WO2018129665A1

WO2018129665A1 - Communication method, network exposure function network element, and control plane network element

Info

Publication number: WO2018129665A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/070803
Authority: WO
Inventors: 陆伟; 诸华林; 靳维生
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2017-01-10
Filing date: 2017-01-10
Publication date: 2018-07-19
Also published as: WO2018129807A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, a network exposure function network element, and a control plane network element. The communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application comprises: a network exposure function network element receives a first message, the first message carrying related information of a target terminal, and the related information of the target terminal comprising target application server information and/or service information of the target terminal; the network exposure function network element determines information of at least one user plane network element according to the related information of the target terminal, the related information of the target terminal comprising target application server information and/or service information of the target terminal; and a capability opening platform network element sends a second message to a target control plane network element, the second message carrying the information of the at least one user plane network element. The communication method, the network exposure function network element and the control plane network element can determine better UP network elements for a terminal, thereby further improving service experience of a user.

Description

Communication method, network open function network element and control plane network element

Technical field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method, a Network Exposure Function (NEF) network element, and a Control Plan (CP) network element.

Background technique

With the continuous development of the communication technology, in order to shorten the transmission path of the data stream and improve the user experience, the control plane network element serving the user's terminal can be based on the location of the terminal and the user plane (UP) network element. Factors such as load balancing re-determine the UP network element for the data flow of the terminal.

In the traditional communication technology, the UP network element determined by the CP network element according to the location of the terminal and the load balancing of the UP network element is not able to provide services to the terminal, thereby affecting the service experience of the user.

Summary of the invention

The communication method, the network open function network element, and the control plane network element provided by the embodiment of the present application can determine a better UP network element for the terminal, thereby further improving the service experience of the user.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method. The communication method includes: the network open function network element receives the first message, the first message carries related information of the target terminal, and the related information of the target terminal includes target application server information and/or service of the target terminal. The network open function network element determines information of at least one user plane network element according to related information of the target terminal, where the related information of the target terminal includes target application server information and/or service information of the target terminal. The capability open platform network element sends a second message to the target control plane network element, where the second message carries information of the at least one user plane network element.

In the embodiment of the present application, when the UP network element needs to be determined for the terminal, the optional UP network element device may be determined by the NEF network element instead of being determined by the AS. In this way, the AS does not need to perceive information about the UP network element, such as the IP address or deployment status of the UP, thereby reducing the complexity of the AS and not exposing the network architecture to the application server AS, which can also increase network security. .

In addition, the NE network element determines the UP network element information according to the AS information and/or the service information, instead of determining the UP network element by the CP network element, so that the function of the CP network element can be simplified, and the data configuration amount can be greatly reduced.

In addition, if the related information of the target terminal includes the service information of the target terminal, the NEF network element can determine the information of the UP network element according to the service information of the target terminal, that is, it can determine a better UP network element for the target terminal, thereby improving the target. The efficiency of the terminal service, which in turn can improve the user's business experience.

In a possible implementation manner, the network open function network element determines the information of the at least one user plane network element according to the related information of the target terminal, and may include: the network open function network element according to the target terminal Relevant information, determining information of at least one user plane network element.

That is to say, the network open function network element determines the user plane network element for the target terminal according to the related information of the target terminal.

In a possible implementation, the network open function network element determines the information of the at least one user plane network element according to the related information of the target terminal, including: the network open function network element according to the related information, Determining a target network open function network element of the target terminal; the network open function network element transmitting the related information to the target network open function network element; the network open function network element receiving the target network open function network Yuangen And transmitting, according to the related information, information of the at least one user plane network element.

In this implementation manner, the determination of the UP of the terminal can be implemented by the multiple NEF network elements, so that the burden of the NEF network element can be balanced, and the efficiency of the NEF network element can be improved.

When the information about the user plane network element is determined by the target network open function network element target terminal, if the related information includes the target application server information and the service information, the network open function network element is based on the target terminal The information about the target network open function network element of the target terminal may be: the network open function network element determines the target network open function network element of the target terminal according to the target application server information; The network open function network element sends the related information to the target network open function network element, where the network open function network element sends the target application server information and the service to the target network open function network element. information.

When the information about the user plane network element is determined by the target network open function network element target terminal, if the related information includes the service information, the network open function network element determines the target of the target terminal according to the related information. The network open function network element includes: the network open function network element determines target application server information of the target terminal according to the service information; and the network open function network element determines the target according to the target application server information The target network of the terminal is an open function network element.

Optionally, the foregoing service information may include at least one type of information: an application identifier corresponding to the service, a type of the service, and a behavior of the service.

Optionally, the first message may carry the related information.

Optionally, the first message may further carry an identifier of the target terminal. In this case, the communication method may further include: determining, by the network open function network element, the target control plane network element according to the identifier of the target terminal.

Optionally, the second message is a user plane path selection request message or a user plane path reselection request message.

Optionally, the network open function network element receiving the first message may include: the network open function network element receiving the first message sent by the application server or the domain name system server currently serving the target terminal.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides another communication method. The communication method includes: the control plane network element receives a second message sent by the network open function network element, the second message is used to request to determine a user plane network element for the target terminal, and the second message carries at least one user plane network And the control plane network element determines the target user plane network element for the target terminal according to the information of the at least one user plane network element.

In this embodiment, the information of the at least one UP network element carried in the second message may be an UP network element determined by the NEF. That is to say, when the target network is determined for the target terminal, the CP network element can be determined within a more reasonable range of the UP network element, thereby improving the efficiency of determining the UP by the CP, and determining that the target terminal can be better served. UP.

Optionally, the communication method may further include: the control plane network element determining service information of the target terminal. In this case, the control plane network element determines the target user plane network element for the target terminal according to the information of the at least one user plane network element, and may include: the control plane network element according to the at least one user plane network The information of the element and the service information determine a target user plane network element for the target terminal from the at least one user plane network element.

If the information about the target terminal includes the service information of the target terminal, that is, the CP network element can determine the information of the UP network element according to the service information of the target terminal, that is, the target terminal can be determined to be a better UP network element, thereby improving the target terminal. The efficiency of the service, which in turn can improve the user's business experience.

Optionally, the second message may further carry service information of the target terminal. At this time, the control plane network element determining the service information of the target terminal may include: the control plane network element determining the location from the second message The business information of the target terminal.

Optionally, the control plane network element may receive the service information of the target terminal sent by the application server AS, or may receive the service information of the target terminal sent by the network open function network element.

Optionally, the second message may be a user plane path determination request message or a user plane path redetermination request message.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides another communication method. The communication method includes: the control plane network element receives the first message, the first message carries the service information of the target terminal; and the control plane network element obtains the service information of the target terminal from the first message The control plane network element determines the target user plane network element for the target terminal according to the service information of the target terminal.

In the embodiment of the present application, the CP network element determines the information of the target UP network element according to the service information of the target terminal, so that a better UP network element can be determined for the target terminal, thereby improving the efficiency of serving the target terminal, thereby improving the user. Business experience.

Optionally, the first message may carry service information of the target terminal. The control plane network element determines the service information of the target terminal, and the control plane network element determines the service information of the target terminal from the first message.

Optionally, the first message may be a user plane path selection request message or a user plane path reselection request message.

Optionally, the control plane network element receiving the first message may include: the control plane network element receiving the first message sent by an application server or a domain name system server currently serving the target terminal.

In a fourth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a network open function network element, where the network open function network element includes a module for performing the communication method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect. .

In a fifth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a control plane network element, where the control plane network element includes a module for performing the communication method in any one of the possible implementations of the second aspect or the second aspect.

In a sixth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a control plane network element, where the control plane network element includes a module for performing a communication method in any one of the possible implementations of the third aspect or the third aspect.

In a seventh aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a network open function network element, where the network open function network element includes a receiver, a transmitter, and a processor, where the receiver, the transmitter, and the processor are configured to perform the first aspect. Or a module of the communication method in any of the possible implementations of the first aspect.

In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control plane network element, where the control plane network element includes a receiver and a processor, where the receiver and the processor are configured to perform any one of the second aspect or the second aspect. A module of the communication method in a possible implementation.

In a ninth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a control plane network element, where the control plane network element includes a receiver and a processor, where the receiver and the processor are configured to perform any one of the third aspect or the third aspect. A module of the communication method in a possible implementation.

In a tenth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable medium, where the computer readable medium stores program code for performing network open function network element, where the program code is used to execute the first aspect or the first An instruction of a communication method in any of the possible implementations on the one hand.

In an eleventh aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable medium storing program code for controlling execution of a surface network element, where the program code includes An instruction of a communication method in any of the possible implementations of the two aspects.

According to a twelfth aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable medium storing program code for controlling execution of a surface network element, where the program code includes An instruction of a communication method in any of the possible implementations of the three aspects.

In a thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method described in the above aspects.

DRAWINGS

1 is a diagram of an exemplary system architecture in which a communication method of an embodiment of the present application can be applied.

2 is an exemplary flow chart of a communication method of one embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method of another embodiment of the present application.

4 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method of one embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method of another embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method of another embodiment of the present application.

7 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method of another embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method of another embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary structural diagram of a network open function network element according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary structural diagram of a control plane network element according to an embodiment of the present application.

11 is an exemplary structural diagram of a control plane network element of another embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 12 is an exemplary structural diagram of a network open function network element according to another embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary structural diagram of a control plane network element of another embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 14 is an exemplary structural diagram of a control plane network element of another embodiment of the present application.

detailed description

In order to better describe the communication method and various network elements of the embodiments of the present application, a communication system to which the embodiments of the present application and various network elements can be applied will be described below.

1 is an exemplary structural diagram of a communication system to which a communication method and various network elements of an embodiment of the present application can be applied. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the system architecture shown in FIG. 1, as may include more or fewer network elements or devices. In addition, the apparatus in FIG. 1 may be hardware, functionally divided software, or a combination of the two.

The CP network element 110 is used to implement control plane functions, such as implementing an attachment process of the terminal 170, establishing a session, and the like. Generally, the CP network element transmits control information.

The UP network element 120 is used to implement the user plane function. In particular, the UP network element 120 can receive and process data packets of the terminal 170. For example, the UP network element 120 can receive the uplink and downlink data packets of the terminal 170, and forward and process the uplink and downlink data packets to other network elements according to the forwarding rule of the data flow.

An access network (AN) 130 generally refers to a wireless access device, such as a base station device, a small base station device (Pico), and the like in a future New Ratio (NR) network. The AN 130 may receive the uplink data packet sent by the terminal 170, and may also receive the downlink data packet sent by the UP network element 120 and forward it to the terminal 170.

The network open function network element 140 maintains a list of services provided or opened by the network. As a functional unit for the application, it receives service requests from applications including operators and third-party applications, further provides requested services to related network functions, and can also authorize applications, and billing and overload control.

The Domain Name System (DNS) server 150 refers to a distributed database on the Internet that is mapped to each other as a domain name and an IP address, which enables users to access the Internet more conveniently without having to remember the IP that can be directly read by the machine. Number string. The process of obtaining the IP address corresponding to the host name by the host name is called domain name resolution (or host name resolution).

An Application Service (AS) 160 refers to a server that provides an application, such as a server that provides a chat application, a server that provides a game application, and the like. Specifically, it may be an application server of the operator, or a server of a third-party application that does not belong to the operator.

The terminal 170 may be a User Equipment (UE). The UE may communicate with one or more core networks via a Radio Access Network (RAN). A UE may be referred to as an access terminal, a terminal device, a subscriber unit, a subscriber station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user device. The UE may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a wireless communication function. Handheld device, computing device or other device connected to a wireless modem, in-vehicle device, wearable device or Internet of Things, terminal device in a vehicle network, and any form of terminal device in a future network.

After the data stream of the terminal 170 reaches the AS 160, the AS 160 may send a user plane path (re)selection request message to the CP, and the CP network element 110 determines the terminal 170 according to factors such as the location of the terminal 170 and the load balancing of the UP network element 120. Determine the UP network element. However, in general, the UP network element determined by the method for the terminal does not provide a good service for the terminal, thereby affecting the user's service experience. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application proposes a new method for determining an UP network element for a terminal.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that FIG. 2 illustrates steps or operations of the communication method, but these steps or operations are merely examples, and other embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of the operations in FIG. 2. Moreover, the various steps in FIG. 2 may be performed in a different order than that presented in FIG. 2, and it is possible that not all operations in FIG. 2 are to be performed.

S210: The NEF network element receives the first message, where the first message carries related information of the target terminal, and the related information of the target terminal includes target application server information and/or service information of the target terminal.

Or it can be said that the first message can be used to request to determine an UP network element for the target terminal.

The first message is used to request to determine the UP network element for the target terminal, and the method may include: the first message is used to request to re-determine the UP network element for the target terminal. That is to say, the UP network element has already served the target terminal, and the first message is used to request to re-determine the UP network element for the target terminal.

Specifically, the first message may be an UP path selection request message or an UP path reselection request message.

The first message can also be a message with other functions. In other words, the message that can trigger the NEF network element to determine the UP network element for the target terminal belongs to the category of the first message in the embodiment of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the NEF network element may be referred to as a central NEF, and may be simply referred to as NEF-CN.

S220. The NEF network element determines information about at least one UP network element according to related information of the target terminal. The related information of the target terminal may include target AS information and/or service information of the target terminal.

The target AS information of the target terminal may include location information of the target AS of the target terminal. The target AS of the target terminal may include an AS capable of providing an application service or a service service to the target terminal.

Specifically, the service information of the target terminal may include an application identifier of the service of the target terminal, and the target terminal Information such as the type of business or the business behavior of the target terminal. The application identifier of the service may be an identifier of the content of the service, such as a specific service content, and the content of the service may be determined according to the application identifier of the service. The service type may be a specific type of service. For example, the service type of the target terminal may be a content delivery network (CDN) service or a video service. The service behavior of the target terminal may refer to the specific behavior of the target terminal. For example, the service behavior of the target terminal may be registration, login, or logout.

The at least one UP network element may be a user plane device determined by the network to enable the target terminal to perform the application service identified by the target AS information and/or the service information.

Specifically, the at least one UP network element information may be the identification information of the at least one UP network element, and the identification information of the UP network element is used to identify the UP network element, and may include an Internet protocol of the UP network element (Internet Protocol, IP) address or media access control (MAC) address and other information.

S230. The NEF network element sends a second message to the target CP network element, where the second message carries information about the at least one user plane network element.

Specifically, the second message may be an UP path selection request message or an UP path reselection request message.

In the communication method of the embodiment of the present application, when the UP network element needs to be determined for the terminal, the optional UP network element device may be determined by the NEF network element instead of being determined by the AS. In this way, the AS does not need to perceive information about the UP network element, such as the IP address or deployment status of the UP, thereby reducing the complexity of the AS and not exposing the network architecture to the application server AS, which can also increase network security. .

On the other hand, the NEF network element determines the information of the UP network element according to the AS information and/or the service information, instead of determining the UP network element by the CP network element, the function of the CP can be simplified, and the data configuration amount can be greatly reduced.

In addition, if the related information of the target terminal includes the service information of the target terminal, the NEF network element may determine the information of the UP network element according to the service information of the target terminal, that is, the target terminal may determine or reselect the preferred UP network element, thereby Improve the efficiency of serving the target terminal, which in turn can improve the user's business experience.

In the embodiment of the present application, the determining, by the NEF network element, the information of the at least one UP network element according to the information about the target terminal, the method may include: determining, by the NEF network element, the at least one UP network element for the target terminal according to the related information of the target terminal Information.

The NEF network element determines the information of the at least one UP network element according to the information about the target terminal, and may also include: the NEF network element sends all or part of the information about the target terminal to other NEF network elements, and other NEF network elements. Determining information of the at least one UP network element for the target terminal according to the partial or partial information in the related information; and then the NEF receives the information of the at least one UP network element sent by the other NEF network element.

That is to say, in the communication method of the embodiment of the present application, the selection of the UP of the terminal can be implemented by the multiple NEF network elements, so that the burden of the NEF network element can be balanced, and the efficiency of the NEF network element can be improved.

The following describes a specific implementation manner in which the NEF network element determines information of at least one user plane network element according to related information of the target terminal.

The NEF may obtain information of one or more application servers and information of one or more UP network elements in advance. For example, when the application server or the application server is powered on, the application server information (such as the application server name, location, or information of the service that the application server can provide, etc.) is registered to the NEF; meanwhile, the application server is UP. The NE information is also registered or configured on the NEF. That is to say, the correspondence between the application server information and the UP network element information serving the application server can be obtained in advance on the NEF.

The manner in which the NEF network element determines the information of at least one UP network element may be as follows:

The first type: if the related information of the target terminal includes the target AS information of the target terminal, and the target AS information includes the location information of the target AS or the identifier of the target AS, the NEF network element acquires and determines at least one according to the related information of the target terminal. The information of the UP network element may include: determining, by the NEF network element, information of one or more UP network elements serving the target AS according to the location information of the target AS of the target terminal or the identifier of the target AS. For example, the NEF network element determines, according to the location information of the target AS of the target terminal, and the corresponding relationship between the application server information (including the application server identifier or the location of the application server) and the UP network element information served by the application server. Information of one or more UP network elements served by the target AS.

The second type: if the related information of the target terminal includes the service information of the target terminal, the NEF network element determines the information of the at least one UP network element according to the related information of the target terminal, which may include: the NEF network element according to the service information of the target terminal Determining location information of the target AS of the target terminal; the NEF network element determines information of one or more UP network elements served by the target AS according to the location information of the target AS; and the NEF network element according to the service information of the target terminal from the one The information of the at least one UP network element is determined in the information of the multiple UP network elements. For example, the NEF network element may first find the target AS that can provide the service corresponding to the service information from the AS information configured on the NEF network element, including the information of the service that can be provided by the application server, according to the service information; The correspondence between the application server information and the UP network element information determines information of one or more UP network elements served by the target AS.

The third type: if the information about the target terminal includes the service information of the target terminal and the information of the target AS, and the information of the target AS includes the address information of the target AS, the NEF network element determines at least one according to the related information of the target terminal. The information of the UP network element may include: the NEF network element determines information of one or more UP network elements serving the target AS according to the location information of the target AS and the service information of the target terminal. For example, the NEF network element can use any of the information of the target terminal and the information of the target AS to determine the information of one or more UP network elements (for the specific process, refer to the above two methods), or the NEF network element can be integrated. Determining a target AS by considering the service information of the target terminal and the information of the target AS (for example, the location information of the target AS), and determining one or the service of the target AS according to the correspondence between the application server information and the UP network element information. Information of multiple UP network elements.

The information of one or more UP NEs can be configured on the NEF NE. The determining, by the NEF network element, the information of the at least one UP network element according to the information about the target terminal may include: determining, by the NEF network element, the information of the at least one user plane network element from the information of the one or more UP network elements.

The following describes the NEF network element transmitting all or part of the information about the target terminal to other NEF network elements. The other NEF network elements determine the information of at least one UP network element for the target terminal according to part or part of the information in the related information. detailed description.

Specifically, the NEF network element determines the information of the at least one user plane network element according to the related information of the target terminal, which may include: determining, by the NEF network element, the target NEF network element according to the related information; and the NEF network element to the target NEF network element Sending a second message, where the second message includes related information of the target terminal; and the NEF network element receives information of the at least one user plane network element that is sent by the target NEF network element according to the related information.

If the information about the target terminal includes the target AS information, and the target AS information includes the location information of the target AS, the NEF network element determines the target NEF network element of the target terminal according to the related information, which may include: The location information of the target AS is determined as the target NEF network element served by the target AS. Correspondingly, the second message includes location information of the target AS. Correspondingly, the NEF network element receives the information of the at least one user plane network element that is sent by the target NEF network element according to the related information, and specifically includes: at least one user that the NEF network element receives the target NEF network element and sends the information according to the address information of the target AS. Information about the surface network element.

The target NEF network element may determine the UP network element information according to the target AS information. Specifically, the target NEF may further be based on the target network information and the configuration data (for example, the UP network element serving the AS), and further, according to each UP network element. The load condition determines the UP network element.

If the information about the target terminal includes the service information, the NEF network element determines the target NEF network element of the target terminal according to the related information, which may include: determining, by the NEF network element, the service corresponding to the service information according to the service information. The location information of the target AS; the NEF network element determines the target NEF network element serving the target AS according to the location information of the target AS. Correspondingly, the second message includes service information. Correspondingly, the NEF network element receives the information of the at least one user plane network element that is sent by the target NEF network element according to the related information, and specifically includes: the NEF network element receives the at least one user plane network element that is sent by the target NEF network element according to the service information. Information.

The second message may further include location information of the target AS. Correspondingly, the NEF network element receives the information of the at least one user plane network element that is sent by the target NEF network element according to the service information, and specifically includes: at least one of the NEF network element receiving target NEF network element sending according to the service information and the location information of the target AS. User plane network element information.

If the information about the target terminal includes the target AS information and the service information, and the target AS information includes the location information of the target AS, the NEF network element determines the target NEF network element of the target terminal according to the related information of the target terminal, which may include: The NEF network element determines the target NEF network element serving the target AS according to the location information of the target AS. The second message may include service information and location information of the target AS.

In this embodiment, the first message may carry related information of the target terminal. Specifically, if the first message carries the location information of the target AS of the target terminal, the location information of the target AS may be an AS determined by the AS currently serving the target terminal according to information such as the location of the target terminal. More specifically, the target AS may be an AS that is closer to the target terminal or even the closest.

The target CP network element in the embodiment of the present application may be a CP network element determined by the NEF network element according to the identifier of the target terminal.

Specifically, the identifier of the target terminal may be an external identifier of the target terminal, and the external identifier may be an identifier of the terminal by the application layer AS. Correspondingly, the NEF network element determines the CP network element according to the identifier of the target terminal, and specifically includes: the NEF network element determines the identifier of the target terminal in the operator communication network according to the external identifier of the target terminal; and the NEF network element is in the operator according to the target terminal. An identifier within the communication network that determines a target CP serving the target terminal within the carrier communication network.

The specific implementation manner of determining the identifier of the target terminal in the carrier communication network according to the external identifier of the target terminal may be referred to the prior art. For brevity, details are not described herein again.

If the target CP network element is determined by the NEF network element according to the identifier of the target terminal, the identifier of the target terminal may be carried in the first message.

In the embodiment of the present application, the NEF network element receives the first message, which may include: the NEF network element receives the first message sent by the AS or the DNS server currently serving the target terminal.

The AS or DNS server currently serving the target terminal can send the first message in a variety of situations. After the UE moves, the current AS server may not be able to provide a good service for the UE. In this case, the AS may initiate a first message requesting the UE to reselect the AS server or the UP network element. Or, for example, when the DNS receives the domain name resolution message initiated by the UE, if the current service of the UE is a CDN service or a video service, in order to provide a better service for the UE, the DNS may initiate a first message, so that the communication network can A better UP network element is determined for the UE.

The NEF network element determines one or more UP network elements for the target terminal according to the related information of the target terminal, and After the CP network element sends the determined one or more UP network element information, the CP network element may directly determine the UP network element determined by the NEF as the UP network element serving the target terminal (for example, the NEF sends the determined one. In the case of a UP network element, it can be understood that the NEF determines a UP network element in multiple UPs. The traditional method can also be used. For example, according to the load balancing information of the UP network element, the NEF determines the UP network element determined by the target terminal. A suitable UP network element (for example, when the NEF sends the determined plurality of UP network elements) to further improve the user experience.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method of another embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that FIG. 3 illustrates steps or operations of the communication method, but these steps or operations are merely examples, and other embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of the operations in FIG. Moreover, the various steps in FIG. 3 may be performed in a different order than that presented in FIG. 3, and it is possible that not all operations in FIG. 3 are to be performed.

S310, the CP network element receives the second message sent by the NEF network element, where the second message is used to request to determine the UP network element for the target terminal, and the second message carries the information of the at least one UP network element.

The CP network element may correspond to the target CP network element in the communication method shown in FIG. 2, and the NEF network element may correspond to the NEF network element in the communication method shown in FIG. 2.

Specifically, the at least one UP network element may be an UP network element in a local network to which the target terminal belongs.

Specifically, the information of the at least one UP network element may include information such as an IP address or a MAC address of the at least one UP network element.

S320. The network element of the CP determines the target UP network element of the target terminal according to the information of the at least one user plane network element.

Specifically, the CP network element may select one target UP network element from the at least one UP network element according to the information of the at least one UP network element.

More specifically, the method for the CP network element to select the target UP network element from the at least one UP network element may refer to the prior art. For example, the CP network element may be based on the location information of the target terminal or the load information of the UP network element. A target UP network element is selected from the at least one UP network element.

It should be understood that the target UP network element may be an UP network element currently serving the target terminal, or may be another UP network element. The determining target UP network element described herein may be a reselection determining the target UP network element.

The communication method of the embodiment of the present application may further include: determining, by the CP network element, service information of the target terminal. Correspondingly, the determining, by the CP network element, the target UP network element for the target terminal according to the information of the at least one UP network element, the method may include: the CP network element according to the information of the at least one UP network element and the service information, Determining a target UP network element for the target terminal in the at least one UP network element.

The CP network element may determine, from the at least one UP network element, a target UP network element that can provide the target terminal with the service corresponding to the service information, according to the information of the at least one UP network element and the service information. .

Specifically, the service information of the target terminal may include information such as an application identifier of the service of the target terminal, a service type of the target terminal, or a service behavior of the target terminal.

For example, the service type of the target terminal may be a CDN service or a video service. For example, the business of the target terminal The behavior can be registration, login or logout. For example, the application identifier of the service of the target terminal may be an identifier that identifies the content of the service, and may be a specific service content.

In the embodiment of the present application, the second message may further carry the service information of the target terminal. Correspondingly, the determining, by the CP network element, the service information of the target terminal, the method may include: determining, by the CP network element, service information of the target terminal from the second message.

4 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method of one embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that FIG. 4 illustrates steps or operations of the communication method, but these steps or operations are merely examples, and other embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of the operations in FIG.

Moreover, the various steps in FIG. 4 may be performed in a different order than that presented in FIG. 4, and it is possible that not all operations in FIG. 4 are to be performed.

Moreover, the technical features in the communication method shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 can be applied to the communication method shown in FIG. 4. For brevity, details are not described herein again.

S402. The UE establishes a PDU session connection with the UP network element 1 (UP1 for short). At this time, the uplink and downlink data flows between the UE and AS1 pass through UP1.

S404: The AS1 sends an UP path (re) selection request message to the NEF network element 1 (NEF1). The message may include one or more of an external identifier of the UE, location information of the AS2, and service information of the UE, or may further include other information.

Specifically, if the AS1 cannot provide a better service for the UE, the AS1 may obtain the location information or the identifier of the UE from the application layer, and the AS1 determines the AS2 according to the location information or the identifier of the UE, and then the AS1. An UP path (re) selection request message may be initiated, requesting to reselect the server or the UP network element for the UE.

S406: If the UP path (re) selection request message includes the external identifier of the UE, the NEF1 may determine the identifier of the UE in the operator communication network according to the external identifier of the UE, and determine the CP network element according to the identifier of the UE in the communication network. (referred to as CP).

S408, if the UP path (re) selection request message includes the information of the AS2 and/or the service information, the NEF1 may determine the information of the local UP network element according to the information and/or service information of the AS2, that is, the UP network element 2 (referred to as UP2 for short) )Information. The information of the local UP function network element corresponds to the information of at least one UP network element described in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3. The information of AS2 may include location information or identification of AS2.

The specific implementation manner of determining the information of the local UP network element based on the information and/or the service information of the AS2 may refer to related content in S220, and details are not described herein again.

S418. The NEF1 sends an UP path (re) selection message to the CP, where the message includes the information of the UP2.

S420. The CP may send an UP path (re)selection response (response) message to NEF1.

Specifically, the CP sends an UP path (re) selection response message to NEF1, and can notify NEF1 that UP has been determined for the UE.

S421, the CP may perform legality check and authorization on the UP path (re)selection message. Other security related processes may also be included in this step.

S422. The CP may send the information of the locally routed data stream to the UP2, such as the destination IP address information of the application data stream.

S424. The NEF1 notifies the UE of the location information of the AS2, so that the UE is redirected to the AS2.

S426. The data stream may be transmitted between the UE and the AS2 through the UP2.

If a local network open function (NEF-Local) network element is deployed in the communication system, the communication method shown in FIG. 4 may not have S408, but may also include S410 to S416.

S410: If the UP path (re) selection request message includes the location information of the AS2, the NEF1 may determine the NEF-Local network element (referred to as NEF2) according to the location information of the AS2. The NEF-Local network element corresponds to the target NEF network element in the communication method shown in FIG. 2.

S412, NEF1 sends an UP function request message to NEF2. The message may include service information, and may also include information such as location information of the AS2 and an external identifier of the UE.

S414. The NEF2 determines the information of the UP2 according to the UP function request message. For the specific implementation manner of determining the information of the UP2 according to the UP function request message, refer to the related content in S220, and details are not described herein again.

S416. The NEF2 sends an UP function response message to the NEF1, where the message carries the information of the UP2.

FIG. 5 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method of one embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that FIG. 5 illustrates steps or operations of the communication method, but these steps or operations are merely examples, and other embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of the operations in FIG. 5.

Moreover, the various steps in FIG. 5 may be performed in a different order than that presented in FIG. 5, and it is possible that not all operations in FIG. 5 are to be performed.

Moreover, the technical features in the communication method shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 can be applied to the communication method shown in FIG. 5. For brevity, details are not described herein again.

In the communication method shown in FIG. 4, the UP network element reselection process is initiated by AS1. Prior to this, the UE should have established a connection with AS1. After the UE establishes a connection with AS1, AS1 can initiate the UP network element reselection process in any of the following cases.

1) AS1 discovers that AS1 cannot currently provide better service for the UE due to UE mobility, and requests to reselect another application server for the UE, such as AS2 closer to the UE. In this case, the AS location change due to serving the UE Therefore, the UP network element of the service needs to be re-determined for the UE accordingly.

2) When AS1 finds that the UP1 currently serving the UE is not suitable, for example, when the distance of the UP1 is far from the AS1 served by the UE, the AS1 requests to initiate the UP network element reselection process for the UE, and determines a more suitable UP network element for the AS1. In this case, AS1 and AS2 are the same application server.

The communication method shown in FIG. 5 is to determine an appropriate UP network element for the service of the UE during the process of querying the DNS server before the UE performs the service. The communication method shown in FIG. 5 determines the UP network element for the service of the UE in advance, and can determine the appropriate UP network element at the initial stage of the service, thereby further improving the service experience of the user.

S502: The UE establishes a PDU session connection with the UP network element 1 (abbreviated as UP1). At this time, the uplink and downlink data flows between the UE and the DNS pass through UP1. The data stream of the UE is subjected to domain name resolution via a DNS server.

S504. The DNS server sends an UP path (re) selection request message to the NEF network element 1 (referred to as NEF1). The message may include one or more of an external identifier of the UE, information of the AS2, and service information of the UE, or may further include other information. The information of the AS2 may be the IP address information or identifier of the AS2, and the IP address information may be obtained by the DNS server according to the domain name of the service of the UE.

Among them, AS2 is the target application server in the communication method shown in FIG. 2.

S506: If the UP path (re) selection request message includes the external identifier of the UE, the NEF1 may determine the identifier of the UE in the operator communication network according to the external identifier of the UE, and determine the CP network element according to the identifier of the UE in the communication network. (referred to as CP).

S508: If the UP path (re) selection request message includes the location information and/or the service information of the AS2, the NEF1 may determine the information of the local UP network element (abbreviated as UP2) according to the location information and/or the service information of the AS2. The information of the local UP function network element corresponds to the information of at least one UP network element described in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3.

For a specific implementation manner of determining the information of the local UP network element according to the information of the AS2 (such as the location information or the identifier) and/or the service information, refer to related content in S220, and details are not described herein again.

S518. The NEF1 sends an UP path (re) selection message to the CP network element, where the message includes the information of the UP2.

S520. The CP may send a UP path (re)selection response (response) message to the NEF1.

S521, the CP may perform legality check and authorization on the UP path (re)selection message. Other security related processes may also be included in this step.

S522. The CP may send the information of the locally routed data stream to the UP2, such as the destination IP address information of the application data stream.

S524. The NEF1 notifies the location information of the UE AS2, so that the UE is redirected to the AS2.

S526. The data stream may be transmitted between the UE and the AS2 through the UP2.

If a local network open function (NEF-Local) network element is deployed in the communication system, the communication method shown in FIG. 4 may not have S408, but may also include but may also include S410 to S416.

S510: If the UP path (re) selection request message includes the information of the AS2 (such as the location information or the identifier), the NEF1 may determine the NEF-Local network element (referred to as NEF2) according to the information of the AS2. The NEF-Local network element corresponds to the target NEF network element in the communication method shown in FIG. 2.

S512: The NEF1 sends an UP function request message to the NEF2. The message may include business information. Of course, information such as the location information of the AS2 and the external identifier of the UE may also be included.

S514. The NEF2 determines the information of the UP2 according to the service information. For details on how to determine the information of the UP2 based on the service information, refer to the related content in S220, and no further details are provided here.

S516, NEF2 sends the information of UP2 to NEF1.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary flowchart of a communication method of another embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that FIG. 6 illustrates steps or operations of the communication method, but these steps or operations are merely examples, and other embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of the operations in FIG. 6.

Moreover, the various steps in FIG. 6 may be performed in a different order than that presented in FIG. 6, and it is possible that not all operations in FIG. 6 are to be performed.

S610: The CP network element receives the first message, where the first message carries the service information of the target terminal.

Or it can be said that the first message is used to request to determine an UP network element for the target terminal.

Specifically, the first message may be an UP path (re) selection request message.

S620: The CP network element obtains service information of the target terminal from the first message.

For example, the application identifier information of the service of the target terminal may be an identifier indicating the content of the service, and the specific content of the service may be known according to the application identifier, such as “Happy Camp”. For example, the service type of the target terminal may be a CDN service or a video service. For example, the business behavior of the target terminal can be registration, login or logout.

S630: The CP network element determines the target UP network element for the target terminal according to the service information of the target terminal.

That is to say, the CP network element can also consider the service information of the terminal when determining the UP network element for the terminal by using the traditional method. The determined target UE network element can provide the service corresponding to the service information for the terminal.

For example, the CP network element can first find the target AS that can provide the service corresponding to the service information from the pre-acquired AS information (including the information of the service that the AS can provide, etc.) according to the service information (for example, "Happy Camp"). (For example, AS that can provide "Happy Camp"); and determine information of one or more UP network elements of the target AS service according to the correspondence between the application server information and the UP network element information.

In the communication method of the embodiment of the present application, the first message may carry the service information of the target terminal. Correspondingly, the acquiring, by the CP network element, the service information of the target terminal may include: the CP network element acquiring the service information of the target terminal from the first message.

In the communication method of the embodiment of the present application, the first message may further carry at least one of the following information: information of one or more UP network elements; location information of the target AS; and UE packet filter information of the terminal. The PDU session used to indicate the routing of the local UP network element; the time period in which the target AS is requested to be used. Correspondingly, the CP network element may further determine information of the target UP network element for the target terminal according to the at least one type of information.

Optionally, the CP network element determines the target UP network element for the target terminal according to the service information of the target terminal, and specifically includes: the CP network element according to the service information of the target terminal, and the location information, the load information of the UP network element, and the like. The target UP network element is selected from the at least one UP network element.

In the communication method of the embodiment of the present application, the receiving, by the CP network element, the first message may include: the CP network element receiving the first message sent by the AS or the DNS server currently serving the target terminal.

7 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method of another embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that FIG. 7 illustrates steps or operations of the communication method, but these steps or operations are merely examples, and other embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of the operations in FIG.

Moreover, the various steps in FIG. 7 may be performed in a different order than that presented in FIG. 7, and it is possible that not all operations in FIG. 7 are to be performed.

Moreover, the technical features in the communication method shown in FIG. 6 can be applied to the communication method shown in FIG. 7. For brevity, details are not described herein again.

S702: The UE establishes a PDU session connection with the UP network element 1 (UP1 for short). At this time, the uplink and downlink data flows between the UE and AS1 pass through UP1.

S704. The AS1 sends an UP path (re) selection request message to the CP network element. The message may include the service information of the target terminal and the following at least one type of information: information of one or more UP network elements; location information of the AS2; and application data flow identifier information of the target terminal, used to indicate the routing of the local UP network element. PDU session; target terminal please Seek the time period of using AS2.

Among them, AS2 is the target AS in the communication method shown in FIG. 6.

Specifically, if the AS1 cannot provide a better service for the UE, the AS1 may obtain the information (such as location information or identifier) of the UE from the application layer, and the AS1 determines the AS2 for the UE according to the information of the UE, and then The AS1 may initiate an UP path (re) selection request message requesting to reselect the server or the UP network element for the UE.

S706: The network element of the CP determines the information of the target UP network element, that is, the information of the UP network element 2 (abbreviated as UP2), according to the information carried in the UP path (re) selection request message.

S708. The CP may perform a validity check and authorization on the UP path (re)selection message. Other security related processes may also be included in this step.

S710. The CP network element may send an UP path (re)selection response (response) message to the AS1.

S712. The Configure traffic steering message process can be executed between the UP1 and the CP. Through the message process, the CP can generate a routing rule for the data flow and configure the rule to UP1.

S714. A process of sending a Configure traffic steering message may be performed between the UP2 and the CP. Through the message process, the CP generates a routing rule for the data flow, and configures the rule to the UP2.

S716. Perform an UP network element reselection process. For the implementation manner of the UP network reselection process, refer to the specific implementation manner of the traditional CP reselection UP network element.

S718, the UE and the AS2 can perform data stream transmission through the UP2.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary interaction diagram of a communication method of another embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that FIG. 8 illustrates steps or operations of the communication method, but these steps or operations are merely examples, and other embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of the operations of FIG.

Moreover, the various steps in FIG. 8 may be performed in a different order than that presented in FIG. 8, and it is possible that not all operations in FIG. 8 are to be performed.

Moreover, the technical features in the communication method shown in FIG. 6 can be applied to the communication method shown in FIG. 8. For brevity, details are not described herein again.

S802. The UE establishes a PDU session connection with the UP network element 1 (UP1 for short). At this time, the uplink and downlink data flows between the UE and the DNS pass through UP1.

S804. The DNS sends an UP path (re) selection request message to the CP network element. The message may include service information of the target terminal and at least one of the following information: information of one or more UP network elements; information of the AS2 (such as location information or identifier); and application data flow identifier information of the target terminal, used to indicate The PDU session routed by the local UP network element; the target terminal requests to use the time period of AS2.

The location information of the AS2 may be the IP address information of the AS2, and the IP address information may be obtained by the DNS server according to the domain name of the service of the UE.

Among them, AS2 is the target AS in the communication method shown in FIG. 6.

S806: The network element of the CP determines the information of the target UP network element, that is, the information of the UP network element 2 (abbreviated as UP2), according to the information carried in the UP path (re) selection request message.

S808, the CP may perform legality check and authorization on the UP path (re)selection message. Other security related processes may also be included in this step.

S810. The CP network element may send an UP path (re)selection response (response) message to the DNS.

S812, a Configure traffic steering message process may be performed between the UP1 and the CP. Through the message process, the CP can generate a routing rule for the data flow and configure the rule to UP1.

S814. A process of sending a Configure traffic steering message may be performed between the UP2 and the CP. Through the message process, the CP generates a routing rule for the data flow, and configures the rule to the UP2. .

S816. Perform an UP network element reselection process. For the implementation manner of the UP network reselection process, refer to the specific implementation manner of the traditional CP reselection UP network element.

S818, the UE and the AS2 can perform data stream transmission through the UP2.

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a network open function network element 900 according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the network open function network element shown in FIG. 9 is only an example, and the network open function network element in the embodiment of the present application may further include other modules or units, or include modules similar in function to the respective modules in FIG. Or not all of the modules in Figure 9 are included.

The receiving module 910 is configured to receive a first message, where the first message carries related information of the target terminal, and the related information of the target terminal includes target application server information and/or service information of the target terminal.

The processing module 920 is configured to determine information of at least one user plane network element according to the related information of the target terminal, where the related information of the target terminal includes target application server information and/or service information of the target terminal.

The sending module 930 is configured to send a second message to the target control plane network element, where the second message carries information about the at least one user plane network element.

The network open function network element in the embodiment of the present application may be configured to determine the UP network element for the terminal, and the optional UP network element device may be determined by the NEF network element instead of being determined by the AS. In this way, the AS does not need to perceive information about the UP network element, such as the IP address or deployment status of the UP, thereby reducing the complexity of the AS and not exposing the network architecture to the application server AS, which can also increase network security. .

The processing module may be specifically configured to determine, according to the related information, a target network open function network element of the target terminal. At this time, the sending module may be further configured to send the related information to the target network open function network element; the receiving module may be further configured to receive, by the target network open function network element, according to the related information, send The at least one user plane network element information.

If the related information that is sent by the sending module to the target network open function network element may include the target application server information and the service information, the processing module may be specifically configured to use the target application server information. Determining the target network open function network element of the target terminal; the sending module is specifically configured to send the target application server information and the service information to the target network open function network element.

If the related information that is sent by the sending module to the target network open function network element includes the service information, the processing module may be specifically configured to: determine, according to the service information, a target application server of the target terminal. And determining, according to the target application server information, a target network open function network element of the target terminal.

Optionally, the first message may carry the related information.

The first message may carry the identifier of the target terminal in addition to the related information. In this case, the processing module may be further configured to determine the target control plane network element according to the identifier of the target terminal.

Optionally, the receiving module may be specifically configured to receive a first message sent by an application server or a domain name system server currently serving the target terminal.

Optionally, the receiving module is specifically configured to receive the first message forwarded by another network open function network element.

It should be understood that the foregoing and other operations and/or functions of the respective units in the network open function network element of the embodiment of the present application shown in FIG. 9 are respectively used to implement the corresponding flow of the communication method in FIG. Narration.

FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a control plane network element 1000 according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the control plane network element shown in FIG. 10 is only an example, and the control plane network element of the embodiment of the present application may further include other modules or units, or include modules similar to those of the modules in FIG. 10, or To include all the modules in Figure 10.

The receiving module 1010 is configured to receive a second message sent by the network open function network element, where the second message is used to determine a user plane network element for the target terminal, and the second message carries information of at least one user plane network element.

The processing module 1020 is configured to determine, according to the information of the at least one user plane network element, a target user plane network element for the target terminal.

Optionally, the processing module may be specifically configured to: obtain service information of the target terminal, and obtain information from the at least one user plane network element according to the at least one user plane network element information and the service information. Determining a target user plane network element for the target terminal.

Optionally, the second message may further carry service information of the target terminal. At this time, the processing module may be specifically configured to obtain service information of the target terminal from the second message.

Optionally, the second message may be a user plane path selection request message or a user plane path reselection request message.

It should be understood that the above-mentioned and other operations and/or functions of the respective units in the control plane network element in the embodiment of the present application shown in FIG. 10 are respectively used to implement the corresponding processes of the communication method in FIG. 3, and are not described herein for brevity. .

FIG. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a control plane network element 1100 according to another embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the control plane network element shown in FIG. 11 is only an example, and the control plane network element in the embodiment of the present application may further include other modules or units, or include modules similar in function to the respective modules in FIG. 11, or To include all the modules in Figure 11.

The receiving module 1110 is configured to receive a first message, where the first message carries service information of the target terminal.

The processing module 1120 is configured to obtain service information of the target terminal from the first message.

The processing module 1120 is further configured to determine, according to service information of the target terminal, a target user plane network element for the target terminal.

Optionally, the first message may be a user plane path selection request message or a user plane path reselection request cancellation. interest.

Optionally, the receiving module may be specifically configured to receive the first message sent by an application server or a domain name system server currently serving the target terminal.

It should be understood that the above-mentioned and other operations and/or functions of the respective units in the control plane network element of the embodiment of the present application shown in FIG. 11 are respectively implemented in order to implement the corresponding flow of the communication method in FIG. 6. For brevity, details are not described herein again. .

FIG. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a network open function network element 1200 according to another embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the network open function network element shown in FIG. 12 is only an example, and the network open function network element in the embodiment of the present application may further include other modules or units, or include modules similar in function to the respective modules in FIG. Or not all of the modules in Figure 12 are included.

The receiver 1210 can be used to perform the steps or operations that the receiving module 910 of FIG. 9 can perform. The processor 1220 can be used to perform the steps or operations that the processing module 920 of FIG. 9 can perform. The transmitter 1230 can be used for The steps or operations that can be performed by the transmitting module 930 in FIG. 9 are performed. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of a control plane network element 1300 according to another embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the control plane network element shown in FIG. 13 is only an example, and the control plane network element in the embodiment of the present application may further include other modules or units, or include modules similar in function to the respective modules in FIG. 13, or To include all the modules in Figure 13.

The receiver 1310 can be used to perform the steps or operations that the receiving module 1010 of FIG. 10 can perform, and the processor 1320 can be used to perform the steps or operations that the processing module 1020 of FIG. 10 can perform. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the control plane network element 1300 may further include a transmitter 1330. The sender 1330 can be configured to send a message to other devices or network elements.

FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of a control plane network element 1400 according to another embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the control plane network element shown in FIG. 14 is only an example, and the control plane network element in the embodiment of the present application may further include other modules or units, or include modules similar in function to the respective modules in FIG. 14, or To include all the modules in Figure 14.

The receiver 1410 can be used to perform the steps or operations that the receiving module 1110 of FIG. 11 can perform, and the processor 1420 can be used to perform the steps or operations that the processing module 1120 of FIG. 11 can perform. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the control plane network element 1400 may further include a transmitter 1430. Transmitter 1430 can be used to send messages to other devices or network elements.

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

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

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

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may be distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

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

The foregoing is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application. It should be covered by the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

A communication method, comprising:

The network open function network element receives the first message, where the first message carries related information of the target terminal, and the related information of the target terminal includes target application server information and/or service information of the target terminal;

The network open function network element determines information of at least one user plane network element according to related information of the target terminal;

The capability open platform network element sends a second message to the target control plane network element, where the second message carries information of the at least one user plane network element.
The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the network open function network element determines information of at least one user plane network element according to the related information of the target terminal, including:

Determining, by the network open function network element, a target network open function network element of the target terminal according to related information of the target terminal;

Transmitting, by the network open function network element, the related information to the target network open function network element;

The network open function network element receives information of the at least one user plane network element that is sent by the target network open function network element according to the related information.
The communication method according to claim 2, wherein the related information comprises the target application server information and the service information;

The network open function network element determines the target network open function network element of the target terminal according to the related information of the target terminal, including:

Determining, by the network open function network element, the target network open function network element of the target terminal according to the target application server information;

The network open function network element sends the related information to the target network open function network element, including:

The network open function network element sends the target application server information and the service information to the target network open function network element.
The communication method according to claim 2, wherein said related information comprises said service information;

The network open function network element determines, according to the related information, a target network open function network element of the target terminal, including:

Determining, by the network open function network element, target application server information of the target terminal according to the service information;

The network open function network element determines a target network open function network element of the target terminal according to the target application server information.
The communication method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the service information includes at least one type of information: an application identifier corresponding to the service, a type of the service, and a behavior of the service.
The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first message further carries an identifier of the target terminal;

The capability open platform network element further includes: before sending the second message to the target control plane network element:

The network open function network element determines the target control plane network element according to the identifier of the target terminal.
The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the second message is a user plane path selection request message or a user plane path reselection request message.
The communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the network open function The network element receives the first message, including:

The network open function network element receives a first message sent by an application server or a domain name system server currently serving the target terminal.
The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the network open function network element receives the first message, including:

The network open function network element receives the first message forwarded by another network open function network element.
A communication method, comprising:

The control plane network element receives the second message sent by the network open function network element, where the second message is used to determine the user plane network element for the target terminal, and the second message carries the information of the at least one user plane network element;

The control plane network element determines a target user plane network element for the target terminal according to the information of the at least one user plane network element.
The communication method according to claim 10, wherein the communication method further comprises:

The control plane network element acquires service information of the target terminal;

The control plane network element determines the target user plane network element for the target terminal according to the information of the at least one user plane network element, including:

Determining, by the control plane network element, the target user plane network element from the at least one user plane network element for the target terminal according to the information of the at least one user plane network element and the service information.
The communication method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the second message is a user plane path selection request message or a user plane path reselection request message.
A communication method, comprising:

The control plane network element receives the first message, where the first message carries the service information of the target terminal;

The control plane network element obtains service information of the target terminal from the first message;

The control plane network element selects a target user plane network element for the target terminal according to the service information of the target terminal.
The communication method according to claim 13, wherein the first message is a user plane path selection request message or a user plane path reselection request message.
The communication method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the control plane network element receives the first message, including:

The control plane network element receives the first message sent by an application server or a domain name system server currently serving the target terminal.
A network open function network element, comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive a first message, where the first message carries related information of the target terminal, and related information of the target terminal includes target application server information and/or service information of the target terminal;

a processing module, configured to determine information of at least one user plane network element according to related information of the target terminal;

And a sending module, configured to send a second message to the target control plane network element, where the second message carries information about the at least one user plane network element.
The network open function network element according to claim 16, wherein the processing module is configured to determine a target network open function network element of the target terminal according to the related information;

The sending module is further configured to send the related information to the target network open function network element;

The receiving module is further configured to receive, by the target network open function network element, the device that is sent according to the related information. The information of at least one user plane network element is described.
The network open function network element according to claim 17, wherein the related information comprises the target application server information and the service information;

The processing module is specifically configured to determine, according to the target application server information, the target network open function network element of the target terminal;

The sending module is specifically configured to send the target application server information and the service information to the target network open function network element.
The network open function network element according to claim 17, wherein the related information comprises the service information;

The processing module is specifically configured to: determine target application server information of the target terminal according to the service information, and determine a target network open function network element of the target terminal according to the target application server information.
The network open function network element according to claim 18 or 19, wherein the service information includes at least one type of information: an application identifier corresponding to the service, a type of the service, and a behavior of the service.
The network open function network element according to any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein the first message further carries an identifier of the target terminal;

The processing module is further configured to determine the target control plane network element according to the identifier of the target terminal.
The network open function network element according to any one of claims 16 to 21, wherein the second message is a user plane path selection request message or a user plane path reselection request message.
The network open function network element according to any one of claims 16 to 22, wherein the receiving module is specifically configured to receive a first message sent by an application server or a domain name system server currently serving the target terminal. .
The network open function network element according to claim 16, wherein the receiving module is specifically configured to receive the first message forwarded by another network open function network element.
A control plane network element, comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive a second message sent by the network open function network element, where the second message is used to determine a user plane network element for the target terminal, and the second message carries information of at least one user plane network element;

And a processing module, configured to determine, according to the information of the at least one user plane network element, a target user plane network element for the target terminal.
The control plane network element according to claim 25, wherein the processing module is specifically configured to: determine service information of the target terminal, and information according to the at least one user plane network element and the service information Determining, from the at least one user plane network element, a target user plane network element for the target terminal.
The control plane network element according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the second message is a user plane path selection request message or a user plane path reselection request message.
A control plane network element, comprising:

a receiving module, configured to receive a first message, where the first message carries service information of the target terminal;

a processing module, configured to acquire service information of the target terminal from the first message;

The processing module is further configured to determine, according to service information of the target terminal, a target user plane network element for the target terminal.
The control plane network element according to claim 28, wherein the first message is a user plane path selection request message or a user plane path reselection request message.
The control plane network element according to claim 28 or 29, wherein the receiving module is specifically configured to receive the first message sent by an application server or a domain name system server currently serving the target terminal.