Business collaborative processing method and related equipment

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a business collaborative processing method and related equipment. The method includes: using an edge server to receive an uplink data packet from a first user terminal, the source address and destination address of the uplink data packet are the network addresses of the first user terminal and the edge server respectively; the uplink data packet is processed by the edge server to generate a first data packet, and the destination address of the first data packet is set to the network address of the central server, so that the first data packet is sent to the central server through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel according to the network address of the central server, and the central server continues to process the first data packet; the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the central server, and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the edge server.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of computer technology, and in particular to a business collaborative processing method and device, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Compared with 4G (4 th In order to solve the various problems caused by the insufficient support of the 4th-generation (fourth-generation) core network for edge computing, the 5G core network has taken into account the need to support edge computing in its architecture, and supports edge computing at both the network level and the capability exposure level. At the network level, the 5G core network supports a variety of flexible local offload mechanisms, supports mobility, supports billing and QoS (Quality of Service). For the local offload mechanism, the 5G core network supports the uplink classifier (ULCL) function and the BP (Branch Point) function.

[0003] However, when the edge server and the central server are not directly connected, the 5G core network in the relevant technology can only support single-point processing of the service, that is, the service is processed by the central server or by the edge server, and cannot support the scenario where the service needs to be processed by both the central service network and the edge server at the same time.

[0004] Therefore, a new business collaborative processing method and device, electronic device and computer-readable storage medium are needed.

[0005] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background technology section is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of the present disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a service collaborative processing method and device, an electronic device, and a computer-readable storage medium, which can realize multi-point processing of services.

[0007] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part by the practice of the present disclosure.

[0008] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a service collaborative processing method, the method comprising: using an edge server to receive an uplink data packet from a first user terminal, the source address and destination address of the uplink data packet of the first user terminal being the network address of the first user terminal and the network address of the edge server, respectively; processing the uplink data packet by the edge server to generate a first data packet, and setting the destination address of the first data packet to the network address of a central server, so that according to the network address of the central server, the first data packet is sent to the central server through an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and the central server continues to process the first data packet; wherein the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on a first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and a second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the central server, and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the edge server.

[0009] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a service collaborative processing device, which includes: an uplink data packet receiving unit, used to use an edge server to receive an uplink data packet from a first user terminal, the source address and destination address of the uplink data packet are the network address of the first user terminal and the network address of the edge server, respectively; an uplink data packet processing unit, used to generate a first data packet after processing the uplink data packet through the edge server, and modify the destination address of the first data packet to the network address of the central server, so that according to the network address of the central server, the first data packet is sent to the central server through an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and the central server continues to process the first data packet; wherein the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on a first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and a second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the central server, and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the edge server.

[0010] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the program is executed by a processor, the business collaborative processing method described in the above embodiment is implemented.

[0011] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; a storage device configured to store one or more programs, and when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the business collaborative processing method as described in the above embodiments.

[0012] In the technical solutions provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, when the edge server receives an uplink data packet from a first user terminal, the edge server processes the uplink data packet to generate a first data packet, and further determines whether the first data packet processed by the edge server needs to be sent to the central server for processing. If the first data packet needs to continue to be sent to the central server for processing, the edge server can set the destination address of the first data packet to the network address of the central server. On the one hand, in this way, according to the destination address of the first data packet, the first data packet can be sent to the central server for further processing using a pre-established edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, thereby realizing multi-point processing of the service, that is, the service is processed by the edge server and the central server at the same time; on the other hand, the edge server can be deployed in a local data network (Local Data Network, hereinafter referred to as LocalDN). Usually, a MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) platform is located in the local data network, and the edge server can also be deployed on the MEC platform.

[0013] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, showing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, and together with the specification, are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work. In the drawings:

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an exemplary system architecture to which the service collaborative processing method or service collaborative processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be applied;

[0016] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a computer system suitable for implementing an electronic device of an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 3 The ULCL splitting architecture in the related art is schematically shown;

[0018] Figure 4 A flowchart of a business collaborative processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0019] Figure 5 A flowchart of a business collaborative processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0020] Figure 6 Shows Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the processing process of step S510 in one embodiment;

[0021] Figure 7 The following schematically shows an architecture diagram supporting edge-cloud collaboration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 8 Shows Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the processing process of step S420 in one embodiment;

[0023] Fig. 9 A flowchart of a business collaborative processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0024] Fig.10 A business flow chart of a business collaborative processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0025] Fig.11 The following schematically shows an architecture diagram supporting edge-cloud collaboration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Fig.12 Shows Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the processing process of step S420 in one embodiment;

[0027] Fig.13 A business flow chart of a business collaborative processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0028] Fig.14 A block diagram of a service collaborative processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete and will fully convey the concept of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art.

[0030] In addition, the described features, structures or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the following description, many specific details are provided to provide a full understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the technical solutions of the present disclosure may be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or other methods, components, devices, steps, etc. may be adopted. In other cases, known methods, devices, implementations or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring the various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] The block diagrams shown in the accompanying drawings are merely functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically independent entities. That is, these functional entities may be implemented in software form, or in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different networks and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0032] The flowcharts shown in the accompanying drawings are only exemplary and do not necessarily include all the contents and operations / steps, nor must they be executed in the order described. For example, some operations / steps can be decomposed, and some operations / steps can be combined or partially combined, so the actual execution order may change according to actual conditions.

[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an exemplary system architecture 100 is shown to which the service collaborative processing method or service collaborative processing apparatus according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the system architecture 100 may include user terminals 101, 102, a network 103 and a server 104. The network 103 is used to provide a medium for a communication link between the user terminals 101, 102 and the server 104. The network 103 may include various connection types, such as wired, wireless communication links or optical fiber cables, etc.

[0035] Users can use user terminals 101 and 102 to interact with server 104 through network 103 to receive or send messages, etc. User terminals 101 and 102 may be various electronic devices with display screens and capable of connecting to network 103, including but not limited to smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wearable devices, virtual reality devices, augmented reality devices, game controllers, smart homes, etc.

[0036] The server 104 may be a server that provides various services, such as a business and background management server that provides support for the devices operated by the user terminals 101 and 102. The business and background management server may analyze and process the received request and other data, and feed back the processing results to the user terminal. The server 104 may be divided into an edge server and a central server according to the deployment location. The edge server can receive uplink data packets from user terminal 101 (or user terminal 102), and the source address and destination address of the uplink data packet of user terminal 101 are the network address of user terminal 101 and the network address of the edge server respectively; the edge server can process the uplink data packet of user terminal 101, and modify the destination address of the uplink data packet of user terminal 101 to the network address of the central server, so that according to the network address of the central server, the uplink data packet of user terminal 101 is sent to the central server through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and the central server continues to process the uplink data packet of user terminal 101; wherein, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the central server, and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the edge server.

[0037] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of user terminals, networks and servers is merely illustrative. The server 104 may be a physical server, a server cluster consisting of multiple servers, or a cloud server. It may have any number of user terminals, networks and servers according to actual needs.

[0038] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a computer system suitable for implementing an electronic device of an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0039] It should be noted that Figure 2 The computer system 200 of the electronic device shown is only an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0040] like Figure 2As shown, the computer system 200 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 201, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to the program stored in the read-only memory (ROM) 202 or the program loaded from the storage part 208 to the random access memory (RAM) 203. Various programs and data required for system operation are also stored in the RAM 203. The CPU 201, the ROM 202 and the RAM 203 are connected to each other through a bus 204. An input / output (I / O) interface 205 is also connected to the bus 204.

[0041] The following components are connected to the I / O interface 205: an input section 206 including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.; an output section 207 including a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker; a storage section 208 including a hard disk, etc.; and a communication section 209 including a network interface card such as a LAN (Local Area Network) card, a modem, etc. The communication section 209 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 210 is also connected to the I / O interface 205 as needed. A removable medium 211, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc., is installed on the drive 210 as needed so that a computer program read therefrom is installed into the storage section 208 as needed.

[0042] In particular, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the process described below with reference to the flowchart can be implemented as a computer software program. For example, an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a computer program product, which includes a computer program carried on a computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program contains program code for executing the method shown in the flowchart. In such an embodiment, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network through the communication part 209, and / or installed from a removable medium 211. When the computer program is executed by the central processing unit (CPU) 201, various functions defined in the method and / or device of the present application are executed.

[0043] It should be noted that the computer-readable storage medium shown in the present disclosure may be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium or any combination of the above two. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or device, or any combination of the above. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above. In the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program that can be used by or in combination with an instruction execution system, device or device. In the present disclosure, a computer-readable signal medium may include a data signal propagated in a baseband or as part of a carrier wave, which carries a computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take a variety of forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. Computer-readable signal media may also be any computer-readable storage medium other than a computer-readable storage medium, which may send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the computer-readable storage medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to: wireless, wire, optical cable, RF (Radio Frequency), etc., or any suitable combination of the above.

[0044] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible implementation architecture, functions and operations of the methods, devices and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment, or a part of a code, and the above-mentioned module, program segment, or a part of the code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order from the order marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram or flowchart, and the combination of boxes in the block diagram or flowchart, can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0045] The units involved in the embodiments described in the present disclosure may be implemented by software or hardware, and the units described may also be arranged in a processor. The names of these units do not, in some cases, constitute limitations on the units themselves.

[0046] As another aspect, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which may be included in the electronic device described in the above embodiment; or may exist independently without being assembled into the electronic device. The above computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs, and when the above one or more programs are executed by an electronic device, the electronic device implements the method described in the following embodiment. For example, the electronic device may implement the following Figure 4 or Figure 5 or Figure 6 or Figure 8 or Fig. 9 or Fig.12 The steps shown.

[0047] First, some terms involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure are explained.

[0048] AN (access network): refers to the implementation system composed of a series of transmission entities between the core network and the terminal interface in the mobile communication system to provide the required transmission bearer capacity for the transmission of telecommunications services. This can refer to at least one access network connected to the 5G core network, including a 4G base station, or a 5G base station RAN (radio access network) and / or a non-3GPP (non-3rd Generation Partnership Project, such as wifi, fixed network access, etc.) access network.

[0049] RAN: It is a part of the mobile communication system. It exists between a device (for example, a mobile phone, a computer, or any remotely controlled machine) and the Core Network (CN), providing wireless communication connection between the two.

[0050] NF (network function): A network function in a network adopted by 3GPP or defined by 3GPP, which has defined functional behaviors and interfaces defined by 3GPP.

[0051] AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function): Mainly responsible for access authentication, authorization and mobility management. It can also provide transmission for SM messages between UE (User Equipment) and SMF (Session Management Function).

[0052] SMF: Mainly responsible for session management functions, and can also have IP (Internet Protocol) address allocation functions. A single instance of SMF can support all or part of the SMF functions: session management, such as session establishment, modification and release, including channel maintenance between UPF (User Plane Function) and AN nodes; UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); configure UPF flow control to route traffic to the correct destination, etc.

[0053] UPF: Transmits user-plane data packets by establishing a PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session, and is responsible for packet data routing, forwarding, and policy enforcement for packet data. Some or all UPF functions can be supported in a single instance of UPF: packet routing and forwarding (for example, supporting uplink classifier ULCL to divert business flows to the local data network, supporting branch points (BP) to support multi-host PDU sessions), etc.

[0054] In the related technology, in the MEC enhancement (study on enhancement of support for Edge computing in the 5G Core network) topic of 3GPP R17, a key issue of business collaborative processing in different N6-LANs (Local Area Network) is proposed. Typical business scenario examples involved in this key issue are:

[0055] After the uplink data packet of a certain service is processed by the service server (hereinafter referred to as the edge server) deployed in the edge data center (hereinafter referred to as the local data network, i.e. Local DN; or MEC), it needs to be further processed by the service server (hereinafter referred to as the central server) deployed in the core cloud data center (hereinafter referred to as the data network, i.e. DN).

[0056] However, for this scenario, when there is no direct connection between the edge data center and the core cloud data center, how to achieve multi-point processing of services has not been studied in the standard. For the above-mentioned scenario of multi-point processing of services, the embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a solution for multi-point processing of services, which is used to solve the problem of achieving multi-point processing of services when there is no direct connection between the edge data center and the core cloud data center. Multi-point processing mainly includes processing by the edge data center and the core cloud data center.

[0057] In order to shorten network delays, avoid circuitous paths for users to access services, and avoid overloading the core network, operators always hope that users can access services nearby. In order to achieve the above requirements, the 5G system introduces Figure 3 The network architecture is shown. Figure 3 A solution called an uplink classifier ULCL is an architecture diagram defined in a standard in the related art to support service offloading to an edge data center.

[0058] exist Figure 3 In the architecture, gNB is a 5G base station. Among them, SMF can decide to insert a ULCL on the data path of the PDU session (Session), that is, insert ULCL in the user plane link of the UE, so that I-UPF (intermediate-UPF, intermediate user plane function) supports ULCL function, and can divert some uplink data packets of UE to the local data network, namely MEC, according to the data filter sent by SMF, and forward downlink data packets sent to UE from the center server (center server) and the edge server (edge ​​server) to the UE. I-UPF implements the diversion function of a single PDU session for UE. When a "ULCL" is inserted into a PDU Session data channel, this PDU Session has multiple PDUSession anchor points (for example Figure 3 There are two PSA (PDU Session Anchor)-UPF) in it. These anchors provide multiple different paths to access the same DN.

[0059] Among them, the insertion or deletion of a ULCL is determined by the SMF and controlled by the SMF through the N4 session. The SMF can decide to insert a UPF supporting ULCL on the data path of the PDU session when the PDU connection is established or after the PDU is established. The SMF can decide to delete a UPF supporting ULCL on the data path of the PDU session after the PDU is established. The SMF can include one or more UPFs supporting ULCL on the data path of the PDU session. The UE does not perceive that the data is transferred by ULCL, nor does it perceive that the ULCL function is inserted or deleted on the PDU session.

[0060] Figure 4 The flowchart of the business collaborative processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. Figure 4 As shown, the method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure may include the following steps.

[0061] In step S410, an uplink data packet from a first user terminal is received by using an edge server, wherein a source address and a destination address of the uplink data packet are a network address of the first user terminal and a network address of the edge server, respectively.

[0062] In the disclosed embodiment, the first user terminal may be any UE. After the UE establishes a PDU session, it may send an uplink data packet to the I-UPF (with ULCL function) through the gNB, and mark the source address of the uplink data packet as the network address (e.g., IP address) of the first UE, and the destination address as the network address (e.g., IP address) of the edge server in the MEC. In this way, the I-UPF supporting the ULCL function can know that the uplink data packet is to be sent to the edge server for processing according to the destination address of the received uplink data packet. At this time, the uplink data packet may be sent to the edge server corresponding to the destination address of the uplink data packet through the PSA-UPF-2 (referred to as the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function) connected to the MEC. The edge server here may be any one or more edge servers deployed in the MEC, which is specifically determined by the destination address set by the UE.

[0063] In step S420, the edge server processes the uplink data packet to generate a first data packet, and the destination address of the first data packet is set to the network address of the central server, so that the first data packet is sent to the central server through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel according to the network address of the central server, and the central server continues to process the first data packet.

[0064] Among them, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function (hereinafter abbreviated as PSA-UPF-1) and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function. The first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the central server, and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the edge server.

[0065] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can be established on PSA-UPF-1 and PSA-UPF-2, or PSA-UPF-1, I-UPF and PSA-UPF-2. The edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is usually a tunnel based on the GTP (General packet radio service Tunneling Protocol) protocol, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel refers to a data transmission tunnel established on PSA-UPF-1 and PSA-UPF-2, or PSA-UPF-1, I-UPF and PSA-UPF-2 connecting the edge data center and the core cloud data center. The edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can be used to realize data forwarding between the core cloud data center and the edge data center. The edge server in the MEC processes the uplink data packet sent by the first UE to generate a first data packet, and sets the source address of the first data packet to still be the network address of the first UE. If it is determined that the first data packet needs to be further processed by the central server, the destination address of the first data packet can be set to the network address of one or several central servers in the DN, or the external network address (such as IP address) of the central server cluster, and the first data packet is sent to PSA-UPF-2, and PSA-UPF-2 forwards the first data packet to PSA-UPF-1 through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and PSA-UPF-1 sends the first data packet to the central server with the same destination address as the first data packet. Alternatively, PSA-UPF-2 forwards the first data packet to I-UPF through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and I-UPF forwards the first data packet to PSA-UPF-1, and PSA-UPF-1 sends the first data packet to the central server with the same destination address as the first data packet. Alternatively, PSA-UPF-2 forwards the first data packet to I-UPF through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and I-UPF forwards the first data packet to PSA-UPF-1, and PSA-UPF-1 sends the first data packet to the central server with the same destination address as the first data packet.

[0066] In other embodiments, if the edge server determines that the first data packet generated after processing the uplink data packet does not need to be further processed by the central server, the destination address of the first data packet generated after the processing can be set to the network address of the first UE, and then the first data packet is sent to PSA-UPF-2. PSA-UPF-2 knows that the first data packet is to be sent to the first UE based on the destination address of the first data packet, and then sends the first data packet to I-UPF according to the method defined in the existing standard. I-UPF returns the first data packet to the first UE through gNB based on the destination address of the first data packet.

[0067] The business collaborative processing method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is that when the edge server receives an uplink data packet from the first user terminal, the edge server will process the uplink data packet to generate a first data packet, and will further determine whether the first data packet needs to be sent to the central server for processing. If the first data packet needs to continue to be sent to the central server for processing, the edge server can set the destination address of the first data packet generated after processing the uplink data packet to the network address of the central server. In this way, the first data packet can be sent to the central server for the next step of processing based on the destination address of the first data packet using the pre-established edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, thereby realizing multi-point processing of the business, that is, the business is processed by the edge server and the central server at the same time.

[0068] Figure 5 The flowchart of the business collaborative processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. Figure 5 As shown, compared with the above-mentioned embodiment, the method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure is different in that it can further include the following steps.

[0069] In step S510, when a protocol data unit session connection including an intermediate user plane function supporting an uplink classifier function is established at the first user terminal using the session management function, or after the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal is established, when an intermediate user plane function supporting an uplink classifier function is inserted into the data path of the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal, or when the first user terminal triggers establishment of a quality of service (QoS) flow on an existing protocol data unit session including an intermediate user plane function supporting an uplink classifier function, the session management function is used to trigger establishment of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel.

[0070] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can be established when a PDU session with ULCL function is established, or when the SMF modifies an existing PDU session to add ULCL function, or when the SMF modifies an existing PDU session to add a new QoS flow. The present disclosure does not limit this.

[0071] In other embodiments, for PDU sessions supporting the BP function, since the implementation method of establishing an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is the same as the implementation method of establishing an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel on a PDU session supporting the ULCL function, the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated by taking the PDU session supporting the ULCL function as an example.

[0072] In the disclosed embodiment, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can be based on UE granularity, that is, an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established for a PDU session of a UE, and the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can only transmit data packets of the PDU session of the UE. Different edge-cloud data transmission tunnels will be established for different PDU sessions of a single UE, and multiple edge-cloud data transmission tunnels will also be established for different PDU sessions of multiple UEs.

[0073] In an exemplary embodiment, the establishment of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can also be based on UPF granularity, that is, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is valid for all UEs on two identical PSA UPF-1 and PSA UPF-2 links, or three identical PSA-UPF-1, I-UPF and PSA-UPF-2 links. Multiple UEs can share the same edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, where the multiple UEs can be connected to the link through different gNBs or through the same gNB, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0074] Figure 6 Shows Figure 5 The processing diagram of step S510 in one embodiment is shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the above step S510 may further include the following steps.

[0075] In step S521, the core network tunnel information (CN (Core Network) Tunnel Info) of the intermediate user plane function is sent to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the session management function.

[0076] In step S522, the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is sent to the intermediate user plane function through the session management function.

[0077] When the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on PSA-UPF-1, I-UPF and PSA-UPF-2, for the uplink data packets sent by the UE, the SMF can establish N4 sessions with PSA-UPF-2, I-UPF and PSA-UPF-1 respectively, and send the CN Tunnel Info of the I-UPF corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel to PSA-UPF-2 through the N4 session with PSA-UPF-2, and send the CN Tunnel Info of PSA-UPF-1 to I-UPF through the N4 session with I-UPF.

[0078] Among them, CN Tunnel Info may include the TEID (Tunnel Endpoint Identifier, used to uniquely identify the endpoint of a tunnel, corresponding to a UE or a UE session) and IP address and other parameters of the UPF device (such as PSA-UPF-1, I-UPF and PSA-UPF-2 here) of the corresponding PDU session. Usually, CN TunnelInfo is allocated by each UPF and sent to SMF through the corresponding N4 session. The present disclosure does not limit the allocation subject of CN Tunnel Info.

[0079] SMF will also send corresponding data packet detection rules to each UPF. According to the data packet detection rules sent by SMF, PSA-UPF-2 can know whether the first data packet from the edge server needs to be sent to the central server for processing through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel. When PSA-UPF-2 receives the first data packet sent by the edge server, it will determine how to process the first data packet according to the received data packet detection rules, and after encapsulating the first data packet according to the corresponding processing rules, forward the first data packet on the corresponding PDU session.

[0080] Figure 7 An architectural diagram supporting edge-cloud collaboration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0081] like Figure 7 As shown, the UE sends an uplink data packet to the I-UPF on the PDU session-1 through the N3 interface of the gNB, and the I-UPF then sends the uplink data packet sent by the UE to the PSA-UPF-2 through the N9 interface. The PSA-UPF-2 then sends the uplink data packet to an edge server in the MEC through the N6 interface according to the destination address of the uplink data packet, and the edge server can process the uplink data packet.

[0082] exist Figure 7 In the embodiment, based on the ULCL diversion method defined above, when establishing a PDU session with ULCL function, SMF will simultaneously trigger the establishment of an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel through the N4 session. The edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is from PSA-UPF-2 connected to the edge server of MEC to I-UPF, and then to PSA-UPF-1 connected to the central server deployed in DN. Through this edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, traffic can be routed from the edge server deployed in MEC to the central server deployed in DN.

[0083] The following functional enhancements can be performed through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel:

[0084] First, whether the uplink data packet processed by the edge server needs to be sent to the central server deployed in the DN for further processing is determined by the edge server deployed in the MEC. The destination address of the uplink data packet sent by the UE is the network address of the edge server deployed in the MEC. If the first data packet generated after the edge server processes the uplink data packet of the UE does not need to be further processed by the central server deployed in the DN, the edge server will directly send the first data packet generated after processing the uplink data packet (the first data packet is a downlink data packet at this time) to the UE. If the first data packet generated after the edge server deployed in the MEC completes processing, it still needs to be processed by the central server deployed in the DN, the edge server deployed in the MEC will set the destination address of the first data packet generated after processing to the network address of the central server deployed in the DN.

[0085] Second, when PSA-UPF-2 receives the first data packet from the edge server deployed in MEC through the N6 interface, it will determine whether the first data packet is sent to a certain UE based on the destination address of the first data packet. If the destination address of the first data packet is different from the IP address of any UE pre-stored on PSA-UPF-2, and the source address of the first data packet is the IP address of a certain UE, it is considered that the first data packet is the UE identified by the source address and needs to be sent to the PSA UPF-1 connected to the DN, and needs to be sent by PSAUPF-1 to the central server deployed in the DN. Therefore, PSA UPF-2 will forward the first data packet as an uplink data packet through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel.

[0086] Third, PSAUPF-2 will mark the first data packet as an uplink data packet, and encapsulate it with the CN Tunnel Info of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and set the TEID value to the TEID value of the I-UPF in the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, that is, the CN Tunnel Info of the I-UPF of PSA UPF-2 provided by the above SMF, and then PSA UPF-2 will send the first data packet to the I-UPF through an N9 interface through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel.

[0087] Fourth, after receiving the first data packet, the I-UPF will detect the CN Tunnel Info of the first data packet. If the CN Tunnel Info corresponds to the CN Tunnel Info of the I-UPF of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, the I-UPF can determine that the first data packet needs to be sent to the central server through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel. At this time, the I-UPF continues to encapsulate the first data packet with the CN Tunnel Info of the PSA UPF-1 corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and sets the TEID value to the TEID value of the PSA UPF-1 in the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, that is, the above-mentioned SMF provides the CN Tunnel Info of the PSA UPF-1 of the I-UPF when establishing the cloud data transmission tunnel, and then the I-UPF will further send the first data packet to PSAUPF-1 through another N9 interface through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel. PSA UPF-1 will send the first data packet to the central server corresponding to the destination address of the first data packet deployed in the DN through the N6 interface.

[0088] Combine the following Figure 7 The edge-cloud data transmission tunnel shown in the embodiment describes the multi-point processing process of the uplink data packet. Figure 8 As shown, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the above step S420 may further include the following steps.

[0089] In step S421, the first data packet is sent to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the edge server.

[0090] In step S422, the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function encapsulates the first data packet according to the CN Tunnel Info of the intermediate user plane function of the corresponding edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and sends the first data packet to the intermediate user plane function.

[0091] Specifically, after PSA UPF-2 receives the first data packet from the edge server, it will first determine whether the first data packet needs to be forwarded through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel. If the destination address of the first data packet is the same as the IP address of a UE stored on PSA UPF-2, it means that the first data packet does not need to be forwarded through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel; if the destination address of the first data packet is different from the IP addresses of each UE stored on PSA UPF-2, it is determined that the first data packet is an uplink data packet that needs to be forwarded to the central server through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel of which UE it corresponds can be determined based on the source address of the first data packet. At this time, the first data packet can be encapsulated according to the CN Tunnel Info of the I-UPF corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and the first data packet of the first user terminal can be sent to the intermediate user plane function.

[0092] In step S423, the intermediate user plane function encapsulates the first data packet according to the CN Tunnel Info of the PSA UPF-1 corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and sends the first data packet of the first user terminal to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function.

[0093] Specifically, after the I-UPF receives the first data packet from PSA UPF-2, the intermediate user plane function determines, based on the CN Tunnel Info of the first data packet, that the first data packet needs to be forwarded to the first protocol data unit session anchor through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and encapsulates the first data packet based on the CN Tunnel Info of PSA UPF-1 corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and sends the first data packet of the first user terminal to the user plane function of the first protocol data unit session anchor.

[0094] In step S424, the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function sends the uplink data packet of the first user terminal to the central server.

[0095] Fig. 9 The flowchart of the business collaborative processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. Fig. 9 As shown, compared with the above embodiment, the method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include the following steps.

[0096] In step S910, after processing the first data packet, the central server generates a downlink data packet for the first user terminal, and sets the destination address of the downlink data packet for the first user terminal to be the network address of the first user terminal.

[0097] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the central server may also set the source address of the downlink data packet to the network address of the central server.

[0098] In step S920, the central server sends the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function.

[0099] In step S930, the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function sends the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the intermediate user plane function of the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal.

[0100] In the disclosed embodiment, the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function sends the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the intermediate user plane function on the corresponding PDU session according to the data packet detection rule.

[0101] In step S940, the intermediate user plane function sends the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the first user terminal.

[0102] Fig. 9 In the embodiment, the downlink data packet generated after the central server in the DN processes the uplink data packet can be directly returned to the first UE through PSA-UPF-1 and I-UPF.

[0103] Fig.10 A business flow chart of a business collaborative processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0104] like Fig.10 As shown, combined with the above Figure 7 The edge-cloud data transmission tunnel shown describes the process of sending uplink data packets and downlink data packets, which may include the following steps.

[0105] Step 1: In the PDU session establishment process initiated by UE or the PDU session modification process initiated by SMF, SMF inserts the I-UPF support ULCL function. This function enables specific data packets to be diverted to PSA UPF-2 and further sent to the local data network.

[0106] Step 2: SMF triggers the establishment of an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, which is established on PSA UPF-1, I-UPF and PSA UPF-2.

[0107] Step 3: The uplink data packet sent by the UE with the destination address being the network address of the edge server deployed in the MEC is sent to the I-UPF through the gNB.

[0108] Step 4: After receiving the uplink data packet, the I-UPF sends the uplink data packet to PSA-UPF-2 according to the diversion rule configured by the SMF for implementing the ULCL function.

[0109] Step 5: After receiving the uplink data packet, PSA-UPF-2 sends the uplink data packet to the edge server in the local DN.

[0110] Step 6: After the edge server in the local DN processes the uplink data packet and generates a first data packet, it will determine whether it is necessary to send the first data packet generated by processing the uplink data packet to the central server in the DN. If it does not need to be sent to the central server for processing, the destination address of the first data packet is set to the network address of the first UE, and the first data packet can be directly sent to the first UE as a downlink data packet through the I-UPF; if the first data packet still needs to be sent to the central server in the DN for further processing, the destination address of the first data packet is set to the network address of the central server in the DN, and the first data packet is sent to PSA-UPF-2.

[0111] Step 7: The edge server sends the first data packet to PSA UPF-2. Assuming that the first data packet needs to be sent to the central server in the DN for further processing, the edge server in the local DN forwards the first data packet whose destination address is the network address of the central server to PSA UPF-2, and at this time sets the source address of the first data packet to the network address of the first UE.

[0112] Step 8. When PSA UPF-2 receives the first data packet from the edge server, it determines whether the first data packet is sent to a certain UE based on the destination address of the first data packet. If the destination address of the first data packet is different from the IP address of any UE on PSA UPF-2, it is considered that the first data packet is not a downlink data packet sent to the UE, and then determines whether it is associated with which UE's edge-cloud data transmission tunnel based on the source address of the first data packet, and sets the first data packet to the uplink data packet of the first UE identified by the source address of the first data packet, and encapsulates the first data packet based on the CN Tunnel Info of the I-UPF of the corresponding edge-cloud data transmission tunnel of the first UE. PSA-UPF-2 forwards the first data packet to I-UPF through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel. I-UPF then determines that the first data packet needs to be forwarded through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel based on the CN Tunnel Info of the first data packet, and encapsulates the first data packet according to the CN Tunnel Info of PSA UPF-1 of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and sends it to PSA-UPF-1 through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel of the first UE. PSA-UPF-1 then sends the first data packet to the central server in the DN.

[0113] Step 9: The central server continues to process the first data packet to generate a downlink data packet for the first UE.

[0114] Step 10. The central server in the DN sets the destination address of the downlink data packet of the first UE to the network address of the first UE and sends it to PSA-UPF-1. When PSA-UPF-1 receives the downlink data packet, it sends the downlink data packet to I-UPF through the PDU session of the first UE, and I-UPF then sends the downlink data packet to the UE.

[0115] In the above embodiments, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on PSA UPF-1, I-UPF and PSA UPF-2 as an example. At this time, there is no need to establish a direct additional connection between PSA UPF-1 and PSA UPF-2, and the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can be established through I-UPF.

[0116] In other embodiments, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can also be directly established on PSA UPF-1 and PSA UPF-2. That is, SMF can determine whether the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel needs to pass through I-UPF as needed. If an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can be established between PSA UPF-1 and PSAUPF-2, then an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can be directly established between PSA UPF-1 and PSA UPF-2 without passing through I-UPF. At this time, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel does not need to pass through I-UPF, and data transmission is faster and more timely, and it is simpler to implement.

[0117] In an exemplary embodiment, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel may be applicable to multiple user terminals that establish protocol data unit sessions to a first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and a second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, and the multiple user terminals may include a first user terminal.

[0118] Among them, when the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on PSA UPF-1 and PSA UPF-2, using the session management function to trigger the establishment of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can include: sending the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the session management function. That is, SMF provides the CN Tunnel Info of PSA UPF-1 corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel to PSAUPF-2.

[0119] Fig.11 An architectural diagram supporting edge-cloud collaboration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0120] like Fig.11 As shown above Figure 7 The difference between the embodiments is that when SMF triggers the establishment of an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel through the N4 session, the core network tunnel information and packet detection rules of PSA-UPF-1 corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel are sent to PSA-UPF-2, that is, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is directly established on PSA-UPF-1 and PSA-UPF-2 without transiting through the I-UPF.

[0121] Fig.12 Shows Figure 4 The processing diagram of step S420 in one embodiment is shown in FIG. Fig.12 As shown, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the above step S420 may further include the following steps.

[0122] In step S425, the first data packet is sent to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the edge server.

[0123] Here, the destination address of the first data packet is set to the network address of the central server, and the source address of the first data packet is set to the network address of the first UE.

[0124] In step S426, the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function encapsulates the first data packet according to the CN Tunnel Info of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function of the corresponding edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and sends the first data packet to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function.

[0125] Specifically, PSA UPF-2 determines whether the destination address of the first data packet is consistent with the network address of a certain UE. If it is different from the network address of any UE, it is considered that the first data packet is sent to the central server, and the CN Tunnel Info corresponding to PSA UPF-1 of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is applied to encapsulate the first data packet, set the first data packet as an uplink data packet, and send the first data packet to PSA UPF-1.

[0126] In step S427, the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function sends the first data packet to the central server.

[0127] Fig.12 In the embodiment, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is directly established on PSA UPF-1 and PSA UPF-2. Therefore, after PSA UPF-2 receives the first data packet of the first UE generated after processing the uplink data packet sent by the edge server, it directly forwards the first data packet to PSA UPF-1, and PSA UPF-1 forwards it to the central server in the DN, which is simpler and more convenient to implement.

[0128] Fig.13 The following schematically shows a business flow chart of a business collaborative processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.13 As shown, step 1 is the same as above Fig.10 Step 1 in the embodiment is similar.

[0129] Step 2. SMF connects to PSA UPF-1, I-UPF and PSA UPF-2 respectively through three N4 sessions to trigger the establishment of an edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, which is established on PSA UPF-1 and PSA UPF-2.

[0130] Step 3: The uplink data packet sent by the UE with the destination address being the network address of the edge server deployed in the MEC is sent to the I-UPF through the gNB.

[0131] Step 4: After receiving the uplink data packet, the I-UPF sends the uplink data packet to PSA-UPF-2 according to the diversion rule configured by the SMF for implementing the ULCL function.

[0132] Step 5: After receiving the uplink data packet, PSA-UPF-2 sends the uplink data packet to the edge server in the local DN.

[0133] Step 6: After the edge server in the local DN processes the uplink data packet, it generates a first data packet and determines whether the first data packet needs to be sent to the central server in the DN. If it does not need to be sent to the central server for processing, the destination address of the first data packet is configured as the network address of the first UE, and the first data packet can be directly sent to the first UE as a downlink data packet through the I-UPF; if the first data packet still needs to be sent to the central server in the DN for further processing, the destination address of the first data packet is set to the network address of the central server in the DN, and the first data packet is forwarded to PSA-UPF-2.

[0134] Step 7: Here it is assumed that the first data packet needs to be sent to the central server in the DN for further processing. The edge server in the local DN forwards the first data packet whose destination address is the network address of the central server to PSA UPF-2, and at this time sets the source address of the first data packet to the network address of the first UE.

[0135] Step 8. When PSA UPF-2 receives the first data packet from the edge server, it determines whether the first data packet is sent to a certain UE based on the destination address of the first data packet. If the destination address of the first data packet is different from the IP address of any UE on PSA UPF-2, it is considered that the first data packet is to be forwarded through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and then the uplink data packet of which UE is determined based on the source address of the first data packet, and the first data packet is set to be the uplink data packet of the first UE identified by the source address of the first data packet, and the uplink first data packet is encapsulated according to the CN Tunnel Info of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel of PSAUPF-1 received on the PSA UPF-2. PSA-UPF-2 forwards the first data packet to PSA-UPF-1 through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and PSA-UPF-1 then sends the first data packet to the central server in the DN.

[0136] Step 9: The central server continues to process the first data packet to generate a downlink data packet.

[0137] Step 10: After processing the first data packet, the central server in the DN generates a downlink data packet and sets the destination address of the downlink data packet to the network address of the first UE. The central server in the DN sends the downlink data packet to PSA-UPF-1. When PSA-UPF-1 receives the downlink data packet, it sends the downlink data packet to I-UPF through the PDU session of the first UE. I-UPF then sends the downlink data packet to the UE.

[0138] Fig.14 The block diagram of a service collaborative processing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown. Fig.14 As shown, the service collaborative processing device 1700 provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure may include: an uplink data packet receiving unit 1710 and an uplink data packet processing unit 1720 .

[0139] Among them, the uplink data packet receiving unit 1710 can be used to use the edge server to receive an uplink data packet from a first user terminal, and the source address and destination address of the uplink data packet of the first user terminal are the network address of the first user terminal and the network address of the edge server, respectively. The uplink data packet processing unit 1720 can be used to generate a first data packet after processing the uplink data packet through the edge server, and set the destination address of the first data packet to the network address of the central server, so that the first data packet is sent to the central server through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel according to the network address of the central server, and the central server continues to process the first data packet.

[0140] Among them, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on a first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and a second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the central server, and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the edge server.

[0141] In an exemplary embodiment, the business collaborative processing device 1700 may also include: a tunnel trigger establishment unit, which can be used to use the session management function to establish a protocol data unit session connection including an intermediate user plane function supporting an uplink classifier function at the first user terminal, or after the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal is established, an intermediate user plane function supporting an uplink classifier function is inserted into the data path of the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal, or when the first user terminal triggers the establishment of a service quality flow on an existing protocol data unit session including an intermediate user plane function supporting the uplink classifier function, the session management function is used to trigger the establishment of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel.

[0142] In an exemplary embodiment, the tunnel trigger establishment unit may include: a first tunnel information sending unit, which can be used to send the core network tunnel information of the intermediate user plane function to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the session management function; a second tunnel information sending unit, which can be used to send the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function to the intermediate user plane function through the session management function.

[0143] In an exemplary embodiment, the uplink packet processing unit 1720 may include: a first uplink packet sending unit, which can be used to send the first packet to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the edge server; a second uplink packet sending unit, which can be used by the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function to encapsulate the first packet according to the core network tunnel information of the intermediate user plane function corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and send the first packet to the intermediate user plane function; a third uplink packet sending unit, which can be used by the intermediate user plane function to encapsulate the first packet according to the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and send the first packet to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function; a fourth uplink packet sending unit, which can be used by the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function to send the first packet to the central server.

[0144] In an exemplary embodiment, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel can be applicable to multiple user terminals that establish a protocol data unit session to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, and the multiple user terminals include the first user terminal. Among them, the tunnel trigger establishment unit may include: a third tunnel information sending unit, which can be used to send the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the session management function.

[0145] In an exemplary embodiment, the uplink data packet processing unit 1720 may include: a fifth uplink data packet sending unit, which can be used to send the first data packet to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the edge server; a sixth uplink data packet sending unit, which can be used by the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function to encapsulate the first data packet according to the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and send the first data packet to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function; a seventh uplink data packet sending unit, which can be used by the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function to send the first data packet to the central server.

[0146] In an exemplary embodiment, the business collaborative processing device 1700 may also include: a first downlink data packet generating unit, which can be used to generate a downlink data packet for the first user terminal after the central server processes the first data packet, and set the destination address of the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the network address of the first user terminal; a first downlink data packet forwarding unit, which can be used by the central server to send the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function; a second downlink data packet forwarding unit, which can be used by the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function to send the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the intermediate user plane function of the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal; and a third downlink data packet forwarding unit, which can be used by the intermediate user plane function to send the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the first user terminal.

[0147] The specific implementation of each unit in the business collaborative processing device provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure can refer to the content of the above-mentioned business collaborative processing method, which will not be repeated here.

[0148] It should be noted that although several units of the device for action execution are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more units described above can be embodied in one unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one unit described above can be further divided into multiple units to be embodied.

[0149] Through the description of the above implementation, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example implementation described here can be implemented by software, or by software combined with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the implementation of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a touch terminal, or a network device, etc.) to execute the method according to the implementation of the present disclosure.

[0150] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present disclosure after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure that follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The specification and examples are intended to be exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0151] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exact structures that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A business collaborative processing method, characterized in that: include: Using an edge server to receive an uplink data packet from a first user terminal, wherein a source address and a destination address of the uplink data packet are a network address of the first user terminal and a network address of the edge server, respectively; The edge server processes the uplink data packet to generate a first data packet, and sets the destination address of the first data packet to the network address of the central server, so that the first data packet is sent to the central server through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel according to the network address of the central server, and the central server continues to process the first data packet; Among them, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, and is used to realize data forwarding between the central server and the edge server. The first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the central server, and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the edge server.

2. The business collaborative processing method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: When a protocol data unit session connection including an intermediate user plane function supporting an uplink classifier function is established at the first user terminal using the session management function, or after the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal is established, an intermediate user plane function supporting the uplink classifier function is inserted into the data path of the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal, or when the first user terminal triggers establishment of a quality of service flow on an existing protocol data unit session including an intermediate user plane function supporting the uplink classifier function, the session management function is used to trigger establishment of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel.

3. The business collaborative processing method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Using the session management function to trigger the establishment of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel includes: sending the core network tunnel information of the intermediate user plane function to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the session management function; The core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is sent to the intermediate user plane function through the session management function.

4. The business collaborative processing method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The edge server processes the uplink data packet to generate a first data packet, and sets the destination address of the first data packet to the network address of the central server, so as to send the first data packet to the central server through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel according to the network address of the central server, including: sending the first data packet to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the edge server; The second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function encapsulates the first data packet according to the core network tunnel information of the intermediate user plane function corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and sends the first data packet to the intermediate user plane function; The intermediate user plane function encapsulates the first data packet according to the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and sends the first data packet to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function; The first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function sends the first data packet to the central server.

5. The business collaborative processing method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is applicable to multiple user terminals that establish protocol data unit sessions to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, the multiple user terminals including the first user terminal; wherein triggering establishment of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel by using the session management function includes: The core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is sent to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the session management function.

6. The business collaborative processing method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The edge server processes the uplink data packet to generate a first data packet, and sets the destination address of the first data packet to the network address of the central server, so as to send the first data packet to the central server through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel according to the network address of the central server, including: sending the first data packet to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the edge server; The second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function encapsulates the first data packet according to the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel, and sends the first data packet to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function; The first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function sends the first data packet to the central server.

7. The business collaborative processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Also includes: After processing the first data packet, the central server generates a downlink data packet for the first user terminal, and sets the destination address of the downlink data packet for the first user terminal to be the network address of the first user terminal; The central server sends the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function; The first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function sends the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the intermediate user plane function of the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal; The intermediate user plane function sends the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the first user terminal.

8. A business collaborative processing device, characterized in that: include: An uplink data packet receiving unit, configured to receive an uplink data packet from a first user terminal using an edge server, wherein a source address and a destination address of the uplink data packet are a network address of the first user terminal and a network address of the edge server, respectively; an uplink data packet processing unit, configured to generate a first data packet after processing the uplink data packet through the edge server, and set the destination address of the first data packet to the network address of the central server, so as to send the first data packet to the central server through the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel according to the network address of the central server, and the central server continues to process the first data packet; Among them, the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is established on the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, and is used to realize data forwarding between the central server and the edge server. The first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the central server, and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function is connected to the edge server.

9. The business collaborative processing device according to claim 8, characterized in that: Also includes: A tunnel triggering establishment unit is used to trigger the establishment of the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel by using the session management function when establishing a protocol data unit session connection including an intermediate user plane function supporting an uplink classifier function at the first user terminal, or when the intermediate user plane function supporting the uplink classifier function is inserted into the data path of the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal after the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal is established, or when the first user terminal triggers the establishment of a service quality flow on an existing protocol data unit session including an intermediate user plane function supporting the uplink classifier function.

10. The business collaborative processing device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The tunnel triggering establishment unit includes: A first tunnel information sending unit, configured to send the core network tunnel information of the intermediate user plane function to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the session management function; The second tunnel information sending unit is configured to send the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function to the intermediate user plane function through the session management function.

11. The business collaborative processing device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The uplink data packet processing unit comprises: a first uplink data packet sending unit, configured to send the first data packet to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the edge server; A second uplink data packet sending unit is used to encapsulate the first data packet according to the core network tunnel information of the intermediate user plane function corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel through the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, and send the first data packet to the intermediate user plane function; A third uplink data packet sending unit is used to encapsulate the first data packet according to the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel through the intermediate user plane function, and send the first data packet to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function; The fourth uplink data packet sending unit is used to send the first data packet to the central server through the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function.

12. The business collaborative processing device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The edge-cloud data transmission tunnel is suitable for establishing a plurality of user terminals of a protocol data unit session to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function and the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, wherein the plurality of user terminals include the first user terminal; wherein the tunnel triggering establishment unit includes: The third tunnel information sending unit is configured to send the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the session management function.

13. The business collaborative processing device according to claim 12, characterized in that: The uplink data packet processing unit comprises: a fifth uplink data packet sending unit, configured to send the first data packet to the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the edge server; a sixth uplink data packet sending unit, configured to encapsulate the first data packet according to the core network tunnel information of the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function corresponding to the edge-cloud data transmission tunnel through the second protocol data unit session anchor user plane function, and send the first data packet to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function; The seventh uplink data packet sending unit is used to send the first data packet to the central server through the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function.

14. The business collaborative processing device according to any one of claims 8 to 13, characterized in that: Also includes: a first downlink data packet generating unit, configured to generate a downlink data packet for the first user terminal after the central server processes the first data packet, and set the destination address of the downlink data packet for the first user terminal to be the network address of the first user terminal; A first downlink data packet forwarding unit, configured to send the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function through the central server; a second downlink data packet forwarding unit, configured to send the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the intermediate user plane function of the protocol data unit session of the first user terminal through the first protocol data unit session anchor user plane function; The third downlink data packet forwarding unit is configured to send the downlink data packet of the first user terminal to the first user terminal through the intermediate user plane function.

15. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; A storage device configured to store one or more programs, when the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, enables the one or more processors to implement the business collaborative processing method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the service collaborative processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is implemented.

17. A computer program product, comprising a computer program carried on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program containing program codes for executing the service collaborative processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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