CN117940904A - Workflow operation method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides a method and device for workflow operation, which can effectively improve work efficiency on the basis of reducing manpower. The method includes: a first device obtains a workflow, and the workflow is used to indicate at least one function called by an event and the execution order of the at least one function function; after the first device receives a first event, according to the workflow, a first function function to be called by the first event is determined, the event includes the first event, and the at least one function function includes the first function function; if the first device is the device where the first function function is located, the first device calls the first function function; if the second device is the device where the first function function is located, the first device routes the first event to the second device.

Description

Workflow operation method and device Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of computer technology, and more specifically, to a method and device for workflow operation.

Background technique

Currently, when engineers need to deploy or maintain applications, they usually need to spend a lot of time on-site to deploy solutions for different devices by directly connecting to the devices through data cables. If the application is modified, the application needs to be redeployed, which requires engineers to repeat the previous complex and tedious process.

Furthermore, if tasks need to be run across multiple edge devices to complete a series of business processes, since multiple edge devices may come from different manufacturers, in addition to the need to develop and integrate heterogeneous systems for different devices, the above problems will also be encountered during deployment, which not only wastes manpower but also has low efficiency.

Summary of the invention

The present application provides a method and device for workflow operation, which can effectively improve work efficiency on the basis of reducing manpower.

In a first aspect, a method for workflow operation is provided, characterized in that it includes: a first device obtains a workflow, the workflow is used to indicate at least one function function called by an event and the execution order of the at least one function function; after the first device receives a first event, the first function function to be called by the first event is determined according to the workflow, the event includes the first event, and the at least one function function includes the first function function; if the first device is the device where the first function function is located, the first device calls the first function function; if the second device is the device where the first function function is located, the first device routes the first event to the second device.

The above technical solution enables the entire workflow to be completed on the device by deploying the function on the device, that is, the application can be processed by remote deployment without going to the site, which greatly reduces manpower. In addition, the device completes the entire workflow according to the workflow of at least one function for indicating event call and the execution order of the at least one function, which can effectively improve work efficiency.

Furthermore, since the device can obtain the workflow, no matter which device the function is deployed on, the device can determine the function called by the event based on the workflow. Even if the device is not the device where the function is located, the event can be routed to the device where the function is located to call the function, thereby improving the flexibility of the entire system.

In some possible implementations, the function functions deployed on the first device are determined based on the resources of the first device, and the function functions deployed on the second device are determined based on the resources of the second device; if the resources of the first device are greater than the resources of the second device, then the function functions deployed on the first device are greater than the function functions deployed on the second device.

The above technical solution deploys functional functions on devices according to the resources of the devices. More functional functions are deployed on devices with more resources, and relatively fewer functional functions are deployed on devices with fewer resources, thereby achieving reasonable allocation of resources and effective use of resources. Furthermore, by deploying functional functions on devices according to the resources of the devices, the problem of a certain functional function having to be deployed on a certain device is avoided, and the flexibility of deploying functional functions is improved.

In some possible implementations, if the second device is the device where the first functional function is located, the method further includes: the first device receives feedback information sent by the second device, and the feedback information is used to feed back the execution result of the second device executing the first functional function.

According to the above technical solution, when the device receiving the event is not the device where the function function called by the event is located, the device where the function function called by the event is located will feedback the result of executing the function function to the device receiving the event after executing the function function, so that the device receiving the event can continue to execute the next step, avoiding the invalid waiting time of the device receiving the event, which is beneficial to greatly reduce the time of executing the entire workflow.

In some possible implementations, the method further includes: the first device determines the device where the first function is located based on record information, and the record information is used to record the device where each function of the at least one function is located.

According to the above technical solution, the device receiving the event can accurately route the event to the device where the function function called by the event is located by recording the record information of the device where each function function is located.

In some possible implementations, the first device acquires the workflow, including: the first device receives workflow scheduling information sent by a system, where the workflow scheduling information identifies the workflow.

In some possible implementations, the first device receives the workflow scheduling information sent by the system, including: before the first device leaves the factory, the first device receives the workflow scheduling information sent by the system.

The above technical solution can obtain the workflow before the device receiving the event leaves the factory, so that the workflow can still be executed even if the device is disconnected from the central cluster, which greatly ensures the normal operation of the workflow.

In some possible implementations, the first event includes first information, and the first information is an input of the first functional function.

In some possible implementations, the first device and the second device are edge devices.

In a second aspect, a workflow operation apparatus is provided, comprising units for executing the method in the first aspect or its implementations.

In a third aspect, a device for workflow operation is provided, comprising: a memory for storing programs; a processor for executing the programs stored in the memory, and when the programs stored in the memory are executed, the processor is used to execute the method in the above-mentioned first aspect or its various implementation methods.

According to a fourth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, storing program code for execution by a device, wherein the program code includes instructions for executing the steps in the method of the first aspect or its various implementations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a workflow operation method according to an embodiment of the present application.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a service mesh according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of step 1 in a process of an event-triggered workflow according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of step 2 in a process of an event-triggered workflow according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of step 3 in the process of an event-triggered workflow according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of a device for workflow operation according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a device for workflow operation according to an embodiment of the present application.

List of reference numerals:

100. Method for operating a workflow according to an embodiment of the present application

110, the first device obtains a workflow;

120, after the first device receives the first event, determining a first function to be called by the first event according to the workflow;

130. If the first device is the device where the first function is located, the first device calls the first function;

140. If the second device is the device where the first function is located, the first device routes the first event to the second device;

CP, control plane;

F1, functional function 1;

F2, functional function 2;

F3, functional function 3;

S, start;

S1-S3, steps 1-3;

E, end;

e1, event 1;

e2, event 2;

D1, device 1;

D2, device 2;

C, container;

SC, sidecar;

600, means for workflow operation;

610, acquisition unit;

620, determine the unit;

630, calling unit;

640, routing unit;

700, means for workflow operation;

701, memory;

702, processor;

703, communication interface;

704, bus.

Detailed ways

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific examples in this specification are only to help those skilled in the art to better understand the embodiments of the present application, rather than to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of each process does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its functional function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

It should also be understood that the various implementation methods described in this specification can be implemented individually or in combination, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present application have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present application. The terms used in this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

Currently, when engineers need to deploy or maintain applications, they usually need to spend a lot of time on-site to deploy solutions for different devices by directly connecting to the devices through data cables. If the application is modified, the application needs to be redeployed, which requires engineers to repeat the previous complex and tedious process.

Furthermore, if tasks need to be run across multiple edge devices to complete a series of business processes, since multiple edge devices may come from different manufacturers, in addition to requiring a lot of effort to handle the development, communication, debugging, and integration of heterogeneous systems, the above problems will also be encountered during deployment, which not only wastes manpower but also has low efficiency.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present application proposes a method for calling a function, which can effectively improve work efficiency while reducing manpower.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic flow chart of a method 100 for workflow operation according to an embodiment of the present application. The method 100 may be executed by a first device. As shown in Fig. 1, the method 100 may include at least part of the following contents.

In step 110 , the first device obtains a workflow.

In step 120, after the first device receives the first event, a first functional function to be called by the first event is determined according to the workflow.

In step 130, if the first device is the device where the first function is located, the first device calls the first function.

In step 140 , if the second device is the device where the first function is located, the first device routes the first event to the second device.

Wherein, the first device is different from the second device, and the first device and/or the second device may be an edge device. An edge device may be a device that provides an entry point to an enterprise or service provider core network. For example, edge devices may include edge routers, routing switches, firewalls, multiplexers, and other wide area network (WAN) devices. With the development of artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, edge devices generally also have built-in processors with onboard analysis or artificial intelligence capabilities. These devices may include sensors, actuators, and IoT gateways.

Of course, the first device and the second device may also be other devices besides edge devices, and this embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

It should be noted that the term "and/or" in this article is only a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and/or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone.

Optionally, the function function mentioned above may be, but is not limited to, a message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT) protocol parsing function function, a data processing function function, etc.

A workflow can be used to indicate at least one function called by an event of the workflow and the execution order of the at least one function. It can be seen that a workflow can be used to orchestrate functions into coordinated microservice applications, that is, to combine functions and events into a coherent unit and describe the execution of functions and the information transmitted in a prescribed manner.

For example, Fig. 2 shows a possible network schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present application. In Fig. 2, the workflow is: event 1 calls function 1, and after function 1 is executed, function 2 is called. After function 2 is executed, event 2 calls function 3.

It should be understood that Figure 2 is only to help those skilled in the art better understand the embodiments of the present application, and does not limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. For example, event 1 can also call function 3, and after function 3 is executed, event 2 can also call function 1 and function 2.

Optionally, the definition of events and workflows can refer to the CloudEvents specification. CloudEvents is a specification that describes event data in a common format to provide interoperability across services, platforms, and systems. Of course, the definition of events and workflows can also refer to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) serverless workflow.

Each function in the workflow can be driven by events from different sources, that is, the workflow of the embodiment of the present application is triggered by events. Optionally, an event can call one or more function functions. As shown in Figure 2, event 1 calls function function 1 and function function 2, and event 2 calls function function 3.

Alternatively, multiple events can call a single function.

Optionally, the workflow can be created by the developer and pre-configured on the built system. The system here can be, but is not limited to, a function as a service (FaaS) system. For the sake of convenience, the following takes the FaaS system as an example.

Continuing to refer to FIG2 , the FaaS system may include two parts, one of which is a function management module. The function management module may be responsible for the full life cycle management of the function, such as creation, release, update, and destruction. Exemplarily, the function management module may control the life cycle of the function with reference to the following actions:

(a) Create: Create a new function, including its specification and code;

(b) Release: Create a new version that can be deployed on the cluster;

(c)Update alias/tag (version): Update the version alias;

(d) Get: Returns function metadata and specifications;

(e) Update: modify the latest version of a function;

(f) Delete: Delete a function. You can delete a specific version or all versions of the function.

(g) List: Displays a list of functions and their metadata;

(h) Get statistics: Returns statistics about the runtime usage of the function;

(i) Get log: Returns the log generated by the function.

Another part is the workflow management module, as shown in FIG2 , the workflow management module includes workflow.

Before creating a workflow, the developer may first add the first device and/or the second device to a network, wherein the network may be a service mesh.

Continuing with Figure 2 as an example, the service mesh may include a control plane and devices. In addition to the FaaS system, the control plane may also perform other actions, such as routing control management, function registration, function discovery, monitoring, and traffic tracking.

Optionally, developers can create function functions according to business needs and configure the created function functions in the function function management module of the FaaS system. Afterwards, the function function management module can hot deploy these function functions to the device. For example, the function function management module can hot deploy these function functions to the container on the device.

In a possible implementation, the function management module can hot deploy these function functions to different devices according to the resources of each device. That is, the function functions deployed on the first device can be determined according to the resources of the first device, and similarly, the function functions deployed on the second device can also be determined according to the resources of the second device.

The resources of the first device and the resources of the second device may be central processing unit (CPU) resources, gateway resources, etc. of the first device. The resources of the first device may be the total resources of the first device or the resources that are not currently used by the first device. Correspondingly, the resources of the second device may also be the total resources of the second device or the resources that are not currently used by the second device.

Specifically, the service mesh can monitor the resource status of the first device and the second device. After the service mesh monitors the resource status of the first device and the resource status of the second device, it can control the function management module to deploy the function functions to the first device and the second device, wherein the function functions deployed on the device with more resources can be more than the function functions deployed on the device with fewer resources. Continuing to refer to Figure 2, if device 1 has more resources than device 2, then the function functions deployed on device 1 are more than the function functions deployed on device 2, that is, function function 1 and function function 2 are deployed on device 1, and function function 2 is deployed on device 2. Of course, function function 2 and function function 3 can also be deployed on device 1, and function function 1 is deployed on device 2.

It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the device on which the functional functions are deployed. It is sufficient that the number of functional functions deployed on devices with more resources is greater than that deployed on devices with fewer resources.

The above technical solution deploys functional functions on devices according to the resources of the devices. More functional functions are deployed on devices with more resources, and relatively fewer functional functions are deployed on devices with fewer resources, thereby achieving reasonable allocation of resources and effective use of resources. Furthermore, by deploying functional functions on devices according to the resources of the devices, the problem of a certain functional function having to be deployed on a certain device is avoided, and the flexibility of deploying functional functions is improved.

Optionally, when determining the function function to be called by an event, the developer may determine it based on the input of the function function. Specifically, the event may include information, and the information is the input of the function function called by the event. For example, the first event calls the first function function, and the first event includes the first information, and the first information is the input of the first function function.

Optionally, step 110 may specifically include: the first device receives workflow scheduling information sent by the FaaS system, where the workflow scheduling information identifies the workflow.

As an example, the FaaS system may send workflow scheduling information to the first device every preset time period. For example, the preset time period may be 5 seconds. In this way, the probability of the first device acquiring the workflow can be increased.

As another example, before the first device leaves the factory, the first device can receive the workflow scheduling information sent to it by the FaaS system. This technical solution can obtain the workflow before the first device leaves the factory, so that the workflow can still be executed even if the first device is disconnected from the central cluster, which greatly ensures the normal execution of the workflow.

Furthermore, the method 100 may also include: the first device determines the device where the first functional function is located according to the recording information, and the recording information is used to record the device where each functional function of the at least one functional function is located.

Optionally, after the function management module deploys at least one function to different devices, the function management module sends record information to each device to notify the device of the device where each function in the at least one function is located.

As an example, each device may include a sidecar, and the function management module may send the record information to the sidecar, so that the sidecar of each device may record the function deployed on each device. Continuing with FIG. 2 as an example, the sidecar of device 1 may record function 1 and function 3 on device 1, and function 2 on device 2.

After the first device receives the first event, if the first device determines that it is the device where the first function is located according to the recorded information, the first device can directly call the first function.

If the first device determines, based on the recorded information, that it is not the device where the first function is located, and the second device is the device where the first function is located, the first device may route the first event to the second device.

As shown in Figure 3, device 2 receives event 1, determines that event 1 calls function 1 according to the workflow, and determines that function 1 is on device 1. Therefore, device 2 routes event 1 to device 1 so that event 1 calls function 1 and device 1 executes function 1.

As can be seen from Figure 3, the device 2 receives event 1 and the device 2 routes event 1 to device 1, which is performed by the device's sidecar. In other words, the sidecar of device 2 receives event 1 and routes event 1 to the sidecar of device 1.

Of course, device 2 receiving event 1 and device 2 routing event 1 to device 1 may also be executed by other modules of the device, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

Optionally, the second device may also send feedback information to the first device, where the feedback information is used to feed back the execution result of the second device executing the first functional function.

For example, the second device may send feedback information to the first device during the process of executing the first function, such as sending a negative acknowledgment (NACK), so that the first device knows that the second device is executing the first function.

Alternatively, after executing the first function, the second device may send feedback information to the first device, for example, send an acknowledgment (ACK), so that the first device knows that the second device has completed executing the first function.

According to the above technical scheme, when the device receiving the event is not the device where the function function called by the event is located, the device where the function function called by the event is located will feedback the result of executing the function function to the device receiving the event after executing the function function, so that the device receiving the event can continue to execute the next step, avoiding the invalid waiting time of the device receiving the event, which is beneficial to greatly reduce the time of executing the entire workflow.

In order to more clearly understand the embodiment of the present application, the specific process of the event-triggered workflow of the embodiment of the present application is illustrated below with reference to FIG. 2 and further combined with FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 .

step 1

In the initial state, device 1 and device 2 wait for an event to be triggered. When the sidecar in device 2 receives event 1, it determines that event 1 calls function 1 according to the workflow. Since function 1 is deployed on device 1, the sidecar routes event 1 to device 1 to call function 1.

Step 2

After executing function 1, device 1 sends feedback information to the sidecar of device 2 through the sidecar, so that device 2 determines that device 1 has completed function 1.

Next, device 2 again determines to call function 2 according to the workflow. Function 2 is deployed on device 2, so device 2 directly calls function 2.

According to the workflow, after executing function function 2, event 2 can trigger the workflow to call function function 3. Therefore, after executing function function 2, the system waits for event 2 to be triggered.

Step 3

After the sidecar in device 2 receives event 2, it determines, based on the workflow, that event 2 calls function 3. Since function 3 is deployed on device 1, the sidecar routes event 2 to device 1 to call function 3.

After executing function 3, the container in device 1 can send feedback information to the sidecar of device 1. At this point, the workflow execution is completed.

In the embodiment of the present application, by deploying the function on the device, the entire workflow can be completed on the device, that is, the application can be processed by remote deployment without going to the site, which greatly reduces manpower. In addition, the device completes the entire workflow according to the workflow of at least one function for indicating event call and the execution order of the at least one function, which can effectively improve work efficiency.

Furthermore, since the device can obtain the workflow, no matter which device the function is deployed on, the device can determine the function called by the event based on the workflow. Even if the device is not the device where the function is located, the event can be routed to the device where the function is located to call the function, thereby improving the flexibility of the entire system.

The method embodiments of the embodiments of the present application are described in detail above. The device embodiments of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The device embodiments and the method embodiments correspond to each other. Therefore, for the parts not described in detail, reference can be made to the previous method embodiments. The device can implement any possible implementation method of the above method.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 600 for workflow operation according to an embodiment of the present application. The apparatus 600 for workflow operation can execute the method 100 for workflow operation according to the embodiment of the present application, and the apparatus 600 for workflow operation can be the first device in the aforementioned method.

As shown in FIG6 , the apparatus 600 for the workflow operation includes:

An acquiring unit 610 is used to acquire workflow scheduling information, where the workflow scheduling information is used to indicate at least one function called by an event of the workflow and an execution order of the at least one function;

A determining unit 620 is configured to determine, after the first device receives a first event, a first function to be called by the first event according to the workflow scheduling information, wherein the events of the workflow include the first event, and the at least one function includes the first function;

A calling unit 630, configured to call the first function function if the first device is the device where the first function function is located;

The routing unit 640 is configured to route the first event to the second device if the second device is the device where the first function is located.

Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the functional function deployed on the first device is determined based on the resources of the first device, and the functional function deployed on the second device is determined based on the resources of the second device.

If the resources of the first device are greater than the resources of the second device, then the function functions deployed on the first device are more than the function functions deployed on the second device.

Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, if the second device is the device where the first functional function is located, the apparatus 600 may further include: a communication unit for receiving feedback information sent by the second device, wherein the feedback information is used to feed back the execution result of the second device executing the first functional function.

Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the determination unit 620 may also be used to: determine the device where the first function is located based on the record information, wherein the record information is used to record the device where each function of the at least one function is located.

Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the apparatus 600 may further include: a communication unit, configured to receive the workflow scheduling information sent by the system.

Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the communication unit is specifically used to: receive the workflow scheduling information sent by the system before the first device leaves the factory.

Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the first event includes first information, and the first information is input of the first functional function.

Optionally, in one embodiment of the present application, the first device and the second device are edge devices.

FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the device for workflow operation in an embodiment of the present application. The device for workflow operation 700 shown in FIG7 may be a first device, and the device for workflow operation 700 includes a memory 701, a processor 702, a communication interface 703, and a bus 704. The memory 701, the processor 702, and the communication interface 703 are connected to each other through the bus 704.

The memory 701 may be a read-only memory (ROM), a static storage device, and a random access memory (RAM). The memory 701 may store a program. When the program stored in the memory 701 is executed by the processor 702, the processor 702 and the communication interface 703 are used to execute each step of the method for workflow operation of the embodiment of the present application.

Processor 702 can adopt a general-purpose CPU, a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a graphics processing unit (GPU) or one or more integrated circuits to execute relevant programs to implement the functional functions that need to be performed by the units in the device of the embodiment of the present application, or to execute the method of the workflow operation of the embodiment of the present application.

The processor 702 may also be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capability. In the implementation process, each step of the workflow operation method of the embodiment of the present application may be completed by an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor 702 or by instructions in software form.

The processor 702 may also be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module may be located in a mature storage medium in the art such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, or an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory 701, and the processor 702 reads the information in the memory 701, and combines its hardware to complete the functional functions required to be executed by the units included in the device of the embodiment of the present application, or executes the method of the workflow operation of the embodiment of the present application.

The communication interface 703 uses a transceiver such as but not limited to a transceiver to implement communication between the apparatus 700 for workflow operation and other devices or a communication network. For example, the apparatus 700 can receive feedback information sent by the second device through the communication interface 703 .

The bus 704 may include a path for transmitting information between various components of the apparatus 700 for workflow operations (eg, the memory 701 , the processor 702 , and the communication interface 703 ).

It should be noted that although the apparatus 700 for workflow operation only shows a memory, a processor, and a communication interface, in the specific implementation process, those skilled in the art should understand that the apparatus 700 for workflow operation may also include other devices necessary for normal operation. At the same time, according to specific needs, those skilled in the art should understand that the apparatus 700 for workflow operation may also include hardware devices for implementing other additional functions. In addition, those skilled in the art should understand that the apparatus 700 for workflow operation may also include only the devices necessary for implementing the embodiments of the present application, and need not include all the devices shown in FIG. 7.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing program code for execution by a device, wherein the program code includes instructions for executing the steps in the above-mentioned workflow operation method.

An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program includes program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer is caused to perform the above-mentioned workflow operation method.

The computer-readable storage medium mentioned above may be a transient computer-readable storage medium or a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the device described above can refer to the corresponding process in the aforementioned method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The words used in this application are only used to describe the embodiments and are not used to limit the claims. As used in the description of the embodiments and claims, unless the context clearly indicates, the singular "one" and "said" are intended to include the plural form as well. Similarly, the term "and/or" as used in this application refers to any and all possible combinations of one or more associated listings. In addition, when used in this application, the term "comprising" refers to the existence of stated features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but does not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and/or these groupings.

The various aspects, implementations, implementations or features of the described embodiments can be used alone or in any combination. The various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of software and hardware. The described embodiments can also be embodied by a computer-readable medium storing computer-readable code, the computer-readable code comprising instructions executable by at least one computing device. The computer-readable medium can be associated with any data storage device capable of storing data that can be read by a computer system. Computer-readable media for example can include read-only memory, random access memory, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), hard disk drive (HDD), digital video disc (DVD), magnetic tape, and optical data storage device. The computer-readable medium can also be distributed in computer systems connected via a network so that the computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

The above technical description may refer to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the present application, and the implementation methods according to the described embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings by description. Although these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to implement these embodiments, these embodiments are non-restrictive; other embodiments can be used in this way, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the described embodiments. For example, the order of operations described in the flowchart is non-restrictive, so the order of two or more operations illustrated in the flowchart and described according to the flowchart can be changed according to several embodiments. As another example, in several embodiments, one or more operations illustrated in the flowchart and described according to the flowchart are optional or deletable. In addition, certain steps or functional functions can be added to the disclosed embodiments, or the order of two or more steps can be replaced. All these changes are considered to be included in the disclosed embodiments and claims.

In addition, terms are used in the above technical description to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, overly detailed details are not required to implement the described embodiments. Therefore, the above description of the embodiments is presented for the purpose of explanation and description. The embodiments presented in the above description and the examples disclosed according to these embodiments are provided separately to add context and help understand the described embodiments. The above description is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the described embodiments to the precise form of the present application. According to the above teachings, several modifications, selective applications and changes are feasible. In some cases, well-known processing steps are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily affecting the described embodiments.

The above is only a specific implementation of the embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiment of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (11)

1. A method of workflow operation, comprising:

   The first device obtains (110) a workflow for indicating at least one function of an event call and an execution order of the at least one function;

   After the first device receives a first event, determining (120), according to the workflow, a first function to be invoked by the first event, the event comprising the first event, the at least one function comprising the first function;

   If the first device is the device in which the first function is located, the first device invokes (130) the first function;

   if the second device is the device where the first function is located, the first device routes (140) the first event to the second device.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the function deployed on the first device is determined from resources of the first device and the function deployed on the second device is determined from resources of the second device;

   If the resources of the first device are larger than the resources of the second device, the functions deployed on the first device are more than the functions deployed on the second device.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein if the second device is the device where the first function is located, the method further comprises:

   The first device receives feedback information sent by the second device, wherein the feedback information is used for feeding back an execution result of the first function executed by the second device.
4. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

   The first device determines the device where the first function is located according to recording information, where the recording information is used for recording the device where each function of the at least one function is located.
5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first device obtaining (110) a workflow, comprising:

   The first device receives workflow scheduling information sent by a system, and the workflow scheduling information identifies the workflow.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first device receiving workflow scheduling information sent by a system comprises:

   before the first equipment leaves the factory, the first equipment receives the workflow scheduling information sent by the system.
7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first event comprises first information, the first information being an input of the first function.
8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first device and the second device are edge devices.
9. A workflow-operated apparatus (600), the apparatus being a first device, comprising:

   An acquisition unit (610) for acquiring a workflow for indicating at least one function of an event call and an execution order of the at least one function;

   A determining unit (620) configured to determine, according to the workflow, a first function to be invoked by a first event after the first device receives the first event, where the event includes the first event, and the at least one function includes the first function;

   a calling unit (630) configured to call the first function if the first device is a device where the first function is located;

   A routing unit (640) configured to route the first event to the second device if the second device is a device where the first function is located.
10. A workflow-operated apparatus, comprising:

    a memory (701) for storing a program;

    -a processor (702) for executing a program stored by the memory (701), the processor (702) being adapted to perform the method of workflow operations according to any one of claims 1 to 8 when the program stored by the memory (701) is executed.
11. A computer readable storage medium storing program code for device execution, the program code comprising instructions for performing steps in a method of workflow operations according to any one of claims 1 to 8.