Method for supporting port association, gateway selection method, and communications device

Abstract

Embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for supporting port association, a gateway selection method, and a communications device. The method for supporting port association, applied to a first communications device, includes: performing a first operation, where the first operation includes at least one of the following: determining a port corresponding to a port related information container; determining a port corresponding to a port related information container; and transmitting signaling related to the tunnel, where the signaling related to the tunnel includes a port related information container; and transmitting a port related information container to the tunnel.

Description

Support for port association methods, gateway selection methods, and communication devices

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201910631594.9, filed in China on July 12, 2019, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method for supporting port association, a method for gateway selection, and a communication device. Background Technology

[0004] Many vertical industries have a need for time-sensitive communication. In the Industrial Internet, time-sensitive data exists, such as robot instructions that need to be executed sequentially within a specified time. However, network transmission resources are shared, and data transmission is subject to latency and jitter, making it unsuitable for time-sensitive data. Therefore, a time-sensitive network has been proposed to support the transmission of time-sensitive data.

[0005] In time-sensitive networks (TSNs), data forwarding between the sender and receiver of time-sensitive data streams can be achieved through one or more bridges. The transmission medium in TSNs can be wireless. Therefore, how to support the construction of bridges within wireless communication systems is a pressing technical problem that needs to be solved.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] This disclosure provides a method for supporting port association, a method for gateway selection, and a communication device to address the problem of how to support the formation of a bridge between wireless communication systems.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this disclosure is implemented as follows:

[0009] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for supporting port association, applied to a first communication device, comprising:

[0010] Perform the first operation;

[0011] The first operation includes at least one of the following:

[0012] Determine the port information of the container and the corresponding port;

[0013] Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related container;

[0014] Send the channel-related signaling, and the channel-related signaling contains a port-related information container;

[0015] Send a container containing port-related information to the channel.

[0016] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for supporting port association, applied to a second communication device, including:

[0017] Send port-related information, container and channel association information;

[0018] The port-related information container includes information about the first port.

[0019] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for supporting port association, applied to a communication device, including:

[0020] To cause the first communication device to perform the second operation;

[0021] The second operation includes at least one of the following:

[0022] Determine the port information of the container and the corresponding port;

[0023] Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related container;

[0024] The port-related information container includes information about a first port; the first port is the port of the second communication device.

[0025] Fourthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a method for supporting port association, applied to a third communication device, including:

[0026] Receive at least one of the first container and the second container;

[0027] The third operation is performed based on at least one of the received first and second containers;

[0028] The third operation includes at least one of the following:

[0029] The relevant node of the first container is identified as the first node;

[0030] The relevant node of the second container is identified as the second node;

[0031] Send the first container to the first node;

[0032] Send the second container to the second node;

[0033] The first container is used to transmit port-related information of the first node's port, and the second container is used to transmit port-related information of the second node's port.

[0034] Fifthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a gateway selection method applied to a fourth communication device, comprising:

[0035] Send channel establishment request information;

[0036] The channel establishment request information includes VLAN-related information.

[0037] Sixthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a gateway selection method applied to a fifth communication device, comprising:

[0038] Receive channel establishment request information;

[0039] Select a gateway based on the channel establishment request information;

[0040] The channel establishment request information includes VLAN-related information.

[0041] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device, wherein the communication device is a first communication device, comprising:

[0042] The first execution module is used to perform the first operation;

[0043] The first operation includes at least one of the following:

[0044] Determine the port information of the container and the corresponding port;

[0045] Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related container;

[0046] Send the channel-related signaling, and the channel-related signaling contains a port-related information container;

[0047] Send a container containing port-related information to the channel.

[0048] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device, which is a second communication device, comprising:

[0049] The first sending module is used to send port-related information, container and channel association information;

[0050] The port-related information container includes information about the first port.

[0051] Ninthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device, including:

[0052] The second execution module is used to cause the first communication device to perform the second operation;

[0053] The second operation includes at least one of the following:

[0054] Determine the port information of the container and the corresponding port;

[0055] Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related container;

[0056] Determine the channel n corresponding to channel m;

[0057] Determine the channel m corresponding to channel n;

[0058] The port-related information container includes information about a first port; the first port is the port of the second communication device.

[0059] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device, which is a third communication device, comprising:

[0060] A first receiving module is configured to receive at least one of a first container and a second container;

[0061] The third execution module is used to perform a third operation based on at least one of the received first container and second container;

[0062] The third operation includes at least one of the following:

[0063] The relevant node of the first container is identified as the first node;

[0064] The relevant node of the second container is identified as the second node;

[0065] Send the first container to the first node;

[0066] Send the second container to the second node;

[0067] The first container is used to transmit port-related information of the first node's port, and the second container is used to transmit port-related information of the second node's port.

[0068] Eleventhly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device, which is a fourth communication device, comprising:

[0069] The second sending module is used to send channel establishment request information;

[0070] The channel establishment request information includes VLAN-related information.

[0071] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device, which is a fifth communication device, comprising:

[0072] The second receiving module is used to receive channel establishment request information;

[0073] The selection module is used to select a gateway based on the request information established by the channel.

[0074] The channel establishment request information includes VLAN-related information.

[0075] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication device, including a processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When executed by the processor, the computer program implements the steps of the method for supporting port association provided in the first aspect, or the steps of the method for supporting port association provided in the second aspect, or the steps of the method for supporting port association provided in the third aspect, or the steps of the method for supporting port association provided in the fourth aspect, or the steps of the method for gateway selection provided in the fifth aspect, or the steps of the method for gateway selection provided in the sixth aspect.

[0076] In a fourteenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method for supporting port association provided in the first aspect, or the steps of the method for supporting port association provided in the second aspect, or the steps of the method for supporting port association provided in the third aspect, or the steps of the method for supporting port association provided in the fourth aspect, or the steps of the method for gateway selection provided in the fifth aspect, or the steps of the method for gateway selection provided in the sixth aspect.

[0077] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the first communication device can determine the port or channel corresponding to the port-related information container, thereby accurately sending the received container. Attached Figure Description

[0078] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0079] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0080] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting port association according to an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0081] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting port association according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0082] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting port association according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0083] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting port association according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0084] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting port association according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0085] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting port association according to another embodiment of this disclosure;

[0086] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the methods for supporting port association in application scenarios 1 and 2 of this disclosure.

[0087] Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the method for supporting port association in application scenario 3 of this disclosure.

[0088] Figure 10 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in this disclosure;

[0089] Figure 11 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in this disclosure;

[0090] Figure 12 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in this disclosure;

[0091] Figure 13 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in this disclosure;

[0092] Figure 14 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in this disclosure;

[0093] Figure 15 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in this disclosure;

[0094] Figure 16 is a structural diagram of another communication device provided in this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0095] The port association method and communication device provided in this disclosure can be applied to wireless communication systems. This wireless communication system can be a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system, an evolved packet system (EPS), or a subsequent evolved communication system. The wireless communication network in this disclosure can be a fifth-generation (5GS) mobile communication network or an LTE network. The technical solutions in this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments in this disclosure. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments in this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0096] Referring to Figure 1, it is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a wireless communication system provided in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0097] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the time-sensitive data stream sender can be referred to as a talker, and the time-sensitive data stream receiver can be referred to as a listener. Data forwarding between the talker and listener can be achieved through one or more bridges. An end station node can be either a talker or a listener. A bridge is responsible for data transmission between the talker and the listener.

[0098] The user equipment (UE), time-sensitive adapter, and wireless communication network constitute a bridge (hereinafter referred to as the first bridge). For downlink data, the first adapter is the bridge egress point, and the second adapter is the bridge ingress point. For uplink data, the first adapter is the bridge ingress point, and the second adapter is the bridge egress point.

[0099] The first adapter is a time-sensitive network adapter on the device side (e.g., the UE side) (such as the DS-TT Device-side TSN translator). The ports of the first adapter can be used to connect other bridges or end stations. The second adapter is a time-sensitive network adapter on the network side (e.g., the NW-TT Network-side TSN translator). The ports of the second adapter can be used to connect other bridges or end stations.

[0100] The first adapter and / or the second adapter can be a time-sensitive network (TSN) adapter. A TSN adapter can also be called a TSN translator.

[0101] The UE can be co-located with the first adapter. The User Plane Function (UPF) can be co-located with the second adapter.

[0102] The UE can act as a proxy for the first adapter, establishing a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session with the UPF. Through this PDU session, a port on the first adapter is associated with a port on the second adapter of the UPF. The port on the first adapter becomes a port of the first bridge.

[0103] To support the formation of bridges in wireless communication systems, the following issues also need to be addressed:

[0104] Question 1: The bridge management node can obtain or configure the ports of the bridge formed by the wireless communication system through the AF. The ports of the bridge formed by the wireless communication system are on DS-TT and NW-TT. To minimize the impact on the wireless communication system, DS-TT and NW-TT send information to the AF through a port-related information container. This container is transparent to the UE and the network. When DS-TT sends the port-related information container to the AF, the UE needs to initiate a PDU session modification request, carrying the port-related information container to the SMF, which then forwards it to the AF via PCF. Since the port-related information container is transparent to the UE, and the PDU session has a one-to-one association with the ports on the DS-TT, the port-related information container alone is not enough for the UE to uniquely identify the PDU session.

[0105] Question 2: DS-TT and NW-TT currently use the same container to transmit port-related information. However, DS-TT and NW-TT may transmit port-related information simultaneously. When the SMF receives two identical containers and reports them to the AF via the PCF, the two identical containers cannot be merged. Furthermore, the AF can send port-related information to both DS-TT and NW-TT simultaneously. If there is only one container, it can only be sent separately in two separate steps, triggering two PDU session-related procedures. This increases the port configuration latency and signaling overhead.

[0106] Question 3: When a UE establishes a PDU session for a port on the network, it needs to select the UPF based on the DNN associated with the TSN network. Before DS-TT access, the NW-TT port on the UPF has already been configured (e.g., static filtering entry). Different NW-TT ports on different UPFs can belong to different Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs). Multiple DW-TTs connected to by a single UE may also belong to different VLANs. In order to select a UPF within the same VLAN, the UE should provide VLAN information when establishing the PDU session.

[0107] In this embodiment of the disclosure, optionally, "acquiring" can be understood as obtaining from configuration, receiving, receiving after a request, obtaining through self-learning, inferring from unreceived information, or obtaining after processing received information. The specific method can be determined according to actual needs, and this embodiment of the disclosure does not limit this. For example, when a certain capability indication information sent by the device is not received, it can be inferred that the device does not support that capability.

[0108] Optionally, the message can include a broadcast, a system message, or a response to a request.

[0109] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the port may be an Ethernet port.

[0110] In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the VLAN identifier may also be referred to as a VLAN tag (such as C-TAG and / or S-TAG).

[0111] In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the port-related information container may also be referred to as a port management information container.

[0112] In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the port-related information may also be referred to as port-related control information or port-related management information.

[0113] In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the channel may include, but is not limited to, one of the following: PDU session, PDN connection, QoS flow, bearer (such as ERAB, RAB, DRB, SRB, etc.), IPsec channel.

[0114] In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the port control information can be understood as all information about the port managed by the bridge (such as port-related configuration information in bridge management in 802.1Q).

[0115] In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the wireless communication network may be simply referred to as a network.

[0116] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the wireless communication network can be at least one of the following: a public network, or a non-public network.

[0117] In one embodiment of this disclosure, "non-public network" is an abbreviation for "non-public network." A non-public network can be referred to as one of the following: a non-public communication network. A non-public network can include at least one of the following deployment methods: a standalone non-public network (such as an SNPN), a non-standalone non-public network (such as a Closed Access Group, CAG)). In one embodiment of this disclosure, a non-public network can include or be referred to as a private network. A private network can be referred to as one of the following: a private communication network, a private network, a local area network (LAN), a private virtual network (PVN), an isolated communication network, a dedicated communication network, or other names. It should be noted that the naming method is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the disclosure.

[0118] In one embodiment of this disclosure, "public network" (such as PLMN) is short for "public network." A public network can be referred to as one of the following: public communication network or other names. It should be noted that this disclosure does not specifically limit the naming method.

[0119] In one optional embodiment of this disclosure, the communication device may include at least one of the following: a communication network element and a terminal.

[0120] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the communication network element may include at least one of the following: a core network element and a radio access network element.

[0121] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the core network element (CN element) may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: core network equipment, core network node, core network function, core network element, Mobility Management Entity (MME), Access Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF), Serving Gateway (SGW), PDN Gateway (PDN Gateway), Policy Control Function (PCF), Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF), Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN), Unified Data Management (UDM), Unified Data Repository (UDR), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), and Application Function (AF).

[0122] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the Radio Access Network (RAN) element may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: RAN device, RAN node, RAN function, RAN unit, Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) RAN, non-3GPP RAN, Centralized Unit (CU), Distributed Unit (DU), base station, evolved Node B (eNB), 5G base station (gNB), Radio Network Controller (RNC), base station (NodeB), Non-3GPP Interworking Function (N3IWF), Access Controller (AC) node, Access Point (AP) device or Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) node, and N3IWF.

[0123] The base station can be a base station (BTS) in Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a base station (NodeB) in Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), an evolved Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) in LTE, or a 5G base station (gNB). The embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to these.

[0124] In this embodiment of the disclosure, UE refers to a terminal. A terminal may include a relay that supports terminal functions and / or a terminal that supports relay functions. A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device or user equipment (UE). A terminal may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile internet device (MID), wearable device, or in-vehicle device, etc. It should be noted that this embodiment of the disclosure does not limit the specific type of terminal.

[0125] The term "comprising," and any variations thereof, used in the specification and claims of this application, is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus. Furthermore, the use of "and / or" in the specification and claims indicates at least one of the connected objects, such as A and / or B, indicating the inclusion of A alone, B alone, or both A and B.

[0126] In this disclosure, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this disclosure should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0127] The technologies described in this article are not limited to 5th-generation (5G) mobile communication systems and their subsequent evolution, nor to LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, but can also be used in various wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single-carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), and other systems.

[0128] The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. CDMA systems implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000 and Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA). UTRA includes Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and other CDMA variants. TDMA systems implement radio technologies such as the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). OFDMA systems implement radio technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolution-UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, and Flash-OFDM. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and more advanced LTE (such as LTE-A) are newer versions of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization called the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization called 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2). The technologies described herein can be used with the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as with other systems and radio technologies.

[0129] The following describes the method for supporting port association in embodiments of this disclosure.

[0130] Please refer to Figure 2. This embodiment of the disclosure provides a method for supporting port association, applied to a first communication device; the first communication device includes, but is not limited to, a UE. As shown in Figure 2, the method includes:

[0131] Step 21: Perform the first operation.

[0132] The first operation may include at least one of the following:

[0133] Determine the port information of the container and the corresponding port;

[0134] Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related information container; this channel is, for example, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session.

[0135] Sending signaling related to the channel (i.e., the channel corresponding to the port-related information container), and the channel-related signaling contains the port-related information container; the channel-related signaling is, for example, a PDU session modification request;

[0136] Send the port-related information container to the channel (i.e., the channel corresponding to the port-related information container).

[0137] In one implementation, the port corresponding to the port-related information container can be determined first, and then the channel corresponding to the port-related information container can be determined based on the channel corresponding to the determined port. The port corresponding to the port-related information container can be understood as the port corresponding to the port-related information contained in the port-related information container.

[0138] It's not hard to understand.

[0139] - Determine the port corresponding to the port-related information container. For example, if the port-related information container contains port-related information for port A, then the port corresponding to the port-related information container is port A.

[0140] - For example, a container containing port-related information for port A might contain port-related information for port A. If the channel corresponding to port A is channel X, then the container's corresponding channel is channel X.

[0141] In some embodiments, performing the first operation may include: receiving information sent by the second communication device; and performing the first operation based on the information sent by the second communication device. Optionally, the second communication device may include, but is not limited to, the first adapter (DS-TT).

[0142] In some implementations, performing the first operation may include: receiving a port-related information container and channel association information; and performing the first operation based on the channel association information. The port-related information container includes information about a first port.

[0143] In some implementations, the aforementioned port-related information container is a first port-related information container (first container); wherein, the first container is used to contain and / or transmit port-related information of a port of a first node (such as DS-TT); the first port is the port of the first node. The first container may be different from the second port-related information container (second container). The second container is used to send port-related information of a port of a second node (such as NW-TT).

[0144] In some implementations, the aforementioned information related to the first port may be port-related information. Optionally, the port-related information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: port-related information request information, port identifier, service class information, first routing information, priority regeneration information, port transmission rate information, bandwidth availability parameter information and transmission selection algorithm information, port management capabilities, bridge latency information (such as transmission propagation latency), traffic class table, gate control information, port neighbor discovery configuration, etc.

[0145] In some implementations, the aforementioned port may be a port on a first adapter (such as DS-TT).

[0146] In other implementations, the aforementioned port may be a port on a second adapter (such as NW-TT).

[0147] In some implementations, the association information of the aforementioned channels may include at least one of the following:

[0148] Port identification information, channel identification information (such as the identifier of a PDU session).

[0149] Optionally, the port identification information may be the port identification information of the first port;

[0150] The identification information of the channel can be the identification information of the channel corresponding to the first port.

[0151] Optionally, the port identification information may include at least one of the following: bridge identifier, port number, and port MAC address. It is easy to understand that multiple ports on the first adapter and / or second adapter can connect to multiple bridges. A port can be uniquely identified by its bridge identifier and port number. In one implementation, when a port-related channel is established, the second communication device has already provided the port's MAC address. The first communication device can store the association between the port's MAC address and the identifier of the related channel. When subsequently sending a port-related information container, the port's MAC address can be sent simultaneously. It is easy to understand that the related channel can be indexed based on the port's MAC address.

[0152] In one embodiment, the first communication device stores information about ports and their corresponding channels. The first communication device can associate a port with its corresponding channel based on the port's identification information. In another embodiment, the first communication device can directly associate a container with its corresponding channel based on the channel's identification information. It is easy to understand that the container is transparent to the first communication device; without channel association information, the device cannot confirm the channel corresponding to the container or port, and therefore cannot send or receive messages from the container.

[0153] In at least one embodiment of this disclosure, before receiving the associated information of the receiving port-related information container and the channel, the method may further include:

[0154] Send the identification information of the channel;

[0155] The channel is the channel corresponding to the first port.

[0156] In one implementation, after establishing a channel corresponding to a port, the first communication device can send the channel's identification information to the second communication device. It's easy to understand that when the second communication device subsequently sends a port-related information container to the first communication device, it can also send the channel's association information. For example, if the channel is a PDU session, the channel's identification information is the PDU session's identifier. This PDU session identifier can be the port-related PDU session identifier sent by the first communication device (e.g., UE) to the second communication device (e.g., DS-TT) after the port-related PDU session is successfully established.

[0157] It is easy to understand that through this embodiment, the first communication device can determine the port or channel corresponding to the port-related information container, thereby accurately sending the received container.

[0158] Please refer to Figure 3. This embodiment of the disclosure also provides a method for supporting port association, applied to a second communication device; the second communication device includes, but is not limited to, a first adapter (DS-TT). As shown in Figure 3, the method includes:

[0159] Step 31: Send port-related information, including the association information between the container and the channel.

[0160] The port-related information container includes information about the first port.

[0161] In some implementations, the aforementioned port-related information container is a first port-related information container (first container); wherein, the first container is used to contain and / or transmit port-related information of a port of a first node (such as DS-TT); the first port is the port of the first node. The first container may be different from the second port-related information container (second container). The second container is used to send port-related information of a port of a second node (such as NW-TT).

[0162] In some embodiments, the port described above may be a port on the first adapter. In other embodiments, the port may be a port on the second adapter.

[0163] In some implementations, the association information of the aforementioned channels may include at least one of the following:

[0164] Port identification information, channel identification information (such as the identifier of a PDU session).

[0165] Optionally, the port identification information may be the port identification information of the first port;

[0166] The identification information of the channel can be the identification information of the channel corresponding to the first port.

[0167] Optionally, the port identification information may include at least one of the following: bridge identifier, port number, and port MAC address. It is easy to understand that multiple ports on the first adapter and / or second adapter can connect to multiple bridges. A port can be uniquely identified by its bridge identifier and port number. In one implementation, when a port-related channel is established, the second communication device has already provided the port's MAC address. The first communication device can store the association between the port's MAC address and the identifier of the related channel. When subsequently sending a port-related information container, the port's MAC address can be sent simultaneously. It is easy to understand that the related channel can be indexed based on the port's MAC address.

[0168] In at least one embodiment of this disclosure, prior to step 31 above, the method may further include:

[0169] Receive the identification information of the channel;

[0170] The channel is the channel corresponding to the first port.

[0171] In one implementation, after a channel (e.g., a PDU session) corresponding to a port is established, the second communication device can receive the identification information of the channel corresponding to the port sent by the first communication device. The second communication device can store the association between the port and the channel corresponding to the port. Subsequently, when it is necessary to send port-related information on the second communication device, the second communication device can send the association information of the channel corresponding to the port. For example, when the channel is a PDU session, the identification information of the channel is the identifier of the PDU session. The identifier of the PDU session can be the identifier of the PDU session corresponding to the port received by the second communication device (e.g., DS-TT) from the first communication device (e.g., UE) after the port-related PDU session is successfully established.

[0172] It is easy to understand that, through this embodiment, by using the second communication device to send the association information of the port-related information container and the channel, the first communication device can determine the port or channel corresponding to the port-related information container, thereby accurately sending the received container.

[0173] Please refer to Figure 4. This embodiment of the disclosure also provides a method for supporting port association, applied to a communication device; the communication device includes, but is not limited to, the first communication device (such as a UE) or the second communication device (such as a DS-TT). As shown in Figure 4, the method includes:

[0174] Step 41: Cause the first communication device to perform the second operation.

[0175] The second operation may include at least one of the following:

[0176] Determine the port information of the container and the corresponding port;

[0177] Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related information container; for example, the channel is a PDU session.

[0178] Determine the channel n corresponding to channel m (the channel m is, for example, the channel m that receives the port-related information container (through relevant signaling or received in the channel));

[0179] Determine the channel m corresponding to channel n (the channel n is, for example, the channel n that receives port-related information containers (via relevant signaling or received in the channel)).

[0180] The port-related information container includes information about a first port; the first port is the port of a second communication device (such as DS-TT).

[0181] It's not hard to understand.

[0182] - Determine the port corresponding to the port-related information container. For example, if the port-related information container contains port-related information for port A, then the port corresponding to the port-related information container is port A.

[0183] - For example, a container containing port-related information contains port-related information for port A; if the channel corresponding to port A is channel X, then the channel corresponding to the container is channel X.

[0184] - Channel m corresponds to channel n and channel n corresponds to channel m. For example, if the port corresponding to channel m is the same as the port corresponding to channel n, then channel m can be considered to correspond to channel n or channel n can correspond to channel m.

[0185] In at least one embodiment of this disclosure, step 41 may optionally include at least one of the following:

[0186] Request the establishment of channel m corresponding to the first port; for example, the channel can be requested to be established by the first communication device or the second communication device.

[0187] Establish channel m corresponding to the first port; for example, this channel can be established by the first communication device or the second communication device.

[0188] Save the association between the first port and channel m;

[0189] In channel m or channel m-related signaling, receive the port-related information container of the first port;

[0190] In channel m or channel m-related signaling, send the port-related information container of the first port;

[0191] Wherein, channel m is the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0192] Understandably, the number of channels between the first and second communication devices can be one or more. A port is associated with only one channel m.

[0193] In one implementation, when channel m corresponding to the first port is established, port identification information of the first port can be sent.

[0194] The port identification information is shown in Figure 2, and will not be repeated here.

[0195] Furthermore, step 41 above may also include the following steps (which may be performed by the first communication device):

[0196] Based on at least one of the following: the channel m associated with the port-related information container, the association between channel m and the first port, and the association between channel n (such as a PDU session) and the first port, determine at least one of the following:

[0197] The port corresponding to the port-related information container is determined to be the first port;

[0198] Determine the channel n corresponding to the port-related information container;

[0199] Determine the channel n corresponding to channel m.

[0200] In some implementations, the signaling associated with channel m may carry a port-related information container; or, a port-related information container may be received from channel m. It is easy to understand that, based on the association between channel m and the first port, and the association between channel n and the first port, the channel n corresponding to the port-related information container, or the channel n corresponding to channel m, can be determined. Therefore, it can be determined which channel n or which channel n's signaling should be used to transmit the port-related information container received from channel m.

[0201] Alternatively, step 41 above may also include the following steps (which may be performed by the first communication device):

[0202] Based on at least one of the following: the association relationship between the port-related information container and the first port, and the association relationship between channel n and the first port, determine at least one of the following:

[0203] The port corresponding to the port-related information container is determined to be the first port;

[0204] Determine the channel m corresponding to the port-related information container;

[0205] Determine the channel m corresponding to channel n.

[0206] Here, the aforementioned channel n is the channel between the first communication device and the wireless communication network (such as a 5G network); for example, channel n is a PDU session.

[0207] In some implementations, the signaling (PDU session modification request) related to channel n may carry a port-related information container; or, a port-related information container may be received from channel n. It is easy to understand that, based on the association between channel m and the first port, and the association between channel n and the first port, the channel m corresponding to the port-related information container from channel n, or the channel m corresponding to channel n, can be determined. Therefore, it can be determined which channel m or which channel m's related signaling is used to transmit the port-related information container received from channel n.

[0208] Please refer to Figure 5. This embodiment of the disclosure also provides a method for supporting port association, applied to a third communication device; the third communication device includes, but is not limited to, any one of the following: SMF, PCF, AMF, AF. As shown in Figure 5, the method includes:

[0209] Step 51: Receive at least one of the first container and the second container;

[0210] Step 52: Perform the third operation based on at least one of the received first container and second container.

[0211] The third operation may include at least one of the following:

[0212] The relevant node of the first container is identified as the first node;

[0213] The relevant node of the second container is identified as the second node;

[0214] Send the first container to the first node;

[0215] Send the second container to the second node.

[0216] Wherein, the first container is short for port-related information first container, used to transmit port-related information of the first node's port; the second container is short for port-related information second container, used to transmit port-related information of the second node's port.

[0217] In one implementation, the first container and the second container are different containers. It is easy to understand that the first container is associated with the first node, and the second container is associated with the second node.

[0218] In some implementations, the first node may include a first adapter (such as DS-TT).

[0219] In some implementations, the second node may include a second adapter (such as NW-TT).

[0220] It is easy to understand that, through this embodiment, by using different first and second containers, the port-related information operations on the ports of the first and second nodes can be completed in one channel signaling process, thereby shortening the port configuration latency and reducing signaling overhead.

[0221] Referring to Figure 6, this embodiment of the disclosure also provides a gateway selection method applied to a fourth communication device; the fourth communication device includes, but is not limited to, a UE. As shown in Figure 6, the method includes:

[0222] Step 61: Send channel establishment request information.

[0223] The channel establishment request information is used to request the establishment of a port-related channel (such as a PDU session), and the corresponding channel establishment request can be selected as a PDU session establishment request. The channel establishment request information can be included in the channel establishment request signaling (PDU session establishment request).

[0224] The channel establishment request information may include VLAN-related information.

[0225] In one implementation, the channel establishment request information is port-related channel establishment request information. That is, the requested channel is for the port to connect to the wireless communication network and become a bridge in the wireless communication system.

[0226] Optionally, the VLAN-related information may include at least one of the following:

[0227] The DNN corresponding to a VLAN (i.e., different VLANs have different DNNs);

[0228] VLAN identification information (such as VID (also known as VLAN Tag)).

[0229] In one implementation, after the fourth communication device sends VLAN-related information to the fifth communication device through a channel establishment request message, the fifth communication device can select a gateway based on the VLAN-related information.

[0230] It is easy to understand that this embodiment can meet the requirement of selecting a gateway (such as a UPF) under the same VLAN when establishing a channel.

[0231] Please refer to Figure 7. This embodiment of the disclosure also provides a gateway selection method applied to a fifth communication device; the fifth communication device includes, but is not limited to, any one of the following: SMF, PCF, AMF, AF. As shown in Figure 7, the method includes:

[0232] Step 71: Receive channel establishment request information.

[0233] Step 72: Select a gateway based on the channel establishment request information.

[0234] The channel establishment request information includes VLAN-related information. The channel corresponding to the channel establishment request information can be a PDU session, and the corresponding channel establishment request can be a PDU session establishment request.

[0235] In one implementation, the channel establishment request information is port-related channel establishment request information. That is, the requested channel is for the port to connect to the wireless communication network and become a bridge in the wireless communication system.

[0236] Optionally, the VLAN-related information may include at least one of the following:

[0237] VLAN corresponding DNN;

[0238] VLAN identification information (such as VID).

[0239] In at least some embodiments of this disclosure, step 72 may include: selecting a gateway that supports the VLAN based on the VLAN-related information. Understandably, the gateway may be a UPF.

[0240] The method for supporting port association in this disclosure embodiment will be described below with reference to specific application scenarios.

[0241] Application scenario 1 of this disclosure mainly describes the process of UE-triggered PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session modification. Referring to Figure 8, it includes the following steps:

[0242] Step 801: The DS-TT sends a port-related information container and the association information of the channel (such as a PDU session) to the UE. The port-related information container contains port-related information of the port on the DS-TT (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2), and the association information of the channel includes the information shown in the embodiment of Figure 2.

[0243] Step 802: In one embodiment, the UE can determine the PDU session corresponding to the port-related information container based on the association information of the PDU session (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2).

[0244] The UE initiates a PDU session modification request to the AMF. The PDU session modification request contains the port-related information container from step 801.

[0245] In one implementation, the UE can send the PDU session modification request to the AMF via a NAS message.

[0246] Step 803: The AMF sends a PDU session_update session management context request to the SMF, the PDU session_update session management context request including the PDU session modification request.

[0247] Step 804: Optionally, the SMF sends an N4 session modification request to the UPF.

[0248] Step 805: Optionally, the UPF sends an N4 session modification response to the SMF.

[0249] Step 806: The SMF sends an SMF-triggered session management policy association modification request to the PCF. The SMF-triggered session management policy association modification request contains the port-related information container.

[0250] Step 807: The PCF sends an event notification to the AF. The event notification contains the port-related information container. After receiving the port-related information from the port-related information container, the AF sends the port-related information to a time-sensitive network control node (such as a CNC). Optionally, if the CNC needs to adjust the port-related information, the CNC can send the updated port-related information to the AF. The AF can generate a port-related information container to contain the port-related information.

[0251] Step 808: The AF sends an event notification response to the PCF. Optionally, the event notification response includes a port-related information container. The port-related information container may contain port-related information of the ports on the DS-TT and / or NW-TT (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2). The port-related information in step 806 may be different from the port-related information in step 801.

[0252] Step 809: The PCF sends an SMF-triggered session management policy association modification request response to the SMF. Optionally, the SMF-triggered session management policy association modification request response includes the port-related information container from step 806.

[0253] The SMF determines whether the port-related information container is a container related to the NW-TT port or the DS-TT port. If it is confirmed to be a container related to the NW-TT port, it is sent to the UPF via step 808. If it is confirmed to be a container related to the DS-TT port, it proceeds to step 810.

[0254] Step 810: The SMF sends an N4 session modification request to the UPF. The N4 session modification request contains the port-related information container from step 808. When the UPF and NW-TT are co-located, the UPF and / or NW-TT can perform port-related operations on the ports on the NW-TT based on the port-related information in the port-related information container (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2, which will not be repeated here).

[0255] Step 811: UPF sends an N4 session modification response to SMF.

[0256] Step 812: The SMF sends a PDU Session_Update Session Management Context Response to the AMF, the PDU Session_Update Session Management Context Response containing the PDU Session Modification Acceptance. Optionally, the PDU Session Modification Acceptance contains a container of port-related information.

[0257] Step 813: The AMF sends a NAS message to the UE, the NAS message containing the PDU session modification acceptance.

[0258] Step 814: The UE sends a response to the DS-TT. Optionally, the response includes a port-related information container. The DS-TT can perform port-related operations on the port on the DS-TT based on the port-related information in the port-related information container (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2, which will not be repeated here).

[0259] Application scenario 2 of this disclosure mainly describes the process of UE-triggered PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session modification. During this process, DS-TT can send and receive the first container; NW-TT can send and receive the second container. Referring to Figure 8, the process includes the following steps:

[0260] Step 801: DS-TT sends the association information of the first container (port-related information first container) and the channel (PDU session) to the UE. The first container contains the port-related information of the port on the DS-TT (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2).

[0261] The UE associates the established PDU session with the association information of the PDU session and sends a PDU session modification request, which includes a first container.

[0262] Step 802: The UE initiates a PDU session modification request to the AMF. The PDU session modification request includes the first container from step 801.

[0263] The UE can send the PDU session modification request to the AMF via NAS messages.

[0264] Step 803: The AMF sends a PDU session_update session management context request to the SMF, the PDU session_update session management context request including the PDU session modification request.

[0265] Step 804: SMF sends an N4 session modification request to UPF.

[0266] Step 805: The UPF sends an N4 session modification response to the SMF. The N4 session modification response may contain a second container. The second container contains port-related information about the port on the NW-TT (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2).

[0267] Step 806: The SMF sends an SMF-triggered session management policy association modification request to the PCF. The SMF-triggered session management policy association modification request includes the first container and / or the second container.

[0268] Step 807: The PCF sends an event notification to the AF. The event notification contains the port-related information container. After receiving the port-related information from the first container and / or the second container, the AF sends the port-related information to the time-sensitive network control node (such as the CNC). Optionally, if the CNC needs to adjust the port-related information, the CNC can send the updated port-related information to the AF. The AF can generate the first container and / or the second container to contain the port-related information.

[0269] Step 808: The AF sends an event notification response to the PCF. Optionally, the event notification response includes a first container and / or a second container. The first container may contain port-related information of the DS-TT port (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2). The second container may contain port-related information of the NW-TT port (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2). The port-related information in the first container in step 808 may be different from the port-related information in the first container in step 801. The port-related information in the second container in step 808 may be different from the port-related information in the second container in step 805.

[0270] Step 809: The PCF sends an SMF-triggered Session Management Policy Association Modification Request Response to the SMF. Optionally, the SMF-triggered Session Management Policy Association Modification Request Response includes the first container and / or the second container from step 808.

[0271] The SMF determines that the first container is a container associated with the DS-TT port, and sends the first container in step 810. (See Figure 5 for details.)

[0272] The SMF determines that the second container is the container associated with the NW-TT port, and then sends the second container to the UPF in step 808 (as shown in Figure 5).

[0273] Step 810: The SMF sends an N4 session modification request to the UPF. The N4 session modification request includes the second container from step 808. When the UPF and NW-TT are co-located, the UPF and / or NW-TT can perform port-related operations on the ports on the NW-TT based on the port-related information in the second container (as shown in the embodiment in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here).

[0274] Step 811: UPF sends an N4 session modification response to SMF.

[0275] Step 812: The SMF sends a PDU Session_Update Session Management Context Response to the AMF, the PDU Session_Update Session Management Context Response containing the PDU Session Modification Acceptance. Optionally, the PDU Session Modification Acceptance contains a first container.

[0276] Step 813: The AMF sends a NAS message to the UE, the NAS message containing the PDU session modification acceptance.

[0277] Step 814: The UE sends a response to the DS-TT. Optionally, the response includes a first container. The DS-TT can perform port-related operations on the ports on the DS-TT based on the port-related information in the first container (as shown in the embodiment of Figure 2, which will not be repeated here).

[0278] Application scenario 3 of this disclosure mainly describes the network-triggered PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session modification process. During this process, DS-TT can send and receive the first container; NW-TT can send and receive the second container. Referring to Figure 9, the process includes the following steps:

[0279] Step 901: The AF sends application service information to the PCF. Optionally, the application service information includes a first container and / or a second container. The first container may contain port-related information read requests for ports on the DS-TT. The second container may contain port-related information read requests for ports on the NW-TT.

[0280] In one implementation, after receiving a request to read bridge-related control information and / or a request to read port-related information, the AF executes step 901.

[0281] Step 902: The PCF sends a Session Management Control Update Notification Request to the SMF. Optionally, the Session Management Control Update Notification Request includes the first container and / or the second container from step 901.

[0282] SMF determines that the first container is the associated container of the DS-TT port. SMF sends the first container in step 905.

[0283] SMF determines that the second container is the associated container of the NW-TT port. SMF sends the second container to UPF in step 903.

[0284] Step 903: The SMF sends an N4 session modification request to the UPF. The N4 session modification request includes the second container. When the UPF and NW-TT are co-located, the UPF can read the request based on the port-related information in the second container and send the port-related information of the port on the NW-TT (as shown in the embodiment in Figure 2, which will not be repeated here). At this time, the port-related information of the port on the NW-TT is also contained in the second container.

[0285] Step 904: The UPF sends an N4 session modification response to the SMF. The N4 session modification response contains the second container from step 903.

[0286] Step 905: The SMF sends an N1N2 message to the AMF, the N1N2 message containing the PDU session modification command. Optionally, the PDU session modification command contains the first container from step 903.

[0287] Step 906: The AMF sends a NAS message to the UE, the NAS message containing the PDU session modification command.

[0288] Step 907: The UE sends a port-related information container to the DS-TT. The DS-TT can read the port-related information from the received first container and send the port-related information for the port on the DS-TT. At this time, the port-related information is also sent through the first container.

[0289] Step 908: DS-TT sends a response to the UE. The response contains a first container. The first container contains port-related information about the port on the DS-TT.

[0290] Step 909: The UE sends a PDU session modification completion message to the SMF. The PDU session modification completion message includes the first container from step 908.

[0291] The UE sends a PDU session modification completion message to the AMF via a NAS message.

[0292] Step 910: The AMF sends a PDU session_update session management context request to the SMF, the PDU session_update session management context request indicating that the PDU session modification is complete.

[0293] Step 911: SMF sends PDU session update session management context response to AMF

[0294] Step 912: The SMF sends an SMF-triggered session management policy association modification request to the PCF. The SMF-triggered session management policy association modification request includes the second container in step 904 and / or the first container in step 910.

[0295] Step 913: The PCF sends an application service information confirmation to the AF. This application service information confirmation includes the second container from step 904 and / or the first container from step 910. After receiving the port-related information from the first container and / or the second container, the AF sends the port-related information to the time-sensitive network control node (such as a CNC).

[0296] Please refer to Figure 10. This embodiment of the disclosure provides a communication device, which is a first communication device. As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 100 includes:

[0297] The first execution module 101 is used to perform the first operation;

[0298] The first operation includes at least one of the following:

[0299] Determine the port information of the container and the corresponding port;

[0300] Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related container;

[0301] Send the channel-related signaling, and the channel-related signaling contains a port-related information container;

[0302] Send a container containing port-related information to the channel.

[0303] In some embodiments, performing the first operation may include: receiving information sent by the second communication device; and performing the first operation based on the information sent by the second communication device. Optionally, the second communication device may include, but is not limited to, the first adapter (DS-TT).

[0304] In some implementations, performing the first operation may include: receiving a port-related information container and channel association information; and performing the first operation based on the channel association information. The port-related information container includes information about a first port.

[0305] In some implementations, the association information of the aforementioned channels may include at least one of the following:

[0306] Port identification information, channel identification information (such as the identifier of a PDU session).

[0307] Optionally, the port identification information may be the port identification information of the first port;

[0308] The identification information of the channel can be the identification information of the channel corresponding to the first port.

[0309] In at least one embodiment of this disclosure, the communication device 100 may further include:

[0310] A sending module is used to send the identification information of the channel;

[0311] The channel is the channel corresponding to the first port.

[0312] In this embodiment, the communication device 100 can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in FIG2 of this disclosure and achieve the same beneficial effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0313] Please refer to Figure 11. This embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which is a second communication device. As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 110 includes:

[0314] The first sending module 111 is used to send port-related information container and channel association information;

[0315] The port-related information container includes information about the first port.

[0316] In some implementations, the aforementioned port-related information container is a first port-related information container (first container); wherein, the first container is used to contain and / or transmit port-related information of a port of a first node (such as DS-TT); the first port is the port of the first node. The first container may be different from the second port-related information container (second container). The second container is used to send port-related information of a port of a second node (such as NW-TT).

[0317] In some implementations, the association information of the aforementioned channels may include at least one of the following:

[0318] Port identification information, channel identification information (such as the identifier of a PDU session).

[0319] Optionally, the port identification information may be the port identification information of the first port;

[0320] The identification information of the channel can be the identification information of the channel corresponding to the first port.

[0321] In at least one embodiment of this disclosure, the communication device 110 may further include:

[0322] A receiving module is used to receive the identification information of the channel;

[0323] The channel is the channel corresponding to the first port.

[0324] In this embodiment, the communication device 110 can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in FIG3 of this disclosure and achieve the same beneficial effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0325] Please refer to Figure 12. This embodiment of the present disclosure provides a communication device, which may be a first communication device or a second communication device. As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 120 includes:

[0326] The second execution module 121 is used to cause the first communication device to perform the second operation;

[0327] The second operation includes at least one of the following:

[0328] Determine the port information of the container and the corresponding port;

[0329] Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related container;

[0330] Determine the channel n corresponding to channel m (the channel m is, for example, the channel m that receives the port-related information container (through relevant signaling or received in the channel));

[0331] Determine the channel m corresponding to channel n (the channel n is, for example, the channel n that receives the port-related information container (via relevant signaling or received in the channel));

[0332] The port-related information container includes information about a first port; the first port is the port of the second communication device.

[0333] In at least one embodiment of this disclosure, optionally, the second execution module 121 may also execute at least one of the following:

[0334] Request the establishment of channel m corresponding to the first port; for example, the channel can be requested to be established by the first communication device or the second communication device.

[0335] Establish channel m corresponding to the first port; for example, this channel can be established by the first communication device or the second communication device.

[0336] Save the association between the first port and channel m;

[0337] In channel m or channel m-related signaling, receive the port-related information container of the first port;

[0338] In channel m or channel m-related signaling, send the port-related information container of the first port;

[0339] Wherein, channel m is the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.

[0340] Understandably, the number of channels between the first and second communication devices can be one or more. A port is associated with only one channel m.

[0341] Optionally, the second execution module 121 may further perform the following steps: based on at least one of the following: the channel m associated with the port-related information container, the association between channel m and the first port, and the association between channel n (such as a PDU session) and the first port, determine at least one of the following:

[0342] The port corresponding to the port-related information container is determined to be the first port;

[0343] Determine the channel n corresponding to the port-related information container;

[0344] Determine the channel n corresponding to channel m.

[0345] Alternatively, the second execution module 121 may further perform the following steps: based on at least one of the association relationships between the port-related information container-related channel n, channel m and the first port, and the association relationship between channel n and the first port, determine at least one of the following:

[0346] The port corresponding to the port-related information container is determined to be the first port;

[0347] Determine the channel m corresponding to the port-related information container;

[0348] Determine the channel m corresponding to channel n.

[0349] Here, the aforementioned channel n is the channel between the first communication device and the wireless communication network; for example, channel n is a PDU session.

[0350] In this embodiment, the communication device 120 can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in FIG4 of this disclosure and achieve the same beneficial effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0351] Please refer to Figure 13. This embodiment of the disclosure provides a communication device, which is a third communication device. As shown in Figure 13, the communication device 130 includes:

[0352] The first receiving module 131 is used to receive at least one of the first container and the second container;

[0353] The third execution module 132 is configured to perform a third operation based on at least one of the received first container and second container;

[0354] The third operation includes at least one of the following:

[0355] The relevant node of the first container is identified as the first node;

[0356] The relevant node of the second container is identified as the second node;

[0357] Send the first container to the first node;

[0358] Send the second container to the second node.

[0359] Wherein, the first container is short for port-related information first container, used to transmit port-related information of the first node's port; the second container is short for port-related information second container, used to transmit port-related information of the second node's port.

[0360] In one implementation, the first container and the second container are different containers. It is easy to understand that the first container is associated with the first node, and the second container is associated with the second node.

[0361] In some implementations, the first node may include a first adapter (such as DS-TT).

[0362] In some implementations, the second node may include a second adapter (such as NW-TT).

[0363] It is easy to understand that, through this embodiment, by using different first and second containers, the port-related information operations on the ports of the first and second nodes can be completed in one channel signaling process, thereby shortening the port configuration latency and reducing signaling overhead.

[0364] Please refer to Figure 14. This embodiment of the disclosure provides a communication device, which is a fourth communication device. As shown in Figure 14, the communication device 140 includes:

[0365] The second sending module 141 is used to send channel establishment request information.

[0366] The channel establishment request information is used to request the establishment of a port-related channel (such as a PDU session), and the corresponding channel establishment request can be selected as a PDU session establishment request. The channel establishment request information can be included in the channel establishment request signaling (PDU session establishment request).

[0367] The channel establishment request information may include VLAN-related information.

[0368] In one implementation, the channel establishment request information is port-related channel establishment request information. That is, the requested channel is for the port to connect to the wireless communication network and become a bridge in the wireless communication system.

[0369] Optionally, the VLAN-related information may include at least one of the following:

[0370] The DNN corresponding to a VLAN (i.e., different VLANs have different DNNs);

[0371] VLAN identification information (such as VID (also known as VLAN Tag)).

[0372] In this embodiment, the communication device 140 can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in FIG6 of this disclosure and achieve the same beneficial effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0373] Please refer to Figure 15. This embodiment of the disclosure provides a communication device, which is a fifth communication device. As shown in Figure 15, the communication device 150 includes:

[0374] The second receiving module 151 is used to receive channel establishment request information;

[0375] Selection module 152 is used to select a gateway based on the channel establishment request information;

[0376] The channel establishment request information includes VLAN-related information.

[0377] Optionally, the VLAN-related information may include at least one of the following:

[0378] VLAN corresponding DNN;

[0379] VLAN identification information (such as VID).

[0380] In this embodiment, the communication device 150 can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in FIG7 of this disclosure and achieve the same beneficial effects. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0381] Referring to Figure 16, which is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this disclosure, the communication device 160 includes a processor 161, a memory 162, and a computer program stored in the memory 162 and executable on the processor. The components of the communication device 160 are coupled together through a bus interface 163. When the computer program is executed by the processor 161, it can implement the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in Figure 2, or the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in Figure 3, or the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4, or the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, or the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in Figure 6, or the various processes implemented in the method embodiment shown in Figure 7, and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0382] This disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the processes implemented in the method embodiments shown in FIG2, FIG3, FIG4, FIG5, FIG6, and FIG7, achieving the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, these details are not repeated here. The computer-readable storage medium may be a read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0383] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Unless otherwise specified, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0384] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this disclosure, in essence, or the part that contributes to the related technology, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) and includes several instructions to cause a terminal (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, air conditioner, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0385] The embodiments of this disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for supporting port association, applied to a first communication device, comprising: Perform the first operation; The first operation includes at least one of the following: Determine the port information corresponding to the container; Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related container; Send the channel-related signaling, and the channel-related signaling contains a port-related information container; Send a container containing port-related information to the channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The execution of the first operation includes: Receive the associated information of the port-related container and the channel; Based on the association information of the channel, perform the first operation shown; The port-related information container includes information about the first port.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The associated information of the channel includes at least one of the following: Port identification information, channel identification information.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The port identification information is the port identification information of the first port; The identification information of the channel is the identification information of the channel corresponding to the first port.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein, Before receiving the port-related information container and the channel association information, the method further includes: Send the identification information of the channel; The channel is the channel corresponding to the first port.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The container containing the port-related information is the first container; The first container is used to send port-related information of the first node's port; The first port is the port of the first node.

7. A method for supporting port association, applied to a second communication device, comprising: Send port-related information, container and channel association information; The port-related information container includes information about the first port.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The associated information of the channel includes at least one of the following: Port identification information, channel identification information.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The port identification information is the port identification information of the first port; The identification information of the channel is the identification information of the channel corresponding to the first port.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein, Before the association information of the sending port-related information container and the channel, the method further includes: Receive the identification information of the channel; The channel is the channel corresponding to the first port.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The container containing the port-related information is the first container; The first container is used to send port-related information of the first node's port; The first port is the port of the first node.

12. A method for supporting port association, applied to a communication device, wherein, include: To cause the first communication device to perform the second operation; The second operation includes at least one of the following: Determine the port information corresponding to the container; Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related container; Determine the channel n corresponding to channel m; Determine the channel m corresponding to channel n; The port-related information container includes information about a first port; the first port is the port of the second communication device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, The operation of causing the first communication device to perform the second operation includes at least one of the following: Request to establish channel m corresponding to the first port; Establish channel m corresponding to the first port; Save the association between the first port and channel m; In channel m or channel m-related signaling, receive the port-related information container of the first port; In channel m or channel m-related signaling, send the port-related information container of the first port; Wherein, channel m is the channel between the first communication device and the second communication device.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The step of causing the first communication device to perform the second operation further includes: Based on at least one of the following: the port-related information container-related channel m, the association between channel m and the first port, and the association between channel n and the first port, determine at least one of the following: The port corresponding to the port-related information container is determined to be the first port; Determine the channel n corresponding to the port-related information container; Determine the channel n corresponding to channel m; or, Based on at least one of the following: the association relationship between the port-related information container and the first port, and the association relationship between channel n and the first port, determine at least one of the following: The port corresponding to the port-related information container is determined to be the first port; Determine the channel m corresponding to the port-related information container; Determine the channel m corresponding to channel n; Wherein, channel n is the channel between the first communication device and the wireless communication network.

15. A method for supporting port association, applied to a third communication device, wherein, include: Receive at least one of the first container and the second container; The third operation is performed based on at least one of the received first and second containers; The third operation includes at least one of the following: The relevant node of the first container is identified as the first node; The relevant node of the second container is identified as the second node; Send the first container to the first node; Send the second container to the second node; The first container is used to transmit port-related information of the first node's port, and the second container is used to transmit port-related information of the second node's port.

16. A gateway selection method, applied to a fourth communication device, comprising: Send channel establishment request information; The channel establishment request information includes VLAN-related information.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The VLAN-related information includes at least one of the following: VLAN corresponding DNN; VLAN identification information.

18. A gateway selection method, applied to a fifth communication device, wherein, include: Receive channel establishment request information; Select a gateway based on the channel establishment request information; The channel establishment request information includes VLAN-related information.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The VLAN-related information includes at least one of the following: VLAN corresponding DNN; VLAN identification information.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The step of selecting a gateway based on the channel establishment request information includes: Based on the VLAN-related information, select a gateway that supports the VLAN.

21. A communication device, wherein the communication device is a first communication device, comprising: The first execution module is used to perform the first operation; The first operation includes at least one of the following: Determine the port information corresponding to the container; Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related container; Send the channel-related signaling, and the channel-related signaling contains a port-related information container; Send a container containing port-related information to the channel.

22. A communication device, wherein the communication device is a second communication device, comprising: The first sending module is used to send port-related information, container and channel association information; The port-related information container includes information about the first port.

23. A communication device, comprising: The second execution module is used to cause the first communication device to perform the second operation; The second operation includes at least one of the following: Determine the port information corresponding to the container; Determine the channel corresponding to the port-related container; Determine the channel n corresponding to channel m; Determine the channel m corresponding to channel n; The port-related information container includes information about a first port; the first port is the port of the second communication device.

24. A communication device, wherein the communication device is a third communication device, comprising: A first receiving module is configured to receive at least one of a first container and a second container; The third execution module is used to perform a third operation based on at least one of the received first container and second container; The third operation includes at least one of the following: The relevant node of the first container is identified as the first node; The relevant node of the second container is identified as the second node; Send the first container to the first node; Send the second container to the second node; The first container is used to transmit port-related information of the first node's port, and the second container is used to transmit port-related information of the second node's port.

25. A communication device, wherein the communication device is a fourth communication device, comprising: The second sending module is used to send channel establishment request information; The channel establishment request information includes VLAN-related information.

26. A communication device, wherein the communication device is a fifth communication device, comprising: The second receiving module is used to receive channel establishment request information; The selection module is used to select a gateway based on the request information established by the channel. The channel establishment request information includes VLAN-related information.

27. A communication device, comprising: A processor, a memory, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer program, when executed by the processor, implements the steps of the method for supporting port association as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, or implements the steps of the method for supporting port association as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 11, or implements the steps of the method for supporting port association as claimed in any one of claims 12 to 14, or implements the steps of the method for supporting port association as claimed in claim 15, or implements the steps of the method for gateway selection as claimed in claim 16 or 17, or implements the steps of the method for gateway selection as claimed in any one of claims 18 to 20.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method for supporting port association as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, or the steps of the method for supporting port association as described in any one of claims 7 to 11, or the steps of the method for supporting port association as described in any one of claims 12 to 14, or the steps of the method for supporting port association as described in claim 15, or the steps of the method for gateway selection as described in claim 16 or 17, or the steps of the method for gateway selection as described in any one of claims 18 to 20.