KR20230039614A - Edge Computing Applications for 5G Systems - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and system for edge server deployment is described. A service provider and management system may deploy edge application servers, edge enable servers, edge configuration servers, and 5G mobile networks to support edge computing for 3GPP. In response to a request to install an edge computing (EC) network function (NF), a VNF is instantiated and connected to 5 ^th generation core (5GC) NFs to transmit information over edge interfaces. In response to the request to terminate the EC NF, the EC NF associated with the request's EC NF identifier is terminated, and the EC NF is disconnected from the 5GC NFs. Appropriate notifications are sent to indicate successful installation or termination of the EC NF.

Description

Edge Computing Applications for 5G Systems

<Claim Priority>

This application claims the benefit of priority to United States Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/055,057, filed July 22, 2020, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

<Technical fields>

Embodiments relate to wireless communications in 5G, or new radio (NR) systems. Some embodiments relate to edge computing in 5G systems.

The use and complexity of 3GPP LTE systems (including LTE and LTE-Advanced systems) is increasing with the increasing types of devices, such as user equipment (UEs), that use network resources, as well as video streaming and , has increased due to the amount of data and bandwidth used by various applications. As the number and variety of communication devices proliferate, the corresponding network environment, including routers, switches, bridges, gateways, firewalls, and load balancers, in particular, is the next generation (NG) (or new radio (NR) / ^5th generation (5G)) systems have become increasingly complex. As expected, many issues have arisen with the advent of any new technology.

In the drawings that are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numbers may describe like components in different views. Similar numbers with different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar components. The drawings generally illustrate various embodiments discussed herein by way of example and not limitation.
1A illustrates an architecture of a network in accordance with some aspects.
1B illustrates a non-roaming 5G system architecture in accordance with some aspects.
1C illustrates a non-roaming 5G system architecture in accordance with some aspects.
2 illustrates a block diagram of a communication device in accordance with some embodiments.
3 illustrates a 5G edge computing network in accordance with some embodiments.
4 illustrates a peer-to-peer (P2P) edge computing management deployment in accordance with some embodiments.
5 illustrates an architecture for enabling edge applications in accordance with some embodiments.
6 illustrates an inter-Edge Detection Network (EDN) in accordance with some embodiments.
7 illustrates an intra-EDN in accordance with some embodiments.
8 illustrates a service provider relationship in an edge computing network deployment in accordance with some embodiments.

The following description and drawings exemplify certain embodiments sufficiently to enable those skilled in the art to practice. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical process and other changes. Portions and features of some embodiments may be included in or substituted for those of other embodiments. Embodiments presented in the claims include all available equivalents of those claims.

1A illustrates an architecture of a network in accordance with some aspects. Network 140A includes 3GPP LTE/4G and NG network functions. Network functions may be implemented as individual network elements in dedicated hardware, as instances of software running on dedicated hardware, and/or as virtualized functions instantiated on an appropriate platform, eg, dedicated hardware or a cloud infrastructure. .

Network 140A is shown as including user equipment (UE) 101 and UE 102 . UEs 101 and 102 are illustrated as smart phones (eg, handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but may include portable (laptop) or desktop computers, wireless handsets, Any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as drones, or any other computing device that includes a wired and/or wireless communication interface. UEs 101 and 102 may be collectively referred to herein as UE 101 , and UE 101 may be used to perform one or more of the techniques disclosed herein.

Any of the radio links described herein (eg, used in network 140A or any other illustrated network) may operate in accordance with any exemplary radio communications technology and/or standard. can Any spectrum management scheme can be, for example, dedicated licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, (licensed) shared spectrum (e.g. 2.3-2.4GHz, 3.4-3.6GHz, 3.6-3.8GHz). GHz, and Licensed Shared Access (LSA) at other frequencies, and Spectrum Access System (SAS) at 3.55-3.7 GHz and other frequencies. Different Single Carrier or Orthogonal Frequency Domain Multiplexing (OFDM) modes (CP-OFDM, SC-FDMA, SC-OFDM, filter bank-based multicarrier (FBMC), OFDMA, etc.), and in particular 3GPP NR is an OFDM carrier It can be used by allocating data bit vectors to corresponding symbol resources.

In some aspects, any of the UEs 101 and 102 may include an Internet-of-Things (IoT) UE or a Cellular IoT (CIoT) UE, which enables short-lived UE connections. It may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize In some aspects, any of the UEs 101 and 102 include a narrowband (NB) IoT UE (eg, an enhanced NB-IoT (eNB-IoT) UE and a Future Enhanced (FeNB-IoT) UE, etc.) can do. The IoT UE transmits data to and from a machine-type communications (MTC) server or device through a public land mobile network (PLMN), proximity-based service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. To exchange , technologies such as MTC or machine-to-machine (M2M) may be utilized. M2M or MTC data exchange may be machine-initiated data exchange. An IoT network includes interconnected IoT UEs that may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-lived connections. IoT UEs may run background applications (eg, keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connections in the IoT network. In some aspects, any of UEs 101 and 102 may include enhanced MTC (eMTC) UEs or further enhanced MTC (FeMTC) UEs.

UEs 101 and 102 may be configured to connect, eg, communicatively couple with a radio access network (RAN) 110 . The RAN 110 may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN.

UEs 101 and 102 utilize connections 103 and 104, respectively, each of which includes a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in more detail below); In this example, connections 103 and 104 are illustrated as an air interface enabling communication coupling, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, Push-PTT (PTT). to-Talk) protocol, PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, fifth-generation (5G) protocol, New Radio (NR) protocol, etc. protocols can be matched.

In an aspect, the UEs 101 and 102 may further directly exchange communication data via the ProSe interface 105 . The ProSe interface 105 alternatively includes a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSCH), a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), and a Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH). can be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface that includes one or more logical channels, including but not limited to.

A UE 102 is shown configured to access an access point (AP) 106 over a connection 107 . Connection 107 may include a local wireless connection, such as, for example, a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.11 protocol, and thus AP 106 may include a wireless fidelity (WiFi®) router. . In this example, AP 106 is shown connected to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in more detail below).

RAN 110 may include one or more access nodes facilitating connections 103 and 104 . These access nodes (ANs) may be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), Next Generation NodeBs (gNBs), RAN nodes, etc., and may be referred to as geographical areas (e.g., cell ) may include ground stations (eg, terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within. In some aspects, communication nodes 111 and 112 may be transmission/reception points (TRPs). In instances where the communication nodes 111 and 112 are NodeBs (eg, eNBs or gNBs), one or more TRPs may function within the NodeBs' communication cell. RAN 110 includes one or more RAN nodes, eg, macro RAN node 111, for providing macro cells, and femtocells or picocells (eg, smaller coverage areas compared to macro cells, more It may include one or more RAN nodes, eg, low power (LP) RAN node 112, for providing low user capacity, or cells with higher bandwidth.

Any of the RAN nodes 111 and 112 may be an end of an air interface protocol and may be a first point of contact for UEs 101 and 102 . In some aspects, any of the RAN nodes 111 and 112 include radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management; , can perform various logical functions for the RAN 110, including but not limited to. In an example, any of nodes 111 and/or 112 may be gNBs, eNBs, or other types of RAN nodes.

The RAN 110 is shown as communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 120 via an S1 interface 113 . In aspects, CN 120 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN (eg, illustrated with reference to FIGS. 1B and 1C ). . In this aspect, the S1 interface 113 is the S1-U interface 114, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes 111 and 112 and the serving gateway (S-GW) 122, and the RAN nodes 111 and 112) and an S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface 115, which is a signaling interface between the MMEs 121.

In this aspect, CN 120 includes MMEs 121, S-GW 122, Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 123, and home subscriber server (HSS) 124. do. MMEs 121 may be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). MMEs 121 may manage mobility aspects of access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. HSS 124 may include a database for network users containing subscription-related information to support the handling of communication sessions of network entities. CN 120 may include one or several HSSs 124 depending on the number of mobile subscribers, equipment capacity, network organization, and the like. For example, HSS 124 provides support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization, naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc. can provide.

S-GW 122 can be an end of S1 interface 113 towards RAN 110 and routes data packets between RAN 110 and CN 120 . S-GW 122 may also be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers, and may also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities of the S-GW 122 may include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement.

P-GW 123 may be the end of the SGi interface towards the PDN. The P-GW 123 connects the EPC network 120 and the application server 184 (alternatively referred to as an application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface 125 to an external network, such as a network. It can route data packets between networks. The P-GW 123 may also communicate data to other external networks 131A, which may include the Internet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IPS) network, and other networks. In general, application server 184 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with a core network (eg, UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this aspect, P-GW 123 is shown communicatively coupled to application server 184 via IP interface 125 . Application server 184 also provides one or more communication services (e.g., Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions) for UEs 101 and 102 via CN 120. , social networking services, etc.).

The P-GW 123 may additionally be a node for policy enforcement and billing data collection. A Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 126 is a policy and charging control element of the CN 120 . In a non-roaming scenario, in some aspects there may be a single PCRF in a Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with the UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there are two PCRFs associated with the UE's IP-CAN session: the H-PCRF (Home PCRF) in HPLMN and the V-PCRF (Visited Public Land Mobile Network) in VPLMN. There may be a Visited PCRF (PCRF). PCRF 126 may be communicatively coupled to application server 184 via P-GW 123 .

In some aspects, communication network 140A may be a 5G network or an IoT network including a 5G New Radio Network that uses communications in licensed (5G NR) and unlicensed (5G NR-U) spectrum. One of the current enablers of IoT is narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT). Operation in unlicensed spectrum may include dual connectivity (DC) operation and standalone LTE systems in unlicensed spectrum, whereby LTE-based technologies do not use “anchors” of licensed spectrum and only in unlicensed spectrum. It works, and it is called MulteFire. Further improved operation of LTE systems in licensed as well as unlicensed spectrum is expected in future releases and 5G systems. These enhanced operations may include techniques for sidelink resource allocation and UE processing behaviors for NR sidelink V2X communications.

The NG system architecture may include a RAN 110 and a 5G network core (5GC) 120. The NG-RAN 110 may include a plurality of nodes such as gNBs and NG-eNBs. The core network 120 (eg, 5G core network or 5GC) may include an access and mobility function (AMF) and/or a user plane function (UPF). AMF and UPF may be communicatively coupled to gNBs and NG-eNBs via NG interfaces. More specifically, in some aspects, gNBs and NG-eNBs can be connected to AMF by NG-C interfaces and to UPF by NG-U interfaces. gNBs and NG-eNBs may be coupled to each other via Xn interfaces.

In some aspects, the NG system architecture may use reference points between various nodes as provided by 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.501 (eg, V15.4.0, 2018-12) . In some aspects, each of the gNBs and NG-eNBs may be implemented as a base station, mobile edge server, small cell, home eNB, or the like. In some aspects, a gNB can be a master node (MN) and an NG-eNB can be a secondary node (SN) in a 5G architecture.

1B illustrates a non-roaming 5G system architecture in accordance with some aspects. In particular, FIG. 1B illustrates the 5G system architecture 140B in a reference point representation. More specifically, UE 102 may communicate with RAN 110 as well as one or more other 5GC network entities. 5G system architecture 140B includes AMF 132, session management function (SMF) 136, policy control function (PCF) 148, application function (AF) 150, UPF 134, network slice NSSF selection function) 142, an authentication server function (AUSF) 144, and a plurality of network functions (NFs) such as a unified data management (UDM)/home subscriber server (HSS) 146.

UPF 134 may provide a connection to a data network (DN) 152 , which may include, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. AMF 132 may be used to manage access control and mobility, and may also include network slice selection functionality. AMF 132 may provide UE-based authentication, authorization, mobility management, etc., and may be independent of access technologies. SMF 136 may be configured to set up and manage various sessions according to network policy. Accordingly, SMF 136 may be responsible for session management and assignment of IP addresses to UEs. SMF 136 may also select and control UPF 134 for data transmission. SMF 136 may be associated with a single session of UE 101 or multiple sessions of UE 101 . In other words, UE 101 may have multiple 5G sessions. Different SMFs may be assigned to each session. Using different SMFs allows each session to be managed individually. As a result, the functionalities of each session can be independent of each other.

The UPF 134 may be deployed in one or more configurations according to a desired service type and may be connected to a data network. PCF 148 may be configured to provide a policy framework using network slicing, mobility management, and roaming (similar to PCRF in 4G communication systems). A UDM can be configured to store subscriber profiles and data (similar to HSS in 4G communication systems).

The AF 150 may provide information about packet flow to the PCF 148 in charge of policy control to support a desired QoS. PCF 148 may set mobility and session management policies for UE 101 . To this end, PCF 148 may use the packet flow information to determine appropriate policies for proper operation of AMF 132 and SMF 136. AUSF 144 may store data for UE authentication.

In some aspects, 5G system architecture 140B includes a plurality of IP multimedia core network subsystem entities as well as an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 168B, such as call session control functions (CSCFs). More specifically, the IMS 168B may include a proxy CSCF (P-CSCF) 162BE, a serving CSCF (S-CSCF) 164B, an emergency CSCF (E-CSCF) (not illustrated in FIG. 1B), or an I- and a CSCF that can act as an interrogating CSCF (CSCF) 166B. The P-CSCF 162B may be configured to be a first point of contact for the UE 102 within the IM subsystem (IMS) 168B. The S-CSCF 164B may be configured to handle session states in the network, and the E-CSCF handles certain aspects of emergency sessions, such as routing an emergency request to the correct emergency center or PSAP. can be configured to I-CSCF 166B may be configured to serve as a point of contact within the operator's network for all IMS connections destined for a subscriber of that network operator, or to a roaming subscriber currently located within a service area of that network operator. In some aspects, I-CSCF 166B may be coupled to another IP multimedia network 170E, for example an IMS operated by a different network operator.

In some aspects, UDM/HSS 146 may be coupled to an application server 160E, which may include a telephony application server (TAS) or other application server (AS). AS 160B may be coupled to IMS 168B via S-CSCF 164B or I-CSCF 166B.

The reference point representation shows that interactions may exist between corresponding NF services. For example, FIG. 1B illustrates the following reference points: N1 (between UE 102 and AMF 132), N2 (between RAN 110 and AMF 132), N3 (between RAN 110 and Between UPF 134), N4 (between SMF 136 and UPF 134), N5 (between PCF 148 and AF 150, not shown), N6 (between UPF 134 and DN 152) between), N7 (between SMF 136 and PCF 148, not shown), N8 (between UDM 146 and AMF 132, not shown), N9 (between two UPFs 134, shown) not shown), N10 (between UDM 146 and SMF 136, not shown), N11 (between AMF 132 and SMF 136, not shown), N12 (AUSF 144 and AMF 132 ) between, not shown), N13 (between AUSF 144 and UDM 146, not shown), N14 (between two AMFs 132, not shown), N15 (for non-roaming scenarios). Between PCF 148 and AMF 132, or between PCF 148 and visited network and AMF 132 in roaming scenarios, not shown), N16 (between two SMFs, not shown), and N22 (between AMF 132 and NSSF 142, not shown). Other reference point representations not shown in FIG. 1B may also be used.

1C illustrates a 5G system architecture 140C and service-based representation. In addition to the network entities illustrated in FIG. 1B , the system architecture 140C may also include a network exposure function (NEF) 154 and a network repository function (NRF) 156 . In some aspects, 5G system architectures may be service-based, and interaction between network functions may be represented by corresponding point-to-point reference points Ni or as service-based interfaces.

In some aspects, as illustrated in FIG. 1C , service-based representations can be used to represent network functions within the control plane to enable other authorized network functions to access their services. In this regard, 5G system architecture 140C may include the following service-based interfaces: Namf 158H (service-based interface represented by AMF 132), Nsmf 158I (SMF 136) service-based interface represented by ), Nnef 158B (service-based interface represented by NEF 154), Npcf 158D (service-based interface represented by PCF 148), Nudm 158E ( service-based interface represented by UDM 146), Naf 158F (service-based interface represented by AF 150), Nnrf 158C (service-based interface represented by NRF 156), Nnssf 158A (service-based interface represented by NSSF 142), Nausf 158G (service-based interface represented by AUSF 144). Other service-based interfaces not shown in FIG. 1C (eg, Nudr, N5g-eir, and Nudsf) may also be used.

NR-V2X architectures can support high-reliability low latency sidelink communications with a variety of traffic patterns, including periodic and aperiodic communications with random packet arrival times and sizes. The techniques disclosed herein may be used to support high reliability in distributed communication systems with dynamic topologies including sidelink NR V2X communication systems.

2 illustrates a block diagram of a communication device in accordance with some embodiments. The communication device 200 runs software that configures a specialized computer, a personal or laptop computer (PC), a UE such as a tablet PC, or a smart phone, a dedicated network equipment such as an eNB, and a server to operate as a network device. It can be a server, virtual device, or any machine capable of executing instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. For example, communication device 200 may be implemented as one or more of the devices shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. Communications described herein may be encoded prior to transmission by a transmitting entity (eg, UE, gNB) for reception by a receiving entity (eg, gNB, UE) and decoded after reception by the receiving entity. Note that there are

Examples as described herein may include or operate on logic or a number of components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules and components are tangible entities (eg, hardware) capable of performing specified operations, and may be configured or arranged in a particular way. In an example, circuits may be arranged in a manner designated as a module (eg, internally or to external entities such as other circuits). In an example, all or part of one or more computer systems (e.g., a standalone client or server computer system) or one or more hardware processors may be firmware or software (e.g., instructions) as modules that operate to perform specified operations. s, application parts, or applications). In an example, software may reside in a machine readable medium. In an example, the software, when executed by the module's underlying hardware, causes the hardware to perform the specified operations.

Accordingly, the term "module" (and "component") refers to a physically configured, specifically configured (e.g., hardwired is understood to include entities of a type that are entities that are configured (eg, programmed), or are temporarily (eg, transiently) configured (eg, programmed). Considering examples in which modules are configured temporally, each of the modules need not be instantiated at any one moment in time. For example, if the modules include a general purpose hardware processor configured using software, the general purpose hardware processor may be configured as separate different modules at different times. Thus, software may, for example, configure a hardware processor to configure a particular module at one time instance and a different module at a different time instance.

The communication device 200 includes a hardware processor (or equivalently processing circuitry) 202 (eg, a central processing unit (CPU), GPU, hardware processor core, or any combination thereof), main memory 204 and static memory 206 , some or all of which may communicate with each other via an interlink (eg, bus) 208 . Main memory 204 may include any or all of removable and non-removable storage, volatile memory or non-volatile memory. The communication device 200 includes a display unit 210 such as a video display, an alphanumeric input device 212 (eg, a keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 214 (eg, a keyboard). , mouse) may be further included. In an example, display unit 210 , input device 212 and UI navigation device 214 may be a touch screen display. The communication device 200 includes a storage device (eg, a drive unit) 216, a signal generating device 218 (eg, a speaker), a network interface device 220, and a global positioning system (GPS) sensor, It may further include one or more sensors such as a compass, accelerometer, or other sensor. The communication device 200 may be serial (eg, universal serial bus (USB)), parallel, or other wired or wireless (eg, universal serial bus) (eg, USB) to communicate with or control one or more peripheral devices (eg, printers, card readers, etc.). For example, an infrared (IR), near field communication (NFC), etc.) connection may further include an output controller.

Storage device 216 stores one or more sets of data structures or instructions 224 (eg, software) that implement or are utilized by any one or more of the techniques or functions described herein. and a non-transitory machine readable medium 222 (hereinafter simply referred to as machine readable medium). Instructions 224 may also completely or at least partially reside within main memory 204 , static memory 206 , and/or hardware processor 202 during their execution by communication device 200 . Although machine-readable medium 222 is illustrated as a single medium, the term “machine-readable medium” refers to a single medium or multiple mediums (e.g., centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers).

The term “machine-readable medium” can store, encode, or carry instructions for execution by communication device 200 and cause communication device 200 to perform any one or more of the techniques of this disclosure. or any medium capable of storing, encoding, or transporting data structures used by or associated with these instructions. Non-limiting examples of machine readable media may include solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. Specific examples of machine-readable media include non-volatile memory such as semiconductor memory devices (eg, Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; Radio access memory (RAM); and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.

Instructions 224 are applicable to a number of wireless local area network (WLAN) transport protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP), transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP), hypertext transfer (HTTP)). protocol), etc.) may be further transmitted or received over a communication network using transmission medium 226 via network interface device 220 . Exemplary communication networks include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a packet data network (eg Internet), mobile telephone networks (eg cellular networks), Plain Old Telephone (POTS) networks, and wireless data networks. Communications over networks include, among others, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of standards known as Wi-Fi, the IEEE 802.16 family of standards known as WiMax, the IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards, LTE ( Includes one or more different protocols such as Long Term Evolution (Long Term Evolution) family of standards, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) family of standards, peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, next generation (NG)/ ^5th generation (5G) standards can do. In an example, network interface device 220 may include one or more physical jacks (eg, Ethernet, coaxial, or telephone jacks) or one or more antennas for coupling to transmission medium 226. there is.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" refers to electronic circuitry, logic circuitry, processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or grouped) that are configured to provide the described functionality; ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPD (field-programmable device) (e.g., FPGA (field-programmable gate array), PLD (programmable logic device), CPLD (complex PLD), HCPLD (high-capacity PLD), Note that it refers to, is part of, or includes hardware components such as structured ASICs, or programmable SoCs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and the like. In some embodiments, circuitry may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functionality. The term “circuitry” may also refer to a combination of program code and one or more hardware elements (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) used to perform the functionality of that program code. In such embodiments, a combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuitry.

Accordingly, the term "processor circuitry" or "processor" as used herein refers to a device capable of sequentially and automatically performing a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations, or recording, storing, and/or transmitting digital data. Refers to, is part of, or includes a circuitry. The term "processor circuitry" or "processor" means one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, physical central processing units (CPUs), single- or multi-core processors, and/or program code, software modules. , and/or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions, such as functional processes.

As above, 5G networks may have ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, and high data capacity requirements due to safety and performance issues, such as internet of things (IoT), industrial control It extends beyond traditional mobile broadband services to provide a variety of new services such as, autonomous driving, mission critical communications, and the like. Edge computing as a feature in the 5G core (5GC) system architecture is expected to support these services by hosting some applications closer to the local data network to reduce end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. Added. 3 illustrates a 5G edge computing network in accordance with some embodiments.

4 illustrates a P2P edge computing management deployment in accordance with some embodiments. In the deployment shown in FIG. 4 , edge computing in 3GPP networks is implemented between a 3GPP management system, an edge computing management system, and a non-3GPP management system including the ETSI network function virtualization (NFV) management and orchestration (MANO). involves the communication of

Deployment of edge computing in 3GPP networks uses collaboration with other Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), since application function (AF) and application server (AS) are not 3GPP defined nodes. Deploying network functions to 3GPP networks and non-3GPP networks to support edge computing involves communication between the 3GPP management system and the non-3GPP management systems.

In the example of FIG. 4 , the 3GPP management system uses NFVO to connect the UPF and the local data network with quality of service (QoS) for N6 requirements for the connection (eg, virtual link) between the UPF and the local data network. Edge computing deployment can be initiated by requesting the Edge Computing Management System to deploy (Network Functions Virtualization Orchestrator) and local data networks. The edge computing management system may initiate edge computing deployment by requesting the 3GPP management system to deploy NFVO and UPF for connecting UPF and local data network with QoS requirements for connection between UPF and local data network. can

5 shows an architecture for enabling deployment of edge applications. In the architecture, an Application Client is an application residing in a UE that performs client function(s), and an Edge Application Server (EAS) is an Edge Data Network, a local data network that performs server functions. ) is an application server that resides on An application client connects to an Edge Application Server to use (or obtain) services of an application with the benefits of Edge Computing.

5 shows an application architecture for enabling Edge Applications. Edge Data Network is a local data network. Edge Application Server(s) and Edge Enabler Server (EES) are included within the EDN. An Edge Configuration Server (ECS) provides configurations related to EES, including details of the edge data network hosting the EES. The UE includes Application Client(s) and Edge Enabler Client. The Edge Application Server(s), Edge Enabler Server, and Edge Configuration Server may interact with the 3GPP core network.

Interactions related to enabling edge computing between an Edge Enabler Server and an Edge Enabler Client are supported by the EDGE-1 reference point. The EDGE-1 reference point supports: registration and de-registration of Edge Enabler clients with Edge Enabler servers; Retrieval and provisioning of configuration information for the UE; and Discovery of edge application servers available in the edge data network.

Interactions related to the Edge Enabler layer between the Edge Enabler Server and the 3GPP network are supported by the EDGE-2 reference point. The EDGE-2 reference point supports: e.g., via Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF) and Network Exposure Function (NEF) Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and by EES acting as a Trusted AF in 5GC. , APIs to retrieve network capability information and access to 3GPP network functions. The EDGE-2 reference point reuses SA2 defined 3GPP reference points, N33, or EPS or 5GS interfaces that allow for different deployment models.

Interactions related to the Edge Enabler layer between Edge Enabler Server and Edge Application Servers are supported by the EDGE-3 reference point. The EDGE-3 reference point supports: registration of edge application servers with availability information (eg time constraints, location constraints); Unregister Edge Application Servers from Edge Enabler Server; and providing access to network capability information (eg, location information). The following cardinality rules apply to EDGE-3 (between EAS and EES): a) one EAS can communicate with only one EES; b) One EES may communicate with one or more EAS(s) simultaneously.

Interactions related to the Edge Enabler layer between the Edge Data Network Configuration Server and the Edge Enabler Client are supported by the EDGE-4 reference point. The EDGE-4 reference point supports: Provisioning of edge data network configuration information to the UE's Edge Enabler client.

Interactions between the UE's application client(s) and the Edge Enabler client are supported by the EDGE-5 reference point. The EDGE-5 reference point supports: obtaining information about edge application servers that application clients use to connect to; notifications about events related to connections between application clients and their corresponding edge application servers, for example, when an application client needs to reconnect to a different edge application server; providing application client information (eg, its profile) to be used for various tasks such as identifying the appropriate edge application server instance to connect to; and providing the identity of the desired edge application server to the edge enabler client to enable it to use that identity as a filter when requesting information about edge application servers.

Interactions related to the Edge Enabler layer between the Edge Data Network Configuration Server and the Edge Enabler Server are supported by the EDGE-6 reference point. The EDGE-6 reference point supports: Edge Enabler server information registration in the Edge Enabler network configuration server.

Interactions related to the Edge Enabler layer between the Edge Enabler Server and the 3GPP network are supported by the EDGE-2 (or EDGE-7) reference point. The EDGE-7 reference point supports: to 3GPP network functions and APIs to retrieve network capability information, e.g., via SCEF and NEF APIs, and by EAS acting as a trusted AF in 5GC. access to. The EDGE-7 reference point reuses SA2 defined 3GPP reference points, N6, or EPS or 5GS interfaces that allow for different deployment models.

Interactions between the Edge Data Network Configuration Server and the 3GPP network are supported by the EDGE-8 reference point. The EDGE-8 reference point supports: Edge data network configurations that utilize network exposed services to provision 3GPP networks.

The EDGE-9 reference point enables interactions between the two Edge Enabler servers. An EDGE-9 reference point may be provided between EESs within different EDNs and within the same EDN.

An Edge Enabler Server (EES) provides support functions for Edge Application Servers and Edge Enabler Clients. The functionalities of the Edge Enabler Server are as follows: a) Provision configuration information to the Edge Enabler Client to enable exchange of application data traffic with the Edge Application Server; b) support API invoker and API exposed functionalities; c) interact with the 3GPP core network to access capabilities of network functions either directly (eg via PCF) or indirectly (eg via SCEF/NEF/SCEF+NEF); and d) supporting functionalities of application context transfer.

The following cardinality rules apply to the Edge Enabler Server: a) one or more EES(s) may be located in the EDN; b) One or more EESs may be located in the EDN per Edge Computing Service Provider (ECSP).

EAS is an application server residing in the edge data network, performing server functions. An application client connects to an edge application server to utilize the services of an application with the benefits of edge computing. The application's server functions may only be available as an edge application server. However, if the server functions of the application are available as both the cloud-resident application server and the edge application server, the functions of the edge application server and the application server may not be the same. Also, if the functions of the edge application server and the application server are different, application data traffic may also be different.

An edge application server can consume 3GPP Core Network Capabilities in different ways: For example, a) If it is an entity trusted by the 3GPP Core Network, it can directly invoke 3GPP Core Network Functions APIs. ; b) may invoke 3GPP core network capabilities through the Edge Enabler Server; c) Invoke 3GPP core network capabilities through capability exposure functions (eg, SCEF or NEF).

The following cardinality rules apply to edge application servers: a) One or more EAS(s) may be located in the EDN. EAS(s) belonging to the same EAS ID may be provided by multiple ECSP(s) in the EDN.

An Edge Enabler Server ID (EESID) is a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of an Edge Enabler Server, and each Edge Enabler Server ID is unique within the PLMN domain.

Edge Application Server ID (EASID) identifies a specific application, for example SA6Video, SA6Game, etc. For example, all Edge SA6Video servers share the same Edge Application Server ID. The format for the EAS ID is outside the scope of this specification. Table E28.2.4-1 shows the Edge Application Server Profile IEs.

Edge application server service key performance indicators (KPIs) provide information about service characteristics provided by an edge application server (eg, see Table E28.2.5-1).

The Edge Enabler server profile contains information about the EES and the services it provides (eg, see Table E28.2.6-1).

Exposing network capabilities to the edge application server(s) depends on the deployment scenarios and the ASP/ECSP's business relationship with the PLMN operator. The following mechanisms are supported: Direct Network Capability Exposure and/or Network Capability Exposure via Edge Enabler Server.

In some implementations, network capability exposure for EAS(s) depends on deployment scenarios and the ASP/ECSP's business relationship with the PLMN operator. The following mechanisms are supported: Direct Network Capability Exposure and/or Network Capability Exposure via Edge Enabler Server. In some implementations, billing functionalities with different deployment options depending on the business relationships between an edge application service provider, an edge computing service provider, and an SFC service provider are outside the scope of this disclosure (SA5 study).

6 illustrates inter-EDN in accordance with some embodiments. 7 illustrates an intra-EDN in accordance with some embodiments. The EDGE-9 reference point enables interactions between the two Edge Enabler servers. An EDGE-9 reference point may be provided between EES within different EDNs as shown by FIG. E3 and within the same EDN as shown by FIG. 7 .

8 illustrates a service provider relationship in an edge computing network deployment in accordance with some embodiments. 8 shows the roles and relationships of service providers related to the deployment of edge computing services. An application service provider (ASP) is responsible for creating EAS and application clients (AC). ECSP is responsible for deployment of EDNs including EES and EAS providing configuration information to EEC, enabling AC to exchange application data traffic with EAS. The PLMN operator is responsible for the deployment of 5G network functions such as 5GC and 5G NR.

An end user is a consumer of applications/services provided by an ASP, and may have an ASP service agreement with a single application service provider or multiple application service providers. An end user has a PLMN operator and a PLMN subscription arrangement. UEs used by end users are allowed to register in the PLMN operator network. An ASP consumes edge services (eg, infrastructure, platform, etc.) provided by an ECSP, and may have ECSP service agreement(s) with a single ECSP or multiple ECSPs. An ECSP may be a mobile network operator or third party service provider providing edge computing services. A single PLMN operator may have PLMN operator service agreements with a single computing service provider or multiple edge computing service providers. A single ECSP may have a PLMN operator service agreement with a single PLMN operator or multiple PLMN operators providing edge computing support. ECSP and PLMN operators may be different organizations or part of the same organization.

As above, the 3GPP management system manages 3GPP defined network functions (eg, UPF, PCF, EES, ECS, EAS, etc.), and services. To support edge computing management, the 3GPP management system includes both a PLMN management system responsible for orchestration and management of mobile networks and an ECSP management system responsible for orchestration and management of EDN. ECSP and PLMN operators may be part of the same organization.

Mechanisms for deploying edge application servers, edge enable servers, edge configuration servers, and 5G mobile networks to support edge computing for 3GPP TR 28.814 are disclosed herein. Embodiments herein also include business level and specification level use cases and requirements, including various deployments. Deployments include: EAS over EDN by PLMN/EC service provider; EAS on EDN by ECSP; EES on EDN by PLMN/EC service providers; EES on EDN by ECSP; ECS by PLMN/EC service providers; and ECS by ECSP, where the PLMN/EC service provider indicates that the operator owns both the PLMN and the EDN.

5 use cases

5.1 Business level use cases

5.1.x edge of the application server(s) deployment

5.1.x .One PLMN /EC by service provider EDN top EAS deployment

5.1.x .1.1 target

The goal is to enable the ASP to install or terminate one or more EAS on the EDN. It is assumed that both the PLMN networks and the EDN are owned by the same organization, which is referred to as the PLMN/EC Service Provider.

5.1.x .1.2 pre-conditions

The ASP has a service agreement with the PLMN/EC service provider.

The PLMN/EC service provider has deployed the EDN(s).

5.1.x .1.3 explanation

5.1.x .1.3. One EAS installation

1. The ASP requests the PLMN/EC service provider to install one or more EAS as deployment requirements.

2. The PLMN/EC service provider selects an EDN to host the EAS based on deployment requirements.

3. PLMN/EC service provider installs EAS in EDN that meets deployment requirements.

4. The PLMN/EC service provider notifies the ASP that EAS has been successfully installed.

5.1.x .1.3. 2 EAS end

1. The ASP requests the PLMN/EC service provider to terminate one or more EAS with the EAS identifier(s).

2. The PLMN/EC service provider terminates the EAS based on the identifier in the EDN.

3. The PLMN/EC service provider notifies the ASP that the EAS has been successfully completed.

5.1.x .2 ECSP by EDN top EAS deployment

5.1.x .2.1 target

The goal is to enable the ASP to install or terminate one or more EAS on the EDN in the Edge Computing Service Provider (ECSP).

5.1.x .2.2 pre-conditions

ASP has a service agreement with ECSP.

The ECSP provider deployed the EDN(s).

5.1.x .2.3 explanation

5.1.x .2.3.1 EAS installation

1. The ASP requests the ECSP to install one or more EAS as deployment requirements.

2. The ECSP selects the EDN to host the EAS based on the deployment requirements.

3. ECSP installs EAS on selected edge data networks.

4. ECSP notifies ASP that EAS has been successfully installed.

5.1.x .2.3. 2 EAS end

1. The ASP requests the ECSP to terminate one or more EAS with the EAS identifier(s).

2. ECSP terminates EAS based on identifier in EDN.

3. The ECSP notifies the ASP that EAS has successfully ended.

5.1.y edge Enabler of server(s) deployment

5.1.y .One PLMN /EC by service provider EDN top EES deployment

5.1.y .1.1 target

The goal is to enable installation and termination of one or more EES on the EDN. It is assumed that edge computing service providers and PLMN operators may be part of the same organization, referred to as PLMN/EC service providers.

5.1.y .1.2 pre-conditions

The PLMN/EC service provider is in operation.

5.1.y .1.3 explanation

5.1.y .1.3. One EES installation

1. The PLMN/EC service provider has received a request to install one or more EES as deployment requirements.

2. The PLMN/EC service provider chooses an EDN to host the EES.

3. PLMN/EC service provider installs EES.

4. The PLMN/EC service provider sends a notification to indicate that EES has been successfully installed.

5.1.y .1.3. 2 EES end

1. The PLMN/EC service provider has received a request to terminate one or more EES with EES identifiers.

2. The PLMN/EC service provider, based on the EES identifier, terminates the EES.

3. The PLMN/EC service provider sends a notification to indicate that the EES has been successfully terminated.

5.1.y .2 ECSP by EDN top EES deployment

5.1.y .2.1 target

The goal is to enable installation and termination of one or more EES on the EDN in the ECSP.

5.1.y .2.2 Pre-conditions

ECSP is running.

5.1.y .2.3 explanation

5.1.y .2.3. One EES installation

1. The ECSP has received a request to install one or more EES as deployment requirements.

2. The ECSP chooses an EDN to host the EES.

3. ECSP installs EES on selected edge data networks.

4. ECSP sends a notification to indicate that EES has been successfully installed.

5.1.y .2.3. 2 EES end

1. The ECSP has received a request to terminate one or more EES with EES identifiers.

2. The ECSP terminates the EES based on the EES identifier.

3. The ECSP sends a notification to indicate that the EES has been successfully terminated.

5.1.z edge of the configuration server(s) deployment

5.1.z .One PLMN Deployment of ECS by Operators

5.1.z .1.1 target

The purpose is to enable the installation and shutdown of one or more ECS in a PLMN operator.

5.1.z .1.2 pre-conditions

The PLMN operator is running.

5.1.z .1.3 explanation

5.1.z .1.3. One ECS installation

1. The PLMN operator receives a request to install one or more ECS.

2. The PLMN operator installs the ECS.

3. The PLMN operator sends a notification to indicate that the ECS has been successfully installed.

5.1.z .1.3. 2 ECS end

1. The PLMN operator receives a request to terminate one or more ECS with ECS identifiers.

2. The PLMN operator terminates the ECS based on the ECS identifier.

3. The PLMN operator sends a notification to indicate that ECS has successfully ended.

5.1.z .2 ECSP by ECS deployment

5.1.z .2.1 target

The goal is to enable installation and shutdown of one or more ECS in the ECSP.

5.1.z .2.2 pre-conditions

ECSP is running.

5.1.z .2.3 explanation

5.1.z .2.3. One ECS installation

1. The ECSP receives a request to install one or more ECS(s).

2. ECSP selects EDN for ECS.

3. ECSP installs ECS.

3. ECSP sends a notification to indicate that ECS has been successfully installed.

5.1.z .2.3. 2 ECS end

1. The ECSP receives a request to terminate one or more ECS(s) with the ECS identifier(s).

2. The ECSP terminates the ECS(s) based on the ECS identifier(s).

3. ECSP sends a notification to indicate that ECS has successfully ended.

5.2 Specification Level Use Cases

5.2.x edge of the application server(s) deployment

5.2.x .One PLMN /EC by service provider EDN top Deployment of EAS

5.2.x .1.1 target

The goal is to enable the ASP to install or terminate EAS on the EDN.

5.2.x .1.2 pre-conditions

The ASP has a service agreement with the PLMN/EC service provider.

EES(s) are deployed to EDN.

5GC networks have been deployed.

5.2.x .1.3 explanation

5.2.x .2.3. One EAS installation

1. The consumer has application packages (e.g. VNF, VNFD, etc.) and deployment requirements (e.g. virtualized resources requirements (e.g. compute, memory, etc.) , QoS requirements (eg, latency, bandwidth, and geographic service areas, etc.)) consume the management services of the PLMN/EC management system to install the EAS.

2. The PLMN/EC management system determines the EDN to which the EAS will be deployed, based on the deployment requirements. For example, the selection of the EDN in which the EAS will be installed may be determined by QoS and geographic service areas requirements.

3. The PLMN/EC management system consumes the management services of ETSI NFV MANO to perform the following operations:

Instantiate the EAS VNF.

Connect EAS to EES.

Connect EAS to 5GC network functions to transmit information over N6 and Edge 7-interfaces.

4. The PLMN/EC management system notifies the ASP management system that EAS has been installed successfully.

5.2.x .2.3. One EAS end

1. The consumer consumes the management service of the PLMN/EC management system to terminate the EAS with the EAS identifier.

2. The PLMN/EC management system terminates the EAS VNF based on the EAS identifier and disconnects the EAS from the 5GC network functions.

3. The PLMN/EC management system notifies the ASP management system that EAS has ended successfully.

5.2.x .2 ECSP by EDN top EAS deployment

5.2.x .2.1 target

The goal is to enable the ASP to install or terminate EAS on EDN in ECSP.

5.2.x .2.2 pre-conditions

ASP has a service agreement with ECSP.

EES(s) are deployed to EDN.

5GC networks have been deployed.

5.2.x .2.3 explanation

5.2.x .2.3. One EAS installation

1. The consumer has application packages (eg VNF, VNFD, ,,, etc.) and deployment requirements (eg virtualized resources requirements (eg compute, memory . ..), QoS requirements (eg, latency, bandwidth), and geographic service areas, ..., etc.) consume the management services of the ECSP management system to install the EAS.

2. The ECSP management system determines the EDN to which the EAS will be deployed, based on the deployment requirements. For example, the selection of the EDN in which the EAS will be installed may be determined by QoS and geographic service areas requirements.

3. The ECSP management system consumes the management services of ETSI NFV MANO to perform the following operations:

Instantiate the EAS VNF.

Connect EAS to EES.

Connect EAS to 5GC network functions to transmit information over N6 and Edge 7-interfaces.

4. The ECSP management system notifies the ASP management system that EAS has been successfully installed.

5.2.x .2.3. 2 EAS installation

1. The consumer consumes the management service of the ECSP management system to terminate the EAS with the EAS identifier.

2. The ECSP management system terminates the EAS VNF based on the EAS identifier and disconnects the EAS from the 5GC network functions.

3. The ECSP management system notifies the ASP management system that EAS has ended successfully.

5.2.x edge Enabler of server(s) deployment

5.2.y edge Enabler of server(s) deployment

5.2.y .One PLMN /EC by service provider EDN top EES deployment

5.2.y .1.1 target

The goal is to enable installation and termination of one or more EES on the EDN.

5.2.y .1.2 pre-conditions

The PLMN/EC management system of the PLMN/EC service provider is in operation.

5GC networks have been deployed.

5.2.y .1.3 explanation

5.2.y .1.3. One EES installation

1. Consumers have EES packages (e.g. VNF, VNF package, ,,, etc.) and deployment requirements (e.g. virtualized resources requirements (e.g. compute, memory) ...) consumes the management services of the PLMN/EC management system to install the EES.

2. The PLMN/EC management system determines the EDN where the EES will be installed.

3. The PLMN/EC management system performs the following actions to install EES:

Instantiate the EES VNF.

It connects EES to 5GC network functions to transmit information over edge-2 interfaces.

4. The PLMN/EC management system sends a notification to indicate that the EES has been successfully installed.

5.2.y .1.3. 2 EES end

1. The consumer consumes the management service of the PLMN/EC management system to terminate the EES with the EES identifier.

2. The PLMN/EC management system terminates the EES VNF based on the EES identifier and disconnects the EES from the 5GC network functions.

3. The PLMN/EC management system sends a notification to indicate that the EES has been successfully terminated.

5.2.y .2 ECSP by EDN top EES deployment

5.2.y .2.1 target

The goal is to enable installation and termination of one or more EES on the EDN in the ECSP.

5.2.y .2.2 pre-conditions

ECSP's ECSP management system is in operation.

EES(s) are deployed to EDN.

5GC networks have been deployed.

5.2.y .2.3 explanation

5.2.y .2.3. One EES installation

1. Consumer consumes management services of ECSP management system to install EES with application packages (eg, VNF, VNF package, ,,, etc.) and deployment requirements.

2. The ECSP management system determines the EDN on which the EES will be deployed.

3. The ECSP management system performs the following actions to install EES:

Instantiate the EES VNF.

It connects EES to 5GC network functions to transmit information over edge-2 interfaces.

4. The ECSP management system sends a notification to indicate that the EES has been successfully installed.

5.2.y .2.3. 2 EES end

1. The consumer consumes the management service of the ECSP management system to terminate the EES with the EES identifier.

2. The ECSP management system determines the EDN on which the EES will be deployed.

3. The ECSP management system terminates the EES VNF based on the EES identifier and disconnects the EES from the 5GC network functions.

4. The ECSP management system sends a notification to indicate that the EES has been successfully terminated.

5.2.z edge of the configuration server(s) deployment

5.2.z .One PLMN of ECS by the operator deployment

5.2.z .1.1 target

The goal is to enable the installation and shutdown of one or more ECS in the PLMN operator.

5.2.z .1.2 pre-conditions

The PLMN management system of the PLMN operator is operational.

5GC networks have been deployed.

5.2.z .1.3 explanation

5.1.z .1.3 ECS installation

1. A consumer consumes the management service of the PLMN management system to install ECS with application packages (eg VNF, VNF package, ,,, etc.).

2. The PLMN management system performs the following actions to install ECS:

Instantiate an ECS VNF.

It connects ECS to 5GC network functions to transmit information over edge-8 interfaces.

3. The PLMN management system sends a notification to indicate that the ECS has been successfully installed.

5.1.z .1.3 ECS shutdown

1. The consumer consumes the management service of the PLMN management system to terminate the ECS with the ECS identifier.

2. The PLMN management system terminates the ECS VNF based on the ECS identifier and disconnects the ECS from the 5GC network functions.

3. The PLMN management system sends a notification to indicate that the ECS has been successfully terminated.

5.2.z .2 ECSP by ECS deployment

5.2.z .2.1 target

The goal is to enable installation and shutdown of one or more ECS in the ECSP.

5.2.z .2.2 pre-conditions

ECSP's ECSP management system is in operation.

5GC networks have been deployed.

5.2.z .2.3 explanation

5.1.z .2.3.1 ECS installation

1. The consumer consumes the management service of the ECSP management system to install ECS with application packages (eg VNF, VNF package, ,,, etc.).

2. The ECSP management system selects the EDN to install ECS.

3. The ECSP management system performs the following actions to install EES:

Instantiate an ECS VNF.

It connects ECS to 5GC network functions to transmit information over Edge-8 interfaces.

4. The ECSP management system sends a notification to indicate that the ECS has been successfully deployed.

5.1.z .2.3. 2 ECS end

1. The consumer consumes the management service of the ECSP management system to terminate the ECS with the ECS identifier.

2. The ECSP management system terminates the ECS VNF based on the ECS identifier and disconnects the ECS from the 5GC network functions.

3. The ECSP management system sends a notification to indicate that the ECS has been successfully deployed.

6 potential requirements

6.1 Business level requirements

6.1.x edge application server

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-CON-a The PLMN/EC service provider's management system shall allow the consumer to request the installation of one or more EAS's on the EDN as deployment requirements.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-CON-b The PLMN/EC service provider's management system shall allow a consumer to request termination of one or more EAS's on the EDN with the EAS identifier.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-CON-c The PLMN/EC service provider's management system shall be able to send notifications indicating the status of EAS installation and shutdown.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-CON-d ECSP's management system shall allow a consumer to request one or more EAS installations on the EDN as deployment requirements.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-CON-e The ECSP's management system shall allow consumers to request the installation and termination of one or more EAS on the EDN by EAS identifier.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-CON-f The ECSP's management system must be able to send notifications indicating the status of EAS installation and shutdown.

6.1.y edge Enabler server

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-CON-a The PLMN/EC service provider's management system shall allow the consumer to request the installation of EES as a deployment requirement.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-CON-b The management system of the PLMN/EC service provider shall allow the consumer to request termination of the EES with the EES identifier.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-CON-c The PLMN/EC service provider's management system shall be able to send notifications indicating the status of EES installation and termination.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-CON-d ECSP MUST allow consumers to request installation of EES over EDN as deployment requirements.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-CON-c ECSP MUST allow consumers to request termination of EES over EDN with EES identifier.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-CON-f The ECSP MUST be able to send notifications indicating the status of EES installation and shutdown.

6.1.z Edge configuration server

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-CON-a The PLMN operator's management system must allow the PLMN provider to request the installation of ECS.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-CON-b The PLMN operator's management system shall allow the PLMN provider to request termination of the ECS with the ECS identifier.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-CON-c The PLMN operator's management system must be able to send notifications indicating the status of ECS installation and shutdown.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-CON-d The ECSP's management system must allow the PLMN provider to request the installation of ECS.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-CON-e The ECSP's management system MUST allow the PLMN provider to request termination of the ECS with the ECS identifier.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-CON-f The ECSP's management system must be able to send notifications indicating the status of ECS installation and shutdown.

6.2 Specification level requirements

6.2.x edge application server

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-FUN-a The PLMN/EC management system allows consumers to implement application packages (eg VNF, VNFD, ,,, etc.) and deployment requirements (eg virtualized resources). Request installation of EAS with requirements (eg, compute, memory, ...), QoS requirements (eg, latency, bandwidth, and geographic service areas, ..., etc.) To allow this, management services must be provided.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-FUN-b The PLMN/EC management system shall provide management services to allow consumers to request termination of EAS with the EAS identifier.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-FUN-c The PLMN/EC management system instantiates the EAS VNF in the EDN, connects the EAS to the EES, and assigns the EAS to the 5GC network functions to transfer information over the N6 and edge-7 interfaces. You should be able to connect.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-FUN-d The PLMN/EC management system shall be able to terminate the EAS VNF based on the EAS identifier and disconnect the EAS from 5GC network functions.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-FUN-e The PLMN/EC management system must be able to send notifications indicating the status of EAS installation and shutdown.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-FUN-f The ECSP management system allows consumers to specify application packages (eg VNF, VNFD, ,,, etc.) and deployment requirements (eg virtualized resources requirements). (e.g., compute, memory, ...), QoS requirements (e.g., latency, bandwidth), and geographic service areas, ..., etc.) To do so, management services must be provided.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-FUN-g The ECSP management system shall provide management services to allow consumers to request termination of EAS with the EAS identifier.

REQ - EAS- DEPLOY-FUN-h The ECSP management system can instantiate an EAS VNF in EDN, connect EAS to EES, and connect EAS to 5GC network functions to transmit information over N6 and Edge-7 interfaces. There should be.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-FUN-i The ECSP management system shall be able to terminate the EAS VNF based on the EAS identifier and disconnect the EAS from 5GC network functions.

REQ - EAS -DEPLOY-FUN-j The ECSP management system must be able to send notifications indicating the status of EAS installation and shutdown.

6.2.y edge Enabler server

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-FUN-a The PLMN/EC management system allows consumers to implement EES packages (eg VNF, VNF packages, ,,, etc.) and deployment requirements (eg virtualized resources). It must provide management services to allow requesting the installation of EES with certain requirements (eg compute, memory, ...).

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-FUN-b The PLMN/EC management system shall provide management services to allow consumers to request termination of EES by EES identifier.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-FUN-c The PLMN/EC management system must be able to instantiate the EES VNF in the EDN and connect the EES to the 5GC network functions to transfer information over the edge-2 interfaces.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-FUN-d The PLMN/EC management system shall be able to terminate the EES VNF based on the EES identifier and disconnect the EES for 5GC network functions.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-FUN-e The PLMN/EC management system shall be able to send notifications indicating the status of EES installation and shutdown.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-FUN-f The ECSP management system allows consumers to implement EES packages (eg VNF, VNF packages, ,,, etc.) and deployment requirements (eg virtualized resource requests). It must provide management services to allow requesting installation of EES with particulars (eg compute, memory, ...).

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-FUN-g The ECSP management system shall provide management services to allow consumers to request termination of EES by EES identifier.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-FUN-h The ECSP management system must be able to terminate the EES VNF in the EDN and disconnect the EES for 5GC network functions to transmit information over the edge-2 interfaces.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-FUN-i The ECSP management system shall be able to terminate the EES VNF based on the EES identifier and disconnect the EES for 5GC network functions.

REQ - EES -DEPLOY-FUN-j The ECSP management system must be able to send notifications indicating the status of EES installation and shutdown.

6.2.z edge configuration server

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-FUN-a The PLMN management system shall provide management services to allow consumers to request installation of ECS as application packages (eg VNF, VNF package, ,,, etc.).

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-FUN-b The PLMN management system shall provide management services to allow consumers to request termination of ECS by ECS identifier.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-FUN-c The PLMN management system must be able to instantiate an ECS VNF in the EDN and connect the ECS to 5GC network functions to transfer information over the edge-8 interfaces.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-FUN-d The PLMN management system shall be able to terminate the ECS VNF based on the ECS identifier and disconnect the ECS from 5GC network functions.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-FUN-e The PLMN management system must be able to send notifications indicating the status of EAS installation and shutdown.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-FUN-f The ECSP management system shall provide management services to allow consumers to request installation of ECS as application packages (eg VNF, VNF package, ,,, etc.).

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-FUN-g The ECSP management system MUST provide management services to allow consumers to request termination of the ECS by ECS identifier.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-FUN-h The ECSP management system must be able to instantiate an ECS VNF in the EDN and connect the ECS to 5GC network functions to transfer information over the edge-8 interfaces.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-FUN-i The PLMN management system shall be able to terminate the ECS VNF based on the ECS identifier and disconnect the ECS from 5GC network functions.

REQ -ECS-DEPLOY-FUN-j The ECSP management system must be able to send notifications indicating the status of EAS installation and shutdown.

EAS is an application server residing in the edge data network, performing server functions. This use case relates to the case when EAS is deployed to the operators EDN managed by the operator's management system. The lifecycle of EAS (instantiation, termination, scaling, etc.) must be managed, and there can be multiple EDNs serving a particular edge location. To deploy EDN as a local data network, serving location and constituent edge entities (EAS and EES) are defined for each EDN. The ECSP management system is required to instantiate entities, as 3GPP network functions, aimed at serving a specific location. An instantiated EES may serve one or multiple EAS.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a limiting sense. The accompanying drawings, which form part of the specification, show by way of example, and not limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. The illustrated embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom so that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, this detailed description should not be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents accorded thereto.

Subject matter is disclosed individually and/or collectively by the term "embodiments" merely for convenience and without the intention of voluntarily limiting the scope of this application to any single inventive concept where in fact more than one is disclosed. Reference may be made in the specification. Thus, while specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be understood that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the above description.

In this document, the terms "a" or "an", as is common in patent documents, include one or more than one, regardless of any other instances or uses of "at least one" or "one or more". used to In this document, the term "or" is used non-exclusively, so that "A or B" includes "A but not B", "B but not A", and "A and B", unless otherwise indicated. It is used to refer to a nonexclusive or. In this document, the terms "including" and "in which" are used as plain-English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising" and "wherein". do. Also, in the claims that follow, the terms "including" and "comprising" are open-ended, i.e., include elements in addition to those listed after these terms in the claims. A system, UE, article, composition, formulation, or process that does so is still considered to fall within the scope of that claim. Also, in the claims that follow, terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” are used only as labels and are not intended to place numerical requirements on their objects.

An abstract of the disclosure is required by 37 C.F.R. It is provided to comply with §1.72(b). It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Also, in the above detailed description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in a single embodiment in order to streamline the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Accordingly, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims (20)

An apparatus configured to operate as a service provider in a new radio (NR) network,
processing circuitry; and
Memory
including,
The processing circuitry,
Receives a first request for installing an EC NF (Network Function) to support EC (Edge Computing) from an ASP (application service provider), or - the EC NF is EC NFs including EAS (Edge Application Server) selected from the set -; or
Receives a first request from another entity to install an EC Network Function (NF) to support Edge Computing (EC), wherein the EC NF includes an Edge Enabler Server (EES) and an Edge Configuration Server (ECS) NF selected from the set of EC NFs comprising -;
In response to the first request, install the EC NF and send a first notification to the ASP or other entity to indicate installation of the EC NF;
receive, from the ASP or other entity, a second request to terminate the EC NF after installation of the EC NF, the second request including an identifier of the EC NF;
In response to the second request, terminate the EC NF and send a second notification to the ASP or other entity to indicate termination of the EC NF.
constituted,
wherein the memory is configured to store the first and second requests. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry, in response to the first request, based on deployment conditions, one of a plurality of Edge Data Networks (EDNs) to host the EC NF. configured to select a device. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the deployment conditions include Quality of Service (QoS), geographic service area conditions, and virtualized resources to be used. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the service provider is an ECSP including an Edge Computing Service Provider (ECSP) management system. According to claim 4,
The first request is a request to install the EAS and the second request is a request to terminate the EAS,
In response to receiving the first request, the ECSP management system,
instantiate an EAS virtual network function (VNF);
After instantiation of the EAS VNF,
connect the EAS to the EES;
To connect the EAS to 5 ^th generation core (5GC) NFs to transmit information over N6 and Edge 7-interfaces
constituted,
In response to receiving the second request with the EAS identifier of the EAS to be terminated, the ECSP management system:
Ending the EAS VNF with the EAS identifier,
To disconnect the EAS from the 5GC NFs
configured device. According to claim 4,
The first request is a request to install the EES and the second request is a request to terminate the EES,
In response to receiving the first request, the ECSP management system,
instantiate an EES virtual network function (VNF);
After instantiation of the EES VNF, to connect the EES to 5 ^th generation core (5GC) NFs to transmit information over N6 and Edge 2-interfaces
constituted,
In response to receiving the second request with the EES identifier of the EES to be terminated, the ECSP management system:
Terminating the EES VNF with the EES identifier;
To disconnect the EES from the 5GC NFs
configured device. According to claim 4,
The first request is a request to install the ECS and the second request is a request to terminate the ECS,
In response to receiving the first request, the ECSP management system,
instantiate an ECS virtual network function (VNF);
After instantiation of the ECS VNF, to connect the EES to 5 ^th generation core (5GC) NFs to transmit information over N6 and Edge 8-interfaces
constituted,
In response to receiving the second request with the ECS identifier of the ECS to be terminated, the ECSP management system:
Terminating the ECS VNF with the ECS identifier;
To disconnect the ECS from the 5GC NFs
configured device. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the service provider is at least one of a public land mobile network (PLMN) or a PLMN or EC service provider each comprising a EC management system. According to claim 8,
The first request is a request to install the EAS and the second request is a request to terminate the EAS,
In response to receiving the first request, the PLMN or EC management system,
instantiate an EAS virtual network function (VNF);
After instantiation of the EAS VNF,
connect the EAS to the EES;
To connect the EAS to 5 ^th generation core (5GC) NFs to transmit information over N6 and Edge 7-interfaces
constituted,
In response to receiving the second request with the EAS identifier of the EAS to be terminated, the PLMN or EC management system,
Ending the EAS VNF with the EAS identifier,
To disconnect the EAS from the 5GC NFs
configured device. According to claim 8,
The first request is a request to install the EES and the second request is a request to terminate the EES,
In response to receiving the first request, the PLMN or EC management system,
instantiate an EES virtual network function (VNF);
After instantiation of the EES VNF, to connect the EES to 5 ^th generation core (5GC) NFs to transmit information over N6 and Edge 2-interfaces
constituted,
In response to receiving the second request with the EES identifier of the EES to be terminated, the PLMN or EC management system:
Terminating the EES VNF with the EES identifier;
To disconnect the EES from the 5GC NFs
configured device. According to claim 8,
The first request is a request to install the ECS and the second request is a request to terminate the ECS,
In response to receiving the first request, the PLMN or EC management system,
instantiate an ECS virtual network function (VNF);
After instantiation of the ECS VNF, to connect the EES to 5 ^th generation core (5GC) NFs to transmit information over N6 and Edge 8-interfaces
constituted,
In response to receiving the second request with the ECS identifier of the ECS to be terminated, the PLMN or EC management system,
Terminating the ECS VNF with the ECS identifier;
To disconnect the ECS from the 5GC NFs
configured device. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry, in response to the first request,
Based on deployment conditions, selecting one of a plurality of Edge Data Networks (EDNs) to host the EC NF;
To install the EC NF in one of the EDNs
configured device. The method of claim 1, wherein the EC NF,
A first EES of an Edge Data Network (EDN) that provides configuration information to an Edge Enabler Client (EEC) and enables exchange of application data traffic between the first EAS and an application client (AC) of a user equipment (UE), or
and a second EES that provides configuration information to the EEC and enables exchange of application data traffic between the first EAS and an AC of the UE. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry,
In an Edge Data Network (EDN), an EAS NF configured to perform server functions, and
In user equipment (UE), an application client (AC) NF configured to perform client functions
An apparatus further configured to generate. A device configured to operate as a management system of a service provider,
processing circuitry; and
Memory
including,
The processing circuitry,
Receives a first request for installing an EC NF (Network Function) to support EC (Edge Computing) - the EC NF is an Edge Application Server (EAS), an Edge Enabler Server (EES), and an Edge Configuration Server (ECS) ) selected from the set of EC NFs comprising -;
In response to receiving the first request,
Instantiating an EC virtual network function (VNF) of the EC NF;
After instantiation of the EC VNF,
Connecting the EC NF to 5 ^th generation core (5GC) NFs to transmit information through edge interfaces;
send a first notification to indicate installation of the EC NF;
Receive a second request for terminating the EC NF after installation of the EC NF, the second request including an EC NF identifier of the EC NF;
In response to receiving the second request,
terminating the EC NF associated with the EC NF identifier;
Disconnecting the EC NF from the 5GC NFs;
To send a second notification to indicate the end of the EC NF
constituted,
wherein the memory is configured to store the first and second requests. 16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the service provider is at least one of a public land mobile network (PLMN) or an EC service provider, and the management system comprises a PLMN or EC management system, respectively. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the service provider is an Edge Computing Service Provider (ECSP), and the management system comprises an ECSP management system. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the processing circuitry, in response to the first request,
Based on deployment conditions, selecting one of a plurality of Edge Data Networks (EDNs) to host the EC NF;
To install the EC NF in one of the EDNs
configured device. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for execution by one or more processors of a service provider in a next generation (NG) network,
The one or more processors, when the instructions are executed,
Receives a first request for installing an EC NF (Network Function) to support EC (Edge Computing) - the EC NF is an Edge Application Server (EAS), an Edge Enabler Server (EES), and an Edge Configuration Server (ECS) ) selected from the set of EC NFs comprising -;
In response to receiving the first request,
Instantiating an EC virtual network function (VNF) of the EC NF;
After instantiation of the EC VNF,
Connecting the EC NF to 5 ^th generation core (5GC) NFs to transmit information through edge interfaces;
send a first notification to indicate installation of the EC NF;
Receive a second request for terminating the EC NF after installation of the EC NF, the second request including an EC NF identifier of the EC NF;
In response to receiving the second request,
terminating the EC NF associated with the EC NF identifier;
Disconnecting the EC NF from the 5GC NFs;
For sending a second notification to indicate the end of the EC NF
A medium that constitutes a service. The method of claim 19, in response to the first request,
Based on deployment conditions, selecting one of a plurality of Edge Data Networks (EDNs) to host the EC NF;
Installing the EC NF in one of the EDNs.

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