A method and network management system supporting network slicing

Abstract

This paper discloses a method and a network management system for supporting network slicing. The method includes: the network management system receiving a request message instructing the creation of a user context, and creating a user context; wherein the request message carries at least the constraints of the user context to be created. The network management system can independently manage different users and their different services as needed by creating user contexts, thereby supporting 5G network slicing and meeting the personalized needs of different users.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of this application relate to, but are not limited to, the field of communication technology, and particularly to a method and network management system that support network slicing. Background Technology

[0002] Fifth-generation mobile communication technology (5G), as the main direction of the next generation of information and communication development, will enable information to break through the limitations of time and space, providing an excellent interactive experience and bringing users an immersive information feast. 5G will bring diversified application forms, and different services have significantly different requirements in terms of bandwidth, latency, reliability, security, and operational billing. The personalized needs of multiple services also pose a huge challenge to operators. Operators hope to build multiple dedicated, virtualized, and mutually isolated logical networks on a single physical network to meet the different network capability requirements of different services. This has led to the concept of network slicing, where these mutually isolated logical networks are network slices. Correspondingly, operators hope that the transport network can support the personalized carrying of different customers and different services on a single network. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a method and network management system that support network slicing, which can support customized services for different users and different businesses, and realize support for 5G network slicing.

[0004] On one hand, embodiments of this application provide a method for supporting network slicing, comprising: a network management system receiving a request message for instructing the creation of a user context, the request message carrying at least constraints of the user context to be created; and the network management system creating the user context.

[0005] On the other hand, embodiments of this application provide a method for supporting network slicing, comprising: an application sending a request message to a network management system to instruct the creation of a user context, the request message carrying at least constraints on the user context to be created; the application receiving a first confirmation message sent by the network management system, the first confirmation message carrying information about the user context created by the network management system.

[0006] On the other hand, embodiments of this application provide a network management system, including: a receiving unit configured to receive a request message for instructing the creation of a user context, the request message carrying at least constraints on the user context to be created; and a control unit configured to create the user context.

[0007] On the other hand, embodiments of this application provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed, implements the steps of the above-described method for supporting network slicing.

[0008] In this embodiment, after receiving a request message instructing the creation of a user context, the network management system creates a user context; wherein the request message carries at least the constraints of the user context to be created. By creating user contexts, the network management system can independently manage different users and their different services as needed, thereby supporting 5G network slicing and meeting the personalized needs of different users.

[0009] Other features and advantages of this application will be set forth in the description which follows, and will be apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practicing the application. The objectives and other advantages of this application may be realized and obtained by means of the structures particularly pointed out in the description, claims and drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0010] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the technical solutions of this application and constitute a part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of this application to explain the technical solutions of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions of this application.

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0012] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting network slicing provided in this application embodiment;

[0013] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of creating a user context as provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0014] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of creating a user context as provided in another exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0015] Figure 5 This application example diagram illustrates the method for supporting network slicing provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0016] Figure 6 A schematic diagram illustrating the deletion process of a user context provided for an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0017] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the deletion process of a user context provided as another exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 8 A schematic diagram illustrating a user context update process provided for an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 9 A schematic diagram illustrating a user context update process provided as another exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating another method for supporting network slicing provided in this application embodiment;

[0021] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of a network management and control system provided for an exemplary embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of an apparatus supporting network slicing, provided as an exemplary embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in these embodiments can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

[0024] The steps illustrated in the flowchart in the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer-executable instructions. Furthermore, although a logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases the steps shown or described may be performed in a different order than that presented here.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an application scenario of an exemplary embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the network management system 102 may include at least one of the following: a Software Defined Network (SDN) controller, an Automatically Switched Optical Network (ASON) system, an Element Management System (EMS), a Network Management System (NMS), or an Integrated Management and Control (MCC) system. The scope managed and controlled by the network management system 102 may include, but is not limited to, L0 to L2 layer transport network devices, L2 and L3 switches, and routing devices.

[0026] The SDN controller provides centralized network control, decoupling the control plane and forwarding plane, thus giving the physical network open and programmable characteristics, supporting innovation in various new network architectures and services. The ASON system provides distributed control for the transport network, with general control plane functions including unified management of network topology and resources, network abstraction, path calculation, and policy management. The EMS and NMS primarily manage alarms, configuration, performance, billing, and security, as well as control plane functions. The integrated management and control system can include a series of management and control components, encompassing the functions of the SDN controller, ASON system, EMS, and NMS. These functions can be implemented through different components; for example, control plane components in the SDN controller, including client context, server context, and administrator context (or administrative context), can be incorporated into the integrated management and control system.

[0027] In one exemplary embodiment, the functionality of the network management system 102 can be implemented by a single device or by a cluster of devices. However, this application is not limited to this.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the application side 100 may include one of the following: the application end of the network management system (e.g., the 3GPP management system), or the end user. However, this application is not limited to this.

[0029] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting network slicing provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 As shown, the method for supporting network slicing provided in this embodiment may include the following steps:

[0030] S201. The network management system receives a request message indicating the creation of a user context; wherein the request message carries at least the constraints of the user context to be created.

[0031] S202, Network management system creates user context.

[0032] In this embodiment, the network management system can create user contexts as needed, thereby enabling independent management of different users and their different services to support 5G network slicing.

[0033] In this embodiment, after receiving a request message instructing the creation of a user context, the network management system can create a user context based on the constraints of the user context carried in the request message.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, the constraints may include at least: virtual network constraints; correspondingly, S202 may include: providing a management interface for network resources; and allocating a virtual network formed based on available resources to a user context according to the virtual network constraints. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the process of creating a user context includes a component creation process for the user context and a resource allocation process for the user context; the resource allocation process is based on the constructed user context components. The resource allocation process may include: providing a management interface for network resources on the constructed user context components; and allocating a virtual network formed based on available resources to the user context components according to the virtual network constraints.

[0035] In this exemplary embodiment, based on the user context created by the network management system, users can establish corresponding connection services on the provided network resources through the management interface, thereby supporting 5G network slicing and meeting the personalized needs of different users.

[0036] In one exemplary embodiment, the method may further include: the network management system assigning an identifier to a user context. For example, the identifier may be assigned to the user context before or after resources are allocated to it. This identifier may be unique within the network management system. This facilitates the differentiation of different user contexts within the network management system.

[0037] In one exemplary embodiment, the constraints may further include: management interface information; wherein providing a management interface for network resources may include: creating a management interface on the established user context based on the management interface information. However, this application is not limited thereto. In other implementations, the constraints may include: user level or user role; the network management system may provide a management interface corresponding to the user level or user role.

[0038] In one exemplary embodiment, the network management system may include an administrator context; correspondingly, allocating a virtual network formed based on available resources to a user context according to virtual network constraints may include: when a request message indicating the creation of a user context instructs the creation of an initial user context, the administrator context abstracts a virtual network from available resources according to the virtual network constraints and allocates the virtual network to the user context. The network management system may create the administrator context at startup. It should be noted that the aforementioned initial user context refers to a user context that needs to be created through the administrator context of the network management system. In this exemplary embodiment, the network management system can support providing virtual network resources to different users on demand, thereby meeting the personalized needs of different users.

[0039] In this exemplary embodiment, the virtual network constraints may include at least network topology constraints. Accordingly, the administrator context abstracts a virtual network from available resources based on the virtual network constraints and assigns the virtual network to the user context. This may include: the administrator context querying available resources from the resource database; when a virtual network satisfying the network topology constraints exists in the available resources, the administrator context directly assigns the virtual network to the user context; when no virtual network satisfying the network topology constraints exists in the available resources, for nodes and links in the available resources that can provide the required resources, the corresponding resources are directly assigned to the constructed virtual network; when there are no links satisfying the network topology constraints between nodes in the available resources, the administrator context triggers the establishment of connections between nodes, abstracts and aggregates the established connections to form virtual links, and forms a virtual network with the directly assigned resources, and assigns the virtual network to the user context. In other words, if a virtual network that satisfies the network topology constraints exists among the available resources, the virtual network is directly assigned to the created user context; if no virtual network that satisfies the network topology constraints exists among the available resources, the portion of the available resources that satisfy the network topology constraints is allocated to the virtual network, and the remaining portion of resources that satisfy the network topology constraints is obtained by establishing connections and abstracting and aggregating virtual links. A virtual network is then formed based on the two portions of resources and assigned to the user context.

[0040] In this exemplary embodiment, the network management system may further include: a Network Call Controller (NCC) and a Connection Controller (CC); correspondingly, the administrator context triggering the establishment of a connection between nodes may include: the administrator context sending a call request to the Network Call Controller, the Network Call Controller converting the call request into a connection request and sending the connection request to the Connection Controller, and then the Connection Controller establishing the corresponding connection according to the connection request; or, the administrator context directly sending a connection request to the Connection Controller, and then the Connection Controller establishing the connection according to the connection request.

[0041] In one exemplary embodiment, the network management system may include: an existing user context; correspondingly, according to virtual network constraints, allocating a virtual network formed based on available resources to the created user context may include: when a request message indicating the creation of a user context indicates the creation of an embedded or recursive user context within the existing user context, the existing user context allocates resources satisfying the virtual network constraints within the virtual network of the existing user context to the embedded or recursive user context. In this exemplary embodiment, the network management system can support providing virtual network resources to different user services on demand, thereby meeting users' personalized needs. It should be noted that creating an embedded or recursive user context both mean creating a user context related to an existing user context. Depending on the actual application scenario, an existing user context can create an embedded or recursive user context.

[0042] In one exemplary embodiment, the request message for instructing the creation of a user context may also carry an identifier of an existing user context, for instructing the creation of an embedded or recursive user context within that existing user context.

[0043] In one exemplary embodiment, the request message for instructing the creation of a user context may also carry user namespace rules; correspondingly, the method of this embodiment may further include: converting the constraints of the user context from the user namespace to the local namespace according to the user namespace rules and the local namespace rules. In this exemplary embodiment, the constraints of the user context may be converted according to the user namespace rules and the local namespace rules before using the constraints of the user context.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, the information of the user context created via S202 may include at least: an identifier of the user context, network resources corresponding to the user context, and a management interface for the network resources; wherein, the network resources may include at least one of the following: virtual network resources and physical network resources. Specifically, the network resources corresponding to the user context may include virtual network resources, physical network resources, or a combination of virtual and physical network resources, which are aggregated and abstracted during the creation of the user context; the management interface refers to the interface used by the user to manage and control the available network resources, such as establishing a service connection for a slice of a certain service type.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, the information of the user context created via S202 may include: an identifier of the user context, the network resource corresponding to the user context, the management interface of the network resource, user namespace rules, and user-configured policies. The user namespace rules are used by components within the network management system to convert between the user namespace and the local namespace of the network management system; the user-configured policies may include, but are not limited to, protection and recovery policies, user roles, and corresponding permissions.

[0046] In an exemplary embodiment, after S202, the method of this embodiment may further include: the network management system sending a first confirmation message, wherein the first confirmation message carries information about the user context created in S202. For example, the user context information carried in the first confirmation message may include at least: an identifier of the user context, virtual network resources of the user context, and a management interface created on the user context.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment, before the network management system sends the first confirmation message, the method of this embodiment may further include: the network management system converting the information of the user context created in S202 from the local namespace to the user namespace according to the user namespace rules and the local namespace rules.

[0048] In an exemplary embodiment, after S202, the method of this embodiment may further include: the network management system receiving a request message indicating an update of the user context, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be updated and information to be updated; the network management system updating the corresponding user context according to the request message indicating an update of the user context; and the network management system sending a second confirmation message, the second confirmation message carrying information about the updated user context. For example, the information about the updated user context may include: an identifier of the user context, the virtual network resources of the updated user context, and the updated management interface.

[0049] In this exemplary embodiment, the network management system updates the user context according to a request message indicating that the user context should be updated. This may include: migrating the service if there is a service on the virtual network of the user context to be updated; updating the virtual network of the user context according to the information to be updated; and restoring the service to the updated virtual network.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, after S202, the method of this embodiment may further include: the network management system receiving a request message for instructing the deletion of a user context, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be deleted; the network management system deleting the corresponding user context according to the request message for instructing the deletion of the user context; and the network management system sending a third confirmation message for indicating that the corresponding user context has been deleted.

[0051] In this exemplary embodiment, the network management system deletes the corresponding user context according to the request message indicating the deletion of the user context. This may include: when the user context to be deleted is an initially created user context, the administrator context within the network management system triggers the release of the virtual links contained in the virtual network of the user context and updates the resource database; when the user context to be deleted is an embedded or recursive user context of an existing user context, the existing user context within the network management system deletes the information of the embedded or recursive user context and updates the resource database.

[0052] The network slicing method provided in this embodiment can provide virtual network resources and management interfaces to different users and their different services on demand through lifecycle management of user contexts. This allows users to establish corresponding service connections on the provided resources through the management interface, thereby supporting 5G network slicing and meeting the personalized needs of different users.

[0053] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of creating a user context as provided in an exemplary embodiment of this application. Figure 3 As shown, this exemplary embodiment describes the process by which the Administrator Context of a network management system creates a Client Context for a new user. For example... Figure 3 As shown, this exemplary embodiment includes the following process:

[0054] S301. After the network management system is initially started, an administrator context is created by default; the administrator has the highest management privileges and the administrator context can see all resources within the management domain of the network management system.

[0055] S302. The administrator context of the network management system receives a request message from the application side instructing the creation of a user context. This request message may carry constraints on the user context to be created. These constraints may include virtual network constraints, user policies, management interface information, and user namespace rules. Virtual network constraints may include, but are not limited to, network topology constraints, service type, isolation requirements, bandwidth capacity, and service level level parameters. However, this application does not limit this.

[0056] S303. The administrator context of the network management system creates a user context based on the above request message.

[0057] In this exemplary embodiment, a unique identifier (ID) within the network management system can be assigned to the user context before or after resources are allocated to the user context.

[0058] Among these features, a management interface can be created for the user in the user context based on the management interface information carried in the request message.

[0059] In this embodiment, the administrator context of the network management system abstracts a virtual network based on available resources according to the virtual network constraints carried in the request message, and assigns the virtual network to the user context. In this exemplary embodiment, abstracting a virtual network based on available resources according to the virtual network constraints may include the following process:

[0060] S304a, The administrator context queries the Resource Database (RDB) for available resources;

[0061] If a virtual network that satisfies the network topology constraints exists among the available resources, then the virtual network is directly assigned to the user context.

[0062] If no virtual network satisfying the network topology constraints exists among the available resources, then for nodes and links in the available resources that can provide the required resources, the corresponding resources are directly allocated to the constructed virtual network. If there are no links between nodes that satisfy the network topology constraints, the administrator context sends a call request to the Network Call Controller (NCC) (e.g., ...). Figure 3 (S304b in the original text); The network call controller converts the call request into a connection request and sends it to the Connection Controller (CC) to request the establishment of the corresponding connection (e.g., ...). Figure 3 In S304c), the established connection can serve as a virtual link between nodes, and the connection controller can interact with the RDB to save connection information;

[0063] The administrator context abstracts and aggregates the established connections to form virtual links as needed, and forms virtual networks together with directly allocated resources, and then assigns the virtual networks to the user context.

[0064] Prior to establishing the virtual network, the administrator context can convert network topology constraints from the user namespace to the local namespace based on user namespace rules and local namespace rules. For example, the administrator context can use other components (such as a directory service or new components) to achieve this conversion.

[0065] S305. The administrator context of the network management system sends a confirmation message (corresponding to the first confirmation message mentioned above) to the application side. This confirmation message carries information about the newly created user context.

[0066] In this exemplary embodiment, the information of the newly created user context may include at least: the identifier of the user context, the network resources (including virtual network resources or physical network resources) that the user can use, information about the management and control interfaces provided to the user, user namespace rules, and user-configured policies.

[0067] Among them, the user namespace rules can be configured according to the user namespace rules carried in the request message in S302; the user-configured policies can be configured according to the user policies carried in the request message in S302; the user context identifier, the information of the management and control interface provided to the user, and the network resources available to the user can be obtained through S303.

[0068] The network resources available to users may include the virtual or physical network resources formed by the above-mentioned aggregation and abstraction; the management and control interface provided to users refers to the interface that users can use to manage and control the network resources available to them, such as establishing a business connection for a slice of a certain service type; user namespace rules are used by the components within the network management and control system to convert between the user namespace and the local namespace of the network management and control system; user-configured policies include, but are not limited to, protection and recovery policies, user roles and corresponding permissions.

[0069] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of creating a user context, provided as another exemplary embodiment of this application. (See diagram below.) Figure 4 As shown, this exemplary embodiment describes the process by which a user administrator in a network management system creates an embedded or recursive user context for a new service. Figure 4 As shown, this exemplary embodiment includes the following process:

[0070] S401, according to Figure 3The process shown involves the network management system's administrator context establishing the user's user context and configuring the user's administrator information.

[0071] S402. The user context of the network management system receives a request message from the application-side administrator to instruct the creation of a user context. The request message may carry the identifier of an existing user context and the constraints of the user context to be created. The constraints may include at least virtual network constraints, user policies, and management interface information. Virtual network constraints may include, but are not limited to: network topology constraints, service type, isolation requirements, bandwidth capacity, and service level level parameters.

[0072] S403. Based on the above request message, the user administrator context C0 creates an embedded or recursive user context C1 (or C2) component and assigns a unique identifier within the network management system to the embedded or recursive user context C1; wherein, based on the management interface information, a management interface can be created for the user on the embedded or recursive user context C1 component.

[0073] S404. The user context allocates corresponding resources to the embedded or recursive user context C1 component from the available resources of the allocated virtual network according to the virtual network constraints, and saves the relevant resource information to RDB.

[0074] S405. The user context of the network management system sends an acknowledgment message (corresponding to the first acknowledgment message mentioned above) to the application side. The acknowledgment message carries information about the newly created embedded or recursive user context C1.

[0075] In this exemplary embodiment, the information of the newly created user context C1 may include at least: the identifier of user context C1, the network resources (including virtual network resources) available to the user, information on the management and control interface provided to the user, and the policies configured by the user.

[0076] Figure 5 This is an example diagram illustrating an application supporting network slicing provided in an embodiment of this application. This exemplary embodiment describes how, in scenarios supporting 5G end-to-end (E2E) slicing, the 5G E2E slice management system (e.g., the 3GPP management system) interacts with the network management system based on TAPI (Transport Application Programming Interface) to create user contexts for operators of 5G E2E slices.

[0077] like Figure 5 As shown, this exemplary embodiment includes the following process:

[0078] The S501 and 5G E2E slice management system send a request message to the network management system via TAPI to instruct the creation of a user context. This request message can be a new message instructing the creation of a user context, or it can be triggered by the network management system to create a user context for the 5G E2E slice management system by extending the TAPI interface operation (e.g., using a virtual network service request message). This request message can carry constraints on the user context, such as information about the service access point (corresponding to the network topology constraints mentioned above), management interface information, service level requirements, bandwidth capacity, etc.

[0079] S502, The processing procedure of the network management system after receiving a request message can be referred to... Figure 3 S303 to S305 of the illustrated embodiment will not be described again here.

[0080] The S503 and 5G E2E slicing management systems send connection service requests to the user context and establish L2 or L3 VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) on the virtual network provided by the user context to provide connection services for specific 5G network slice instances.

[0081] S504. Based on the connection service request, the user context triggers the connection controller to establish the corresponding connection and configures the nodes and links included in the connection. The edge node providing the connection needs to configure the mapping relationship between the 5G network slice instance and the connection established on the virtual network.

[0082] In this exemplary embodiment, after the network management system establishes corresponding user contexts for the operators of 5G E2E slices, if the 5G operator wants to carry 5G E2E slices of different service types using different resources, the 5G operator's user context can create different embedded or recursive user contexts for 5G E2E slices of different service types according to the request. Based on the resources provided by the virtual network of the 5G operator's user context, resources are allocated to different embedded or recursive user contexts according to demand. In this scenario, if TAPI is used, the request message received by the 5G operator's user context from the 5G E2E slice management system is consistent with the description of S501 in this exemplary embodiment. Moreover, the processing procedure of the 5G operator's user context after receiving the request message is the same as... Figure 4 The processes S403 to S405 in the illustrated embodiment are the same, so they will not be described again here.

[0083] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the deletion process of a user context provided as an exemplary embodiment of this application. Figure 6As shown, this exemplary embodiment describes the process by which an administrator of a network management system deletes a user context. Figure 6 As shown, this exemplary embodiment includes the following process:

[0084] S601, The administrator context of the network management system receives a request message from the application side indicating that a user context should be deleted. The request message carries the identifier (ID) of the user context to be deleted.

[0085] S602, Deleting user context from administrator context in network management system;

[0086] S602 may include:

[0087] S602a, When an administrator context sends a call release request to the Network Call Controller (NCC) or a connection release request to the Connection Controller (CC), the NCC, CC, and Link Resource Management (LRM) components will release the virtual links established for the virtual network of that user context, including all connections that have been abstracted and aggregated.

[0088] S602b, Administrator context interacts with RDB to delete information related to user context, including deleting information about released links and updating the status of other resources;

[0089] S602c, Administrator context deletes user context.

[0090] S603, the administrator context of the network management system sends a feedback message (corresponding to the third confirmation message mentioned above) to the application side. This feedback message is used to indicate to the application side that the user context has been deleted.

[0091] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the deletion process of a user context, provided as another exemplary embodiment of this application. (See diagram below.) Figure 7 As shown, this exemplary embodiment describes the process by which a user administrator in a network management system deletes a user context. Figure 7 As shown, this exemplary embodiment includes the following process:

[0092] S701, the user context of the network management system receives a request message from the application side to indicate the deletion of an embedded user context. The request message carries the ID of the embedded or recursive user context to be deleted.

[0093] S702. User context deletion: Delete embedded or recursive user contexts (e.g., user context C1).

[0094] S702 may include:

[0095] S702a, User administrator context C0 interacts with RDB to indicate the deletion of embedded or recursive information related to user context C1 and to update the status of occupied resources;

[0096] S702b, User administrator context C0 deletes embedded or recursive user context C1.

[0097] S703, the network management system sends a feedback message (corresponding to the third confirmation message mentioned above) to the application side regarding the user context, which confirms that the embedded or recursive user context C1 has been deleted.

[0098] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a user context update process provided for an exemplary embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 8 As shown, this exemplary embodiment describes the process by which an administrator of a network management system updates a user context. Figure 8 As shown, this exemplary embodiment includes the following process:

[0099] S801, the administrator context of the network management system receives a request message from the application side instructing the user context to be updated. The request message carries the ID of the user context to be updated and the information that needs to be updated, such as network topology constraints and bandwidth capacity.

[0100] S802, The administrator context of the network management system updates the user context information;

[0101] S802 may include:

[0102] S802a. The administrator context determines the nodes and links of the resources to be updated based on the information required for the update, and sends at least one of the call establishment and release requests to the NCC or at least one of the connection establishment and release requests to the CC as needed. Before determining the nodes and links of the resources to be updated, the user administrator context may need to perform routing calculations through the routing controller (RC) to further clarify the resources that need to be added or deleted, based on the information required for the update.

[0103] S802b, the administrator context interacts with RDB to update user context information, save information on newly established calls or connections, and assign them to virtual networks in the user context. For released resources, it updates the resource status.

[0104] If a service exists on the virtual network, the administrator context needs to migrate the service before S802a, and then restore the service to the updated virtual network after S802b.

[0105] S803, the administrator context of the network management system sends a confirmation message (corresponding to the second confirmation message mentioned above) to the application side. This confirmation message carries the updated user context information (including information about the virtual network).

[0106] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a user context update process provided as another exemplary embodiment of this application. (See diagram below.) Figure 9 As shown, this exemplary embodiment describes the process by which a user administrator in a network management system updates a user context. Figure 9 As shown, this exemplary embodiment includes the following process:

[0107] S901, the user context of the network management system receives a request message sent by the application side to indicate the update of the embedded or recursive user context. The request message carries the ID of the user context to be updated and the information that needs to be updated.

[0108] S902, The user context updates the embedded or recursive user context (e.g., user context C1); which may include: S902a, the user administrator context C0 interacts with the RDB to obtain the resources available to the user, adds new resources or deletes unnecessary nodes and links as needed, and saves the relevant information in the RDB, associating the newly allocated resources with the virtual network of the embedded or recursive user context C1, or updating the status of released resources; before adding new resources or deleting unnecessary nodes and links, the user administrator context may need to perform routing through the routing controller (RC) to determine the resources that need to be added or deleted, based on the information to be updated.

[0109] S903, The user context sends a feedback message to the application side (corresponding to the second confirmation message mentioned above). This message confirms that the embedded or recursive user context C1 has been updated and carries the information of the updated user context.

[0110] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating another method for supporting network slicing provided in an embodiment of this application. (See flowchart for example.) Figure 10 As shown, the method for supporting network slicing provided in this exemplary embodiment includes:

[0111] S1001. The application-side network management system sends a request message to indicate the creation of a user context, wherein the request message carries at least the constraints of the user context to be created.

[0112] S1002. The application side receives the first confirmation message returned by the network management system. The first confirmation message carries information about the user context created by the network management system.

[0113] In an exemplary embodiment, the information of the user context created by the network management system may include at least: the identifier of the user context, the network resource corresponding to the user context, and the management interface of the network resource; wherein, the network resource may include at least one of the following: virtual network resource and physical network resource.

[0114] In one exemplary embodiment, the information of the user context created by the network management system may include: the identifier of the user context, the network resources corresponding to the user context, the management interface of the network resources, the user namespace rules, and the policies configured by the user. However, this application is not limited thereto.

[0115] In an exemplary embodiment, after S1002, the method of this embodiment may further include: the application side sending a request message to the network management system to indicate updating the user context, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be updated and the information to be updated; the application side receiving a second confirmation message sent by the network management system, the second confirmation message carrying the updated user context information.

[0116] In an exemplary embodiment, after S1002, the method of this embodiment may further include: the application side sending a request message to the network management system to indicate the deletion of a user context, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be deleted; the application side receiving a third confirmation message sent by the network management system, the third confirmation message indicating to the application side that the user context to be deleted has been deleted.

[0117] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of a network management and control system provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 11 As shown, the network management system provided in this embodiment includes: a receiving unit 1101, configured to receive a request message for instructing the creation of a user context, wherein the request message carries at least the constraints of the user context to be created; and a control unit 1102, configured to create a user context.

[0118] In an exemplary embodiment, the constraints may include at least: virtual network constraints; the control unit 1102 may be configured to create a user context by: providing an interface for managing network resources; and allocating a virtual network based on available resources to the user context according to the virtual network constraints.

[0119] In one exemplary embodiment, the control unit 1102 may also be configured to assign an identifier to a user context.

[0120] In one exemplary embodiment, the control unit 1102 may include an administrator context; the control unit 1102 may be configured to assign a virtual network formed based on available resources to a user context in accordance with virtual network constraints in the following manner: when a request message indicates the creation of an initial user context, the administrator context abstracts a virtual network from available resources in accordance with virtual network constraints and assigns the virtual network to the user context.

[0121] In one exemplary embodiment, the control unit 1102 may include an existing user context; the control unit 1102 may be configured to allocate a virtual network based on available resources to a user context in accordance with virtual network constraints in such a way that when a request message indicates that an embedded or recursive user context be created within the existing user context, the existing user context allocates resources that satisfy the virtual network constraints to the embedded or recursive user context within the virtual network of the existing user context.

[0122] In one exemplary embodiment, the request message for instructing the creation of a user context may also carry an identifier of an existing user context, for instructing the creation of an embedded or recursive user context within that existing user context.

[0123] In one exemplary embodiment, such as Figure 11 As shown, the network management system may further include: a sending unit 1103, configured to send a first confirmation message, the first confirmation message carrying information about the user context created by the network management system.

[0124] In an exemplary embodiment, the user context information carried in the first confirmation message may include at least: the identifier of the user context, the network resource corresponding to the user context, and the management interface of the network resource; the network resource includes at least one of the following: virtual network resource and physical network resource.

[0125] In one exemplary embodiment, the receiving unit 1101 may further be configured to receive a request message indicating an update of the user context, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be updated and information to be updated; the control unit 1102 may further be configured to update the user context according to the request message indicating an update of the user context; and the sending unit 1103 may further be configured to send a second confirmation message, the second confirmation message carrying information of the updated user context.

[0126] In an exemplary embodiment, the receiving unit 1101 may further be configured to receive a request message indicating the deletion of a user context, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be deleted; the control unit 1102 may further be configured to delete the user context according to the request message indicating the deletion of the user context; and the sending unit 1103 may further be configured to send a third confirmation message indicating that the user context to be deleted has been deleted.

[0127] The relevant descriptions of the network management system in this embodiment can be found in the description of the above method embodiments, and therefore will not be repeated here.

[0128] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of an apparatus supporting network slicing, provided as an embodiment of this application. Figure 12 As shown, the network slicing support device provided in this embodiment can be located on the application side, including: a receiving unit 1201 and a sending unit 1202; wherein, the sending unit 1202 is configured to send a request message to the network management system to instruct the creation of a user context, the request message carrying at least the constraints of the user context to be created; the receiving unit 1201 is configured to receive a first confirmation message sent by the network management system, the first confirmation message carrying information about the user context created by the network management system. For example, the user context information carried in the first confirmation message may at least include: the identifier of the user context, the virtual network resources of the user context, and the management interface created on the user context.

[0129] In one exemplary embodiment, the sending unit 1202 may further be configured to send a request message to the network management system to indicate an update of the user context, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be updated and the information to be updated; the receiving unit 1201 may further be configured to receive a second confirmation message sent by the network management system, the second confirmation message carrying information of the updated user context.

[0130] In one exemplary embodiment, the sending unit 1202 may further be configured to send a request message to the network management system for instructing the deletion of a user context, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be deleted; the receiving unit 1201 may further be configured to receive a third confirmation message sent by the network management system, the third confirmation message being used to indicate to the application side that the user context has been deleted.

[0131] In summary, the network management system can independently manage different users and their different services according to their needs by managing user contexts, and dynamically allocate and manage network resources according to user needs, thereby meeting the personalized needs of different users or different services.

[0132] Furthermore, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed, implements the steps of the aforementioned method for supporting network slicing, such as... Figure 2 or Figure 10 The steps are shown.

[0133] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all or some of the steps, systems, or apparatuses disclosed above, and their functional modules / units, can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, or suitable combinations thereof. In hardware implementations, the division between functional modules / units mentioned above does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, a physical component may have multiple functions, or a function or step may be performed collaboratively by several physical components. Some or all components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a digital signal processor or microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Such software may be distributed on a computer-readable medium, which may include computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transient media). As is known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data). Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technologies, CD-ROM, digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical disc storage, magnetic cartridges, magnetic tape, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired information and can be accessed by a computer. Furthermore, it is well known to those skilled in the art that communication media typically contain computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in modulated data signals such as carrier waves or other transmission mechanisms, and may include any information delivery medium.

Claims

1. A method for supporting network slicing, comprising: a network management system receiving a request message for indicating creation of a user context, the request message carrying at least a constraint condition of the user context to be created; the network management system creating the user context; wherein the constraint condition comprises at least a virtual network constraint condition, the virtual network constraint condition comprising a network topology constraint, a service type, an isolation requirement, a bandwidth capacity, a service level parameter, and the network management system comprising an administrator context; the network management system creating the user context, comprising: the network management system providing a management interface for network resources; when the request message indicates creation of an initial user context, the administrator context querying available resources from a resource database; when there is a virtual network satisfying the network topology constraint in the available resources, the administrator context directly allocating the virtual network to the user context; when there is no virtual network satisfying the network topology constraint in the available resources, for nodes and links in the available resources that can provide required resources, directly allocating corresponding resources to a created virtual network, when there is no link satisfying the network topology constraint between nodes, the administrator context triggering establishment of a connection between the nodes, abstractly aggregating the established connection to form a virtual link, and forming a virtual network with the virtual link and the directly allocated resources, and allocating the virtual network to the user context.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the constraint condition further comprising management interface information; the network management system providing the management interface for network resources, comprising the network management system creating a management interface on the user context according to the management interface information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, the network management system further comprising a network call controller and a connection controller; the administrator context triggering establishment of a connection between the nodes, comprising: the administrator context sending a call request to the network call controller, the network call controller converting the call request to a connection request and sending the connection request to the connection controller, and the connection controller establishing a corresponding connection according to the connection request; or the administrator context sending a connection request to the connection controller, and the connection controller establishing a corresponding connection according to the connection request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, the network management system comprising an existing user context; the network management system allocating a virtual network formed based on available resources to the user context according to the virtual network constraint condition, comprising: when the request message indicates creation of an embedded or recursive user context within the existing user context, the existing user context allocating resources satisfying the virtual network constraint condition to the embedded or recursive user context of the existing user context in a virtual network of the existing user context.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, the method further comprising the network management system allocating an identifier to the user context.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The request message for indicating the creation of the user context further carries an identification of an existing user context, used for indicating the creation of an embedded or recursive user context within the existing user context.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The request message for indicating the creation of the user context further carries a user namespace rule. The method further comprises: converting, according to the user namespace rule and a local namespace rule, a constraint condition of the user context from a user namespace to a local namespace.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the network management system creates the user context, the method further comprises: The network management system sends a first confirmation message, and the first confirmation message carries information of the user context created by the network management system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, Before the network management system sends the first confirmation message, the method further comprises: The network management system converts, according to a user namespace rule and a local namespace rule, information of the user context created by the network management system from a local namespace to a user namespace.

10. The method of claim 1, 8 or 9, wherein, The information of the user context created by the network management system at least comprises: an identification of the user context, network resources corresponding to the user context, and a management interface of the network resources; the network resources comprise at least one of: virtual network resources and physical network resources.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The information of the user context created by the network management system further comprises: a user namespace rule and a user-configured policy.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: The network management system receives a request message for indicating the update of a user context, and the request message carries an identification of the user context to be updated and information required for the update; The network management system updates the user context to be updated according to the request message for indicating the update of the user context; The network management system sends a second confirmation message, and the second confirmation message carries information of the updated user context.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The network management system updates the user context to be updated according to the request message for indicating the update of the user context, comprising: When there is a service on a virtual network of the user context to be updated, migrating the service; According to the information required for the update, updating the virtual network of the user context to be updated; Resuming the service on the updated virtual network.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: The network management system receives a request message for indicating the deletion of a user context, and the request message carries an identification of the user context to be deleted; The network management system deletes the user context to be deleted according to the request message for indicating the deletion of the user context; The network management system sends a third confirmation message, and the third confirmation message is used for indicating that the user context to be deleted has been deleted.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The network management system deletes the user context to be deleted according to the request message for indicating the deletion of the user context, comprising: When the user context to be deleted is an initial user context, an administrator context in the network management system triggers the release of a virtual link contained in a virtual network of the user context to be deleted, and updates a resource database. When the user context to be deleted is an embedded or recursive user context of an existing user context, the existing user context in the network management system deletes information of the embedded or recursive user context and updates a resource database.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein, The network management system comprises at least one of a software defined network (SDN) controller, an automatic switched optical network (ASON) system, an element management system (EMS), a network management system (NMS), and a management and control integrated (MCC) system.

17. A method for supporting network slicing, comprising: an application side sending a request message for indicating creation of a user context to a network management system, the request message carrying at least a constraint condition of the user context to be created; the application side receiving a first confirmation message sent by the network management system, the first confirmation message carrying information of the user context created by the network management system; wherein the constraint condition comprises at least a virtual network constraint condition, and the virtual network constraint condition comprises a network topology constraint, a service type, an isolation requirement, a bandwidth capacity, and a service level parameter, and the network management system comprises an administrator context; the network management system creating a user context, comprising: the network management system providing a management interface for network resources; when the request message indicates creation of an initial user context, the administrator context querying available resources from a resource database; when there is a virtual network satisfying the network topology constraint in the available resources, the administrator context directly allocating the virtual network to the user context; when there is no virtual network satisfying the network topology constraint in the available resources, for nodes and links in the available resources that can provide required resources, directly allocating corresponding resources to a created virtual network, when there is no link satisfying the network topology constraint between nodes, the administrator context triggering establishment of a connection between the nodes, abstractly aggregating the established connection to form a virtual link, and forming a virtual network by combining the virtual link and the directly allocated resources, and allocating the virtual network to the user context.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein, The information of the user context created by the network management system comprises at least an identifier of the user context, network resources corresponding to the user context, and a management interface of the network resources, and the network resources comprise at least one of a virtual network resource and a physical network resource.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, The information of the user context created by the network management system further comprises a user namespace rule and a user-configured policy.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein, The method further comprises: the application side sending a request message for indicating update of a user context to the network management system, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be updated and required update information; the application side receiving a second confirmation message sent by the network management system, the second confirmation message carrying information of the updated user context.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein, The method further comprises: the application side sending a request message for indicating deletion of a user context to the network management system, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be deleted; The application side receives a third confirmation message sent by the network management system, and the third confirmation message is used to indicate that the user context to be deleted has been deleted.

22. A network management system, comprising: Comprise: The receiving unit is configured to receive a request message used to indicate creation of a user context, and the request message at least carries a constraint condition of a user context to be created; The control unit is configured to create the user context; The constraint condition at least comprises a virtual network constraint condition, and the virtual network constraint condition comprises a network topology constraint, a service type, an isolation requirement, a bandwidth capacity, and a service level parameter. The network management system comprises an administrator context; The control unit is configured to create the user context by providing a management interface of a network resource, querying available resources from a resource database when the request message indicates creation of an initial user context, and assigning a virtual network that meets the network topology constraint to the user context when the available resources comprise the virtual network. When the available resources do not comprise the virtual network that meets the network topology constraint, the control unit directly assigns corresponding resources to a built virtual network for nodes and links in the available resources that can provide required resources, triggers establishment of a connection between the nodes when there is no link between the nodes that meets the network topology constraint, abstracts and aggregates the established connection to form a virtual link, forms a virtual network by combining the virtual link and the directly assigned resources, and assigns the virtual network to the user context.

23. The network management system according to claim 22, wherein, The control unit is further configured to assign an identifier to the user context.

24. The network management system of claim 22, wherein, The control unit comprises an existing user context, and is configured to assign a virtual network formed based on available resources to the user context according to the virtual network constraint condition by: When the request message indicates creation of an embedded or recursive user context in the existing user context, assigning resources that meet the virtual network constraint condition to the embedded or recursive user context of the existing user context in a virtual network of the existing user context.

25. The network management system of claim 22, wherein, The network management system further comprises a sending unit configured to send a first confirmation message, and the first confirmation message carries information of a user context created by the network management system.

26. The network management system according to claim 22 or 25, characterized in that, The information of the user context created by the network management system at least comprises an identifier of the user context, network resources corresponding to the user context, and a management interface of the network resources.

27. The network management system of claim 25, wherein, The receiving unit is further configured to receive a request message used to indicate update of a user context, and the request message carries an identifier of a user context to be updated and information required for update; The control unit is further configured to update the user context to be updated according to the request message used to indicate update of the user context. The sending unit is further configured to send a second confirmation message carrying information of the updated user context.

28. The network management system according to claim 25 or 27, characterized in that, The receiving unit is further configured to receive a request message indicating deletion of a user context, the request message carrying an identifier of the user context to be deleted. The control unit is further configured to delete the user context to be deleted according to the request message indicating deletion of the user context. The sending unit is further configured to send a third confirmation message indicating that the user context to be deleted has been deleted.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer program is stored, and the computer program, when executed, implements the steps of the method for supporting network slicing according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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