CN115942404A

CN115942404A - Session establishment and control method and device

Info

Publication number: CN115942404A
Application number: CN202210006397.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 李丽丝; 王弘; 许丽香
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-04
Filing date: 2022-01-05
Publication date: 2023-04-07

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a session establishing and controlling method, a session establishing and controlling device, electronic equipment and a computer readable storage medium, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: the first node receiving information related to network slice resource usage from the second node; when the network slice resources corresponding to the requested PDU session are not supported or insufficient, the first node allocates other available resources for the requested PDU session in consideration of the above information. The method provided by the embodiment of the application can realize the enhancement of the network slice, better utilize the network slice and allocate reasonable resources for the network slice, ensure the continuity and quality of the service in the available limited network resources and better meet the actual application requirements.

Description

Session establishment and control method and device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications technologies, and in particular, to a session establishment and control method and device.

Background

In order to meet the increasing demand for wireless data communication services since the deployment of 4G communication systems, efforts have been made to develop improved 5G or quasi-5G communication systems. Accordingly, the 5G or quasi-5G communication system is also referred to as a "super 4G network" or a "post-LTE system".

Wireless communication is one of the most successful innovations in modern history. The number of subscribers to wireless communication services exceeds 50 billion and continues to grow rapidly. Due to the increasing popularity of smart phones and other mobile data devices (e.g., tablet computers, notebook computers, netbooks, e-book readers, and machine type devices) among consumers and businesses, the demand for wireless data services is growing rapidly. To meet the high-speed growth of mobile data services and support new applications and deployments, it is important to improve radio interface efficiency and coverage.

With the development of networks, the connectivity and mobility of mobile communication networks have promoted the transformation and innovation of manufacturing, transportation, energy and public service, health care and other industries, and strong demands for wireless communication will emerge in the vertical market. These different vertical services bring extensive performance requirements in terms of throughput, capacity, delay, mobility, reliability, location accuracy, etc. To provide demand-based quality of service for different demand services, network slices are introduced into a mobile communication network, a network slice being an end-to-end logical slice, each slice having different QoS (quality of service) requirements and serving different services and users. How to better utilize the network slice and allocate reasonable resources for the network slice, and in available limited network resources, ensuring the continuity and quality of service is an important development direction for enhancing the network slice.

Disclosure of Invention

The purpose of the application is to solve at least one of the technical defects in the existing communication mode, further improve the communication mode and better meet the actual communication requirement. In order to achieve the purpose, the technical scheme provided by the application is as follows:

in a first aspect, a session establishment method is provided, where the method includes:

the first node receiving information related to network slice resource usage from the second node;

when the network slice resources corresponding to the requested PDU session are not supported or insufficient, the first node allocates other available resources for the requested PDU session in consideration of the information.

In a second aspect, a session establishment method is provided, and the method includes:

the first node transmits related information for restricting network slicing to a User Equipment (UE), and when the UE is scheduled, the first node transmits related information for instructing to perform restricting network slicing to the UE.

In a third aspect, a session establishment method is provided, where the method includes:

the first node determines network slice information requested by the user equipment UE and supported by the fourth node;

the first node sends network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node to the second node.

In a fourth aspect, a session establishment method is provided, the method including:

the first node receives information from the second node indicating that PDU session resources need to be established on the secondary node;

the first node sends a request message to the fourth node relating to the addition or modification by the secondary node.

In a fifth aspect, a session establishment method is provided, where the method includes:

the second node receives network slice information which is sent by the first node and requested by the UE and is supported by the fourth node;

determining allowed network slice selection assistance information NSSAI for the UE or reallocating allowed NSSAI according to network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node.

In a sixth aspect, a session establishment method is provided, where the method includes:

the method comprises the steps that User Equipment (UE) receives related information which is sent by a first node and used for limiting network slices;

when a first node schedules UE, the UE receives related information which is sent by the first node and used for indicating to execute network slicing limitation;

and the UE executes uplink scheduling processing according to the relevant information for limiting the network slice and the relevant information for indicating execution of limiting the network slice.

In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, where the electronic device includes a processor and a memory, where the processor and the memory are connected to each other, and a computer program is stored in the memory, and when the processor runs the computer program, the processor performs the method provided in any optional embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the electronic device may be a user equipment, and the processor, when executing the computer program, may perform the communication method performed by the UE provided in any optional embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the electronic device is a base station, and the processor executes the communication method executed by the base station provided in any optional embodiment of the present application when running the computer program.

Optionally, the electronic device is a node device of a core network, and the processor executes the communication method executed by the node device of the core network provided in any optional embodiment of the present application when running the computer program.

In an eighth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to perform the method provided in any optional embodiment of the present application.

The advantageous effects brought by the provided technical solutions will be described in the following with reference to specific alternative embodiments, which will not be described herein.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments of the present application will be briefly described below.

Fig. 1 is an exemplary system architecture diagram of a System Architecture Evolution (SAE) provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is another exemplary system architecture diagram provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3A is a schematic process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3B is a schematic process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4A1 is a schematic process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4A2 is a schematic process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4A3 is a schematic process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4B is a schematic process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is a schematic process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7A is a schematic process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7B is a schematic process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application;

fig. 11 is a process diagram of a session establishment and control method according to another embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are exemplary only for the purpose of explaining the present application and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", "the" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. Further, "connected" or "coupled" as used herein may include wirelessly connected or wirelessly coupled. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes all or any element and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Figures 1 through 10, discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged system or device.

Fig. 1 is an exemplary system architecture 100 for System Architecture Evolution (SAE). A User Equipment (UE) 101 is a terminal device for receiving data. An evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) 102 is a radio access network that includes macro base stations (eNodeB/NodeB) that provide access to a radio network interface for UEs. Mobility Management Entity (MME) 103 is responsible for managing mobility context, session context, and security information for the UE. Serving Gateway (SGW) 104 mainly provides the functions of the user plane, and MME 103 and SGW 104 may be in the same physical entity. A packet data network gateway (PGW) 105 is responsible for charging, lawful interception, etc., and may also be in the same physical entity as the SGW 104. A Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 106 provides quality of service (QoS) policy and charging criteria. The general packet radio service support node (SGSN) 108 is a network node device in the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) that provides routing for the transmission of data. The Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 109 is the home subsystem of the UE and is responsible for protecting user information including the current location of the user equipment, the address of the serving node, user security information, the packet data context of the user equipment, etc.

Fig. 2 is an exemplary system architecture 200 in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments of the system architecture 200 can be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

A User Equipment (UE) 201 is a terminal device used to receive data. The next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) 202 is a radio access network comprising base stations (gbb or eNB connected to the 5G core network 5GC, also called NG-gbb) providing access to radio network interfaces for UEs. An access control and mobility management function (AMF) 203 is responsible for managing the mobility context of the UE, and security information. A user plane functional entity (UPF) 204 mainly provides the functions of the user plane. The session management function entity SMF205 is responsible for session management. The Data Network (DN) 206 contains services such as the operator, access to the internet, and services for third parties.

With the development of wireless technology, in the 5G architecture, the functional modules originally located on the same base station are separated. Some functional modules are closer and closer to users, and other modules are pool-assembled and virtualized for centralized deployment. That is, the base station may be divided into two parts, one of which is a Central Control Unit (CU) and the other of which is a Distribution Unit (DU). The DU is closer to the user, and the CU is far away from the antenna, so that multi-antenna connection can be supported, and the network performance is improved. One CU may connect multiple DUs and the functions on the CU may be virtualized. CU and DU are connected via an F1 interface, which is also called fronthaul interface or fronthaul connection. The functions of RRC (Radio Resource Control), PDCP (Packet Data Convergence Protocol) are implemented on the CU, and the functions of RLC (Radio Link Control), MAC (Media Access Control), and physical layer are implemented on the DU.

The following describes the technical solutions of the present application and how to solve the above technical problems with specific embodiments. The following several specific embodiments may be combined with each other, and details of the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. Embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The text and figures in the following description are provided by way of example only to assist the reader in understanding the present disclosure. They are not intended, nor should they be construed, as limiting the scope of the disclosure in any way. While certain embodiments and examples have been provided, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art, based on the disclosure herein, that changes can be made in the embodiments and examples shown without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

With the development of networks, the connectivity and mobility of mobile communication networks have promoted the transformation and innovation of industries such as manufacturing, transportation, energy and public services, and medical care, and strong demand for wireless communication will emerge in the vertical market. These different vertical services bring extensive performance requirements in terms of throughput, capacity, delay, mobility, reliability, location accuracy, etc. To provide demand-based quality of service for different demand services, network slices are introduced into mobile communication networks, a network slice being an end-to-end logical slice, each slice having different QoS (quality of service) requirements and serving different services and users. How to better utilize the network slice and allocate reasonable resources to the network slice, and in available limited network resources, ensuring the continuity and quality of service is an important development direction for enhancing the network slice.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned problem, in order to achieve network slice enhancement, so as to better utilize a network slice and allocate a reasonable resource for the network slice, and ensure service continuity and service quality in an available limited network resource, embodiments of the present application provide a session establishment and control method, which is respectively improved from three aspects of slice resource reselection, slice rate limitation, and network slice that cannot support a primary node and a secondary node simultaneously in a dual connectivity situation, and the implementation of the method is described in detail below with reference to fig. 3A to 8.

First, the session establishment and control method provided by the present disclosure can solve the problem of slice resource reselection. The following provides a detailed description of a session establishment and control method in conjunction with fig. 3A through 4B.

Example one

Fig. 3A illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted here. The method can comprise the following steps:

step 3a01, the first node receives information related to network slice resource usage from the second node.

For example: the first node receives a related message for requesting a PDU (Protocol Data Unit, referred to as a Protocol Data Unit, or a packed Date Unit, referred to as a packet Data Unit) session resource or a related message for requesting a UE context setup from the second node. And if the message is the related message for requesting the UE context establishment, the related message comprises the information related to the network slice resource use. The requested PDU session resources may be resources required for the establishment of the PDU session or may be resources required for the modification of the PDU session, if it is a related message for requesting the PDU session resources. The related message includes: single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) for a PDU session to be established or modified, and/or information related to network slice resource usage.

In the embodiments of the present application, the PDU session refers to a logical channel for providing an end-to-end user plane connection between a UE and a data network. In the embodiment of the present application, a PDU session includes at least one QoS flow, which may also refer to a bearer or a logical channel.

Optionally, the information related to network slice resource usage may be at least one of the following information:

for restricting network slices while using the related information;

information related to limiting network slice usage time;

information related to a place for restricting use of the network slice;

information related to limiting the frequency of use of the network slice;

relevant information for pre-preempting network slice resources;

information about whether dedicated network slice resources can be used.

And 3A02, the first node allocates resources according to the received information.

Specifically, when the first node allocates resources for the PDU session requested to be established, or when the network slice is overloaded and needs to reallocate resources, the S-NSSAI in the message is considered. When the first node or the first node' S cell does not support the S-NSSAI or the network slice resources corresponding to the S-NSSAI are not available (e.g., slice resources are overloaded or resources are insufficient), the first node allocates other available resources to the PDU session in consideration of information related to network slice resource usage.

For example: the first node may consider whether resources corresponding to other S-NSSAIs can be allocated according to restriction information in the information on network slice resource usage. If no other resources corresponding to the S-NSSAI are available, the first node can preempt the resources corresponding to the other S-NSSAI according to the related information of whether the network slice resources can be preempted or not; or, determining whether the resource corresponding to the dedicated S-NSSAI can be used according to the relevant information of whether the dedicated network slice resource is used.

In this embodiment, allocating resources may be considered a type of slice resource remapping.

In this embodiment, the first node may be a base station or a core network node or a DU (distributed unit) of a base station or a CU-UP (central unit-user plane) of a base station. The second node may be a core network node or a base station or a CU (central unit) or a CU-CP (central unit-control unit). The core network node may be an SMF or an AMF.

As an example, according to the specific implementation of the first node and the second node, the first node receiving the message for requesting PDU session establishment or modification from the second node may be implemented by any one of the following:

the base station as a first node receives the message from a core network node as a second node;

the second base station as the first node receives the message from the first base station as the second node, for example: the source base station sends the information to a target base station or a main base station and sends the information to an auxiliary base station;

the second core network node acting as the first node receives the message from the first core network node acting as the second node, for example: the source core network node sends the information to the target core network node;

receiving, by a core network node as a first node, the message from a base station as a second node;

the DU as the first node receives the message from the CU as the second node;

the CU-UP as the first node receives the message from the CU-CP as the second node.

As an example, according to a specific implementation manner of the first node and the second node, the message may be any one of the following:

an initial UE context setup request message (in case the first node is a base station, the second node is a core network node);

PDU session resource setup request message (in case the first node is a base station, the second node is a core network node);

a handover request message (in case that the first node is a destination base station and the second node is a core network node, or the first node is a destination base station and the second node is a source base station);

a secondary node addition request message (in case the second node is a secondary base station, the first node is a primary base station);

a handover required message (in case that the first node is a source core network node and the second node is a source base station);

a path switching request confirmation message (in case that the first node is a destination base station and the second node is a core network node);

creating a UE context request message (in case the first node is a destination core network node and the second node is a source core network node);

UE context setup request message or UE context modification request message (in case the first node is DU, the second node is CU);

bearer context setup request message or bearer context modification request message (in case the first node is CU-UP, the second node is CU-CP).

It should be understood that the above examples are illustrative only and should not be construed as limiting any of the embodiments of the present application.

And 3A03, the first node sends a message for feeding back the allocated resources to the second node.

The message for feeding back the resource allocation comprises the resource allocated for the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session. The resource may be other available resources, that is, when the requested PDU session resource is not supported or insufficient, the first node may allocate other available resources for the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session to ensure service continuity and quality of service (QoS) requirements, taking into account information related to network slice resource usage.

By the session establishment and control method provided by the disclosure, in the process of UE switching or session establishment, when the requested network slice resources are insufficient or the network slice is not supported, in order to ensure the continuity and QoS of the service, the network can preferentially allocate the ongoing session to the most appropriate resources, and when the most appropriate resources are not available, the most effort can be made to serve the UE. Meanwhile, the method can feed back the adjusted resource configuration result to the node initiating the session, and is beneficial to the operator to have more flexible charging strategy, better slice or service resource optimization control, and switching optimization or load balancing.

Example two

Fig. 3B illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted here. The method can comprise the following steps:

in step 3B01, the first node sends information about the allocated other available resources to the second node or the sixth node.

The information related to the allocated other available resources is information related to other available resources selected by the first node according to configuration (such as configuration information for network slice resource usage and/or slice mapping policy, etc.) and self resource usage, and the other available resources are not resources requested in the requested PDU session. That is, the requested PDU session resource is a, and the first node cannot allocate resource a for the PDU session according to the configuration and the resource usage of itself, so resource B can be selected to be allocated to the PDU session.

Optionally, the information related to the allocated other available resources sent to the second node may be at least one of the following information:

means for indicating other available resources allocated for the PDU session or QoS flows in the PDU session;

indicating the PDU conversation or the S-NSSAI corresponding to other available resources distributed by the QoS flow in the PDU conversation;

the resource type corresponding to other available resources is used for indicating the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session is allocated;

time information indicating that other available resources allocated to the PDU session or a QoS flow in the PDU session are used;

a data amount indicating that other available resources allocated to the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session are used;

information indicating that the PDU session or a QoS flow in the PDU session is allocated other available resources.

The information related to the allocated other available resources sent to the sixth node may be at least one of:

the statistical network slice uses the report information of other available resources;

relevant information indicating the status of other available resources being used.

As an example, the first node may be one of: a base station, a core network node, a DU of a base station, a CU-UP of a base station, a CU-CP of a base station. The second node may be one of: a core network node, a base station, a CU of the base station, a CU-CP of the base station, a DU of the base station and a CU-CP of the base station. The core network node may be an SMF or an AMF. The sixth node may be a base station, for example: when the first node is a base station, the sixth node is a neighboring base station of the first node.

According to the specific implementation modes of the first node and the second node, the information sent by the first node to the second node is implemented by any one of the following modes:

the information is sent by a base station as a first node to a core network node as a second node;

the information is sent by the second base station as the first node to the first base station as the second node, for example: the target base station sends the information to the source base station or the auxiliary base station and sends the information to the main base station;

the information is sent by the second core network node acting as the first node to the first core network node acting as the second node, for example: the destination core network node sends the destination core network node to the source core network node;

the information is sent by the DU as a first node to the CU as a second node;

the information is sent to a CU-CP as a second node as a first node CU-UP;

the information is sent by the CU as the first node to the DU as the second node;

the information is sent by the CU-CP as the first node to the CU-UP as the second node.

an initial UE context setup feedback message (in case the first node is a base station, the second node is a core network node);

PDU session resource setup feedback message (in case the first node is a base station, the second node is a core network node);

a handover request acknowledgement message (in the case that the first node is a destination base station and the second node is a core network node, or the first node is a destination base station and the second node is a source base station);

the secondary node adds a request acknowledge message (in case the second node is a secondary base station, the first node is a primary base station);

a handover requirement confirmation message (in case that the first node is a source core network node and the second node is a source base station);

a path switching request message (in case that the first node is a destination base station and the second node is a core network node);

creating a UE context feedback message (in case the first node is a destination core network node and the second node is a source core network node);

UE context setup feedback message or UE context modification feedback message (in case the first node is DU, the second node is CU);

bearer context setup feedback message or bearer context modification feedback message (in case the first node is CU-UP, the second node is CU-CP);

UE context setup request message or UE context modify request message (in case the first node is CU and the second node is DU);

bearer context setup request message or bearer context modification request message (in case the first node is CU-CP, second node CU-UP).

And 3B02, the second node receives the information related to the other allocated available resources.

As an example, according to a specific implementation manner of the first node and the second node, after the second node receives the information related to the allocated other available resources, one of the following schemes may be performed:

scheme 1: if the second node is a CU and the first node is a DU, or the second node is a CU-CP and the first node is a CU-UP, the second node receives the information and forwards the information to the core network node or another base station, so that the core network node performs charging according to the usage of resources, or another base station performs handover decision and optimization in consideration of the information.

Scheme 2: if the second node is a core network node, the core network node may consider the information for charging, such as charging based on slice resource usage, but not limited to this.

Scheme 3: if the second node is a base station, the base station considers the information, and has the following use methods:

the first use method comprises the following steps: for handover decision optimization, such as when the second node has multiple candidate target cells, the source cell may decide the target cell for the UE according to whether the target cell uses other resources or the type of use of other resources, but is not limited thereto.

The second using method comprises the following steps: for mobility robustness optimization, for example, the target cell uses slice resource remapping for a specific slice multiple times, the target cell may indicate relevant information (such as the number or time) of the slice resource remapping to the source cell, and the source cell may consider the information of the slice resource remapping when making a handover decision, so as to select the most suitable and best target cell for the UE.

The third use method comprises the following steps: the method is used for load balancing, when two base station nodes exchange resource state information, the resource state corresponding to each network slice can be exchanged, if the resource of the network slice is used by other network slices, the use condition and the resource state of the network slices can be transmitted to the adjacent base station together, so that the adjacent base station can make a better load balancing decision, and the best service is provided for the UE.

That is, if the second node is a DU or CU-UP, the DU and/or CU-UP needs to consider the information when performing network slicing rate limiting, such as: the second node needs to know the S-NSSAI corresponding to the other available resources allocated to the PDU session, so that when allocating resources and scheduling for the DRBs or logical channels corresponding to the PDU session, the Maximum Bit Rate (MBR) limit corresponding to the S-NSSAI corresponding to the other available resources is considered, and if the sum of the rates of all DRBs or logical channels corresponding to the S-NSSAI exceeds the MBR, the second node may perform admission control or rate control on the traffic in the PDU session using the other available resources.

By the session establishment and control method provided by the disclosure, in the process of UE switching or session establishment, when the requested network slice resources are insufficient or the network slice is not supported, in order to ensure the continuity and QoS of the service, the network can preferentially allocate the ongoing session to the most appropriate resource, and when the most appropriate resource is not available, the UE can be served as best as possible. Meanwhile, the method can feed back the adjusted resource configuration result to the node initiated by the session, and is beneficial to an operator to more flexibly carry out charging strategy, better carry out slicing or service resource optimization control, and carry out switching optimization or load balancing.

EXAMPLE III

Fig. 4A1 illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted here. The method can comprise the following steps:

step 4A01, the second node sends a relevant message for requesting PDU session resources or a relevant message for UE context establishment to the first node. Wherein, if the message is related to the request of the PDU session resource, the message can be a message for requesting the PDU session establishment or modification.

The first node may be a base station and the second node may be a core network node or a base station. For example, the following cases may be included:

1. if the first node is a base station and the second node is a core network node, the message may be a UE context setup request message or a handover request message;

2. if the first node and the second node are both base stations, the message may be a handover request message sent by the source base station to the destination base station, or a secondary node addition message sent by the primary base station to the secondary base station.

It should be understood that the above examples are illustrative only and should not be construed as limiting any of the embodiments of the present application. Information relating to network slice resource usage may be included in the message.

Optionally, the information may be at least one of the following information:

1) Limiting network slices while using the relevant information.

For example: the Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group may be a Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group NSSRG (Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group), where the Network Slice Simultaneous Registration Group is used to indicate whether a certain UE may use the Network slices simultaneously, and if two Network slices are not in the same NSSRG, it indicates that the UE cannot use the two Network slices simultaneously.

When one of the following conditions is satisfied, the first node considers the relevant information (such as NSSRG) for limiting the network slice to be used simultaneously, and determines whether the PDU session can use the resources corresponding to other S-NSSAIs.

Condition 1: when the first node needs to establish the PDU session requested by the UE, the S-NSSAI corresponding to the PDU session requested to be established is not supported by the first node, or the network slice resource corresponding to the PDU session requested to be established is insufficient;

condition 2: the network slice resources corresponding to the established PDU session are insufficient.

The resources corresponding to the other available S-NSSAIs and the network slice being used by the UE are in the same NSSRG.

For example, there are two requested PDU sessions, PDU session 1, requesting to use network slice 1; PDU session 2, requesting to use network slice 2. When the first node does not support network slice 1 or the resources corresponding to network slice 1 are insufficient, the first node may consider selecting resources of other network slices to PDU session 1, for example, the first node may consider resources corresponding to network slice 3, but needs to consider the limitation of NSSRG at the same time, if network slice 3 and network slice 1 or 2 are not in the same NSSRG, which indicates that network slice 3 cannot be used simultaneously with network slice 1 or 2, then the first node cannot allocate resources corresponding to network slice 3 to PDU session 1.

2) Information related to limiting the time of use of the network slice.

For example: may be a network slice ID and the ID may or may not correspond to a specific time or time interval in which it may or may not be used. The network slice ID may be one or more S-NSSAIs, and the time-related information may be time information allowed to be used or time information not allowed to be used.

When one of the following conditions is satisfied, the first node may consider information related to limiting the usage time of the network slice when selecting other available resources, may select resources corresponding to other network slices that are allowed to be used at the current time, or may not select resources corresponding to other network slices that are not allowed to be used at the current time.

3) Information related to a place for restricting the use of the network slice.

For example: may be a network slice ID and the ID may or may not correspond to geo-location related information. The network slice ID may be one or more S-NSSAIs, and the geographical location related information may be a cell list or a tracking area list, or a specific geographical coordinate range. The location-related information may be geographical position-related information that is allowed to be used or geographical position-related information that is not allowed to be used.

When one of the following conditions is met, the first node may consider information related to locations for limiting the use of the network slice when selecting other available resources, and may select resources corresponding to other network slices that are allowed to be used according to the current location of the UE, or may not select resources corresponding to other network slices that are not allowed to be used at the current location.

4) Information related to limiting the frequency of use of the network slice.

For example: may be a network slice ID and the ID corresponds to information that may or may not use frequency correlation. The network slice ID may be one or more S-NSSAIs, and the frequency-related information may be frequency information that is allowed to be used or frequency information that is not allowed to be used.

When one of the following conditions is satisfied, the first node may select a frequency resource supported by the first node and/or supported by a neighboring base station of the first node, select a frequency resource allowed to be used, or not select a frequency resource not allowed to be used, in consideration of information related to restricting the network slice using frequency when the first node selects other available resources.

5) And the related information used for pre-preempting the network slice resource.

For example: a network slice ID, such as S-NSSAI, and at least one of the following information may be included: the resource priority corresponding to the S-NSSAI, whether the S-NSSAI can preempt other network slice resources, whether the resource corresponding to the S-NSSAI can be preempted by other network slice resources and the like.

When the network slice is not supported by the first node or the resources on the first node are insufficient, the first node determines whether the network slice can (or can not) preempt other network slice resources according to whether the network slice can preempt the information in other network slice resources, if so, the first node compares the resource priority corresponding to the network slice with the resource priority corresponding to other network slices according to the resource priority corresponding to the network slice, and preempts the resources corresponding to other network slices with lower priority than the network slice;

or when another network slice wants to preempt the resource corresponding to the network slice, the first node needs to consider whether the network slice can be preempted by another network slice, if so, the resource of the network slice can be preempted, and if not, the resource corresponding to the network slice cannot be preempted.

6) Information about whether dedicated network slice resources can be used.

For example: may include at least one of the following information: information on whether dedicated network slice resources can be used, usage restrictions, etc.

When one of the following conditions is met, the first node considers whether the network slice can use the special network slice resource or not when other available resources are selected, if so, the special network slice resource can be used, and if not, the special network slice resource cannot be used; there are also limitations, such as time limitations, quality (QoS) limitations, if there is usage time limitation information, i.e. if dedicated network slice resources can be used.

That is, the first node receives information related to network slice resource usage, when the network slice corresponding to the requested PDU session is not supported by or is scarce on the first node, the first node may select other available resources for the PDU session, the first node may consider information related to network slice resource usage when selecting other available resources, may consider multiple items of information simultaneously (e.g., considering time and geographical constraints simultaneously) if there are multiple items of information in the configuration information, or may consider each item of information separately.

It should be understood that the above illustration is only an example and should not be construed as any limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

Step 4a06, the first node sends a message for resource feedback to the second node.

Wherein, the message for resource feedback may include: a message for PDU session setup feedback or a message for PDU session modification feedback.

1. if the first node is a base station and the second node is a core network node, the message may be a PDU session setup feedback message, or a path switch request message, or a data usage report message.

2. If the first node and the second node are both base stations, the message may be a handover request confirm message, or a secondary node addition request confirm message or a data usage report message.

Optionally, the message may include information related to the allocated other available resources, and the information related to the allocated other available resources may be at least one of the following information:

means for indicating other available resources allocated to the PDU session or QoS flow in the PDU session, such as: information that may be carrier aggregation, multi-RAT-dual link MR-DC, slice remapping, or slice resource remapping, or in more detail, indicating whether dedicated resources are used or other network slice resources are preempted, etc.;

the S-NSSAI corresponding to other available resources indicating that the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session is allocated may be one or more S-NSSAIs;

a resource type corresponding to other available resources is allocated for the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session, where the resource type may be a physical layer resource (e.g., a frequency resource), a transmission resource and/or a hardware resource, a DRB resource, and/or a number of RRC connection users, etc.;

time information indicating that other available resources allocated to the PDU session or to a QoS flow in the PDU session are used, the time information may use start and/or end times of the other available resources, or a length of time used;

the data amount used for indicating that the PDU session or other available resources allocated to the QoS flow in the PDU session are used may be uplink or downlink data amount.

Reports indicating that a statistical network slice uses other available resources, such as the number of times, time, and/or amount of data that other network slice resources were used;

and the information is used for indicating the states of the other available resources used, and the information can be information such as the resource capacity or the resource capacity ratio used by the other network slices corresponding to each network slice, and/or whether the resources used by the other network slices can be preempted, and/or the time of the resources used by the other network slices.

And the second node receives the message for resource feedback. According to the specific implementation manner of the second node, after the second node receives the message and the information, one of the following schemes may be performed:

1. if the second node is a core network node, the second node may charge the UE according to the information, for example according to the other resource used, and/or resources of other network slices used (i.e. network slice based charging), and/or based on time of use of other resources, and/or based on data volume of use of other resources.

2. If the second node is a base station, the second node may make a handover decision, handover optimization, and/or load balancing based on the information, or forward the information to a core network node for charging.

1) If the second node is used for handover decision (for example, in CHO conditional handover) and there are multiple candidate target cells, the second node is used as the source base station in handover, and the most suitable target cell can be selected for the UE to be handed over according to the feedback information such as the usage mode of other resources, the resource type, and the like.

2) The second node may consider the statistical network slice using reports of other available resources when considering candidate or destination cells, if used for handover optimization (e.g., mobility robustness optimization, MRO).

For example: when other UE needs to execute switching, whether a target cell of other available resources is frequently or long-time used in a candidate adjacent base station is checked according to the S-NSSAI corresponding to the PDU session requested by the UE, and if the S-NSSAI frequently or long-time uses other available resources in the adjacent base station and/or the cell, the second node does not select the cell on the adjacent base station as the candidate cell or the target cell, so that the most appropriate target cell can be selected for the UE to provide continuous service, and unnecessary network signaling overhead can be reduced.

3) If the second node is used for load balancing, the second node can better determine the load balancing according to the resource state use condition corresponding to each network slice provided by the adjacent base station, including the condition that the resource corresponding to the network slice is used by other network slices, and provide the best service for all users as far as possible.

By the session establishment and control method provided by the disclosure, in the process of UE switching or session establishment, when the requested network slice resources are insufficient or the network slice is not supported, in order to ensure the continuity and QoS of the service, the network can preferentially allocate the ongoing session to the most appropriate resource, and when the most appropriate resource is not available, the UE can be served as best as possible. Meanwhile, the method can feed back the adjusted resource configuration result to the node initiating the session, thereby being beneficial to the operator to have more flexible charging strategy, better slice or service resource optimization control, switching optimization and load balancing.

Example four

Fig. 4A2 illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted here. The method can comprise the following steps:

step 4A01, the second node sends a message to the first node requesting PDU session establishment or modification.

Step 4a02, if the first node is a CU-CP under the split architecture, the first node sends a bearer context setup request message or a bearer context modification request message to the CU-UP, where the message includes information related to network slice resource usage, and specific contents included in the information refer to that in step 4a01 in the third embodiment, which is not described herein again.

The CU-UP receives the information related to network slice resource usage, and when the network slice corresponding to the requested PDU session is not supported by the first node or there is insufficient resources on the CU-UP, the CU-UP can select other available resources for the PDU session. The CU-UP may consider the information related to network slice resource usage when selecting other available resources, may consider multiple information simultaneously (e.g., considering temporal and geographic limitations simultaneously) if there are multiple items of information in the configuration information, or may consider each item of information separately.

Step 4A03, CU-UP sends a bearer context setup feedback message or a bearer context modification feedback message to the first node (i.e. CU-CP).

means for indicating other available resources allocated to the PDU session or QoS flows in the PDU session, such as: may be information such as slice remapping or slice resource remapping, or in more detail, indicating whether dedicated resources are used or other network slice resources are preempted, etc.;

a resource type corresponding to other available resources is allocated to the PDU session or a QoS flow in the PDU session, where the resource type may be a transmission resource and/or a hardware resource, a DRB resource, and/or a number of RRC connection users;

the data volume used for indicating that the PDU session or other available resources allocated to the QoS flow in the PDU session are used can be uplink or downlink data volume;

reports indicating that a certain network slice of the statistics uses other available resources, such as the number of times, the time, and/or the amount of data that other network slice resources are used.

The first node (i.e., CU-CP) receives and stores the feedback message, and may also forward the feedback message to the second node (as in step 4a 06), which may be used for handover decision, handover optimization and/or charging functions.

By the session establishment and control method provided by the disclosure, in the process of UE switching or session establishment, when the requested network slice resources are insufficient or the network slice does not support, in order to ensure the continuity and QoS of the service, the network can preferentially allocate the ongoing session to the most appropriate resource, and when the most appropriate resource is unavailable, the most effort can be used for the UE. Meanwhile, the method can feed back the adjusted resource configuration result to the node initiated by the session, and is beneficial to an operator to more flexibly carry out charging strategy, better carry out slicing or service resource optimization control, and carry out switching optimization or load balancing.

EXAMPLE five

Fig. 4A3 illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted here. The method can comprise the following steps:

Step 4a04, if the first node is a CU under the split architecture, the first node sends a UE context setup request message or a UE context modification request message to the DU, where the message includes information related to network slice resource usage, and specific contents included in the configuration information are described in step 4a01 in the third embodiment and are not described herein again.

The DU receives the information related to network slice resource usage, and when the network slice corresponding to the requested PDU session is not supported by the first node or there is insufficient resources on the DU, the DU may select other available resources for the PDU session. The DU may consider the information related to network slice resource usage when selecting other available resources, may consider multiple information simultaneously (e.g., considering temporal and geographic constraints simultaneously) if there are multiple pieces of information in the configuration information, or may consider each piece of information separately.

Step 4a05, the du sends UE context setup feedback messages or UE context modification feedback messages to the first node (i.e. CU).

Optionally, the message may include information related to other allocated available resources, and the information related to other allocated available resources may be at least one of the following information

Means for indicating other available resources allocated to the PDU session or QoS flows in the PDU session, such as: information such as carrier aggregation, slice remapping, or slice resource remapping, or in more detail, indicating whether dedicated resources are used or other network slice resources are preempted, etc.;

a resource type corresponding to other available resources is used for indicating that the PDU session or a QoS flow in the PDU session is allocated, where the resource type may be a physical layer resource (such as a frequency resource), a transmission resource and/or a hardware resource, a DRB resource, and/or a number of RRC connection users, and the like;

the data quantity used for indicating that the PDU session or other available resources allocated to the QoS flow in the PDU session are used can be uplink or downlink data quantity;

reports indicating that a certain network slice of the statistics uses other available resources, such as the number of times, time, and/or amount of data other network slice resources are used.

By the session establishment and control method provided by the disclosure, in the process of UE switching or session establishment, when the requested network slice resources are insufficient or the network slice is not supported, in order to ensure the continuity and QoS of the service, the network can preferentially allocate the ongoing session to the most appropriate resources, and when the most appropriate resources are not available, the most effort can be made to serve the UE. Meanwhile, the method can feed back the adjusted resource configuration result to the node initiated by the session, and is beneficial to an operator to more flexibly carry out charging strategy, better carry out slicing or service resource optimization control, and carry out switching optimization or load balancing.

Example six

Fig. 4B illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted herein. The method can comprise the following steps:

step 4B01, when the PDU session is established or after the PDU session is established, because the network slice resources corresponding to the PDU session are insufficient or not supported, the first node selects other available resources for the PDU session (as described in step 4a 01) or the first node receives information about the other available resources selected for the PDU session from the second node (for example, the CU-CP receives from the DU/CU-UP) (as described in steps 4a02 to 4a 05), where the other available resources may be resources corresponding to other network slices. Other available resources may be carried in the relevant messages for feedback PDU session resources.

The first node may be a CU or a CU-CP and the second node may be a DU or a CU-UP, i.e. possible:

in case 1, a CU-CP acting as a first node receives information about other available resources selected for the PDU session from a DU acting as a second node, the information being delivered by a UE context setup feedback message or a UE context modification feedback message;

in case 2, the CU-CP acting as the first node receives information about other available resources selected for the PDU session from the CU-UP acting as the second node, which is conveyed by a bearer context setup feedback message or a bearer context modification feedback message.

Step 4B02, the first node sends a message for a PDU session setup request or modification request to the third node. The third node may be CU-UP or DU, i.e. possible cases are:

in case 1, the CU-CP as the first node receives information about other available resources selected for the PDU session from the DU as the second node, and then sends the message, which is a bearer setup context request message or a bearer context modification request message, to the CU-UP as the third node;

in case 2, the CU-CP acting as the first node receives information about other available resources selected for the PDU session from the CU-UP acting as the second node, and then sends the message, which is a UE context setup request message or a UE context modification request message, to the DU acting as the third node.

The message includes information related to other available resources, where the information may be an S-NSSAI corresponding to the other available resources indicating that the PDU session is allocated, and may be one or more S-NSSAIs. If there are multiple S-NSSAIs, that is, different DRBs in the PDU session use other available resources corresponding to different S-NSSAIs, the following two cases may be included in the message:

case a, S-NSSAI corresponding to a PDU session ID and one other available resource;

in case B, the PDU session ID includes a plurality of DRBs, and each DRB includes a DRB ID and an S-NSSAI corresponding to another available resource.

The third node needs to consider information about other available resources included in the message when performing network slicing rate limiting, such as: the third node needs to know the S-NSSAI corresponding to the PDU session or other available resources allocated to different DRBs in the PDU session, so that when resource allocation and scheduling are performed for a DRB or a logical channel corresponding to the PDU session, a Maximum Bit Rate (MBR) limit corresponding to the S-NSSAI corresponding to the other available resources is considered, and if a sum of rates of all DRBs or logical channels corresponding to the S-NSSAI exceeds the MBR, the third node may perform admission control or rate control on services in the PDU session using the other available resources.

And step 4B03, the third node sends a message for PDU session establishment feedback or modification feedback to the first node.

EXAMPLE seven

Fig. 10 illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted here. The method can comprise the following steps:

step 1001, the second node sends a first message to the first node.

The first message relates to a UE context establishment or modification request, or a bearer establishment or modification request. The second node is a core network node, which may be an AMF or an SMF, or a CU or CU-CP in a base station, and the first node may be a base station, which may be a DU or a CU-UP in a base station.

In one embodiment, where the second node is a core network node and the first node is a base station, the first message may be a PDU session resource setup request message or a PDU session resource modification request message.

In another embodiment, the first message may be a UE context setup request message or a UE context modification request message in case the second node is a CU or CU-CP in the base station and the first node is a DU in the base station.

In another embodiment, the first message may be a bearer context setup request or a bearer context modification request in case the second node is a CU-CP in the base station and the first node is a CU-UP in the base station.

In another embodiment, the first message may be a handover request message in case the second node is a source base station in a handover procedure and the first node is a target base station in a handover procedure.

In another embodiment, the first message may be a secondary node addition request message in case the second node is a primary base station in a dual-connectivity or multi-connectivity scenario, the first node is a secondary base station in a dual-connectivity or multi-connectivity scenario.

In another embodiment, the first message may be an acquire UE context feedback message in case the second node is a base station that last serves the UE when the UE enters an INACTIVE (INACTIVE) state, and the first node is a base station that the UE newly accesses from the INACTIVE state to an ACTIVE (ACTIVE) state.

It should be understood that the above embodiments are merely examples, and the second node, the first node, and the first message are not limited thereto. In the embodiments of the present application, a bearer may also be referred to as a QoS flow or a logical channel.

The first message may include a PDU session setup or modification request, where the requested PDU session includes one or more QoS flow setup or modification requests.

When one of the following conditions is fulfilled, the first node decides whether other available resources can be used by the QoS flow in the PDU session, taking into account QoS-related information of the QoS flow and/or information described in step 4a01/4a02/4a04, etc.

In one embodiment, the other available resources refer to resources corresponding to other network slices different from the requested network slice resources. It should be understood that the above embodiments are merely examples, and the types of the other available resources are not limited thereto.

Condition 1: when a first node needs to establish the PDU session requested by the UE, the network slice corresponding to the PDU session requested to be established is not supported by the first node, or the network slice corresponding to the PDU session requested to be established is insufficient in resource;

Step 1002, the first node sends a second message to the second node. The second message is related to UE context establishment or modification feedback, bearer establishment or modification feedback, or the second message is a message for resource feedback.

If said second message is related to UE context establishment or modification feedback, bearer establishment or modification feedback, according to an embodiment, the second message may be a PDU session resource establishment feedback message or a PDU session resource modification feedback message in case the second node is a core network node and the first node is a base station.

In another embodiment, in case that the second node is a CU or CU-CP in the base station and the first node is a DU in the base station, the second message may be one of a UE context setup failure message, a UE context setup feedback message, a UE context modification feedback message, and a UE context modification failure message.

In another embodiment, the second message may be one of a bearer establishment failure message, a bearer establishment feedback message, a bearer modification failure message, and a bearer modification feedback message in case the second node is a CU-CP in the base station and the first node is a CU-UP in the base station.

In another embodiment, the second message may be a handover request acknowledgement or a handover failure message in case the second node is a source base station in a handover procedure and the first node is a target base station in a handover procedure.

In another embodiment, the second message may be a secondary node addition request message in case the second node is a primary base station in a dual-connectivity or multi-connectivity scenario, the first node is a secondary base station in a dual-connectivity or multi-connectivity scenario.

It should be understood that the above embodiments are merely examples, and the second node, the first node, and the second message are not limited thereto.

If the second message is a message for resource feedback, the description is consistent with that in step 4a06, and details are not repeated here.

Optionally, the second message may include information related to other allocated available resources, where the information related to other allocated available resources may include the information described in step 4a03, step 4a05, or step 4a06, and may further include information indicating that the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session is allocated with other available resources.

In one embodiment, the information indicating that the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session is allocated other available resources is an explicit indication that the second node is allocated other available resources for the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session. The explicit indication may be per PDU session or per QoS flow.

In another embodiment, the other available resource information in the information indicating that the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session is allocated other available resources may be information indicating which other available resources are allocated to the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session, for example, resources corresponding to other network slices are allocated to the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session. The information may be for each PDU session or for each QoS flow.

It should be understood that the above embodiments are merely examples, and the information indicating that a PDU session or a QoS flow in the PDU session is allocated other available resources is not limited thereto.

The second node receives the second message. According to a specific implementation manner of the second node, after the second node receives the message and the information, one of the following schemes may be performed:

1. if the second node is a core network node, the second node may charge the UE based on the information, e.g., based on other resources used, and/or resources used for other network slices (i.e., network slice based charging), and/or based on time used for other resources, and/or based on data volume used for other resources.

1) If the second node is used for handover decision (e.g. in CHO conditional handover) and there are multiple candidate target cells, the second node is used as the source base station in handover, and the most suitable target cell can be selected for the UE to be handed over according to the information such as the feedback using mode of other resources, resource types, and the like.

By the session establishment and control method provided by the disclosure, in the process of UE switching or session establishment, when the requested network slice resources are insufficient or the network slice does not support, in order to ensure the continuity and QoS of the service, the network can preferentially allocate the ongoing session to the most appropriate resource, and when the most appropriate resource is unavailable, the most effort can be used for the UE. Meanwhile, the method can feed back the adjusted resource configuration result to the node initiating the session, thereby being beneficial to the operator to have more flexible charging strategy, better slice or service resource optimization control, switching optimization and load balancing.

Secondly, a session establishment and control method provided by the present disclosure can also solve the problem of slicing rate limitation. A detailed description of a session establishment and control method provided by the present disclosure is provided below in conjunction with fig. 5 and 6.

Example eight

Fig. 5 illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted herein. The method can comprise the following steps: :

in step 501, the ue receives from a first node related information for restricting network slices in order to restrict the sum of the rates of traffic on a particular network slice from exceeding a given slice-maximum bit rate.

The first node may be a base station or a core network node. If the first node is a base station, the related information for limiting the network slice is sent to the UE by the base station through an RRC message (e.g., an RRC reconfiguration message) or MAC layer signaling (e.g., a downlink control indication DCI).

In step 502, the ue receives information from the first node indicating that network slicing restriction is to be performed. The information is relevant information indicating how to use or perform the limiting of the network slice received in step 501.

The first node may be a base station or a core network node. If the first node is a base station, the information may be conveyed by MAC layer signaling (e.g., DCI) or RRC layer signaling (e.g., RRC message, e.g., RRC reconfiguration message).

As an example, when the base station finds that the sum of the current rates of the logical channels corresponding to the network slice exceeds a given slice-maximum bit rate, or when the base station finds that the sum of the rates of the logical channels corresponding to the network slice is less than the given slice-maximum bit rate, the base station transmits information related to instructing to perform limiting the network slice rate to the UE. The foregoing is by way of example only, and not limiting.

Step 503, when the UE receives the uplink scheduling instruction, the UE executes uplink scheduling processing according to the received information.

As an example, when receiving an uplink scheduling signaling of a base station, the UE obtains a relevant configuration for limiting a network slicing rate used in current scheduling according to the relevant information for limiting the network slicing received in step 501 and the relevant information for instructing to perform network slicing limiting received in step 502, and in consideration of the relevant configuration for limiting the network slicing rate used in current scheduling, multiplexes a logical channel satisfying a condition onto a transport block of current scheduling according to the relevant configuration, or does not multiplex a logical channel not satisfying the condition onto the transport block of current scheduling, so as to ensure that a sum of rates on logical channels corresponding to the network slicing does not exceed a maximum bit rate after current scheduling.

The session establishment and control method provided by the disclosure can enable an operator to more effectively control the rate of service or network slicing so that the operator can more flexibly provide service for users and more flexibly charge.

Example nine

The method shown in fig. 5 is described with user equipment as an execution subject, and the method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below with a first node as a base station as an execution subject. It will be appreciated that the method, whether described from the perspective of a base station or a user equipment, is substantially the same and the method performed by the base station and the user equipment is corresponding.

Fig. 6 illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted here. The method can comprise the following steps:

step 601, in the process of establishing a PDU session, a base station sends an RRC reconfiguration message to a UE, where the message includes related information for establishing uplink logical channels, each uplink logical channel includes related configuration information (hereinafter referred to as "limitation configuration") for limiting a network slice, the related configuration information for limiting a network slice is used to limit the sum of rates of services on a specific network slice not to exceed a given slice-maximum bit rate, the given slice-maximum bit rate (S-MBR) value may be from a core network node or the base station, and different methods are performed according to S-MBR (S-MBR enforcement), and configuration information received by the UE for limiting a network slice is also different, and the following two methods may be used:

in the method 1, a base station implements uplink S-MBR enforcement through a restriction rule (restriction rules) for scheduling, where the relevant configuration information for restricting network slices includes a restriction rule (hereinafter referred to as a "restriction rule") for restricting network slice scheduling. The restriction rule may be a mapping relationship between the Logical Channel ID (LCID) and a restriction index (restriction index), that is, each logical channel corresponds to a restriction index, and the restriction indexes of different logical channels may be the same or different depending on whether the logical channels use the same network slice resource, and if so, the restriction indexes are the same, and if not, the restriction indexes are different.

Method 2, the base station implements uplink S-MBR enforcement through scheduling weight configuration, where the relevant configuration information for limiting the network slice includes a configuration list for scheduling weights, where the configuration list may be a configuration file list corresponding to the LCID, and the configuration file list includes multiple configuration files, where each configuration file includes a configuration file index and/or a Priority handling weight, and the Priority handling weight may be a scheduling Priority weight and/or a Priority Bit Rate (PBR) weight, that is, each configuration file index corresponds to one Priority handling weight or Priority Bit Rate weight.

Step 602, the base station determines whether the sum of the logical channel rates corresponding to the current network slice exceeds the given S-MBR of the network slice, and when the base station finds that the sum of the logical channel rates corresponding to the network slice exceeds the given S-MBR, or when the base station finds that the sum of the logical channel rates corresponding to the network slice does not exceed the given S-MBR, that is, when the base station needs to change the scheduling of the logical channel, the base station generates relevant information (hereinafter referred to as "execution limitation information") for instructing to execute limitation of the network slice, and sends the execution limitation information to the UE. The execution restriction information may be conveyed by MAC layer signaling (e.g., DCI) or by RRC messages (e.g., RRC reconfiguration messages).

And the UE receives the execution limiting information, selects limiting configuration used in scheduling at this time or later according to the execution limiting information, and multiplexes the service data to be scheduled to corresponding uplink resources by taking the used limiting configuration into consideration when the UE receives an uplink scheduling instruction (such as uplink scheduling permission) from the base station.

According to the method described in step 601, there are several specific S-MBR implementations:

case 1: if method 1 is used, the UE receives a restriction rule in step 601. Before each scheduling, the base station checks whether the scheduled rates of the network slice and/or all the logical channels corresponding to the network slice exceed or are about to exceed the corresponding S-MBR, if so, the base station includes execution restriction information in the scheduling signaling, where the execution restriction information includes a restriction index indicating that the relevant information for executing the restricted network slice is, for example: may be a constraint index of a logical channel corresponding to the network slice.

That is to say, when the UE executes the uplink scheduling priority processing each time, the UE checks whether there is a restriction index in the scheduling signaling, and if there is a restriction index, the UE does not multiplex the logical channel corresponding to the restriction index to the transmission block of this scheduling, that is, the logical channel is not scheduled in this scheduling, so as to ensure that after this scheduling, the sum of the rates on the logical channels corresponding to the network slice does not exceed the given slice-maximum bit rate.

Case 2: if method 2 is used, the UE receives a configuration list for setting a scheduling priority weight in step 601. Before each scheduling, the base station checks whether the scheduled rates of the network slices and/or all the logical channels corresponding to the network slices exceed or are about to exceed the corresponding maximum rate values, if so, the base station includes execution restriction information in the scheduling signaling of this time, where the execution restriction information is used to indicate that the relevant information for executing restricting the network slices is a profile index of a scheduling weight, and the index corresponds to a priority processing weight, for example: may be a scheduling priority weight and/or a priority bit rate weight.

That is, the UE configures according to the configuration file index and the scheduling priority weight corresponding to the index, and considers the scheduling processing weight when performing uplink priority processing, so as to reduce the scheduling priority and/or PBR of the logical channel, so as to ensure that the sum of the rates on the logical channels corresponding to the network slice does not exceed the given slice-maximum bit rate after this scheduling.

Finally, the session establishment and control method provided by the disclosure can also solve the problem that the network slices of the primary node and the secondary node cannot be simultaneously supported under the condition of dual connection. A detailed description of a session establishment and control method provided by the present disclosure is provided below in conjunction with fig. 7A through 8.

Example ten

Fig. 7A illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted herein. The method can comprise the following steps:

and step 7A01, the second node receives network slice information which is requested by the UE and is supported by the fourth node and sent by the first node, and the network full slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node is related to the UE, wherein the network slice information requested by the UE is the network slice information which is requested by the UE and rejected by the UE or the network slice information which is requested by the UE. The network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node refers to an intersection of the network slice information requested by the UE and the network slice information supported by the fourth node, i.e., the network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node.

Optionally, before step 7a01, the first node may determine, according to the Target NSSAI (Target NSSAI) related information, allowed NSSAI (Allowed NSSAI) related information, a measurement report from the UE, and/or network slice information supported by the fourth node, information about a network slice requested by the user equipment UE and supported by the fourth node.

The information related to the Target NSSAI includes one or more S-NSSAIs not supported in the current TA (tracking area) of the UE, and the S-NSSAIs are supported by other TAs.

The first node is a base station serving the UE and is connected to the second node by signaling associated with the UE. The second node is a core network node, which is an AMF or an NSSF. The fourth node may be a neighboring node (e.g., a neighboring base station) of the first node, or a secondary node (e.g., a secondary base station) that serves the UE simultaneously under dual connectivity or multi connectivity.

The network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node refers to information about a network slice that is other than the first node, requested by the UE, and supported by other nodes, the network slice requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node refers to a network slice that the UE has or has now requested, and is not included in the current Allowed NSSAI, but is supported by other nodes.

The network slice information supported by the fourth node may be conveyed by an NGAP message associated with the UE, such as: an initial UE message, a path switch request message, etc.

And step 7A02, the second node determines the Allowed NSSAI for the UE or updates the Allowed NSSAI for the UE by considering the network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node, and sends the Allowed NSSAI to the first node and the UE. When a service is initiated, the UE selects an S-NSSAI from the Allowed NSSAI according to a local configuration or a network slice selection strategy to initiate a PDU session connection establishment request to the network.

When the first node and other nodes have the same geographic coverage area, the other nodes can be auxiliary nodes serving the UE or can be auxiliary nodes serving the UE, and the first node and other nodes support different network slices, the method can enable the second node to obtain all network slice information which can be used by the UE in the geographic coverage area, namely the UE can simultaneously use the network slices supported by the first node and other nodes.

By the session establishment and control method provided by the disclosure, the UE can use the services provided by all available network slices under the coverage of a plurality of nodes with different network slice support capabilities, and even if the network slices supported by the base station serving the UE but supported by the adjacent base stations are not supported by the base station serving the UE, the UE can use the network slices supported by other base stations by adding the auxiliary node. Therefore, the deployment of the network is more flexible, the service resources are more comprehensively provided, the method is beneficial to increasing diversified services provided by operators anytime and anywhere, and the income of the operators is increased.

EXAMPLE eleven

Fig. 7B illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted here. The method can comprise the following steps:

and step 7B01, the first node acquires the relevant information of the Target S-NSSAI from the fifth node.

As an example, the first node and the fifth node may be base stations, wherein if the fifth node is a source base station in a handover procedure, the first node is a destination base station in the handover procedure. The information may be conveyed in a handover request message sent by the fifth node to the first node.

Step 7B02, the first node sends to the second node information about the network slices requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node.

The first node may determine information about a network slice requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node based on Target NSSAI (Target NSSAI) related information, allowed NSSAI related information, measurement reports from the UE, and/or network slice information supported by the fourth node.

The first node is a base station serving the UE and is connected to the second node by signaling associated with the UE. The second node is a core network node, which is either an AMF or an NSSF. The fourth node may be a neighboring node (e.g., a neighboring base station) of the first node, or a secondary node (e.g., a secondary base station) that serves the UE simultaneously under dual connectivity or multi connectivity.

The network slice information supported by the fourth node refers to information related to network slices supported by other nodes except the first node, and the network slices supported by the fourth node refer to network slices that the UE has requested or currently requests, and are not included in the current Allowed NSSAI but are supported by other nodes.

The network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node may be conveyed by an NGAP message associated with the UE, such as: an initial UE message, a path switch request message, etc.

And step 7B03, the second node receives and considers the information about the network slices requested by the UE and supported by the fourth other node, determines an Allowed NSSAI for the UE, or updates the Allowed NSSAI for the UE, and sends the Allowed NSSAI to the first node and the UE.

When a service is initiated, the UE selects an S-NSSAI from the Allowed NSSAI according to a local configuration or a network slice selection strategy and initiates a PDU session connection establishment request to the network.

In the handover process, when the first node has the same geographical coverage area as other nodes, the other nodes may become auxiliary nodes serving the UE or have become auxiliary nodes serving the UE, and the first node and the other nodes support different network slices, by the method, the second node may obtain all network slice information that the UE can use in the geographical coverage area, that is, the UE may use the network slices supported by the first node and the other nodes at the same time.

Example twelve

Fig. 8 illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted here. The method can comprise the following steps:

in step 801, the first node receives information from the second node indicating that PDU session resources need to be established on the secondary node.

The first node may be a base station and the second node may be a core network node. The information is transmitted by a message related to PDU session establishment or modification, such as an initial context establishment request message, a UE context modification request message, a PDU session resource establishment request message, or a PDU session resource modification request message, which are only examples and are not limited.

In step 802, the first node sends an auxiliary node addition request message or an auxiliary node modification request message to the fourth node, where the message carries the related information of PDU session establishment or modification requested in step 801.

The fourth node may be a base station, the fourth node being a neighboring base station or a secondary base station of the first node. The fourth node is selected in dependence on information indicating that PDU session resources need to be established on the secondary node.

For example: the first node may determine the fourth node according to the received information indicating that the PDU session resource needs to be established on the secondary node, the measurement report of the UE, and/or the network slice information supported by the neighboring base station, etc.

As an example, after receiving the information indicating that the PDU session resource needs to be established on the secondary node, the first node finds a neighboring base station supporting the network slice according to the information and/or network slice information supported by the neighboring base station. The neighboring base stations may be one or more. The first node may select a suitable base station among the one or more eligible neighboring base stations as a secondary node serving the UE based on the measurement report of the UE and establish a requested PDU session or modify a PDU session on the secondary node.

EXAMPLE thirteen

Fig. 11 illustrates an exemplary method for session establishment and control provided by the present disclosure. Detailed descriptions of steps not relevant to the present disclosure are omitted here. The method can comprise the following steps:

at step 1101, the first node receives a resource status request message from a sixth node.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the first node may be a base station or CU-UP, and the sixth node may be a base station or CU-CP. According to one embodiment, the first node and the sixth node are base stations, and the first node and the sixth node are adjacent base stations; according to another embodiment, the first node is a CU-UP and the sixth node is a CU-CP.

It should be understood that the above is merely an example, and the first node and the sixth node are not limited thereto. The message may include requested network slice information, which may be one or more S-NSSAIs.

In step 1102, the first node sends resource status feedback to the sixth node if the first node supports the requested resource status information (e.g., measures the requested network slice related resource status).

In particular, in this embodiment, the first node measures the resource status associated with the requested network slice taking into account said information, and includes the result of the measurement in a resource status update message sent by the first node to the sixth node.

At step 1103, the first node sends a resource status update message to the sixth node.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the resource status update message includes the result of the measurement in step 1102, and the result of the measurement includes information related to the network slice resource status.

According to an embodiment, the network slice resource status related information comprises at least one of:

a network slice ID, which may be, for example, S-NSSAI, for indicating which network slice resource status is measured;

information for indicating the number of network slice RRC connection users, where the information for indicating the number of network slice RRC connection users refers to the number of RRC connection users available for the network slice in the first node, or the number of RRC connection users already used by the network slice, and the information may be a percentage or a specific number;

information for indicating network slice DRB usage, which refers to the number of DRBs available for the network slice in the first node or the number of DRBs already used by the network slice, which may be a percentage or a specific number;

specifically, in this embodiment, the sixth node receives the information and the message, and the sixth node selects a suitable destination cell for the UE in the handover process or selects a suitable auxiliary cell for the UE in the dual connectivity scenario, in consideration of information related to the network slice resource status.

According to a specific implementation manner of the sixth node, after receiving the message and the information, the sixth node may perform one of the following schemes:

1. if the sixth node determines whether to select the cell under the first node as the target cell or the candidate cell for handover in consideration of the information related to the network slice resource state from the first node and the network slice information requested by the UE at the time of handover of the UE under the sixth node as the base station, for example, when the UE needs to perform handover and the current PDU session in progress of the UE needs to request the resource of network slice 1, the first node is one of the candidate nodes for handover, and if the resource of network slice 1 is insufficient at the first node (for example, the number of RRC users in network slice 1 is insufficient, or the number of DRBs in network slice 1 is insufficient), the sixth node may not select the first node as the target base station of the UE. Therefore, the method can ensure that the most suitable target cell is selected for the UE to provide continuous service, reduce unnecessary network signaling overhead and reduce the risk of switching failure.

2. If the sixth node is used as the main base station, when the auxiliary node is selected for the UE, the sixth node considers the information related to the network slice resource state from the first node and the network slice information requested by the UE, and determines whether to select the cell under the first node as the auxiliary cell or select the first node as the auxiliary node for the UE. Therefore, the method can ensure that the most appropriate target cell is selected for the UE to provide the dual-connection service, reduce unnecessary network signaling overhead and reduce the risk of adding failure of the auxiliary node.

3. If acting as a CU-CP sixth node, to select a CU-UP for a UE when the UE establishes a PDU session, the sixth node decides whether to select the first node for the UE as a user plane node serving the requested network slice, considering information related to a network slice resource status from the first node acting as the CU-UP and network slice information requested by the UE. Therefore, the most suitable CU-UP can be selected for the UE, unnecessary network signaling overhead can be reduced, and the risk of session establishment failure is reduced.

4. If the method is used for load balancing, the sixth node may better make a decision of load balancing according to the information related to the network slice resource status sent by the neighboring base station (e.g., the first node) and the current network slice resource status of the sixth node, so as to provide the best service for all users as possible.

According to the session establishment and control method provided by the disclosure, before the UE switching or session establishment process, information related to the network slice resource state is interacted in advance to assist the serving base station to select the most appropriate cell to serve the UE, so that the risk of switching failure is reduced, the continuity of services is ensured, the user experience is improved, the utilization rate of network resources is improved, and the operator profits are increased.

It should be noted that, in the above embodiments, the Allowed NSSAI is network slice information that the network allows the UE to use, that is, if the UE is to initiate a PDU session establishment request, the UE may select one S-NSSAI from the Allowed NSSAI to initiate the PDU session establishment request. Among them, the name of Allowed NSSAI is not limited thereto.

Based on the same principle as the method provided by the foregoing embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure also provides a session establishment and control apparatus, which may include: a receiving module and a resource allocation module, wherein:

a receiving module for receiving information related to network slice resource usage from a second node;

and the resource allocation module is used for allocating other available resources for the requested PDU session by considering the information when the network slice resources corresponding to the requested PDU session are not supported or insufficient.

Optionally, the information may include at least one of the following information:

for restricting network slices while using the related information;

information related to limiting network slice usage time;

information related to a place for restricting use of the network slice;

information related to limiting the frequency of use of the network slice;

relevant information for pre-preempting network slice resources;

information regarding whether dedicated network slice resources can be used.

In some optional embodiments, there is provided a session establishment and control apparatus, which may include: a sending module, configured to send information related to the allocated other available resources to the second node or to the third node via the second node.

Optionally, the information related to the allocated other available resources includes at least one of the following information:

indicating the PDU session or the S-NSSAI corresponding to other available resources allocated to the QoS flow in the PDU session;

an amount of data indicating that the PDU session or other available resources allocated to a QoS flow in the PDU session are used;

Optionally, the sending module is further configured to send information related to the allocated other available resources to the sixth node; wherein the information related to the allocated other available resources comprises at least one of the following information:

In further alternative embodiments, there is provided a session establishment and control apparatus, which may include:

and the sending module is used for sending relevant information for limiting the network slicing to the UE and sending relevant information for indicating to execute the limiting of the network slicing to the UE when the UE is scheduled.

Optionally, the related information for restricting the network slice is a restriction rule for restricting network slice scheduling, and the related information for indicating that restricting the network slice is performed is a restriction index; or alternatively

The related information for restricting the network slices includes a configuration list of scheduling weights, and the related information for indicating that restricting the network slices is performed is a profile index of the scheduling weights.

Optionally, the sending module is specifically configured to: and sending relevant information for indicating to execute limiting network slicing to the UE based on the comparison result of the sum of the logical channel rates corresponding to the current network slice and the given slice-maximum bit rate S-MBR.

The comparison result of the sum of the logical channel rates corresponding to the current network slice and the given slice-maximum bit rate S-MBR includes any one of:

the sum of the logical channel rates corresponding to the current network slice exceeds a given S-MBR;

the sum of the logical channel rates for the current network slice does not exceed the given S-MBR.

a processing module for determining network slice information requested by the user equipment UE and supported by the fourth node

A transmitting module for transmitting network slice information requested by the UE and supported by a fourth node to a second node.

Optionally, the processing module is specifically configured to determine network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node according to at least one of the following information;

target network slice selection assistance information NSSAI, allowed NSSAI, measurement reports from the UE, network slice information supported by the fourth node.

Optionally, the sending module is specifically configured to:

acquiring related information of target network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI from a fifth node;

when the fourth node supports network slicing in the target NSSAI, network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node is sent to the second node.

receiving module and sending module, wherein:

a receiving module, configured to receive, from the second node, information indicating that a PDU session resource needs to be established on a secondary node;

a sending module, configured to send a request message related to addition or modification of an auxiliary node to the fourth node.

The above-mentioned apparatuses may be implemented as a first node in the present disclosure.

Based on the same principle as the method provided by the foregoing embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure also provides a session establishment and control apparatus, which may include: a receiving module and a processing module, wherein:

a receiving module, configured to receive network slice information requested by a UE and supported by a fourth node, where the network slice information is sent by a first node;

a processing module, configured to determine, for the UE, to allow network slice selection assistance information NSSAI or to reallocate allowed NSSAI, taking into account network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node.

In some optional embodiments, there is provided a session establishment and control apparatus, which may include:

a sending module, configured to send, to the first node, information indicating that the PDU session resource needs to be established on the secondary node.

The above apparatus may be implemented as a second node in the present disclosure.

the device comprises a receiving module, a processing module and a processing module, wherein the receiving module is used for receiving related information which is sent by a first node and used for limiting network slicing, and receiving related information which is sent by the first node and used for indicating to execute limiting network slicing when the first node schedules UE;

and the processing module is used for executing uplink scheduling processing according to the relevant information for limiting the network slices and the relevant information for indicating to execute limiting the network slices.

Wherein the apparatus may be implemented as a user equipment.

Based on the same principle as the method provided by the above embodiment of the present disclosure, the present disclosure also provides an electronic device, including: a memory and a processor; at least one program, stored in the memory for execution by the processor, may implement the methods provided in any of the alternative embodiments of the present application.

Optionally, the electronic device may be implemented as a user equipment, the device comprising at least one processor configured to perform the method performed by the user equipment provided in any optional embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the electronic device may be implemented as a base station, which includes at least one processor configured to perform the method provided in any optional embodiment of the present application.

Optionally, the electronic device may be implemented as a core network node device, where the core network node device includes at least one processor, and the at least one processor is configured to execute the method performed by the core network node device provided in any optional embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided in an alternative embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 9, an electronic device 4000 shown in fig. 9 includes: a processor 4001 and a memory 4003. Processor 4001 is coupled to memory 4003, such as via bus 4002.

Optionally, the electronic device 4000 may further include a transceiver 4004, and the transceiver 4004 may be used for data interaction between the electronic device and other electronic devices, such as transmission of data and/or reception of data. In addition, the transceiver 4004 is not limited to one in practical applications, and the structure of the electronic device 4000 is not limited to the embodiment of the present application.

The Processor 4001 may be a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a general-purpose Processor, a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or other Programmable logic device, transistor logic device, hardware component, or any combination thereof. Which may implement or execute the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure herein. The processor 4001 may also be a combination that performs a computing function, including for example, one or more microprocessors, a combination of DSPs and microprocessors, and the like.

Bus 4002 may include a path that carries information between the aforementioned components. The bus 4002 may be a PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus, an EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus, or the like. The bus 4002 may be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, and the like. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is shown in FIG. 9, but that does not indicate only one bus or one type of bus.

The Memory 4003 may be a ROM (Read Only Memory) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a RAM (Random Access Memory) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or other optical Disc storage, optical Disc storage (including Compact Disc, laser Disc, optical Disc, digital versatile Disc, blu-ray Disc, etc.), a magnetic Disc storage medium or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to these.

The memory 4003 is used for storing application program codes (computer programs) for executing the present scheme, and is controlled by the processor 4001 to execute. Processor 4001 is configured to execute application code stored in memory 4003 to implement what is shown in the foregoing method embodiments.

It should be understood that, although the steps in the flowcharts of the figures are shown in order as indicated by the arrows, the steps are not necessarily performed in order as indicated by the arrows. The steps are not performed in the exact order shown and may be performed in other orders unless explicitly stated herein. Moreover, at least a portion of the steps in the flow chart of the figure may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages, which are not necessarily performed at the same time, but may be performed at different times, and the order of execution is not necessarily sequential, but may be performed alternately or alternately with other steps or at least a portion of the sub-steps or stages of other steps.

The foregoing is only a partial embodiment of the present invention, and it should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and decorations without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these modifications and decorations should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for session establishment, comprising:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information related to network slice resource usage comprises at least one of:

for restricting network slices while using the relevant information;

information related to limiting network slice usage time;

information related to a place for restricting use of the network slice;

information related to limiting the frequency of use of the network slice;

relevant information for pre-preempting other network slice resources;

information about whether dedicated network slice resources can be used.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first node sends information related to the allocated other available resources to the second node or the third node via the second node, wherein the information related to the allocated other available resources comprises at least one of the following information:

a resource type corresponding to other available resources is used for indicating that the PDU session or the QoS flow in the PDU session is allocated;

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the first node sends information related to the allocated other available resources to the sixth node; wherein the allocated information related to other available resources comprises at least one of:

5. A session control method, comprising:

the method comprises the steps that a first node sends related information for limiting network slicing to User Equipment (UE);

when the UE is scheduled, the first node sends relevant information for indicating to execute limiting network slicing to the UE.

6. The method of claim 5,

the related information for restricting network slices includes a restriction rule for restricting network slice scheduling, the related information for indicating that restricting network slices is performed is a restriction index; or

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the first node sends the UE related information for instructing to perform network slicing restriction, comprising:

based on the comparison of the sum of logical channel rates corresponding to the current network slice with the given slice-maximum bit rate S-MBR, the first node sends to the UE relevant information indicating that limiting the network slice rate is performed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the comparison of the sum of logical channel rates for the current network slice to the given slice-maximum bit rate S-MBR comprises any one of:

9. A method for session establishment, comprising:

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining network slice information requested by a User Equipment (UE) and supported by a fourth node comprises:

determining network slice information requested by the UE and supported by a fourth node according to at least one of the following information;

information related to target network slice selection assistance information NSSAI, information related to allowed NSSAI, measurement reports from the UE, and network slice information supported by the fourth node.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the first node sends to the second node network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node, comprising:

the first node acquires the related information of target network slice selection auxiliary information NSSAI from the fifth node;

when the fourth node supports network slicing in the target NSSAI, the first node sends network slicing information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node to the second node.

12. A method for session establishment, comprising:

the first node sends a request message to the fourth node relating to the addition or modification of the secondary node.

13. A method for session establishment, comprising:

taking into account the network slice information requested by the UE and supported by the fourth node, deciding for the UE to allow network slice selection assistance information NSSAI, or to reallocate the allowed NSSAI.

14. A session establishment method, comprising:

the second node sends information to the first node indicating that PDU session resources need to be established on the secondary node.

15. A session establishment method, comprising: