WO2018082574A1

WO2018082574A1 - Information sending method, unit and system

Info

Publication number: WO2018082574A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/108969
Authority: WO
Inventors: 许瑞岳; 季莉; 邹兰; 张凯
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2016-11-03
Filing date: 2017-11-01
Publication date: 2018-05-11
Also published as: CN113784419B; CN113784419A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide an information sending method, and a unit and system based on the method. The method comprises: a first unit creates or updates a network slice instance; the first unit sends a first message to a second unit, the first message carrying first network slice instance information, the first network slice instance information being first information of the created or updated network slice instance, the first network slice instance information comprising an identifier of the network slice instance; and the second unit stores or configures the first network slice instance information. In the solution of the embodiments of the present application, after creating or updating a network slice instance, a first unit can sends information of the created or updated network slice instance to a second unit, and the second unit can store or configure the information of the network slice instance, so as to avoid distributing improper network slice instance to a terminal.

Description

Information transmitting method, unit and system

Technical field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to an information sending method, unit, and system.

Background technique

The concept of network slicing was introduced when studying future mobile communication systems. Network slicing can be understood as an on-demand network. A physical network can be logically divided into multiple network slices, and different network slices can be used to carry different services. For example, power companies need to provide smart metering services that can be implemented by connecting a series of network slices of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices. In practice, the deployment of network slices can be done through a network slicing instance.

After the terminal accesses the network, the network side device needs to allocate a network slice instance to the terminal to provide services for the terminal based on some manually input network information. For example, such network information includes virtual machine information and the like. However, since the network slice instance is dynamically added, modified, and deleted, it is often impossible to allocate a suitable network slice instance to the terminal based on the above network information.

Summary of the invention

The embodiment of the present application describes an information sending method, unit and system, so as to avoid assigning an inappropriate network slice instance to a terminal.

In one aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides an information sending method, where the method includes: the first unit creates or updates a network slice; the first unit sends a first message to the second unit, where the first message carries the first network slice instance information, The first network slice instance information is first information of the created or updated network slice instance, where the first network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance; and the second unit saves or configures the first network slice instance information.

In the solution of the embodiment of the present application, the first unit may send the information of the created or updated network slice instance to the second unit after creating or updating the network slice instance, and the second unit may save or configure the information of the network slice instance. Thus, it is possible to avoid assigning an inappropriate network slice instance to the terminal.

The above-mentioned creation of a network slice instance can be understood as adding or instantiating a network slice instance.

In a possible design, the foregoing first message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance, a configuration message of the network slice instance, an update notification message of the network slice instance, or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance. For example, in a case where the first unit creates a network slice instance, the first message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance; for example, in a case where the first unit updates the network slice instance, The first message may be an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance.

In a possible implementation manner, the first network slice instance information may further include at least one of: a status of the network slice instance, information of a network function instance required by the network slice instance, and information about a tenant supported by the network slice instance. Or the information of the service provided by the network slice instance, where the information of the network function instance includes the identifier of the network function instance and the state of the network function instance. For example, when the first message is a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance, the first network slice instance information may be as described above.

In another possible implementation manner, the first network slice instance information may further include at least one of the following: a network The status of the updated instance of the slice instance, the information of the network function instance required after the network slice instance is updated, the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance update, or the information of the service provided after the network slice instance is updated, wherein the network function instance The information includes the identity of the network function instance and the status of the network function. For example, when the first message is an update notification message of a network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of a network slice instance, the first network slice instance information may be as described above.

In the above two possible implementation manners, the tenant's information and/or service information may be used to allocate a target network slice instance that satisfies the service request for the terminal. The information of the tenant here may be the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance, and the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance after updating the information; the information of the service here may refer to the information of the service provided by the network slice instance. It can also refer to the information of the service provided after the network slice instance is updated.

In a possible design, the first unit may further send a second message to the third unit, where the second message carries the second network slice instance information, and the second network slice instance information is the second of the created or updated network slice instance. Information, the second network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance. Correspondingly, the third unit may save the second network slice instance information.

The second message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance, a configuration message of the network slice instance, an update notification message of the network slice instance, or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance. For example, in a case where the first unit creates a network slice instance, the second message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance; for example, in a case where the first unit updates the network slice instance, The second message may be an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance.

In a possible implementation manner, the second network slice instance information may further include information about a state of the network slice instance and/or a network function instance required by the network slice instance, where the information of the network function instance may include at least one of the following Item: The identity of the network function instance, the status of the network function instance, or the type of network function instance. For example, when the second message is a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance, the second network slice instance information may be as described above.

In another possible implementation manner, the second network slice instance information may further include: an updated state of the network slice instance and/or information of a network function instance required after the network slice instance is updated, where the network function instance information At least one of the following may be included: an identifier of the updated network function instance, a status of the updated network function instance, an identification of the newly added network function instance, or an identification of the deleted network function instance. For example, when the second message is an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance, the second network slice instance information may be as described above.

In a possible design, before the first unit sends the first message to the second unit, the second unit may further send a subscription request to the first unit, the subscription request is used to subscribe to the first network slice instance information; or, the second The unit may further send a query request to the first unit, where the query request is used to query the first network slice instance information.

In a possible design, the second unit may further receive a service request from the terminal, and allocate, according to the first network slice instance information, the target network slice instance that satisfies the service request. For example, the first network slice instance information includes information about the tenant's information and/or service, and the second unit may allocate the target network slice instance to the terminal according to the tenant's information and/or service information.

In one possible design, the second unit may also send a selection request to the third unit to select a network function instance required to request a target network slice instance that satisfies the service request of the terminal. The selection request may carry information of the terminal and an identifier of the network slice instance. In this case, the third unit can be cut according to the second network described above. Slice instance information, select the network function instance required for the target network slice instance.

In a possible design, the first unit may further send a first deletion notification to the second unit, where the first deletion notification is used to notify the second unit to delete the first network slice instance information. The first deletion notification may carry the identifier of the network slice instance.

In a possible design, the first unit may further send a second deletion notification to the third unit, where the second deletion notification is used to notify the third unit to delete the second network slice instance information. The second deletion notification may carry the identifier of the network slice instance.

In the solution described in this aspect, the first unit may be NSOAM, or may be NSO, NSM, NO, NM or NFVO; the second unit may be NSSF or NF-M/Data Center; the third unit may be Common NF/NF Reposity, also available as NF-M/Data Center.

On the other hand, the embodiment of the present application provides an information sending method, where the method includes: the first unit creates or updates a network slice instance; the first unit sends a message to the fourth unit, where the message carries the third network slice instance information, The third network slice instance information is third information of the created or updated network slice instance, wherein the third network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance; and the third unit saves or configures the third network slice instance information.

The fourth unit may be a combined unit of the second unit and the third unit described in the above aspect. The fourth unit can perform the behavior of the second unit and the third unit involved in the above aspect scheme. In this case, the fourth unit does not need to perform the interaction between the second unit and the third unit; or the second unit and the third unit may be set as the internal unit of the fourth unit, the second unit and the third unit The interaction between the units is the interaction between different internal modules within the fourth unit.

In some possible designs, the first unit may perform the behavior of the first unit involved in each method design in the upper aspect scheme, and the fourth unit may perform the behavior of the second unit involved in each method design in the upper aspect scheme. The behavior of the third unit is not described here.

The third network slice instance information may further include part or all of the first network slice instance information and/or the second network slice instance information involved in the foregoing aspect.

In a possible design, the first unit may further send a deletion notification to the fourth unit, and the deletion notification is used to notify the fourth unit to delete the third network slice instance information. The deletion notification may carry the identifier of the network slice instance.

In the solution described in this aspect, the first unit may be NSOAM, or may be NSO, NSM, NO, NM or NFVO; the fourth unit may be Common NF/NSC or NF-M/Data Center.

The network sharding instance involved in the foregoing two aspects may include at least a core network (CN) part, a radio access network (RAN) part, and a transport network (TN) part; or, the above two The network slice instance involved in the aspect may include any two of the CN part, the RAN part or the TN part; or the network slice instance referred to in the above two aspects may represent the network slice instance of the CN part, and the network slice of the RAN part An instance of a network slice of an instance or TN part.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a first unit, where the first unit has a function of implementing a behavior of a first unit in the design of the foregoing method. The functions may be implemented by hardware or by corresponding software implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible design, the first unit includes a processor configured to support the first unit to perform a corresponding function in the above method. Further, the first unit may further include a communication interface for supporting communication between the first unit and the second unit, the third unit, the fourth unit, or other units. Further, the first single The unit may also include a memory for coupling with the processor that holds the program instructions and data necessary for the first unit.

In another aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a second unit, which has a function of implementing the behavior of the second unit in the design of the foregoing method. The functions may be implemented by hardware or by corresponding software implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible design, the second unit includes a processor configured to support the second unit to perform the corresponding functions of the above methods. Further, the second unit may further include a communication interface for supporting communication between the second unit and the first unit, the third unit, or other units. Further, the second unit may further include a memory for coupling with the processor, which stores program instructions and data necessary for the second unit.

In another aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a third unit, which has a function of implementing the behavior of the third unit in the design of the foregoing method. The functions may be implemented by hardware or by corresponding software implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible design, the third unit includes a processor configured to support the third unit to perform the corresponding function in the above method. Further, the third unit may further include a communication interface for supporting communication between the third unit and the first unit, the second unit, or other units. Further, the third unit may further include a memory for coupling with the processor, which stores program instructions and data necessary for the third unit.

In another aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a fourth unit, which has a function of implementing the behavior of the fourth unit in the design of the foregoing method. The functions may be implemented by hardware or by corresponding software implemented by hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

In one possible design, the fourth unit includes a processor configured to support the fourth unit to perform the corresponding functions of the above methods. Further, the fourth unit may further include a communication interface for supporting communication between the fourth unit and the first unit or other units. Further, the fourth unit may further include a memory for coupling with the processor, which stores program instructions and data necessary for the fourth unit.

In still another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium for storing the above-mentioned computer software instructions for the first unit, which includes a program designed to execute the above aspects.

In still another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium for storing the above-mentioned computer software instructions for the second unit, which includes a program designed to execute the above aspects.

In a further aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium for storing the above-mentioned computer software instructions for the third unit, which comprises a program designed to execute the above aspects.

In still another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer storage medium for storing the above-mentioned computer software instructions for the fourth unit, which includes a program designed to execute the above aspects.

In a further aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, where the system includes the first unit, the second unit, and the third unit, which are in the foregoing aspects; or, the system includes the first unit and the fourth unit in the foregoing aspect. unit.

Compared with the prior art, in the solution of the embodiment of the present application, after the network unit instance is created or updated, the first unit may send the information of the created or updated network slice instance to the second unit, where the second unit may save or The information of the network slice instance is configured, so that it is possible to avoid assigning an inappropriate network slice instance to the terminal.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

2A is a schematic diagram of a possible network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

2B is a schematic diagram of another possible network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of communication of an information sending method according to an embodiment of the present application;

4 is a schematic diagram of communication of another information sending method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of communication according to still another method for transmitting information according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of communication of an information deletion method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of communication of another method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of communication of another method for sending information according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of communication of another information deletion method according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 10A is a schematic block diagram of a first unit according to an embodiment of the present application; FIG.

FIG. 10B is a schematic structural diagram of a first unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a second unit according to an embodiment of the present application; FIG.

FIG. 11B is a schematic structural diagram of a second unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

12A is a schematic block diagram of a third unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

12B is a schematic structural diagram of a third unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 13A is a schematic block diagram of a joint unit according to an embodiment of the present application; FIG.

FIG. 13B is a schematic structural diagram of a joint unit according to an embodiment of the present application.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

The network architecture and the service scenario described in the embodiments of the present application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

In the following, some possible application scenarios and network architectures applicable to the embodiments of the present application are introduced in conjunction with FIG. 1 , FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B .

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. The following briefly introduces the various units involved in Figure 1:

A Service Orchestrator (SO) unit, which can also be called a business orchestration and management unit or a business management unit, mainly includes: lifecycle management (such as instantiation, update, and deletion) of a service according to a service request message. Service aggregation; service management, such as service failure, configuration, billing, performance and security (Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security, FCAPS) management; and between service and network slice (network slice) Mapping, etc. The service may be a set of service level agreement (SLA) communication services that the user can enjoy, such as mobile broadband (MBB) services, voice services, and the Internet of Things (IOT). Business (for example, smart parking business, smart meter reading business, etc.). Exemplarily, the SO unit can manage the services carried by the network slice.

Network Orchestrator (NO) unit, its functions mainly include: management of network slices, such as lifecycle management of network slices, management of network slice templates, etc.; mapping between network slices and network functions; Coordination of different types of network resources; coordination of network resources provided by different operators and different network providers, so that network resources provided by different network providers can meet the needs of target services, such as SLA requirements and key performance indicators. (Key Performance Indicator, KPI) requirements, quality of service (QoS) requirements, etc.; unified orchestration of network devices provided by different vendors; provision of external application program interfaces (APIs), The API interface is used to provide network functions for third parties to implement cross-operator deployment.

The Element Manager (EM) unit, also known as the Network Function Management Unit, mainly includes: lifecycle management of network elements or network functions (such as instantiation, update, deletion, etc.); network element or network function FCAPS management, etc.

The core network (Core Network, CN), its functions mainly include: Control Plane (CP) network functions (for example, selecting network slice function, mobility management function, etc.) and User Plane (UP) network function. (for example, the network function of the service gateway, billing function, etc.). Exemplarily, the CN may include a CP unit and a UP unit, where the CP unit has a CP network function, and the UP unit has an UP network function; or the CN may also include a Common Network Function (Common NF) unit. It has CP network functions and/or UP network functions.

Radio Access Network (RAN): The RAN is mainly deployed with a RAN Network Element (RAN NE), such as an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB). In addition, some RAN Network Function (RAN NF) entities, such as eNodeB Function, etc., may also be deployed in the RAN.

Wherein, the above SO unit is connected to the NO unit, the NO unit is also connected to the EM/NF-M unit, and the EM/NF-M is also connected to the CN and the RAN, respectively.

It is to be understood that the above description of the functions of the various units is merely illustrative, and the various units may have other functions, which are not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Based on the foregoing application scenario, FIG. 2A illustrates a possible network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2A, the network architecture can be deployed in two different ways.

In the first deployment mode, the network architecture includes: a Network Slice Orchestration and Management (NSOAM) unit, a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) unit, and a Common NF unit. The NSOAM unit has an interface with the NSSF unit and the Common NF unit, respectively, and the connection relationship between these units is shown by the solid line in FIG. 2A.

For convenience of description, in the following, a certain unit may be represented by its abbreviation. For example, the NSOAM unit may be represented by NSOAM, and other units are similar, and will not be described again.

In the second deployment mode, the network architecture includes: NSOAM, Network Function Manager (NF-M) unit, NSSF, and Common NF. There is an interface between the NSOAM and the NF-M, and the NF-M has an interface with the NSSF and the Common NF, respectively, and the connection relationship between these units is shown by a broken line in FIG. 2A. It should be noted that in this deployment mode, there is no interface between NSOAM and NSSF and Common NF. The NF-M can be replaced by a data center (Data Center); or, the NF-M can have its own functions and functions of the Data Center. The "NF-M/Data Center" shown in FIG. 2A indicates a unit having the function of NF-M and/or the function of the Data Center.

In the above two deployment modes, the Common NF unit can be configured by the network function warehouse (Network Function Reposity, NF Reposity) unit; or, Common NF unit can have its own functions and functions of the NF Reposity unit. "Common NF/NF Reposity" shown in FIG. 2A indicates a unit having a function of a Common NF unit and/or a function of an NF Reposity unit.

The following is a brief introduction to NSOAM, NSSF, Common NF, NF Reposity, NF-M, and Data Center.

NSOAM is responsible for lifecycle management of network slices (eg, creation, deletion, modification, etc. of network slices), configuration management, fault management, and performance management. In the network architecture shown in Figure 2A, NSOAM can also be composed of a separate Network Slice Orchestrator (NSO) unit, a separate Network Slice Manager (NSM) unit, a NO unit, and a network manager. NM) Unit or Network Function Virtualization Manager (NFVO) unit is replaced. The NSO is responsible for the lifecycle management of the network slice (for example, the creation, deletion, modification, etc. of the network slice); the NSM is responsible for the configuration management, fault management and performance management of the network slice; the NO is responsible for the lifecycle management of the network; the NM is responsible for the network. Configuration management, fault management and performance management; NF-M is responsible for lifecycle management, configuration management, fault management and performance management of network functions; NFVO is responsible for lifecycle management, configuration management, fault management of network services and virtual network functions. And performance management, etc. Alternatively, the NSOAM can also be deployed in the NO shown in FIG.

The NSSF is used to select and allocate available network slice instances for the terminal.

Common NF is used to assign network function instances to terminals. As shown in Figure 1 about Common NF, Common NF can have CP network functions and/or UP network functions.

NF Reposity is used to store information about network function instances.

NF-M is used to configure or activate NSSF and Common NF. Alternatively, the NF-M can be deployed in the EM shown in FIG.

Data Center can also be called a network slicing data center, which is a database that stores information about network slicing instances and information about network function instances. The above NSSF and Common NF can access the Data Center.

Based on the foregoing application scenario, FIG. 2B illustrates another possible network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2B, the network architecture can be deployed in two different ways.

In the first deployment mode, the network architecture includes: NSOAM and Common NF, wherein an interface between NSOAM and Common NF, and a connection relationship between these units is shown by a solid line in FIG. 2B.

In the second deployment mode, the network architecture includes: NSOAM, NF-M, and Common NF. Among them, NF-M has an interface with NSOAM and Common NF, respectively, and the connection relationship between these units is shown by the dotted line in FIG. 2B. It should be noted that in this deployment mode, there is no interface between NSOAM and Common NF.

In the network architecture shown in FIG. 2B, the Common NF here is a Common NF that has both its own functions and the functions of the NSSF. The Common NF can be replaced by a Network Slice Controller (NSC) unit. "Common NF/NSC" shown in FIG. 2B indicates a unit having a function of Common NF and/or a function of DSC.

In the network architecture shown in FIG. 2B, an introduction to NSOAM, NSSF, Common NF, NF-M, and Data Center can be referred to the detailed description in FIG. 2A. The following is a brief introduction to NSC.

The NSC is used to activate a network slice instance, assign a network slice instance to the terminal, and select a network function instance for the terminal.

In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably, but those skilled in the art can Solve its meaning. The terminals involved in the embodiments of the present application may include various handheld devices, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to the wireless modem, and various forms of user equipment (User Equipment). , UE), mobile station (MS), terminal device, and the like. For convenience of description, the devices mentioned above are collectively referred to as terminals.

The network slice instance involved in the embodiment of the present application may include at least a core network (CN) part, a radio access network (RAN) part, and a transport network (TN) part; or, The network slice instance involved in the application embodiment may include any one of a CN part, a RAN part, or a TN part. Alternatively, the network slice instance involved in the embodiment of the present application may represent a network slice instance and a RAN part of the CN part. Network slice instance or network slice instance of the TN part. It is to be understood that the network slice instance involved in the embodiment of the present application may further have other embodiments, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited.

The embodiments of the present application are further described in detail below based on the common aspects related to the embodiments of the present application.

In the existing solution, after the terminal accesses the network, the network side device needs to allocate a network slice instance to the terminal to provide services for the terminal based on some manually input network information. For example, such network information includes virtual machine information and the like. However, since the network slice instance is dynamically added, modified, and deleted, it is often impossible to allocate a suitable network slice instance to the terminal based on the above network information.

In view of this, the embodiment of the present application provides an information sending method, and a unit and system based on the method. The method includes: the first unit creates or updates a network slice instance; then, the first unit sends a first message to the second unit, where the first message carries the first network slice instance information, where the first network slice instance information is created or The first information of the updated network slice instance, wherein the first network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance; and the second unit saves or configures the first network slice instance information. In the solution of the embodiment of the present application, the first unit may send the information of the created or updated network slice instance to the second unit after creating or updating the network slice instance, and the second unit may save or configure the information of the network slice instance. Thus, it is possible to avoid assigning an inappropriate network slice instance to the terminal.

It should be noted that, in the above method, the timing or condition for transmitting the first message to the second unit by the first unit is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. For example, the first unit may send the first message to the second unit immediately after creating or updating the network slice instance, or may send the first message to the second unit after a period of time; for example, the first unit may actively The second unit sends the first message, and may also send the first message to the second unit in the request of the second unit or in other cases.

The solution provided by the embodiment of the present application will be described below with reference to FIG. The method shown in FIG. 3 is described by taking the network architecture of the application as an example of the network architecture shown in FIG. 2A. The method shown in FIG. 3 includes: sections 301 to 303.

In Section 301, the first unit creates or updates a network slice instance.

In one example, the first unit creates a network slice instance to add or instantiate a network slice instance for the first unit. For example, the first unit can create a network slice instance by instantiation.

The first unit may be NSOAM in FIG. 2A, or may be NSO, NSM, NO, NM or NFVO.

In section 302, the first unit sends a first message to the second unit, where the first message carries the first network slice instance information, where the first network slice instance information is the first information of the created or updated network slice instance.

The first network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance.

In one example, the first message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance, a configuration of the network slice instance. A message, an update notification message for a network slice instance, or a reconfiguration message for a network slice instance. For example, if the first unit creates a network slice instance in the 301 part, the first message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance; if in the 301 part, the first unit updates the network slice. For example, the first message may be an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance.

In a possible implementation manner, when the first message is a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice, the first network slice instance information may further include at least one of the following: a status of the network slice instance, The type of network slice, the information of the network function instance required by the network slice instance, the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance (for example, the identity of the tenant, the priority of the tenant, etc.) or the information of the service provided by the network slice instance ( For example, the type of the service, the identifier of the service instance, and the like, wherein the information of the network function instance includes an identifier of the network function instance and a status of the network function instance. Alternatively, when the first message is an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance, the first network slice instance information may further include at least one of the following: a status after the network slice instance is updated, and a network slice instance update. Information about the required network function instance, information about the tenant supported by the network slice instance after updating (for example, the tenant's identity, the tenant's priority, etc.) or the information of the service provided after the network slice instance is updated (for example, the service) The type of the service instance, the identifier of the service instance, and the like, wherein the information of the network function instance includes the identifier of the network function instance and the state of the network function instance.

The status of the network slice instance may include at least one of the following: activated, inactive, available, or unavailable. Of course, the state of the network slice instance may also have other forms, which is not limited by the embodiment of the present application.

The information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance and/or the information of the service provided by the network slice instance may be used to allocate a target network slice instance that satisfies the service request for the terminal. Alternatively, the information about the tenant supported by the network slice instance after updating and/or the information of the service provided after the network slice instance is updated may be used to allocate a target network slice instance that satisfies the service request for the terminal.

In an example, before the first unit sends the first message to the second unit, the second unit may send a subscription request to the first unit, the subscription request is used to subscribe to the first network slice instance information; or the second unit may The first unit sends a query request for querying the first network slice instance information.

The second unit may be the NSSF in FIG. 2A or the NF-M/Data Center in FIG. 2A. For example, if the second unit is an NSSF, the first message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance or an update notification message of the network slice instance; or, if the second unit is an NF-M/Data Center, the foregoing A message can be a configuration message for a network slice instance or a reconfiguration message for a network slice instance. For example, when the first message is a different type of message, the content that can be included in the first network slice instance information that is carried may refer to the detailed description in the foregoing example, and details are not described herein.

In an example, the first unit may further send a second message to the third unit, where the second message carries the second network slice instance information, where the second network slice instance information is the second information of the created or updated network slice instance, The second network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance. It should be noted that the solution of this example may be performed before the execution of the part 302, or may be performed after the execution of the part 302, or the solution of the example and the part of the 302 may be performed simultaneously, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited.

The third unit may be Common NF/NF Reposity in FIG. 2A, or may be NF-M/Data Center in FIG. 2A.

The foregoing second message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance, a configuration message of the network slice instance, an update notification message of the network slice instance, or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance. For example, if in section 301, the first order The second message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance. If the first unit updates the network slice instance in the 301 part, the second message may be a network slice. An update notification message for an instance or a reconfiguration message for a network slice instance.

In a possible implementation manner, the second network slice instance information may further include information about a state of the network slice instance and/or a network function instance required by the network slice instance, where the information of the network function instance includes at least one of the following: : The identity of the network function instance, the state of the network function instance, or the type of network function instance. For example, if the first unit creates a network slice instance in section 301, the second network slice instance information may further include the above content.

In another possible implementation manner, the second network slice instance information may further include: an updated state of the network slice instance and/or information of a network function instance required after the network slice instance is updated, where the network function instance information It includes at least one of the following: an identifier of the updated network function instance, a status of the updated network function instance, an identifier of the newly added network function instance, or an identifier of the deleted network function instance. For example, if the first unit updates the network slice instance in section 301, the second network slice instance information may further include the above content.

After receiving the second message from the first unit, the third unit may save the second network slice instance information. Further, the second unit may further activate the network slice instance according to the second network slice instance information.

In an example, the first unit may further send a second deletion notification to the third unit, where the second deletion notification is used to notify the third unit to delete the second network slice instance information. The second deletion notification may carry the identifier of the network slice instance.

In section 303, the second unit saves or configures the first network slice instance information.

In an example, if the second unit is an NSSF or a Data Center, the second unit may save the first network slice instance information; or, if the second unit is NF-M, the second unit may configure the first network slice instance. information. For example, the second unit configuring the first network slice instance information means that the NF-M configures the first network slice instance information on the NSSF or the Data Center.

In an example, the second unit may further activate the network slice instance according to the first network slice instance information.

In an example, the second unit may further receive a service request from the terminal, and allocate, according to the first network slice instance information, the target network slice instance that satisfies the service request. For convenience of description, hereinafter, the target network slice instance is described as a target slice instance. It should be noted that, if the word "network slice instance" appears in the following, the word refers not to the target slice instance. For example, if the second unit is an NSSF, the second unit may receive a service request of the terminal, and allocate a target slice instance to the terminal according to the saved first network slice instance information and the service request. The service request may carry information about the terminal, and the second unit may also associate the network slice instance and the terminal. For example, the information of the terminal may include an identifier of the terminal, and the second unit may associate the identifier of the network slice instance and the identifier of the terminal.

In another example, the second unit may also provide first network slice instance information for other units. For example, if the second unit is a Data Center, the NSSF may receive the service request of the terminal, query the Data Center for the first network slice instance information, and then allocate the target slice instance to the terminal according to the first network slice instance information and the service request.

The information about the terminal may include at least one of the following: a tenant identifier associated with the terminal, a service type requested by the terminal, or a type of a network slice instance required by the terminal. The tenant identifier associated with the terminal may be referred to as a second tenant identifier. The type of the service requested by the terminal may be referred to as a second service type, and the type of the network slice instance required by the terminal may be referred to as a second instance type.

In a possible implementation, the first network slice instance information includes at least one of the following: a tenant letter Information, information about the above services, the status of the network slicing instance, or the type of network slicing instance. The second unit may allocate the target slice instance to the terminal according to at least one of the information of the tenant, the information of the foregoing service, the state of the network slice instance, or the type of the network slice instance. It should be noted that, in the 301 part, the first unit creates a network slice instance, where the information and/or service information of the tenant described herein refers to the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance and/or the network slice instance. The information of the provided service; or, if the first unit updates the network slice instance in section 301, the information of the tenant and/or the service information described herein refers to the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance after updating. And/or information about the services provided after the network slice instance is updated.

The second unit allocates a target slice instance to the terminal according to at least one of the information about the tenant, the information of the foregoing service, the state of the network slice instance, or the type of the network slice instance, and may be in one of the following manners or at least Two to execute:

The first mode: the first network slice instance information includes the information of the tenant and the information of the service, where the information of the tenant is the first tenant identifier, the information of the service is the first service identifier, and the second unit allocates the target slice to the terminal. The implementation of the instance can be one of the following:

(1) The service request of the terminal carries only the second tenant identifier, and the second unit can search for the first tenant identifier that is the same as the second tenant identifier, so that the network slice instance corresponding to the first tenant identifier is determined as the target slice instance. And assign the target slice instance to the terminal.

(2) The service request of the terminal only carries the second service type, and the second unit can search for the first service type that is the same as the second service type, so that the network slice instance corresponding to the first service type is determined as the target slice instance. And assign the target slice instance to the terminal.

(3) The service request of the terminal carries the second tenant identifier and the second service type, and the second unit can find the network slice instance with the same first tenant identifier and the second tenant identifier, and the first service type and the second service type are the same. Determining the network slice instance as a target slice instance and assigning the target slice instance to the terminal.

The second mode: the first network slice instance information includes a state of the network slice instance, and the second unit searches for an available network slice instance according to the service request of the terminal, determines the network slice instance as the target slice instance, and allocates the terminal The target slice instance.

The third mode: the first network slice instance information includes a type of the network slice instance, the type of the network slice instance may be referred to as a first instance type, the service request of the terminal carries the second instance type, and the second unit may search for The first instance type of the same instance type is determined, so that the network slice instance corresponding to the first instance type is determined as the target slice instance, and the target slice instance is allocated to the terminal.

It should be noted that, by using one or at least two of the foregoing three methods, one or at least two network slice instances can be generally selected. If a network slice instance is filtered out, the network slice instance is determined as the target slice instance. If at least two network slice instances are selected, a network slice instance may be further determined as the target slice instance in the at least two network slice instances according to other information. For example, the target slice may be further determined according to the type of the terminal, the identifier of the terminal (for example, an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), a Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI), or the like. Example.

In one example, the second unit may also send a selection request to the third unit for requesting a network function instance required by the target slice instance. Optionally, the selection request may carry the information about the terminal and the identifier of the network slice instance, where the information of the terminal may include the identifier of the terminal.

After receiving the selection request from the second unit, the third unit may select a network function instance required by the target slice instance according to the selection request and the second network slice instance information.

In an example, the second unit may further receive a first deletion notification from the first unit, where the first deletion notification is used to notify the second unit to delete the first network slice instance information. The first deletion notification may carry the identifier of the network slice instance.

The solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is further described on the basis of the method shown in FIG. 3 with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. For the method shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 , the same or similar content as the method shown in FIG. 3 can refer to the detailed description in FIG. 3 , and details are not described herein.

The network architecture applied by the method shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 is the network architecture shown in FIG. 2A, wherein the first unit is NSOAM, the second unit is NSSF, and the third unit is Common NF/NF Reposity. The solution of the embodiment of the present application will be described.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an information sending method in a scenario of creating a network slice instance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method illustrated in Figure 4 includes portions 401 through 414, with portions 401, 406, and 410 being optional.

In Section 401, the NSSF sends a subscription request or query request to the NSOAM.

The subscription request or the query request is used to request the first network slice instance information.

In Section 402, NSOAM creates a network slice instance.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order of the 401 part and the 402 part. For example, the 401 part may be executed first, and then the 402 part may be executed; or the 402 part may be executed first, and then the 401 part may be executed; or, the 401 part and the 402 part may be performed simultaneously.

In the 403 part, the NSOAM sends a new notification of the network slice instance to the NSSF, where the new notification carries the first network slice instance information.

The first network slice instance information is the first information of the created network slice instance. For a description of the first network slice instance information, refer to the detailed description in section 302 of FIG. 3, and details are not described herein.

In Section 404, the NSSF saves the first network slice instance information.

In section 405, the NSSF activates the network slice instance according to the first network slice instance information.

In section 406, the NSSF sends a response message to the NSOAM to inform the NSOAM that the NSSF has saved the first network slice instance information and activated the network slice instance.

In Section 407, the NSOAM sends a new notification to the Common NF/NF Reposity for the network slice instance, the new notification carrying the second network slice instance information.

The second network slice instance information is the second information of the created network slice instance. For a description of the second network slice instance information, reference may be made to the detailed description in section 302 of FIG. 3, and details are not described herein.

In Section 408, Common NF/NF Reposity saves the second network slice instance information.

In Section 409, Common NF/NF Reposity activates the network slice instance described above based on the second network slice instance information.

In Section 410, Common NF/NF Reposity sends a response message to NSOAM to inform NSOAM that Common NF/NF Reposity has saved the second network slice instance information and activated the network slice instance.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order of the parts 403-406 and 407-410. For example, the 403-406 part may be executed first, and the 407-410 part may be executed; the 407-410 part may be executed first, and then the 403-406 part may be executed; or, the 403-406 part and the 407-410 part may be notified.

In section 411, the NSSF receives the service request of the terminal.

In an example, the service request may carry the information of the terminal. For the description of the information about the terminal, refer to the detailed description in part 303 of FIG. 3, and details are not described herein.

It should be noted that, in the 401 part, the request sent by the NSSF to the NSOAM is a query request, in the method shown in FIG. 4, the 401 part and the 403-410 part may not be executed first, but after the 411 part is executed, Then perform the 401 part and the 403-410 part. That is, after receiving the service request of the terminal, the NSSF sends a query request to the NSOAM and performs subsequent steps.

In section 412, the NSSF allocates a target slice instance satisfying the service request to the terminal according to the first network slice instance information.

For a specific implementation process of the NSSF assigning a target slice instance to the terminal, refer to the detailed description of the target cell slice instance for the terminal in the 303 part of FIG. 3, which is not described herein.

In Section 413, the NSSF sends a selection request to the Common NF/NF Reposity requesting the network function instance required to request the target slice instance.

In Section 414, Common NF/NF Reposity selects the network function instance required for the target slice instance based on the selection request and the second network instance information.

It should be noted that in the method shown in FIG. 4, the NSSF can be replaced by NF-M. If the NSSF is replaced by the NF-M, the new notification of the network slice instance in the 403 part is replaced with the configuration message of the network slice instance; the save the first network slice instance information in the 404 part is replaced with the configuration of the first network slice instance information; The save second network slice instance information in section 408 is replaced with configuring the second network slice instance information. Further, if the NSSF is replaced with NF-M, the above sections 411 to 414 are not executed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an information sending method in a scenario of updating a network slice instance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 5 is similar to the method shown in FIG. 4. In the method shown in FIG. 5, the content similar to the method shown in FIG. 4 can be referred to the detailed description in FIG. 4, and only the differences will be described herein. Other content will not be described. The main difference between the method shown in Figure 5 and the method shown in Figure 4 is:

(1) In section 502, the NSOAM updates the network slice instance; and in section 402, the NSOAM creates a network slice instance.

(2) The method shown in FIG. 5 relates to a new notification of a network slice instance; and the method shown in FIG. 4 relates to an update notification of a network slice instance.

(3) The first network slice instance information and the second network slice instance information involved in the method shown in FIG. 5, and the first network slice instance information and the second network slice instance information involved in the method shown in FIG. There are differences. The former is for the scenario of creating a network slice instance, and the latter is for the scenario of updating the network slice instance. Specifically, the differences in the information may be derived from the detailed description of section 302 in FIG. 3, and are not described herein.

It should be noted that in the method shown in FIG. 5, the NSSF can be replaced with NF-M. If the NSSF is replaced with NF-M, the update notification of the network slice instance in the 503 part is replaced with the reconfiguration message of the network slice instance; the saving the first network slice instance information in the 504 part is replaced with configuring the first network slice instance information; The save second network slice instance information in section 508 is replaced with configuring the second network slice instance information. Further, if the NSSF is replaced with NF-M, the above sections 511 to 514 are not executed.

FIG. 6 is a method for deleting information according to an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Figure 6 can be in Figure 3, Figure 4 or The method shown in Figure 5 is performed on the basis of the method. Wherein, the method shown in FIG. 6 includes parts 601 to 608, wherein the 601 part, the 605 part, and the 608 part are optional parts.

In Section 601, the NSSF sends a subscription request or query request to the NSOAM.

The subscription request or the query request is used to request information about the deletion of the network slice instance.

In Section 602, the NSOAM deletes the network slice instance.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order of the 601 part and the 602 part. For example, the 601 part may be executed first, and then the 602 part may be executed; the 602 part may be executed first, and then the 601 part may be executed; or, the 601 part and the 602 part may be simultaneously executed.

In section 603, the NSOAM sends a deletion notification of the network slice instance to the NSSF, where the deletion notification carries the identity of the network slice instance.

In section 604, the NSSF deletes the first network slice instance information according to the identifier of the network slice instance.

The first network slice instance information is the first information of the created or updated network slice instance. For the description of the first network slice instance information, refer to the detailed description in section 302 of FIG. 3, which is not described herein.

In section 605, the NSSF sends a response message to the NSOAM to inform the NSOAM that the NSSF has deleted the first network slice instance information.

In Section 606, the NSOAM sends a deletion notification for the network slice instance to the Common NF/NF Reposity, the deletion notification carrying the identity of the network slice instance.

In Section 607, Common NF/NF Reposity deletes the second network slice instance information based on the identity of the network slice instance.

The second network slice instance information is the second information of the created or updated network slice instance. For the description of the second network slice instance information, refer to the detailed description in section 302 of FIG. 3, and details are not described herein.

In Section 608, Common NF/NF Reposity sends a response message to NSOAM to inform NSOAM that Common NF/NF Reposity has deleted the second network slice instance information.

It should be noted that, in the method shown in FIG. 6, the NSSF can be replaced with the NF-M/Data Center.

The method shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 is used as an example for the network architecture shown in FIG. 2A. It should be noted that the solution of the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to the method shown in FIG. 2B. Network Architecture. When the network architecture shown in FIG. 2B is applied, in the methods shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 6, the functions of the second unit and the functions of the third unit are performed by one unit. In this case, the interaction between the second unit and the third unit may not be performed; or the second unit and the third unit may be set as internal modules in the combined unit, and the second unit and the third unit The interaction between the two is the interaction between different internal modules within the unit. The above-mentioned combined unit may be the Common NF/NSC in FIG. 2B. For convenience of description, the above-described combined unit may also be referred to as a fourth unit.

The following is a description of the solution when the network architecture shown in FIG. 2B is applied to the embodiment of the present application by using the hex unit as the common NF as an example. For the methods shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9 , similar contents to those in the methods shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 7 can be referred to the detailed descriptions in FIG. 3 to FIG. 7 , and details are not described herein.

FIG. 7 is another method for sending information in a scenario of creating a network slice instance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method illustrated in Figure 7 includes portions 701 through 709, with portions 701 and 706 being optional.

In Section 701, Common NF sends a subscription request or query request to NSOAM.

The subscription request or the query request is used to request the third network slice instance information. The third network slice instance information is third information of the created network slice instance, where the third network slice instance information includes a network network slice instance Logo. Further, the third network slice instance information may further include part or all of the first network slice instance information and/or the second network slice instance involved in the method shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. The description of the first network slice instance information and the second network slice instance information is not described herein.

In Section 702, NSOAM creates a network slice instance.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order of the 701 part and the 702 part. For example, the 701 part may be executed first, and then the 702 part may be executed; the 702 part may be executed first, and then the 701 part may be executed; or, the 701 part and the 702 part may be simultaneously executed.

In section 703, the NSOAM sends a new notification of the network slice instance to the Common NF, where the new notification carries the third network slice instance information.

In Section 704, Common NF saves the third network slice instance information.

In section 705, the Common NF activates the network slice instance described above based on the third network slice instance information.

In Section 706, Common NF sends a response message to NSOAM to inform NSOAM that Common NF has saved the third network slice instance information and activated the network slice instance.

In Section 707, the Common NF receives the service request from the terminal.

It should be noted that, in the 701 part, the request sent by the Common NF to the NSOAM is a query request, in the method shown in FIG. 7, the 701 part and the 703-706 part may not be executed first, but after the 707 part is executed. Then perform part 701 and parts 703-706. That is, after receiving the service request of the terminal, the Common NF sends a query request to the NSOAM and performs subsequent steps.

In Section 708, the Common NF allocates a target slice instance that satisfies the service request to the terminal based on the third network slice instance information.

The specific implementation process of the target metric instance is allocated to the terminal by the Common NF, and is similar to the specific implementation process of the NSSF assigning the target snippet instance to the terminal in the 412 part of FIG. 4 , and the detailed description of the 412 part is omitted, and details are not described herein.

In Section 709, Common NF selects the network function instance required for the target slice instance based on the third network slice instance information.

It should be noted that in the method shown in FIG. 7, Common NF can be replaced by NF-M. If Common NF is replaced with NF-M, the new notification of the network slice instance in part 703 is replaced with the configuration message of the network slice instance; the third network slice instance information in the 704 part is replaced with the configuration of the third network slice instance information. . In addition, if Common NF is replaced with NF-M, the above sections 707 to 709 are not executed.

FIG. 8 is another method for sending information in a scenario of creating a network slice instance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method shown in FIG. 8 is similar to the method shown in FIG. 7. In the method shown in FIG. 8, the content similar to the method shown in FIG. 7 can be referred to the detailed description in FIG. 7, and only the differences are explained here. Other content will not be described. The main differences between Figure 8 and Figure 7 are:

(1) In Section 802, the NSOAM updates the network slice instance; and in Section 702, the NSOAM creates a network slice instance.

(2) The method shown in FIG. 8 relates to a new notification of a network slice instance; and the method shown in FIG. 7 relates to an update notification of a network slice instance.

(3) The third network slice instance information involved in the method shown in FIG. 8 is different from the information of the third network slice instance involved in the method shown in FIG. 7. The former is for creating a scenario of a network slice instance. The latter is for scenarios where the network slice instance is updated. Specifically, the differences in the information may be derived from the detailed description of section 302 in FIG. 3, and are not described herein.

It should be noted that in the method shown in FIG. 8, Common NF can be replaced with NF-M. If the Common NF is replaced by NF-M, the update notification of the network slice instance in the 803 part is replaced with the reconfiguration message of the network slice instance; the save the third network slice instance information in the 804 part is replaced with the configuration of the third network slice instance information. . In addition, if Common NF is replaced with NF-M, the above sections 807 to 809 are not executed.

FIG. 9 is another method for deleting information according to an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in Fig. 9 can be performed on the basis of the method shown in Fig. 7 or Fig. 8. Wherein, the method shown in FIG. 9 includes parts 901 to 905, wherein the 901 part and the 905 part are optional parts.

In Section 901, Common NF sends a subscription request or query request to NSOAM.

In Section 902, NSOAM deletes the network slice instance.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order of the 901 part and the 902 part. For example, the 901 part may be executed first, and then the 902 part may be executed; the 902 part may be executed first, and then the 901 part may be executed; or the 901 part and the 902 part may be simultaneously executed.

In section 903, the NSOAM sends a deletion notification of the network slice instance to the Common NF, the deletion notification carrying the identifier of the network slice instance.

In Section 904, Common NF deletes the third network slice instance information according to the identity of the network slice instance.

The third network slice instance information is the third information of the created or updated network slice instance. For the description of the third network slice instance information, reference may be made to the third network slice instance information in the method shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 . Detailed description will not be repeated here.

In Section 905, Common NF sends a response message to NSOAM to inform NSOAM that Common NF has deleted the third network slice instance information.

It should be noted that in the method shown in FIG. 9, Common NF can be replaced by NF-M/Data Center.

The foregoing provides an introduction to the solution provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of interaction between different units. It can be understood that the first unit, the second unit, the third unit, and the combined unit include hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to each function in order to implement the above functions. The embodiments of the present application can be implemented in a combination of hardware or hardware and computer software in combination with the elements of the examples and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed in the application. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or computer software to drive hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the solution. A person skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

The embodiments of the present application may divide the function modules of the first unit, the second unit, the third unit, the unit, and the like according to the foregoing method example. For example, each function module may be divided according to each function, or two or two may be divided. More than one function is integrated in one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of the module in the embodiment of the present application is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and the actual implementation may have another division manner.

In the case of employing an integrated unit, FIG. 10A shows a first unit involved in the embodiment of the present application. A possible schematic block diagram. The first unit 1000 includes a processing module 1002 and a communication module 1003. The processing module 1002 is configured to perform control management on the actions of the first unit. For example, the processing module 1002 is configured to support the first unit to perform the processes 301 and 302 in FIG. 3, the processes 402, 403, and 407 in FIG. Processes 502, 503, and 507, processes 602, 603, and 606 in FIG. 6, processes 702 and 703 in FIG. 7, processes 802 and 803 in FIG. 8, processes 902 and 903 in FIG. 9, and/or Other processes of the techniques described herein. The communication module 1003 is configured to support communication between the first unit and the second unit, the third unit, or the combined unit. The first unit may further include a storage module 1001 for storing program codes and data of the first unit.

The processing module 1002 may be a processor or a controller, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and an application-specific integrated circuit (Application-Specific). Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 1303 may be a communication interface, a transceiver or a transceiver circuit, etc., wherein the communication interface is a collective name. In a specific implementation, the communication interface may include multiple interfaces, for example, the first unit and the second unit may be included. Interfaces and/or other interfaces between three units or unit. The storage module 1001 may be a memory.

When the processing module 1002 is a processor, the communication module 1003 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1001 is a memory, the first unit involved in the embodiment of the present application may be the first unit shown in FIG. 10B.

Referring to FIG. 10B, the first unit 1010 includes a processor 1012, a communication interface 1013, and a memory 1011. Optionally, the first unit 1010 may further include a bus 1014. The communication interface 1013, the processor 1012, and the memory 1011 may be connected to each other through a bus 1014. The bus 1014 may be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (abbreviated). EISA) bus and so on. The bus 1014 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 10B, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The first unit shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B above may be the NSOAM or other unit in FIG. 2A or 2B, such as NSO, NSM, NO, NM or NFVO.

In the case of an integrated unit, FIG. 11A shows a possible schematic block diagram of the second unit involved in the embodiment of the present application. The second unit 1100 includes a processing module 1102 and a communication module 1103. The processing module 1102 is configured to perform control management on the action of the second unit. For example, the processing module 1102 is configured to support the second unit to perform the process 303 in FIG. 3, the processes 401, 404-406, and 411-413 in FIG. Processes 501, 504-506 and 511-513 in 5, processes 601, 604 and 605 in Figure 6, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication module 1103 is for supporting communication of the second unit with the first unit or the third unit. The second unit may further include a storage module 1101 for storing program codes and data of the second unit.

The processing module 1102 can be a processor or a controller, such as a CPU, a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, such as one or more microprocessor combinations, DSP and microprocessor Combination of devices and so on. The communication module 1303 may be a communication interface, a transceiver or a transceiver circuit, etc., wherein the communication interface is a collective name. In a specific implementation, the communication interface may include multiple interfaces, for example, the second unit and the first unit or the first Interface between three units and / or other interfaces. The storage module 1101 can be a memory.

When the processing module 1102 is a processor, the communication module 1103 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1101 is a memory, the second unit involved in the embodiment of the present application may be the second unit shown in FIG. 11B.

Referring to FIG. 11B, the second unit 1110 includes a processor 1112, a communication interface 1113, and a memory 1111. Optionally, the second unit 1110 may further include a bus 1114. The communication interface 1113, the processor 1112, and the memory 1111 may be connected to each other through a bus 1114; the bus 1114 may be a PCI bus or an EISA bus or the like. The bus 1114 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 11B, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The second unit shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B above may be the NSSF or NF-M/Data Center in FIG. 2A.

In the case of an integrated unit, FIG. 12A shows a possible schematic block diagram of a third unit involved in the embodiment of the present application. The third unit 1200 includes a processing module 1202 and a communication module 1203. The processing module 1202 is configured to perform control management on the actions of the third unit. For example, the processing module 1202 is configured to support the third unit to perform the processes 408-410 and 414 in FIG. 4, and the processes 508-510 and 514 in FIG. Processes 607 and 608 in 6, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication module 1203 is configured to support communication of the third unit with the first unit or the second unit. The third unit may further include a storage module 1201 for storing program codes and data of the third unit.

The processing module 1202 can be a processor or a controller, such as a CPU, a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 1303 may be a communication interface, a transceiver or a transceiver circuit, etc., wherein the communication interface is a collective name. In a specific implementation, the communication interface may include multiple interfaces, for example, the third unit and the first unit or the first Interface between two units and / or other interfaces. The storage module 1201 may be a memory.

When the processing module 1202 is a processor, the communication module 1203 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1201 is a memory, the third unit involved in the embodiment of the present application may be the third unit shown in FIG. 12B.

Referring to FIG. 12B, the third unit 1210 includes a processor 1212, a communication interface 1213, and a memory 1211. Optionally, the third unit 1210 may further include a bus 1214. The communication interface 1213, the processor 1212, and the memory 1211 may be connected to each other through a bus 1214; the bus 1214 may be a PCI bus or an EISA bus or the like. The bus 1214 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is shown in Figure 12B, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The third unit shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B above may be Common NF/NF Reposity or NF-M/Data Center in FIG. 2A.

In the case of an integrated unit, FIG. 13A shows a possible schematic block diagram of the merging unit involved in the embodiment of the present application. The merging unit 1300 includes a processing module 1302 and a communication module 1303. The processing module 1302 is configured to perform control management on the actions of the merging unit. For example, the processing module 1302 is configured to support the merging unit to perform the process 303 in FIG. 3, the processes 401, 404-406, 408-412, and 414 in FIG. Processes 501, 504-506, 508-512, and 514 in FIG. 5, processes 601, 604, 605, 607, and 608 in FIG. 6, processes 701 and 704-709 in FIG. 7, Processes 801 and 804-809 in FIG. 8, processes 901, 904, and 905 in FIG. 9, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication module 1303 is configured to support communication between the combined unit and the first unit. The collocation unit may further include a storage module 1301 for storing program codes and data of the merging unit.

The processing module 1302 may be a processor or a controller, such as a CPU, a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 1303 may be a communication interface, a transceiver or a transceiver circuit, etc., wherein the communication interface is a collective name. In a specific implementation, the communication interface may include multiple interfaces, for example, may include: between the unit and the first unit Interface and / or other interfaces. The storage module 1301 may be a memory.

When the processing module 1302 is a processor, the communication module 1303 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1301 is a memory, the merging unit according to the embodiment of the present application may be the merging unit shown in FIG. 13B.

Referring to FIG. 13B, the setting unit 1310 includes a processor 1312, a communication interface 1313, and a memory 1311. Optionally, the unit 1310 may further include a bus 1314. The communication interface 1313, the processor 1312, and the memory 1311 may be connected to each other through a bus 1314; the bus 1314 may be a PCI bus or an EISA bus or the like. The bus 1314 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of representation, only one thick line is shown in Fig. 13B, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The above-described combined unit shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B may be Common NF/NSC or NF-M/Data Center in FIG. 2B.

The steps of the method or algorithm described in connection with the disclosure of the embodiments of the present application may be implemented in a hardware manner, or may be implemented by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions may be composed of corresponding software modules, which may be stored in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read only memory ( Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, removable hard disk, compact disk read only (CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor to enable the processor to read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC can be located in the first unit, the second unit, the third unit, or the combined unit. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may also exist as discrete components in the first unit, the second unit, the third unit, or the combined unit.

Those skilled in the art should appreciate that in one or more of the above examples, the functions described in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored in a computer readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer readable medium. Computer readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A storage medium may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the embodiments, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application. It should be understood that the foregoing description is only The scope of the present invention is defined by the scope of the present invention, and any modifications, equivalents, improvements, etc., which are included in the embodiments of the present application, are included in the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

A method for transmitting information, comprising:

The first unit creates or updates a network slice instance;

The first unit sends a first message to the second unit, where the first message carries the first network slice instance information, where the first network slice instance information is the created or updated first information of the network slice instance, where The first network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the first message is a new notification message of the network slice instance, a configuration message of the network slice instance, an update notification message of the network slice instance, or a A reconfiguration message for a network slice instance.
The method according to claim 2, wherein the first message is a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance, and the first network slice instance information further includes the following At least one of: a status of the network slice instance, a type of the network slice instance, information of a network function instance required by the network slice instance, information of a tenant supported by the network slice instance, or the network slice The information of the service provided by the instance, where the information of the network function instance includes an identifier of the network function instance and a status of the network function instance; or

The first message is an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance, and the first network slice instance information further includes at least one of the following: an updated state of the network slice instance The information of the network function instance required after the network slice instance is updated, the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance after updating, or the information of the service provided after the network slice instance is updated, where the network The information of the function instance includes an identifier of the network function instance and a status of the network function instance.
The method according to claim 3, wherein the information of the tenant and/or the information of the service is used to allocate a target network slice instance satisfying a service request to the terminal.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

The first unit sends a second message to the third unit, where the second message carries the second network slice instance information, where the second network slice instance information is the second information of the created or updated network slice instance. The second network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance, and the second network slice instance information further includes a state of the network slice instance and/or a network function instance required by the network slice instance. Information, wherein the information of the network function instance includes at least one of: an identifier of the network function instance, a status of the network function instance, or a type of the network function instance; or the second network slice instance The information further includes information about the updated status of the network slice instance and/or the network function instance required after the network slice instance is updated, where the information of the network function instance includes at least one of the following: updated network function. The identity of the instance, the status of the updated network function instance, the identity of the newly added network function instance, or the deleted network function Of identity.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein before the first unit sends the first message to the second unit, the method further comprises:

The first unit receives a subscription request from the second unit, and the subscription request is used to subscribe to the first network slice instance information; or

The first unit receives a query request from the second unit, and the query request is used to query the first network Network slice instance information.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first unit is a network slice arrangement domain management unit, and the second unit is a network slice selection function unit or a network function management unit.
A method for transmitting information, comprising:

The second unit receives the first message from the first unit, where the first message carries network slice instance information, where the network slice instance information is information of the created or updated network slice instance, where the network slice instance The information includes an identification of the network slice instance;

The second unit saves or configures the network slice instance information.
The method according to claim 8, wherein the first message is a new notification message of the network slice instance, a configuration message of the network slice instance, an update notification message of the network slice instance, or a A reconfiguration message for a network slice instance.
The method according to claim 9, wherein the first message is a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance, and the network slice instance information further includes at least one of the following Item: a status of the network slice instance, a type of the network slice instance, information of a network function instance required by the network slice instance, information of a tenant supported by the network slice instance, or the network slice instance Information of the provided service, where the information of the network function instance includes an identifier of the network function instance and a status of the network function instance; or

The first message is an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance, and the network slice instance information further includes at least one of the following: an updated state and a state of the network slice instance The information about the network function instance required after the network slice instance is updated, the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance after updating, or the information of the service provided after the network slice instance is updated, where the network function instance The information includes an identification of the network function instance and a status of the network function instance.
The method of any of claims 10, further comprising:

The second unit receives a service request from the terminal;

The second unit allocates, to the terminal, a target network slice instance that satisfies the service request according to the network slice instance information.
The method according to claim 11, wherein the network slice instance information includes information of the tenant and/or information of the service, and the second unit is the terminal according to the network slice instance information. Allocating a target network slice instance that satisfies the service request, including:

The second management unit allocates the target network slice instance to the terminal according to the information of the tenant and/or the information of the service.
The method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein before the second unit receives the first message from the first unit, the method further comprises:

Sending, by the second unit, a subscription request to the first unit, where the subscription request is used to subscribe to the network slice instance information; or

The second unit sends a query request to the first unit, where the query request is used to query the network slice instance information.
The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, wherein the first unit is The network slicing arrangement domain management unit, the second unit is a network slice selection function unit or a network function management unit.
A first unit, comprising: a processing module and a communication module,

The processing module is configured to create or update a network slice instance, and configured to send, by using the communication module, a first message to the second unit, where the first message carries first network slice instance information, the first network slice instance The information is first information of the created or updated network slice instance, wherein the first network slice instance information includes an identification of the network slice instance.
The first unit according to claim 15, wherein the first message is a new notification message of the network slice instance, a configuration message of the network slice instance, and an update notification message of the network slice instance. Or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance.
The first unit according to claim 16, wherein the first message is a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance, and the first network slice instance information is further Including at least one of: a status of the network slice instance, a type of the network slice instance, information of a network function instance required by the network slice instance, information of a tenant supported by the network slice instance, or The information of the service provided by the network snippet instance, where the information of the network function instance includes an identifier of the network function instance and a status of the network function instance; or

The first message is an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance, and the first network slice instance information further includes at least one of the following: an updated state of the network slice instance The information of the network function instance required after the network slice instance is updated, the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance after updating, or the information of the service provided after the network slice instance is updated, where the network The information of the function instance includes an identifier of the network function instance and a status of the network function instance.
The first unit according to claim 17, wherein the information of the tenant and/or the information of the service is used to allocate a target network slice instance satisfying a service request to the terminal.
The first unit according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the processing module is further configured to send a second message to the third unit by using the communication module, the second message carrying the second message Network slice instance information, the second network slice instance information is second information of the created or updated network slice instance, the second network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance, and the second The network slice instance information further includes information about a state of the network slice instance and/or a network function instance required by the network slice instance, where the information of the network function instance includes at least one of the following: the network function instance The identifier of the network function instance or the type of the network function instance; or the second network slice instance information further includes an updated state of the network slice instance and/or after the network slice instance is updated Information about the required network function instance, wherein the information of the network function instance includes at least one of the following: an updated network function instance Identity, status updates, the network function instance, identifies new network function instance or instances of identity network functions deleted.
The first unit according to any one of claims 15 to 19, wherein the processing module is further configured to receive a subscription request from the second unit by using the communication module, the subscription request is for subscription The first network slice instance information; or the processing module is further configured to receive, by using the communication module, a query request from the second unit, where the query request is used to query the first network slice instance information.
The first unit according to any one of claims 15 to 20, wherein the first single The element is a network slice programming domain management unit, and the second unit is a network slice selection function unit or a network function management unit.
A second unit, comprising: a processing module and a communication module,

The processing module is configured to receive, by using the communication module, a first message from a first unit, where the first message carries network slice instance information, where the network slice instance information is created or updated by the network slice instance. Information, wherein the network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance; and is configured to save or configure the network slice instance information.
The second unit according to claim 22, wherein the first message is a new notification message of the network slice instance, a configuration message of the network slice instance, and an update notification message of the network slice instance. Or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance.
The second unit according to claim 23, wherein the first message is a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance, and the network slice instance information further includes the following At least one of: a status of the network slice instance, a type of the network slice instance, information of a network function instance required by the network slice instance, information of a tenant supported by the network slice instance, or the network slice The information of the service provided by the instance, where the information of the network function instance includes an identifier of the network function instance and a status of the network function instance; or

The first message is an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance, and the network slice instance information further includes at least one of the following: an updated state and a state of the network slice instance The information about the network function instance required after the network slice instance is updated, the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance after updating, or the information of the service provided after the network slice instance is updated, where the network function instance The information includes an identification of the network function instance and a status of the network function instance.
The second unit according to claim 24, wherein the processing module is further configured to receive a service request from the terminal by using the communication module; and configured to allocate the content satisfaction to the terminal according to the network slice instance information The target network slice instance of the service request.
The second unit according to claim 25, wherein the network slice instance information includes information of the tenant and/or information of the service, and the processing module is specifically configured to use information according to the tenant. / or information of the service for the terminal to allocate the target network slice instance.
The second unit according to any one of claims 22 to 26, wherein the processing module is further configured to send a subscription request to the first unit by using the communication module, the subscription request is used for subscription And the processing module is further configured to send a query request to the first unit by using the communication module, where the query request is used to query the network slice instance information.
The second unit according to any one of claims 22 to 27, wherein the first unit is a network slice arrangement domain management unit, and the second unit is a network slice selection function unit or a network function management unit. .