) is to place user traffic resources in an edge cloud that is relatively close to the user, to reduce the latency of the user to access network information/services, while reducing the traffic/burden of the core network. The MEC can realize service diversion, lower service delay, and simultaneously reduce the flow of the core network, can also be used for a 5G private network scene, realize the isolation of private network data and PLMN network flow, and realize park supply of the private network data. The MEC system is in the role of af+dn with respect to the 5G core network. The MEC acts as a DN in the 5G system architecture and the deployment location can sink with the UPF to the network edge. Meanwhile, the MEC also interacts with the 5GC control plane NF as an AF to acquire control plane related information (e.g., user ID, authentication information, network status information, etc.) of the user.

For how applications deployed at the network edge MEC interact as AF with the 5GC control plane, the current 3GPP protocol is undefined, and the solution provided by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute, european telecommunications standardization institute) white paper is: MECs can be divided into a system level and a host level. The MEC coordinator is a MEC system level functional entity that can interact with the NEF as one AF in the 5G network, or directly with the target NFs. At the MEC host level, the MEC platform may be deployed as a host-level functional entity, typically in the data network of a 5G system. This approach adapts MECs into 3GPP defined 5G networks, but its two-level architecture (system level and host level) also increases the complexity of AF implementation and deployment.

In the prior art, in order to implement multi-level data forwarding in a system architecture of a 5G network, a new network function nenf (Edge NEF) is generally introduced at a RAN (Radio Access Network ) side, and the new network function nenf and the two network functions RAN and NEF have a protocol reference point interface, for example, an interface with the RAN is Nx, and an interface with the NEF is Ny. The 5G network opens network capabilities to the network edge computing platform on the RAN side through the nenef. The anef obtains RAN-side network information through the Nx interface, and provides a capability open API (application programming interface) for other NF calls. The MEC can acquire the open capability service of the RAN by calling the API of the eNEF through the interface between the MEC and the eNEF. The MEC can also realize the message interaction with other network elements of the core network through the Ny interface between the eNEF and the NEF. And the message of the MEC and other network elements of the core network is forwarded by the eNEF and the NEF. However, in practical application, if the number of MECs is numerous, more nenfs need to be deployed, and this solution adds more network elements and interfaces, which increases complexity, workload and communication cost of deployment, and is not applicable to multiple different network systems.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the embodiment of the present application provides a data forwarding method, which is applied to a network system, and the network system may be a 5G network system with a plurality of different architectures.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a flowchart of a data forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application, and the method may include steps S100-S200.

And step S100, forwarding the target data acquired from the application function module to the session management module based on the user plane function module.

The target data is data related to an application function, and may be corresponding AF in MEC deployed at the edge of the network, that is, related data in an application function module. The application function module is in communication connection with the user plane function module (namely UPF) based on the first interface; the session management module (i.e. SMF) of the user plane function module and the control plane are connected based on the second interface communication, so that forwarding of the target data can be realized on the original communication interfaces of the user plane function module and the session management module.

Alternatively, the first interface may be an N6 interface, the second interface may be an N4 interface, and the AF deployed at the MEC is located at the DN position and may sink to the network edge along with the UPF, and be connected to the UPF through the N6 interface.

Step S200, forwarding the target data to a target network function module of the plurality of network function modules in the network system based on the session management module.

It should be noted that, the plurality of network function modules may include a plurality of modules such as AMF, AUSF, NRF, PCF, UDM, NEF, and the session management module is used as the 5G core network control plane NF, and interacts with other network function modules using an SBI interface. However, the service provided by the SMF defined by the 3GPP at present is mainly nsmf_pduse, and is used for processing establishment, modification and release of PDU sessions of the UE. Based on the existing function, after receiving the target data from the second interface, the session management module cannot forward the target data to the target NF, i.e. the target network function module. Therefore, the application is based on a new third interface established by the session management module, the session management module is in Communication connection with the plurality of network function modules based on the third interface, the third interface can provide Nsmf_communication service to expand the service function of SMF, so that the session management module is used as a connection point between a 5GC control surface and a user surface, provides a NF message forwarding function, and forwards target data to the corresponding target network function module for processing.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, other network elements or more interfaces are not required to be deployed in the network system when data forwarding is performed, and the complexity, workload and communication cost of deployment are effectively reduced by multiplexing and simply expanding the functions of the existing interfaces, so that the method is applicable to network systems with various structures, and the applicability of the network system is improved, so that the opening performance of the edge network capability of the network system is realized.

Referring to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a detailed flowchart of step S100 according to an embodiment of the present application, and step S100 may include steps S110 to S140.

Step S110, based on the independent session channel established by the session management module according to the second interface, the rule information is issued to the user plane function module.

An independent session channel can be established on the original second interface between the session management module and the user plane function module, so that rule information for defining details of data forwarding can be issued through the independent session channel.

It should be noted that, the N4 interface may support setting up and managing a specific Session (PFCP Session), and the SMF may control functions of data forwarding, traffic statistics, qoS control, etc. of the UPF based on the Session. The Session of the N4 interface comprises two types, namely a PDU Session (PDU Session) and an independent Session (Standalone Session), wherein the PDU Session corresponds to the UE and is used for managing the data traffic of the UE accessing DN; independent sessions are independent of the UE for enabling the SMF to interact with network elements (e.g., AAA servers, DHCP servers, etc.) deployed at the DN. Based on the above-described functionality of the N4 interface, an independent session channel may be established by: establishing communication association between the user plane function module and the session management module based on a target communication protocol; and establishing independent session channels of the user plane function module and the session management module based on the communication association and the second interface.

For example, the target communication protocol may be PFCP protocol, and after the session management module and the user plane function module are started successfully, the session management module and the user plane function module are associated through a PFCP Association Setup process. This process may be initiated by the session management module or by the user plane function module to establish a communication association via the target communication protocol. And after the session management module establishes association with the user plane function module, the session management module may also establish an independent session channel (Standalone Session) on the user plane function module through a PFCP Session Establishment procedure for forwarding the target data at the second interface. In the established independent session channel, the session management module may issue rule information to the user plane function module, where the rule information may include PDR (Packet Detection Rule ) and FAR (Forwarding Action Rule, forwarding action rule) for defining details of the target data forwarding. And establishing independent session channels which are not mutually influenced by other functions on the original second interface between the session management module and the user plane function module so as to realize data forwarding between the application function module and a core network of the network system.

Step S120, the initial data packet is sent to the user plane function module through the first interface based on the application function module.

The user plane function module can receive an initial data packet sent by the application function module through the first interface, wherein the initial data packet can include various data in the application function module, such as an SBI message and the like.

And step S130, processing according to the initial data packet and the rule information based on the user plane function module to obtain target data.

In order to make the data conform to the processing rule of the independent session channel, the user plane function module can correspondingly process the initial data packet based on the rule information to obtain the target data.

And step S140, the user plane function module sends target data to the session management module through an independent session channel.

The user plane function module can send the processed target data to the session management module based on the established independent session channel.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the data forwarding function can be implemented on the original second interface between the session management module and the user plane function module, so that no new network element or interface is required to be added for forwarding data, and the complexity, workload and communication cost in deployment are effectively reduced.

Alternatively, the rule information may include: packet detection rules, i.e., PDR, and forwarding action rules, i.e., FAR. The PDR is configured to match a received data packet, where the PDR may include information describing characteristics of the initial data packet at an IP layer, such as a message receiving interface, source and destination IP addresses, and a port, and may further include a corresponding FAR ID. After receiving the initial data packet sent by the application function module, the user plane function module can find the PFCP session corresponding to the data packet through a PDR matching process, and find the corresponding FAR according to the FAR ID in the PDR. The user plane function module may perform forwarding actions of the data packet according to the FAR. The method comprises the steps that a forwarding destination interface is defined in the FAR, whether an outer layer packet header is added or not and other information are defined in the FAR, and a user plane functional module adjusts a data packet according to the definition of the FAR to meet forwarding requirements and sends the data packet to a designated destination interface.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a detailed flowchart of step S130 according to an embodiment of the present application, and step S130 may include steps S131-S133.

Step S131, the user plane function module determines the target detection rule of the initial data packet according to the packet detection rule.

For an initial data packet sent to a core network by an application function module, the user plane function module can perform PDR matching based on the PDR, and according to the IP address, the port, the first interface of the user plane function module receiving the data packet, and other information of the initial data packet, the user plane function module finds an independent session channel corresponding to the initial data packet, and then matches a corresponding target detection rule in the independent session channel.

Step S132, the corresponding target forwarding rule is determined based on forwarding identity information corresponding to the target detection rule by the user plane function module.

The target detection rule may include sending identity information, such as FAR ID, so the user plane function module may find a corresponding FAR according to the FAR ID in the target detection rule.

And step S133, processing the initial data packet according to the target detection rule and the target forwarding rule based on the user plane function module to obtain target data.

The user plane function module may process the initial data packet accordingly according to the FAR requirement, for example, add an outer GTP package to the initial data packet or remove the GTP package of the data packet, so as to obtain the corresponding target data.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3, the data packet can be correspondingly processed according to the defined detailed rule of data forwarding, so that the data meets the corresponding processing rule, and a pre-arranged data processing function is provided for data forwarding, so as to improve the success rate of data forwarding.

Alternatively, in some network systems with complex structures, multiple user plane function modules and multiple session management modules may be included in the network system. The multiple user plane function modules can be in communication connection based on a fourth interface, the fourth interface can be an N9 interface, and a corresponding independent session channel can be established between each user plane function module and a corresponding session management module.

Referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 is a detailed flowchart of step S140 according to an embodiment of the present application, and step S140 may include steps S141-S143.

Step S141, based on the target detection rule and the target forwarding rule, determining a target user plane function module among a plurality of user plane function modules, and determining a target session management module among a plurality of session management modules.

In the case of having a plurality of user plane function modules and session management modules, when forwarding data, the user plane function module connected with the application function module may not be directly connected with a target session management module that receives data in a plurality of target session management modules, so, in order to adapt to a more complex network architecture, the target user plane function module and the target session management module may be determined in the current plurality of user plane function modules and the plurality of session management modules according to a target detection rule and a target forwarding rule.

And step S142, forwarding the target data through the fourth interface based on the plurality of user plane function modules until the target data is forwarded to the corresponding target user plane function module.

The target data may be sequentially processed and forwarded through a fourth interface between the plurality of user plane function modules by using an existing UPF insertion and deletion mechanism of the 5G core network until the target data is forwarded to a corresponding target user plane function module. When data processing is performed, corresponding processing in the target forwarding rule may be performed in a user plane function module directly connected to the application function module, for example, processing of adding or removing GTP encapsulation, and other user plane function modules do not need to perform repeated processing.

Step S143, the target user plane function module sends target data to the target session management module through the corresponding target independent session channel.

After the target data is forwarded to the corresponding target user plane function module, the target user plane function module sends the target data to the target session management module through the corresponding target independent session channel.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the object to be forwarded can be determined according to the rule condition of the target data, and the data forwarding function is implemented by relay forwarding among a plurality of user plane function modules.

Optionally, referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a detailed flowchart of step S200 provided in an embodiment of the present application, and step S200 may include steps S210-S230.

Step S210, filling and identifying the target data based on the session management module to obtain application data and identity information.

The target data carries application data and identity information, so that the target data can be filled to obtain application data with corresponding information of the session management module, for example, the payload is reconstructed into an SBI request message as the application data according to payload information packaged in the target data, and the application data carries AF information and request content and also has information of the filled session management module to inform the target network function module to send a response message to the session management module for processing, and the target data is identified to obtain corresponding identity information.

Step S220, the target network function module is determined from the network function modules based on the session management module according to the identity information.

The identity information may include various information such as a module type, a module instance name, a module instance identifier, etc., for example, an AF type, an AF instance name, an AF instance ID, etc. The target network function module that receives the information may be determined from among a plurality of network function modules based on the identity information.

Step S230, the session management module sends application data to the target network function module through the established third interface.

The session management module may provide a message forwarding service to the application function module located in the MEC through nsmf_communication in the third interface. The application function module is used as a consumer to send target data to the session management module and access the Nsmf_communication service of the session management module. The target data arrives at the session management module through the user plane function module, and carries the application data sent to the network function module in the 5GC by the application function module in the encapsulated payload mode.

The third interface is established in the following manner: establishing a logic entity according to a target communication protocol; constructing a third interface based on the communication service defined in the logical entity; wherein the communication service includes: establishing a session channel, providing rule information, an information processing function and an information transmitting function. The new logic entity can be established in the session management module according to the target communication protocol to construct a third interface according to various communication functions defined in the logic entity, and corresponding communication services are realized in the third interface, so that the session management module can process and forward data to realize a data forwarding function between the session management module and the network function module.

For example, in order to implement the new nsmf_communication service, the session management module needs to add a logic entity, called an SMF-COMM entity, to process the target data forwarded via the second interface based on the existing function defined by the 3GPP implemented by the session management module. The functions of the SMF-COMM entity may include: establishing and maintaining PFCP independent session; providing rules such as PDR, FAR and the like for the PFCP independent session, and defining message matching conditions and forwarding actions for a user plane function module; receiving the message from the user plane function module, removing GTP encapsulation, recombining SBI message according to the message content, and sending to the network function module; and receiving the message of the network function module, judging the destination address of the message, adding GTP encapsulation, and sending the message to the user plane function module. Since the session management module is not standardized in specific implementation, only the functions of the SMF-COMM entity are listed here, and the internal interfaces of the SMF-COMM entity and the existing functions of the session management module are not specifically defined.

Therefore, the AF and the core network can realize the information interaction through the session management module and the user plane function module for forwarding. The application function module can interact with the network function module in the core network through the method, acquire the capability opening information of the 5G virtual private network from the core network, or apply for modifying the configuration of the 5G virtual private network.

For example, when the operator builds a 5G virtual private network for a certain factory, the UPF and the MEC may be deployed in the factory area of the factory, which is a factory-specific device, and the 5GC control plane NF, such as SMF, AMF, UDM, of the 5G virtual private network may be deployed in a core network room of the operator, shared with PLMN users, and isolated from PLMN users by using a slice, DNN, or the like, and the operator AF is deployed on the MEC. In order to realize the industrial production line control of the 5G factory, an operator AF deployed on the factory can interact with an NF deployed on an operator core network through an N4 interface of the UPF, and the AF accesses an SBI interface of the operator core network NF. Based on the method, the real-time QoS control of different positions of the factory can be realized, and the specific process comprises the following steps: qoS information is acquired in real time: the AF interacts with the core network NF through an N4 interface to acquire the air interface spectrum utilization information, bandwidth allocation information and the like of the 5G virtual private network in the factory area in real time. QoS dynamic control: AF can be according to factory actual production condition, the QoS demand of each factory building, the regional at different time points of production line of dynamic adjustment to change QoS demand into core network SBI request message, through N4 interface and core network NF interaction, promote air interface QoS, realize the dynamic management of garden wireless network resource. For example, when a certain flexible production line has a production task, the spectrum monopolizing and bandwidth allocation of the area where the production line is located can be requested through AF according to the characteristics and the requirements of the current production task, so that the end-to-end time delay and the bandwidth can be ensured to meet the requirements of the production line. And after the production task is completed, the redundant air interface resources are released through the AF request, and the spectrum resource sharing is supported.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 5, the application data corresponding to the target data can be forwarded to the corresponding target network function module for processing, so that the effectiveness and accuracy of data forwarding are improved.

Optionally, referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a flowchart of another data forwarding method according to an embodiment of the present application, and the method may further include steps S310 to S330.

Step S310, response data fed back by the target network function module is obtained through the third interface based on the session management module.

After the target network function module processes the target data, feedback response data can be generated, and the response data is forwarded to the session management module through the third interface.

Step S320, the response data is forwarded to the user plane function module through the second interface based on the session management module.

Step S330, the response data is forwarded to the application function module through the first interface based on the user plane function module.

The session management module forwards the response data to the user plane function module through the second interface, and the user plane function module forwards the response data to the application function module through the first interface. It should be noted that, the specific forwarding manner is similar to that in the foregoing embodiment, and will not be described in detail.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 6, a bidirectional data forwarding flow can be implemented, and a data forwarding function between the application function module and the network function module is implemented.

Referring to fig. 7, fig. 7 is a schematic architecture diagram of a network system according to an embodiment of the present application, where the network system may include: the user plane function module 410, the session management module 420, the application function module 430, and the plurality of network function modules 440 (the number of each module in fig. 7 is merely illustrative, and the architecture of other number of modules is not described in detail).

Wherein the application function module 430 is communicatively connected to the user plane function module 410 based on the first interface 451; the user plane function module 410 and the session management module 420 are communicatively coupled based on the second interface 452; the session management module 420 is communicatively coupled to the plurality of network function modules 440 based on a third interface 453;

the application function module 430 is configured to send the target data to the user plane function module 410; the target data are data related to application functions; the user plane function module 410 is configured to receive the target data and forward the target data to the session management module 420; the session management module 420 is configured to receive the target data, determine a target network function module among the plurality of network function modules 440, and forward the target data to the target network function module.

In an alternative embodiment, the session management module 420 is further configured to issue rule information to the user plane function module 410 according to the independent session channel established by the second interface 452; the application function module 430 is further configured to send an initial data packet to the user plane function module 410 through the first interface 451; the user plane function module 410 is further configured to process according to the initial data packet and the rule information to obtain target data; the target data is sent to the session management module 420 through an independent session channel.

In an alternative embodiment, wherein the independent session channel is established by: establishing a communication association of the user plane function module 410 and the session management module 420 based on the target communication protocol; independent session channels of the user plane function module 410 and the session management module 420 are established based on the communication association and the second interface 452.

In an alternative embodiment, wherein the rule information includes: packet detection rules and forwarding action rules; the user plane function module 410 is further configured to determine a target detection rule of the initial data packet according to the packet detection rule; determining a corresponding target forwarding rule according to forwarding identity information corresponding to the target detection rule; and processing the initial data packet according to the target detection rule and the target forwarding rule to obtain target data.

In an alternative embodiment, the network system includes a plurality of user plane function modules 410 and a plurality of session management modules 420; the plurality of user plane function modules 410 are communicatively connected based on a fourth interface; each user plane function module 410 has a corresponding independent session channel with the corresponding session management module 420; determining a target user plane function module 410 among a plurality of user plane function modules 410 and determining a target session management module 420 among a plurality of session management modules 420 based on the target detection rule and the target forwarding rule; the plurality of user plane function modules 410 are configured to forward the target data through the fourth interface until the target data is forwarded to the corresponding target user plane function module 410; the target user plane function module 410 is configured to send target data to the target session management module 420 through a corresponding target independent session channel.

In an alternative embodiment, the session management module 420 is further configured to perform a population process and an identification process on the target data to obtain application data and identity information; determining a target network function module among the plurality of network function modules 440 according to the identity information; the identity information comprises the following steps: at least one of a module type, a module instance name, a module instance identification; the application data is sent to the target network function module through the established third interface 453.

In an alternative embodiment, wherein third interface 453 is established by: establishing a logic entity according to a target communication protocol; constructing a third interface 453 based on the communication services defined in the logical entity; wherein the communication service includes: establishing a session channel, providing rule information, an information processing function and an information transmitting function.

In an alternative embodiment, the session management module 420 is further configured to obtain, through the third interface 453, response data fed back by the target network function module; forwarding the response data to the user plane function module 410 via the second interface 452; the user plane function 410 is further configured to forward the response data to the application function 430 via the first interface 451.

Since the principle of solving the problem by the network system in the embodiment of the present application is similar to that of the foregoing embodiment of the data forwarding method, the implementation of the network system in the embodiment of the present application may refer to the description in the foregoing embodiment of the data forwarding method, and the repetition is omitted.

The embodiment of the application also provides a computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium stores computer program instructions, and when the computer program instructions are read and run by a processor, the steps in any one of the data forwarding methods provided in the embodiment are executed.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed modules may be implemented in other manners. The architectural embodiments described above are merely illustrative, for example, the block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of modules according to various embodiments of the present application. In this regard, each block in the block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

In addition, functional modules in the embodiments of the present application may be integrated together to form a single part, or each module may exist alone, or two or more modules may be integrated to form a single part.

The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional modules and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application may be embodied essentially or in a part contributing to the prior art or in a part of the technical solution, in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium, comprising several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc.) to perform 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 ROM (Read-Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a magnetic disk, an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing program codes.

The above description is only an example of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application, and various modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. It should be noted that: like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further definition or explanation thereof is necessary in the following figures.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art will readily recognize that variations or substitutions are within the scope of the present application.

It is noted that relational terms such as first and second, and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article or apparatus that comprises the element.

Claims

1. A method of forwarding data, the method comprising:

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein forwarding the target data obtained from the application function module to the session management module based on the user plane function module comprises:

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the independent session channel is established by:

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the rule information comprises: packet detection rules and forwarding action rules;

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said network system includes a plurality of said user plane function modules and a plurality of said session management modules; the plurality of user plane function modules are in communication connection based on a fourth interface; each user plane function module and the corresponding session management module are provided with the corresponding independent session channel;

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein forwarding the target data to a target network function module of a plurality of network function modules in a network system based on the session management module comprises:

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the third interface is established by:

establishing a logic entity according to a target communication protocol;

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, further comprising:

9. A network system, the system comprising: the system comprises a user plane function module, a session management module, an application function module and a plurality of network function modules; the application function module is in communication connection with the user plane function module based on a first interface; the user plane function module and the session management module are in communication connection based on a second interface; the session management module is in communication connection with a plurality of network function modules based on a third interface;

10. A computer readable storage medium, characterized in that the readable storage medium has stored therein computer program instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform the steps of the method of any of claims 1-8.