WO2023202467A1

WO2023202467A1 - Network configuration method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2023202467A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/088171
Authority: WO
Inventors: 张健; 王曼
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2022-04-21
Filing date: 2023-04-13
Publication date: 2023-10-26
Also published as: CN116980919A

Abstract

The present application discloses a network configuration method and apparatus. The method comprises: a network slice management function (NSMF) entity or a core network network slice subnet management function (CN NSSMF) entity sends a first request message to a time delay sensitive network application function (TSN AF) entity, wherein the first request message is used for requesting to obtain TSC service information from the TSN AF; the NSMF entity or the CN NSSMF entity receives a first response message sent by the TSN AF entity, the first response message comprising the TSC service information; and according to the TSC service information, the NSMF or the CN NSSMF analyzes or prepares network configuration information required by a TSC service carried on a network slice. According to the embodiments of the present application, network resources and quality of service are accurately managed from a network slice dimension, and deterministic requirements for the time delay and reliability of a deterministic communication service of a network slice user are met.

Description

Network configuration method and device

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on April 21, 2022, with the application number 202210421532.7 and the application title "Network Configuration Method and Device", the entire content of which is incorporated into this application by reference.

Technical field

The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular, to a network configuration method and device.

Background technique

Deterministic communication refers to communication in which the message transmission delay is within a given time threshold. It can also be called time-sensitive communication (TSC). Some typical quality of service (QoS) characteristics of deterministic communication services include service availability, end-to-end delay, target transmission interval, minimum boundary value of transmission interval, maximum boundary value of transmission interval, and survival time. wait. The third generation partnership project (3GPP) fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) or its evolved communication system supports deterministic communication services.

Time sensitive network (TSN) is used to support TSC. The 5G network or its evolution system supports integration with TSN to provide deterministic communication service capabilities. Specifically, traditional technology interacts with TSN application function (AF) through the control plane to exchange network capabilities and business QoS information. The control plane obtains this information and uses it to configure the terminal when establishing a protocol data unit (PDU) session. The corresponding business communication link and matching corresponding QoS attributes. However, only obtaining link support that meets QoS requirements for each PDU session from the control plane makes it difficult to accurately manage network resources and service quality for deterministic communication services from the network slicing dimension, making it difficult to meet the low requirements of network slicing users for deterministic communication services. High latency and reliability requirements.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of this application provide a network configuration method and device to manage network resources and service quality based on TSC service information obtained from TSN AF, and meet the low-latency and high-reliability requirements of network slicing users from a global service perspective.

In the first aspect, a network configuration method is provided, which is applied to the network slice management function NSMF entity or the core network management function CN NSSMF entity. The method includes: sending a first request message to the delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity. The request message is used to request TSC service information from TSN AF; receive the first response message sent by the TSN AF entity, the first response message includes TSC service information; determine the network required for the TSC service carried on the network slice based on the TSC service information Slice network configuration information.

It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, through the communication connection between the management function entity and the TSN AF, the management function entity can directly obtain the TSC service information from the TSN AF, and the management function entity determines whether it is carried on the network based on the obtained TSC service information. The network configuration information of the network slice required by the TSC service on the slice realizes the management of network resources and service quality based on the TSC service information, and meets the low-latency and high-reliability requirements of the deterministic communication services of network slice users from the global service dimension. .

In a possible design, the TSC service information includes at least one of the following: quality of service QoS feature information of the TSC service, number of users of the TSC service, location information of the TSC service, or scheduling auxiliary information TSCAI of the TSC service.

In a possible design, when this method is applied to the NSMF entity, it is determined based on the TSC service information that the bearer is on the network. The network configuration information required by the TSC service on the network slice includes: determining at least one of the following based on the TSC service information: the network configuration information of the network slice required by the TSC service, the core network CN network slice subnet required by the TSC service Network configuration information, the network configuration information of the radio access network RAN network slice subnet required for TSC services.

In the embodiment of this application, the network configuration information of the network slice required for the TSC service is determined based on the TSC service information, and the network slice resources, CN network slice subnet resources, and/or RAN network slice subnet resources can be managed from the global service dimension. , and service quality, where managing network slice resources may include managing CN network slice subnet resources and/or RAN network slice subnet resources, and may also include the number of connections corresponding to TSC services of the deterministic communication service type supported by the network slice, etc. ; Through the above process, the CN network slice subnet resources can be managed from the global service dimension to avoid the uneven distribution of core network elements that may be caused by CN network slice subnet configuration based on a single user, thereby causing poor service quality management effects; or Manage RAN network slicing subnet resources from the global service dimension to avoid insufficient allocation or redundant configuration of RAN network elements in the RAN network slicing subnet, and improve the usage efficiency of RAN network elements. Alternatively, the number of connections corresponding to TSC services of deterministic communication service types can be managed from the global service dimension to improve the systematic resource configuration of RAN network slicing subnets and CN network slicing subnets.

In a possible design, when this method is applied to the CN NSSMF entity, the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice is determined based on the TSC service information, including: determining the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice based on the TSC service information. The network configuration information of the core network CN network slice subnet required for the TSC service.

In a possible design, the method further includes: forwarding the TSC service information to the NSMF, so that the NSMF determines at least one of the following based on the TSC service information: network configuration information of a network slice required to support the TSC service, or supporting the TSC service Network configuration information of the required radio access network RAN network slice subnet.

In a possible design, when the TSC service information is the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service, the network configuration information of the network slice includes at least one of the following: The number of connections corresponding to the TSC service of the deterministic communication service type, the list of CN network slice subnet identifiers contained in the network slice, the delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier, and the delay budget of each CN network slice subnet. The CN network slice subnet corresponding to the network slice subnet identifier is used to support network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of TSC services. The list of RAN network slice subnet identifiers contained in the network slice. Each RAN network slice subnet identifier. The delay budget of the corresponding RAN network slice subnet, or the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier used to support TSC services.

In the embodiment of this application, NSMF determines the network configuration information of the network slice based on the QoS feature information obtained from the TSN AF, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service, realizing the network function configuration of the network slice from the global service dimension. (CN network slicing subnet or RAN network slicing subnet is used to support network function configuration of TSC services, etc.), parameter configuration (delay budget of CN network slicing subnet or RAN network slicing subnet, etc.), resource quantity configuration (network Accurate management of the number of connections corresponding to the TSC service of the deterministic communication service type supported by the slice, etc.) and capacity configuration (the number of UPFs, bandwidth resources, etc. required to support the number of connections corresponding to the TSC service). This ensures efficient execution of deterministic communication services for network slicing users.

In a possible design, when the TSC service information is the scheduling auxiliary information TSCAI of the TSC service, the network configuration information of the network slice includes at least one of the following: RAN network slice subnet resource reservation policy, RAN network slice subnet resource scheduling policy, CN network slice subnet QoS control policy, bandwidth allocation policy, or service scheduling policy.

In the embodiment of this application, NSMF can determine the network configuration information of the network slice based on the TSCAI obtained from the TSN AF, realizing accurate management of the resource management strategy of the network slice from the global service dimension, so that the deterministic communication services of the network slice user can be High quality execution.

In a possible design, the TSC service information is the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, and the users of the TSC service number, and the location information of the TSC service, the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: a list of RAN network slice subnet identifiers, and the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier. Delay budget, network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier used to support TSC services.

In a possible design, when the TSC service information is TSCAI, the network configuration information of the RAN network slicing subnet includes at least one of the following: Determine one or more of the following network configuration information based on the TSCAI information: RAN network slicing Subnet resource reservation strategy, RAN network slicing subnet resource scheduling strategy.

In a possible design, when the TSC service information is the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service, the network configuration information of the CN network slicing subnet includes at least one of the following: network slicing The included list of CN network slice subnet identifiers, the delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier, and the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier is used for Network function configuration and/or resource configuration information that supports TSC services.

In a possible design, when the TSC service information is TSCAI, the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: CN network slice subnet QoS control policy, bandwidth allocation policy, or service scheduling policy.

In a possible design, the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the RAN network slicing subnet used to support TSC services includes one or more of the following: RAN low-latency frame structure, which is used to improve service certainty. Configure or reserve backup wireless links or wireless resources.

In a possible design, the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the CN network slice subnet used to support the TSC service includes one or more of the following: CN network slice subnet capabilities and resources to meet the QoS of the TSC service Demand and required capacity, one or more tracking zone information, one or more UPF information.

In the embodiment of this application, the NSMF entity or the CN NSSMF entity can determine the network slice-level network function and parameter configuration, resource quantity configuration, capacity configuration, and resource quantity configuration of the TSC service carried on the network slice based on the TSC service information obtained from the TSN AF. Management strategies, etc., to achieve accurate management of network resources and service quality for deterministic communication services from the network slicing dimension, so that deterministic communication services for network slicing users can be executed with high efficiency and quality.

In a possible design, when the NSMF entity determines the network configuration information of the CN network slice required for the TSC service based on the TSC service information, the method also includes: sending a second request to the core network management function CN NSSMF entity message, the second request message is used to request the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet required to support TSC services;

Receive a second response message sent by the CN NSSMF entity. The second response message is used to indicate the support result of the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet required for the TSC service.

In a possible design, when the NSMF entity determines the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required for the TSC service based on the TSC service information, the method also includes: sending the radio access network management function RAN NSSMF entity The third request message is used to request the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required to support the TSC service; receiving the third response message sent by the RAN NSSMF entity, the third response message is used to indicate the requirements for the TSC service. Support results for the network configuration information of the required RAN network slice subnet.

In the second aspect, a resource configuration method is provided, which is applied to the delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity. The method includes: receiving the first request message sent by the network slice management function NSMF entity or the core network management function CN NSSMF entity, The first request message is used to request to obtain TSC service information; the first response message is sent according to the first request message, and the first response message includes the TSC service information.

In the third aspect, a resource configuration method is provided, which is applied to the network slice management function NSMF entity. The method includes Including: receiving the first request message sent by the NSMF consuming entity, the first request message includes communication requirements, and the first request message includes delay-sensitive communication TSC service information; determining the TSC service carried on the network slice according to the TSC service information Required network configuration information.

In a possible design, determining the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice based on the TSC service information includes: determining at least one of the following based on the TSC service information: the network configuration of the network slice required for the TSC service Information, the network configuration information of the core network CN network slicing subnet required by the TSC service, and the network configuration information of the radio access network RAN network slicing subnet required by the TSC service.

In a possible design, the TSC service information includes: QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service; the network configuration information of the network slice includes at least one of the following: Deterministic communication service type and its corresponding number of connections, a list of CN network slice subnet identifiers included in the network slice, the delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier, and each CN network The CN network slice subnet corresponding to the slice subnet identifier is used to support network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of TSC services. The list of RAN network slice subnet identifiers contained in the network slice. Each RAN network slice subnet identifier contains The delay budget of the corresponding RAN network slice subnet, and the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier used to support TSC services.

In a possible design, the TSC service information includes TSC service scheduling auxiliary information TSCAI, and the network configuration information of the network slice includes at least one of the following: RAN network slice subnet resource reservation policy, scheduling policy, CN network slice subnet QoS control strategy, bandwidth allocation strategy, and business scheduling strategy.

In a possible design, the TSC service information includes: QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. The network configuration information of the RAN network slicing subnet includes at least one of the following: RAN network A list of slice subnet identifiers. The delay budget of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier. The RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier is used for networks that support TSC services. Functional configuration and/or resource configuration information.

In a possible design, the TSC service information includes TSCAI, and the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: a RAN network slice subnet resource reservation policy, or a scheduling policy.

In a possible design, the TSC service information includes: QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. The network configuration information of the CN network slicing subnet includes at least one of the following: network slicing The included list of CN network slice subnet identifiers, the delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier, and the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier is used for Network function configuration and/or resource configuration information that supports TSC services.

In a possible design, the TSC service information includes TSCAI, and the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: CN network slice subnet QoS control policy, bandwidth allocation policy, or service scheduling policy.

In a possible design, the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the CN network slice subnet used to support TSC services includes one or more of the following: CN network slice subnet capabilities and resources to meet the QoS of the TSN service Demand and required capacity, one or more tracking zone information, one or more UPF information.

In a possible design, when the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet required for the TSC service is determined based on the TSC service information, the method further includes: sending a second request message to the core network management function CN NSSMF entity. , the second request message is used to request the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet required to support TSC services; receive CN The second response message sent by the NSSMF entity is used to indicate the support result of the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet required for the TSC service.

In a possible design, when the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required for the TSC service is determined based on the TSC service information, the method further includes: sending a third party to the radio access network management function RAN NSSMF entity. request message, the third request message is used to request the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required to support the TSC service; receive the third response message sent by the RAN NSSMF entity, the third response message is used to indicate the required information for the TSC service Support results for network configuration information of RAN network slice subnets.

The fourth aspect provides a resource configuration method, which is applied to the network slice management function NSMF consumer entity. The method includes: obtaining the delay-sensitive communication TSC service information corresponding to the NSMF consumer entity; sending a first request message to the NSMF entity , the first request information includes communication requirements, and the first request message includes TSC service information.

The fifth aspect provides a resource configuration device, which is applied to the network slice management function NSMF entity or the core network network slice management function CN NSSMF entity. The device includes a unit for executing any one of the methods of the first aspect.

In a sixth aspect, a network configuration device is provided, which device is applied to a delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity, and the device includes a unit for executing any one of the methods of the second aspect.

A seventh aspect provides a network configuration device, which includes a unit for performing any one of the methods of the third aspect, or a unit for performing any one of the methods of the fourth aspect.

In an eighth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication device, which has the function of implementing the functional network element in any one of the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect, third aspect or fourth aspect.

The device may be a network element device or a chip included in the network element device. The functions of the above communication device can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

In a possible design, the structure of the device includes a processing unit and a transceiver unit, wherein the processing unit is configured to support the device to perform any one of the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect, third aspect or fourth aspect. Methods.

In another possible design, the structure of the device includes a processor and may also include a memory. The processor is coupled to the memory and can be used to execute computer program instructions stored in the memory, so that the device performs the method of any one of the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect, third aspect or fourth aspect. Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface. When the device is a network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input/output interface; when the device is a chip included in the network device, the communication interface may be an input/output interface of the chip. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, and the input/output interface may be an input/output circuit.

In a ninth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a chip system, including: a processor, the processor is coupled to a memory, and the memory is used to store programs or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor , so that the chip system implements the method of any one of the first aspect, the second aspect, the third aspect or the fourth aspect.

Optionally, the chip system further includes an interface circuit for exchanging code instructions to the processor.

Optionally, there may be one or more processors in the chip system, and the processor may be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor may be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or the like. When implemented in software, the processor may be a general-purpose processor implemented by reading software code stored in memory.

Optionally, there may be one or more memories in the chip system. The memory may be integrated with the processor or may be provided separately from the processor, which is not limited by this application. For example, the memory can be a non-transient processor, such as a read-only memory ROM, which can be integrated on the same chip as the processor, or can be separately provided on different chips. This application describes the type of memory, and the relationship between the memory and the processor. There is no specific limitation on how the processor is configured.

In a tenth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium with computer programs or instructions stored thereon, When the computer program or instruction is executed, the computer is caused to execute the method of any one of the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect, third aspect or fourth aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product. When a computer reads and executes the computer program product, it causes the computer to execute any of the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect, third aspect, or fourth aspect. method in one possible implementation.

In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication system, which includes the devices of the fifth aspect and/or the sixth aspect.

Description of the drawings

In order to more clearly explain the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required to be used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below.

Figure 1 is a system architecture view for providing deterministic communication business services according to an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 2 is a flow chart of a network configuration method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 3 is a flow chart of another network configuration method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 4 is a flow chart of another network configuration method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 5 is a structural block diagram of a network configuration device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 6 is a structural block diagram of another network configuration device provided by an embodiment of the present application;

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

The terms “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth” in the description, claims and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific sequence. . Furthermore, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof 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 limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally also includes steps or units that are not listed, or optionally also includes Other steps or units inherent to such processes, methods, products or devices.

Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearances of this phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Those skilled in the art understand, both explicitly and implicitly, that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

"Plural" means two or more. "And/or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and/or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

First, the existing network architecture involved in the embodiment of the present application is introduced with reference to Figure 1.

Figure 1 is a system architecture view for providing deterministic communication business services provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the network elements involved include:

Network exposure function (NEF): used to open system capabilities and events to third parties, and support external applications to safely provide application information to the system.

Policy control function (PCF): used to provide policy rules to system control plane functions.

Session management function (SMF): used for session management.

Access and mobility management function (AMF): used for access and mobility management, including registration management, mobility management, access authentication, etc.

(Radio access network, (R)AN) is used to provide network access functions for authorized user equipment in a specific area, and can use transmission tunnels of different qualities according to the level of user equipment, business needs, etc.

User plane function (UPF): used for packet routing and forwarding, packet detection, executing user plane policy rules, allocating IP addresses of terminal devices, etc.

Unified data management (UDM) function is responsible for the management of user identification, contract data, authentication data, user service network element registration management, etc.

As shown in Figure 1, 3GPP 5G or its evolution system supports integration with the TSN system, and the 5G or its evolution system (i.e., a system composed of UDM, NEF, AMF, SMF, PCF and other network functions) is regarded as a black box. As one or more TSN bridges in the TSN network, the 5G network system is regarded as a network connection device in the TSN network, providing deterministic communication service capabilities. 5G or its evolution system consists of ports on the UPF side, user plane tunnels between user equipment (UE) and UPF, and ports on the device-side TSN translator (DS-TT). For each 5G system (5GS) bridge of the TSN network, the port on the network-side TSN translator (NW-TT) supports the connection to the TSN system, and the port on the DS-TT is compatible with Provides protocol data unit (PDU) session association with the TSN system. DS-TT and UE can be co-located or separated. NW-TT is generally co-located with UPF. DS-TT and NW-TT can support link layer connection discovery and reporting functions to discover connected Ethernet devices. Information such as communication ports, time synchronization, QoS configuration, service quality reports, etc. are exchanged between 5G or its evolution system and TSN system through TSN AF. TSN AF refers to the application function entity of an operator or a third party (such as an industrial Internet user), which interacts with the 3GPP core network with the above information. The PCF used in the 3GPP core network establishes a PDU session for the end user based on the above information (which can be understood as a bearer terminal Determine the QoS control strategy when a communication link of user service), that is, select a set of QoS attributes indicated by 5QI for the service quality combination of the PDU session, including delay, rate, packet loss rate, etc.

It can be seen from the above process that the 5G network or its evolution system is integrated with the TSN system, and the network capabilities and business QoS information are exchanged with TSN AF through the control plane (such as PCF), which is used for QoS control of the end user's PDU session and network slicing management functions. The (network slice management function, NSMF) entity cannot obtain TSN-related network capabilities and business information, resulting in NSMF being unable to accurately manage network resources and service quality for deterministic communication services from the dimension of network slicing, making it difficult to meet the deterministic needs of network slicing users. Low latency and high reliability requirements for communication services.

The Network Slice Management Function (NSMF) can be used to manage the life cycle of the network slice, monitor the performance and alarms of the network slice, and/or ensure that the service level specification (service level specification, SLS) of the network slice is achieved. etc. In the embodiment of this application, the NSMF entity receives the communication requirement information, converts the communication requirement information into the communication requirement information of the network slice subnet, and sends the communication requirement information of the network slice subnet to the network slice subnet management function (network slice subnet management function, NSSMF) entity. Network slicing is an end-to-end logical network, including wireless access network (RAN) network slicing subnet, core network (CN) network slicing subnet, and transmission network (TN) network slicing subnet. The RAN network slicing subnet consists of one or more RAN network elements. The CN network slicing subnet consists of a series of CN network elements, such as the core network composed of AMF, SMF, UPF, PCF, and UDM. The TN network slicing subnet consists of The network includes TN network elements and transmission links.

In the embodiment of this application, the NSMF entity refers to an entity used to implement functions corresponding to NSMF. Therefore, the NSMF entity and NSMF can be used interchangeably. Similarly, the following CN NSSMF and CN NSSMF entities, as well as the RAN NSSMF and RAN NSSMF entities can be used interchangeably, and will not be described again below.

Based on the above description, please refer to Figure 2. An embodiment of the present application provides a flow chart of a network configuration method. As shown in Figure 2, the method includes the following steps:

200a. The network slice management function NSMF entity receives the communication requirement information sent by the NSMF consumer.

When an NSMF consumer has communication requirements, such as creating or modifying a network slice, it can send communication requirement information to the NSMF entity in order to obtain a network slice configuration that supports the communication requirement. Communication requirement information can usually refer to service level agreement (service level agreement, SLA) information. SLA is used for communication agreements between NSMF consumers and NSMF entities. The communication requirement information sent by NSMF consumers can be sent in the form of service network slice business description template (ServiceProfile). The specific content of the communication requirement information may include delay requirements, packet loss rate requirements, speed requirements, data packet length requirements, maximum number of sessions or number of connections requirements, etc. This requirement information is usually expressed as an interval range, for example, the packet loss rate requirement is less than 80%, the delay requirement is less than 100ms (milliseconds), etc.

In the existing technology, the core network PCF (Control Plane Network Element) can obtain the TSC service information of the TSN network through the TSN AF, so that the QoS policy can be determined based on the TSC service information when establishing a PDU session for the 5G network terminal (UE). However, the PCF only QoS control for a single user's business connection. It is impossible to conduct accurate business and resource analysis and configuration for vertical industry tenants from a global business perspective. Therefore, it is impossible to accurately manage network slicing resources and meet the business needs of each end user on the network slicing. In the existing technology, NSMF cannot obtain TSC service information from TSN AF. Or, the TSC service information of multiple TSN AF cannot be obtained at the same time. If the TSC service information of multiple TSN AFs is carried on the same network slice, NSMF cannot obtain the service information, and cannot obtain services that satisfy all TSC services carried on the network slice based on the same network slice that carries these services. Required network configuration.

Therefore, after receiving the communication requirement information sent by the NSMF consumer, the NSMF entity obtains the service information from (one or more) TSN AFs in order to manage the network resources and service quality of the TSC service from the global service dimension.

200b. The NSMF entity determines the communication requirement information of the network slice subnet based on the communication requirement information.

This step can be performed before or after step 201. A network slice contains one or more network slice subnets. Therefore, the communication requirement information of one or more network slice subnets can be determined according to the communication requirement information of the network slice. The communication requirement information of the network slice subnet may be a business requirement in the form of a network slice description template (SliceProfile). SliceProfile can include TopSliceProfile, RANSliceProfile, CNSliceProfile, and/or TNSliceProfile. Determine the communication requirement information of the network slice subnet based on the communication requirement information of the network slice, for example, divide the delay requirement in the network slice into the RAN network slice subnet, TN network slice subnet and CN network slice subnet (understood as network The delay requirement of a slice is the sum of the delays of the three network slice subnets), and the rate requirement in the network slice subnet is processed according to the same value in each slice subnet (understood as the rate of the three network slice subnets) The requirements are the same as the rate requirements of the network slice), and the reliability requirements in the network slice subnet are processed according to the same value in each slice subnet (understood as the reliability requirements of the three network slice subnets and the reliability of the network slice requirements are the same) etc. Specifically, for example, the delay requirement in the communication requirements of network slicing is less than 30s (seconds), then the communication requirements of the decomposed network slicing subnet can be: the delay requirement of the RAN slicing subnet is less than 15s, and the TN slicing subnet's The delay requirement is less than 5s, and the delay requirement of the CN slice subnet is less than 5s. That is, the functional configuration of one or more network slicing subnets is jointly implemented to realize the functional configuration of network slicing.

In the embodiment of this application, the network configuration information of the network slice is determined based on the TSC service information carried on the network slice. In fact, the network configuration information of the network slice is also composed of the network configuration information of the network slice subnet. Therefore, the embodiments of the present application include a process of determining the network configuration information of the network slice subnet based on the network configuration information of the network slice. This process can be performed before performing step 200b, or can be performed after step 200b, that is, step 200b is not limited. and the execution sequence of step 201.

In addition, it should be noted that the process of determining the communication requirement information of the network slice and the process of determining the network configuration information based on the TSC service information can be combined, or can be executed independently, that is, steps 200a and 200b are optional steps.

201. The NSMF entity sends a first request message to the delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity. The first request message is used to request the TSN AF to obtain TSC service information.

In this method, a communication connection has been established between the NSMF entity and TSN AF, and communication is carried out through the service management interface. Service-oriented management interface means that the interaction between network management functions is implemented by service calls. Each network management function presents a common service-oriented interface, authorized network functions or service calls to the outside world. Service-oriented management interfaces usually support communication based on TCP, HTTP/2, JSON, Restful, OpenAPI and other protocols. In the embodiment of this application, the NSMF entity sends a first request message to the TSN AF entity through the service management interface to request to obtain TSC service information. The response message of TSN AF to the first request message is also sent through the service management interface. Among them, delay-sensitive TSC services are services that have deterministic requirements for communication service delays, such as services in which the transmission delay of each data packet is within a preset time range. TSN AF communicates with the network management center and user management center of the TSN network, so that the TSN AF can obtain the TSC business information of the TSN network.

202. The TSN AF receives the first request message sent by the NSMF entity, and sends a first response message according to the first request message, where the first response message includes TSC service information.

After receiving the first request message sent by the NSMF entity, the TSN AF can obtain the TSC service information and then feedback it to the NSMF. Specific TSC service information may include the quality of service QoS characteristic information of the TSC service (i.e., QoS attribute information), the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service, or may also include time sensitive communication assistance information. , TSCAI) (can be understood as the scheduling auxiliary information of the TSC service), etc. Among them, the service quality QoS characteristic information of the TSC service can include one or more of the following: transmission delay, transmission interval target value, transmission interval minimum value, transmission interval maximum value, survival time, rate, packet loss rate, and data packet size wait. The above QoS characteristic information is the transmission characteristic information of the data packet during the TSC service implementation process. For example, the transmission delay is the transmission delay of the data packet. The survival time refers to the maximum allowed time (including retransmission time) from when a data packet is first sent by the sender to when the data packet reaches the receiving end. If the maximum allowed time is exceeded, service interruption or protection actions may be triggered. The following is the same as this and will not be repeated.

The number of users of the TSC service includes the number of users of the TSC service currently online and the number of users that the TSC service is expected to accommodate. The location information of the TSC service includes the location information of the currently online TSC service and the location information of the TSC service that is estimated to exist.

The scheduling auxiliary information of the TSC service, namely TSCAI, may include one or more of the following: service flow direction information, data packet cycle information, data packet burst arrival time, or survival time, etc. Business flow direction information refers to the upstream or downstream direction. The period information of the data packet refers to the data packet transmission time interval (such as the time interval between transmitting two data packets). The arrival time of data packet burst refers to the time when data packets in the communication service flow are scheduled to be sent at the sending end, or the time when they are received at the receiving end.

The QoS characteristic information of TSC services can make the transmission delay requirements more accurate. In some cases, it may be accurate to the millisecond or even microsecond level. Correspondingly, the accuracy requirements for the transmission time interval and transmission packet loss rate will be higher. TSCAI supplements or supports the low-latency requirements of TSC services from the perspective of data packet scheduling.

In addition, it should be noted that the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service has a mapping relationship with the QoS characteristic information of the mobile communication network system. After NSMF obtains the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, it actually needs to first determine the mapping relationship between the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service and the QoS characteristic information of the mobile communication network system, and then determine the network based on the number of users of the TSC service and the location information of the TSC service. Slice network configuration information. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the process of determining the network configuration information of the network slice based on the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service (or combined with other TSC service information) is actually based on the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service and the QoS characteristic information of the mobile communication network system. The process of determining the network configuration information of the network slice based on the mapping relationship will not be described in detail later.

The mapping relationship between the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service and the QoS characteristic information of the mobile communication network system can be determined by the TSN AF (that is, the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service obtained by the NSMF from the TSN AF is actually the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service and the mobile communication network system mapping relationship of QoS characteristic information), which can also be determined by NSMF (that is, NSMF root Determine the mapping relationship between the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service and the QoS characteristic information of the mobile communication network system based on the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service obtained from the TSN AF and the QoS characteristic information of the mobile communication network system obtained by itself).

The QoS characteristic information of the TSC service is as described above. The mobile communication network system QoS may be, for example, the QoS that the 5G network can support. A 5G quality of service identifier (5G QoS idtifier, 5QI) represents a set of QoS attribute values of the 5G network. A set of QoS attribute values include priority, packet delay budget, packet error rate, default maximum data burst size, and/or default average window attributes, etc. There are three types of 5QI: standard 5QI, preconfigured 5QI, or dynamically allocated 5QI. In the standard 5QI, each value corresponds to a set of QoS specification parameters; the preconfigured 5QI is preset in the access network; the QoS specifications of the dynamically allocated 5QI are used as part of the QoS template (QoS profile) or QoS rule (QoS rule).

The mapping relationship between the QoS of the TSC service and 5QoS can be used to determine the correspondence between the current network and the QoS of the TSC service, and then obtain the network configuration information required to support the TSC service. Specifically, the process of determining the mapping relationship between the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service and the 5QI can be as shown in Table 1:

Table 1

Compare the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service with multiple groups of 5QI corresponding to different services, and determine the group of 5QI that has the highest matching degree with the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service as a group of 5QI that has a mapping relationship with the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service. For example, the set of 5QIs corresponding to the video surveillance service 1 in Table 1 is the 5QIs corresponding to the video service. Assuming that the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service can completely match the mapped 5QI, the network configuration information of the network slice is determined based on the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service. Assuming that part of the QoS feature information of the TSC service cannot match the mapped 5QI, the network configuration information of the network slice can be determined based on the maximum (or minimum) range allowed by the 5QI.

203. After receiving the first response message, the NSMF entity determines the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice according to the TSC service information.

NSMF receives the TSC service information fed back by TSN AF, and then determines the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice based on the TSC service information, that is, the network configuration information used to support TSC service requirements.

NSMF can determine based on the received TSC service information: the network configuration information of the network slice required by the TSC service, the network configuration information of the core network CN network slice subnet required by the TSC service, and/or the wireless access required by the TSC service. Network configuration information of the incoming RAN network slice subnet. The network configuration information of the network slice may include network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet and/or network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet. The configuration information of the network slice may also include connection-related configuration information such as the number of connections corresponding to the TSC services supported by the network slice.

Because the network configuration information of the network slice may include the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet. Therefore, in some cases, after the NSMF entity obtains the TSC service information, it can determine the first network configuration indication information. The first network configuration indication information is used to indicate that network configuration of the CN network slice subnet needs to be performed. The NSMF entity sends the first network configuration indication information to the CN network slice subnet, and the CN network slice subnet determines the network of the CN network slice subnet. Configuration information and feedback to NSMF.

Similarly, the network configuration information of the network slice may also include the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet. Therefore, in some cases, after the NSMF entity obtains the TSC service information, it can determine the second network configuration indication information. The second network configuration indication information is used to indicate that network configuration of the RAN network slicing subnet needs to be performed. The NSMF entity sends the second network configuration indication information to the RAN network slice subnet, and the RAN network slice subnet determines the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet and feeds it back to the NSMF.

It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present application, the network configuration information of the network slice required for the TSC service is determined based on the TSC service information, and the network slice resources, CN network slice subnet resources, and/or RAN network slice subnet resources can be managed from the global service dimension. network resources, and service quality. Managing network slice resources may include managing CN network slice subnet resources and/or RAN network slice subnet resources, and may also include the number of connections corresponding to TSC services of the deterministic communication service type supported by the network slice, etc. Through the above process, CN network slicing subnet resources can be managed from a global service perspective to avoid uneven distribution of core network elements that may be caused by CN network slicing subnet configuration based on individual users, thereby resulting in poor service quality management effects. Alternatively, RAN network slicing subnet resources can be managed from the global service dimension to avoid insufficient allocation of RAN network elements or redundant configurations in the RAN network slicing subnet, and improve the usage efficiency of RAN network elements. Alternatively, the number of connections corresponding to TSC services of deterministic communication service types can be managed from the global service dimension to improve the systematic resource configuration of RAN network slicing subnets and CN network slicing subnets.

In the embodiment of this application, NSMF determines the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice based on the TSC service information as an example to illustrate the process of determining the network configuration information. The CN/RAN network slice subnet is determined based on the network configuration indication information. The process of network configuration information is similar to this, so it will not be described in detail.

Optionally, determining the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice based on the TSC service information includes: determining at least one of the following based on the QoS feature information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. Network configuration information of the network slice: the number of connections corresponding to the TSC service of the deterministic communication service type supported by the network slice, the list of CN network slice subnet identifiers contained in the network slice, and the number of connections corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier. The delay budget of the CN network slice subnet, the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier used to support TSC services, and the RAN network slice included in the network slice A list of subnet identifiers, the delay budget of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier, or the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier for a network that supports TSC services Functional configuration and/or resource configuration information.

The number of users of the TSC service obtained by NSMF from the TSN AF, as described previously, can include the number of online users, or the number of users that the TSC service can accommodate. The network configuration information determination process of network slicing can be performed based on either of these two user numbers, or the estimated user number can be obtained based on these two user numbers (for example, it is greater than the number of online users and less than the number of users that the TSC service can accommodate. number of evaluation users). The evaluated number of users is then used to determine the network configuration information of the network slicing. Similarly, NSMF obtains the location information of the TSC service from the TSN AF, which may include the location information of the online TSC service or the location information of the TSC service that is expected to exist. The network configuration information determination process of the network slice can be performed based on any one of the location information of the two TSC services, or the evaluation location information of the TSC service can also be obtained based on the location information of the two TSC services (for example, the evaluation location information is (including the location information of the online TSC service, and part of it includes the location information of the TSC service that is expected to exist), and then the evaluated location information of the TSC service is used to determine the network configuration information of the row network slicing.

The QoS characteristic information of the TSC service is, for example, priority, delay, rate, and packet loss rate information in one or more sets of QoS characteristic information. Based on the number of users of TSC services and the location information of TSC services, NSMF can determine the quantity, network element type, and/or network element location required by deterministic communication services for CN network slice subnet resources and RAN network slice subnet resources. and other information. Then NSMF can determine the number of connections corresponding to the TSC service of the deterministic communication service type supported by the network slice (a user may create one or more PDU sessions, and one PDU session may correspond to one number of connections).

The CN network slice subnet identifier list included in the network slice can also be determined based on the QoS feature information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. One network slice can include one or more CN network slice subnets, and one CN network slice subnet can include multiple network elements, including, for example, AMF, SMF, UPF, PCF, UDM, etc. Therefore, based on the number of users of the TSC service and the location information of the TSC service, the CN network slicing subnet resources required for the TSC service are determined, including the required number and corresponding identification of the CN network slicing subnet, and/or the CN network slicing subnet. The required quantity and corresponding identification of the CN network elements in . Then, the CN network slice subnet identifier list includes, for example: CN network slice subnet 1, including CN network elements AMF1, SMF1, and UDM1; CN network slice subnet 2, including CN network elements UPF1, PCF1, and UDM2.

The delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier can be determined based on the QoS feature information of the TSC service and combined with the CN network slice subnet identifier list. For example, the delay requirement in the QoS feature information is 30ms, and NSMF determines that the delay requirement decomposed into the CN network slice subnet is 15ms. The delay requirement allocated to CN network slice subnet 1 is 8ms, and the corresponding delay budgets for AMF1, SMF1, and UDM1 are 2ms, 2ms, and 4ms respectively. The delay requirement allocated to CN network slice subnet 2 is 7ms, and the corresponding delay budgets for UPF1, PCF1, and UDM2 are 2ms, 2ms, and 3ms respectively.

In addition, NSMF can also determine the subnet identifier corresponding to each CN network slice based on the QoS feature information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. The CN network slice subnet is used for the network that supports the TSC service. Functional configuration and/or resource configuration information. According to the foregoing description, it has been learned that the CN network slice subnet identification list required for the TSC service can be determined based on the QoS feature information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. The CN network slice subnets and/or CN network elements in the identification list may need to perform further network function configuration and/or resource configuration based on QoS feature information, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. The network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the CN network slice subnet (or CN network element) may specifically include: network function configuration information used to meet the QoS requirements of the TSC service, and network resource configuration of the capacity required by the TSC service information. It may also include one or more tracking area information, one or more UPF information related network function configuration and/or network resource configuration information, etc. Among them, the network function configuration that meets the QoS requirements of the TSC service can be based on the delay requirements in the QoS requirements to determine whether to create or enable the local UPF configuration, and determine whether to create or enable it based on the reliability (packet loss rate) requirements in the QoS requirements. UPF redundant connection function. The network resource configuration of the capacity required by the TSC service can be based on the capacity required by the TSC service (that is, the number of service flows that the TSC service needs to support) to determine the UPF resource configuration and bandwidth resource configuration, where the UPF resource configuration includes the UPF location and UPF quantity. In addition, multiple tracking area information may be determined based on the location information of the TSC service. One or more UPF information may be determined based on the location information and rate requirements of the TSC service. The one or more UPF information may specifically include each UPF identifier. Or the IP address of each UPF, one or more TSC service types supported by each UPF, and the TSN AF identification supported by each UPF, etc.

NSMF can determine the RAN network slice subnet identification list based on the QoS feature information, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. One network slice may contain one or more RAN network slice subnets, and each RAN network slice subnet may be composed of one or more RAN network elements. The RAN network slice subnet identifier list may include, for example: RAN network slice subnet 1, which includes RAN network elements such as 5G base stations gNB1 and gNB2; RAN network slice subnet 2, which includes 4G base stations eNB1 and eNB2. Of course, the same RAN network slice subnet can also include gNB or eNB, or other RAN network elements.

The delay budget of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier can be determined based on the QoS feature information of the TSC service and combined with the RAN network slice subnet identifier list. For example, in the QoS feature information The delay requirement is 30ms, and NSMF determines that the delay requirement decomposed into RAN network slice subnets is 15ms. The delay requirement allocated to RAN network slice subnet 1 is 10ms, and the corresponding delay budgets for gNB1 and gNB2 are 5ms and 5ms respectively. The delay requirement allocated to RAN network slice subnet 2 is 5ms, and the corresponding delay budgets for eNB1 and eNB2 are 2ms and 3ms respectively.

In addition, NSMF can also determine the corresponding RAN network slice subnet identifier based on the QoS feature information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. The RAN network slice subnet is used for the network that supports the TSC service. Functional configuration and/or resource configuration information. According to the foregoing description, it has been learned that the RAN network slice subnet identification list required for the TSC service can be determined based on the QoS feature information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. The RAN network slice subnets and/or RAN network elements in the identification list may need to perform further network function configuration and/or resource configuration information based on QoS feature information, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service. For example, the network function configuration information that the NSMF entity can determine based on the delay requirement in the QoS requirement includes whether to configure the RAN low-latency frame structure. The resource configuration information that the NSMF entity can determine based on the number of TSC users and the location information of the TSC service includes the number of configured wireless links and the number of wireless resources.

Optionally, the TSC service information includes TSCAI, and the network configuration information of the network slice includes at least one of the following: RAN network slice subnet resource reservation policy, RAN network slice subnet resource scheduling policy, and CN network slice subnet QoS control policy. , bandwidth allocation strategy, and/or service scheduling strategy.

The RAN network slice subnet resource reservation policy may include a reservation policy for uplink resources and/or downlink resources, which may be determined based on the service flow direction information in the TSCAI. The RAN network slicing subnet resource scheduling strategy can include the RAN side data packet sending timing and/or receiving timing, the number of radio resource allocations corresponding to each sending timing, modulation and coding scheme (such as modulation order 16QAM, 64QAM), etc. The specifics can be based on The period information of the data packets in TSCAI and/or the burst arrival time of the data packets are determined.

The QoS control policy of the CN network slice subnet can include the data packet transmission interval, which can be determined based on the period information of the data packet and the data packet survival time in TSCAI. The bandwidth allocation policy may include the amount of bandwidth corresponding to the transmission timing of data packet transmission by the CN side UPF, which may be determined based on the cycle information of data packets and the arrival time information of data packet bursts in TSCAI. The service scheduling policy includes the maximum number of times a single data packet is sent, which can be determined based on the data packet survival time information in TSCAI.

Optionally, NSMF can also determine the network configuration information of one or more of the following CN network slice subnets based on the QoS feature information in the TSC service information, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service: where the network slice is located. Contains a list of CN network slice subnet identifiers, the delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier, or the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier for Network function configuration and/or resource configuration information that supports TSC services.

Optionally, NSMF can also determine one or more of the following network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet based on the TSCAI in the TSC service information: CN network slice subnet QoS control policy, bandwidth allocation policy, or service scheduling policy.

Optionally, NSMF can also determine the network configuration information of one or more of the following RAN network slicing subnets based on the QoS feature information in the TSC service information, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service: RAN network slicing A list of subnet identifiers, the delay budget of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each of the RAN network slice subnet identifiers, or the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each of the RAN network slice subnet identifiers for support Network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the TSC service.

Optionally, NSMF can also determine the network configuration information of one or more of the following RAN network slice subnets based on the TSCAI in the TSC service information: RAN network slice subnet resource reservation policy, or RAN network slice subnet resource scheduling Strategy.

Specifically, because the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet and the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet are part of the network configuration information that makes up the network slice, the network configuration of the network slice is determined based on the TSC service information as described above. The content of the information is also applicable to determining the relevant network configuration information of the RAN network slicing subnet or the CN network slicing subnet based on the TSC service information, and will not be described again here.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned process of determining a network slice, a RAN network slice subnet, or a CN network slice subnet based on TSC service information does not strictly correspond to each other. For example, the UPF redundant connection function can be determined based on the packet loss rate in the QoS feature information of the TSC service. However, in some cases, the delay will also have an impact on the function configuration, including whether to enable the UPF redundant connection function and the number of UPF redundant connections that need to be enabled. Therefore, the network function configuration information of the UPF redundant connection function is It can also be determined based on the delay and packet loss rate in the QoS feature information. That is to say, the network configuration information of the network slice, the RAN network slice subnet, or the CN network slice subnet determined based on the TSC service information are just examples and should not limit the determination process.

It can be seen that in the embodiment of this application, NSMF can analyze or prepare the network slice-level network functions (including whether to enable local UPF configuration) and parameter configuration (including whether to enable local UPF configuration) of TSC services carried on the network slice based on the TSC service information obtained from TSN AF. Including the number of connections corresponding to the TSC service of the deterministic communication service supported by the network slice, the delay budget of the CN network slice subnet or the RAN network slice subnet, etc.), resource quantity configuration (including the number of tracking areas, the number of UPF, etc.), capacity Configuration (including the number of UPFs required for the number of users corresponding to the TSC service, bandwidth resources, etc.) and management policies (including the timing and/or reception timing of data packets on the RAN side, and the timing and/or reception of data packets by the UPF on the CN side) timing, etc.), to achieve accurate management of network resources and service quality for deterministic communication services from the global business dimension, so that deterministic communication services for network slicing users can be executed with high efficiency and high quality.

In some cases, as described in the aforementioned steps 200a and 200b, the first request message may be sent after NSMF obtains the communication requirement information. Then NSMF may need to determine network configuration information based on communication requirement information and TSC service information at the same time. That is to say, the network configuration information determined in step 203 is actually required by the TSC service carried on the network slice, and is also network configuration information that meets the communication requirement information of the network slice.

For example, assume that the communication requirement information received by NSMF is that the delay is less than 30ms. NSMF can further refine demand information, capability configuration and/or resource configuration information based on different TSC service information (for a specific TSC service type or application identification). For example, NSMF determines the TSC service type based on the mapping relationship between 5QI and the QoS feature information in the TSC service information. The QoS feature information of the TSC service type includes information such as delay, rate, packet loss rate, transmission interval target value, TSCAI, etc. Determine the network configuration information of the network slice based on these QoS characteristic information, such as the delay configuration information is 15ms (meeting the prerequisite of less than 30ms), UPF backup connection function and backup resources, service transmission time interval, etc.

After NSMF determines the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice, that is, the network configuration information of the network slice, assuming that the network configuration information of the network slice includes the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet, this application The embodiment may also include the following steps:

204. The NSMF entity sends a second request message to the core network management function CN NSSMF entity. The second request message is used to request network configuration information that determines whether to support the CN network slice subnet.

205. The CN NSSMF determines the support result of the CN network slice subnet for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet based on the received network configuration information. Including the network configuration analysis of the CN network slice subnet by CN NSSMF, and determining the support results for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet. Or the CN NSSMF sends the network configuration information to the CN network slice subnet, and the CN network slice subnet determines the support results for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet, and then sends it to the CN NSSMF entity.

206. The NSMF entity receives the second response message sent by the CN NSSMF entity. The second response message includes a response to the CN Support results for network configuration information for network slice subnets.

After the NSMF entity determines the network configuration information about the CN network slice subnet, it needs to determine whether the network configuration information can be supported by the CN network slice subnet. Therefore, a request message can be sent to the CN NSSMF to request network configuration information that determines whether the CN network slice subnet supports these CN network slice subnets.

Similarly, assuming that the network configuration information of the network slice in step 203 is jointly determined based on the TSC service information obtained by NSMF and the communication requirement information of the network slice, then the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet sent in the second request message in step 203 It can be network configuration information required by TSC services and information that meets CN communication requirements. Then, in the second response message, the support result for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet actually includes the support result for the CN communication requirement information.

The CN network slice subnet supports the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet, which means that the CN network slice subnet configures or modifies its own network functions or network resources according to the network configuration information, or refers to the CN network slice subnet. The current network function configuration or network resource configuration of the network completely matches the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet. At this time, the CN NSSMF can determine that the support result for the received network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet is fully supported. In some cases, the CN network slice subnet's support results for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet include no support. For example, regarding the network configuration information of turning on the UPF redundant connection function, before receiving the network configuration information, the CN network slice subnet has already determined the network that supports not turning on the UPF redundant connection function based on other higher priority TSC services. configuration. Then the support result of the CN network slice subnet for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet that enables the UPF redundant connection function is not supported. In some cases, if part of the CN network slicing subnet can support the received network configuration information of the CN network slicing subnet, and the other part cannot support it, it can be determined that the CN network slicing subnet does not support the CN network slicing subnet. The support result of the network configuration information may also be partially supported (or partially not supported).

In addition, assuming that the CN NSSMF's support result for the received network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet is not supported or partially supported, the second response message can also feed back the current network function configuration and/or of the CN network slice subnet itself. Or network resource configuration so that NSMF can perform further analysis and processing.

After NSMF determines the network configuration information of the network slice, assuming that the network configuration information of the network slice includes the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet, the embodiment of the present application may also include the following steps:

207. The NSMF entity sends a third request message to the radio access network management function RAN NSSMF entity. The third request message is used to request network configuration information that determines whether to support the RAN network slicing subnet.

208. The RAN NSSMF determines the support results for the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet based on the received network configuration information. Including the network configuration analysis of the CN network slicing subnet by RAN NSSMF to determine the support results for the network configuration information of the RAN network slicing subnet. Or the RAN NSSMF sends the network configuration information to the RAN network slicing subnet, and the RAN network slicing subnet determines the support results for the network configuration information of the RAN network slicing subnet. The RAN network slice subnet then sends the support result to the RAN NSSMF entity.

209. The NSMF entity receives the third response message sent by the RAN NSSMF entity. The third response message includes the support result for the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required for the TSC service.

Corresponding to the foregoing steps 204 to 206, the RAN NSSMF may also receive a third request message sent by the NSMF for requesting network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required for determining whether to support the TSC service. Assuming that the network configuration information of the network slice in step 203 is jointly determined based on the TSC service information obtained by NSMF and the communication requirement information of the network slice, then the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet sent in the third request message in step 207 can be It is the network configuration information required for TSC services and to meet the RAN communication requirements. Correspondingly, the support result for the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet in the third response message actually also includes the support result for the RAN communication requirement information.

The support result for the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet may also include support, partial support (or partial non-support), or no support. The meanings of several support results are similar to the aforementioned support results of the CN network slicing subnet for the network configuration information of the CN network slicing subnet, and will not be described again here. Similarly, when the network configuration information of the RAN network slicing subnet is not supported or partially supported, the current network functions and/or network configuration of the RAN network slicing subnet itself can be fed back through the third response message so that NSMF can proceed to the next step. analysis and processing.

Finally, the method may also include step 210. As a response message to the communication requirement information sent by the NSMF consumer, the NSMF may provide a support result of the communication requirement information (including the communication requirement of the CN network slice subnet for the CN network slice subnet). The support result of the information, as well as the support result of the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet for the RAN network slice subnet) is sent to the NSMF consumer.

It can be seen that in the embodiment of this application, through the communication connection between the network slicing entity and the TSN AF, the management function entity can directly obtain the TSC service information from the TSN AF, and the management function entity analyzes or prepares to bear the TSC service information based on the obtained TSC service information. Network configuration information required for TSC services on network slices. It achieves accurate management of network resources and service quality from the global service dimension, and meets the low-latency and high-reliability requirements of network slicing users for deterministic communication services. In addition, the embodiment of this application combines the communication demand information sent by the NSMF consumer to the NSMF with the TSC business information obtained by the NSMF from the TSN AF to determine the network configuration information of the network slice, which can more comprehensively and systematically analyze the network obtained by the network slice. Configuration information. Further accurately manage network resources and service quality of deterministic communication services.

In the above embodiment, the NSMF obtains the TSC service information from the TSN AF through its communication link with the TSN AF. In some cases, the CN NSSMF can also obtain the TSC service information from the TSN AF through its communication link with the TSN AF. Then, the network configuration information of the network slice is determined based on the TSC service information. Please refer to Figure 3 for details. Figure 3 is a flow chart of another network configuration method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method includes the following steps:

300a. The NSMF entity receives the communication requirement information sent by the NSMF consumer.

This step corresponds to the description of the aforementioned step 200a, and will not be described again here.

300b. The NSMF entity determines the communication requirement information of the network slice subnet based on the communication requirement information.

This step corresponds to the description of the aforementioned step 200b, and will not be described again here.

300c. The NSMF entity sends a request message to the core network network slice management function CN NSSMF entity to request communication requirement information to determine whether to support the CN network slice subnet.

In the embodiment of this application, the NSMF entity sends a request message to the CN NSSMF entity based on the communication requirement information of the network slice subnet (including the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet) to request the determination of the CN network slice. Information about whether the subnet supports the communication requirements of the CN network slice subnet.

It should be noted that steps 300a to 300c are optional steps, that is, the CN NSSMF entity can determine the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet based on the needs of the TSC services carried on the CN network slice subnet alone, or it can also determine the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet based on the requirements of the TSC service carried on the CN network slice subnet. The communication requirement information of the slicing subnet and the requirements of the TSC services carried on the CN network slicing subnet determine the network configuration information of the CN network slicing subnet. Among them, the process of CN NSSMF obtaining TSC business information is as follows:

301. The CN NSSMF entity sends a first request message to the delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity. The first request message is used to request the TSN AF to obtain TSC service information.

302. The TSN AF receives the first request message sent by the CN NSSMF entity, and sends a first response message according to the first request message. The first response message includes TSC service information.

In the embodiment of this application, the CN NSSMF entity sends a first request message to the TSN AF entity to request to obtain TSC service information. CN NSSMF is used to manage the CN network slice subnet composed of CN network elements. The CN network slice subnet serves as a bearer network and is used to provide interfaces to external networks. In other words, TSN AF and CN network slicing subnets exist connection relationship. The CN NSSMF can obtain the service information of the TSN AF through the connection relationship between the CN network slice subnet and the TSN AF.

303. The CN NSSMF entity receives the first response message and determines the network configuration information of the CN network slice based on the TSC service information. Here, the CN NSSMF mainly determines the network configuration information of the CN network slice required for TSC services carried on the CN network slice subnet.

CN NSSMF can analyze and process the obtained TSC business information to determine the network configuration information of the CN network slice. Or the CN NSSMF can determine the network configuration indication information of the CN network slice subnet based on the obtained TSC service information. The network configuration indication information is used to indicate the need for network configuration of the CN network slice subnet. Then the CN NSSMF sends the network configuration indication information to the CN network slice subnet, and the CN network slice subnet determines its own network configuration information. Finally, CN NSSMF obtains the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet from the CN network slice subnet.

The TSC service information may include the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service (the mapping relationship between the QoS of the TSC service and the QoS of the mobile communication network system), the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service; or the TSC service information may include the TSC service Scheduling auxiliary information TSCAI, etc., determine the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet based on the TSC service information, including: determining one of the following or based on the QoS feature information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service Network configuration information of multiple CN network slice subnets: a list of CN network slice subnet identifiers included in the network slice, the delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier, or each CN The CN network slice subnet corresponding to the network slice subnet identifier is used to support network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the TSC service.

It may also include: determining the network configuration information of one or more of the following CN network slice subnets according to the TSCAI in the TSC service information: CN network slice subnet QoS control policy, bandwidth allocation policy, or service scheduling policy.

Determining the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet based on the TSC service information may refer to the corresponding description in step 203 of the foregoing embodiment for details, which will not be described again here.

Since the method of the embodiment of the present application may also include steps 300a to 300c, the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet can be determined not only based on the TSC service information obtained by the CN NSSMF, but also based on the obtained TSC service information and the CN network. The communication requirement information of the slice subnet is determined. That is to say, the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet determined in step 303 may be required for TSC services carried on the CN network slice subnet, and is also network configuration information that meets the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet. The CN NSSMF entity (or CN network slice subnet) combines the TSC service information and the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet to determine the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet. For details, please refer to the relevant description in step 203 of the aforementioned embodiment. , which will not be described in detail here.

After the CN NSSMF determines the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet, it can send the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet to the CN network slice subnet. The CN network slice subnet determines whether it supports the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet. The CN NSSMF can also analyze the current configuration of the CN network slice subnet to determine the support results of the CN network slice subnet for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet. The CN network slicing subnet supports the network configuration information of the CN network slicing subnet, including the CN network slicing subnet modifying or creating its own configuration according to the content of the CN network slicing subnet's network configuration information, or its own configuration being consistent with the CN network slicing subnet. The network configuration information can be completely matched. In addition, the support results of the CN network slice subnet for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet also include not supported, partially supported (or partially not supported), and the description is the same as the relevant content of the aforementioned step 203, and will not be described again here.

In addition, assuming that the CN NSSMF's support result for the received network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet is not supported or partially supported, the first response message can also feed back the current network function configuration and/or of the CN network slice subnet itself. Or network resource configuration so that CN NSSMF can perform further analysis and processing.

It can be seen that in the embodiment of this application, the CN NSSMF entity can obtain the TSC service information from the TSN AF. The obtained TSC service information is analyzed or the network functions and parameter configuration, resource quantity configuration, capacity configuration and management strategy of the CN network slice subnet required for the TSC service carried on the CN network slice subnet are prepared to realize the global service dimension. Accurately manage network resources and service quality for deterministic communication services, so that deterministic communication services for network slicing users can be executed efficiently and with high quality.

304. The CN NSSMF entity determines the support results for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet.

It can be seen that in the embodiment of this application, the CN NSSMF entity can obtain the TSC service information from the TSN AF, and analyze or prepare the CN network slice subnet required for the TSC service carried on the CN network slice subnet based on the obtained TSC service information. Network function and parameter configuration, resource quantity configuration, capacity configuration, management strategy, etc., realize accurate management of network resources and service quality for deterministic communication services from the global business dimension, so that deterministic communication services for network slicing users can be executed efficiently and with high quality.

305. The CN NSSMF entity sends the support result of the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet to the NSMF entity. The CN NSSMF entity can also forward TSC service information to the NSMF entity.

306. The NSMF entity determines the network configuration information of the network slice based on the received TSC service information, and/or the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required to support the TSC service.

The CN NSSMF entity may send the obtained support result of the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet to the NSMF entity. Assuming that the support result includes a support result for the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet, the NSMF entity can feedback the processing result of the communication requirement information to the NSMF consumer based on the support result of the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet.

In some cases, supporting TSC services not only requires obtaining network capabilities corresponding to the CN network slice subnet, but also requires obtaining network capabilities corresponding to other network slices. The network capabilities of other network slices may include configuration parameters such as the number of connections that the network slice can support, and may also include network capabilities corresponding to the RAN network slice subnet, etc. Therefore, the CN NSSMF can forward the acquired TSC service information (including direct forwarding or forwarding after processing) to the NSMF. The NSMF determines the network configuration information of the network slice based on the TSC service information. Because the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet has been obtained by CN NSSMF in the aforementioned process, the network configuration information of the network slice determined by NSMF here may mainly include the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet, as well as the global management capabilities of NSMF. Network configuration information related to global management information. For example, NSMF has the ability to manage end-to-end network slicing, and can configure the number of CN network slicing subnets and/or CN network elements according to the number of connections for the number of users in the TSC service, as well as the RAN network slicing subnet and/or RAN Configuration of the number of network elements. Alternatively, NSMF only determines the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet. The network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet and the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet determined in the foregoing process constitute the complete network configuration information of the network slice.

Similarly, because the NSMF entity obtains the communication requirement information (of the network slice) from the NSMF consumer, the NSMF can also consider the network slice when determining the network configuration information of the network slice required for the TSC service carried on the network slice. Communication requirements information. Then, the network configuration information of the network slice determined in step 306 may be the network configuration information of the network slice based on the requirements of the TSC service carried on the network slice and the information that satisfies the communication requirement of the network slice. Or the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet in step 306 may be required by the TSC service carried on the network slice, and the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet that meets the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet.

307. The NSMF entity sends a second request message to the radio access network slicing subnet management function RAN NSSMF entity. The second request message is used to request network configuration information that determines whether to support the RAN network slicing subnet.

308. The RAN NSSMF entity determines the support results for the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet.

309. The NSMF entity receives the second response message sent by the RAN NSSMF entity. The second response message includes the support result of the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet.

The NSMF entity determines the network configuration information of the RAN network slicing subnet, and may send a second request message to the RAN NSSMF for determining whether to support the network configuration information of the RAN network slicing subnet. The RAN NSSMF determines the support result for the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet, or the RAN network slice subnet determines the support result for the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet and sends it to the RAN NSSMF. Specific support results include full support, partial support, or (complete) no support. For the specific connotation of various support results, refer to the description of the foregoing embodiments and will not be described again here. Assuming that the support result includes (partial or all) unsupported situations, you can feedback the current actual network configuration of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to the unsupported content in the support result, so that the NSMF that receives the support result can proceed to the next step. .

Similarly, assuming that the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet in step 307 is determined based on the TSC service requirements and the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet, then the network configuration of the RAN network slice subnet in step 309 The information support results include, in addition to the support results for the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required for the TSC service, the support results for the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet.

Finally, the method may also include step 310. As a response message to the communication requirement information sent by the NSMF consumer, the NSMF may process the communication requirement information (including the support result of the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet, and The support result of the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet) is sent to the NSMF consumer.

It can be seen that in the embodiment of this application, the TSC service information is obtained from the TSN AF through the core network network slicing subnet management function CN NSSMF entity. And the CN NSSMF entity analyzes or prepares the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice based on the obtained TSC service information. It achieves accurate management of network resources and service quality from the global service dimension, and meets the low-latency and high-reliability requirements of network slicing users for deterministic communication services. In addition, the embodiment of this application combines the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet with the TSC service information in the TSN AF obtained by the CN NSSMF entity, so that the determined network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet is more comprehensive, and the CN network slice The subnet can be configured more comprehensively and systematically based on the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet, further meeting the requirements for accurate management of network resources and service quality for deterministic communication services.

In some cases, the existing communication link between the NSMF consumer and the NSMF entity can also be used to send TSC service information to the NSMF without obtaining the TSC service information from the TSN AF. Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flow chart of another network configuration method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the method includes the following steps:

401. The NSMF consumer sends a first request message to the NSMF entity. The first request message includes communication requirement information. information, as well as TSC business information of TSN AF;

402. The NSMF entity determines the network configuration information of the network slice based on the received TSC service information (and communication requirement information).

In the embodiment of this application, the NSMF consumer obtains the TSC service information of the TSN AF, and when the NSMF consumer sends the communication requirement information to the NSMF entity, the TSC service information is also sent to the NSMF entity. The NSMF entity determines the network configuration information of the network slice required for the TSC service carried on the network slice.

Similarly, the NSMF entity can determine the communication requirement information of the network slice subnet based on the communication requirement information (of the network slice). The communication requirement information of the network slice subnet may include the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet, the communication requirement information of the TN network slice subnet, and/or the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet. The NSMF entity can determine the network configuration information of the network slice subnet based on the TSC service information and the communication requirement information of the network slice subnet. For example, the NSMF entity can determine the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet based on the TSC service information and the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet. The NSMF entity can also determine the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet based on the TSC service information and the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet.

403. The NSMF entity sends a second request message to the CN NSSMF entity. The second request message is used to request the network configuration of the CN network slice subnet required to determine whether to support the TSC service (and satisfy the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet). information;

404. CN NSSMF determines the support results for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet;

405. The CN NSSMF sends a second response message to the NSMF. The second response message includes the support result for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet.

After the NSMF entity determines the network configuration information of the network slice, it can send a request message to CN NSSMF to request the determination of the support results for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet. Support results include supported, not supported, or partially supported (partially not supported). Assuming that the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet in step 403 is determined based on the TSC service requirements and the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet, then the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet in step 405 is supported. The results include support results for the CN network slice subnet configuration required for the TSC service, and also include support results for the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet.

406. The NSMF entity sends a third request message to the RAN NSSMF entity. The third request message is used to request the network configuration of the RAN network slice subnet required to determine whether to support the TSC service (and satisfy the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet). information;

407. RAN NSSMF determines the support results for the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet;

408. The RAN NSSMF sends a third response message to the NSMF. The third response message includes the support result of the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet.

After the NSMF entity determines the network configuration information of the network slice, it can send a request message to the RAN NSSMF to request the determination of the support results for the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet. Support results include supported, not supported, or partially supported (partially not supported). Assuming that the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet in step 406 is determined based on the TSC service requirements and the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet, then the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet in step 408 is supported. The results include support results for the RAN network slice subnet configuration required for the TSC service, and also include support results for the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet.

409. NSMF sends a first response message to the NSMF consumer. The first response message includes the processing result of the communication requirement information and the support result of the TSC service information.

NSMF can send the processing results of communication requirement information and the support results for TSC business information to NSMF consumers. Among them, the processing results of communication requirement information and the support results of TSC service information can be sent jointly, that is, Jointly send the support results of the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet (required by the TSC service and satisfy the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet) and (required by the TSC service and satisfy the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet) determined in the preceding steps. The support result of the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet is the communication requirement information of the network. Alternatively, the processing results of the communication requirement information and the support results of the TSC service information can be sent separately. NSMF can extract the support results for the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet from the support results of the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet, and extract the support results for the RAN network configuration information from the support results of the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet. Support results for communication requirement information for network slice subnets. NSMF then combines the support result of the communication requirement information of the CN network slice subnet with the support result of the communication requirement information of the RAN network slice subnet to generate the communication requirement information processing result. Similarly, NSMF can obtain the CN network slice subnet support result of the TSC service information from the support result of the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet, and obtain the TSC service from the support result of the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet. Information about CN network slice subnet support results. Finally, NSMF combines the CN network slice subnet support result of the TSC service information with the RAN network slice subnet support result to generate the support result of the TSC service information.

It can be seen that in the embodiment of this application, the TSC service information in the TSN AMF is sent through the existing communication link between the NSMF consumer and the NSMF. Furthermore, when the NSMF consumer sends communication requirement information to NSMF, the TSC service information of TSN AF can be sent to NSMF at the same time. NSMF can comprehensively determine the network configuration information of network slicing based on TSC business information and communication demand information, so that it can meet the needs of network slicing users for accurate management of network resources and service quality from the network slicing dimension, and achieve a more global network slicing configuration.

The above mainly introduces the solution provided by this application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, each network element implemented above includes a corresponding hardware structure and/or software module for executing each function. Persons skilled in the art should easily realize that, with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is performed by hardware or computer software driving the hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality using different methods for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

Embodiments of the present application can divide functional units into control plane network elements, service function network elements, management function network elements or other network devices according to the above method examples. For example, each functional unit can be divided corresponding to each function, or two functional units can be divided into two. Or two or more functions are integrated into one processing unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional units. It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

Figure 5 is a network configuration device 500 provided by an embodiment of the present application, which can be used to execute the NSMF entity applied to the network slice management function in Figure 2, or to execute the network slice management function CN NSSMF applied to the core network in Figure 3 Entity network configuration method and specific embodiments. In a possible implementation, as shown in FIG. 5 , the network configuration device 500 includes a sending unit 501 , a receiving unit 502 and a processing unit 503 .

The sending unit 501 is used to send a first request message to the delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity, and the first request message is used to request the TSN AF to obtain TSC service information;

The receiving unit 502 is configured to receive the first response message sent by the TSN AF entity, where the first response message includes TSC service information;

The processing unit 503 is configured to determine the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice according to the TSC service information.

Optionally, the TSC service information includes at least one of the following: quality of service QoS feature information of the TSC service, number of users of the TSC service, location information of the TSC service, or scheduling assistance information TSCAI of the TSC service.

Optionally, when the device 500 is applied to an NSMF entity, the processing unit 503 is specifically configured to:

Determine at least one of the following based on the TSC service information: the network configuration information of the network slice required by the TSC service, the network configuration information of the core network CN network slice subnet required by the TSC service, and the radio access network RAN network required by the TSC service. Network configuration information of the slice subnet.

Optionally, when the device is applied to the CN NSSMF entity, the processing unit 503 is specifically used to:

The network configuration information of the core network CN network slice subnet required for the TSC service carried on the network slice is determined based on the TSC service information.

Optionally, the sending unit 501 is also configured to: forward the TSC service information to the NSMF. The TSC service information forwarded to the NSMF is used to determine at least one of the following: network configuration information of the network slice required to support the TSC service, or to support the TSC service. Network configuration information of the required radio access network RAN network slice subnet.

Optionally, when the TSC service information is the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service, the network configuration information of the network slice includes at least one of the following: deterministic communication services supported by the network slice The number of connections corresponding to the type of TSC service, the list of CN network slice subnet identifiers included in the network slice, the delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier, and the delay budget of each CN network slice subnet. The CN network slice subnet corresponding to the identifier is used to support network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of TSC services, a list of RAN network slice subnet identifiers contained in the network slice, and the RAN corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier. The delay budget of the network slice subnet, or the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier used to support TSC services.

Optionally, when the TSC service information is the scheduling auxiliary information TSCAI of the TSC service, the network configuration information of the network slice includes at least one of the following: RAN network slice subnet resource reservation policy, RAN network slice subnet resource scheduling policy, CN network Slice subnet QoS control strategy, bandwidth allocation strategy, or service scheduling strategy.

Optionally, when the TSC service information is the QoS feature information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service, the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: RAN network slice subnet identification List, the delay budget of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier, or the network function configuration and configuration of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each RAN network slice subnet identifier to support TSC services /or resource configuration information.

Optionally, when the TSC service information is TSCAI, the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: a RAN network slice subnet resource reservation policy, or a RAN network slice subnet resource scheduling policy.

Optionally, when the TSC service information is QoS characteristic information, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service, the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: CN network slice included in the network slice A list of subnet identifiers, the delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier, or the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each CN network slice subnet identifier for a network that supports TSC services Functional configuration and/or resource configuration information.

Optionally, when the TSC service information is TSCAI, the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: CN network slice subnet QoS control policy, bandwidth allocation policy, or service scheduling policy.

Optionally, the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet used to support TSC services includes one or more of the following: RAN low-latency frame structure, configured or reserved to improve service certainty Backup wireless link or wireless resource.

Optionally, the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the CN network slice subnet used to support the TSC service includes the following Next one or more: CN network slice subnet capabilities and resources to meet the QoS requirements of TSC services and the required capacity, one or more tracking area information, one or more UPF information.

Optionally, when the device is applied to the NSMF entity and the processing unit 503 determines the network configuration information of the CN network slice required for the TSC service according to the TSC service information, it also includes: the sending unit 501 sends the core network management function CN NSSMF The entity sends a second request message, which is used to request the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet required to support TSC services; the unit receives the second response message sent by the CN NSSMF entity, and the second response message is used to indicate that for Support results for the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet required for TSC services.

Optionally, when the device is applied to the NSMF entity and the processing unit 503 determines the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required for the TSC service according to the TSC service information, it also includes: the sending unit 501 sends a request to the radio access network management The functional RAN NSSMF entity sends a third request message. The third request message is used to request network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required to support the TSC service; the receiving unit 502 receives the third response message sent by the RAN NSSMF entity. The third response The message is used to indicate the support result of the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required for the TSC service.

Optionally, the above-mentioned processing unit 503 may be a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU).

Optionally, the above-mentioned receiving unit 502 and sending unit 501 may be an interface circuit or a transceiver. Used to receive or send data or signaling from other electronic devices.

Optionally, the network configuration device 500 may also include a storage unit (not shown in the figure), which may be used to store data and/or signaling. The storage unit may be combined with the receiving unit 502, the sending unit 501 and the processing unit 503. coupling.

Figure 6 is a network configuration device 600 provided by an embodiment of the present application, which can be used to perform the network configuration method and specific embodiments of the above-mentioned Figure 2 or Figure 3 applied to the delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity. In a possible implementation, as shown in Figure 6 , the network configuration device 600 includes a receiving unit 601 and a sending unit 602.

The receiving unit 601 is configured to receive a first request message sent by a network slice management function NSMF entity or a core network management function CN NSSMF entity, where the first request message is used to request acquisition of TSC service information;

The sending unit 602 is configured to send a first response message according to the first request message, where the first response message includes TSC service information.

Optionally, the service information of TSN AF includes at least one of the following: quality of service QoS characteristic information of TSC service, number of users of TSC service, location information of TSC service, and scheduling auxiliary information TSCAI of TSC service.

Optionally, the above-mentioned receiving unit 601 and sending unit 602 may be an interface circuit or a transceiver. Used to receive or send data or signaling from other electronic devices.

Optionally, the device 600 may also include a processing unit 603, and the processing unit 603 may be a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU).

Optionally, the network configuration device 600 may also include a storage unit (not shown in the figure), which may be used to store data and/or signaling. The storage unit may be combined with the receiving unit 601, the sending unit 602, and the processing unit 603. coupling.

As shown in FIG. 7 , FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a communication device in an embodiment of the present application. The structure of the network configuration device in Figures 5 and 6 can be referred to the structure shown in Figure 7 . The communication device 900 includes: a processor 111 and a transceiver 112, and the processor 111 and the transceiver 112 are electrically coupled;

The processor 111 is configured to execute some or all of the computer program instructions in the memory. When the part or all of the computer program instructions are executed, the device performs the method described in any of the above embodiments.

Transceiver 112, used to communicate with other devices; for example, receive a message from the first network element, the message includes a group The identifier of the multicast and/or broadcast service, and the key of the multicast and/or broadcast service and/or the key identifier of the multicast and/or broadcast service.

Optionally, a memory 113 is also included for storing computer program instructions. Optionally, the memory 113 (memory #1) is located in the device, and the memory 113 (memory #2) is integrated with the processor 111. together, or the memory 113 (memory #3) is located outside the device.

It should be understood that the communication device 900 shown in FIG. 7 may be a chip or a circuit. For example, it may be a chip or circuit provided in a terminal device or a communication device. The above-mentioned transceiver 112 may also be a communication interface. A transceiver includes a receiver and a transmitter. Further, the communication device 900 may also include a bus system.

Among them, the processor 111, the memory 113, and the transceiver 112 are connected through a bus system. The processor 111 is used to execute instructions stored in the memory 113 to control the transceiver to receive signals and send signals to complete the first implementation method involved in this application. device or steps for a second device. The memory 113 may be integrated in the processor 111 or may be provided separately from the processor 111 .

As an implementation manner, the function of the transceiver 112 may be implemented through a transceiver circuit or a dedicated transceiver chip. The processor 111 may be implemented by a dedicated processing chip, a processing circuit, a processor or a general-purpose chip. The processor can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), or a combination of CPU and NP. The processor may further include a hardware chip or other general-purpose processor. The above-mentioned hardware chip can be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD) or a combination thereof. The above-mentioned PLD can be a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a general array logic (GAL) and other programmable logic devices , discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Among them, non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), programmable read-only memory (Programmable ROM, PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable PROM, EPROM), electrically removable memory. Erase programmable read-only memory (Electrically EPROM, EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory may be Random Access Memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of illustration, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (Static RAM, SRAM), dynamic random access memory (Dynamic RAM, DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (Synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (Double Data Rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (Enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (Synchlink DRAM, SLDRAM) ) and direct memory bus random access memory (Direct Rambus RAM, DR RAM). It should be noted that the memories described herein are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

Embodiments of the present application provide a computer storage medium that stores a computer program. The computer program includes methods for executing the methods in the above embodiments corresponding to network element devices such as NSMF entities, CN NSSMF entities, and TSN AF entities.

Embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product containing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the methods corresponding to network element devices such as NSMF entities, CN NSSMF entities, and TSN AF entities in the above embodiments.

It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its functions and internal logic, and should not be used in the embodiments of the present application. The implementation process consists of Any limitations.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented with electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality using different methods for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be described again here.

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

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

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

If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the existing technology or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including Several instructions are used to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage media include: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program code. .

The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application. should be covered by the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A network configuration method, characterized in that it is applied to a network slice management function NSMF entity or a core network network slice management function CN NSSMF entity, and the method includes:

Send a first request message to the delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity, where the first request message is used to request TSC service information from the TSN AF;

Receive the first response message sent by the TSN AF entity, where the first response message includes the TSC service information;

The network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice is determined according to the TSC service information.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the TSC service information includes at least one of the following: quality of service QoS feature information of the TSC service, number of users of the TSC service, location information of the TSC service, or scheduling of the TSC service Auxiliary information TSCAI.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the method is applied to an NSMF entity, the network configuration information required by the TSC service includes at least one of the following: the network required by the TSC service The network configuration information of the slice, the network configuration information of the core network CN network slice subnet required by the TSC service, or the network configuration information of the radio access network RAN network slice subnet required by the TSC service.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, when the method is applied to the CN NSSMF entity, the network configuration information required for the TSC service includes:

The network configuration information of the core network CN network slice subnet required by the TSC service.
The method of claim 4, further comprising:

Forwarding the TSC service information to the NSMF, where the TSC service information forwarded to the NSMF is used to determine at least one of the following: network configuration information of network slices required to support the TSC service, or wireless radios required to support the TSC service. Network configuration information of the access network RAN network slice subnet.
The method according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that when the TSC service information is the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service,

The network configuration information of the network slice includes at least one of the following: the number of connections corresponding to the TSC service of the deterministic communication service type supported by the network slice, a list of CN network slice subnet identifiers included in the network slice, each of the CN The delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to the network slice subnet identifier. The CN network slice subnet corresponding to each of the CN network slice subnet identifiers is used to support network function configuration and/or resource configuration of TSC services. Information, a list of RAN network slice subnet identifiers included in the network slice, the delay budget of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each of the RAN network slice subnet identifiers, or the delay budget of each of the RAN network slice subnet identifiers. The corresponding RAN network slice subnet is used to support network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of TSC services.
The method according to any one of claims 3 or 5-6, characterized in that when the TSC service information is the scheduling assistance information TSCAI of the TSC service, the network configuration information of the network slice includes at least one of the following: RAN Network slice subnet resource reservation strategy, RAN network slice subnet resource scheduling strategy, CN network slice subnet QoS control strategy, bandwidth allocation strategy, or service scheduling strategy.
The method according to claim 3 or 5, characterized in that when the TSC service information is the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service, the RAN network slice subnet The network configuration information includes at least one of the following: a list of RAN network slice subnet identifiers, a delay budget of the RAN network slice subnet corresponding to each of the RAN network slice subnet identifiers, or each of the RAN network slice subnets. The RAN network slice subnet corresponding to the identifier is used to support network function configuration and/or resource allocation of the TSC service. configuration information.
The method according to any one of claims 3, 5 or 8, characterized in that when the TSC service information is TSCAI, the network configuration information of the RAN network slicing subnet includes at least one of the following: RAN network slicing subnet Network resource reservation strategy, or RAN network slicing subnet resource scheduling strategy.
The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that when the TSC service information is the QoS characteristic information of the TSC service, the number of users of the TSC service, and the location information of the TSC service, the CN network slice subnet The network configuration information includes at least one of the following: a list of CN network slice subnet identifiers included in the network slice, a delay budget of the CN network slice subnet corresponding to each of the CN network slice subnet identifiers, or each of the The CN network slice subnet corresponding to the CN network slice subnet identifier is used to support network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the TSC service.
The method according to any one of claims 3, 4 or 10, characterized in that when the TSC service information is TSCAI, the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: CN network slice subnet Network QoS control strategy, bandwidth allocation strategy, or business scheduling strategy.
The method according to claim 6 or 8, characterized in that the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet used to support the TSC service includes one or more of the following: RAN low time Frame delay structure, or configuring or reserving backup wireless links or wireless resources to improve service certainty.
The method according to claim 6 or 10, characterized in that the network function configuration and/or resource configuration information of the CN network slice subnet used to support the TSC service includes one or more of the following: CN network slice Subnet capabilities and resources to meet the QoS requirements of TSC services and required capacity, one or more tracking area information, one or more UPF information.
The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, in the case where the NSMF entity determines the network configuration information of the CN network slice required for the TSC service based on the TSC service information, the method further includes:

Send a second request message to the core network management function CN NSSMF entity, where the second request message is used to request network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet required to support the TSC service;

Receive a second response message sent by the CN NSSMF entity, where the second response message is used to indicate a support result of the network configuration information of the CN network slice subnet required for the TSC service.
The method according to claim 3 or 14, characterized in that, in the case where the NSMF entity determines the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required for the TSC service based on the TSC service information, the method Also includes:

Send a third request message to the radio access network management function RAN NSSMF entity, where the third request message is used to request network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required to support the TSC service;

Receive a third response message sent by the RAN NSSMF entity, where the third response message is used to indicate a support result of the network configuration information of the RAN network slice subnet required for the TSC service.
A network configuration method, characterized in that it is applied to a delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity, and the method includes:

Receive the first request message sent by the network slice management function NSMF entity or the core network management function CN NSSMF entity, where the first request message is used to request to obtain TSC service information;

A first response message is sent according to the first request message, and the first response message includes the TSC service information.
The method according to claim 16, characterized in that the TSC service information includes at least one of the following Items: Quality of service QoS characteristic information of TSC services, number of users of TSC services, location information of TSC services, or scheduling auxiliary information TSCAI of TSC services.
A network configuration method, characterized in that the method includes:

The network slice management function NSMF entity or the core network network slice management function CN NSSMF entity sends a first request message to the delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity, and the first request message is used to request TSN AF to obtain TSC service information;

The delay-sensitive network application function TSN AF entity receives the first request message sent by the network slice management function NSMF entity or the core network management function CN NSSMF entity, and sends a first response message according to the first request message, and the first response message Including the TSC business information;

The NSMF entity or the CN NSSMF entity receives the first response message sent by the TSN AF entity, and determines the network configuration information required for the TSC service carried on the network slice according to the TSC service information.
A network configuration device, characterized in that the network configuration device includes a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 1-15.
A network configuration device, characterized in that the network configuration device includes a unit for executing the method according to any one of claims 16-17.
A communication device, characterized in that the structure of the device includes a processor and may also include a memory; the processor is coupled to the memory and can be used to execute computer program instructions stored in the memory, so that the device executes claims 1- The method according to any one of claims 16-17, or the method according to any one of claims 16-17.
A readable storage medium, characterized in that it is used to store instructions. When the instructions are executed, the method according to any one of claims 1-15 is implemented, or the method according to claims 16-17 is implemented. The method described in any one of them is implemented.
A computer program product that, when a computer reads and executes the computer program product, causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of claims 1-15 or 16-17.
A communication system, including the network configuration device as claimed in claim 18, and/or the network configuration device as claimed in claim 19.