CN115348627A - Slice information configuration method and equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The present application relates to a slice information configuration method and device. A specific implementation manner is: the terminal device receives configuration update information, where the configuration update information includes first slice information; and the terminal device configures slice information associated with the first session according to the first slice information. In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device updates the slice information associated with the first session of itself according to the slice information in the configuration update information, which can ensure normal processing of the session and improve the stability of the communication system.

Description

Slicing information configuration method and device

technical field

The present application relates to the communication field, and more specifically, to a slice information configuration method and device.

Background technique

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3rd Generation Partnership Project, 3GPP) introduces a new feature of network slicing (Network Slicing) in the 5G system. This feature is also a representative function of the 5G system. By dividing different network slices in the same network environment, different network resources, such as bandwidth, rate, and service quality, can be allocated respectively. Therefore, different business requirements can occupy network resources more reasonably.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present application provide a slice information configuration method and device.

An embodiment of the present application provides a slice information configuration method, including:

The terminal device receives configuration update information, where the configuration update information includes first slice information;

The terminal device configures slice information associated with the first session according to the first slice information.

An embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, including:

a first receiving unit, configured to receive configuration update information, where the configuration update information includes first slice information;

A processing unit, configured to configure slice information associated with the first session according to the first slice information.

An embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, including a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the terminal device executes the slice information configuration method in the embodiment of the present application.

An embodiment of the present application provides a network device, including a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the network device executes the slice information configuration method in the embodiment of the present application.

An embodiment of the present application provides a chip configured to implement the above method for configuring slice information.

Specifically, the chip includes: a processor, configured to invoke and run a computer program from a memory, so that a device installed with the chip executes the slice information configuration method in the embodiment of the present application.

An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, and when the computer program is run by a device, the device executes the method for configuring slice information in the embodiment of the present application.

An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including computer program instructions, where the computer program instructions cause a computer to execute the method for configuring slice information in the embodiment of the present application.

An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program that, when running on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method for configuring slice information in the embodiment of the present application.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a method for configuring slice information according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic flowchart of a method for configuring slice information according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device according to another embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a configuration update process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed ways

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

The technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System of Mobile communication (Global System of Mobile communication, GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, Advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) system, new wireless (New Radio, NR) system, evolution system of NR system, LTE (LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum, LTE-U) system on unlicensed spectrum, NR (NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum, NR- U) system, Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) , the fifth generation communication (5th-Generation, 5G) system or other communication systems, etc.

Generally speaking, the number of connections supported by traditional communication systems is limited and easy to implement. However, with the development of communication technology, mobile communication systems will not only support traditional communication, but also support, for example, Device to Device (D2D ) communication, machine to machine (Machine to Machine, M2M) communication, machine type communication (Machine Type Communication, MTC), vehicle to vehicle (Vehicle to Vehicle, V2V) communication, or vehicle networking (Vehicle to everything, V2X) communication, etc., this application Embodiments are also applicable to these communication systems.

In an implementation manner, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application may be applied to a carrier aggregation (CarrierAggregation, CA) scenario, may also be applied to a dual connectivity (Dual Connectivity, DC) scenario, and may also be applied to an independent (Standalone, SA ) meshing scene.

In one embodiment, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to an unlicensed spectrum, where the unlicensed spectrum can also be considered as a shared spectrum; or, the communication system in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to a licensed spectrum , where the licensed spectrum can also be considered as a non-shared spectrum.

The embodiments of the present application describe various embodiments in conjunction with network equipment and terminal equipment, where the terminal equipment may also be referred to as user equipment (User Equipment, UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc.

The terminal device can be a station (STAION, ST) in the WLAN, and can be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (Session Initiation Protocol, SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (Wireless Local Loop, WLL) station, a personal digital processing (Personal Digital Assistant, PDA) devices, handheld devices with wireless communication functions, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, next-generation communication systems such as terminal devices in NR networks, or future A terminal device and the like in an evolved public land mobile network (Public LandMobile Network, PLMN) network.

In the embodiment of this application, the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld, wearable or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on water (such as ships, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as aircraft, balloons and satellites) superior).

In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may be a mobile phone (Mobile Phone), a tablet computer (Pad), a computer with a wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (Virtual Reality, VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AugmentedReality, AR) terminal device , wireless terminal devices in industrial control, wireless terminal devices in self driving, wireless terminal devices in remote medical, wireless terminal devices in smart grid, Wireless terminal equipment in transportation safety, wireless terminal equipment in smart city, or wireless terminal equipment in smart home.

As an example but not a limitation, in this embodiment of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices can also be called wearable smart devices, which is a general term for the application of wearable technology to intelligently design daily wear and develop wearable devices, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing and shoes. A wearable device is a portable device that is worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not only a hardware device, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Generalized wearable smart devices include full-featured, large-sized, complete or partial functions without relying on smart phones, such as smart watches or smart glasses, etc., and only focus on a certain type of application functions, and need to cooperate with other devices such as smart phones Use, such as various smart bracelets and smart jewelry for physical sign monitoring.

In the embodiment of the present application, the network device may be a device used to communicate with the mobile device, and the network device may be an access point (Access Point, AP) in WLAN, a base station (Base Transceiver Station, BTS) in GSM or CDMA , it can also be a base station (NodeB, NB) in WCDMA, or an evolved base station (EvolutionalNode B, eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or access point, or in-vehicle devices, wearable devices, and NR networks The network equipment (gNB) or the network equipment in the future evolved PLMN network or the network equipment in the NTN network, etc.

As an example but not a limitation, in this embodiment of the present application, the network device may have a mobile feature, for example, the network device may be a mobile device. Optionally, the network equipment may be a satellite or a balloon station. For example, the satellite may be a low earth orbit (low earth orbit, LEO) satellite, a medium earth orbit (medium earth orbit, MEO) satellite, a geosynchronous earth orbit (geostationary earth orbit, GEO) satellite, a high elliptical orbit (High Elliptical Orbit, HEO) satellite. ) Satellite etc. Optionally, the network device may also be a base station installed on land, water, and other locations.

In this embodiment of the present application, the network device may provide services for a cell, and the terminal device communicates with the network device through the transmission resources (for example, frequency domain resources, or spectrum resources) used by the cell, and the cell may be a network device ( For example, a cell corresponding to a base station), the cell may belong to a macro base station, or may belong to a base station corresponding to a small cell, where the small cell may include: a metro cell, a micro cell, a pico cell ( Pico cell), Femto cell, etc. These small cells have the characteristics of small coverage and low transmission power, and are suitable for providing high-speed data transmission services.

FIG. 1 exemplarily shows a communication system 100 . The communication system includes a network device 110 and two terminal devices 120 . In an implementation manner, the communication system 100 may include multiple network devices 110, and the coverage of each network device 110 may include other numbers of terminal devices 120, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

In one embodiment, the communication system 100 may also include other network entities such as a mobility management entity (MobilityManagement Entity, MME), an access and mobility management function (Access and Mobility ManagementFunction, AMF). This is not limited.

Wherein, the network equipment may further include access network equipment and core network equipment. That is, the wireless communication system also includes multiple core networks for communicating with access network devices. The access network equipment may be a long-term evolution (long-termevolution, LTE) system, a next-generation (mobile communication system) (next radio, NR) system or an authorized auxiliary access long-term evolution (authorized auxiliary access long-term evolution, LAA-LTE ) system in the evolved base station (evolutional node B, referred to as eNB or e-NodeB) macro base station, micro base station (also called "small base station"), pico base station, access point (access point, AP), transmission A station (transmission point, TP) or a new generation base station (new generation Node B, gNodeB), etc.

It should be understood that a device with a communication function in the network/system in the embodiment of the present application may be referred to as a communication device. Taking the communication system shown in Figure 1 as an example, the communication equipment may include network equipment and terminal equipment with communication functions. It may include other devices in the communication system, such as network controllers, mobility management entities and other network entities, which are not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

It should be understood that the terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably herein. The term "and/or" in this article is just an association relationship describing associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and/or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and there exists alone B these three situations. In addition, the character "/" in this article generally indicates that the contextual objects are an "or" relationship.

It should be understood that the "indication" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a direct indication, may also be an indirect indication, and may also mean that there is an association relationship. For example, A indicates B, which can mean that A directly indicates B, for example, B can be obtained through A; it can also indicate that A indirectly indicates B, for example, A indicates C, and B can be obtained through C; it can also indicate that there is an association between A and B relation.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" may indicate that there is a direct or indirect correspondence between the two, or that there is an association between the two, or that it indicates and is indicated, configuration and is configuration etc.

In order to facilitate the understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the related technologies of the embodiments of the present application are described below. The following related technologies can be combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them belong to the embodiments of the present application. protected range.

After the introduction of network slicing, each data session (session) such as a PDU (Protocol Data Unit, Protocol Data Unit) session under the 5G system needs to have an associated single network slice selection assistance information (SingleNetwork Slice Selection Assistance Information, S-NSSAI) . The network side can confirm and select the route of the data session according to the associated (or corresponding) S-NSSAI of the data session, and allocate matching network resources.

The slice that can be used by the user equipment (UE) is usually based on its subscription slice under the home network such as HPLMN (Home Public Land Mobile Network, local public land mobile network). When the UE roams into the visited network such as VPLMN (Visited PLMN, visited public land mobile network), if the S-NSSAI used by the UE under the original HPLMN is a common configuration value for each PLMN, it can still be used directly under the VPLMN; if S-NSSAI is not a general configuration value but a private configuration value of HPLMN, then the VPLMN needs to configure the S-NSSAI under the VPLMN to the UE, and use the S-NSSAI of the original HPLMN of the UE as the mapping slice of the S-NSSAI under the VPLMN (mapping S -NSSAI), and associate with the S-NSSAI under this VPLMN. If the UE roams between different VPLMNs, different VPLMNs will allocate the S-NSSAI under their own network, and associate the S-NSSAI of the same HPLMN as the mapping S-NSSAI. This mapping relationship is shown in Table 1 below:

Table 1 S-NSSAI configuration relationship between HPLMN and VPLMN

In one scenario: if the UE establishes a data session under VPLMN1 to initiate a service process, but the service is not released and the data session is still active, roaming occurs, for example, the UE moves to VPLMN2. If the slice information corresponding to the data session is S-NSSAIa+mapped S-NSSAI2, that is, the S-NSSAI2 under the corresponding HPLMN is not a standard value, the UE needs to request the S under the HPLMN corresponding to the data session in the mobile update registration request. -NSSAI2. VPLMN2 will assign the network slice S-NSSAIb+mapped S-NSSAI2 to the UE in the mobile registration response. After receiving it, the UE needs to locally update the slice information associated with the data session, and use the new S-NSSAIb+mapped S- NSSAI2 replaces the previous S-NSSAIa+mapped S-NSSAI2.

Similar: if the UE moves from HPLMN to VPLMN1, the UE will locally replace the slice information S-NSSAI2 associated with the data session with S-NSSAIa+mapped S-NSSAI2; if the UE moves from VPLMN1 to HPLMN, the UE will replace the data session The associated slice information S-NSSAIa+mapped S-NSSAI2 is locally replaced with S-NSSAI2.

However, the related art only considers the situation that the UE can allocate the available slice information of the network in the mobile registration response immediately after the UE roams into the visited network, and there are certain limitations in practical applications. In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a slice information configuration method, and a terminal device can configure slice information associated with a data session according to received configuration update information.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a slice information configuration method 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. The method can optionally be applied to the system shown in Fig. 1, but is not limited thereto. The method includes at least some of the following.

S210. The terminal device receives configuration update information, where the configuration update information includes first slice information;

S220. The terminal device configures slice information associated with the first session according to the first slice information.

For example, in a roaming scenario, a terminal device may enter a visited network from a home network, or enter another visited network from one visited network, and so on. The same data session may correspond to different network slice information on different networks. The terminal device may initiate a first session in the home network or a visited network, and enter another new network when the first session is in an active state. Wherein, the first session may be any data session. In an implementation manner, the first session is a protocol data unit (PDU) session activated in the terminal device.

The network side may perform slice authentication on the new network that the terminal device enters, and if the authentication is successful, the network side may update the slice information associated with the first session activated on the terminal device. The first session may also be referred to as a data session. In order to make the slice information associated with the first session activated on the terminal device consistent with the network side, the network side may send configuration update information including the first slice information to the terminal device. After receiving the configuration update information, the terminal device may replace the slice information associated with the first session with the received first slice information.

In the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device updates the slice information associated with the first session of itself according to the slice information in the configuration update information, which is beneficial to improve the stability of the communication system.

In an implementation manner, the first session may be a session initiated by the terminal device on the first network. While the first session remains active, a network change occurs to the terminal device, for example, the terminal device roams into the second network.

In an implementation manner, the first network is a home network, and the second network is a visited network.

In an implementation manner, both the first network and the second network are access networks, that is, the first network is the first access network, and the second network is the second access network.

In this embodiment of the present application, the home network may be a network registered with a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module, Subscriber Identity Module) card in a terminal device such as a UE. Usually, after the SIM card is registered, the home network of the UE using the SIM card may be fixed. For example, the UE's home network slice information may include one HPLMN S-NSSAI, or may include multiple HPLMN S-NSSAIs. Different types of sessions may be associated with the same HPLMN S-NSSAI, or they may be associated with different HPLMN S-NSSAIs. For the first session of the UE, its home network slice information may be an S-NSSAI of the NSSAI of the HPLMN of the UE. A visited network may be called a roaming network, and a visited network is different from a home network. For example, the visited network and the home network may be networks of different operators.

In this embodiment of the present application, the first session initiated by the terminal device on the home network is associated with home network slice information. If the network that the terminal device roams into from the home network is a visited network, the first slice information received by the terminal device in the configuration update process includes local slice information and mapped slice information of the visited network. Wherein, the mapped slice information of the visited network may include the slice information of the home network. Exemplarily, the configuration update process may mainly include accessing the network to send configuration update information, and the terminal device updates slice information associated with its own session and returns configuration update completion information to the network.

The first session initiated by the terminal device on the first access network is associated with local slice information and mapping slice information of the first access network. Wherein, the mapped slice information of the first visited network may include home network slice information. If the terminal device roams from the first access network to the second access network, the first slice information received by the terminal device in the configuration update process includes local slice information and mapping slice information of the second access network. The mapping slice information of the second access network may include home network slice information.

In one embodiment, the first slice information is available slice information under the network into which the terminal device roams, such as the above-mentioned second network, that is, the second network allocates for the first session of the terminal device and can Slice information for the first session. For example, the available slice information includes available NSSAI. If the second network is a visited network, the available NSSAI of the second network may include the local S-NSSAI of the second network and the mapped S-NSSAI of the home network that may be used for the first session.

In one embodiment, the home network slice information is the S-NSSAI in the home network, and the home network is a local public land mobile network (HPLMN). That is to say, the home network slice information is HPLMN S-NSSAI.

In an implementation manner, the terminal device updates slice information associated with the first session according to the first slice information, including:

For each first session activated in the terminal device, if the home network slice information in the first slice information matches the home network slice information associated with the first session, the terminal device will be associated with the first session The slice information of is updated to the first slice information.

Wherein, the home network slice information in the first slice information matches the home network slice information associated with the first session, which can be understood as the two home network slice information are consistent, or satisfy a specific mapping relationship.

For example, the UE roams from the first network to the second network, the first session activated in the UE is a PDU session, and the first slice information allocated by the second network for the first session received by the UE through the configuration update information is available The NSSAI. For each PDU session activated in the UE, if the HPLMN S-NSSAI contained in the allowed NSSAI (for example, the mapped S-NSSAI if available) matches the HPLMN S-NSSAI associated with the PDU session, the UE Locally update the S-NSSAI associated with the PDU session (e.g. S-NSSAIa + mapped S-NSSAI2) to the corresponding S-NSSAI received in the available NSSAI (e.g. S-NSSAIb + mapped S-NSSAI2 )(For each of the PDU session(s)active in the UE,if the allowed NSSAI contains an HPLMN S-NSSAI(e.g.mapped S-NSSAI,if available)matching to the HPLMN S-NSSAI of the PDU session,the UEshall locally update the S-NSSAI associated with the PDU session to the corresponding S-NSSAI received in the allowed NSSAI.).

For example, if the first network is the access network VPLMN1, the S-NSSAI associated with the activated PDU session in VPLMN1 may include the local S-NSSAI of VPLMN1 and the mapped HPLMN S-NSSAI. If the second network is the access network VPLMN2, the available NSSAI associated with the activated PDU session received by the UE through the configuration update information includes the local S-NSSAI of VPLMN2 and the mapped HPLMN S-NSSAI. For another example, if the first network is the home network HPLMN, the S-NSSAI associated with the active PDU session in the HPLMN may include the HPLMN S-NSSAI. If the second network is the access network VPLMN, the available NSSAI associated with the activated PDU session received by the UE through the configuration update information includes the local S-NSSAI of the VPLMN and the mapped HPLMN S-NSSAI.

In an implementation manner, the terminal device updates the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information, including:

If the local slice information of the first slice information is inconsistent with the local slice information associated with the first session, update the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information.

In this embodiment of the application, after receiving the configuration update information, the terminal device may compare whether the local slice information of the first slice information in the configuration update information is consistent with the local slice information associated with one or more locally activated PDU sessions. For example, when a terminal device roams from a first network to a second network, before receiving configuration update information, the slice information associated with one or more PDU sessions includes the local slice information of the first network and the home network slice information of the terminal device . After receiving the configuration update information, the first slice information in the configuration update information includes the local slice information of the second network and the home network slice information of the terminal device. The local slice information of the second network in the first slice information may be compared with the local slice information of the first network in the slice information associated with the first session. If the two are not completely the same, the local slice information of the first slice information is inconsistent with the local slice information associated with the first session.

In an implementation manner, the terminal device updates the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information, including:

If the first slice information is inconsistent with the slice information associated with the first session, update the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information.

In this embodiment of the present application, after receiving the configuration update information, the terminal device may compare whether the first slice information in the configuration update information is consistent with slice information associated with one or more locally activated PDU sessions. If the first slice information is not completely the same as the slice information associated with the first session, the first slice information is inconsistent with the slice information associated with the first session. In this case, the slice information associated with the first session may be updated as the first slice information in the configuration update information.

In one embodiment, when the local slice information of the first slice information is inconsistent with the local slice information associated with the first session, or, when the first slice information is not consistent with the slice associated with the first session In the case of inconsistent information, update the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information, including:

For each first session activated in the terminal device, if the home network slice information in the first slice information matches the home network slice information associated with the first session, and the local slice of the first slice information If the information is inconsistent with the local slice information associated with the first session, the terminal device updates the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information.

In one embodiment, updating the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information includes at least one of the following:

replacing the slice information associated with the first session with the first slice information;

The local slice information in the slice information associated with the first session is replaced with the local slice information in the first slice information.

For example, for each PDU session activated in the UE, if the HPLMNS-NSSAI contained in the allowed NSSAI matches the HPLMN S-NSSAI associated with the PDU session, and the available NSSAI (such as S-NSSAIb+mappedS-NSSAI2 ) is inconsistent with the slice information (such as S-NSSAIa+mapped S-NSSAI2) associated with the PDU session, the UE locally updates the slice information S-NSSAI (such as S-NSSAIa+mapped S-NSSAI2) associated with the PDU session to be in The corresponding S-NSSAI received in the available NSSAI (eg S-NSSAIb+mapped S-NSSAI2).

For another example, for each PDU session activated in the UE, if the HPLMNS-NSSAI contained in the available (allowed) NSSAI matches the HPLMN S-NSSAI associated with the PDU session, and the available NSSAI (such as S-NSSAIb+mappedS- The local slice information S-NSSAI (such as S-NSSAIb) in NSSAI2) is inconsistent with the local slice information S-NSSAI (such as S-NSSAIa) in the slice information (such as S-NSSAIa+mapped S-NSSAI2) associated with the PDU session, Then the UE locally updates the local slice information (such as S-NSSAIa) in the slice information associated with the PDU session to the local slice information (such as S-NSSAIb) received in the available NSSAI.

In one implementation, as shown in FIG. 3 , the slice information configuration method 300 may include at least one step of the method 200, and the method 300 may also include:

S310. The terminal device establishes the first session under the first network, and slice information associated with the first session is slice information of the first network;

S320. When the terminal device roams into the second network and the first session is not released in the active state, the terminal device sends a mobile update registration request, and the mobile update registration request includes slice information associated with the first session The attribution network slice information;

S330. The terminal device receives a mobile update registration response, and sets the home network slice information as pending slice information according to the mobile update registration response.

Specifically, after receiving the mobile update registration request, the second network will allocate available slice information under the current network.

If the home network slice information associated with the first session requested by the UE cannot be directly confirmed whether it is available under the second network, the mobile update registration response returned by the second network to the UE will include setting the home network slice information as a pending slice information, the terminal device may set the slice information associated with the first session as pending slice information according to the mobile update registration response.

In this case, since the second network cannot directly confirm whether the home network slice information associated with the first session is available, the terminal device cannot configure the slice information associated with the first session according to the mobile update registration response.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the slice information configuration method 300 further includes:

S340. The terminal device and the second network perform authentication for the home network slice information. For example, the terminal device sends slice authentication related information to the second network, so as to confirm whether the home network slice information is available on the second network.

After the mobile update registration is completed, the second network will perform an authentication process of pending slice information with the UE. And according to the authentication result, it is confirmed whether the previously configured pending slice information is available or unavailable.

In the embodiment of the present application, when the pending slice is authenticated and confirmed to be available, after the authentication of the second network slice is completed, configuration update information is sent to the terminal device to configure available slice information to the terminal device. The terminal device may execute the method shown in FIG. 2 after receiving the configuration update information, so as to realize the configuration of slice information associated with the first session.

In an example, the UE roams from the HPLMN to the VPLMN1. First, the UE establishes a first session under the HPLMN, and slice information associated with the first session is HPLMN slice information such as HPLMN S-NSSAI2. When the UE roams into VPLMN1 and the first session is not released in the active state, the UE sends a mobile update registration request to VPLMN1, and the mobile update registration request includes the home network slice information in the slice information associated with the first session, Namely HPLMN S-NSSAI2. The UE receives the mobile update registration response of the VPLMN1, and the mobile update registration response is used to set the HPLMN S-NSSAI2 as pending slice information. The network requests the UE to acquire necessary slice authentication-related information, and the UE sends the slice authentication-related information of VPLMN1, so that VPLMN1 can confirm whether the HPLMN S-NSSAI2 is available. If available, the VPLMN1 may configure the first session-associated first slice information in the UE, such as S-NSSAIa+mapped (mapped) S-NSSAI2.

In another example, the UE roams from VPLMN1 to VPLMN2. First, the UE establishes a first session under VPLMN1, and slice information associated with the first session is S-NSSAIa+mapped S-NSSAI2. Wherein, S-NSSAIa is local slice information of the first network, and mapped S-NSSAI2 is mapped slice information, that is, mapped home network slice information. When the UE roams into VPLMN2 and the first session is not released in the active state, the UE sends a mobile update registration request to VPLMN2, and the mobile update registration request includes the home network slice information in the slice information associated with the first session, Namely HPLMNS-NSSAI2. The UE receives the mobile update registration response of the VPLMN2, and the mobile update registration response is used to set the HPLMN S-NSSAI2 as pending slice information. The UE sends the slice authentication related information of the VPLMN2, so that the VPLMN2 can confirm whether the HPLMN S-NSSAI2 is available. If available, the VPLMN2 may configure the first session-associated first slice information in the UE, such as S-NSSAIb+mapped S-NSSAI2. Wherein, S-NSSAIb is local slice information of the second network, and mappedS-NSSAI2 is mapped slice information, that is, mapped home network slice information.

In an implementation manner, the configuration update information is sent by the second network after confirming that the home network slice information is available.

In an embodiment, S110, the terminal device receiving the configuration update information includes: S350, the terminal device receives the configuration update information sent by the second network after confirming that the home network slice information is available.

For example, when the second network such as VPLMN2 confirms that S-NSSAI2 in the first slice information such as S-NSSAIb+mapped S-NSSAI2 is available, it sends configuration update information to the UE. The configuration update information may include S-NSSAIb+mapped S-NSSAI2.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the method 300 further includes:

S360. The terminal device deletes the home network slice information from the pending slice information according to the configuration update information, and sets the first slice information as available slice information.

For example, after receiving the configuration update command, the UE may delete S-NSSAI2 from the pending slice information, and set S-NSSAIb+mapped S-NSSAI2 as available slice information.

After S360, S370 may be executed (refer to S220 in the foregoing method embodiment) to update the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information. For example, the slice information associated with the first session is replaced with the first slice information in the configuration update information such as S-NSSAIb+mapped S-NSSAI2. For another example, the local slice information in the slice information associated with the first session is replaced with the local slice information in the first slice information in the configuration update command, such as S-NSSAIb.

In one embodiment, the configuration update information is carried in a configuration update command (Configuration UpdateCommand). For example, the configuration update command can be used to allow the AMF to update the UE configuration to access parameters related to mobility management by providing new parameter information in the command.

Based on the same technical concept, the embodiment of the present application also provides a terminal device. Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 400 according to an embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 400 may include:

The first receiving unit 410 is configured to receive configuration update information, where the configuration update information includes first slice information;

The processing unit 420 is configured to configure slice information associated with the first session according to the first slice information.

In one embodiment, the processing unit 420 is configured for each first session activated in the terminal device, if the home network slice information in the first slice information is the home network slice information associated with the first session match, update the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information.

In one embodiment, the processing unit 420 is configured to update the slice information associated with the first session when the local slice information of the first slice information is inconsistent with the local slice information associated with the first session is the first slice information.

In one embodiment, the processing unit 420 is configured to update the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information, including at least one of the following:

replacing the slice information associated with the first session with the first slice information;

The local slice information in the slice information associated with the first session is replaced with the local slice information in the first slice information.

In one embodiment, the home network slice information is single network slice selection assistance information S-NSSAI in the home network, and the home network is a local public land mobile network HPLMN.

In one embodiment, the first session is a protocol data unit PDU session activated in the terminal device; the first slice information is available slice information under the network that the terminal device roams into, and the available slice information is available The S-NSSAI.

In an implementation manner, as shown in FIG. 5, the terminal device 500 may include:

A session establishment unit 510, configured for the terminal device to establish the first session under the first network, and the slice information associated with the first session is the slice information of the first network;

The first sending unit 520 is configured to send a mobile update registration request when the terminal device roams into the second network and the first session is not released in the active state, and the mobile update registration request includes the information associated with the first session Home network slice information in the slice information;

The second receiving unit 530 is configured for the terminal device to receive a mobile update registration response, and set the home network slice information as pending slice information according to the mobile update registration response.

In an implementation manner, as shown in FIG. 5, the terminal device 500 may further include:

The authenticating unit 540 is configured to authenticate the home network slice information with the second network. For example, the authentication unit sends slice authentication-related information to the second network, so as to confirm whether the home network slice information is available on the second network.

The terminal device 500 may include one or more units of the terminal device 400 , and for specific functions, refer to related descriptions of the terminal device 400 .

In an implementation manner, the configuration update information is sent by the second network after confirming that the home network slice information is available.

In one embodiment, the processing unit is configured to delete the home network slice information from the pending slice information according to the configuration update information, and set the first slice information as available slice information.

In one embodiment, wherein:

The first network is a home network, and the second network is a visited network; or,

The first network is a first access network, and the second network is a second access network.

In an implementation manner, the configuration update information is carried in a configuration update command.

In the embodiment of the present application, the above units may implement the functions of each unit in the form of software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods may be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only illustrative. For example, the division of modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or It may be integrated into another device, or some features may be omitted, or not implemented. In another point, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units may be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

A unit described as a separate component may or may not be physically separated, and a component shown as a unit may be one physical unit or multiple physical units, which may be located in one place or distributed to multiple different places. Part 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 each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, each unit may exist separately physically, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated units can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units. For example, at least one of the first receiving unit 410, the second receiving unit 530, and the first sending unit 520 of the terminal device may be implemented by a transceiver of the terminal device. At least one of the processing unit 420, the session establishment unit 510, and the authentication unit 540 of the terminal device may be implemented by a processor of the terminal device, or by a processor and a transceiver of the terminal device. Wherein, the processor of the terminal device may call and run the computer program from the memory of the terminal device, so that the terminal device implements the method in the embodiment of the present application. The processor can also control the transceiver of the terminal device to communicate with other devices, specifically, can send information or data to other devices, or receive information or data sent by other devices.

The terminal devices 400 and 500 in this embodiment of the present application can implement the corresponding functions of the terminal devices in the foregoing method 200 and 300 embodiments. For the processes, functions, implementations and beneficial effects corresponding to each module (submodule, unit or component, etc.) in the terminal device 400, 500, refer to the corresponding description in the above method embodiment, and details are not repeated here. It should be noted that the functions described by each module (submodule, unit or component, etc.) in the terminal device 400, 500 of the embodiment of the application can be realized by different modules (submodule, unit or component, etc.), or can be implemented by The same module (submodule, unit or component, etc.) is implemented.

The related art provides a way for mobility to process slice information when a data session exists. But in another important scenario, that is, in the configuration update process, it is also necessary to locally update the slice information associated with the data session. For example, the first network is VPLMN1, and the slice information associated with the data session initiated under the first network includes local slice information S-NSSAIa and mapped slice information mapped S-NSSAI2; the second network is VPLMN2, and the second network is the The slice information allocated by the data session (that is, the first slice information) includes local slice information S-NSSAIa and mapped slice information mapped S-NSSAI2. Referring to Figure 6, the configuration update process may include the following steps:

S601. The UE establishes a data session under VPLMN1 to initiate a data service. The slice information associated with the data service (or data session) is slice information S-NSSAIa+mapping composed of local slice information S-NSSAIa and mapped slice information mapped S-NSSAI2 of VPLMN1. (mapped) S-NSSAI2. The mapped S-NSSAI2 of the UE's mapped slice information may be the UE's home network slice information.

S602. The UE roams into VPLMN2, and the data service (or data session) in the UE is still in the active state and has not been released. Therefore, the UE can request the HPLMN slice information S-NSSAI2 associated with the data session in the mobile update registration request sent to VPLMN2.

S603 and VPLMN2 have no relevant configuration records of S-NSSAI2 before, and further negotiation and slice authentication are required. Therefore, the VPLMN2 may instruct the UE to set the S-NSSAI2 as pending slice information (Pending NSSAI) in the mobile update registration response sent to the UE. After receiving the Mobile Update Registration Response, the UE sets S-NSSAI2 as pending slice information.

S604. Perform a slice authentication process between the network side under VPLMN2 and the UE, request the UE to obtain necessary slice authentication related information, and further confirm that S-NSSAI2 is an available slice under VPLMN2, and configure local slice information S-NSSAIb and The first slice information composed of mapped slice information mapped S-NSSAI2, for example, the first slice information may include a mapping relationship of S-NSSAIb+mapped S-NSSAI2.

S605, VPLMN2 configures a new available slice to the UE through a configuration update command (Configuration Update Command) process. That is, VPLMN2 sends a configuration update command to the UE. The first slice information contained in the configuration update command includes local slice information S-NSSAIb and mapped slice information mapped S-NSSAI2. The configuration update command is used to update the local slice information S-NSSAIb NSSAIb and mapped slice information mapped S-NSSAI2 are configured as available slice information, that is, first slice information.

S606. After the UE receives the configuration update command (Configuration Update Command), it needs to remove S-NSSAI2 from the pending slice information, and the slice information S-NSSAIb and mapped S-NSSAIb allocated for the data session in the configuration update command. NSSAI2 is set to available. And, configure the mapping relationship between S-NSSAIb and mapped S-NSSAI2.

S607. The UE acquires new available slice information included in the configuration update command, where the new available slice information includes HPLMN slice information such as S-NSSAI2. When associating the available slice information with the corresponding slice of the activated data session, if the new available slice information is different from the slice information corresponding to the current data session. The UE needs to locally update the slice information associated with the data session according to the latest available slice information. For example, the UE performs local update according to the latest available slice information, and configures the new slice information, namely S-NSSAIb and mapped S-NSSAI2, to the corresponding data session. After receiving new available slice information during the configuration update process, the UE needs to locally update the slice information associated with the data session.

In one embodiment, according to the relevant description in the above example, after receiving the configuration update command, the UE may perform the following operations according to the available NSSAI included in the configuration update command:

For each PDU session activated in the UE, if the HPLMN S-NSSAI contained in the available NSSAI (e.g. the mapped S-NSSAI if available) matches the HPLMN S-NSSAI associated with that PDU session, the UE shall locally The S-NSSAI associated with this PDU session is updated with the corresponding S-NSSAI received among the allowed NSSAIs.

In roaming and slice authentication scenarios, the slice information associated with the data session can be effectively updated to prevent UE records from inconsistent with the actual network configuration, resulting in various possible abnormalities in the future.

In one embodiment, protocol messages or information elements may not be modified or added, so as to avoid terminal or network element upgrades brought about by protocol upgrades, and the investment cost is small, only need to modify the processing logic of the UE when receiving the configuration update command That's it.

The comparison between the embodiments of the present application and related technologies can be seen in Table 2 below:

Table 2

In the embodiment of the present application, after receiving the configuration update command (Configuration Update Command), the terminal may obtain slice information of the HPLMN included in the new available slice information in the configuration update command. When associating the new available slice information with the corresponding slice information of the activated data session, if the new available slice information is not the same as the slice information corresponding to the current data session, the UE needs to locally update the data session according to the latest available slice information Associated slice information. This embodiment may be applicable to various cross-network roaming scenarios, so as to facilitate the stability of services such as data services.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 700 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 700 includes a processor 710, and the processor 710 can invoke and run a computer program from a memory, so that the communication device 700 implements the method in the embodiment of the present application.

In an implementation manner, the communication device 700 may further include a memory 720 . Wherein, the processor 710 may call and run a computer program from the memory 720, so that the communication device 700 implements the method in the embodiment of the present application.

Wherein, the memory 720 may be an independent device independent of the processor 710 , or may be integrated in the processor 710 .

In one embodiment, the communication device 700 may further include a transceiver 730, and the processor 710 may control the transceiver 730 to communicate with other devices, specifically, to send information or data to other devices, or to receive information sent by other devices. information or data.

Wherein, the transceiver 730 may include a transmitter and a receiver. The transceiver 730 may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more.

In one embodiment, the communication device 700 may be the network device of the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 700 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the methods of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, the Let me repeat.

In an implementation manner, the communication device 700 may be the terminal device of the embodiment of the present application, and the communication device 700 may implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in each method of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, the Let me repeat.

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip 800 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 800 includes a processor 810, and the processor 810 can invoke and run a computer program from a memory, so as to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

In one embodiment, the chip 800 may further include a memory 820 . Wherein, the processor 810 may invoke and run a computer program from the memory 820, so as to implement the method performed by the terminal device or the network device in the embodiment of the present application.

Wherein, the memory 820 may be an independent device independent of the processor 810 , or may be integrated in the processor 810 .

In an implementation manner, the chip 800 may further include an input interface 830 . Wherein, the processor 810 may control the input interface 830 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically, may obtain information or data sent by other devices or chips.

In an implementation manner, the chip 800 may further include an output interface 840 . Wherein, the processor 810 can control the output interface 840 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically, can output information or data to other devices or chips.

In one embodiment, the chip can be applied to the network device in the embodiment of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the network device in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here. .

In one embodiment, the chip can be applied to the terminal device in the embodiment of the present application, and the chip can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the terminal device in the various methods of the embodiment of the present application. For the sake of brevity, no further details are given here. .

Chips applied to network devices and terminal devices may be the same chip or different chips.

It should be understood that the chip mentioned in the embodiment of the present application may also be called a system-on-chip, a system-on-chip, a system-on-a-chip, or a system-on-a-chip.

The processor mentioned above may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an off-the-shelf programmable gate array (field programmable gate array, FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other Programmable Logic Devices, Transistor Logic Devices, Discrete Hardware Components, etc. Wherein, the general-purpose processor mentioned above may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor or the like.

The aforementioned memories may be volatile memories or nonvolatile memories, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memories. Among them, the 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 programmable Erases programmable read-only memory (electrically EPROM, EEPROM) or flash memory. The volatile memory may be random access memory (random access memory, RAM).

It should be understood that the above-mentioned memory is illustrative but not restrictive. For example, the memory in the embodiment of the present application may also be a static random access memory (static RAM, SRAM), a 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 connection Dynamic random access memory (synch link DRAM, SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (Direct Rambus RAM, DR RAM), etc. That is, the memory in the embodiments of the present application is intended to include, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 900 according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 900 includes a terminal device 910 and a network device 920 .

Wherein, the terminal device 910 may be used to realize the corresponding functions realized by the terminal device in the above method, and the network device 920 may be used to realize the corresponding functions realized by the network device in the above method. For the sake of brevity, details are not repeated here.

In the above embodiments, all or part of them may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on the computer, the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application will be generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transferred from a website, computer, server, or data center by wire (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (Digital Subscriber Line, DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or a data center integrated with one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (such as a solid state disk (Solid State Disk, SSD)) and the like.

It should be understood that, in various embodiments of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined by their functions and internal logic, and should not be used in the embodiments of the present application. The implementation process constitutes any limitation.

Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of the description, the specific working process of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

The above is only the specific implementation of the application, but the scope of protection of the application is not limited thereto. Anyone familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the application, and should covered within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (27)

1. A slice information configuration method, comprising: The terminal device receives configuration update information, where the configuration update information includes first slice information; The terminal device configures slice information associated with the first session according to the first slice information. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device updates slice information associated with the first session according to the first slice information, comprising: For each first session activated in the terminal device, if the home network slice information in the first slice information matches the home network slice information associated with the first session, the terminal device will communicate with the The slice information associated with the first session is updated to the first slice information. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the terminal device updating slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information comprises: If the local slice information of the first slice information is inconsistent with the local slice information associated with the first session, updating the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information. 4. The method according to claim 3, updating the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information, comprising at least one of the following: replacing slice information associated with the first session with the first slice information; replacing the local slice information in the slice information associated with the first session with the local slice information in the first slice information. 5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the home network slice information is the single network slice selection assistance information S-NSSAI in the home network, and the home network is a local public land mobile network HPLMN. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first session is a protocol data unit (PDU) session activated in the terminal device; the first slice information is a session of the terminal device Available slice information under the network entered by roaming, where the available slice information includes available NSSAI. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the method further comprises: The terminal device establishes the first session under the first network, and slice information associated with the first session is slice information of the first network; When the terminal device roams into the second network and the first session is not released in the active state, the terminal device sends a mobile update registration request, and the mobile update registration request includes the information associated with the first session Home network slice information in the slice information; The terminal device receives a mobile update registration response, and sets the home network slice information as pending slice information according to the mobile update registration response. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises: The terminal device performs authentication with the second network on the home network slice information. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the configuration update information is sent by the second network after confirming that the home network slice information is available. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises: The terminal device sets the first slice information as available slice information according to the configuration update information. 11. A method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein: The first network is a home network, and the second network is a visited network; or, The first network is a first access network, and the second network is a second access network. 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the configuration update information is carried in a configuration update command. 13. A terminal device, comprising: a first receiving unit, configured to receive configuration update information, where the configuration update information includes first slice information; A processing unit, configured to configure slice information associated with the first session according to the first slice information. 14. The terminal device according to claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to, for each first session activated in the terminal device, if the home network slice information in the first slice information is consistent with the If the home network slice information associated with the first session matches, update the slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information. 15. The terminal device according to claim 14, wherein the processing unit is configured to, when the local slice information of the first slice information is inconsistent with the local slice information associated with the first session, combine The slice information associated with the first session is updated to the first slice information. 16. The terminal device according to claim 15, the processing unit is configured to update slice information associated with the first session to the first slice information, comprising at least one of the following: replacing slice information associated with the first session with the first slice information; replacing the local slice information in the slice information associated with the first session with the local slice information in the first slice information. 17. The terminal device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the home network slice information is the single network slice selection assistance information S-NSSAI in the home network, and the home network is a local public land mobile Network HPLMN. 18. The terminal device according to any one of claims 13 to 17, wherein the first session is a protocol data unit (PDU) session activated in the terminal device; the first slice information is the terminal Available slice information under the network into which the device roams, where the available slice information includes available NSSAI. 19. The terminal device according to any one of claims 13 to 18, wherein the terminal device further comprises: a session establishing unit, configured for the terminal device to establish the first session under the first network, and the slice information associated with the first session is the slice information of the first network; The first sending unit is configured to send a mobile update registration request when the terminal device roams into the second network and the first session is not released in the active state, and the mobile update registration request includes the first The home network slice information in the slice information associated with the session; The second receiving unit is configured for the terminal device to receive a mobile update registration response, and set the home network slice information as pending slice information according to the mobile update registration response. 20. The terminal device according to claim 19, wherein the terminal device further comprises: An authenticating unit, configured to perform authentication with the second network on the home network slice information. 21. The terminal device according to claim 20, wherein the configuration update information is sent by the second network after confirming that the home network slice information is available. 22. The terminal device according to claim 21, wherein the processing unit is configured to, according to the configuration update information, delete the home network slice information from the pending slice information, and save the first slice info is set to available tile info. 23. A terminal device according to any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein: The first network is a home network, and the second network is a visited network; or, The first network is a first access network, and the second network is a second access network. 24. The terminal device according to any one of claims 13 to 23, wherein the configuration update information is carried in a configuration update command. 25. A terminal device, comprising: a processor and a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program, the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the terminal device performs the process described in claim 1 The method described in any one of to 12. 26. A chip, comprising: a processor for invoking and running a computer program from a memory, so that a device installed with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12. 27. A computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which causes the device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 when the computer program is executed by a device.

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