WO2021243884A1

WO2021243884A1 - Network element determination method and device

Info

Publication number: WO2021243884A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/115877
Authority: WO
Inventors: 张卓筠
Original assignee: 腾讯科技（深圳）有限公司
Priority date: 2019-09-27
Filing date: 2020-09-17
Publication date: 2021-12-09
Also published as: CN110620822A; CN111478981A

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application disclose a network element determination method and device. When a consumer network element needs to acquire a service function, the consumer network element can send, to a forwarding node, a service request comprising a service identifier corresponding to the required service function. The forwarding node can determine an identifier set according to the service identifier, identification information included in the identifier set being used for identifying a service provider network element providing the service function, and can determine state prediction information of the service provider network element on the basis of the identification information, the state prediction information being used for identifying a state change trend of the service provider network element. When a target service provider network element responding to the service request is determined, the state prediction information can be used as a determination basis, such that the state change trend of a determined target service provider node in the future can meet the service requirements of the consumer network element, thereby improving the stability of an indirect communication mode.

Description

Method and device for determining network element

This application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application filed with the Chinese Patent Office on June 1, 2020, the application number is 2020104843524, and the application name is "a method and device for network element determination", the entire content of which is incorporated into this application by reference middle.

Technical field

This application relates to the field of data processing, in particular to the technology of determining network elements.

Background technique

With the development of network services, network elements in the network, such as network functions (Network Functions, NF), can provide and obtain various service functions. Services can include various functions that the NF can support. In the network, the network element that provides the service function can be the producer network element, which belongs to the service producer in the service, and the network element that obtains the service function provided by the producer network element can be the consumer network element, which belongs to The service consumer in the service. The producer network element and the consumer network element can be network functions or services.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) proposes an indirect communication method in the network for the 5th generation mobile networks (5G) core network. In this method, the The communication messages between the producer network element and the consumer network element are all forwarded through a forwarding node such as a Service Communication Proxy (SCP).

Therefore, when the consumer network element needs to obtain the service function provided by the producer network element, it needs to send a service request to the forwarding node, and the forwarding node determines from the producer network element the service function for the consumer network element. Producer network element.

Summary of the invention

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a method and device for determining a network element, which improves the stability of the indirect communication mode.

The embodiments of the application disclose the following technical solutions:

In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining a network element, and the method includes:

Acquiring a service request sent by the consumer network element, the service request including the service identifier of the service function requested by the consumer network element;

Determining an identification set corresponding to the service identification, where identification information included in the identification set is used to identify a service-side network element that provides the service function;

Determine the state prediction information of the server network element according to the identification information in the identification set; the state prediction information is used to identify the state change trend of the server network element;

Determine a target server network element that responds to the service request from the server network elements according to the state prediction information;

Forward the service request to the target server network element.

In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an apparatus for determining a network element, the apparatus including an acquiring unit, a determining unit, and a forwarding unit:

The acquiring unit is configured to acquire a service request sent by a consumer network element, the service request including a service identifier of a service function requested by the consumer network element;

The determining unit is configured to determine an identification set corresponding to the service identification, and the identification information included in the identification set is used to identify a server network element that provides the service function;

The determining unit is further configured to determine the state prediction information of the server network element according to the identification information in the identification set; the state prediction information is used to identify the state change trend of the server network element;

The determining unit is further configured to determine a target server network element that responds to the service request from among the server network elements according to the state prediction information;

The forwarding unit is configured to forward the service request to the target server network element.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a device, the device including a processor and a memory:

The memory is used to store program code and transmit the program code to the processor;

The processor is configured to execute the method according to the first aspect according to the instructions in the program code.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer-readable storage medium is used to store program code, and the program code is used to execute the method described in the first aspect.

In the fifth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product, including instructions, which when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect.

It can be seen from the above technical solution that when the consumer network element needs to obtain a service function, it can send a service request to the forwarding node, and the service request includes the service identifier corresponding to the required service function. The forwarding node may determine an identification set according to the service identification, and the identification information included in the identification set is used to identify the serving network element that provides the service function, and may determine the state prediction information of the serving network element based on the identification information, and the state prediction The information is used to indicate the changing trend of the status of the server network element. When determining the target server network element that responds to the service request, the state prediction information can be used as a basis for determination, so that the determined target server network element's future state change trend can meet the service demand of the consumer network element. In this way, Ensure the stability of the indirect communication method.

Description of the drawings

In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only These are some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative labor.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture in an indirect communication method;

2 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture in an indirect communication method provided by an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 3 is a method flowchart of a method for determining a network element according to an embodiment of the application;

Figure 4a is a flow chart of an indirect communication provided by an embodiment of this application;

Figure 4b is a service flow signaling diagram of indirect communication provided by an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 5 is a device structure diagram of a network element determining device provided by an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 6 is a structural diagram of a device provided by an embodiment of this application;

FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a server provided by an embodiment of the application.

detailed description

The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings.

In the indirect communication method proposed for the 5G core network, the communication messages between the producer network element and the consumer network element in the network need to be forwarded through the forwarding node.

However, when the forwarding node selects the corresponding producer network element for the consumer network element, the related technology often uses random or polling methods to select from the producer network element list. For example, in a related In the technical network architecture, after the SCP as the forwarding node obtains the service request sent by the consumer network element, it can obtain the parameter based on the discovery and selection parameters carried in the service request through the Network Repository Function (NRF) Corresponding producer NE list, and then select a producer NE from the list by random, polling, etc., as the target producer NE that responds to the service request, and forward the service response of the target producer NE To the consumer's network element.

In the process of selecting the target producer network element, the SCP does not consider whether the selected target producer network element may appear in a certain period of time in the future whether the state is suitable for the service demand of the consumer network element, therefore, the consumer network element In the process of obtaining and using the services provided by the target manufacturer's network elements, problems such as high load, service congestion, low network element processing efficiency, high bit error rate, and low transmission speed often occur.

To this end, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for determining a network element. In this method, when a forwarding node determines a corresponding target producer network element for a consumer network element, it obtains state prediction information of each producer network element , And based on the state prediction information, determine the target producer network element that responds to the service request from each producer network element, so that the determined target producer network element's future state change trend can meet the service demand of the consumer network element, Ensure the stability of the indirect communication method.

The above-mentioned method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to a forwarding node in a network. The forwarding node can be configured on a processing device in the network, and the processing device can provide communication messages for various network elements in the network where it is located. Forwarding function. The processing device may be a server. The server can be an independent server or a server in a cluster.

The network elements in the network can be devices in the network, which can perform certain transmission functions independently, for example, the aforementioned NF, which is a processing function adopted by 3GPP or defined by 3GPP in a network, and it has defined functional behaviors. And the interface defined by 3GPP.

The role of a network element in the network can change depending on whether it is currently in the state of providing service functions or obtaining service functions. For example, if a network element is currently in the state of providing service functions, then the network element can be determined as the producer network If a network element is currently in a state of acquiring service functions, then the network element can be determined as a consumer network element.

For example, in a network architecture scenario provided by the embodiment of the application shown in FIG. 2, when the consumer network element 100 needs to obtain a service function, it may send a service request to the forwarding node 200, and the server request includes the required service function. The service ID corresponding to the service function. The forwarding node 200 determines an identification set 301 according to the service identification, and the identification information included in the identification set 301 is used to identify the server network element that provides the service function.

The forwarding node 200 may determine the state prediction information 302 of each server network element based on the identification information in the identification set 301, and the state prediction information 302 is used to identify the state change trend of the server network element.

When the forwarding node 200 determines the target server network element 400 that responds to the service request, it can use the state prediction information 302 as the basis for determination. For example, according to the state prediction information, the server that is about to fail or whose load may be higher in the future may not be selected. Network element, and the service-side network element that is not predicted to fail in the future or whose load may be relatively low in the future is selected as the target service-side network element 400. The determined target server network element 400 in the future state change trend can meet the actual service demand of the consumer network element, and the service processing efficiency, bit error rate, and transmission speed in the subsequent service process meet the normal standards, which improves the indirection. The stability of the communication method.

Fig. 3 is a method for determining a network element provided by an embodiment of the application, and the method includes:

S301: Obtain the service request sent by the consumer network element.

When the consumer network element needs to obtain a service function from the network, the forwarding node can obtain a corresponding service request from the consumer network element. The service request includes the service identifier of the service function required by the consumer network element, for example, the service The logo can reflect the type of service function.

In a possible implementation, the service identifier can be carried in the discovery and selection parameters. In addition to the service identifier, the parameter may also include time information of the service function required by the consumer network element. This application does not limit the information carried in the service request.

S302: Determine an identifier set corresponding to the service identifier.

The forwarding node can determine the server network element that provides the service function identified by the service identifier according to the service identifier. The number of determined server network elements is generally multiple, and the identification information corresponding to each of these server network elements constitutes the above Identity collection.

In an optional implementation manner, after acquiring the service identifier, the forwarding node may send the service identifier to the storage network element, such as the NRF, to obtain the identifier set corresponding to the service identifier from the storage network element.

In an optional implementation manner, if the forwarding node has obtained the identification set and the effective time corresponding to the service identification before obtaining the service request, and caches the identification set and the effective time. Therefore, when the identification set is still valid, the forwarding node can continue to use the identification set without repeatedly obtaining it from the storage network element, which can reduce the number of network interactions and reduce the delay of service interaction.

Then when S302 is executed, the forwarding node can determine whether to locally store the identification information of the server network element used to provide the service function according to the service identification, and determine that the identification information is within a valid time.

If yes, the identification set is determined according to the identification information of the serving network element used to provide the service function.

If not, it means that the identification set is not available in the local cache, and the forwarding node may request the storage network element to obtain the identification set according to the service identification.

It should be noted that the form of the identification set in this step can be in multiple forms, for example, it may be in the form of a list, and this application does not make any limitation on the form of the identification set here.

S303: Determine the state prediction information of the server network element according to the identification information in the identification set.

Since the identification set includes the identification information of multiple serving network elements, the state prediction information determined in this step is the state prediction information corresponding to each of the multiple serving network elements.

The state prediction information of any server network element is used to identify the state change trend of the server network element. The state change trend may reflect the possible state change of the server network element in the future, or may further include the possible degree of change.

In the embodiment of the present application, the status of the serving network element can be predicted as the impact on the provided service function when the serving network element provides the service function, or the state associated with the provided service function.

In an optional implementation manner, the state may at least include a load condition and/or a fault condition.

Correspondingly, if the prediction requested by the call request is a load situation, the state prediction information may include any one or a combination of load state, resource usage, and network function state. Which one or more items are specifically included can be set according to the application scenario and actual needs.

In a possible implementation manner, which one or more of the above-mentioned state prediction information may specifically be included is mainly determined based on which one or more specific load conditions can be obtained. For example, when there is only the load state in the load situation determined by prediction, the state prediction information obtained by the forwarding node includes the load state, but does not include the resource usage situation and the network function state.

Among them, the load status can reflect the load change trend of the server network element, such as the possible level of the load in the future, and the change situation.

The resource usage situation may include the resource usage trend of the server network element and so on.

The network function status may include the trend of the network function status of the server network element and the like.

If the prediction requested by the call request is a failure state, the state prediction information may reflect the failure trend of the service-side network element, such as whether a failure will occur in the future, or the probability of a possible failure, etc.

The state prediction information of the server network element may include the following information (the following table is an example):

The content of the state prediction information that reflects the load status, resource usage, and network function status can be as shown in Table 1:

Table 1

Table 1 shows the predictable items related to load prediction in the state prediction information during the prediction period (the effective time window used to identify the prediction results, English: Analytics target period), which reflects the load state as a whole , Resource usage, network function status and other predictable status related content in the status prediction information.

For example, the entries "NF load" and "NF peak load" correspond to the predicted content related to the load state, the entry "NF state" corresponds to the predicted content related to the network function state, and the entry "NF resource usage" corresponds to the predicted content related to the load status. Forecast content related to resource usage. Of course, the foregoing is only an example, and does not serve to limit the relationship between different items and specific states to be predicted.

An example of the content of the state prediction information reflecting the fault state is shown in Table 2:

Table 2

S304: Determine a target server network element that responds to the service request from the server network elements according to the state prediction information.

Since the state prediction information of each server network element that provides the above-mentioned service function is acquired through S303, when determining the target server network element, the forwarding node can use the respective state prediction information of each server network element as the basis for determination, thereby determining Out the target server network element that responds to the service request.

S305: Forward the service request to the target serving network element.

It can be seen that when the consumer network element needs to obtain a service function, it can send a service request to the forwarding node, and the service request includes the service identifier corresponding to the required service function. The forwarding node may determine an identification set according to the service identification, and the identification information included in the identification set is used to identify the serving network element that provides the service function, and may determine the state prediction of the serving network element based on the identification information in the identification set Information, the state prediction information is used to identify the state change trend of the server network element. When determining the target server network element that responds to the service request, the state prediction information can be used as the basis for determination, so that the determined target server network element's future state change trend can meet the service demand of the consumer network element, thereby ensuring Improved the stability of indirect communication methods.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the source from which the forwarding node obtains the state prediction information of the server network element in S303. It can be obtained locally or from other sources. Next, several possible implementations of S303 are explained separately.

The first implementation method: Obtain from the data analysis network element.

S3031: Send a call request to the data analysis network element.

S3032: Obtain state prediction information of the server network element from the data analysis network element.

In the embodiment of the present application, the data analysis network element has the function of analyzing various types of data in the network, so as to predict the possible state of a certain network element in the future period. For example, the data analysis network element may be a network data analysis function (NWDAF).

The call request sent by the forwarding node is used to request the prediction of the status of the server network element identified by the identification information in the identification set. The call request may include the identification information in the identification set.

The data analysis network element may collect historical data of the serving network element identified by the identification information, and predict the state of the serving network element for a certain period of time in the future based on this, thereby generating state prediction information.

The aforementioned action of the forwarding node sending the call request may belong to the interface of calling the data analysis network element to obtain the behavior of the prediction service provided by the data analysis network element.

It should be noted that, as mentioned above, the state of the service-side network element that needs to be predicted is the impact on the service function provided when the service-side network element provides service functions, or is related to the service function provided state. This can include load conditions and/or fault conditions.

The forwarding node can clarify the specific state that needs to be predicted through the call request. If the call request requests to predict the load situation, the state prediction information includes the load change trend of the server network element, for example, the load state, Any one or a combination of resource usage and network function status; if the call request requests to predict a failure status, the status prediction information includes the failure trend of the server network element.

Specifically, the embodiment of the present application provides a method for setting a call request, so that the data analysis network element can identify the specific service function called by the forwarding node.

The forwarding node can identify the state of the request prediction by setting the content of the analysis prediction identification field in the call request.

The analysis and prediction identification field can be the Analytics Id field in the call request. Different content can be set in this field to identify different call requirements. For example, the field can be set to "load information" and/or "NF failure warning" .

For example, when the forwarding node is SCP and the data analysis network element is NWDAF, the identification set is NF producer or NF service producer list.

If SCP calls NWDAF's load prediction service, and the Analytics Id field in the call request is set to "load information", NWDAF can return the NF producer or NF service producer list in the call request or the load forecast information of NF service To SCP;

If the SCP calls the NWDAF fault warning service, and the Analytics Id field in the call request is set to "NF fault warning", the NWDAF returns the NF or NF service fault warning information in the NF producer or NF service producer list to the SCP.

It should be noted that, in a possible implementation manner, the call request also includes prediction time indication information, and the state prediction information obtained from the data analysis network element also includes the server network The state valid time of the yuan.

The effective time of the state may refer to the effective period corresponding to a certain state, etc.

Correspondingly, in the above example, if the call request also includes prediction time indication information, the load prediction information and/or failure warning information returned by NWDAF may also carry the effective time of the status prediction information of each NF or NF service. That is, the prediction result is only valid within the valid time, and the prediction result is invalid if the valid time is exceeded.

The second way of implementation: Obtain from the local cache.

After the forwarding node obtains the state prediction information returned by the data analysis network element, it can be cached locally.

Therefore, before performing S3031, the forwarding node can determine whether to store the valid state prediction information corresponding to the server network element locally.

The so-called valid here can be understood as whether the content indicated by the locally cached state prediction information is valid, and it can also be understood as whether the corresponding state prediction information is cached locally.

When the state prediction information corresponding to the server network element is cached locally, and its content is valid, it can be determined that the effective state prediction information corresponding to the server network element is cached locally. The locally cached state prediction information can be directly determined as the state prediction information of the server network element. Thereby, the information interaction between the forwarding node and the data analysis network element is reduced, and the processing efficiency is improved.

When the corresponding state prediction information is not cached, or the state prediction information when the content is in the invalid time is cached, it can be determined that the valid state prediction information corresponding to the server network element is not cached locally. S3031 can be executed to obtain effective state prediction information from the data analysis network element. In order to get the latest state prediction information, improve processing accuracy.

The third implementation method: Obtain from the storage network element.

In this implementation, the forwarding node can directly obtain the identification set and state prediction information by sending a call request to the storage network element. That is, the foregoing S302 and S303 are implemented by sending a call request to the storage network element, thereby saving possible additional signaling interaction times and improving overall efficiency.

Specifically, the forwarding node may send a call request to the storage network element according to the service identifier, and further, obtain a call response returned by the storage network element to the call request. The call response includes the identifier set and the state prediction information.

The state prediction information may be stored in the storage network element, or may be obtained by the storage network element from other network elements based on the determined identification set. For example, the state prediction information may be obtained by the storage network element from the data analysis network element based on the identification set.

Next, the specific application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application are described with the accompanying drawings, as shown in Figure 4a:

1. A service consumer (service consumer) sends a service request to the SCP (forwarding node 200), and the service request carries the type of the service producer and related discovery and selection parameters.

2. When the SCP does not store the list of service producers (service producers) that meet the selected parameters locally, it will execute the service discovery process to the NRF (storage network element), and send a proxy discovery request (that is, the aforementioned call request) to the NRF ).

3. NRF obtains the list information of service producers according to the relevant parameters in the agent discovery request, and calls the state prediction service of NWDAF (data analysis network element), and sends the information in the service producer list to NWDAF. The prediction information can include the following information:

-Indicate that the prediction type is service load information, for example: the analysis and prediction ID (Analytics Id) is set to "load information";

-Analyze and predict filtering information: ID information of each service instance;

-Forecast time indication: indicate the time period information for which forecast is requested;

NWDAF returns the NF or NF service load forecast information in the forecast request to NRF; if NRF calls the NWDAF fault warning service, NWDAF returns the NF or NF service fault warning information in the NF/NF service producer list to NRF. The NWDAF return message can also carry the effective time of the prediction information of each NF or NF service, that is, the prediction result is only valid within this time, and the prediction result is invalid if this time is exceeded.

NRF will save the prediction result. For the service producer instance in the service producer instance list generated for the subsequent service discovery request, if the effective prediction result of the service producer instance is saved on the NRF, it will not be initiated for the service producer instance. Forecast request for service producer instance. If the effective prediction result of the service producer instance is not saved on the NRF, a state prediction request for the service producer instance will be initiated to the NWDAF.

4. The NRF sends the list of service producer instances to the SCP. The message will contain the prediction information of each service producer instance to assist the SCP in the selection of the service producer.

5. The SCP will select the NF or NF service with lighter load or no fault warning information as the service producer instance, and send the service request message to the service producer instance.

6-7. The service producer sends a service response message to the SCP, and the SCP sends the service response message to the service consumer.

Next, another specific application scenario of the embodiment of the present application will be described with the accompanying drawings, as shown in Figure 4b:

1. A service consumer (service consumer) sends a service request message to the SCP, which carries the type of the service producer, and related discovery and selection parameters.

2. When the SCP does not store the list information of service producers (service producers) that meet the selected parameters locally, it will execute the service discovery process to the NRF, send the service discovery parameters to the NRF, and obtain the list information of the NF producer from the NRF.

3. The SCP calls the prediction service of NWDAF and sends the information of the instances in the service producer list to NWDAF. The prediction information can include the following information:

-Indicate that the forecast type is service load information, for example: the analysis forecast ID is set to "load information";

-Prediction time indication: indicates the time period information for which prediction is requested.

If the prediction service of NWDAF's failure warning information is called, it indicates that the prediction type is failure warning information, for example: the analysis prediction ID is set to "NF failure warning".

4. If SCP calls NWDAF's load prediction service, NWDAF returns the NF in the prediction request or NF service's load prediction information to SCP; if SCP calls NWDAF's fault warning service, NWDAF adds NF/NF service producer list The fault warning information of the NF or NF service is returned to the SCP. The NWDAF return message may also carry the effective time of the prediction information of each NF or NF service, that is, the prediction result is only valid within this time, and the prediction result is invalid if this time is exceeded. The SCP will save the prediction result. For the service producer instance in the subsequent service discovery results received, if the effective prediction result of the service producer instance is saved on the SCP, it will not initiate any more for the service producer instance Forecast request.

5. SCP assists in the selection of service producers based on the prediction results of NWDAF. The SCP will select the NF or NF service with lighter load or no fault warning information as the service producer instance, and send the service request message to the service producer instance.

6. The NF/NF service producer sends a service response message to the SCP. The SCP sends the service response message to the NF/NF service consumer.

It should be noted that although the forwarding node implementing the embodiments of the present application is on the forwarding link between the server network element and the consumer network element, in some application scenarios, it may be possible between the forwarding node and the server network element It also has one-hop or multi-hop data forwarding, that is, the forwarding node is not directly connected to the server network element, and there is at least one-hop forwarding device in the middle, such as other forwarding nodes.

In this scenario, for ease of description, the forwarding node that executes the embodiment of the application in the above application scenario is defined as the first forwarding node, and the link is on the forwarding link between the first forwarding node and the server network element The other network elements are defined as the second forwarding node.

In the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple second forwarding nodes, and the formed link may at least include the following:

Link 1: Consumer network element

First forwarding node

Second forwarding node 1

Server network element

Link 2: Consumer network element

First forwarding node

Second forwarding node 2

Server network element

It should be noted that the above link form is only an example for ease of description, and it is possible that there is also one or more hops of data forwarding between the second forwarding node and the server network element.

In addition, in the link shown above, the embodiment of the present application does not limit whether the server network element connected to the second forwarding node 1 and the server network element connected to the second forwarding node 2 are consistent, for example, they can be completely consistent. , Partly consistent, or even completely inconsistent.

After the first forwarding node sends a call request to the storage network element, it can obtain load prediction information from the storage network element. The load prediction information can include the next hop network element of the first forwarding node, that is, the load of multiple second forwarding nodes. Forecast information. For example, the load prediction information of the second forwarding node 1 and the load prediction information of the second forwarding node 2 in the above example. The load prediction information can reflect the future load level of the second forwarding node. The first forwarding node can select the target forwarding node with a lower load from the multiple second forwarding nodes according to the load prediction information, and forward it by the target The node continues to determine the target server network element that meets the service request.

Another optional implementation is that after the first forwarding node sends a service invocation request to the storage network element, it obtains the list information of the next hop network element from the storage network element, that is, the list information of multiple second forwarding nodes . The first forwarding node may further obtain the load prediction information of each second forwarding node. The load prediction information may be the load prediction information that has been stored in the first forwarding node, or it may be each second forwarding information obtained by calling a data analysis network element. Each node's load forecast information. Then, the first forwarding node may select a lower load from the multiple second forwarding nodes according to the load prediction information as the target forwarding node, and the target forwarding node can continue to determine the target server network element that meets the service request.

Through the above method, a forwarding node with a lower load can be used to forward relevant data between the consumer network element and the server network element, which improves the efficiency of the consumer network element to obtain the service provided by the server network element, which may cause problems in the forwarding process. Caton and other conditions have improved.

An embodiment of the present application also provides an apparatus for determining a network element. As shown in FIG. 5, the apparatus 500 for determining a network element includes an acquiring unit 501, a determining unit 502, and a forwarding unit 503:

The obtaining unit 501 is configured to obtain a service request sent by a consumer network element, where the service request includes the service identifier of the service function requested by the consumer network element;

The determining unit 502 is configured to determine an identification set corresponding to the service identification, and the identification information included in the identification set is used to identify a server network element that provides the service function;

The determining unit 502 is further configured to determine the state prediction information of the server network element according to the identification information in the identification set; the state prediction information is used to identify the state change trend of the server network element;

The determining unit 502 is further configured to determine a target server network element that responds to the service request from among the server network elements according to the state prediction information;

The forwarding unit 503 is configured to forward the service request to the target server network element.

Optionally, the determining unit further includes a sending subunit and an acquiring subunit:

The sending subunit is configured to send a call request to a data analysis network element, where the call request is used to request prediction of the status of the server network element identified by the identification information in the identification set;

The obtaining subunit is configured to obtain state prediction information of the server network element from the data analysis network element.

Optionally, the determining unit is further configured to:

Sending a call request to the storage network element according to the service identifier, where the call request includes the service identifier;

Acquire a call response returned by the storage network element in response to the call request, where the call response includes the identification set and the state prediction information.

Optionally, the state prediction information is determined by the data analysis network element according to the identification set and stored in the storage network element.

Optionally, the device further includes a judging unit:

The judging unit is used to judge whether the valid state prediction information corresponding to the server network element is stored locally;

If yes, determine the effective state prediction information as the state prediction information of the server network element;

If not, trigger the sending subunit.

Optionally, the predicted state requested by the call request includes a load condition and/or a fault state;

If the prediction requested by the call request is a failure state, the state prediction information includes the failure trend of the server network element;

If the prediction requested by the call request is a load condition, the state prediction information includes any one or a combination of a load condition, a resource usage condition, and a network function state.

Optionally, the device further includes a setting unit:

The setting unit is configured to set the content of the analysis prediction identification field in the call request to identify the state of the request for prediction.

Optionally, the method is executed by a first forwarding node, and if the first forwarding node has multiple next-hop network elements on the forwarding link between the consumer network element and the server network element The second forwarding node, the determining unit is further configured to:

Acquiring load prediction information of the multiple second forwarding nodes from a storage network element according to the service identifier;

Determining a target forwarding node from the multiple second forwarding nodes according to the load prediction information;

Sending the service request to the target forwarding node.

Optionally, the call request further includes prediction time indication information, and the state prediction information obtained from the data analysis network element also includes the state valid time of the server network element.

Optionally, the determining unit is further configured to:

Determine, according to the service identifier, whether to locally store the identification information of the service party network element used to provide the service function;

If yes, determine the identification set according to the identification information of the serving network element used to provide the service function;

If not, request the storage network element to obtain the identifier set according to the service identifier.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a device, which can be used to determine a network element. The device will be introduced below in conjunction with the drawings. As shown in FIG. 6, an embodiment of the present application provides a device 600. The device 600 may also be a terminal device. The terminal device may include a mobile phone, a tablet computer, and a personal digital assistant (PDA). , Point of Sales (POS), in-vehicle computer and other intelligent terminals, taking the terminal device as a mobile phone as an example:

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of a part of the structure of a mobile phone related to a terminal device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 6, the mobile phone includes: a radio frequency (RF) circuit 610, a memory 620, an input unit 630, a display unit 640, a sensor 650, an audio circuit 660, a wireless fidelity (wireless fidelity, WiFi) module 670, a processing 680, power supply 690 and other components. Those skilled in the art can understand that the structure of the mobile phone shown in FIG. 6 does not constitute a limitation on the mobile phone, and may include more or less components than those shown in the figure, or a combination of certain components, or different component arrangements.

The following is a detailed introduction to each component of the mobile phone in conjunction with Figure 6:

The RF circuit 610 can be used for receiving and sending signals during information transmission or communication. In particular, after receiving the downlink information of the base station, it is processed by the processor 680; in addition, the designed uplink data is sent to the base station. Generally, the RF circuit 610 includes, but is not limited to, an antenna, at least one amplifier, a transceiver, a coupler, a low noise amplifier (LNA for short), a duplexer, and the like. In addition, the RF circuit 610 can also communicate with the network and other devices through wireless communication. The above-mentioned wireless communication can use any communication standard or protocol, including but not limited to Global System of Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Code Division Multiple Access ( Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Email, Short Message Service (Short Messaging Service, SMS) Wait.

The memory 620 can be used to store software programs and modules. The processor 680 executes various functional applications and data processing of the mobile phone by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory 620. The memory 620 may mainly include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store an operating system, an application program required by at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc.; Data created by the use of mobile phones (such as audio data, phone book, etc.), etc. In addition, the memory 620 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other volatile solid-state storage devices.

The input unit 630 may be used to receive inputted digital or character information, and generate key signal input related to user settings and function control of the mobile phone. Specifically, the input unit 630 may include a touch panel 631 and other input devices 632. The touch panel 631, also called a touch screen, can collect user touch operations on or near it (for example, the user uses any suitable objects or accessories such as fingers, stylus, etc.) on the touch panel 631 or near the touch panel 631. Operation), and drive the corresponding connection device according to the preset program. Optionally, the touch panel 631 may include two parts: a touch detection device and a touch controller. Among them, the touch detection device detects the user's touch position, and detects the signal brought by the touch operation, and transmits the signal to the touch controller; the touch controller receives the touch information from the touch detection device, converts it into contact coordinates, and then sends it To the processor 680, and can receive and execute the commands sent by the processor 680. In addition, the touch panel 631 can be implemented in multiple types such as resistive, capacitive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave. In addition to the touch panel 631, the input unit 630 may also include other input devices 632. Specifically, other input devices 632 may include, but are not limited to, one or more of a physical keyboard, function keys (such as volume control buttons, switch buttons, etc.), trackball, mouse, joystick, and the like.

The display unit 640 may be used to display information input by the user or information provided to the user and various menus of the mobile phone. The display unit 640 may include a display panel 641. Optionally, the display panel 641 may be configured in the form of a liquid crystal display (Liquid Crystal Display, LCD for short), an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED), etc. Further, the touch panel 631 can cover the display panel 641. When the touch panel 631 detects a touch operation on or near it, it transmits it to the processor 680 to determine the type of the touch event, and then the processor 680 determines the type of the touch event. The type provides corresponding visual output on the display panel 641. Although in FIG. 6, the touch panel 631 and the display panel 641 are used as two independent components to implement the input and input functions of the mobile phone, in some embodiments, the touch panel 631 and the display panel 641 may be integrated. Realize the input and output functions of the mobile phone.

The mobile phone may also include at least one sensor 650, such as a light sensor, a motion sensor, and other sensors. Specifically, the light sensor may include an ambient light sensor and a proximity sensor. The ambient light sensor can adjust the brightness of the display panel 641 according to the brightness of the ambient light, and the proximity sensor can close the display panel 641 and/or when the mobile phone is moved to the ear. Or backlight. As a kind of motion sensor, the accelerometer sensor can detect the magnitude of acceleration in various directions (usually three-axis), and can detect the magnitude and direction of gravity when it is stationary. It can be used to identify mobile phone posture applications (such as horizontal and vertical screen switching, related Games, magnetometer posture calibration), vibration recognition related functions (such as pedometer, percussion), etc.; as for other sensors such as gyroscopes, barometers, hygrometers, thermometers, infrared sensors, etc. that can be configured in mobile phones, I will not here Go into details.

The audio circuit 660, the speaker 661, and the microphone 662 can provide an audio interface between the user and the mobile phone. The audio circuit 660 can transmit the electric signal converted from the received audio data to the speaker 661, and the speaker 661 converts it into a sound signal for output; on the other hand, the microphone 662 converts the collected sound signal into an electric signal, which is then output by the audio circuit 660. After being received, it is converted into audio data, and then processed by the audio data output processor 680, and sent to, for example, another mobile phone via the RF circuit 610, or the audio data is output to the memory 620 for further processing.

WiFi is a short-distance wireless transmission technology. The mobile phone can help users send and receive emails, browse web pages, and access streaming media through the WiFi module 670. It provides users with wireless broadband Internet access. Although FIG. 6 shows the WiFi module 670, it is understandable that it is not a necessary component of the mobile phone, and can be omitted as needed without changing the essence of the invention.

The processor 680 is the control center of the mobile phone. It uses various interfaces and lines to connect various parts of the entire mobile phone. Various functions and processing data of the mobile phone can be used to monitor the mobile phone as a whole. Optionally, the processor 680 may include one or more processing units; preferably, the processor 680 may integrate an application processor and a modem processor, where the application processor mainly processes the operating system, user interface, application programs, etc. , The modem processor mainly deals with wireless communication. It can be understood that the foregoing modem processor may not be integrated into the processor 680.

The mobile phone also includes a power source 690 (such as a battery) for supplying power to various components. Preferably, the power source can be logically connected to the processor 680 through a power management system, so that functions such as charging, discharging, and power consumption management can be managed through the power management system.

Although not shown, the mobile phone may also include a camera, a Bluetooth module, etc., which will not be described here.

In this embodiment, the processor 680 included in the terminal device also has the following functions:

Forward the service request to the target server network element.

The embodiment of the present application also provides a server. Please refer to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of the server 700 provided by the embodiment of the present application. The above Central Processing Units (CPU for short) 722 (for example, one or more processors) and memory 732, one or more storage media 730 for storing application programs 742 or data 744 (for example, one or one storage medium 730 for storing data equipment). Among them, the memory 732 and the storage medium 730 may be short-term storage or persistent storage. The program stored in the storage medium 730 may include one or more modules (not shown in the figure), and each module may include a series of command operations on the server. Furthermore, the central processing unit 722 may be configured to communicate with the storage medium 730, and execute a series of instruction operations in the storage medium 730 on the server 700.

The server 700 may also include one or more power supplies 726, one or more wired or wireless network interfaces 750, one or more input and output interfaces 758, and/or one or more operating systems 741, such as Windows ServerTM, Mac OS XTM, UnixTM, LinuxTM, FreeBSDTM, etc.

The steps executed by the server in the foregoing embodiment may be based on the server structure shown in FIG. 7.

The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer-readable storage medium, where the computer-readable storage medium is used to store program code, and the program code is used to execute the network element determination method described in each of the foregoing embodiments.

The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product including instructions, which when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the network element determination method described in each of the foregoing embodiments.

The embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product, including instructions, which when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the network element determination method described in each of the foregoing embodiments.

The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification of this application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and not necessarily used to describe specific Order or precedence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein, for example, can be implemented in a sequence other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations of them are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those clearly listed. Those steps or units may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or are inherent to these processes, methods, products, or equipment.

It should be understood that in this application, "at least one (item)" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more. "And/or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three types of relationships. For example, "A and/or B" can mean: only A, only B, and both A and B. , Where A and B can be singular or plural. The character "/" generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "The following at least one item (a)" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item (a) or a plurality of items (a). For example, at least one (a) of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c" ", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device, and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there may be other divisions in actual implementation, for example, multiple units or components can be combined or It can be integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not implemented. In addition, the displayed or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

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, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the objectives of the solutions of the embodiments.

In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist alone physically, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional unit.

If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application essentially or the part that contributes to the existing technology or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium , Including several instructions to make a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present application. The aforementioned storage media include: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), magnetic disks or optical disks, etc., which can store program codes. Medium.

As mentioned above, the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, but not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: The technical solutions recorded in the embodiments are modified, or some of the technical features are equivalently replaced; these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

A method for determining a network element is executed by a processing device, and the method includes:

Acquiring a service request sent by the consumer network element, the service request including the service identifier of the service function requested by the consumer network element;

Determining an identification set corresponding to the service identification, where identification information included in the identification set is used to identify a service-side network element that provides the service function;

Determine the state prediction information of the server network element according to the identification information in the identification set; the state prediction information is used to identify the state change trend of the server network element;

Determine a target server network element that responds to the service request from the server network elements according to the state prediction information;

Forward the service request to the target server network element.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the state prediction information of the server network element according to the identification information in the identification set comprises:

Sending a call request to the data analysis network element, where the call request is used to request prediction of the status of the server network element identified by the identification information in the identification set;

Obtain state prediction information of the server network element from the data analysis network element.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the identification set corresponding to the service identification, and the determining the state prediction information of the server network element according to the identification information in the identification set comprises:

Sending a call request to the storage network element according to the service identifier;

Acquire a call response returned by the storage network element in response to the call request, where the call response includes the identification set and the state prediction information.
The method according to claim 3, wherein the state prediction information is determined by a data analysis network element according to the identification set.
The method according to claim 2, before the sending the call request to the data analysis network element, the method further comprises:

Judging whether the valid state prediction information corresponding to the server network element is stored locally;

If yes, determine the effective state prediction information as the state prediction information of the server network element;

If not, execute the step of sending a call request to the data analysis network element.
The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the predicted state requested by the call request includes a load condition and/or a fault condition;

If the prediction requested by the call request is a failure state, the state prediction information includes the failure trend of the server network element;

If the prediction requested by the call request is a load condition, the state prediction information includes any one or a combination of a load condition, a resource usage condition, and a network function state.
The method according to any one of claims 2-5, the method further comprising:

By setting the content of the analysis prediction identification field in the call request, the state of the prediction request is identified.
The method according to any one of claims 2-5, wherein the call request further includes prediction time indication information, and the state prediction information obtained from the data analysis network element also includes the server network The state valid time of the yuan.
The method according to claim 2 or 3, the method is executed by a first forwarding node, if the first forwarding node is on the downstream link between the consumer network element and the server network element The one-hop network element is a plurality of second forwarding nodes, and the method further includes:

Acquiring load prediction information of the multiple second forwarding nodes according to the service identifier;

Determining a target forwarding node from the multiple second forwarding nodes according to the load prediction information;

Sending the service request to the target forwarding node.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining an identification set corresponding to the service identification comprises:

Determine, according to the service identifier, whether to locally store the identification information of the service party network element used to provide the service function;

If yes, determine the identification set according to the identification information of the serving network element used to provide the service function;

If not, request the storage network element to obtain the identifier set according to the service identifier.
A device for determining a network element, the device comprising an acquiring unit, a determining unit, and a forwarding unit:

The acquiring unit is configured to acquire a service request sent by a consumer network element, the service request including a service identifier of a service function requested by the consumer network element;

The determining unit is configured to determine an identification set corresponding to the service identification, and the identification information included in the identification set is used to identify a server network element that provides the service function;

The determining unit is further configured to determine the state prediction information of the server network element according to the identification information in the identification set; the state prediction information is used to identify the state change trend of the server network element;

The determining unit is further configured to determine a target server network element that responds to the service request from among the server network elements according to the state prediction information;

The forwarding unit is configured to forward the service request to the target server network element.
The device according to claim 11, the determining unit further comprises a sending subunit and an obtaining subunit:

The sending subunit is configured to send a call request to a data analysis network element, where the call request is used to request prediction of the status of the server network element identified by the identification information in the identification set;

The obtaining subunit is configured to obtain state prediction information of the server network element from the data analysis network element.
The device according to claim 12, the device further comprising: a judging unit:

The judging unit is used to judge whether the effective state prediction information corresponding to the server network element is stored locally;

If yes, determine the effective state prediction information as the state prediction information of the server network element;

If not, trigger the sending subunit.
A device including a processor and a memory:

The memory is used to store program code and transmit the program code to the processor;

The processor is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-10 according to instructions in the program code.
A computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable storage medium is used to store program code, and the program code is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1-10.
A computer program product, comprising instructions, which when run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.