CN113784419B - A method, unit and system for sending information - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides an information sending method, and a unit and a system based on the method. The method includes: the first unit creates or updates a network slice instance; the first unit sends a first message to the second unit, the first message carries first network slice instance information, and the first network slice instance information is the created or updated network The first information of the slice instance, wherein the first network slice instance information includes the identifier of the network slice instance; the second unit saves or configures the first network slice instance information. In the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, after the first unit creates or updates the network slice instance, it can send the information of the created or updated network slice instance to the second unit, and the second unit can save or configure the information of the network slice instance , so as to avoid allocating inappropriate network slice instances to terminals.

Description

A method, unit and system for sending information

technical field

The present invention relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to an information sending method, unit and system.

Background technique

When studying future mobile communication systems, the concept of network slicing is introduced. Network slicing can be understood as an on-demand network. A physical network can be logically divided into multiple network slices, and different network slices can be used to carry different services. For example, a power company needs to provide a smart meter service, which can be realized by connecting a series of network slices of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) devices. In practice, the deployment of network slicing can be done through network slicing instances.

After the terminal accesses the network, the network side device needs to allocate a network slice instance to the terminal based on some manually input network information to provide services for the terminal. For example, the network information includes virtual machine information and the like. However, since network slice instances may be dynamically added, modified, and deleted, it is often impossible to allocate suitable network slice instances to terminals based on the above network information.

Contents of the invention

The embodiment of the present invention describes an information sending method, unit and system, in order to avoid assigning an inappropriate network slice instance to a terminal.

On the one hand, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for sending information, the method including: a first unit creates or updates a network slice; the first unit sends a first message to a second unit, the first message carries the first network slice instance information, The first network slice instance information is the first information of the created or updated network slice instance, where the first network slice instance information includes the identifier of the network slice instance; the second unit saves or configures the first network slice instance information.

In the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, after the first unit creates or updates the network slice instance, it can send the information of the created or updated network slice instance to the second unit, and the second unit can save or configure the information of the network slice instance , so as to avoid assigning an inappropriate network slice instance to the terminal.

Wherein, the above-mentioned creation of a network slice instance can be understood as adding or instantiating a network slice instance.

In a possible design, the above-mentioned first message may be a new notification message of a network slice instance, a configuration message of a network slice instance, an update notification message of a network slice instance, or a reconfiguration message of a network slice instance. For example, when the first unit creates a network slice instance, the first message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance; for another example, when the first unit updates the network slice instance, The first message may be an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance.

In a possible implementation manner, the information of the first network slice instance may also include at least one of the following: the status of the network slice instance, the information of the network function instance required by the network slice instance, and the information of the tenants supported by the network slice instance Or information about services provided by the network slice instance, where the information about the network function instance includes the identifier of the network function instance and the state of the network function instance. For example, when the first message is a new notification message of a network slice instance or a configuration message of a network slice instance, the information of the first network slice instance may be as above.

In another possible implementation manner, the first network slice instance information may also include at least one of the following: the updated state of the network slice instance, the information of the network function instance required after the network slice instance is updated, the network slice instance update Information about supported tenants or information about services provided after the network slice instance is updated, wherein the information about the network function instance includes the identifier of the network function instance and the state of the network function. For example, when the first message is an update notification message of a network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of a network slice instance, the information of the first network slice instance may be as above.

In the above two possible implementation manners, tenant information and/or service information may be used to allocate a target network slice instance that satisfies the service request for the terminal. Among them, the tenant information here may refer to the information of the tenants supported by the network slice instance, or the information of the tenants supported by the updated network slice instance; the service information here may refer to the service information provided by the network slice instance , may also refer to the service information provided after the network slice instance is updated.

In a possible design, the first unit may also send a second message to the third unit, where the second message carries information about a second network slice instance, and the second network slice instance information is the second message of the created or updated network slice instance. Information, the second network slice instance information includes the identifier of the network slice instance. Correspondingly, the third unit may save the second network slice instance information.

Wherein, the above-mentioned second message may be a new notification message of a network slice instance, a configuration message of a network slice instance, an update notification message of a network slice instance, or a reconfiguration message of a network slice instance. For example, when the first unit creates a network slice instance, the second message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance; for another example, when the first unit updates the network slice instance, The second message may be an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance.

In a possible implementation manner, the information of the second network slice instance may further include the state of the network slice instance and/or the information of the network function instance required by the network slice instance, where the information of the network function instance may include at least one of the following Item: The identity of the network function instance, the state of the network function instance, or the type of the network function instance. For example, when the second message is a new notification message of a network slice instance or a configuration message of a network slice instance, the information of the second network slice instance may be as above.

In another possible implementation manner, the information of the second network slice instance may also include the updated state of the network slice instance and/or the information of the network function instance required after the update of the network slice instance, wherein the information of the network function instance It may include at least one of the following: an identifier of an updated network function instance, a status of an updated network function instance, an identifier of a newly added network function instance, or an identifier of a deleted network function instance. For example, when the second message is an update notification message of a network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of a network slice instance, the information of the second network slice instance may be as above.

In a possible design, before the first unit sends the first message to the second unit, the second unit may also send a subscription request to the first unit, where the subscription request is used to subscribe to the first network slice instance information; or, the second The unit may also send a query request to the first unit, where the query request is used to query the first network slice instance information.

In a possible design, the second unit may also receive a service request from the terminal, and allocate a target network slice instance satisfying the service request to the terminal according to the first network slice instance information. For example, the first network slice instance information includes the tenant information and/or service information, and the second unit may allocate the target network slice instance to the terminal according to the tenant information and/or service information.

In a possible design, the second unit may also send a selection request to the third unit, where the selection request is used to request the network function instance required by the target network slice instance that satisfies the service request of the terminal. Wherein, the selection request may carry terminal information and an identifier of a network slice instance. In this case, the third unit may select the network function instance required by the target network slice instance according to the above second network slice instance information.

In a possible design, the first unit may also send a first deletion notification to the second unit, where the first deletion notification is used to notify the second unit to delete the first network slice instance information. Wherein, the first deletion notification may carry the identifier of the network slice instance.

In a possible design, the first unit may also send a second deletion notification to the third unit, where the second deletion notification is used to notify the third unit to delete the second network slice instance information. Wherein, the second deletion notification may carry the identifier of the network slice instance.

In the solution described in this aspect, the first unit can be NSOAM, or NSO, NSM, NO, NM or NFVO; the second unit can be NSSF, or NF-M/Data Center; the third unit can be Common NF/NFRepository can also be NF-M/Data Center.

On the other hand, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for sending information, and the method includes: a first unit creates or updates a network slice instance; the first unit sends a message to a fourth unit, and the message carries information about a third network slice instance; The third network slice instance information is the third information of the created or updated network slice instance, where the third network slice instance information includes the identifier of the network slice instance; the third unit saves or configures the third network slice instance information.

Wherein, the above-mentioned fourth unit may be a combined unit of the second unit and the third unit described in the solution of the previous aspect. The fourth unit can complete the behaviors of the second unit and the third unit involved in the solution of the above aspect. In this case, the fourth unit does not need to perform the above-mentioned interaction between the second unit and the third unit; or, the second unit and the third unit can be set as internal modules of the fourth unit, and the second unit and the third unit The interaction between units is the interaction between different internal modules in the fourth unit.

In some possible designs, the first unit can complete the behavior of the first unit involved in each method design in the above scheme, and the fourth unit can complete the behavior of the second unit involved in each method design in the scheme above The behavior with the third unit will not be repeated here.

Wherein, the above-mentioned third network slice instance information may also include part or all of the first network slice instance information and/or the second network slice instance information involved in the solution of the above aspect.

In a possible design, the first unit may also send a deletion notification to the fourth unit, where the deletion notification is used to notify the fourth unit to delete the third network slice instance information. Wherein, the deletion notification may carry the identifier of the network slice instance.

In the solution described in this aspect, the first unit may be NSOAM, or NSO, NSM, NO, NM or NFVO; the fourth unit may be Common NF/NSC, or NF-M/Data Center.

The network slicing examples involved in the above two aspects may include at least a core network (Core Network, CN) part, a radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN) part and a transmission network (Transport Network, TN) part; or, the above two The network slicing instance involved in the aspect may include any two of the CN part, the RAN part or the TN part; or, the network slicing instance involved in the above two aspects may represent the network slicing instance of the CN part, the network slicing instance of the RAN part A network slice instance of an instance or TN part.

In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a first unit, which has a function of implementing the behavior of the first unit in the above method design. The functions described above may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by executing corresponding software on the hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

In a possible design, the first unit includes a processor, and the processor is configured to support the first unit to perform corresponding functions in the above methods. Further, the first unit may further include a communication interface, which is used to support communication between the first unit and the second unit, third unit, fourth unit or other units. Further, the first unit may further include a memory, which is used to be coupled with the processor, and stores necessary program instructions and data of the first unit.

In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a second unit, which has a function of implementing the behavior of the second unit in the above method design. The functions described above may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by executing corresponding software on the hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

In a possible design, the second unit includes a processor, and the processor is configured to support the second unit to perform corresponding functions in the above methods. Further, the second unit may further include a communication interface, and the communication interface is used to support communication between the second unit and the first unit, the third unit or other units. Further, the second unit may further include a memory, which is used to be coupled with the processor, and stores necessary program instructions and data of the second unit.

In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a third unit, where the third unit has a function of implementing the behavior of the third unit in the above method design. The functions described above may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by executing corresponding software on the hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

In a possible design, the third unit includes a processor, and the processor is configured to support the third unit to perform corresponding functions in the above methods. Further, the third unit may further include a communication interface, and the communication interface is used to support communication between the third unit and the first unit, the second unit or other units. Further, the third unit may further include a memory, which is used to be coupled with the processor, and stores necessary program instructions and data of the third unit.

In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a fourth unit, and the fourth unit has a function of realizing the behavior of the fourth unit in the above method design. The functions described above may be implemented by hardware, or may be implemented by executing corresponding software on the hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions.

In a possible design, the fourth unit includes a processor, and the processor is configured to support the fourth unit to perform corresponding functions in the above methods. Further, the fourth unit may further include a communication interface, and the communication interface is used to support communication between the fourth unit and the first unit or other units. Further, the fourth unit may further include a memory, which is used to be coupled with the processor, and stores necessary program instructions and data of the fourth unit.

In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer storage medium for storing the above computer software instructions for the first unit, which includes a program designed to execute the above aspect.

In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer storage medium for storing the above computer software instructions for the second unit, which includes the program designed for executing the above aspect.

In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer storage medium for storing the above computer software instructions for the third unit, which includes a program designed to execute the above aspect.

In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a computer storage medium for storing the above computer software instructions for the fourth unit, which includes the program designed to execute the above aspect.

In another aspect, the embodiment of the present invention provides a communication system, the system includes the first unit, the second unit and the third unit described in the above aspect; or, the system includes the first unit and the fourth unit described in the above aspect unit.

Compared with the prior art, in the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, after the first unit creates or updates the network slice instance, it can send the information of the created or updated network slice instance to the second unit, and the second unit can save or The information of the network slice instance is configured, so as to avoid allocating an inappropriate network slice instance to the terminal.

Description of drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description These are some embodiments of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can also obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a possible network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of another possible network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a communication schematic diagram of an information sending method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a communication schematic diagram of another information sending method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a communication schematic diagram of another information sending method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a communication schematic diagram of an information deletion method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a communication schematic diagram of another information sending method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a communication schematic diagram of another information sending method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a communication schematic diagram of another information deletion method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10A is a schematic block diagram of a first unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10B is a schematic structural diagram of a first unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 11A is a schematic block diagram of a second unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 11B is a schematic structural diagram of a second unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 12A is a schematic block diagram of a third unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 12B is a schematic structural diagram of a third unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13A is a schematic block diagram of an integrated unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 13B is a schematic structural diagram of an integrated unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present invention are to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and do not constitute limitations on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention. The evolution of the architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention are also applicable to similar technical problems.

In the following, some possible application scenarios and network architectures applicable to the embodiments of the present invention are firstly introduced with reference to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B .

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The following is a brief introduction to each unit involved in Figure 1:

The service orchestrator (Service Orchestrator, SO) unit can also be called the service orchestration and management unit or the service management unit, and its functions mainly include: performing lifecycle management (such as instantiation, update, etc.); service aggregation; service management, such as service fault, configuration, billing, performance and security (Fault, Configuration, Accounting, Performance, Security, FCAPS) management; and service and network slice (network slice) between mapping etc. Wherein, the service may be a communication service of a specified service level agreement (Service Level Agreement, SLA) that a group of users can enjoy, such as mobile broadband (Mobile Broadband, MBB) service, voice service, and Internet of Things (Internet of Things, IOT) business (for example, smart parking business, smart meter reading business, etc.), etc. Exemplarily, the SO unit can manage services carried by network slices.

Network Orchestrator (NO) unit, its functions mainly include: management of network slices, such as lifecycle management of network slices, management of network slice templates, etc.; mapping between network slices and network functions; different types of network resources Coordination; coordination of network resources provided by different operators and different network suppliers, so that the network resources provided by different network suppliers can meet the needs of the target business, such as SLA requirements, key performance indicators (Key Performance Indicator, KPI) requirements, Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, etc.; unified arrangement of network equipment provided by different suppliers; provision of external application program interface (Application Program Interface, API), where the API interface is used for Provide network functions for third parties to achieve cross-operator deployment.

The element manager (Element Manager, EM) unit can also be called the network function management unit, and its functions mainly include: life cycle management of network elements or network functions (such as instantiation, update, deletion, etc.); FCAPS management, etc.

Core network (Core Network, CN), its functions mainly include: control plane (Control Plane, CP) network functions (for example, the function of selecting network slices, mobility management functions, etc.) and user plane (User Plane, UP) network functions (For example, the network function of the service gateway, the charging function, etc.). Exemplarily, the CN may include a CP unit and a UP unit, wherein the CP unit has a CP network function, and the UP unit has a UP network function; or, the CN may also include a shared network function (Common Network Function, Common NF) unit, It has CP network function and/or UP network function.

Radio Access Network: some radio access network elements (RAN Network Element, RAN NE) are mainly deployed in the RAN, such as evolved Node B (evolved Node B, eNodeB or eNB). In addition, some RAN network function (RAN Network Function, RAN NF) entities, such as eNodeBFunction, etc., may also be deployed in the RAN.

Wherein, the SO unit is connected to the NO unit, the NO unit is also connected to the EM/NF-M unit, and the EM/NF-M is also connected to the CN and the RAN respectively.

It can be understood that, the above description of the functions of each unit is merely an illustration, and each unit may also have other functions, which are not limited by the embodiment of the present invention.

Based on the above application scenario, FIG. 2A shows a possible network architecture provided by an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2A, the network architecture can be deployed in two different ways.

In the first deployment mode, the network architecture includes: a network slice orchestration and management (Network SliceOrchestration and Management, NSOAM) unit, a network slice selection function (Network Slice Selection Function, NSSF) unit and a Common NF unit. Wherein, the NSOAM unit has interfaces with the NSSF unit and the Common NF unit respectively, and the connection relationship between these units is shown by the solid line in FIG. 2A .

For the convenience of description, in the following, a certain unit may be represented by its English abbreviation. For example, an NSOAM unit may be represented by NSOAM, and other units are similar, and details will not be described later.

In the second deployment mode, the network architecture includes: NSOAM, a Network Function Manager (Network Function Manager, NF-M) unit, NSSF and Common NF. There are interfaces between NSOAM and NF-M, and interfaces between NF-M and NSSF and Common NF respectively. The connection relationship between these units is shown by the dotted line in Figure 2A. It should be noted that in this deployment mode, there is no interface between NSOAM, NSSF and Common NF. Wherein, the above-mentioned NF-M can be replaced by a data center (Data Center); or, the NF-M can have its own function and the function of the Data center at the same time. "NF-M/Data Center" shown in FIG. 2A indicates a unit having the function of NF-M and/or the function of Data Center.

In the above two deployment modes, the Common NF unit can be replaced by a Network Function Repository (Network Function Repository, NF Repository) unit; or, the Common NF unit can have its own functions and the functions of the NFRepositity unit at the same time. "Common NF/NF Repository" shown in FIG. 2A indicates a unit having the function of the Common NF unit and/or the function of the NF Repository unit.

The following briefly introduces NSOAM, NSSF, Common NF, NF Repository, NF-M and Data Center respectively.

NSOAM is responsible for the lifecycle management of network slices (for example, creation, deletion, modification, etc. of network slices), configuration management, fault management, and performance management, etc. In the network architecture shown in Figure 2A, NSOAM can also be composed of an independent network slice orchestration (Network Slice Orchestrator, NSO) unit, an independent network slice management (Network SliceManager, NSM) unit, NO unit, network management (Network Manager, NM) ) unit or Network Function Virtualized Manager (NFVO) unit. Among them, NSO is responsible for the life cycle management of network slices (for example, creation, deletion, modification, etc. of network slices); NSM is responsible for configuration management, fault management and performance management of network slices; NO is responsible for network life cycle management; NM is responsible for network NF-M is responsible for the life cycle management, configuration management, fault management and performance management of network functions; NFVO is responsible for the life cycle management, configuration management and fault management of network services and virtual network functions and performance management. Optionally, NSOAM can also be deployed in the NO shown in FIG. 1 .

NSSF is used to select and allocate available network slice instances for terminals.

Common NF is used to assign network function instances to terminals. As shown in the introduction of Common NF in Figure 1, Common NF can have CP network function and/or UP network function.

NF Repository is used to store information of network function instances.

NF-M is used to configure or activate NSSF and Common NF. Optionally, the NF-M can be deployed in the EM shown in FIG. 1 .

The Data Center may also be called a network slice data center, which is a database that stores information about network slice instances and information about network function instances. The above NSSF and Common NF can access Data Center.

Based on the above application scenario, FIG. 2B shows another possible network architecture provided by the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 2B, the network architecture can be deployed in two different ways.

In the first deployment mode, the network architecture includes: NSOAM and Common NF, wherein there is an interface between NSOAM and Common NF, and the connection relationship between these units is shown by the solid line in FIG. 2B .

In the second deployment mode, the network architecture includes: NSOAM, NF-M and Common NF. Among them, NF-M has interfaces with NSOAM and Common NF respectively, and the connection relationship between these units is shown by the dotted line in Fig. 2B. It should be noted that in this deployment mode, there is no interface between NSOAM and Common NF.

In the network architecture shown in FIG. 2B , the Common NF here is a Common NF that has both its own functions and the functions of the NSSF. Wherein, the Common NF may be replaced by a network slice controller (Network Slice Controller, NSC) unit. "Common NF/NSC" shown in FIG. 2B indicates a unit having the function of Common NF and/or the function of DSC.

In the network architecture shown in Fig. 2B, the introduction of NSOAM, NSSF, Common NF, NF-M and Data Center can refer to the detailed description in Fig. 2A. The following is a brief introduction to NSC.

NSC is used to activate network slice instances, allocate network slice instances to terminals, and select network function instances for terminals.

In the embodiments of the present invention, the terms "network" and "system" are often used interchangeably, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. The terminals involved in the embodiments of the present invention may include various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to wireless modems, as well as various forms of user equipment (User Equipment) , UE), mobile station (Mobile Station, MS), terminal device (terminal device) and so on. For convenience of description, the devices mentioned above are collectively referred to as terminals.

The network slice example involved in the embodiment of the present invention may at least include a core network (Core Network, CN) part, a radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN) part, and a transmission network (Transport Network, TN) part; or, this The network slice instance involved in the embodiment of the present invention may include any two of the CN part, the RAN part or the TN part; or, the network slice instance involved in the embodiment of the present invention may represent the network slice instance of the CN part, the RAN part The network slice instance of the network slice instance or the network slice instance of the TN part. It can be understood that the network slicing instance involved in the embodiment of the present invention may also have other implementation manners, which are not limited by the embodiment of the present invention.

The embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below based on the common aspects involved in the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention.

In the existing solution, after the terminal accesses the network, the network side device needs to allocate a network slice instance to the terminal based on some manually input network information to provide services for the terminal. For example, the network information includes virtual machine information and the like. However, since network slice instances may be dynamically added, modified, and deleted, it is often impossible to allocate suitable network slice instances to terminals based on the above network information.

In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides an information sending method, and a unit and system based on this method. The method includes: the first unit creates or updates a network slice instance; then, the first unit sends a first message to the second unit, the first message carries first network slice instance information, and the first network slice instance information is created or The updated first information of the network slice instance, wherein the first network slice instance information includes the identifier of the network slice instance; the second unit saves or configures the first network slice instance information. In the solution of the embodiment of the present invention, after the first unit creates or updates the network slice instance, it can send the information of the created or updated network slice instance to the second unit, and the second unit can save or configure the information of the network slice instance , so as to avoid assigning an inappropriate network slice instance to the terminal.

It should be noted that, in the above method, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the timing or conditions for the first unit to send the first message to the second unit. For example, the first unit may send the first message to the second unit immediately after creating or updating the network slice instance, or may send the first message to the second unit after a period of time; The second unit sends the first message, and may also send the first message to the second unit at the request of the second unit or under other circumstances.

The solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 . Wherein, the method shown in FIG. 3 is described by taking the applied network architecture as the network architecture shown in FIG. 2A as an example. The method shown in FIG. 3 includes: Part 301 - Part 303.

In part 301, the first unit creates or updates a network slice instance.

In an example, the first unit creating a network slice instance may add or instantiate a network slice instance for the first unit. For example, the first unit may create a network slice instance by means of instantiation.

The above-mentioned first unit may be NSOAM in FIG. 2A , or NSO, NSM, NO, NM or NFVO.

In part 302, the first unit sends a first message to the second unit, and the first message carries first network slice instance information, where the first network slice instance information is first information of a created or updated network slice instance.

Wherein, the first network slice instance information includes the identifier of the network slice instance.

In an example, the first message may be a new notification message of a network slice instance, a configuration message of a network slice instance, an update notification message of a network slice instance, or a reconfiguration message of a network slice instance. For example, if in part 301, the first unit creates a network slice instance, the first message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance; if in part 301, the first unit updates the network slice example, the first message may be an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance.

In a possible implementation manner, when the first message is a new notification message of a network slice instance or a configuration message of a network slice, the first network slice instance information may further include at least one of the following: the state of the network slice instance, The type of network slice, the information of the network function instance required by the network slice instance, the information of the tenant supported by the network slice instance (for example, the identity of the tenant, the priority of the tenant, etc.) or the information of the service provided by the network slice instance ( For example, the type of service, the identifier of the service instance, etc.), wherein the information of the network function instance includes the identifier of the network function instance and the state of the network function instance. Alternatively, when the first message is an update notification message of a network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of a network slice instance, the information of the first network slice instance may also include at least one of the following items: the updated state of the network slice instance, the update status of the network slice instance Information about the required network function instance, information about the tenants supported after the network slice instance is updated (for example, the identity of the tenant, the priority of the tenant, etc.) or information about the services provided after the network slice instance is updated (for example, business type, service instance identifier, etc.), wherein, the information of the network function instance includes the identifier of the network function instance and the state of the network function instance.

Wherein, the status of the above network slice instance may include at least one of the following: activated, inactivated, available or unavailable. Of course, the state of the network slice instance may also have other forms, which are not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

Wherein, the tenant information supported by the network slice instance and/or the service information provided by the network slice instance may be used to allocate a target network slice instance that meets the service request for the terminal. Alternatively, the information about the tenants supported by the updated network slice instance and/or the service information provided by the updated network slice instance may be used to allocate a target network slice instance that meets the service request for the terminal.

In an example, before the first unit sends the first message to the second unit, the second unit may send a subscription request to the first unit, where the subscription request is used to subscribe to the first network slice instance information; or, the second unit may send The first unit sends a query request, where the query request is used to query information about the first network slice instance.

The above-mentioned second unit may be the NSSF in FIG. 2A, or the NF-M/Data Center in FIG. 2A. For example, if the second unit is NSSF, the above-mentioned first message may be a new notification message of a network slice instance or an update notification message of a network slice instance; or, if the second unit is NF-M/Data Center, the above-mentioned first message A message may be a configuration message of a network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of a network slice instance. Wherein, when the first message is a message of a different type, the content that may be included in the carried first network slice instance information may refer to the detailed introduction in the foregoing example, and details are not repeated here.

In an example, the first unit may also send a second message to the third unit, where the second message carries second network slice instance information, where the second network slice instance information is the second information of the created or updated network slice instance, Wherein, the second network slice instance information includes the identifier of the network slice instance. It should be noted that the solution in this example may be executed before executing part 302, or may be executed after executing part 302, or the solution in this example and part 302 may be executed at the same time, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

The above-mentioned third unit may be the Common NF/NF Reposity in FIG. 2A, or the NF-M/Data Center in FIG. 2A.

The above-mentioned second message may be a new notification message of a network slice instance, a configuration message of a network slice instance, an update notification message of a network slice instance, or a reconfiguration message of a network slice instance. For example, if in part 301, the first unit creates a network slice instance, the second message may be a new notification message of the network slice instance or a configuration message of the network slice instance; if in part 301, the first unit updates the network slice instance, the second message may be an update notification message of the network slice instance or a reconfiguration message of the network slice instance.

In a possible implementation manner, the information of the second network slice instance may also include the state of the network slice instance and/or the information of the network function instance required by the network slice instance, where the information of the network function instance includes at least one of the following : The identity of the network function instance, the status of the network function instance, or the type of the network function instance. For example, if in part 301, the first unit creates a network slice instance, the second network slice instance information may also include the above content.

In another possible implementation manner, the information of the second network slice instance may also include the updated state of the network slice instance and/or the information of the network function instance required after the update of the network slice instance, wherein the information of the network function instance At least one of the following is included: an identifier of an updated network function instance, a status of an updated network function instance, an identifier of a newly added network function instance, or an identifier of a deleted network function instance. For example, if in part 301, the first unit updates the network slice instance, the second network slice instance information may also include the above content.

After receiving the second message from the first unit, the third unit may save the second network slice instance information. Further, the second unit may also activate the above network slice instance according to the second network slice instance information.

In an example, the first unit may further send a second deletion notification to the third unit, where the second deletion notification is used to notify the third unit to delete the second network slice instance information. Wherein, the second deletion notification may carry the identifier of the network slice instance.

In part 303, the second unit saves or configures the first network slice instance information.

In an example, if the second unit is NSSF or Data Center, the second unit can save the first network slice instance information; or, if the second unit is NF-M, the second unit can configure the first network slice instance information. For example, configuring the first network slice instance information by the second unit means that the NF-M configures the first network slice instance information on the NSSF or Data Center.

In an example, the second unit may also activate the foregoing network slice instance according to the first network slice instance information.

In an example, the second unit may also receive a service request from the terminal, and allocate a target network slice instance satisfying the service request to the terminal according to the first network slice instance information. For the convenience of description, hereinafter, the target network slice instance is described as a target slice instance. It should be noted that if the word "network slice instance" appears below, it does not refer to the target slice instance. For example, if the second unit is an NSSF, the second unit may receive a service request from the terminal, and allocate a target slice instance to the terminal according to the stored first network slice instance information and the service request. Wherein, the service request may carry terminal information, and the second unit may also associate the above-mentioned network slice instance with the terminal. For example, the information about the terminal may include an identifier of the terminal, and the second unit may associate the identifier of the network slice instance with the identifier of the terminal.

In another example, the second unit may also provide other units with the first network slice instance information. For example, if the second unit is a Data Center, the NSSF can receive a service request from a terminal, query the Data Center for information about the first network slice instance, and then assign a target slice instance to the terminal according to the information about the first network slice instance and the service request.

Wherein, the terminal information may include at least one of the following: a tenant identifier associated with the terminal, a service type requested by the terminal, or a network slice instance type required by the terminal. The tenant ID associated with the terminal may be called a second tenant ID, the service type requested by the terminal may be called a second service type, and the type of network slice instance required by the terminal may be called a second instance type.

In a possible implementation manner, the first network slice instance information includes at least one of the following: information about the tenant, information about the service, status of the network slice instance, or type of the network slice instance. The second unit may allocate a target slice instance to the terminal according to at least one of the tenant information, the service information, the state of the network slice instance, or the type of the network slice instance. It should be noted that if in part 301, the first unit creates a network slice instance, the tenant information and/or service information mentioned here refers to the tenant information and/or network slice instance supported by the network slice instance The information of the service provided; or, if in part 301, the first unit updates the network slice instance, the tenant information and/or service information mentioned here refers to the tenant information supported by the network slice instance after the update and/or service information provided after the network slice instance is updated.

Wherein, the second unit assigns the target slice instance to the terminal according to at least one of the above-mentioned tenant information, the above-mentioned service information, the status of the network slice instance, or the type of the network slice instance, which may be in one of the following ways or at least Two ways to execute:

The first method: the first network slice instance information includes tenant information and service information, wherein the tenant information is the first tenant identifier, the service information is the first service identifier, and the second unit assigns the target slice to the terminal The implementation process of the instance can be one of the following situations:

(1) The service request of the terminal only carries the second tenant ID, and the second unit can search for the first tenant ID that is the same as the second tenant ID, so as to determine the network slice instance corresponding to the first tenant ID as the target slice instance , and assign the target slice instance to the terminal.

(2) Only the second service type is carried in the service request of the terminal, and the second unit may search for the first service type that is the same as the second service type, so as to determine the network slice instance corresponding to the first service type as the target slice instance, And assign the target slice instance to the terminal.

(3) The service request of the terminal carries the second tenant ID and the second service type, and the second unit can search for network slice instances where the first tenant ID is the same as the second tenant ID, and the first service type is the same as the second service type , determine the network slice instance as the target slice instance, and allocate the target slice instance to the terminal.

The second method: the information of the first network slice instance includes the status of the network slice instance, and the second unit searches for an available network slice instance according to the service request of the terminal, determines the network slice instance as the target slice instance, and assigns the network slice instance to the terminal. The target slice instance.

The third method: the information of the first network slice instance includes the type of the network slice instance, the type of the network slice instance can be called the first instance type, the service request of the terminal carries the second instance type, and the second unit can search for the second instance type The first instance type of the two instance types is the same, so that the network slice instance corresponding to the first instance type is determined as the target slice instance, and the target slice instance is allocated to the terminal.

It should be noted that, generally, one or at least two network slice instances can be screened out through one or at least two of the above three methods. If a network slice instance is filtered out, the network slice instance is determined as the target slice instance. If at least two network slice instances are screened out, one network slice instance may be further determined from the at least two network slice instances as the target slice instance according to other information. For example, the target slice instance may be determined further according to the type of the terminal, the identity of the terminal (for example, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), Temporary Mobile Subscriber Identity (TMSI), etc.) .

In an example, the second unit may also send a selection request to the third unit, where the selection request is used to request the network function instance required by the target slice instance. Optionally, the selection request may carry the information of the terminal and the identifier of the network slice instance, where the information of the terminal may include the identifier of the terminal.

After receiving the selection request from the second unit, the third unit may select the network function instance required by the target slice instance according to the selection request and the information of the second network slice instance.

In an example, the second unit may also receive a first deletion notification from the first unit, where the first deletion notification is used to notify the second unit to delete the first network slice instance information. Wherein, the first deletion notification may carry the identifier of the network slice instance.

The solution provided by the embodiment of the present invention will be further described on the basis of the method shown in FIG. 3 in conjunction with FIG. 4-FIG. 6 below. In the method shown in Fig. 4-6, the same or similar content as the method shown in Fig. 3 can refer to the detailed description in Fig. 3, and will not be repeated here.

The network architecture applied by the method shown in Figure 4-6 is the network architecture shown in Figure 2A, where the first unit is NSOAM, the second unit is NSSF, and the third unit is Common NF/NF Repository as an example. The scheme of the embodiment of the invention will be described.

Fig. 4 is an information sending method in the scenario of creating a network slice instance provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The method shown in FIG. 4 includes part 401 - part 414, wherein part 401, part 406 and part 410 are optional parts.

In part 401, NSSF sends a subscription request or query request to NSOAM.

Wherein, the subscription request or query request is used to request the first network slice instance information.

In part 402, NSOAM creates a network slice instance.

It should be noted that, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the execution sequence of the part 401 and the part 402. For example, part 401 can be executed first, and then part 402 can be executed; part 402 can also be executed first, and then part 401 can be executed; or, part 401 and part 402 can be executed simultaneously.

In part 403, the NSOAM sends a notification of adding a network slice instance to the NSSF, where the notification of adding a network slice instance carries the information of the first network slice instance.

Wherein, the first network slice instance information is the first information of the created network slice instance. For the introduction of the information about the first network slice instance, reference may be made to the detailed description in part 302 of FIG. 3 , and details are not repeated here.

In part 404, the NSSF saves the first network slice instance information.

In part 405, the NSSF activates the above network slice instance according to the information of the first network slice instance.

In part 406, the NSSF sends a response message to the NSOAM to notify the NSOAM that: the NSSF has saved the first network slice instance information and activated the network slice instance.

In part 407, the NSOAM sends a notification of adding a network slice instance to the Common NF/NF Repository, and the notification of adding a network slice instance carries the information of the second network slice instance.

Wherein, the second network slice instance information is the second information of the created network slice instance. For the introduction of the information about the second network slice instance, refer to the detailed description in part 302 of FIG. 3 , and details are not repeated here.

In part 408, the Common NF/NF Repository saves the second network slice instance information.

In part 409, the Common NF/NF Repository activates the above-mentioned network slice instance according to the information of the second network slice instance.

In part 410, the Common NF/NF Repository sends a response message to the NSOAM to notify the NSOAM: the CommonNF/NF Repository has stored the information of the second network slice instance and activated the network slice instance.

It should be noted that, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the execution sequence of parts 403-406 and parts 407-410. For example, part 403-406 can be executed first, and part 407-410 can be executed first; part 407-410 can also be executed first, and then part 403-406 can be executed; or, part 403-406 and part 407-410 can be executed by notification.

In part 411, the NSSF receives the service request of the terminal.

In an example, the service request may carry terminal information. For information about the terminal, refer to the detailed description of part 303 in FIG. 3 , which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that if in part 401, the request sent by NSSF to NSOAM is a query request, then in the method shown in Figure 4, part 401 and part 403-410 may not be executed first, but after executing part 411, execute Sections 401 and 403ˉ410. That is, after receiving the service request from the terminal, the NSSF sends a query request to the NSOAM, and performs subsequent steps.

In part 412, the NSSF allocates a target slice instance meeting the service request to the terminal according to the information of the first network slice instance.

For the specific implementation process of allocating target slice instances by the NSSF to the terminal, reference may be made to the detailed description of the second unit allocating target slice instances to the terminal in part 303 of FIG. 3 , which will not be repeated here.

In part 413, the NSSF sends a selection request to the Common NF/NF Repository, where the selection request is used to request the network function instance required by the target slice instance.

In part 414, the Common NF/NF Repository selects the network function instance required by the target slice instance according to the selection request and the second network instance information.

It should be noted that, in the method shown in Fig. 4, NSSF can be replaced by NF-M. If NSSF is replaced by NF-M, the new notification of the network slice instance in part 403 is replaced by the configuration message of the network slice instance; the saving of the first network slice instance information in part 404 is replaced by the configuration of the first network slice instance information; The saving of the second network slice instance information in part 408 is replaced by configuring the second network slice instance information. In addition, if NSSF is replaced by NF-M, the above part 411ˉ414 will not be executed.

Fig. 5 is an information sending method in the scenario of updating a network slice instance provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The method shown in Figure 5 is similar to the method shown in Figure 4. In the method shown in Figure 5, the content similar to the method shown in Figure 4 can refer to the detailed description in Figure 4, and only the differences are described here. Other content will not be repeated. The main differences between the method shown in Figure 5 and the method shown in Figure 4 are:

(1) In part 502, NSOAM updates the network slice instance; and in part 402, NSOAM creates the network slice instance.

(2) The method shown in FIG. 5 involves the new notification of the network slice instance; while the method shown in FIG. 4 involves the update notification of the network slice instance.

(3) The first network slice instance information and the second network slice instance information involved in the method shown in Figure 5, and the first network slice instance information and the second network slice instance information involved in the method shown in Figure 4 There is a difference, the former is aimed at the scenario of creating a network slice instance, and the latter is aimed at the scenario of updating a network slice instance. Specifically, the differences in these information can be obtained from the detailed description of part 302 in FIG. 3 , which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that, in the method shown in FIG. 5 , NSSF can be replaced by NF-M. If NSSF is replaced by NF-M, the update notification of the network slice instance in part 503 is replaced by the reconfiguration message of the network slice instance; the saving of the first network slice instance information in part 504 is replaced by the configuration of the first network slice instance information; The saving of the second network slice instance information in part 508 is replaced by configuring the second network slice instance information. In addition, if NSSF is replaced by NF-M, the above-mentioned part 511ˉ514 will not be implemented.

Fig. 6 is a method for deleting information provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The method shown in FIG. 6 may be executed on the basis of the method shown in FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 . Wherein, the method shown in FIG. 6 includes part 601 - part 608, wherein part 601, part 605 and part 608 are optional parts.

In part 601, the NSSF sends a subscription request or query request to the NSOAM.

Wherein, the subscription request or query request is used to request information about deletion of the network slice instance.

At part 602, NSOAM deletes the network slice instance.

It should be noted that, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the execution sequence of the part 601 and the part 602. For example, part 601 can be executed first, and then part 602 can be executed; part 602 can also be executed first, and then part 601 can be executed; or, part 601 and part 602 can be executed simultaneously.

In part 603, the NSOAM sends a deletion notification of the network slice instance to the NSSF, and the deletion notification carries the identifier of the network slice instance.

In part 604, the NSSF deletes the information of the first network slice instance according to the identifier of the network slice instance.

Wherein, the first network slice instance information is the first information of the created or updated network slice instance, and the introduction of the first network slice instance information can refer to the detailed description in part 302 of FIG. 3 , which is not repeated here.

In part 605, the NSSF sends a response message to the NSOAM to notify the NSOAM: the NSSF has deleted the first network slice instance information.

In part 606, the NSOAM sends a deletion notification of the network slice instance to the Common NF/NF Repository, and the deletion notification carries the identifier of the network slice instance.

In part 607, the Common NF/NF Repository deletes the information of the second network slice instance according to the identifier of the network slice instance.

Wherein, the second network slice instance information is the second information of the created or updated network slice instance. For the introduction of the second network slice instance information, please refer to the detailed description in part 302 of FIG. 3 , which will not be repeated here.

In part 608, the Common NF/NF Repository sends a response message to the NSOAM to notify the NSOAM: the CommonNF/NF Repository has deleted the second network slice instance information.

It should be noted that, in the method shown in FIG. 6 , NSSF can be replaced by NF-M/Data Center.

The above methods shown in Figure 3-6 are all described by taking the applied network architecture as shown in Figure 2A as an example. It should be noted that the solution of the embodiment of the present invention can also be applied to the network shown in Figure 2B architecture. When the network architecture shown in FIG. 2B is applied, in the methods shown in FIG. 3-6, the functions of the second unit and the third unit are completed by a combined unit. In this case, the interaction between the second unit and the third unit may not be performed; or, the second unit and the third unit may be set as internal modules in the combined unit, and the interaction between the second unit and the third unit The interaction among them is the interaction between different internal modules in the integrated unit. Wherein, the above-mentioned combination unit may be the Common NF/NSC in FIG. 2B. For the convenience of description, the above combined unit may also be referred to as the fourth unit.

In the following, with reference to FIG. 7-9, taking the common NF as an example to describe the solution of the embodiment of the present invention when applying the network architecture shown in FIG. 2B . In the method shown in Fig. 7-9, the content similar to the method shown in Fig. 3-Fig. 7 can refer to the detailed description in Fig. 3-Fig. 7, and will not be repeated here.

Fig. 7 is another information sending method in the scenario of creating a network slice instance provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The method shown in FIG. 7 includes part 701 - part 709, wherein part 701 and part 706 are optional parts.

In part 701, Common NF sends subscription request or query request to NSOAM.

Wherein, the subscription request or query request is used to request information of the third network slice instance. The third network slice instance information is the third information of the created network slice instance, and the third network slice instance information includes the identifier of the network slice instance. Further, the third network slice instance information may also include part or all of the first network slice instance information and/or the second network slice instance involved in the method shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. The introduction of the first network slice instance information and the second network slice instance information will not be repeated here.

In part 702, NSOAM creates a network slice instance.

It should be noted that, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the execution order of the part 701 and the part 702. For example, part 701 can be executed first, and then part 702 can be executed; part 702 can also be executed first, and then part 701 can be executed; or, part 701 and part 702 can also be executed at the same time.

In part 703, the NSOAM sends a new notification of a network slice instance to the Common NF, where the new notification carries information of a third network slice instance.

In part 704, the Common NF saves the third network slice instance information.

In part 705, the Common NF activates the above-mentioned network slice instance according to the information of the third network slice instance.

In part 706, the Common NF sends a response message to the NSOAM to notify the NSOAM: the Common NF has saved the third network slice instance information and activated the network slice instance.

In part 707, the Common NF receives the service request of the terminal.

In an example, the service request may carry terminal information. For information about the terminal, refer to the detailed description of part 303 in FIG. 3 , which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that if in part 701, the request sent by Common NF to NSOAM is a query request, then in the method shown in Figure 7, part 701 and part 703-706 may not be executed first, but after part 707 is executed, then Implement Sections 701 and 703-706. That is, after receiving the service request from the terminal, the Common NF sends a query request to the NSOAM and performs subsequent steps.

In part 708, the Common NF allocates a target slice instance meeting the service request to the terminal according to the third network slice instance information.

Among them, the specific implementation process of Common NF allocating target slice instances for terminals is similar to the specific implementation process of NSSF allocating target slice instances for terminals in part 412 of FIG.

In part 709, the Common NF selects the network function instance required by the target slice instance according to the third network slice instance information.

It should be noted that, in the method shown in FIG. 7 , Common NF can be replaced by NF-M. If Common NF is replaced by NF-M, the new notification of the network slice instance in part 703 is replaced by the configuration message of the network slice instance; the saving of the third network slice instance information in part 704 is replaced by the information of configuring the third network slice instance . In addition, if Common NF is replaced by NF-M, the above 707ˉ709 parts will not be implemented.

Fig. 8 is another information sending method in the scenario of creating a network slice instance provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The method shown in FIG. 8 is similar to the method shown in FIG. 7. In the method shown in FIG. 8, the content similar to the method shown in FIG. 7 can refer to the detailed description in FIG. 7, and only the differences are described here. Other content will not be repeated. The main differences between the methods shown in Figure 8 and Figure 7 are:

(1) In part 802, NSOAM updates the network slice instance; and in part 702, NSOAM creates the network slice instance.

(2) The method shown in FIG. 8 involves the new notification of the network slice instance; while the method shown in FIG. 7 involves the update notification of the network slice instance.

(3) The information of the third network slice instance involved in the method shown in Figure 8 is different from the information of the third network slice instance involved in the method shown in Figure 7, the former is aimed at the scenario of creating a network slice instance, The latter is aimed at updating network slice instances. Specifically, the differences in these information can be obtained from the detailed description of part 302 in FIG. 3 , which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that, in the method shown in FIG. 8 , Common NF can be replaced by NF-M. If Common NF is replaced by NF-M, the update notification of the network slice instance in part 803 is replaced by the reconfiguration message of the network slice instance; the saving of the third network slice instance information in part 804 is replaced by the configuration of the third network slice instance information . In addition, if Common NF is replaced by NF-M, the above 807-809 parts will not be implemented.

Fig. 9 is another information deletion method provided by the embodiment of the present invention. The method shown in FIG. 9 may be executed on the basis of the method shown in FIG. 7 or 8 . Wherein, the method shown in FIG. 9 includes part 901 - part 905, wherein part 901 and part 905 are optional parts.

In part 901, Common NF sends subscription request or query request to NSOAM.

Wherein, the subscription request or query request is used to request information about deletion of the network slice instance.

At part 902, NSOAM deletes the network slice instance.

It should be noted that, the embodiment of the present invention does not limit the execution order of the part 901 and the part 902 . For example, part 901 can be executed first, and then part 902 can be executed; part 902 can also be executed first, and then part 901 can be executed; or, part 901 and part 902 can be executed simultaneously.

In part 903, the NSOAM sends a deletion notification of the network slice instance to the Common NF, and the deletion notification carries the identifier of the network slice instance.

In part 904, the Common NF deletes the information of the third network slice instance according to the identifier of the network slice instance.

Wherein, the third network slice instance information is the third information of the created or updated network slice instance, and the introduction about the third network slice instance information can refer to the third network slice instance information in the method shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 Detailed description will not be repeated here.

In part 905, the Common NF sends a response message to the NSOAM to notify the NSOAM: the Common NF has deleted the third network slice instance information.

It should be noted that, in the method shown in FIG. 9 , Common NF can be replaced by NF-M/Data Center.

The foregoing mainly introduces the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention from the perspective of interaction between different units. It can be understood that, in order to realize the above-mentioned functions, the first unit, the second unit, the third unit, and the integrated unit include corresponding hardware structures and/or software modules for performing respective functions. Combining the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed in the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed by hardware or computer software drives hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be regarded as exceeding the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

The embodiment of the present invention can divide the functional modules of the first unit, the second unit, the third unit, the integrated unit, etc. according to the above method example, for example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or two More than one function is integrated in one processing module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software function modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present invention is schematic, and is only a logical function division, and there may be another division manner in actual implementation.

In the case of using integrated units, FIG. 10A shows a possible schematic block diagram of the first unit involved in the embodiment of the present invention. The first unit 1000 includes: a processing module 1002 and a communication module 1003 . The processing module 1002 is used to control and manage the actions of the first unit. For example, the processing module 1002 is used to support the first unit to execute the processes 301 and 302 in FIG. 3, the processes 402, 403 and 407 in FIG. Processes 502, 503 and 507 in FIG. 6, processes 602, 603 and 606 in FIG. 6, processes 702 and 703 in FIG. 7, processes 802 and 803 in FIG. 8, processes 902 and 903 in FIG. other processes in the techniques described herein. The communication module 1003 is used to support the communication between the first unit and the second unit, the third unit or combined units. The first unit may also include a storage module 1001 for storing program codes and data of the first unit.

Wherein, the processing module 1002 may be a processor or a controller, such as a central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), a general processor, a digital signal processor (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit, ASIC), Field Programmable Gate Array (Field Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of DSP and a microprocessor, and so on. The communication module 1303 may be a communication interface, a transceiver or a transceiver circuit, etc., wherein the communication interface is collectively referred to as, in a specific implementation, the communication interface may include multiple interfaces, for example may include: a first unit and a second unit, a second unit Interfaces and/or other interfaces between three or combined units. The storage module 1001 may be a memory.

When the processing module 1002 is a processor, the communication module 1003 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1001 is a memory, the first unit involved in this embodiment of the present invention may be the first unit shown in FIG. 10B .

Referring to FIG. 10B , the first unit 1010 includes: a processor 1012 , a communication interface 1013 , and a memory 1011 . Optionally, the first unit 1010 may further include a bus 1014 . Wherein, the communication interface 1013, the processor 1012, and the memory 1011 can be connected to each other through a bus 1014; the bus 1014 can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus etc. The bus 1014 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus and so on. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 10B , but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The first unit shown in FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B above may be the NSOAM in FIG. 2A or FIG. 2B or other units, such as NSO, NSM, NO, NM or NFVO.

In the case of using an integrated unit, FIG. 11A shows a possible schematic block diagram of the second unit involved in the embodiment of the present invention. The second unit 1100 includes: a processing module 1102 and a communication module 1103 . The processing module 1102 is used to control and manage the actions of the second unit. For example, the processing module 1102 is used to support the second unit to execute the process 303 in FIG. 3, the processes 401, 404-406 and 411-413 in FIG. 501, 504-506, and 511-513, processes 601, 604, and 605 in FIG. 6, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication module 1103 is used to support the communication between the second unit and the first unit or the third unit. The second unit may also include a storage module 1101 for storing program codes and data of the second unit.

Wherein, the processing module 1102 may be a processor or a controller, such as a CPU, a general processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of DSP and a microprocessor, and so on. The communication module 1303 may be a communication interface, a transceiver or a transceiver circuit, etc., wherein the communication interface is collectively referred to as, in a specific implementation, the communication interface may include multiple interfaces, for example, may include: a second unit and a first unit or a second unit and/or other interfaces between the three units. The storage module 1101 may be a memory.

When the processing module 1102 is a processor, the communication module 1103 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1101 is a memory, the second unit involved in this embodiment of the present invention may be the second unit shown in FIG. 11B .

Referring to FIG. 11B , the second unit 1110 includes: a processor 1112 , a communication interface 1113 , and a memory 1111 . Optionally, the second unit 1110 may further include a bus 1114 . Wherein, the communication interface 1113, the processor 1112, and the memory 1111 may be connected to each other through a bus 1114; the bus 1114 may be a PCI bus or an EISA bus. The bus 1114 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus and so on. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 11B , but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The second unit shown in FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B may be the NSSF or NF-M/Data Center in FIG. 2A.

In the case of using an integrated unit, FIG. 12A shows a possible schematic block diagram of the third unit involved in the embodiment of the present invention. The third unit 1200 includes: a processing module 1202 and a communication module 1203 . The processing module 1202 is used to control and manage the actions of the third unit, for example, the processing module 1202 is used to support the third unit to execute the processes 408-410 and 414 in Figure 4, the processes 508-510 and 514 in Figure 5, and the processes in Figure 6 607 and 608, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication module 1203 is used to support the communication between the third unit and the first unit or the second unit. The third unit may also include a storage module 1201 for storing program codes and data of the third unit.

Wherein, the processing module 1202 may be a processor or a controller, such as a CPU, a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of DSP and a microprocessor, and so on. The communication module 1303 may be a communication interface, a transceiver or a transceiver circuit, etc., wherein the communication interface is collectively referred to as, in a specific implementation, the communication interface may include multiple interfaces, for example may include: a third unit and a first unit or a third unit An interface and/or other interface between two units. The storage module 1201 may be a memory.

When the processing module 1202 is a processor, the communication module 1203 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1201 is a memory, the third unit involved in this embodiment of the present invention may be the third unit shown in FIG. 12B .

Referring to FIG. 12B , the third unit 1210 includes: a processor 1212 , a communication interface 1213 , and a memory 1211 . Optionally, the third unit 1210 may further include a bus 1214 . Wherein, the communication interface 1213, the processor 1212, and the memory 1211 may be connected to each other through a bus 1214; the bus 1214 may be a PCI bus or an EISA bus. The bus 1214 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus and so on. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 12B , but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The third unit shown in FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B may be Common NF/NF Repository or NF-M/Data Center in FIG. 2A.

In the case of using integrated units, FIG. 13A shows a possible schematic block diagram of the integrated units involved in the embodiment of the present invention. The integration unit 1300 includes: a processing module 1302 and a communication module 1303 . The processing module 1302 is used to control and manage the actions of the combined unit. For example, the processing module 1302 is used to support the combined unit to execute the process 303 in FIG. Processes 501, 504ˉ506, 508ˉ512 and 514, processes 601, 604, 605, 607 and 608 in Figure 6, processes 701 and 704ˉ709 in Figure 7, processes 801 and 804ˉ809 in Figure 8, processes 901, 904 and 905, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The communication module 1303 is used for supporting the communication between the combined unit and the first unit. The integration unit may also include a storage module 1301 for storing program codes and data of the integration unit.

Wherein, the processing module 1302 may be a processor or a controller, such as a CPU, a general processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various illustrative logical blocks, modules and circuits described in connection with the present disclosure. The processor may also be a combination of computing functions, for example, a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of DSP and a microprocessor, and so on. The communication module 1303 can be a communication interface, a transceiver or a transceiver circuit, etc., wherein the communication interface is collectively referred to as, in a specific implementation, the communication interface can include multiple interfaces, for example, it can include: interface and/or other interfaces. The storage module 1301 may be a memory.

When the processing module 1302 is a processor, the communication module 1303 is a communication interface, and the storage module 1301 is a memory, the integration unit involved in the embodiment of the present invention may be the integration unit shown in FIG. 13B .

Referring to FIG. 13B , the integration unit 1310 includes: a processor 1312 , a communication interface 1313 , and a memory 1311 . Optionally, the integration unit 1310 may also include a bus 1314 . Wherein, the communication interface 1313, the processor 1312, and the memory 1311 may be connected to each other through a bus 1314; the bus 1314 may be a PCI bus or an EISA bus. The bus 1314 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus and so on. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 13B , but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The combined unit shown in FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B above may be Common NF/NSC or NF-M/DataCenter in FIG. 2B.

The steps of the methods or algorithms described in connection with the disclosure of the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in the form of hardware, or may be implemented in the form of a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), flash memory, read only memory (Read Only Memory, ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory ( Erasable Programmable ROM, EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (Electrically EPROM, EEPROM), registers, hard disk, removable hard disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in the ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may be located in the first unit, the second unit, the third unit or a combined unit. Of course, the processor and the storage medium may also exist as discrete components in the first unit, the second unit, the third unit or a combined unit.

Those skilled in the art should be aware that, in the above one or more examples, the functions described in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer.

The specific implementation methods described above further describe the purpose, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above descriptions are only specific implementation methods of the embodiments of the present invention and are not intended To limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present invention, any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims (14)

1. A method for sending information, characterized in that, comprising: The first unit creates or updates a network slice instance; The first unit sends a first message to the second unit, the first message carries first network slice instance information, the first network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance, and the first network slice instance The instance information is used by the second unit to configure the network slice selection function unit, so that the network slice selection function unit allocates a target slice instance for the terminal. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first message is a configuration message of a network slice instance, and the first network slice instance information further includes at least one of the following: The state of the network slice instance, the type of the network slice instance, information about the tenants supported by the network slice instance, or information about the services provided by the network slice instance. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: The first unit sends a second message to the third unit, the second message carries second network slice instance information, and the second network slice instance information includes the identifier of the network slice instance and the The information of the required network function instance, wherein the third unit is used to save the information of the second network slice instance; the information of the network function instance includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the network function instance, the The status of the network function instance or the type of said network function instance. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first unit is a network slice orchestration domain management unit, and the second unit is a network function management unit. 5. A method for sending information, comprising: The second unit receives a first message from the first unit, the first message carries network slice instance information, and the network slice instance information includes an identifier of the network slice instance; The second unit configures the network slice selection function unit according to the network slice instance information, so that the network slice selection function unit allocates a target slice instance for the terminal. 6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: The second unit saves the network slice instance information. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second unit configures the network slice selection function unit according to the network slice instance information, so that the network slice selection function unit allocates a target slice instance for the terminal, include: The second unit sends the network slice instance information to the network slice selection function unit, so that The network slice selection function unit allocates a target slice instance that satisfies the service request of the terminal to the terminal according to the network slice instance information. 8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first message is a configuration message of a network slice instance, and the network slice instance information further includes at least one of the following: the state of the network slice instance, the The type of the network slicing instance, information about the tenants supported by the network slicing instance, or information about services provided by the network slicing instance. 9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the network slice instance information includes tenant information and/or service information, and the second unit configures network slice selection according to the network slice instance information A functional unit, so that the network slice selection functional unit allocates a target slice instance to the terminal, including: The second unit configures the network slice selection function unit according to the network slice instance information, so that the network slice selection function unit assigns a target to the terminal according to the tenant information and/or the service information slice instance. 10. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the first unit is a network slice orchestration domain management unit, and the second unit is a network function management unit. 11. An information management unit, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein: The memory is used to store program instructions; The processor is configured to call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory, so that the information management unit executes the information sending method according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 12. An information management unit, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein: The memory is used to store program instructions; The processor is configured to call and execute the program instructions stored in the memory, so that the information management unit executes the information sending method according to any one of claims 5 to 10. 13. A communication system, comprising: the information management unit according to claim 11 and the information management unit according to claim 12. 14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized by comprising instructions, which, when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the information sending method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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