WO2019075848A1

WO2019075848A1 - Coordination of terminal slicing function and network slicing function

Info

Publication number: WO2019075848A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/112695
Authority: WO
Inventors: 邓宇; 马春燕; 杨明; 姚松平; 李锋
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2017-10-16
Filing date: 2017-11-23
Publication date: 2019-04-25
Also published as: CN111165025B; CN111165025A

Abstract

The present application provides a method for coordinating a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function, relating to the technical field of communications, and being able to apply for terminal slicing resources corresponding to slicing information by means of a terminal, so as to coordinate a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function, thereby facilitating the improvement of communication service quality and the improvement of user experience. The specific solution comprises: a terminal sending a request message to a network device, so as to obtain slicing information corresponding to an application identifier, then applying for terminal slicing resources according to the slicing information, and activating network slicing resources.

Description

Collaborative terminal slicing and network slicing

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201010963862.8, filed on Oct. 16, 2017, entitled "A method and apparatus for providing end-to-end terminal slicing and network slicing", all of which are claimed. The content is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a method, terminal, and system for cooperative terminal slicing function and network slicing function.

Background technique

With the development of communication technologies, the Next Generation Mobile Networking (NGMN) Alliance proposes to build a diverse network according to the different needs of different application scenarios in response to the emergence of a variety of application scenarios and differentiated service requirements. Network Slicing (NS) to improve the quality of network service solutions. However, the specific implementation of this solution needs to be further improved.

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides a method for cooperating with a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function, which can enable the terminal slicing function and the network slicing function to work together, which is beneficial to improving communication service quality and improving user experience.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a method for coordinating a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function. The method specifically includes: the terminal sends a request message to the network device, where the request message includes an application identifier; and the terminal receives the response message sent by the network device, and the response message The slice information corresponding to the application identifier is included; the terminal applies for the terminal slice resource according to the slice information.

The slice information includes at least one of a slice type and slice differentiation information. Slice types include at least one of enhanced mobile broadband, highly reliable low latency connections, and large-scale Internet of Things. The slice differentiation information includes at least one of delay priority, bandwidth priority, balance delay, and bandwidth. Optionally, the slice information may also include a type of the third-party application, such as a game, a video, a music, or the like, or a feature of a vertical industry or other features. The content of the slice information is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

Exemplarily, the terminal activating the terminal slice corresponding to the slice information comprises: the terminal activating the SST according to a slice/service type (SST) and/or a slice differentiator (SD) carried in the slice information. Terminal slice corresponding to and/or SD. In this way, the terminal prepares a dedicated terminal slice resource for using the application, and the terminal slice resource includes, but is not limited to, a network resource, a storage resource, a computing resource, a security isolation, and the like of the terminal.

Specifically, the network device queries the application from the local, or the Business Operation Support System (BOSS), or the Policy Control Function (PCF), or other network device according to the application identifier carried in the request message. Identifying slice information of the corresponding network slice, so that the communication system prepares a dedicated network slice resource for the terminal to use the application according to the slice information. Moreover, the network device sends the queried slice information to the terminal by sending a response message to the terminal, so that the terminal prepares a dedicated terminal slice resource for the application according to the slice information.

Therefore, in the method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the terminal sends the request message to the network device, and obtains the slice information corresponding to the application identifier carried in the request message, and applies for the terminal slice resource according to the slice information. In this way, the terminal slicing function and the network slicing function work together, which is beneficial to improving the communication service quality and improving the user experience.

In one possible design, the network device includes a slice management server for managing network slice resources. The network device may also be a server that is responsible for managing the network slicing function, which is not limited in this embodiment.

In a possible design, the response message further includes a slice application identifier SAID, and the SAID is generated by the network device according to the terminal identifier and the application identifier.

The SAID can be used to identify the identity of the terminal, and can also be used to identify the application identity that needs to be sliced. The SAID can be used to complete the slice request to the carrier network in the OTT network, and the SAID can also be used for accounting of the network slice service. In this way, the debit and the terminal identifier are decoupled, and the user is prevented from inputting the terminal identifier, which is beneficial to protecting the user information security.

In a possible design, after the terminal receives the response message sent by the network device, the terminal sends an indication to the network device to activate the network slice resource.

In a possible design, after the terminal sends an indication to the network device to activate the network slice resource, the terminal sends a first query message to the network device, where the first query message is used to instruct the network device to send the network corresponding to the SAID. The activation result of the slice resource; the terminal receives the activation result sent by the network device.

In a possible design, after the terminal receives the activation result sent by the network device, the terminal sends an activation result to the application server.

It should be noted that the time period in which the network slice resource is used is the time required to pay for the carrier network, that is, the charging time of the carrier network. The activation time determined based on the activation result can be used as the starting time point of the payment time.

In a possible design, before the terminal sends a request message to the network device, the terminal sends an authorization request to the application server for acquiring the authorization authentication of the application server.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for coordinating a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function. The method specifically includes: the terminal detects an operation of the user exiting the application; and in response to the operation, the terminal releases the terminal slicing resource.

It should be noted that, in the process of releasing the slicing function, the operator network may also initiate the release indication, which is not limited in this embodiment.

In a possible design, after the terminal detects the operation of the user exiting the application, the terminal sends an indication to the network device to release the network slice resource.

In a possible design, after the terminal sends an indication to the network device to release the network slice resource, the terminal sends a second query message to the network device, where the second query message is used to instruct the network device to send the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID. The release result; the terminal receives the release result sent by the network device. The time for releasing the network slice resource is determined according to the release result as the end time point of the charging time.

In a third aspect, the present application provides a method for coordinating a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function, comprising: receiving, by a network device, a request message sent by a terminal, where the request message includes an application identifier; and based on the request message, the network device sends a response message to the terminal, The response message includes slice information corresponding to the application identifier.

In one possible design, the network device includes a slice management server, and the slice management server is used to manage network slice resources.

In one possible design, the slice information includes at least one of a slice type and slice differentiation information.

In one possible design, the slice type includes at least one of enhanced mobile broadband, highly reliable low-latency connections, and large-scale Internet of Things.

In one possible design, the slice differentiation information includes at least one of delay priority, bandwidth priority, balance delay, and bandwidth.

In a possible design, the request message further includes a terminal identifier, and before the network device sends the response message to the terminal, the network device generates a slice application identifier SAID according to the terminal identifier and the application identifier.

In a possible design, after the network device sends the response message to the terminal, the network device receives the indication of the activated network slice resource sent by the terminal, and the indication of the activated network slice resource includes the application identifier; and the indication based on the received activated network slice resource The network device activates the network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier.

In a possible design, after the network device receives the indication of the activated network slice resource sent by the terminal, the network device receives the first query message sent by the terminal, where the first query message is used to instruct the network device to send the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID. The result of the activation; the network device sends an activation result to the terminal.

In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a method for coordinating a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function, including: receiving, by a network device, an indication of releasing a network slice resource sent by a terminal, and releasing an indication of a network slice resource, including an SAID; Indicates that the network device releases the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID.

In a possible design, after the network device receives the indication of releasing the network slice resource sent by the terminal, the network device receives the second query message sent by the terminal, where the second query message is used to instruct the network device to send the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID. Release result: The network device sends the release result to the terminal.

The fifth aspect provides a terminal, including a receiving unit, a sending unit, and a processing unit, where the sending unit is configured to send a request message to the network device, where the request message includes an application identifier, and the receiving unit is configured to receive a response message sent by the network device, The response message includes the slice information corresponding to the application identifier, and the processing unit is configured to apply for the terminal slice resource according to the slice information.

In a possible design, the sending unit is further configured to: after the receiving unit receives the response message sent by the network device, send an indication to the network device to activate the network slice resource.

In a possible design, the sending unit is further configured to send a first query message to the network device after the sending unit sends the indication for activating the network slice resource to the network device, where the first query message is used to instruct the network device to send the SAID corresponding to the network device. The result of the activation of the network slice resource; the receiving unit is also used to receive the transmission sent by the network device Live results.

In a possible design, the sending unit is further configured to send an activation result to the application server after the receiving unit receives the activation result sent by the network device.

In a possible design, the sending unit is further configured to send an authorization request to the application server to obtain the authorization authentication of the application server before the sending unit sends the request message to the network device.

In a possible design, the processing unit is further configured to: after the processing unit applies for the terminal slice resource according to the slice information, detect an operation of the user to exit the application; and release the terminal slice resource in response to the operation.

In a possible design, the sending unit is further configured to send an indication of releasing the network slice resource to the network device after the processing unit detects the operation of the user exiting the application.

In a possible design, the sending unit sends a second query message to the network device after the sending unit sends the indication for releasing the network slice resource to the network device, where the second query message is used to instruct the network device to send the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID. The result is released; the receiving unit is further configured to receive a release result sent by the network device.

The sixth aspect provides a network device, including a receiving unit, a sending unit, and a processing unit, where the receiving unit is configured to receive a request message sent by the terminal, where the request message includes an application identifier, and the sending unit is configured to send the message to the terminal according to the request message. The response message includes the slice information corresponding to the application identifier.

In a possible design, the request message further includes a terminal identifier, and the processing unit is configured to generate a slice application identifier SAID according to the terminal identifier and the application identifier before the sending unit sends the response message to the terminal.

In a possible design, the receiving unit is further configured to: after the sending unit sends the response message to the terminal, receive an indication of the activated network slice resource sent by the terminal, and the indication for activating the network slice resource includes the application identifier; the sending unit is further used for The network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier is activated based on the received indication of activating the network slice resource.

In a possible design, the receiving unit is further configured to: after the receiving unit receives the indication of the activated network slice resource sent by the terminal, the first query message sent by the terminal, where the first query message is used to instruct the sending unit to send the SAID corresponding to the The activation result of the network slice resource; the sending unit is further configured to send an activation result to the terminal.

In a possible design, the receiving unit is further configured to: after the processing unit activates the network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier, receive an indication of releasing the network slice resource sent by the terminal, and release the indication of the network slice resource to include the SAID; And releasing, according to the indication of releasing the network slice resource, the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID.

In a possible design, the receiving unit is further configured to: after the receiving unit receives the indication of releasing the network slice resource sent by the terminal, receiving the second query message sent by the terminal, where the second query message is used to instruct the sending unit to send the SAID corresponding to the The result of the release of the network slice resource: the sending unit is also used to send the release result to the terminal.

In a seventh aspect, a terminal includes: a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, and a memory and a communication interface The port is coupled to the processor, the communication interface is for communicating with the network device, the memory is for storing the computer program code, and the computer program code comprises computer instructions, and when the processor executes the computer instruction, the processor sends the request message to the network device through the communication interface, The request message includes an application identifier, and the processor receives the response message sent by the network device by using the communication interface, where the response message includes the slice information corresponding to the application identifier, and the processor is configured to apply for the terminal slice resource according to the slice information.

In a possible design, the processor is further configured to send, by the communication interface, an indication for activating the network slice resource to the network device after the processor receives the response message sent by the network device by using the communication interface.

In a possible design, the processor is further configured to: after the processor sends an indication of activating the network slice resource to the network device by using the communication interface, send a first query message to the network device by using the communication interface, where the first query message is used to indicate The network device sends an activation result of the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID, and the processor is further configured to receive, by using the communication interface, an activation result sent by the network device.

In a possible design, the processor is further configured to send an activation result to the application server through the communication interface after the processor receives the activation result sent by the network device through the communication interface.

In a possible design, the processor is further configured to send an authorization request to the application server through the communication interface to obtain the authorization authentication of the application server before the processor sends the request message to the network device through the communication interface.

In a possible design, the processor is further configured to: after the processor applies for the terminal slice resource according to the slice information, detect an operation of the user exiting the application; and release the terminal slice resource in response to the operation.

In a possible design, after the processor detects the user's operation of exiting the application, the processor sends an indication to the network device to release the network slice resource through the communication interface.

In a possible design, after the processor sends an indication to the network device to release the network slice resource through the communication interface, the processor sends a second query message to the network device by using the communication interface, where the second query message is used to instruct the network device to send the SAID. The release result of the corresponding network slice resource; the processor receives the release result sent by the network device through the communication interface.

In an eighth aspect, a network device includes: a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, the memory and the communication interface are coupled to the processor, the communication interface is configured to communicate with the terminal, the memory is configured to store the computer program code, and the computer program code includes The computer instruction, when the processor executes the computer instruction, the processor is configured to receive, by using the communication interface, a request message sent by the terminal, where the request message includes an application identifier, and the processor is further configured to send the response message to the terminal by using the communication interface according to the request message. The response message includes the slice information corresponding to the application identifier.

In a possible design, the request message further includes a terminal identifier, and the processor is further configured to generate a slice application identifier SAID according to the terminal identifier and the application identifier.

In a possible design, the processor is further configured to: after the processor sends the response message to the terminal through the communication interface, receive an indication of the activated network slice resource sent by the terminal by using the communication interface, where the indication for activating the network slice resource includes the application identifier; The network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier is activated based on the received indication of activating the network slice resource.

In a possible design, the processor is further configured to: after receiving, by the communications interface, the indication of the activated network slice resource sent by the terminal, the first query message sent by the terminal is received by the communication interface, where the first query message is used to indicate The network device sends an activation result of the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID; and sends an activation result to the terminal through the communication interface.

In a possible design, the processor is further configured to: after the processor activates the network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier, receive an indication of releasing the network slice resource sent by the terminal by using the communication interface, and release the indication of the network slice resource to include the SAID; The network slice resource is released, and the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID is released.

In a possible design, the processor is further configured to: after the processor receives the indication of releasing the network slice resource sent by the terminal by using the communication interface, receiving, by using the communication interface, the second query message sent by the terminal, where the second query message is used to indicate The network device sends the release result of the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID: the release result is sent to the terminal through the communication interface.

A ninth aspect, a computer storage medium, comprising computer instructions, when the computer instruction is run on a terminal, causing the terminal to perform a cooperative terminal slicing function according to any one of the first aspect and the second aspect And the method of network slicing.

A tenth aspect, a computer storage medium comprising computer instructions, when the computer instructions are run on a terminal, causing the network device to perform a cooperative terminal slice as described in any of the third aspect and the fourth aspect The method of function and network slicing.

In an eleventh aspect, a computer program product, when the computer program product is run on a computer, causes the computer to perform a collaborative terminal slicing function and network as described in any one of the first aspect and the second aspect The method of slicing function.

A twelfth aspect, a computer program product, when the computer program product is run on a computer, causing the computer to perform a collaborative terminal slicing function and network as described in any one of the third aspect and the fourth aspect The method of slicing function.

DRAWINGS

1 is a network topology diagram 1 of a communication system provided by the present application;

2 is a schematic structural diagram of hardware of a terminal and a network device according to the present application;

3 is a schematic flowchart 1 of a collaborative terminal slicing function and a network slicing function method provided by the present application;

4 is a schematic flowchart 2 of a collaborative terminal slicing function and a network slicing function method provided by the present application;

5 is a schematic flowchart 3 of a collaborative terminal slicing function and a network slicing function method provided by the present application;

6 is a schematic flowchart 4 of a collaborative terminal slicing function and a network slicing function method provided by the present application;

FIG. 7 is a network topology diagram 2 of a communication system provided by the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart 5 of a collaborative terminal slicing function and a network slicing function method provided by the present application; FIG.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an interface of an OTT purchase network slice provided by the present application;

10 is a schematic flowchart 6 of a collaborative terminal slicing function and a network slicing function method provided by the present application;

FIG. 11 is a first schematic structural diagram of a terminal provided by the present application; FIG.

12 is a second schematic structural diagram of a terminal provided by the present application;

FIG. 13 is a schematic structural diagram 1 of a network device provided by the present application; FIG.

FIG. 14 is a schematic structural diagram 2 of a network device provided by the present application.

Detailed ways

A method for coordinating terminal slicing function and network slicing function provided by the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

With the development of communication technologies, there will be a variety of application scenarios in the future, and these application scenarios have different network requirements. Different application scenarios have very different requirements in terms of network functions, system performance, security, and user experience. If the same network is still used to provide services, it is bound to cause the network to be very complicated, cumbersome, and unable to meet the needs of various application scenarios. The ultimate performance requirements, but also lead to network operation and maintenance become quite complex, increasing the cost of network operations.

Therefore, the NGMN Alliance proposed the concept of network slicing, which uses different technologies such as Software Defined Network (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) on a physical infrastructure. NS, different NSs correspond to different application scenarios. And the logical isolation between the NS, any NS congestion, overload, configuration adjustment does not affect other NS. Network functions in different NSs share the same hardware and software platform in the same location, and NS can dynamically scale and delete. In this way, the efficiency of the network service will be greatly improved, and the network performance required by the application scenario can be guaranteed, the operation and maintenance of the network becomes simple, and the investment and operation and maintenance costs can be reduced.

On the other hand, the terminal can construct its own terminal resources into logically independent multiple terminal slice resources according to different requirements of the application scenario, so as to improve the operating efficiency of the terminal. The terminal resources include, but are not limited to, network resources, storage resources, computing resources, security isolation, and the like.

For example, the over the top (OTT) includes third-party services that are not related to the carrier communication network, and delivers various contents to the user through the application. OTT typically uses carrier communication networks to provide services and applications to its users. The OTT can directly access OTT content through a platform connected to an operator communication network, such as a personal computer, laptop, tablet, smart phone, and other devices capable of using web services. Some examples of OTT are VoIP and instant messaging applications such as Skype, Google Voice, and Viber. Such OTT applications provide users with voice calls, messaging and/or video services.

The provider of the OTT application can purchase the service of the network slice from the operator. The service requirements of the network slice include, but are not limited to, the OTT application identifier, the usage area, the usage duration, the number of concurrent users, and the service requirement. Based on this information, the operator determines to create and store different types of network slices, ie, slice information, for these OTT application identifiers that have purchased the network slice service. When the user specifically uses the OTT application, the user needs to purchase the service of the network slice from the OTT application service provider, including the usage area, the duration of use, and the like. For example: opening VIP members, purchasing business acceleration packages, etc. It is also possible that the provider of the OTT application directly authorizes all or part of the users to use the network slice, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. After the provider of the OTT application authorizes the user, the user can use the service of the operator's network slicing to improve the quality of the OTT service.

It should be noted that, when the user uses an OTT application, if the operator network accesses the dedicated network slice for the OTT application, the terminal does not promptly call the dedicated terminal slice. In this way, it will still affect the quality of service of the network and affect the user experience. Therefore, the cooperative terminal slicing function and the network slicing function provided by the embodiments of the present application can be used to improve the service quality of the network and improve the user experience.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a communication system 10 is provided in an embodiment of the present application, and includes a network device 20 and a terminal 30.

The network device 20 may be, for example, a network server, which is located at the edge of the mobile communication network of the operator, and is responsible for accessing the authentication and management of the terminal 30, and provides a service for the slice of the mobile communication network, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The terminal 30 provides voice and/or data connectivity services for the user, for example, user equipment (UE), access terminal equipment, terminal equipment unit, terminal equipment station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, and remote terminal. Equipment, mobile equipment, wireless communication equipment, terminal equipment agents or terminal equipment. The access terminal device 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), and a wireless device. Communication-enabled handheld devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, terminal devices in future 5G networks, or future evolutionary public land mobile network (PLMN) networks The terminal device and the like are not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal 30 can also perform a terminal slicing function and the like.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware structure of the network device 20 and the terminal 30 provided by the embodiment of the present application.

The terminal 30 includes at least one processor 301, at least one memory 302, and at least one transceiver 303. Optionally, the terminal 30 may further include an output device 304 and an input device 305.

The processor 301, the memory 302, and the transceiver 303 are connected by a bus. The processor 301 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more programs for controlling the execution of the program of the present application. integrated circuit. The processor 301 may also include a plurality of CPUs, and the processor 301 may be a single-CPU processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, or processing cores for processing data, such as computer program instructions.

The memory 302 can be a Read-Only Memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a Random Access Memory (RAM), or other types that can store information and instructions. The dynamic storage device can also be an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), a Compact Disc Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, and a disc storage device. (including pressure A compact disc, a laser disc, a compact disc, a digital versatile disc, a Blu-ray disc, etc.), a disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or can be used to carry or store a desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer Any other medium, but not limited to this. The memory 302 can exist independently and be coupled to the processor 301 via a bus. The memory 302 can also be integrated with the processor 301. The memory 302 is used to store application code for executing the solution of the present application, and is controlled by the processor 301 for execution. The processor 301 is configured to execute the computer program code stored in the memory 302, thereby implementing the method for data transmission in the embodiment of the present application.

The transceiver 303 can use any device such as a transceiver for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, Radio Access Network (RAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), etc. . The transceiver 303 includes a transmitter Tx and a receiver Rx.

Output device 304 is in communication with processor 301 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 304 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. Wait. Input device 305 is in communication with processor 301 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, input device 305 can be a mouse, keyboard, touch screen device, or sensing device, and the like.

Network device 20 includes at least one processor 201, at least one memory 202, at least one transceiver 203, and at least one network interface 204. The processor 201, the memory 202, the transceiver 203, and the network interface 204 are connected by a bus. The network interface 204 is configured to connect to a core network device through a link (for example, an S1 interface), or connect to a network interface of other access network devices through a wired or wireless link (for example, an X2 interface) (not shown in the figure) The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. In addition, a description of the processor 201, the memory 202, and the transceiver 203 can be referred to the description of the processor 301, the memory 302, and the transceiver 303 in the terminal 30, and details are not described herein again.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a method for coordinating a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method specifically includes:

S101. The terminal sends a request message to the network device.

The device used by the network device to manage the network slice resource may be a dedicated Slice Management (SM) server, or another server responsible for managing the network slice function, which is not limited in this embodiment.

The request message includes an application identifier, and is used to query the slice information corresponding to the application identifier. The application identifier is used for a mark of the other application, for example, a set of numbers, letters, symbols, or a string of the combination, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment. The slice information includes a slice requirement corresponding to the application identifier, and specifically includes Single Network Slice Selection Assistance information (S-NSSAI). The S-NSSAI is used to identify the type of a network slice, including at least one of a Slice/Service Type (SST) and a Slice Differentiator (SD). The slice/service type is used to describe the characteristics of the network slice, including: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), and large-scale Internet of Things (massive IoT). , MIoT). The details are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 SST value and description

Among them, SD can be used to distinguish a subclass of a slice/service type, as shown in Table 2.

Table 2 SD value and description

SD值SD value	说明Description
11	延迟优先(delay first)Delay first
22	带宽优先(bandwidth first)Bandwidth first
33	兼顾延迟和带宽Balance delay and bandwidth
44	保留Reserved

It should be noted that the terminal may determine, according to the SST and/or the SD, what type of terminal slice is specifically prepared for the application.

Optionally, the slice information may also include a type of the third-party application, such as a game, a video, a music, or the like, or a feature of a vertical industry or other features. The content of the slice information is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

S102. The terminal receives a response message sent by the network device.

The response message includes the slice information corresponding to the application identifier.

S103. The terminal applies for a terminal slice resource based on the slice information.

The application of the terminal slicing resource may also be understood as activating the terminal slicing function, or activating the terminal slicing resource, or preparing the terminal slicing resource, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment.

Specifically, the terminal activates the terminal slice corresponding to the slice information. For example, the terminal activates the terminal slice corresponding to the SST and/or SD according to the SST and/or SD carried in the slice information. In this way, the terminal prepares a dedicated terminal slice resource for using the application, and the terminal slice resource includes, but is not limited to, a network resource, a storage resource, a computing resource, a security isolation, and the like of the terminal.

For example, if the slice information of an application is of a delay-prioritized type, the terminal may configure the access layer policy by configuring the access layer policy as a two-way access policy, and/or Or configure the RF management policy into a band exclusive policy. The policy of the transport stack layer can be configured such that the differentiated congestion policy is configured as a preemptive policy, and/or the real-time multiplexing policy is configured as a multiplexing policy, and/or dynamic bandwidth diversity is configured into dynamic diversity Strategy, etc. These strategies ensure that the application's latency meets business needs. The operating system layer can be configured such that the memory management policy is configured as contiguous memory, and/or the multi-core scheduling policy is configured as a multi-core collaborative policy, and/or the task priority policy is configured as a high-priority policy. In this way, the terminal slicing resources can be guaranteed to guarantee the delay requirement of the application.

In some embodiments, after step S103, step S104 is further included.

S104. The terminal sends an indication to the network device to activate the network slice resource.

The activation of the network slice resource may also be understood as the activation of the network slice function, or the preparation of the network slice resource, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment.

Specifically, the indication of activating the network slice resource carries the application identifier and the application server list. The application server list contains the identifier of the application server. The network device prepares a dedicated network slice resource for the application according to the application identifier and the application server list, so that the terminal and the application server can use the dedicated network slice for data transmission. It should be noted that the application identifier herein may be any other type of identifier that can identify the application, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

It should be noted that step S104 may also be performed before, after or simultaneously with step S103, and the present application does not limit the order relationship of S104 and S103.

Therefore, in the method for the collaborative terminal slicing function and the network slicing function provided by the embodiment of the present application, the terminal sends the request message to the network device, and obtains the slice information corresponding to the application identifier carried in the request message, and applies according to the slice information. Terminal slicing resources. In this way, the terminal slicing function and the network slicing function work together, which is beneficial to improving the communication service quality and improving the user experience.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for coordinating a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method specifically includes:

S201. The network device receives a request message sent by the terminal.

The request message includes an application identifier (APP ID), which is used to query the slice information corresponding to the application identifier. For the explanation and content of the slice information, refer to the description in step S101, and the description is not repeated.

S202. The network device acquires slice information corresponding to the application identifier, and sends a response message to the terminal.

The response message includes the slice information corresponding to the application identifier obtained by the network device.

In some embodiments, after step S202, steps S203-S204 are further included.

S203. The network device receives an indication of activating a network slice resource sent by the terminal.

The indication of activating the network slice resource carries an application identifier and a list of application servers. The application server list contains the identifier of the application server. The network device prepares a dedicated network slice resource for the application according to the application identifier and the application server list, so that the terminal and the application server can use the dedicated network slice for data transmission. The preparation work includes, without limitation, creation, monitoring, and alarming of network slices.

S204. The network device activates a network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier, according to the received indication of activating the network slice resource.

Specifically, the network device prepares a corresponding network slice resource for the terminal to use the application.

Therefore, in the method for the collaborative terminal slicing function and the network slicing function provided by the embodiment of the present application, the terminal obtains the slice information corresponding to the application identifier carried in the request message by sending a request message to the network device, and Applying a terminal slice resource according to the slice information. In this way, the terminal slicing function and the network slicing function work together, which is beneficial to improving the communication service quality and improving the user experience.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for coordinating a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method specifically includes:

S301. The network device sends the slice information to the terminal.

Optionally, the terminal sends a request message to the network device, requesting to send the slice information of the network slice corresponding to the application by the terminal. The network device may also actively send the slice information of the network slice corresponding to the application that the terminal can use to the terminal.

S302. The terminal applies for a terminal slice function according to the slice information.

The slice information includes information such as the type of the network slice, and the terminal, according to the slice information, prepares the terminal slice resource of the same type as the network slice resource. For example, if the network device queries the slice information corresponding to an application as the delay priority, the network device activates the network slice resource with the priority guaranteed delay for the application, which is beneficial to improving the data transmission efficiency of the application. Then, the terminal also prepares a delay-prioritized terminal slice resource for the application. In this way, the entire communication system reserves the delay-prioritized resource for the application, which is beneficial to improving the data transmission efficiency of the application and improving the user experience.

S303. The terminal sends an indication to the network device to activate the network slice resource.

The indication of the activated network slice resource includes an application identifier.

It should be noted that step S303 may also be performed before, after or simultaneously with step S302, and the present application does not limit the order relationship of S303 and S302.

S304. The network device activates a network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier, according to the received indication of activating the network slice resource.

Specifically, the network device prepares a corresponding network slice resource for the terminal to use the application. The preparation involves the life cycle of the network slicing service, such as: creating network slicing, allocation of network slicing resources, reservation and allocation management, and so on. Table 3 shows an example of a network device managing a network slice. as follows:

Table 3 Management table of network slices

The slice 1 is an identifier of a network slice allocated by the network device for the application. The available nodes include the node identifiers that can be used, that is, information including the server 1, the switch 1, and the like, and the amount of resources (memory occupancy, CPU usage, etc.) allocated in each node. The ability of mobility control indicates whether the available nodes are capable of mobility control. An access area refers to information of an accessible area based on the location of an available node. The service usage time indicates the available service time information of the available nodes. The available bandwidth indicates the maximum bandwidth information that can be provided in the available nodes. The minimum delay time indicates the minimum delay time based on the available nodes. The minimum packet loss rate identifier is based on the most available resources. Small packet loss rate. Resource utilization represents the resource utilization allocated by the current node.

As shown in FIG. 6 , a flowchart of a method for coordinating a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method specifically includes:

S401. The terminal sends a request message to the network device, where used to query the slice information of the network slice.

The network device may be a dedicated Slicing Management (SM) server, or another server responsible for managing the network slicing function, which is not limited in this embodiment.

The request message carries a terminal identifier, which may be a Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN), or an International Mobile Subscriber Identification Number (IMSI). The embodiment is not limited.

In an implementation manner, the request message carries an application identifier. The application corresponding to the application identifier is an application that the user is to use on the terminal, and may be various application services provided to the terminal through the Internet, such as a microblog, a network game, and the like. The request message is used to query the slice information of the network slice allocated by the communication system for the terminal to run the application.

In another implementation manner, the application identifier is not carried in the request message. Then, the request message can be used to query the slice information of the network slice corresponding to all applications on the terminal.

S402. The network device acquires slice information corresponding to the application identifier.

Specifically, the network device queries, according to the application identifier, the slice information of the network slice corresponding to the application identifier from the local, or the BOSS, or the PCF, or another network device, so that the network device requests the device to use the application according to the slice information. Dedicated network slicing resources.

S403. The network device acquires a Slice Application Identification (SAID).

In a possible implementation manner, the network device generates the SAID according to the MISI SDN and the application identifier of the terminal, for example, the MISISDN, the application identifier, and the application time are encrypted by using an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). The specific algorithm is not limited.

It should be noted that, if the request for querying the network slice information sent by the terminal in S101 includes the terminal identifier as the IMSI, the network device also needs to query the MISISDN corresponding to the terminal according to the IMSI.

In another possible implementation manner, the PCF device, or the BOSS device or other device generates an SAID according to the application identifier and the terminal identifier, and sends the SAID to the network device. For example, the SAID may be carried in a dedicated message, and may be carried in other messages.

S404. The network device sends a first response message to the terminal.

Specifically, if the query is successful, the first response message includes the slice information and the SAID corresponding to the application identifier. If the query fails, the first response message may carry the information of the query failure. For example, the application corresponding to the application identifier does not have the service of the network slicing function, or the communication system does not have the service of the network slicing function, or the network does not open the network. Slice function business and more.

S405. After receiving the first response message sent by the network device, the terminal applies for and activates the terminal slice resource according to the slice information.

S406. The terminal sends an activation indication to the network device, where the network slice resource is activated.

The activation indication carries the SAID and the application server list. The application server list contains the identifier of the application server. The network device assigns a dedicated network slice to the SAID according to the SAID and the application server list, so that the terminal and the application server can use the dedicated network slice for data transmission.

Optionally, the activation indicator may further carry an application identifier, which may be used to verify the SAID to ensure a network slice corresponding to the application that activates the terminal.

It should be noted that step S406 may also be performed before, after or simultaneously with step S405, and the present application does not limit the order relationship of S405 and S406.

S407. After receiving the activation indication, the network device sends a second response message to the terminal.

The second response message is used to notify the terminal that the network device has received an indication to activate the network slice resource.

S408. After receiving the activation indication, the network device activates the network slice resource and saves the activation result.

Specifically, according to the application identifier carried in the activation indication, the network device is triggered to prepare the network identifier resource corresponding to the application identifier, including not limited to creation, monitoring, alarm, and the like of the network slice.

Moreover, the network device saves an activation result of the network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier. Among them, the activation results include activation success and activation failure. If the activation fails, the activation result may also carry the information of the activation failure, for example, the service corresponding to the application does not have the service of the network slicing function, or the communication system does not have the service of the network slicing function, or the network does not open the network. Slice function business and more.

It should be noted that the step may be performed after, before or at the same time as S407, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

S409. The network device sends the activation result to the terminal.

Optionally, step S409 can also be replaced by S410-S411, as follows:

S410. The terminal sends a query message to the network device, where the query is used to query an activation result of the network slice resource.

The request message carries the SAID, and is used to query the activation result of the network slice function corresponding to the SAID.

Optionally, the terminal may also send the query message after receiving the query response message of the network device, or after activating the terminal slicing function, or after activating the terminal slicing function, in step S405, after a preset time period. .

S411. The network device sends an activation result to the terminal.

A method for cooperative terminal slicing function and network slicing function provided by the embodiment of the present application is described in the following with reference to a specific application scenario.

As shown in FIG. 7, a communication system 400 is provided in the embodiment of the present application. The communication system includes a terminal 401, at least one OTT server 402, an SM server 403, and an operator network 405. The communication system 400 can also include a web server 404.

The terminal 401 can be the terminal 30 as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, and in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal 401 can also perform the terminal slicing function. Specifically, the terminal may further include an OTT application module and a slice management software development kit (Software Development Kit) according to the role played by the terminal slicing function. SDK) module and slicing function module.

The OTT application module completes service package ordering, cancellation, query, and the like to the OTT server 402 through a communication interface (interface, IF), such as IF2. The OTT application module performs a secure authentication process, a slice activation indication, a slice release indication, and the like through the communication interface IF1 and the slice management SDK module.

The slice management SDK module interacts with the carrier network 405 through the communication interface IF15, including applying for the SAID, sending an activation indication and a deactivation indication of the network slice function, an activation indication and a deactivation indication of the transmission terminal slice function, and receiving the transmission by the operator network. Data, etc. The slicing function module receives an instruction to activate or deactivate the terminal slicing function sent by the slicing management SDK module through the communication interface IF7, and performs a slicing function of the terminal and the like. The specific role of each module will be explained below.

The OTT server 402 requests a token from the slice management server 403 through the communication interface IF4, authorizes the slice management SDK module to complete the SAID application, and provides the service content of the OTT application.

The SM server 403 is connected to the carrier network 405 for performing access authentication and management of the terminal 401, and providing services for network slicing and the like.

The web server 404 is configured to provide a web browsing service, and provides a function of creating, querying, monitoring, and reporting of a slice type to the slice management server 405 through the communication interface IF3.

The carrier network 405 is used to provide the tile service capabilities of the carrier network.

A communication system 400 shown in FIG. 7 is taken as an example to describe a method for cooperative terminal slicing function and network slicing function provided by the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG. 8 , a flowchart of a method for coordinating a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method specifically includes:

S501. The OTT application module acquires a subscription authorization to the OTT server in response to the user launching the operation of the OTT application.

Specifically, the request for obtaining the subscription authorization carries the identifier of the OTT application server, and is used to subscribe the network slice capability to the OTT application server, that is, the operator network can be applied to allocate the network slice to the terminal using the OTT application. For example, the terminal may purchase an OTT service package, such as a service acceleration package, a service security package, etc., to the OTT application server, so that the terminal can use the network slice when using the OTT application.

It should be noted that the OTT service provider should purchase the network slice capability from the operator in advance, and the network slice capability includes but is not limited to the OTT application identifier, the usage area, the usage duration, the number of concurrent users, and the service requirement. Based on this information, the operator determines to create and store different types of network slices, ie, slice information, for these OTT application identifiers that have purchased network slicing capabilities. FIG. 9 shows an interface diagram of an OTT service provider ordering a network slice.

S502. The OTT server returns an authorization response message to the OTT application module.

The S503, the OTT application module, and the slice management SDK module perform a security authentication process.

Specifically, the OTT application module sends an authentication request to the slice management SDK module, where the authentication request carries the application identifier. The slice management SDK module determines, according to the application identifier, whether the OTT application has the right to use the slice. If yes, the authentication is successful, otherwise the authentication fails.

If the terminal uses the application for the first time, the application further includes a registration process, specifically including S503a and S503b, as follows:

The S503a and OTT application modules send an application registration request to the slice management SDK module.

Specifically, the OTT application module performs registration authentication on the slice management SDK module to determine that the OTT application has the right to use the network slice. For example, the authentication method may be performed by using an application identifier and a preset signature, and the application registration request carries the content of the application identifier plus the preset signature.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of authentication.

S503b. The slice SDK module sends a registration response message to the OTT application module.

The registration response message carries the authentication result.

Specifically, the slice SDK module is more legal than the signature carried in the registration request of the application. If the authentication is successful, the authentication is successful, and the following steps are performed. If it is not legal, the authentication fails and the process ends.

S504. The OTT application module sends an indication of the activation slice function to the slice management SDK module.

The indication of the activation of the slice function carries the application identifier, so that the slice management SDK module can activate the terminal slice function corresponding to the application identifier, and subsequently activate the network slice function corresponding to the application identifier.

S505. The slice management SDK module sends a request message to the SM server. The request message includes an application identifier, and is used to query the slice information corresponding to the application identifier. For the content and function of the slice information, refer to the explanation in step S101, and the details are not repeated.

The request message further includes a terminal identifier, which may be an MSISDN, or an IMSI. If the terminal identifier is an IMSI, the SM server needs to query the BOSS for the MSISDN corresponding to the IMSI. If the terminal ID is MSISDN, no query is required.

S506. The SM server obtains, from the BOSS, slice information of the network slice corresponding to the application identifier.

S507. The SM server generates a SAID according to the MSISDN and the slice information, and sends a query response message to the slice management SDK module.

For the method of generating the SAID, refer to the description in step S403, and the description is not repeated.

S508. The slice management SDK module sends an indication to the slice function module to activate the terminal slice function.

The indication of the terminal slice function includes the slice information of the queried network slice, so that the slice function module can activate the terminal slice function corresponding to the slice information according to the slice information, so that the terminal slice function and the network slice function are both Based on the same slice information activation, the function of the collaborative terminal slicing function and the network slicing function can be achieved, the network service quality is improved, and the user experience is improved.

After the S509 and the slice function module activate the terminal slicing function, the activation response is sent to the slice management SDK module.

The activation response is used to notify the slice management SDK module that the slice function module has successfully activated the terminal slice function.

S510. The slice function SDK module sends an indication to the SM server to activate the network slice function.

The indication of the activation of the network slice function carries the SAID and the OTT server list. In this step, reference may be made to S406, and the description is not repeated.

Optionally, the slice function SDK module may be executed before, after or at the same time as S508. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the order relationship between S510 and S508.

S511. The SM server sends a response message to the slice function SDK.

The response message is used to notify the slice function SDK module, and the SM server has received an indication to activate the network slice function.

Optionally, the response message carries a timer duration of the timer T1. The timing is estimated SM service The length of time that the network slice function is activated. Thus, after receiving the response message, the slice management SDK module starts the timer T1, which is shown as S511a in the figure.

S512. The SM server sends an indication to the PCF to activate the network slicing function.

The PCF may be a network element having a 5th generation (5th generation, 5G) mobile communication function, or a network element having a 4G mobile communication function alone, or a network element combining the 4G and 5G functions.

It should be noted that at present, the network slicing function can only be applied to the 5G mobile communication network. When the terminal requests the network slicing service, it needs to go through the core network access and mobility management function (AMF) to apply to the PCF. Network slicing function. However, in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal directly connects to the PCF through the SM server, and the network slicing function can be activated directly through the SM server. In this way, the network slicing function of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to more communication networks, and the compatibility of the network is also improved.

S513 and PCF activate the network slicing function.

S514. The PCF sends the activation result of the network slicing function to the SM server.

S515. The SM server caches an activation result of the network slice.

S516. The slice management SDK module sends a request for querying an activation result of the network slice to the SM server.

Optionally, after the preset duration of the timer T1 reaches a preset time, the slice management SDK module sends a request for querying an activation result of the network slice.

S517. The SM server feeds back an activation result of the network slice to the slice management SDK module.

S518. The slice management SDK module sends the result to the OTT application module according to the activation result of the terminal slice and the network slice.

S519. The OTT application module sends a slice function activation notification to the OTT server.

S520. The OTT server records the time of the slice activation corresponding to the SAID according to the slice activation notification.

Specifically, the time period between the slice activation time and the slice deactivation time is the time required to pay for the carrier network, that is, the charging time of the carrier network. Then the activation time can be used as the starting time point of the payment time.

Further, the method provided by the embodiment of the present application further includes a process of deactivation. The process of deactivation can also be referred to as a process of releasing resources, and the like. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a method for a collaborative terminal slicing function and a network slicing function according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where the method specifically includes:

S601. In response to the user exiting the OTT application module, the OTT application module sends an indication of releasing the slice resource to the slice management SDK module.

The release of the slice resource may also be understood as deactivating the slice resource, or releasing the slice function, or deactivating the slice function, etc., which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The SAID is carried in the indication of the deactivation of the slice function, so that the carrier network releases the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID, and the terminal releases the terminal slice resource corresponding to the SAID.

Optionally, the indication of the release of the slice resource may further carry an application identifier, which may be used to verify the SAID.

It should be noted that, in the process of deactivating the slicing function, the operator network may initiate the release of the slice resource indication, and then step S601 may be replaced by S601a, as follows:

The S601a and the SM server send an indication of releasing the slice resource to the slice management SDK module.

The deactivating the terminal slicing function may also be understood as deactivating the terminal slicing resource, or releasing the terminal slicing function, or releasing the terminal slicing resource, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment.

Specifically, when the SM server determines that the network slice capability corresponding to the SAID changes, for example, the network slice service time expires, or the terminal moves, the location is outside the network slice service area, and the SM server sends the slice management SDK module to the slice management SDK module. Deactivate the indication of the terminal slicing function. The indication carries the SAID, and is used to instruct the terminal to release the terminal slice corresponding to the SAID.

S602. The slice management SDK module sends an indication to the slice function module to release the terminal slice resource.

Specifically, after receiving the indication of releasing the terminal slice resource, the slice function module releases the terminal slice corresponding to the SAID carried in the indication.

S603. The slice management SDK module sends an indication to the SM server to release the network slice resource.

The release of the network slice resource may also be referred to as deactivating the network slice resource, or releasing the network slice function, or the like, or deactivating the network slice function, etc., which is not limited in this embodiment. The indication of deactivating the network slice function carries the SAID and the list of OTT servers corresponding to the SAID, and may also carry the application identifier.

It should be noted that S603 may be performed before, after or at the same time as S602. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the execution order of S603 and S602.

S604. The SM server sends a response message to the slice management SDK module.

The response message is used to notify the slice management SDK module, and the SM server has received an indication to deactivate the network slice function.

Optionally, the response message carries a timer duration of the timer T2, where the duration of the timer is required for the estimated SM server to activate the network slicing function. Thus, after receiving the response message, the slice management SDK module starts the timer T2, which is shown as S604a in the figure.

S605. The SM server sends an indication to the PCF to release the network slice resource.

Specifically, after receiving the indication of releasing the network slice resource sent by the SM server, the PCF releases the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID.

S606. The PCF sends a release result of the network slice resource to the SM server.

S607. The SM server receives and caches a release result of the network slice resource sent by the PCF.

S608. The slice management SDK module sends a request for querying a release result of the network slice resource to the SM server.

Optionally, the slice management SDK module sends a request for querying a release result of the network slice function when the timer T2 timing reaches a preset time. The request message carries the SAID.

S609. The SM server feeds back a release result of the network slice resource to the slice management SDK module.

S610. The slice management SDK module sends a release result of the network slice resource to the OTT application module.

S611. The OTT application module sends a slice resource release notification to the OTT server.

S612. The OTT server records the time when the slice resource is released.

Specifically, the OTT server may record the release time of the slice resource according to the received slice resource release notification. The charging time of the operator network may be determined according to the release time of the slice resource. Specifically, the time period between the activation time of the slice resource and the release time of the slice resource is the time required to pay for the carrier network, that is, the charging time of the carrier network. Then, the time at which the slice is deactivated can be used as the end time point of the billing time.

It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, the above terminal and the like include hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to each function. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in a combination of hardware or hardware and computer software in combination with the elements and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether a function is executed by hardware or computer software to drive hardware depends on Specific application and design constraints for the technical 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 embodiments of the invention.

The embodiment of the present application may perform the division of the function modules on the terminal or the like according to the foregoing method example. For example, each function module may be divided according to each function, or two or more functions may be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of the module in the embodiment of the present invention is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and the actual implementation may have another division manner.

FIG. 11 shows a possible structural diagram of the terminal involved in the above embodiment in the case where the respective functional modules are divided by corresponding functions. As shown in FIG. 11, the terminal 1100 includes a transmitting unit 1101, a receiving unit 1102, and a processing unit 1103.

The sending unit 1101 is configured to support the terminal to execute S101 and S104 in FIG. 3, S303 in FIG. 5, S401, S406, S410 in FIG. 6, S501, S505, S510, S516 and S519 in FIG. 8, FIG. S603, S608, and S611, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The receiving unit 1102 is configured to support the terminal to perform S102 in FIG. 3, S502 in FIG. 8, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The processing unit 1103 is configured to support the terminal to execute S103 in FIG. 3, S302 in FIG. 5, S405 in FIG. 6, S503, S503a, S503b, S504, S508-S509, S511a, and S518 in FIG. S601-S602, S604a and S610, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein.

All the related content of the steps involved in the foregoing method embodiments may be referred to the functional descriptions of the corresponding functional modules, and details are not described herein again.

Of course, the terminal 1100 may further include a storage unit for storing program codes, data, and the like. Moreover, the functions that can be implemented by the foregoing functional units include, but are not limited to, the functions corresponding to the method steps described in the foregoing examples. For detailed descriptions of other units of the terminal 1100, reference may be made to the detailed description of the corresponding method steps. The examples are not described here.

In the case of an integrated unit, the processing unit described above may be a processing module of the terminal. The foregoing sending unit 1101 and receiving unit 1102 can be implemented in one communication module of the terminal, and the communication module can be an RF circuit of the terminal, a WiFi module or a Bluetooth module. The above storage unit may be a storage module of the terminal.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a possible structure of a terminal involved in the above embodiment. The terminal 1200 includes a processing module 1201, a storage module 1202, and a communication module 1203. The processing module 1201 is configured to control and manage the actions of the terminal. The storage module 1202 is configured to save program codes and data of the terminal. The communication module 1203 is for communicating with other terminals. The processing module 1201 may be a processor or a controller, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and an application-specific integrated circuit (Application-Specific). Integrated Circuit (ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 1203 may be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a communication interface, or the like. The storage module 1202 can be a memory.

The processing module 1201 is configured to send, by using the communication module 1203, a request message to the network device, where the request message includes an application identifier, and is further configured to receive, by using the communication module 1203, a response message sent by the network device, where The response message includes the slice information corresponding to the application identifier, and is further configured to apply for the terminal slice resource according to the slice information. The processing module 1201 is configured to support the terminal to execute S103 in FIG. 3, S302 in FIG. 5, S405 in FIG. 6, S503, S503a, S503b, S504, S508-S509, S511a, and S518 in FIG. S601-S602, S604a and S610, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein.

The communication module 1203 is configured to support the terminal to execute S101 and S104 in FIG. 3, S303 in FIG. 5, S401, S406, S410 in FIG. 6, S501, S502, S505, S510, S516, and S519 in FIG. S603, S608, and S611 in 10, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein.

When the processing module 1201 is a processor (such as the processor 301 shown in FIG. 2), the communication module 1203 is an RF transceiver circuit (such as the transceiver 303 shown in FIG. 2), and the storage module 1202 is a memory (as shown in FIG. 2). In the case of the memory 302), the terminal provided by the embodiment of the present application may be the terminal 30 shown in FIG. 1 or 2. The communication module 1203 may include not only an RF circuit but also a WiFi module and a Bluetooth module. Communication modules such as RF circuits, WiFi modules, and Bluetooth modules can be collectively referred to as communication interfaces. Wherein, the above processor, communication interface and memory can be coupled together by a bus.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a possible structure of a network device involved in the above embodiment. As shown in FIG. 13, the network device 1300 includes: a sending unit 1301, a receiving unit 1302, and a processing unit 1303.

The sending unit 1301 is configured to support the network device to perform S202 in FIG. 4, S301 in FIG. 5, S404, S407, S409, S411 in FIG. 6, S507, S511, S512, S517 in FIG. 8, in FIG. S601a, S604-S605, and S609, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The receiving unit 1302 is configured to support the network device to perform S201, S203 in the method embodiment, 514 in FIG. 8, S606 in FIG. 10, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The processing unit 1303 is configured to support the network device to perform S204 in FIG. 4, S402-S403, S408 in FIG. 6, S506 and S515 in FIG. 8, S607 in FIG. 10, and/or for the techniques described herein. Other processes.

Of course, the network device 1300 includes, but is not limited to, the unit modules enumerated above. For example, the network device 1300 may further include a storage unit for storing program codes, data, and the like. The specific functions that can be implemented by the foregoing functional units include, but are not limited to, the functions corresponding to the method steps described in the foregoing examples. For detailed descriptions of other units of the network device 1300, reference may be made to the detailed description of the corresponding method steps. The embodiment will not be described again here.

In the case of an integrated unit, the processing unit described above may be a processing module of the network device. The foregoing sending unit 1301 and receiving unit 1302 may be implemented in one communication module of the network device, and the communication module may be an RF circuit, a WiFi module or a Bluetooth module of the network device. The above storage unit may be a storage module of the network device.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a possible structure of a network device involved in the above embodiment. The network device 1400 includes a processing module 1401, a storage module 1402, and a communication module 1403. The processing module 1401 is configured to control and manage the actions of the network device. The storage module 1402 is configured to save program codes and data of the network device. The communication module 1403 is configured to communicate with the terminal. The processing module 1401 may be a processor or a controller, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and an application-specific integrated circuit (Application-Specific). Integrated Circuit, ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. It is possible to implement or carry out the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, and the like. The communication module 1403 may be a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a communication interface, or the like. The storage module 1402 can be a memory.

The processing module 1401 is configured to receive, by using the communication module 1403, a request message sent by the terminal, where the request message includes an application identifier, and is further configured to send, by using the communication module 1403, a response message, the response message, by using the communication module 1403. The slice information corresponding to the application identifier is included. The processing module 1401 is configured to support the network device to perform S204 in FIG. 4, S402-S403, S408 in FIG. 6, S506 and S515 in FIG. 8, S607 in FIG. 10, and/or for the technology described herein. Other processes.

The communication module 1403 is configured to support the network device to execute S201-S203 in FIG. 4, S301 in FIG. 5, S404, S407, S409, S411 in FIG. 6, S507, S511, S512, S514, S517 in FIG. S601a, S604-S606, and S609 in Figure 10, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein.

When the processing module 1401 is a processor (such as the processor 201 shown in FIG. 2), the communication module 1403 is an RF transceiver circuit (such as the transceiver 203 shown in FIG. 2), and the storage module 1402 is a memory (as shown in FIG. 2). In the case of the memory 202), the network device provided by the embodiment of the present application may be the network device 20 shown in FIG. 1 or 2. The communication module 1403 may include not only an RF circuit but also a WiFi module and a Bluetooth module. Communication modules such as RF circuits, WiFi modules, and Bluetooth modules can be collectively referred to as communication interfaces. The network device can also include a network interface for communicating with other network devices. Wherein, the above processor, communication interface, network interface and memory can be coupled together by a bus.

Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of the description, only the division of the above functional modules is illustrated. In practical applications, the above functions can be allocated according to needs. It is completed by different functional modules, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. For the specific working process of the system, the device and the unit described above, reference may be made to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and details are not described herein again.

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

The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as a standalone product, It can be stored on a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application, in essence or the contribution to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium. A number of instructions are included to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor 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 flash memory, a mobile hard disk, a read only memory, a random access memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, and the like, which can store program codes.

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 changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application should be covered by the scope of the present application. . Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

A method for cooperating with a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function, comprising:

The terminal sends a request message to the network device, where the request message includes an application identifier;

Receiving, by the terminal, a response message sent by the network device, where the response message includes slice information corresponding to the application identifier;

The terminal applies for a terminal slice resource according to the slice information.
The method of claim 1 wherein said network device comprises a slice management server for managing network slice resources.
The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the slice information comprises at least one of a slice type and slice differentiation information.
The method of claim 3, wherein the slice type comprises at least one of enhanced mobile broadband, highly reliable low latency connections, and large scale internet of things.
The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the slice differentiation information comprises at least one of delay priority, bandwidth priority, balance delay and bandwidth.
The method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the response message further comprises a slice application identifier SAID, the SAID being generated by the network device according to the terminal identifier and the application identifier.
The method according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein after the terminal receives the response message sent by the network device, the method further includes:

The terminal sends an indication to the network device to activate a network slice resource.
The method according to claim 7, wherein after the terminal sends an indication to the network device to activate the network slice resource, the method further includes:

The terminal sends a first query message to the network device, where the first query message is used to instruct the network device to send an activation result of the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID;

The terminal receives the activation result sent by the network device.
The method according to claim 8, wherein after the terminal receives the activation result sent by the network device, the method further includes:

The terminal sends the activation result to an application server.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein before the terminal sends a request message to the network device, the method further includes:

The terminal sends an authorization request to the application server to obtain authorization authentication of the application server.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein after the terminal applies the terminal slicing resource according to the slice information, the method further includes:

The terminal detects an operation of the user exiting the application;

In response to the operation, the terminal releases the terminal slice resource.
The method according to claim 11, wherein after the terminal detects the user's operation of exiting the application, the method further includes:

The terminal sends an indication to the network device to release a network slice resource.
The method according to claim 12, after the terminal sends an indication to the network device to release the network slice resource, the method further includes:

The terminal sends a second query message to the network device, where the second query message is used to instruct the network device to send a release result of the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID;

The terminal receives the release result sent by the network device.
A method for cooperating with a terminal slicing function and a network slicing function, comprising:

The network device receives a request message sent by the terminal, where the request message includes an application identifier;

And the network device sends a response message to the terminal, where the response message includes slice information corresponding to the application identifier.
The method of claim 14, wherein the network device comprises a slice management server for managing network slice resources.
The method according to any one of claims 14 or 15, wherein the slice information comprises at least one of a slice type and slice differentiation information.
The method of claim 16 wherein said slice type comprises at least one of enhanced mobile broadband, highly reliable low latency connections, and large scale internet of things.
The method according to any one of claims 16 or 17, wherein the slice differentiation information comprises at least one of delay priority, bandwidth priority, balance delay and bandwidth.
The method according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the request message further includes a terminal identifier, and before the network device sends a response message to the terminal, the method further includes:

The network device generates a slice application identifier SAID according to the terminal identifier and the application identifier.
The method according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein after the network device sends a response message to the terminal, the method further includes:

Receiving, by the network device, an indication of activating a network slice resource sent by the terminal, where the indication of the activated network slice resource includes the application identifier;

And the network device activates the network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier, according to the received indication of the activated network slice resource.
The method according to claim 20, wherein after the network device receives the indication of the activated network slice resource sent by the terminal, the method further includes:

Receiving, by the network device, a first query message sent by the terminal, where the first query message is used to instruct the network device to send an activation result of a network slice resource corresponding to the SAID;

The network device sends the activation result to the terminal.
The method according to any one of claims 20 or 21, wherein after the network device activates the network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier, the method further includes:

Receiving, by the network device, an indication of releasing a network slice resource sent by the terminal, where the indication of releasing a network slice resource includes the SAID;

And the network device releases the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID, according to the indication of releasing the network slice resource.
The method of claim 22, wherein after the receiving, by the network device, the indication that the network slice resource is released by the terminal, the method further includes:

Receiving, by the network device, a second query message sent by the terminal, where the second query message is used to indicate The network device sends a release result of the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID:

The network device sends the release result to the terminal.
A terminal, comprising: a processor, a memory and a communication interface, the memory and the communication interface being coupled to the processor, the communication interface for communicating with a network device, the memory For storing computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer instructions, when the processor executes the computer instructions,

The processor is configured to send, by using the communication interface, a request message to the network device, where the request message includes an application identifier;

The processor is further configured to receive, by using the communications interface, a response message sent by the network device, where the response message includes slice information corresponding to the application identifier;

The processor is further configured to apply for a terminal slice resource according to the slice information.
The terminal according to claim 24, wherein the network device comprises a slice management server, and the slice management server is configured to manage network slice resources.
The terminal according to any one of claims 24 or 25, wherein the slice information comprises at least one of a slice type and slice differentiation information.
The terminal according to claim 26, wherein the slice type comprises at least one of enhanced mobile broadband, high reliability low latency connection, and large scale Internet of Things.
The terminal according to claim 26 or 27, wherein the slice differentiation information comprises at least one of delay priority, bandwidth priority, balance delay and bandwidth.
The terminal according to any one of claims 24 to 28, wherein the response message further includes a slice application identifier SAID, and the SAID is generated by the network device according to the terminal identifier and the application identifier.
The terminal according to claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to: after the processor receives the response message sent by the network device by using the communication interface, to the The network device sends an indication to activate the network slice resource.
The terminal according to claim 30, wherein the processor is further configured to: after the processor sends an indication for activating a network slice resource to the network device by using the communication interface, by using the communication interface And sending, by the network device, a first query message, where the first query message is used to instruct the network device to send an activation result of the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID;

The processor is further configured to receive, by using the communication interface, the activation result sent by the network device.
The terminal according to claim 30 or 31, wherein the processor is further configured to: after the processor receives the activation result sent by the network device by using the communication interface, by using the communication The interface sends the activation result to the application server.
The terminal according to any one of claims 24 to 32, wherein the processor is further configured to pass the communication before the processor sends a request message to the network device through the communication interface. The interface sends an authorization request to the application server to obtain the authorization authentication of the application server.
The terminal according to any one of claims 24 to 33, wherein the processor is further configured to: after the processor applies for the terminal slicing resource according to the slice information, detecting an operation of the user exiting the application. ;

The processor is further configured to release the terminal slice resource in response to the operation.
The terminal according to claim 34, wherein the processor is further configured to send a release network slice to the network device by using the communication interface after the processor detects an operation of the user exiting the application. An indication of the resource.
The terminal according to claim 34 or 35, wherein the processor is further configured to: after the processor sends an indication for releasing the network slice resource to the network device by using the communication interface, by using the The communication interface sends a second query message to the network device, where the second query message is used to instruct the network device to send a release result of the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID;

The processor is further configured to receive, by using the communication interface, the release result sent by the network device.
A network device, comprising: a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, the memory and the communication interface being coupled to the processor, the communication interface for communicating with a terminal, The memory is for storing computer program code, the computer program code comprising computer instructions, when the processor executes the computer instructions,

The processor is configured to receive, by using the communication interface, a request message sent by the terminal, where the request message includes an application identifier;

The processor is further configured to send, according to the request message, a response message to the terminal by using the communication interface, where the response message includes slice information corresponding to the application identifier.
The network device according to claim 37, wherein said network device comprises a slice management server, and said slice management server is configured to manage network slice resources.
The network device according to any one of claims 37 or 38, wherein the slice information comprises at least one of a slice type and slice differentiation information.
The network device according to claim 39, wherein the slice type comprises at least one of enhanced mobile broadband, high reliability low latency connection, and large scale Internet of Things.
The network device according to any one of claims 39 or 40, wherein the slice differentiation information comprises at least one of delay priority, bandwidth priority, balance delay and bandwidth.
The network device according to any one of claims 37 to 41, wherein the request message further includes a terminal identifier.

The processor is further configured to generate a slice application identifier SAID according to the terminal identifier and the application identifier.
The network device according to any one of claims 37 to 42, wherein the processor is further configured to: after the processor sends a response message to the terminal through the communication interface, by using the communication The interface receives an indication of the activated network slice resource sent by the terminal, where the indication of the activated network slice resource includes the application identifier;

The processor is further configured to activate, according to the received indication of the activated network slice resource, a network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier.
The network device according to any one of claims 37-43, wherein the processor is further configured to: after the processor receives an indication of activating a network slice resource sent by the terminal by using the communication interface Receiving, by the communication interface, a first query message sent by the terminal, where the first query message is used to instruct the network device to send an activation result of a network slice resource corresponding to the SAID;

The processor is further configured to send the activation result to the terminal by using the communication interface.
The network device according to any one of claims 43 or 44, wherein the processor is further configured to receive, after the processor activates a network slice resource corresponding to the application identifier, by using the communication interface. And the indication of releasing the network slice resource sent by the terminal, where the indication of releasing the network slice resource includes the SAID;

The processor is further configured to release the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID based on the indication of releasing the network slice resource.
The network device according to claim 45, wherein the processor is further configured to: after the processor receives an indication of releasing a network slice resource sent by the terminal by using the communication interface, by using the communication The interface receives the second query message sent by the terminal, where the second query message is used to instruct the network device to send a release result of the network slice resource corresponding to the SAID:

The processor is further configured to send the release result to the terminal by using the communication interface.
A computer storage medium, comprising computer instructions, when said computer instructions are run on a terminal, causing said terminal to perform a collaborative terminal slicing function and network slicing according to any one of claims 1-13 Functional method.
A computer storage medium, comprising computer instructions that, when executed on a terminal, cause the network device to perform a collaborative terminal slicing function and network according to any one of claims 14-23 The method of slicing function.
A computer program product, characterized by a method for causing a computer to execute a collaborative terminal slicing function and a network slicing function according to any one of claims 1-13 when the computer program product is run on a computer .
A computer program product, characterized by a method for causing a computer to execute a collaborative terminal slicing function and a network slicing function according to any one of claims 14-23 when the computer program product is run on a computer .