WO2018041000A1

WO2018041000A1 - Upf management method, device, and system

Info

Publication number: WO2018041000A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/098849
Authority: WO
Inventors: 郑芳庭; 吴锦花
Original assignee: 中兴通讯股份有限公司
Priority date: 2016-08-31
Filing date: 2017-08-24
Publication date: 2018-03-08
Also published as: CN108307402A

Abstract

The embodiments of the invention provide a UPF management method, device, and system. The method comprises: acquiring one or more UPF capability information of a preconfigured area; and selecting, according to the one or more UPF capability information, and from the one or more UPF capability information, a designated UPF for a terminal accessing a CPF. The embodiments of the invention resolve the problem of inability of flexibly adjusting UPFs, overcoming an inflexible topology in the conventional 4G network control function and forwarding function, and enhancing flexibility of UPF management and selection.

Description

Method, device and system for managing UPF

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and system for managing a UPF (User plane function).

Background technique

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a 3GPP evolved packet system according to the related art. As shown in FIG. 1, an 3GPP Evolved Packet System (EPS) is an evolved universal mobile communication system terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN, Evolved). Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Serving Gateway (S-GW), Packet Data Network Gateway (PDN GW or P-GW, Packet Data Network Gateway), Home Subscriber Server (HSS, Home Subscriber Server), 3GPP Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) and other supporting nodes.

The MME is used for control plane related operations such as mobility management, non-access stratum signaling processing, and user mobility management context management; the S-GW is an access gateway device connected to the E-UTRAN, in the E-UTRAN and The P-GW forwards data and buffers the paging waiting data. The P-GW is a border gateway between the EPS and the PDN, and is used for PDN access and forwarding data between the EPS and the PDN. The PCRF is responsible for the formulation of policy decisions and charging rules, providing gating based on service data flow, quality of service control and charging rules to the GW, and executing the policies and charging rules formulated by the PCRF on the bearer plane. When the bearer is established, the GW performs QoS authorization and gating control according to the rules sent by the PCRF.

In 3GPP, the UE can find a corresponding packet data network (PDN, Packet Data Network) through an Access Point Name (APN), and establish an IP connection access network (IP-CAN, IP Connectivity) for accessing the PDN network. Access Network) The PDN connection for the session.

As demand grows, EPS gateways gradually create some constraints. The user data stream processing is concentrated on the PDN egress gateway, which causes the gateway device to have complicated functions and poor scalability. The control plane of the gateway is highly coupled with the forwarding plane, which is not conducive to the smooth evolution of the core network. The frequency of the forwarding surface expansion is higher than that of the control plane. The tight coupling causes the control plane to forward and expand synchronously. The short equipment update period leads to an increase in the composite cost. Network layer data forwarding is difficult to identify users and service features. It can only be forwarded according to the QoS delivered by the upper layer, resulting in inefficient use of network resources. It is difficult to finely control the data flow based on user and service characteristics. In addition, a large number of strategies require manual configuration, resulting in increased management complexity and high operating costs. Therefore, the control functions and forwarding functions in the packet domain gateway need to be further separated to meet the needs of network development and market applications.

2 is an architecture in which a gateway (GW) control plane and a user plane are separated based on a non-roaming scenario according to the related art. The architecture splits the SGW/PGW and Traffic Detection Function (TDF) in the original EPS architecture into two types: Controller plane function (CPF) and User plane function (UPF). The functional network element, the SGW corresponds to the SGW UPF and the SGW CPF, the PGW corresponds to the PGW UPF and the PGW CPF, and the TDF corresponds to the TDF UPF and the TDF CPF. Different types of CPF (or UPF) can be deployed in a single deployment or independently. The CPF is responsible for control plane functions, including load sharing, UPF selection, UE IP address allocation, policy and charging control, and optionally, the UPF user plane address and tunnel identifier assignment. The UPF is responsible for user plane related functions, including data flow identification and deep packet parsing, quality of service (QoS) processing and bearer binding, and buffering of downlink paging data. The user plane and the control plane interface of the docking correspond to the corresponding CPF and UPF respectively, and the other corresponding interface functions are compared with the original EPS architecture.

On the basis of the current 4G network architecture, the CPF is responsible for the selection of the UPF. The control plane and the user plane are separated based on the original SGW or the PGW network element. Therefore, there is a certain topological relationship between the CPF and the UPF. Generally, one or more are considered. UPF belongs to a group of CPFs. For example, one or more SGW UPFs belong to a particular one or a group of SGW CPFs, and one or more PGW UPFs belong to a particular one or a group of PGW CPFs. Each CPF senses the UPF group it manages in advance, so that CPF can select a suitable UPF from a group of UPFs according to its own policy.

However, the current relationship between CPF and UPF is rigid and cannot be flexibly and dynamically adjusted for UPF.

In view of the inability of the related technologies to flexibly and dynamically adjust the UPF, an effective solution has not yet been proposed.

Summary of the invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a method, a device and a system for managing an UPF, so as to at least solve the problem that the UPF cannot be flexibly and dynamically adjusted in the related art.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for managing an UPF includes: acquiring capability information of one or more UPFs in a preset area; and obtaining, according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs from the one or The specified UPF is selected for the terminal accessing the CPF in multiple UPFs.

Optionally, the one or more UPFs are affiliated with one or more CPFs of the same or different types.

Optionally, selecting the specified UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF from the one or more UPFs according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs includes: acquiring selection assistance information of the CPF; according to the CPF The auxiliary information and the capability information of the one or more UPFs are selected, and the designated UPF is selected from the one or more UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF.

Optionally, selecting, according to the selection assistance information of the CPF and the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the selected UPF from the one or more UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF includes: acquiring the one or Current load information of the plurality of UPFs; according to the selection assistance information of the CPF and the capability information of the one or more UPFs, combined with the current load information of the one or more UPFs, from the one or more UPFs Select the specified UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF.

Optionally, the selection assistance information includes at least one of the following: CPF node information, location/area information, QoS information, APN information, DCN information, network slice information, a service type requested by the UE or subscribed.

Optionally, from the one or more according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs After selecting the designated UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF, the method further includes: sending the UPF node information of the specified UPF to the CPF.

Optionally, after selecting the specified UPF for the terminal that accesses the CPF from the one or more UPFs according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the method further includes: recording the CPF and the specified UPF Correspondence

Optionally, before selecting the specified UPF from the one or more UPFs for the terminal that accesses the CPF according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the method further includes: receiving a preset UPF request sent by the CPF. The message, wherein the preset CPF is configured by using a local configuration or a DNS manner.

Optionally, before acquiring the capability information of the one or more UPFs in the preset area, the method further includes: receiving, when the one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area is sent, And a registration request, where the registration request carries capability information and location information of each UPF; and the capability information and location information of each UPF are saved.

Optionally, the method further includes: receiving a deregistration request sent by one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area when the power is off; deleting capability information of the locally saved one UPF and location information.

Optionally, the method further includes: detecting whether a ping request or response sent by one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area is received; if the one UPF is not received In the case of a request or response, the capability information and location information of the one UPF saved locally are deleted.

Optionally, the method further includes: acquiring the current load information and/or capability of the one UPF from the check request or response in case receiving the check request or response sent by the one UPF And updating current load information and/or capability information of the locally saved one UPF according to the obtained current load information and/or capability information.

Optionally, the method further includes: repeatedly performing capability information for acquiring one or more UPFs in the preset area, where the UPF is not received, and the UPF corresponding to the response is the specified UPF. A step of.

Optionally, in a case that the CPF detects that the location of the terminal is changed, the method further includes: performing a step of repeatedly performing capability information for acquiring one or more UPFs in the preset area.

Optionally, the capability information includes at least one of the following: UPF node information, QoS capability, supported APN information, supported DCN information, network slice information, and supported service type.

Optionally, communicating with the one or more UPFs through at least one of: an interface between the CPF and the UPF; an interface between the SDN controller and the UPF; dedicated to performing with the one or more UPFs Communication interface.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for managing an UPF is provided, including: an obtaining module, configured to acquire capability information of one or more UPFs in a preset area; and a selecting module configured to be according to the one or The capability information of the plurality of UPFs selects a designated UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF from the one or more UPFs.

Optionally, the one or more UPFs belong to a plurality of CPFs of the same or different types.

Optionally, the selecting module is further configured to: obtain selection auxiliary information of the CPF; and select, according to the selection assistance information of the CPF and capability information of the one or more UPFs, from the one or more UPFs. Select the specified UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF.

Optionally, the selecting module is further configured to: acquire current load information of the one or more UPFs; and select auxiliary information according to the CPF and capability information of the one or more UPFs, and combine the one Or the current load information of the multiple UPFs, and select the designated UPF from the one or more UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF.

Optionally, the device further includes: a sending module, configured to send the UPF node information of the specified UPF to the CPF.

Optionally, the device further includes: a recording module, configured to record a correspondence between the CPF and the specified UPF.

Optionally, the device further includes: a first receiving module, configured to receive a preset UPF request message sent by the preset CPF, where the preset CPF is configured by using a local configuration or a DNS manner.

Optionally, the device further includes: a second receiving module, configured to receive a registration request sent by each of the one or more UPFs in the preset area when the power is on, the registration request The capability information and the location information of each of the UPFs are carried in the storage module, and the saving module is configured to save the capability information and the location information of each of the UPFs.

Optionally, the device further includes: a third receiving module, configured to receive a deregistration request sent by one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area when the power is off; The capability information and location information of the one UPF saved locally are deleted.

Optionally, the device further includes: a detecting module, configured to detect whether a revocation request or response sent by one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area is received; In the case of a check request or response sent by the UPF, the capability information and location information of the locally saved UPF are deleted.

Optionally, the device further includes: an update module, configured to obtain a current load of the one UPF from the check request or response if the check request or response sent by the one UPF is received Information and/or capability information; and updating the currently stored current load information and/or capability information of the one UPF according to the obtained current load information and/or capability information.

Optionally, the interface that the device communicates with the one or more UPFs includes at least one of: an interface between the CPF and the UPF; an interface between the SDN controller and the UPF; dedicated to the one or An interface in which multiple UPFs communicate.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided another apparatus for managing a UPF, comprising: a processor; a memory configured to store the processor executable instructions; and configured to perform information transmission and reception according to control of the processor Transmission device, one of the transmission device and a preset area Or a plurality of user plane functions UPF connected; wherein the processor is configured to control the transmitting device to: acquire capability information of the one or more UPFs; and according to capability information of the one or more UPFs The one or more UPFs select a designated UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF.

Optionally, the interface that the transmission device is connected to one or more user plane functions UPF in the preset area includes at least one of: an interface between the CPF and the UPF; an interface between the SDN controller and the UPF; An interface that communicates with the one or more UPFs.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a system for managing an UPF includes: one or more user plane functions UPF located in a preset area; and a plurality of control plane functions CPF for controlling the one or Each of the plurality of UPFs, and the apparatus for managing the UPF, are connected to the one or more UPFs for managing the one or more UPFs.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a storage medium is also provided. The storage medium is configured to store program code for performing the following steps: acquiring capability information of one or more UPFs in the preset area; and from the one or more UPFs according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs Select the specified UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF.

The capability information of one or more UPFs in the preset area is obtained by using the capability information of the one or more UPFs, and the terminal that accesses the CPF is selected from the one or more UPFs according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs. The UPF is configured to manage the UPF based on the fixed relationship between the CPF and the UPF. Instead, the one or more UPFs in a certain area are managed in a unified manner, which solves the problem that the related technologies cannot flexibly adjust the UPF flexibly. It overcomes the topology rigidity of the current 4G network control function and forwarding function, and improves the flexibility of management and selection of UPF.

DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are intended to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are intended to be a part of the invention. In the drawing:

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a 3GPP evolved packet system according to the related art;

2 is an architecture of a gateway control plane and a user plane separated according to a non-roaming scenario according to the related art;

3 is a flowchart of a method of managing a UPF according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic diagram of a next generation network control function and forwarding function architecture according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of advantages over the current architecture in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a flow chart of UTF registration/deregistration to UMF in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a flow chart of keep-alive between a UPF and a UMF in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a flow diagram of a UMF selection UPF in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

9 is a flow chart 1 of a UMF reselection UPF in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

10 is a flow chart 2 of a UMF reselection UPF in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

11 is a structural block diagram of an apparatus for managing an UPF according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the hardware structure of another UMF according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

FIG. 13 is a structural block diagram of a system for managing UPFs according to an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings in conjunction with the embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments in the present application and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

It is to be understood that the terms "first", "second" and the like in the specification and claims of the present invention are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or order.

Method embodiment

The inventor believes that in the future 5G software architecture, the SGW UPF and the PGW UPF may not be distinguished. The UPF may be generic, and the connection relationship between the UPF and a CPF is not limited. The topological relationship between the UPF and the CPF is Flexible and dynamic adjustment.

Based on the above considerations, a method for managing an UPF is provided in this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for managing an UPF according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the process includes the following steps:

Step S302: Obtain capability information of one or more UPFs in the preset area.

Step S304: Select, according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the designated UPF from the one or more UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF.

Through the above steps, the UPF is not managed according to the fixed relationship between the CPF and the UPF. Instead, one or more UPFs in a certain area are managed uniformly, which solves the problem that the UPF cannot be flexibly and dynamically adjusted in the related technology, and overcomes the problem. At present, the topology of the 4G network control function and the forwarding function is rigid, which improves the flexibility of management and selection of UPF.

Optionally, the execution body of the foregoing step is defined herein as a UF (UPF Management Function), but is not limited thereto.

Optionally, the one or more UPFs may belong to one or more CPFs, and the CPFs may be the same or different types of CPFs, for example, may be SGW CPF, or may be PGW CPF or the like.

Optionally, the capability information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: UPF node information (such as an IP address or a domain name), QoS capability, supported APN information, and supported Dedicated Core Networks (DCN) information. , network slice information, supported service types, etc.

Optionally, the execution unit (UMF) of the foregoing step may be an independent entity, or may be merged into a component in the system. For example, when the UMF and the CPF are unified, the interface between the UMF and the UPF in this embodiment is CPF. The interface between the UF and the UPF is the extension of the interface between the SDN controller and the UPF in the embodiment. When the UMF is an independent entity, the UMF can be in the UMF. The interface dedicated to UMF and UPF communication is set.

As a preferred implementation manner, in the process of selecting the specified UPF in step S304, the selection auxiliary information of the CPF may also be acquired, and then the auxiliary information and the selection information according to the CPF are selected. The capability information of the one or more UPFs selects a specified UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF from the one or more UPFs.

Optionally, in the process of selecting the specified UPF, the current load information of the one or more UPFs may be acquired, so that according to the selection assistance information of the CPF and the capability information of the one or more UPFs, And selecting, according to the current load information of the one or more UPFs, the designated UPF from the one or more UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF.

Optionally, the selecting assistance information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: CPF node information (such as an IP address or a domain name), location/area information, QoS information, APN information, DCN information, network slice information, and UE request. Or the type of business that is contracted (for example, UE Usage type).

As a preferred embodiment, before the selected UPF is selected from the one or more UPFs for the terminal that accesses the CPF according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the acquired UPF request message sent by the CPF may also be received. . In the case that there are multiple execution entities (UMFs), the CPF that sends the UPF request message to the UMF can be configured through local configuration or DNS.

As a preferred embodiment, after the specified UPF is selected from the one or more UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the designation may also be sent to the CPF. UPF UPF node information. The UPF node information of the specified UPF may be sent to the CPF by acquiring an UPF response message.

Optionally, after selecting the specified UPF from the one or more UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the CPF and the designation may also be locally recorded in the UMF. The corresponding relationship of the UPF, so that the next time a similar situation is called directly.

As a preferred implementation manner, the UPF in the UMF management area (ie, the preset area) may be registered in advance on the UMF. Specifically, the UPF in the area may send a registration request to the UMF when the power is on, the registration request carries capability information and location information of the UPF, and the UMF receives the registration request, and saves the capability information and the location information of the UPF.

Alternatively, the UPF can also perform deregistration. Specifically, when the UPF in the area is powered off, the deregistration request may be sent to the UMF, and the UMF receives the deregistration request of the UPF, and deletes the locally saved capability information and location information of the UPF based on the deregistration request.

As a preferred implementation manner, the UMF may perform activating the UPF in the management area according to a certain rule (for example, periodically), as follows: detecting whether the one or more UPFs in the preset area are received. A retrieving request or response sent by the UPF; if the revocation request or response sent by the UPF is not received, the locally saved capability information and location information of the UPF are deleted. The UPF may periodically send a check request to the UMF, or the UMF may send a check request to the UPF to perform the check. Then, if the UPF is in the working state, the UPF feedback response is sent back.

Optionally, the UMF may further update the information of the UPF according to the received check request or response. Specifically, the current load information and/or capability information of the UPF is obtained from the check request or response when receiving a check request or response sent by a certain UPF; and the current load information is obtained according to the acquired And/or capability information updates the locally stored current load information and/or capability information of the UPF.

Optionally, if the CPF detects that the location of the terminal is changed, or the UMF does not receive the detection request or the corresponding UPF is the designated UPF selected in step S304, the step may be repeated. S302 and step S304.

The following description is made in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, and the following preferred embodiments incorporate the above-described embodiments and preferred embodiments thereof.

In the following preferred embodiments, a UF (UPF Management Function) and a UF selection method are proposed to implement UPF selection, dynamic management, and flexible adjustment. The method can overcome the topology rigidity of the current 4G network control function and the forwarding function, thereby flexibly managing and selecting the UPF.

The main content of this method is as follows: UMF manages UPF in a certain area. When the terminal accesses the CPF, the UMF selects a suitable UPF according to the location and capability of the UPF and the CPF selection assistance information. UMF can be used when the UPF currently used by the terminal cannot meet the demand. Reselect a suitable UPF for the terminal.

UMF can be an independent network function or integrated with other functional entities in the network, such as a CPF in the current EPC architecture, an SDN controller or a CPF in the future 5G network architecture.

By adopting the above solution, the CPF and the UPF network can be flexibly set up compared with the related technologies, and the optimal UPF can be flexibly selected for the terminal.

The implementation of the technical solution is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a next-generation network control function and forwarding function architecture according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, it may be in a certain area according to requirements. Deploy a UMF inside to manage all UPFs in a specific area. In the future network architecture, the UPF may sink to the edge data center and be deployed with the wireless access network, while the CPF is still concentrated in a higher position. In this case, the UMF can sink with the UPF to the edge data center location, such as Area 3 in Figure 4.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of advantages compared to the current architecture according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, before the introduction of the scheme, the SGW UPF group 1 can only be selected and used by the SGW CPF1, and the SGW UPF group 2 can only be used by the SGW CPF2. use. For example, when the load of the SGW UPF2 group is too high and the SGW UPF group 1 has a resource surplus, the resources of the SGW UPF1 cannot be used by the SGW CPF2. Another disadvantage of this architecture is that if the SGW CPF1 is abnormal, the SGW UPF group 1 belonging to the SGW CPF1 will no longer be used, resulting in waste of resources. UMF breaks this grouping relationship and uses UPF of the same ability as a resource pool. The UMF can combine the current UPF load situation and select the most suitable UPF for the terminal in the UPF of the same capability. When the terminal accesses from the SGW CPF2, the terminal may also select the UPF in the SGW UPF group 1.

6 is a flow chart of registering/deregistering a UF to a UMF according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, the figure describes an embodiment in which the UPF registers/deregisters with the UMF. The specific steps are as follows:

Step S602: The UPF needs to send a registration request to the UMF when powering up. This UPF capability and location information are carried when the UPF is registered. UPF capability information includes but is not limited to UPF node information (IP address or domain name), QoS capability, supported APN, DCN (Dedicated Core Networks) Information, network slice information, supported service types, etc.

Or the UF performs a registration request to the UMF when the UPF is powered off.

Step S604: When receiving the registration request, the UMF saves the UPF node information and its capability and location information locally;

Or when the UMF receives the registration request, the locally saved UPF node information and its capability and location information are deleted.

Step S606: The UMF returns a registration response to the UPF, or the UMF returns a registration response to the UPF.

When the UMF is integrated with the CPF, the interface between the UMF and the UPF is an extension of the interface between the CPF and the UPF. When the UMF is integrated with the SDN controller, the interface between the UMF and the UPF in this embodiment is the SDN controller. An extension of the interface with the UPF; and when the UMF is an independent entity, an interface dedicated to the communication between the UMF and the UPF can be set in the UMF. The following embodiments are the same as the embodiment, and are not described again.

7 is a flow diagram of keep-alive between UPF and UMF in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7, which depicts one embodiment of timing re-operation between UPF and UMF. When the UPF is in the working state, it periodically sends a check request to the UMF. The UMF can also periodically send a revocation request to all saved UPF nodes. If the UMF does not receive the detection request or the detection response of the UPF within a certain period, it is determined that the UPF is not in the working state, and the locally saved UPF node information is deleted. The specific steps are as follows:

Step S702: The UPF periodically sends a check request to the UMF.

Optionally, the current request information of the UPF node may be included in the check request.

Optionally, if the UPF capability information changes, the activity request may include current capability information or changed capability information of the UPF.

Or the UMF periodically sends a revocation request to all UPF nodes.

Step S704: After receiving the check request, the UMF sends a check response to the UPF.

Or after the UPF receives the check request, it sends a check response to the UMF.

Step S706: The UMF updates the locally saved UPF node information.

Optionally, the UMF saves the latest capability information and load information of the UPF.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a UMF selection UPF according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the figure illustrates an embodiment of UMF selection of UPF when a terminal requests access to a network. The specific steps are as follows:

Step S802: The terminal requests to access the network, and the CPF sends a Get UPF Request message to the UMF. Optionally, the request message may include the selected auxiliary information.

The way the CPF obtains UMF can be local configuration or DNS. Selecting auxiliary information includes but is not limited to: CPF node information (IP address or domain name), location/area information, QoS, APN, DCN (Dedicated Core Networks) information, network slice information, UE request or contracted service type (such as UE Usage) Type) and so on.

Step S804: The UMF selects an appropriate UPF according to the selection auxiliary information carried by the CPF and the locally saved UPF node capability information, and combines the UPF current load information, and sends an UPF response message to the CPF, where the response message includes the selected UPF node information. The node information can be identified as an IP address or a domain name.

Optionally, the UMF can record the CPF node information or the correspondence between the CPF node and the selected UPF for subsequent communication with the CPF, and the node information can be identified as an IP address or a domain name.

Step S806: The CPF sends a Create User Data Channel Request message to the selected UPF, and establishes a media plane forwarding channel of the terminal on the UPF.

Step S808: The UPF establishes a data forwarding channel for the terminal, and returns a create user data channel response message to the CPF.

The CPF may be a control plane function of an SGW or a PGW in an EPC network, or an SGW or a PGW in an EPC network, or a network function responsible for session establishment in a future 5G network architecture.

9 is a flow chart 1 of a UMF reselection UPF according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the figure depicts an implementation in which a terminal moves to cause UMF to reselect UPF. For example, the specific steps are as follows:

Step S902: The terminal has accessed the network, and a user data channel is established on the UPF1. The CPF detects that the terminal moves to change the location, and the CPF sends the UPF request message to the UMF again. Optionally, the request message may include the selected auxiliary information.

Step S904: The UMF determines that the current UPF1 is not the optimal UPF according to the selection auxiliary information carried by the CPF and the locally saved UPF node capability information, and the UPF current load, and the data forwarding channel of the terminal needs to be re-established to the UPF2. The CPF sends an UPF response message, and the response message includes the newly selected UPF2 node information, and the node information may be identified as an IP address or a domain name.

Step S906: The CPF sends a Create User Data Channel Request message to the newly selected UPF2, and establishes a media plane forwarding channel of the terminal on the UPF2.

Step S908: UPF2 establishes a data forwarding channel for the terminal, and returns a create user data channel response message to the CPF.

Step S910: The CPF sends a message for deleting the user data channel to the UPF1, and notifies the UPF1 to delete the data forwarding data channel originally established by the terminal.

Step S912: The UPF1 deletes the data forwarding channel established by the terminal, and returns a delete user data channel response message to the CPF.

FIG. 10 is a second flowchart of a UMF reselection UPF according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 10, the figure depicts an embodiment in which the UPF status abnormality causes the UMF to reselect the UPF. The specific steps are as follows:

Step S1002: The terminal has accessed the network, and a user data channel is established on the UPF1. The UMF detects an abnormal UPF1 state through the detection mechanism.

Step S1004: All connected CPFs of the UMF or all CPFs that use UPF1 send UPF status notification messages. Optionally, the notification message may include abnormal UPF node information and status.

Step S1006: The CPF returns a UPF status notification response message to the UMF.

Step S1008: The CPF may send the UPF request message to the UMF again to migrate the data forwarding channel to the UPF with normal status. Optionally, the request message may include the selection auxiliary information.

Selecting auxiliary information includes but is not limited to: CPF node information (IP address or domain name), location/area information, QoS, APN, DCN (Dedicated Core Networks) information, network slice information, UE request or contracted service type (such as UE Usage) Type) and so on.

Step S1010: The UMF determines that the current UPF1 is not the optimal UPF according to the selection auxiliary information carried by the CPF and the locally saved UPF node capability information, and the UPF current load, and the data forwarding channel of the terminal needs to be re-established to the UPF2. The CPF sends an UPF response message, and the response message includes the newly selected UPF2 node information, and the node information may be identified as an IP address or a domain name.

Step S1012: The CPF sends a Create User Data Channel Request message to the newly selected UPF2, and establishes a media plane forwarding channel of the terminal on the UPF2.

Step S1014: UPF2 establishes a data forwarding channel for the terminal, and returns a create user data channel response message to the CPF.

The above CPF may be an SGW or a PGW in an EPC network, or an SGW in an EPC network. Or the control plane function of the PGW, or the network function responsible for session establishment in the future 5G network architecture.

Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, and of course, by hardware, but in many cases, the former is A better implementation. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, which is essential or contributes to the prior art, may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium (such as ROM/RAM, disk, The optical disc includes a number of instructions for causing a terminal device (which may be a cell phone, a computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform the methods described in various embodiments of the present invention.

Device embodiment

In the embodiment, a device for managing the UPF is further provided, and the device is used to implement the foregoing embodiments and preferred embodiments, and details are not described herein. As used below, the term "module" may implement a combination of software and/or hardware of a predetermined function. Although the apparatus described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

11 is a structural block diagram of an apparatus for managing an UPF according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 11, the apparatus includes: an obtaining module 112 configured to acquire capability information of one or more UPFs in a preset area; The method is connected to the obtaining module 112, and is configured to select, according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the designated UPF from the one or more UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF.

Optionally, the foregoing device for managing the UPF is defined herein as a UF (UPF Management Function), but is not limited thereto.

Optionally, the capability information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a UPF node letter. Information (such as IP address or domain name), QoS capabilities, supported APN information, supported (DCN, Dedicated Core Networks) information, network slice information, supported service types, and so on.

Optionally, the device for managing the UPF (UMF) may be an independent entity, or may be merged into a component in the system. For example, when the UMF and the CPF are unified, the interface between the UMF and the UPF in this embodiment is CPF. The interface between the UF and the UPF is the extension of the interface between the SDN controller and the UPF in the embodiment. When the UMF is an independent entity, the UMF can be in the UMF. The interface dedicated to UMF and UPF communication is set.

Optionally, the selecting module 114 may be further configured to: obtain selection auxiliary information of the CPF; and select one or more from the multiple according to the selection assistance information of the CPF and the capability information of the one or more UPFs. The UPF selects the specified UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF.

Optionally, the selecting module 114 may be further configured to: acquire current load information of the one or more UPFs; and select auxiliary information according to the CPF and capability information of the one or more UPFs, and combine The current load information of one or more UPFs is selected, and the designated UPF is selected from the plurality of one or UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF.

Optionally, the selecting assistance information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: CPF node information, location/area information, QoS information, APN information, DCN information, network slice information, UE requested or subscribed service type.

Optionally, the apparatus may further include: a sending module, configured to send the UPF node information of the specified UPF to the CPF.

Optionally, the device may further include: a recording module, configured to record a correspondence between the CPF and the specified UPF.

Optionally, the device may further include: a first receiving module, configured to receive a preset UPF request message sent by the preset CPF, where the preset CPF is configured by using a local configuration or a DNS manner.

Optionally, the device may further include: a second receiving module, configured to receive a registration request sent by each of the one or more UPFs in the preset area when powering on, The registration request carries the capability information and the location information of each of the UPFs; and the saving module is configured to save the capability information and the location information of each of the UPFs.

Optionally, the device may further include: a third receiving module, configured to receive a deregistration request sent by one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area when the power is off; deleting a module, setting To delete the capability information and location information of the one UPF saved locally.

Optionally, the device may further include: a detecting module, configured to detect whether a revocation request or response sent by one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area is received; In the case of the check request or response sent by the UPF, the capability information and the location information of the one UPF saved locally are deleted.

Optionally, the apparatus may further include: an update module, configured to obtain, from the check request or the response, the current current of the one UPF, when receiving the check request or response sent by the one UPF Load information and/or capability information; and updating current load information and/or capability information of the locally saved one UPF according to the obtained current load information and/or capability information.

It should be noted that each of the above modules may be implemented by software or hardware. For the latter, the foregoing may be implemented by, but not limited to, the foregoing modules are all located in the same processor; or, the above modules are in any combination. The forms are located in different processors.

In this embodiment, another device for managing UPF (UMF) is provided. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the hardware structure of another UMF according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 12, the UMF 120 may include one or more. A processor 122 (only one of which is shown) (the processor 122 may include, but is not limited to, a processing device such as a microprocessor MCU or a programmable logic device FPGA), a memory 124 configured to store the processor-executable instructions And a transmission device 126 configured to perform information transceiving communication according to control of the processor. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the structure shown in FIG. 12 is merely illustrative and does not limit the structure of the above electronic device. For example, UMF 120 may also include more or fewer components than shown in FIG. 12, or have a different configuration than that shown in FIG.

The memory 124 may be configured as a software program and a module for storing application software, such as a program instruction/module corresponding to the method for managing the UPF in the embodiment of the present invention, and the processor 122 executes by executing a software program and a module stored in the memory 124. Various functional applications and data processing, that is, the above methods are implemented. Memory 124 may include high speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid state memory. In some examples, memory 124 may further include memory remotely located relative to processor 122, which may be connected to UMF 120 over a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

The transmitting device 126 is configured to perform information transceiving according to the control of the processor 122, and the transmitting device 126 is connected to one or more UPFs in the preset area;

Wherein, the processor 122 is configured to control the transmission device 126 to perform the following operations:

Obtaining capability information of the one or more UPFs;

And selecting, according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the designated UPF from the one or more UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF.

System embodiment

In this embodiment, a system for managing an UPF is provided. FIG. 13 is a structural block diagram of a system for managing an UPF according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 13, the system includes:

One or more UPFs 132, located in a preset area;

One or more CPFs 134, respectively connected to one of the one or more UPFs 132, for controlling each of the one or more UPFs;

A device 136 for managing UPFs as shown in FIG. 11 or 12 (not shown in FIG. 13 of the internal structure, referring to FIGS. 11 and 12) is connected to the one or more UPFs 132 and is disposed to be opposite to the one or more UPFs 132. Manage.

Storage medium embodiment

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a storage medium. Optionally, in the embodiment, the foregoing storage medium may be configured to store program code for performing the following steps:

Optionally, in this embodiment, the foregoing storage medium may include, but not limited to, a USB flash drive, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a mobile hard disk, and a magnetic memory. A variety of media that can store program code, such as a disc or a disc.

For example, the specific examples in this embodiment may refer to the examples described in the foregoing embodiments and the optional embodiments, and details are not described herein again.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the various modules or steps of the present invention described above can be implemented by a general-purpose computing device that can be centralized on a single computing device or distributed across a network of multiple computing devices. Alternatively, they may be implemented by program code executable by the computing device such that they may be stored in the storage device by the computing device and, in some cases, may be different from the order herein. The steps shown or described are performed, or they are separately fabricated into individual integrated circuit modules, or a plurality of modules or steps thereof are fabricated as a single integrated circuit module. Thus, the invention is not limited to any particular The combination of hardware and software.

The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Industrial applicability

As described above, the method, device, and system for managing the UPF provided by the embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects: solving the problem that the related technology cannot flexibly adjust the dynamic adjustment of the UPF, and overcomes the topology of the current 4G network control function and forwarding function. Rigidity increases the flexibility of managing and selecting UPF.

Claims

A method for managing a user plane function UPF, including:

Obtaining capability information of one or more UPFs in the preset area;

And selecting, according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the designated UPF for the terminal that accesses the control plane function CPF from the one or more UPFs.
The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a specified UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF from the one or more UPFs according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs comprises:

Obtaining selection assistance information of the CPF;

And selecting, according to the selection assistance information of the CPF and the capability information of the one or more UPFs, a specified UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF from the one or more UPFs.
The method according to claim 2, wherein the designated UPF is selected from the one or more UPFs for the terminal accessing the CPF according to the selection assistance information of the CPF and the capability information of the one or more UPFs. include:

Obtaining current load information of the one or more UPFs;

Selecting a terminal for accessing the CPF from the one or more UPFs according to the selection assistance information of the CPF and the capability information of the one or more UPFs, combined with the current load information of the one or more UPFs The specified UPF.
The method of claim 2, wherein the selecting assistance information comprises at least one of the following:

CPF node information, location/area information, QoS information, APN information, DCN information, network slice information, service type requested by the UE or subscribed.
The method according to claim 1, wherein after selecting the designated UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF from the one or more UPFs according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the method further includes:

Sending UPF node information of the specified UPF to the CPF.
The method according to claim 1, wherein after selecting the designated UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF from the plurality of UPFs according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the method further includes:

Recording a correspondence between the CPF and the specified UPF.
The method of claim 1, wherein before selecting the designated UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF from the one or more UPFs according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the method further includes:

And receiving the UPF request message sent by the preset CPF, where the preset CPF is configured by using a local configuration or a DNS manner.
The method of claim 1, wherein before acquiring the capability information of the one or more UPFs in the preset area, the method further includes:

Receiving a registration request sent by each of the one or more UPFs in the preset area when the power is turned on, where the registration request carries capability information and location information of each UPF;

The capability information and location information of each of the UPFs are saved.
The method of claim 8 wherein the method further comprises:

Receiving a deregistration request sent by one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area when the power is off;

The capability information and location information of the one UPF saved locally are deleted.
The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:

Detecting whether a revocation request or response sent by one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area is received;

Deleted without receiving the check request or response sent by the UPF The capability information and location information of the one UPF saved locally.
The method of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

Obtaining, from the check request or response, current load information and/or capability information of the one UPF, when receiving the check request or response sent by the one UPF;

Updating current load information and/or capability information of the locally saved one UPF according to the obtained current load information and/or capability information.
The method of claim 10, wherein, in the case that the UPF is not received, or the corresponding UPF is the specified UPF, the method further includes:

The step of acquiring capability information of one or more UPFs in the preset area is repeatedly performed.
The method of claim 1, wherein, in the case that the CPF detects that the location of the terminal is changed, the method further includes:

The step of acquiring capability information of one or more UPFs in the preset area is repeatedly performed.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the capability information comprises at least one of the following:

UPF node information, QoS capabilities, supported APN information, supported DCN information, network slice information, supported service types.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein communication with the one or more UPFs is performed by at least one of the following interfaces:

The interface between the CPF and the UPF;

The interface between the SDN controller and the UPF;

An interface dedicated to communicating with the one or more UPFs.
A device for managing a user plane function UPF, comprising:

Obtaining a module, configured to acquire capability information of one or more UPFs in the preset area;

And a selection module, configured to select, according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the designated UPF from the one or more UPFs for the terminal that accesses the control plane function CPF.
The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said selection module is further configured to:

Obtaining selection assistance information of the CPF;

And selecting, according to the selection assistance information of the CPF and the capability information of the one or more UPFs, a specified UPF for the terminal accessing the CPF from the one or more UPFs.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the selection module is further configured to:

Obtaining current load information of the one or more UPFs;

Selecting a terminal for accessing the CPF from the one or more UPFs according to the selection assistance information of the CPF and the capability information of the one or more UPFs, combined with the current load information of the one or more UPFs The specified UPF.
The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the selection assistance information comprises at least one of the following:

CPF node information, location/area information, QoS information, APN information, DCN information, network slice information, service type requested by the UE or subscribed.
The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said apparatus further comprises:

And a sending module, configured to send the UPF node information of the specified UPF to the CPF.
The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said apparatus further comprises:

And a recording module, configured to record a correspondence between the CPF and the specified UPF.
The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said apparatus further comprises:

The first receiving module is configured to receive a preset UPF request message sent by the preset CPF, where the preset CPF is configured by using a local configuration or a DNS manner.
The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said apparatus further comprises:

a second receiving module, configured to receive a registration request that is sent when each UPF of the one or more UPFs in the preset area is powered on, where the registration request carries capability information of each UPF And location information;

The saving module is configured to save capability information and location information of each of the UPFs.
The device of claim 23, wherein the device further comprises:

The third receiving module is configured to receive a deregistration request sent by one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area when the power is off;

The module is deleted, and is set to delete the capability information and location information of the locally saved UPF.
The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said apparatus further comprises:

a detecting module, configured to detect whether a detection request or response sent by one of the one or more UPFs in the preset area is received;

In the case that the check request or response of the one UPF transmission is not received, the capability information and the location information of the one UPF saved locally are deleted.
The device of claim 25, wherein the device further comprises:

And an update module, configured to acquire current load information and/or capability information of the one UPF from the check request or response in case receiving the check request or response sent by the one UPF;

Updating current load information and/or capability information of the locally saved one UPF according to the obtained current load information and/or capability information.
The apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 26, wherein the capability information comprises at least one of the following:

UPF node information, QoS capabilities, supported APN information, supported DCN information, network slice information, supported service types.
Apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 26, wherein the interface at which the apparatus communicates with the one or more UPFs comprises at least one of the following:

The interface between the CPF and the UPF;

The interface between the SDN controller and the UPF;

An interface dedicated to communicating with the one or more UPFs.
A device for managing a user plane function UPF, comprising:

processor;

a memory configured to store the processor executable instructions;

a transmission device configured to perform information transmission and reception according to control of the processor, the transmission device being connected to one or more UPFs in a preset area;

Wherein the processor is configured to control the transmission device to perform the following operations:

Obtaining capability information of the one or more UPFs;

And selecting, according to the capability information of the one or more UPFs, the designated UPF for the terminal that accesses the control plane function CPF from the one or more UPFs.
The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the interface of the transmission device connected to the plurality of user plane functions UPF in the preset area comprises at least one of the following:

The interface between the CPF and the UPF;

The interface between the SDN controller and the UPF;

An interface dedicated to communicating with the one or more UPFs.
A system for managing user plane function UPF, comprising:

One or more UPFs located in a preset area;

One or more control plane functions CPF for respectively controlling each part of the one or more UPFs;

The apparatus for managing UPFs according to any one of claims 16 to 30, connected to the one or more UPFs for managing the one or more UPFs.
A storage medium, the storage medium comprising a stored program, wherein the program is executed to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 15.