WO2018000393A1

WO2018000393A1 - Method, device and system for managing network slice

Info

Publication number: WO2018000393A1
Application number: PCT/CN2016/088036
Authority: WO
Inventors: 杨水根; 谭巍; 张伟
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2016-06-30
Filing date: 2016-06-30
Publication date: 2018-01-04
Also published as: CN109417558A; CN109417558B

Abstract

Provided are a method, device and system for managing a network slice capable of improving efficiency of network slice management. The method comprises: a first network device receiving a network slice termination request requesting termination of a target network slice; and the first network device transmitting, to a second network device, a network slice termination confirmation indicating termination of the target network slice.

Description

Method, device and system for managing network slicing

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a method, device and system for managing network slices.

Background technique

Future 5G mobile communication systems need to meet diverse business needs, such as enhanced mobile broadband, large-scale machine-like communications, ultra-reliable and low-latency communications. The network slicing technology logically abstracts the network into one or more isolated network slices, wherein each network slice contains a series of logical network functions to specifically meet the differentiated requirements of different services.

In network slicing technology, lifecycle management of network slicing is a key issue to consider. When the service no longer needs to use network slicing (for example, machine type communication services are no longer needed), or when the network no longer provides network slicing services (for example, network providers decide to turn off network slicing for machine type communication based on cost-effective reasons), Need to terminate the relevant network slice. However, the prior art network management architecture (for example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) telecommunications network management architecture) only supports manual network management, and cannot flexibly manage and orchestrate network slices.

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides a method, apparatus and system for managing network slices to improve the efficiency of managing network slices.

A first aspect provides a method for managing a network slice, including: a first network device receiving a network slice termination request, the network slice termination request being used to request termination of a target network slice; and the first network device to a second network The device sends a network slice termination acknowledgement, and the network slice termination acknowledgement is used to indicate the target network slice termination.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the first network device can terminate the network slice flexibly and autonomously by receiving the network slice termination request and sending the network slice termination confirmation, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

In a possible implementation manner, the first network device receives the Network slice termination request.

In a possible implementation manner, after the receiving, by the first network device, the network slice termination request, the first network device sends a network function termination request to the third network device, where the network function termination request is used. Instructing to terminate the network function corresponding to the target network slice.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the first network device can automatically send a network slice termination request according to the service requirement, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

In a possible implementation, the first network device sends a network function termination request to the third network device, where the first network device determines that the target network slice does not exist and shares network functions with other network slices. In case, the network function termination request is sent to the third network device.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the first network device can automatically manage and/or arrange network functions and/or network resources corresponding to the network slice according to the service requirement and the current network state, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

In a possible implementation, before the first network device sends the network slice termination acknowledgement to the second network device, the method further includes: the first network device receiving a network function termination acknowledgement from the third network device, The network function termination confirmation is used to indicate the end of the network function corresponding to the target network slice.

In a possible implementation, the first network device sends a network resource release request to the third network device, where the network resource release request is used to release the network resource corresponding to the target network slice.

In a possible implementation manner, the network slice termination request includes an identifier of the target network slice.

A second aspect provides a method for managing a network slice, comprising: a second network device sending a network slice termination request to a first network device, the network slice termination request being used to request termination of a target network slice; the second network The device receives a network slice termination acknowledgement, the network slice termination acknowledgement being used to indicate the target network slice termination.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the second network device can terminate the network slice flexibly and autonomously by transmitting the network slice termination request and receiving the network slice termination confirmation, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

In a possible implementation manner, the second network device receives the network slice termination acknowledgement from the first network device.

In a possible implementation, before the sending, by the second network device, the network slice termination request to the first network device, the method further includes: the second network device receiving the request information, where the request information is used to request the termination Transmitting a network slice termination request to the first network device, the second network device sending the network slice termination request to the first network device according to the request information .

In a possible implementation manner, before the sending, by the second network device, the network slice termination request to the first network device, the method further includes: the second network device receiving a service termination request, where the service termination request is used for the request Terminating the target service; the second network device determines a network slice corresponding to the target service; the second network device determines a network slice corresponding to the target service as the target network slice; and the second network device is configured according to The target network slice generates the network slice termination request.

In a possible implementation manner, after the second network device receives the network slice termination acknowledgement, the method further includes: deleting, by the second network device, a network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice.

In a possible implementation manner, after the second network device receives the network slice termination acknowledgement, the method further includes: the second network device sending a network slice termination advertisement to the network manager, where the network slice termination advertisement is used for Indicates that the target network slice has been terminated.

A third aspect provides a method for managing a network slice, including: receiving, by a third network device, a network function termination request, where the network function termination request is used to indicate a network function corresponding to a termination target network slice; and the third network device Terminating the network function corresponding to the target network slice according to the network function termination request.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the third network device may terminate the network function corresponding to the target network slice according to the received network function request, and can flexibly and autonomously terminate the network function of the network slice, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

In a possible implementation manner, after the terminating the network function corresponding to the target network slice, the method further includes: the third network device sending a network function termination confirmation to the first network device, where the network function termination confirmation Used to indicate the end of the network function corresponding to the target network slice.

In a possible implementation manner, the third network device receives the network function termination request from the first network device.

In a possible implementation manner, after the third network device receives the network function termination request, the method further includes: deleting, by the third network device, a network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice.

In a possible implementation, before the receiving, by the third network device, the network function termination request, the third network device sends request information to the second network device, where the request information is used to request the termination The target network slice.

In a possible implementation, the method further includes: receiving, by the third network device, a network resource release request, where the network resource release request is used to indicate that the network resource corresponding to the target network slice is released.

The fourth aspect provides a method for managing a network slice, where the fourth network device sends a network function termination request to the third network device, where the network function termination request is used to indicate a network function corresponding to the termination target network slice; The fourth network device receives a network function termination acknowledgement, where the network function termination acknowledgement is used to indicate that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the fourth network device can terminate the network function corresponding to the target network slice by sending the network function termination request and the receiving network function termination confirmation to the third device, and can flexibly and autonomously terminate the network function of the network slice, and improve the network function. Manage the efficiency of network slicing.

In a possible implementation manner, after the fourth network device receives the network function termination confirmation, the method further includes: deleting, by the fourth network device, the network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice.

In a possible implementation, before the fourth network device sends the network function termination request to the third network device, the method further includes: the fourth network device receiving the request information, where the request information is used to request the termination Transmitting a network function termination request to the third network device, where the fourth network device sends the network function termination request to the third network device according to the request information. .

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: the fourth network device receives a service termination request, where the service termination request is used to request termination of a target service; and the fourth network device determines that the target service corresponds to a network slice; the fourth network device determines a network slice corresponding to the target service as the target network slice; and the fourth network device generates the network function termination request according to the target network slice.

In a possible implementation, the sending, by the fourth network device, the network function termination request to the third network device includes: determining that the target network slice does not exist and sharing network functions with other network slices, Transmitting, by the fourth network device, the network function to the third network device Can terminate the request.

In a possible implementation manner, the method further includes: the fourth network device sends a network resource release request to the third network device, where the network resource release request is used to indicate that the network corresponding to the target network slice is released. Resources.

In a fifth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device comprising means for performing the method of the first aspect. Based on the same inventive concept, since the principle of solving the problem of the network device corresponds to the solution in the method design of the first aspect, the implementation of the network device can refer to the implementation of the method, and the repeated description is not repeated.

In a sixth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device comprising means for performing the method of the second aspect. Based on the same inventive concept, since the principle of solving the problem of the network device corresponds to the solution in the method design of the first aspect, the implementation of the network device can refer to the implementation of the method, and the repeated description is not repeated.

In a seventh aspect, a network device is provided, the network device comprising means for performing the method of the third aspect. Based on the same inventive concept, since the principle of solving the problem of the network device corresponds to the solution in the method design of the first aspect, the implementation of the network device can refer to the implementation of the method, and the repeated description is not repeated.

In an eighth aspect, a network device is provided, the network device comprising means for performing the method of the fourth aspect. Based on the same inventive concept, since the principle of solving the problem of the network device corresponds to the solution in the method design of the first aspect, the implementation of the network device can refer to the implementation of the method, and the repeated description is not repeated.

The ninth aspect provides a network system, comprising the network device according to the fifth aspect, the sixth aspect, and the seventh aspect, or the network device according to the seventh aspect and the eighth aspect.

In a tenth aspect, a system chip is provided, the system chip comprising means for performing the method of the first aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, a system chip is provided, the system chip comprising means for performing the method of the second aspect.

In a twelfth aspect, a system chip is provided, the system chip comprising means for performing the method of the third aspect.

In a thirteenth aspect, a system chip is provided, the system chip comprising means for performing the method of the fourth aspect.

A fourteenth aspect, the invention provides a network system comprising the system chip of the above tenth aspect, the eleventh aspect and the twelfth aspect, or the System chip.

DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings to be used in the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly described below. It is obvious that the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention, Those skilled in the art can also obtain other drawings based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

1 is a block diagram of a network management architecture in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram of a network management architecture in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart of managing a network slice according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic flow chart of managing a network slice according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of managing a network slice according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic flow chart of managing a network slice according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic flow chart of managing a network slice according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic flow chart of managing a network slice according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a network device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a network device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a schematic block diagram of a network device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a network device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a network device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram of a network device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 15 is a schematic block diagram of a network device in accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention.

16 is a schematic block diagram of a network device according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. It is a partial embodiment of the invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, those of ordinary skill in the art obtain the following without creative efforts. All other embodiments obtained are within the scope of the invention.

It should be understood that the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention can be applied to various communication systems, for example, Global System of Mobile communication ("GSM") system, Code Division Multiple Access (Code Division Multiple Access, referred to as "CDMA") system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service ("GPRS"), Long Term Evolution (Long Term Evolution, Referred to as "LTE" system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex ("FDD") system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System, referred to as "UMTS" for short, or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access ("WiMAX") communication system.

It should be noted that the terms "network slice" and "network slice instance" in this document can be replaced with each other. The term "network management architecture", "network system", "system", etc., may be interchanged herein.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to network slicing techniques. The network slicing technology logically abstracts the network into one or more isolated network slices, each of which contains a series of logical network functions to specifically meet the differentiated requirements of different service types. For example, in the fifth generation mobile communication (The 5th Generation, referred to as "5G") network, network slicing is an on-demand networking, which enables operators to adjust according to changing user requirements and quickly New services that meet the needs of new applications.

The network slicing technology abstracts the 5G network physical infrastructure resources into a plurality of independent parallel network slices according to the scene requirements. Each network slice performs customized tailoring of network functions and management of corresponding network functions according to the needs of the business scenario and the business model. A network slice can be thought of as an instantiated 5G network. Such a network structure allows operators to provide the network as a service to users, and can freely combine physical networks according to indicators such as rate, capacity, coverage, delay, reliability, security, and availability to meet different users. Claim.

In network slicing technology, network slice lifecycle management is a key issue to consider. Network slice lifecycle management includes the creation, composition, update, and deletion (end) of network slices. For the creation, composition, and update of network slices, the network device should determine the available network resources for each network slice and configure specific network functions and parameters for it. For network slice deletion (end), network devices should release those specific network functions and network resources.

It should be understood that the foregoing network device may be a network management device in a network management system. Specifically, the network device may be a device including a network slice lifecycle management module NS-LCM mentioned below, and a device including a network slice programming module NSO. Or the device including the network slice control module NSC, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows a network management architecture 100 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The network management architecture 100 may include at least one network element ("NE"), at least one element manager ("EM"), and at least one domain manager (Domain Manager, referred to as "DM"), Network Slicing Control ("NSC") module, Network Slice Orchestration ("NSO") module, Network Slice Lifecycle Management (Network Slice Lifecycle Management, referred to as "NS-LCM") module and Network Manager ("NM").

The NE may be the smallest unit that can be monitored and managed in the network management architecture 100. The EM may be responsible for managing a single NE and providing functions for processing a separate NE, including, for example, alarm management, notification management, logging, and hardware and software maintenance.

Alternatively, it should be understood that at least a portion of the network functionality of the network slice may be physically performed by the NE. That is, the network slice represents a series of logical network functions, and the entity that performs the network slicing function may be an NE.

The NM can manage the entire network, can be supported by multiple EMs, or can be directly connected to the NE. NM can mainly provide network management functions, management devices and other related functions, such as branching, configuration, control and monitoring of network resources. For example, the NM can be a module that has the functionality of a network manager in a traditional 3GPP telecommunications network management architecture.

NS-LCM can be used to be responsible for lifecycle management of network slices, for example, including creation, combination, update, deletion (end) of network slices. Specifically, at least one of the following functions may be included: (1) the requirement of receiving a service, for example, the number of devices that need to be supported/served, the delay and throughput of the data flow, the coverage, and the economic parameters (eg, charging method) (2) Converting the demand of the service into a demand for the network. For example, if the user's demand is the number of devices and the coverage, the corresponding network demand is the throughput/delay of the network connection, the number of base stations required, etc. (3) Generate a Network Slice Descriptor ("NSD"), which describes the composition of the network slice, for example, Network Slice Identifier (NS-ID), network Function, network slicing logical topology (connection mode, interface, key performance indicator (Key Performance Indicator, referred to as "KPI") requirements). Specifically, the Network functions can be large-grain functions, such as mobility management, connection management, access control, etc., or atomic functions, such as the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer. Automatic Commutation Request (Robust Header Compression, referred to as "ROHC"), encryption/decryption, reordering, etc., Radio Link Control (RLC) layer automatic retransmission request (Automatic Repeat-reQuest) Hybrid Automatic Repeat-reQuest (referred to as "ARQ"), packet fragmentation, reordering, etc., Hybrid Automatic Repeat-reQuest (Medium Access Control, referred to as "MAC") layer HARQ"), multiplexing/demultiplexing and other functions. The network slice logical topology can be used to indicate the connection mode, interface, KPI requirements (which can include bandwidth, delay, throughput) between the network functions of the network slice.

The NSO can orchestrate network resources based on the network slicing requirements generated by the NS-LCM and the actual network resources. The network resources may include link resources, storage resources, computing resources, or other network resources as described above.

NSC can be mainly used for the configuration and management of network resources in order to meet the needs of network slicing.

In FIG. 1, the interface between the NS-LCM and the NSO can be mainly used to transmit the constituent elements of the network slice, that is, the network slice descriptor NSD, including the NS-ID, the network function, the network slice logical topology (connection mode, interface, KPI demand) and so on.

The interface between the NSO and the NM can be mainly used to deliver the network functions and network resource descriptions needed to support the network slice. The network functions include mobility management, security authentication, etc., and these network functions can be either physical network functions or virtual network functions. The network resources include link resources, storage resources, computing resources, and the like.

The interface between the NSO and the NSC can be mainly used to convey the description of the network functions and network resources unique to the network slice, for example, the network slice selection function.

The interface between the NSC and the EM or DM can be mainly used to configure and manage network functions and network resources unique to the network slice, for example, NS-ID.

The interface between the NS-LCM and the NM can be mainly used by the NM to report the network status to the NS-LCM, thereby triggering the update, deletion (terminating) or other status of the network slice.

FIG. 2 illustrates another network management architecture 200 to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In Figure 2, the NSC module and the NM can be combined into one functional module that has all the functions of NSC and NM. The combined functional module can be the NSC/NM in FIG. The NSC/NM is connected to the NS-LCM, the NSO, and each EM through an interface. The work of the interface between the NSC/NM and other modules For a set of functions that can be equivalent to the interface between the NSC and the NM and other modules, refer to the detailed description in FIG. 1 , and details are not described herein again.

Further, it should be noted that the respective functional modules and units introduced above are considered from the viewpoint of the functions they have. In practical applications, each of the foregoing functional modules may be a separate physical entity, or two or more devices may be integrated into one unit. For example, the NS-LCM module and the NSO module may be combined into one functional module. All of the functions of the NS-LCM module and the NSO module, or NM and NSC, can also be combined into one functional module. Various equivalent modifications or alternatives can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Such modifications or substitutions are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

In order to improve the efficiency of management network slicing, a method, device and system for managing network slicing are proposed. It can be used to delete (terminate) network slices. The method can be used in network management architecture 100, network management architecture 200, or other network management architecture.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic block diagram of a method 300 of managing network slices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The method of FIG. 3 can be applied to the network management architecture described above, wherein the first network device in the method 300 can be the network slice orchestration module (NSO), and the second network device can be the network slice lifecycle management module. (NS-LCM), the third network device may be the above network slice control function module (NSC), or the third network device may also be a module combined with the network slice control function module and the network manager (NM). The method 300 of Figure 3 includes:

S301. The first network device receives a network slice termination request, where the network slice termination request is used to request termination of the target network slice.

The first network device can be used to orchestrate network functions and network resources based on network slice requirements and actual network resources. For example, the first network device can be the network slicing module described above.

The above target network slice may refer to a network slice to be terminated, or a network slice that needs to be terminated. Terminating the target network slice may include terminating the network function corresponding to the target network slice, and may also release the network resource corresponding to the target network slice. The above network functions can include both physical network functions and virtual network functions. For example, the foregoing network resources may include link resources, storage resources, computing resources, and the like. The network function can be a function of large granularity, such as mobility management, connection management, access control, etc., or atomic functions, such as ROHC, encryption/decryption, reordering, etc. of the PDCP layer, and ARQ of the RLC layer. , message fragmentation, reordering and other functions, MAC layer HARQ, multiplexing / demultiplexing and other functions.

Optionally, the network slice termination request may include an identifier of the target network slice, that is, an identity identifier (NS-ID) of the target network slice.

S302. The first network device sends a network slice termination acknowledgement to the second network device, where the network slice termination acknowledgement is used to indicate that the target network slice is terminated.

The second network device can be used to be responsible for network slice lifecycle management. For example, the second network device can be the network slice lifecycle management module described above.

Optionally, in S301, the first network device may receive the network slice termination request from the second network device. For example, before S301, the second network device may receive request information, where the request information is used to request termination of the target network slice; and the second network device may send the network slice termination request to the first network device according to the request information. For another example, the second network device may receive a service termination request, where the service termination request is used to request termination of the target service; the second network device may determine a network slice corresponding to the target service; and the second network device may slice the network corresponding to the target service. The target network slice is determined, and the network slice termination request is generated according to the target network slice to be sent to the first network device.

Optionally, the request message received by the second network device may be sent by the third network device to the first network device, or may be sent by the network manager.

The network slice corresponding to the target service may also refer to the network slice associated with the target service, or may be understood as the network slice corresponding to the target service is a network slice used to meet the requirements of the target service.

Optionally, after S301, the method 300 further includes:

S303. The first network device sends a network function termination request to the third network device, where the network function termination request is used to indicate that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated. The third network device can be used to configure and manage network functions and network resources to meet the requirements of network slicing. For example, the third network device can be the network slice control function module in the above. Optionally, the foregoing third network device may further include a network management function of the network manager in the 3GPP telecommunication network management architecture.

Optionally, the first network device may further send a network resource release request to the third network device, where the network resource release request is used to indicate that the network resource corresponding to the target network slice is released.

Optionally, the network function termination request may be used to indicate that all network functions corresponding to the target network slice are terminated, and may also be used to indicate that part of the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated.

Optionally, the first network device may perform, according to the network slice termination request sent by the second network device, the network function and the resource, to determine whether the network function corresponding to the target network slice needs to be terminated, and/or the target network slice is released. Internet resources. And determining, in the case of determining the network function corresponding to the target network slice, sending a corresponding network function termination request or a network resource release request to the third network device.

Optionally, in S303, the first network device may send the network function termination request to the third network device if it is determined that the target network slice does not have a network function shared with other network slices. The above other network slices may refer to any network slice that has a shared network function with the target network slice. For example, when the target network slice and other network slices share the mobility management function, the first network device may determine not to terminate the mobility management function corresponding to the target network slice to avoid affecting the normal operation of other network slices.

In addition, the first network device determines that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is not terminated if the first network device determines that the target network slice has a shared network function with other network slices. Further, the first network device may further instruct the second network device to delete the network slice descriptor of the target network slice to terminate the network slice between the target network slice and the network function, if the network function corresponding to the target network slice is not terminated. Association, that is, although the network function is not terminated, there is no correspondence between the network function and the target network slice, and the target network slice is still terminated. It should be noted that the target network slice may correspond to multiple network functions, and the first network device may not necessarily terminate all network functions of the target network slice according to the network programming, and may also terminate some functions of the target network slice. In the embodiment of the present invention, the first network device can automatically manage and/or arrange network functions and/or network resources corresponding to the network slice according to the service requirement and the current network state, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

Optionally, before S302, the method 300 further includes:

S304. The third network device terminates the network function corresponding to the target network slice according to the received network function termination request.

S305. After terminating the network function corresponding to the target network slice, the third network device sends a network function termination confirmation to the first network device, where the network function termination confirmation is used to indicate the target network. The network function corresponding to the slice ends.

Optionally, the third network device may also release the network resource corresponding to the target network slice according to the received network resource release request, and send a network resource release confirmation to the first network device. For example, the foregoing network resource may refer to a link resource, a storage resource, or a computing resource corresponding to the target network slice.

Optionally, after S302, the method 300 further includes:

S306. After receiving the network slice termination acknowledgement, the second network device deletes the network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice or other related information of the target network slice.

S307. After deleting the network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice, the second network device sends a network slice termination advertisement to the network manager, where the network slice termination advertisement is used to indicate that the target network slice is terminated, so that the network manager is Delete the network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice or other related information of the target network slice. The network manager can be responsible for managing the entire network system, which can provide online management functions, manage interactions between devices, and the like, for example, distribution, configuration, control, or monitoring of network resources. For example, the network manager described above may be an NM in the network management architecture 100, or may be a network manager in a conventional 3GPP telecommunications network management architecture, or may also be a module containing network manager functionality.

The network slice descriptor of the target network slice may refer to information describing the composition of the target network slice in the second device, for example, network slice identity, network function, network slice logical topology (connection mode, interface, KPI) Wait. It can be understood that the network slice descriptor of the target network slice is generated along with the generation of the target network slice, and is deleted as the target network slice is terminated. Deleting the network slice descriptor of the target network slice means that the target network slice is terminated.

It should be understood that the method 300 can be applied to the network management architecture described above, wherein the first network device, the second network device, and the third network device introduced above are divided according to the functions they have. In practical applications, each of the above devices may be physically present, or two or more devices may be integrated into one unit. For example, the first network device can be combined with the second network device into one device, and the device can include all functions of the first network device and the second network device. For example, a device in which the first network device and the second network device are combined may be referred to as a fourth network device. In addition, the third network device can be combined with the network manager in the 3GPP telecommunications management architecture into one Device, but whether the above devices are combined into one device does not affect the method and system architecture for managing network slicing as described herein. A person skilled in the art can easily conceive various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the scope of the present invention, and such modifications or substitutions are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart of a method 400 for managing a network slice according to an embodiment of the present invention. The fourth network device in the method may be a device in which the first network device and the second network device are merged, that is, the fourth network device may have a All the functions of a network device and a second network device. For the content of the method 400 in FIG. 4, which is the same as or similar to that of FIG. 3, reference may be made to the description related to FIG. 3, and details are not described herein again. The method 400 includes:

S401. The fourth network device sends a network function termination request to the third network device, where the network function termination request is used to indicate a network function corresponding to the termination target network slice.

S402. The fourth network device receives a network function termination confirmation, where the network function termination confirmation message is used to indicate that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the fourth network device can terminate the network function corresponding to the network slice flexibly and autonomously by transmitting the network function termination request and receiving the network function termination confirmation, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

Before the S401, the fourth network device may receive the request information, where the request information is used to request to terminate the target network slice; in this case, in S401, the fourth network device may follow the request information to the third The network device sends the network function termination request. Alternatively, the fourth network device may receive a service termination request, where the service termination request is used to request to terminate the target service; the fourth network device may determine the network slice corresponding to the target service, and determine the network slice corresponding to the target service as the target network slice. And generating the network function termination request according to the target network slice to send to the third network device.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the fourth network device can automatically send a network function termination request according to the service requirement, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

Optionally, before S401, the fourth network device may schedule the network function and the resource to determine whether the network function corresponding to the target network slice needs to be terminated and/or the network resource corresponding to the target network slice is released. And in the case of determining the network function corresponding to the termination target network slice, sending a corresponding network function termination request to the third network device. For example, the fourth network device may send the network function termination request to the third network device if it is determined that the target network slice does not have a network function shared with other network slices.

Optionally, the fourth network device may delete the network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice after receiving the network function termination confirmation.

The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the specific examples. The embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative only. A person skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications or changes in the embodiments according to the examples given, and such modifications or variations are also within the scope of the embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method 500 for managing network slicing according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the first network device may be a network slicing orchestration module (NSO), and the second network device may be a network slice lifecycle management. Module (NS-LCM), the third network device may be a network slice control function module (NSC), the NM in FIG. 5 represents a network manager, and the method 500 includes:

S501: The NS-LCM receives a service termination request; for example, is used to request termination of network support for the service.

Specifically, for example, the NS-LCM may include a user-oriented upper application interface, and the NS-LCM may receive service request information of the user's computer application through the upper application interface, and the service request message may be a service termination request. For example, the upper application interface may be an application programming interface (API), and the user may be a terminal device.

S502. The NS-LCM may determine a network slice associated with the service; that is, determine a network slice corresponding to the service.

S503. The NS-LCM sends a network slice termination request to the NSO, where the NSO receives the network slice termination request, where the network slice termination request may include an identifier (NS-ID) of the network slice.

S504: The NSO determines whether to terminate the network function corresponding to the network slice.

The NSO can orchestrate network functions and network resources based on the requirements of network slice termination to determine whether network functions need to be terminated, and which network functions are terminated and/or related network resources are released. For example, when multiple network slices share mobility management functions, the NSO orchestrate the mobility management functions of multiple network slices. The result is that the mobility management function cannot be terminated to avoid affecting the normality of other unterminated network slices. run.

S505, the NSO is based on the network function and the network resource arrangement result. In the case that the NSO determines the network function of terminating the network slice, the NSO sends a network function termination request to the NSC, and the network function termination request is used to request to terminate the network function corresponding to the network slice. The NSO may also send a network resource release request to the NSC in the event that the NSO determines the network function to terminate the network slice.

The result of the above network function and network resource arrangement may be determined whether it needs to be terminated. The network function corresponding to the network slice, which network functions are terminated and/or which network resources are released.

S506: The NSC receives the network function termination request, and terminates the network function corresponding to the network slice according to the network function termination request, and then sends a network function termination confirmation to the NSO, and the NSC can also receive the network resource release request, and terminate the network function of the network slice. In the case, the NSC can also release the network resource corresponding to the network slice and send a network resource release confirmation to the NSO.

S507: The NSO receives the network function termination confirmation, and the NSO can also receive the network slice release acknowledgement and send a network slice termination acknowledgement to the NS-LCM.

S508. The NS-LCM receives the network termination confirmation, and deletes the network slice descriptor corresponding to the network slice.

The network slice descriptor is generated when the NS-LCM generates the network slice, and the network slice descriptor needs to be deleted when terminating the network slice. The network slice descriptor corresponding to the NS-LCM delete network slice indicates the end of the network slice.

S509: The NS-LCM sends a network slice termination advertisement to the NM to notify the NM that the network slice has been terminated.

S510. The NM receives the network slice termination advertisement, and deletes the network slice descriptor corresponding to the network slice.

The network slice descriptor is generated by the NS-LCM when generating the network slice, and is used to describe the constituent elements of the network slice. After generating the network slice, the NS-LCM sends an image file of the network slice to the NM. Therefore, the NM also needs to delete the network slice descriptor corresponding to the network slice to indicate that the network slice has been terminated.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the NSO, the NS-LCM, and the NSC can flexibly manage the life cycle of the network slice and determine whether to terminate the network function corresponding to the network slice according to the service requirement and the network resource arrangement, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

The main function of NSC is to configure and manage network functions and network resources according to the needs of network slicing. NSC can also be combined with NM, that is, NSC can also include the functions of NM. Thus, FIG. 6 illustrates a method 600 of managing network slices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, wherein NSC/NM represents a module in which NSC and NM are merged. For the method shown in FIG. 6, the same or similar content as FIG. 5 can be described with reference to FIG. 5, and details are not described herein again. The method 600 includes:

S601 to S605 are the same as or similar to S501 to S505 of FIG. 5, and detailed descriptions of corresponding parts in FIG. 5 may be referred to, and details are not described herein again.

S606. After receiving the network function termination request sent by the NSO, the NSC/NM terminates the network. The corresponding network function is sliced, and the network slice descriptor corresponding to the network slice is deleted. In addition, the NSC/NM can also receive the network resource release request sent by the NSO, and release the network resource corresponding to the network slice.

S607 to S609 are the same as or similar to S506 to S508 in FIG. 5, and are not described herein again.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the NSO, the NS-LCM, and the NSC/NM can flexibly manage the life cycle of the network slice and determine whether to terminate the network function corresponding to the network slice according to the service requirement and the network resource arrangement, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice. .

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of a method of managing network slices according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 illustrates the method of network slice termination initiated by NM. For the method shown in FIG. 7 , the same or similar content as FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 can be described with reference to FIG. 5 or FIG. 6 , and details are not described herein again. The method 700 includes:

S701. The NM sends a network slice termination request to the NS-LCM.

The network slice termination request may include an identifier (NS-ID) of the network slice.

S702. The NS-LCM receives the network slice termination request, and forwards the network slice termination request to the NSO.

S703 to S709 are the same as or similar to the steps S504 to S510 of FIG. 5, and detailed descriptions of corresponding parts in FIG. 5 may be referred to, and details are not described herein again.

In the embodiment of the present invention, in the case that the NM autonomously initiates a network slice termination request, the NSO, the NS-LCM, and the NSC can flexibly manage the life cycle of the network slice and determine whether to terminate the network according to the requirements of network slice termination and network resource scheduling. The corresponding network function of the slice improves the efficiency of managing network slicing.

8 illustrates a method 800 of managing network slices in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Method 800 illustrates a method of network slice termination initiated by NSC/NM when NSC and NM are combined. Among them, NSC/NM represents a module in which NSC and NM are combined. For the method shown in FIG. 8 , the same or similar content as that of FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 can be described with reference to FIG. 5 to FIG. 7 , and details are not described herein again. The method 800 includes:

S801 to S804 are the same as or similar to the steps S701 to S704 in FIG. 7, and detailed descriptions of corresponding parts in FIG. 7 may be referred to, and details are not described herein again.

S805. After receiving the network function termination request sent by the NSO, the NSC/NM terminates the network function corresponding to the network slice, and deletes the network slice descriptor corresponding to the network slice. In addition, the NSC/NM can also receive the network resource release sent by the NSO. Request and release the network slice corresponding Network resources.

S806 to S808 are the same as or similar to the steps S705 to S707 in FIG. 7, and detailed descriptions of corresponding parts in FIG. 7 may be referred to, and details are not described herein again.

In the embodiment of the present invention, when the NSC/NM autonomously initiates a network slice termination request, the NSO, the NS-LCM, and the NSC/NM can flexibly manage the life cycle of the network slice according to the requirements of network slice termination and network resource scheduling. Determine whether to terminate the network function corresponding to the network slice, and improve the efficiency of managing network slicing.

The method for managing a network slice and the network management architecture of the embodiment of the present invention are described in detail above with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 8. The network device of the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 9 to FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 900 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the network device 900 is capable of performing the various steps performed by the first network device in the methods of FIGS. 1 through 8, which are not described in detail herein in order to avoid redundancy. Network device 900 includes:

The receiving module 910 is configured to receive a network slice termination request, where the network slice termination request is used to request termination of the target network slice.

The sending module 920 is configured to send a network slice termination acknowledgement to the second network device, where the network slice termination acknowledgement is used to indicate the target network slice termination.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the network device can terminate the network slice flexibly and autonomously by receiving the network slice termination request and sending the network slice termination confirmation, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the network device 1000 is capable of performing the various steps performed by the second network device in the methods of FIGS. 1 through 8, which are not described in detail herein in order to avoid redundancy. Network device 1000 includes:

The sending module 1010 is configured to send a network slice termination request to the first network device, where the network slice termination request is used to request termination of the target network slice.

The receiving module 1020 is configured to receive a network slice termination acknowledgement, where the network slice termination acknowledgement is used to indicate the target network slice termination.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the network device can terminate the network slice flexibly and autonomously by transmitting the network slice termination request and receiving the network slice termination confirmation, thereby improving the efficiency of managing the network slice.

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 1100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the network device 1100 is capable of performing the various steps performed by the third network device in the methods of FIGS. 1 through 8, which are not described in detail herein to avoid repetition. The network device 1100 includes:

The receiving module 1110 is configured to receive a network function termination request, where the network function termination request is used Instructing to terminate the network function corresponding to the target network slice;

The processing module 1120 is configured to terminate the network function corresponding to the target network slice according to the network function termination request.

FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 1200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the network device 1200 can perform the various steps performed by the fourth network device in the method of FIG. 4, and is not detailed herein to avoid repetition. Network device 1200 includes:

The sending module 1210 is configured to send a network function termination request to the third network device, where the network function termination request is used to indicate a network function corresponding to the termination target network slice.

The receiving module 1220 is configured to receive a network function termination confirmation, where the network function termination confirmation is used to indicate that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the network device sends the network function termination request and the receiving network function termination confirmation to the third device, terminates the network function corresponding to the target network slice, and can flexibly and autonomously terminate the network function of the network slice, thereby improving the management network. The efficiency of the slice.

FIG. 13 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 1300 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the network device 1300 can perform the various steps performed by the first network device in the methods of FIGS. 1 through 8, which are not detailed herein to avoid repetition. Network device 1300 includes:

a memory 1310, configured to store a program;

a transceiver 1320, configured to communicate with other devices;

The processor 1330 is configured to execute a program in the memory 1310. When the program is executed, the processor 1330 is configured to receive a network slice termination request by using a transceiver 1320, where the network slice termination request is used to request to terminate the target network. Slicing; sending a network slice termination acknowledgement to the second network device, the network slice termination acknowledgement being used to indicate the target network slice termination.

FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 1400 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the network device 1400 can perform the various steps performed by the second network device in the methods of FIGS. 1-8, which are not described in detail herein to avoid repetition. Network device 1400 includes:

a memory 1410, configured to store a program;

a transceiver 1420, configured to communicate with other devices;

The processor 1430 is configured to execute a program in the memory 1410. When the program is executed, the processor 1430 is configured to send a network slice termination request to the first network device by using the transceiver 1420, where the network slice termination request is used. Ending the target network slice at the request; for receiving a network slice termination acknowledgement, the network slice termination acknowledgement is used to indicate the target network slice termination.

FIG. 15 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 1500 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the network device 1500 is capable of performing the various steps performed by the third network device in the methods of FIGS. 1 through 8, which are not described in detail herein in order to avoid redundancy. Network device 1500 includes:

a memory 1510, configured to store a program;

a transceiver 1520, configured to communicate with other devices;

The processor 1530 is configured to execute a program in the memory 1510, when the program is executed, the processor 1530 is configured to receive a network function termination request by using a transceiver 1520, where the network function termination request is used to indicate a termination target network. And corresponding network function of the slice; and terminating the network function corresponding to the target network slice according to the network function termination request.

16 is a schematic block diagram of a network device 1600 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the network device 1600 can perform the various steps performed by the fourth network device in the method of FIG. 4, and to avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail herein. Network device 1600 includes:

a memory 1610, configured to store a program;

a transceiver 1620, configured to communicate with other devices;

The processor 1630 is configured to execute a program in the memory 1610. When the program is executed, the processor 1630 is configured to send a network function termination request to the third network device by using the transceiver 1620, where the network function termination request is used. And indicating to terminate the network function corresponding to the target network slice; and receiving the network function termination confirmation, where the network function termination confirmation is used to indicate that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the network device can perform the network function termination request and the receiving network function termination confirmation to the third device, and terminate the network function corresponding to the target network slice, and can flexibly The network function of the main termination network slice improves the efficiency of managing network slices.

It should be understood that, in various embodiments of the present invention, the size of the sequence numbers of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not be taken to the embodiments of the present invention. The implementation process constitutes any limitation.

Additionally, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably herein. The term "and/or" in this context is merely an association describing the associated object, indicating that there may be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which may indicate that A exists separately, and both A and B exist, respectively. B these three situations. In addition, the character "/" in this article generally indicates that the contextual object is an "or" relationship.

It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present invention, "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined according to A. However, it should also be understood that determining B according to A does not mean that B is only determined based on A, and that B can also be determined based on A and/or other information.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements and algorithm steps of the various examples described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both, for clarity of hardware and software. Interchangeability, the composition and steps of the various examples have been generally described in terms of function in the above description. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods for implementing the described functions for each particular application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present invention.

A person skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working process of the system, the device and the unit described above can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiment, and details are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided by the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus, and method may be implemented in other manners. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the unit is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be another division manner, for example, multiple units or components may be combined or may be Integrate into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, or an electrical, mechanical or other form of connection.

The unit described as a separate component may or may not be physically separated, and the component displayed as a unit may or may not be a physical unit, that is, may be located in one place, or It can also be distributed to multiple network elements. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the objectives of the embodiments of the present invention.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a standalone product, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present invention contributes in essence or to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium. A number of instructions are included to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method of various embodiments of the present invention. The foregoing storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, and the like. .

The technical features and descriptions in the above embodiments are used in order to make the application documents clear and clear, and can be understood to be applicable to other embodiments, and will not be further described in other embodiments.

The above is only the specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any equivalent person can be easily conceived within the technical scope of the present invention by any person skilled in the art. Modifications or substitutions are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

A method for managing network slicing, comprising:

Receiving, by the first network device, a network slice termination request, where the network slice termination request is used to request termination of the target network slice;

The first network device sends a network slice termination acknowledgement to the second network device, where the network slice termination acknowledgement is used to indicate the target network slice termination.
The method of claim 1, wherein after the first network device receives the network slice termination request, the method further includes:

The first network device sends a network function termination request to the third network device, where the network function termination request is used to indicate that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated.
The method of claim 2, wherein the first network device sends a network function termination request to the third network device, including:

The first network device sends the network function termination request to the third network device if it is determined that the target network slice does not have a network function shared with other network slices.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein before the first network device sends a network slice termination confirmation to the second network device, the method further includes:

The first network device receives a network function termination confirmation from the third network device, where the network function termination confirmation is used to indicate that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated.
The method of any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

The first network device sends a network resource release request to the third network device, where the network resource release request is used to indicate that the network resource corresponding to the target network slice is released.
A method for managing network slicing, comprising:

The second network device sends a network slice termination request to the first network device, where the network slice termination request is used to request termination of the target network slice;

The second network device receives a network slice termination acknowledgement, and the network slice termination acknowledgement is used to indicate the target network slice termination.
The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises: before the second network device sends a network slice termination request to the first network device, the method further comprising:

The second network device receives request information, where the request information is used to request termination of the target network slice;

Sending, by the second network device, a network slice termination request to the first network device, including:

The second network device sends the network slice termination request to the first network device according to the request information.
The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises: before the second network device sends a network slice termination request to the first network device, the method further comprising:

Receiving, by the second network device, a service termination request, where the service termination request is used to request to terminate the target service;

Determining, by the second network device, a network slice corresponding to the target service;

Determining, by the second network device, a network slice corresponding to the target service as the target network slice;

The second network device generates the network slice termination request according to the target network slice.
The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein after the second network device receives the network slice termination confirmation, the method further includes:

The second network device deletes a network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice.
The method according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein after the second network device receives the network slice termination confirmation, the method further includes:

The second network device sends a network slice termination advertisement to the network manager, where the network slice termination advertisement is used to indicate that the target network slice has been terminated.
A method for managing network slicing, comprising:

Receiving, by the third network device, a network function termination request, where the network function termination request is used to indicate a network function corresponding to the termination target network slice;

And the third network device terminates the network function corresponding to the target network slice according to the network function termination request.
The method of claim 11, wherein after the terminating the network function corresponding to the target network slice, the method further comprises:

The third network device sends a network function termination confirmation to the first network device, where the network function termination confirmation is used to indicate that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated.
The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein after the third network device receives the network function termination request, the method further includes:

The third network device deletes a network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice.
The method of any one of claims 11 to 13, receiving at the third network device Before the network function terminates the request, the method further includes:

The third network device sends request information to the second network device, where the request information is used to request termination of the target network slice.
The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the method further comprises:

The third network device receives the network resource release request, where the network resource release request is used to indicate that the network resource corresponding to the target network slice is released.
A network device, comprising:

transceiver;

a memory for storing instructions;

a processor, coupled to the memory and the transceiver, for executing the instructions stored by the memory to perform the following steps when executing the instructions:

Receiving, by the transceiver, a network slice termination request, the network slice termination request for requesting termination of a target network slice; and transmitting, by the transceiver, a network slice termination acknowledgement to the second network device, the network slice termination acknowledgement being used for Indicates that the target network slice is terminated.
The network device according to claim 16, wherein the processor is further configured to send, by the transceiver, a network function termination request to the third network device after receiving the network slice termination request, the network The function termination request is used to indicate the network function corresponding to the termination of the target network slice.
The network device according to claim 17, wherein the processor is specifically configured to: by the transceiver, determine that the target network slice does not exist and share network functions with other network slices, to the The three network devices send the network function termination request.
The network device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the processor is further configured to pass from the transceiver to the third device before transmitting the network slice termination acknowledgement to the second network device The network device receives the network function termination confirmation, and the network function termination confirmation is used to indicate that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated.
The network device according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the processor is further configured to send a network resource release request to the third network device by using the transceiver, where the network resource release request is used And indicating to release the network resource corresponding to the target network slice.
A network device, comprising:

transceiver;

a memory for storing instructions;

a processor, coupled to the memory and the transceiver, for executing the instructions stored by the memory to perform the following steps when executing the instructions:

Transmitting, by the transceiver, a network slice termination request to a first network device, the network slice termination request for requesting termination of a target network slice; and receiving, by the transceiver, a network slice termination acknowledgement, the network slice termination acknowledgement being used for Indicates that the target network slice is terminated.
The network device according to claim 21, wherein said processor is further configured to receive request information, said request information, by said transceiver before transmitting said network slice termination request to said first network device And the sending module is configured to send the network slice termination request to the first network device according to the request information.
The network device according to claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to receive, by the transceiver, a service termination request before transmitting the network slice termination request to the first network device, The service termination request is used to request the termination of the target service; and the network slice corresponding to the target service is determined; the network slice corresponding to the target service is determined as the target network slice; and the generated according to the target network slice Network slice termination request.
The network device according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the processor is further configured to delete a network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice after receiving a network slice termination acknowledgement.
The network device according to any one of claims 21 to 24, wherein the processor is further configured to send a network slice termination to the network manager after receiving the network slice termination confirmation by the transceiver. The network slice termination advertisement is used to indicate that the target network slice is terminated.
A network device, comprising:

transceiver;

a memory for storing instructions;

a processor, coupled to the memory and the transceiver, for executing the instructions stored by the memory to perform the following steps when executing the instructions:

Receiving, by the transceiver, a network function termination request, where the network function termination request is used to indicate a network function corresponding to the termination target network slice; and terminating the network function corresponding to the target network slice according to the network function termination request.
A network device according to claim 26, wherein said processor is further After terminating the network function corresponding to the target network slice, the network function termination acknowledgement is sent to the first network device by using the transceiver, where the network function termination confirmation is used to indicate that the network function corresponding to the target network slice is terminated.
The network device according to claim 26 or 27, wherein after receiving the network function termination request, the processor is further configured to delete a network slice descriptor corresponding to the target network slice.
The network device according to any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein the processor is further configured to send, by the transceiver, request information to the second network device before receiving the network function termination request, The request information is used to request termination of the target network slice.
The network device according to any one of claims 26 to 29, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a network resource release request by using the transceiver, where the network resource release request is used to indicate release of the network resource The network resource corresponding to the target network slice.
A network system, comprising the network device according to any one of claims 16 to 20, the network device according to any one of claims 21-25, and the claims as claimed in claims 26-30 A network device as described.