Benchmarking Delay Estimation for Quality of Service Flow Establishment and Monitoring in 5G Networks

Abstract

According to some embodiments, a method and apparatus may include: performing, by a first network entity, at least one benchmarking process of at least one network hop delay per at least one transmission resource, the at least one transmission resource going to at least one peer network node identified by at least one Internet Protocol destination address. The method and apparatus may also include: deriving, by the first network entity, a second table by: determining, for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, at least one network instance to each Internet Protocol destination address transmission resource T i The method and apparatus may also include: updating, by the first network entity, the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to the second network entity.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 827,608, filed on April 1, 2019. The entire contents of the above application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] Various communication systems may benefit from an improved benchmark for delay estimation. Background Art

[0004] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) Release (Rel)-16 describes Packet Delay Budget (PDB) Partitioning and Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring. As part of these features, it is desirable to estimate the delay that a QoS flow may experience between a User Plane Function (UPF) anchor and a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) node. This estimate of network delay may be used for the Packet Delay Budget (PDB) Partitioning feature, where the NG-RAN node may subtract the network delay from the end-to-end PDB to derive the radio PDB. Additionally, with respect to QoS monitoring, if one of the nodes detects that the network delay or the cumulative estimate of network delay and radio delay exceeds a threshold, an alarm may be raised, such as to a session management function. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to some embodiments, a method may include: performing, by a first network entity, at least one benchmarking procedure of at least one network hop delay per at least one transmission resource, the at least one transmission resource being destined for a peer network node identified by at least one Internet Protocol destination address. The method may also include: benchmarking, by the first network entity, for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, the transmission resource T per Internet Protocol destination address using at least one (network instance, differentiated services code point) pair i The method may further include: updating, by the first network entity, the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to the second network entity, the second network entity being configured to use the second table during establishment of at least one protocol data unit session / quality of service flow to determine at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to be used for at least one network hop to be traversed by at least one quality of service flow.

[0006] According to some embodiments, an apparatus may include: means for performing at least one benchmarking procedure for at least one network hop delay per at least one transmission resource, the at least one transmission resource being destined for at least one peer network node identified by at least one Internet Protocol destination address. The apparatus may also include: means for: for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, using at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to determine the transmission resource T per Internet Protocol destination address. i The apparatus may further include: means for updating the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address and transmitting the updated second table to a network entity, the network entity being configured to use the second table during establishment of at least one protocol data unit session / quality of service flow to determine at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to be used for at least one network hop to be traversed by at least one quality of service flow.

[0007] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include: at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: perform at least one benchmark process for at least one network hop delay per at least one transmission resource, the at least one transmission resource going to at least one peer network node identified by at least one Internet Protocol destination address. The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, use at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to the transmission resource T per Internet Protocol destination address i The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: update the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmit the updated second table to a network entity, the network entity being configured to use the second table during establishment of at least one protocol data unit session / quality of service flow to determine at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to be used for at least one network hop to be traversed by at least one quality of service flow.

[0008] According to some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be encoded with instructions that, when executed in hardware, may perform a method. The method may include: performing at least one benchmarking process of at least one network hop delay per at least one transmission resource, the at least one transmission resource going to at least one peer network node identified by at least one Internet Protocol destination address. The method may also include: for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, using at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to the transmission resource T per Internet Protocol destination address i The method may further include updating the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to a network entity, the network entity being configured to use the second table during establishment of at least one protocol data unit session / quality of service flow to determine at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to be used for at least one network hop to be traversed by at least one quality of service flow.

[0009] According to some embodiments, a computer program product may be used to perform a method. The method may include: performing at least one benchmarking process of at least one network hop delay per at least one transmission resource, the at least one transmission resource going to at least one peer network node identified by at least one Internet Protocol destination address. The method may also include: for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, using at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to the transmission resource T per Internet Protocol destination address i The method may further include updating the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to a network entity, the network entity being configured to use the second table during establishment of at least one protocol data unit session / quality of service flow to determine at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to be used for at least one network hop to be traversed by at least one quality of service flow.

[0010] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include: a circuit system configured to: perform at least one benchmark process of at least one network hop delay per at least one transmission resource, the at least one transmission resource going to at least one peer network node identified by at least one Internet Protocol destination address. The circuit system may also be configured to: for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, use at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to the transmission resource T per Internet Protocol destination address i The circuit system may be further configured to update the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmit the updated second table to a network entity, the network entity being configured to use the second table during establishment of at least one protocol data unit session / quality of service flow to determine at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to be used for at least one network hop to be traversed by at least one quality of service flow.

[0011] According to some embodiments, a method may include: receiving, by a first network entity, at least one value of a first table from a second network entity, wherein each of at least one Internet Protocol destination address in the first table is associated with an estimated delay per [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair entry. The method may also include: analyzing, by the first network entity, at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The method may also include: transmitting, by the first network entity, at least one corresponding signaling associated with each determined network hop to be traversed by the quality of service flow to the second network entity.

[0012] According to certain embodiments, an apparatus may include: means for receiving at least one value of a first table from a network entity, wherein each of at least one Internet Protocol destination address in the first table is associated with an estimated delay per [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair entry. The apparatus may also include: means for analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The apparatus may also include: means for transmitting, to the network entity, at least one corresponding signaling associated with the network hop for each determined network hop to be traversed by the quality of service flow.

[0013] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receive at least one value of a first table from a network entity, wherein each of the at least one Internet Protocol destination addresses in the first table is associated with an estimated delay per [network instance, differential services code point] pair entry. The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: analyze at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit at least one corresponding signaling associated with the network hop to the network entity for each determined network hop to be traversed by the quality of service flow.

[0014] According to some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium may be encoded with instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a method. The method may include receiving at least one value of a first table from a network entity, wherein each of at least one Internet Protocol destination address in the first table is associated with an estimated delay per [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair entry. The method may also include: analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The method may also include: transmitting, to the network entity, at least one corresponding signaling associated with the network hop for each determined network hop to be traversed by the quality of service flow.

[0015] According to certain embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include: receiving at least one value of a first table from a network entity, wherein each of at least one Internet Protocol destination address in the first table is associated with an estimated delay per [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair entry. The method may also include: analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The method may also include: transmitting, to the network entity, at least one corresponding signaling associated with the network hop for each determined network hop to be traversed by the quality of service flow.

[0016] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include circuitry configured to: receive at least one value of a first table from a network entity, wherein each of at least one Internet Protocol destination address in the first table is associated with an estimated delay per [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair entry. The circuitry may also be configured to: analyze at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The circuitry may also be configured to: transmit, to the network entity, at least one corresponding signaling associated with the network hop for each determined network hop to be traversed by the quality of service flow.

[0017] According to some embodiments, a method may include: receiving, by a first network entity, at least one hop delay measurement request from a second network entity via an N4 / next generation application protocol for each network entity involved in a path for which a network delay is to be estimated, the N4 / next generation application protocol including at least one destination Internet Protocol address of the first network entity for the hop, at least one network instance, and at least one Differentiated Services Code Point that the first network entity desires to use. The method may also include: deriving, by the first network entity, a second table by: determining, for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, at least one network instance to transmit resources T per Internet Protocol destination address i The method may also include updating, by the first network entity, the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to the second network entity.

[0018] According to certain embodiments, an apparatus may include: means for: receiving, for each network entity involved in a path for which network delay is to be estimated, at least one hop delay measurement request from a network entity via an N4 / next generation application protocol, the N4 / next generation application protocol including one or more of: at least one destination Internet Protocol address of the apparatus for the hop, at least one network instance, and at least one Differentiated Services Code Point that the apparatus desires to use. The apparatus may also include: means for deriving a second table by: determining, for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, at least one network instance to each Internet Protocol destination address transmission resource T i The apparatus may also include: means for updating the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address and transmitting the updated second table to the network entity.

[0019] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: for each network entity involved in a path for which network delay is to be estimated, receive at least one hop delay measurement request from a network entity via an N4 / next generation application protocol, the N4 / next generation application protocol including one or more of: one or more Internet addresses of the apparatus for the hop, at least one network instance, and at least one differential services code point that the apparatus desires to use. The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least derive a second table by: for each peer node associated with an Internet Protocol destination address, determining at least one network instance to each Internet Protocol destination address transmission resource T i The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: update the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmit the updated second table to the network entity.

[0020] According to some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium may be encoded with instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a method. The method may include: for each network entity involved in a path for which network delay is to be estimated, receiving at least one hop delay measurement request from the network entity via an N4 / next generation application protocol, the N4 / next generation application protocol including one or more of: one or more Internet addresses of the device for the hop, at least one network instance, and at least one differentiated services code point that the device expects to use. The method may also include: deriving a second table by: for each peer node associated with an Internet Protocol destination address, determining at least one network instance to each Internet Protocol destination address transmission resource T i The method may also include updating the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to the network entity.

[0021] According to some embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include: for each network entity involved in a path for which network delay is to be estimated, receiving at least one hop delay measurement request from the network entity via an N4 / next generation application protocol, the N4 / next generation application protocol including one or more of: one or more Internet addresses of a device for the hop, at least one network instance, and at least one differential services code point that the device expects to use. The method may also include: deriving a second table by: for each peer node associated with an Internet Protocol destination address, determining at least one network instance to each Internet Protocol destination address transmission resource T i The method may also include updating the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to the network entity.

[0022] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include circuitry configured to receive at least one hop delay measurement request from a network entity for each network entity involved in a path for which network delay is to be estimated via an N4 / next generation application protocol, the N4 / next generation application protocol including one or more of: at least one destination Internet Protocol address for the apparatus to hop, at least one Internet instance, and at least one Differentiated Services Code Point that the apparatus desires to use. The circuitry may also be configured to derive a second table by determining, for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, at least one network instance and a transmission resource T per Internet Protocol destination address. i The circuit system may also be configured to update the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address and transmit the updated second table to the network entity.

[0023] According to some embodiments, a method may include: for each network entity involved in a path for which a network delay is to be estimated, transmitting, by a first network entity, at least one hop delay measurement request to a second network entity via an N4 / Next Generation Application Protocol, the N4 / Next Generation Application Protocol including one or more of at least one destination Internet Protocol addresses used by the second network entity for the hop. The method may also include: in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established, analyzing, by the first network entity, at least one characteristic of the at least one quality of service flow, and using a hop delay measurement made by the second network entity to satisfy the at least one characteristic. The method may also include: for each determined hop, transmitting, by the first network entity, at least one corresponding signaling associated with the hop to the second network entity.

[0024] According to certain embodiments, an apparatus may include: means for transmitting, for each network entity involved in a path for which a network delay is to be estimated, at least one hop delay measurement request to a network entity via an N4 / Next Generation Application Protocol, the N4 / Next Generation Application Protocol including one or more of at least one destination Internet Protocol addresses used by the network entity for the hop. The apparatus may also include: means for analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established, and using hop delay measurements made by the network entity to satisfy the at least one characteristic. The apparatus may also include: means for transmitting, for each determined hop, at least one corresponding signaling associated with the hop to the network entity.

[0025] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: for each network entity involved in a path for which network delay is to be estimated, transmit at least one hop delay measurement request to the network entity via an N4 / next generation application protocol, the N4 / next generation application protocol including one or more of at least one destination Internet Protocol addresses used by the network entity for the hop. The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to: in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established, analyze at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow, and use the hop delay measurement made by the network entity to satisfy the at least one characteristic. The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: for each determined hop, transmit at least one corresponding signaling associated with the hop to the network entity.

[0026] According to some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be encoded with instructions that, when executed in hardware, may perform a method. The method may include: for each network entity involved in a path for which a network delay is to be estimated, transmitting at least one hop delay measurement request to the network entity via an N4 / next generation application protocol, the N4 / next generation application protocol including one or more of at least one destination Internet Protocol addresses used by the network entity for the hop. The method may also include: in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established, analyzing at least one characteristic of the at least one quality of service flow, and using a hop delay measurement made by the network entity to satisfy the at least one characteristic. The method may also include: for each determined hop, transmitting at least one corresponding signaling associated with the hop to the network entity.

[0027] According to certain embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include: for each network entity involved in a path for which a network delay is to be estimated, transmitting at least one hop delay measurement request to the network entity via an N4 / next generation application protocol, the N4 / next generation application protocol including one or more of at least one destination Internet Protocol addresses used by the network entity for the hop. The method may also include: in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established, analyzing at least one characteristic of the at least one quality of service flow, and using the hop delay measurement made by the network entity to satisfy the at least one characteristic. The method may also include: for each determined hop, transmitting at least one corresponding signaling associated with the hop to the network entity.

[0028] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include a circuit system configured to: for each network entity involved in a path for which a network delay is to be estimated, transmit at least one hop delay measurement request to the network entity via an N4 / next generation application protocol, the N4 / next generation application protocol including one or more of at least one destination Internet Protocol addresses used by the network entity for the hop. The circuit system may also be configured to: in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established, analyze at least one characteristic of the at least one quality of service flow, and use the hop delay measurement made by the network entity to satisfy the at least one characteristic. The circuit system may also be configured to: for each determined hop, transmit at least one corresponding signaling associated with the hop to the network entity.

[0029] According to some embodiments, a method may include: determining, by a first network entity, at a given point in time, that for each peer Internet Protocol address, at least one transmission resource is being used by at least one ongoing protocol data unit session and at least one quality of service flow. The method may also include: determining, by the first network entity, a first table having previously determined estimated network hop delays per transmission resource. The method may also include: deriving, by the first network entity, a second table by: for each peer node associated with the Internet Protocol destination address, using at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair of transmission resources T per Internet Protocol destination address i The method may further include: updating, by the first network entity, the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to the second network entity.

[0030] According to certain embodiments, an apparatus may include: means for determining, at a given point in time, for each peer Internet Protocol address, that at least one transport resource is being used by at least one ongoing protocol data unit session and at least one quality of service flow. The apparatus may also include: means for determining a first table having previously determined estimated network hop delays per transport resource. The apparatus may also include means for deriving a second table by: for each peer node associated with an Internet Protocol destination address, using at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair of transport resources T per Internet Protocol destination address i The apparatus may further include: a component for updating the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to the second network entity.

[0031] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include: at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: determine, at a given point in time, that for each peer Internet Protocol address, at least one transmission resource is being used by at least one ongoing protocol data unit session and at least one quality of service flow. The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: determine a first table having previously determined estimated network hop delays per transmission resource. The at least one memory and the computer program code may also be configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least derive a second table by: for each peer node associated with an Internet Protocol destination address, providing a network hop delay per [network instance, differential services code point] pair using at least one existing configured mapping of at least one [network instance, differential services code point] pair to a transmission resource Ti per Internet Protocol destination address. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: update the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmit the updated second table to the second network entity.

[0032] According to some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium may be encoded with instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a method. The method may include: determining at a given point in time that, for each peer Internet Protocol address, at least one transport resource is being used by at least one ongoing protocol data unit session and at least one quality of service flow. The method may also include: determining a first table having previously determined estimated network hop delays per transport resource. The method may also include deriving a second table by: for each peer node associated with an Internet Protocol destination address, using at least one existing configured mapping of at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to a transport resource Ti per Internet Protocol destination address to provide a network hop delay per [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair. The method may also include: updating the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to a second network entity.

[0033] According to certain embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include: determining at a given point in time that, for each peer Internet Protocol address, at least one transport resource is being used by at least one ongoing protocol data unit session and at least one quality of service flow. The method may also include: determining a first table having previously determined estimated network hop delays per transport resource. The method may also include deriving a second table by: for each peer node associated with an Internet Protocol destination address, providing a network hop delay per [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair using at least one existing configured mapping of at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to a transport resource Ti per Internet Protocol destination address. The method may also include: updating the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmitting the updated second table to a second network entity.

[0034] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include a circuit system configured to: determine, at a given point in time, that for each peer Internet Protocol address, at least one transport resource is being used by at least one ongoing protocol data unit session and at least one quality of service flow. The circuit system may also be configured to: determine a first table having previously determined estimated network hop delays per transport resource. The circuit system may also be configured to derive a second table by: for each peer node associated with an Internet Protocol destination address, using at least one existing configured mapping of at least one [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair to transport resources Ti per Internet Protocol destination address to provide network hop delays per [network instance, differentiated services code point] pair. The circuit system may also be configured to: update the first table and the second table for each Internet Protocol destination address, and transmit the updated second table to a second network entity.

[0035] According to some embodiments, a method may include: transmitting, by a first network entity to a second network entity, at least one indication, the at least one indication comprising at least one new indication in a forwarding action rule per packet forwarding control protocol session (protocol data unit session), the at least one new indication indicating which protocol data unit session / quality of service flow is involved in at least one quality of service monitoring feature. The method may also include: analyzing, by the first network entity, at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The method may also include: for each determined hop, transmitting, by the first network entity, at least one corresponding signal associated with the hop to the second network entity.

[0036] According to certain embodiments, an apparatus may include: means for transmitting at least one indication to a network entity, the at least one indication including at least one new indication in a forwarding action rule per packet forwarding control protocol session (protocol data unit session), the at least one new indication indicating which protocol data unit session / quality of service flow is involved in at least one quality of service monitoring feature. The apparatus may also include: means for analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The apparatus may also include: means for transmitting, for each determined hop, at least one corresponding signal associated with the hop to the network entity.

[0037] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include: at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: transmit at least one indication to a network entity, the at least one indication including at least one new indication in a forwarding action rule per packet forwarding control protocol session (protocol data unit session), the at least one new indication indicating which protocol data unit session / quality of service flow is involved in at least one quality of service monitoring feature. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: analyze at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The at least one memory and the computer program code may be configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: for each determined hop, transmit at least one corresponding signal associated with the hop to the network entity.

[0038] According to some embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium may be encoded with instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a method. The method may include: transmitting at least one indication to a network entity, the at least one indication including at least one new indication in a forwarding action rule per packet forwarding control protocol session (protocol data unit session), the at least one new indication indicating which protocol data unit session / quality of service flow is involved in at least one quality of service monitoring feature. The method may also include: analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The method may also include: for each determined hop, transmitting at least one corresponding signal associated with the hop to the network entity.

[0039] According to certain embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include: transmitting at least one indication to a network entity, the at least one indication including at least one new indication in a forwarding action rule per packet forwarding control protocol session (protocol data unit session), the at least one new indication indicating which protocol data unit session / quality of service flow is involved in at least one quality of service monitoring feature. The method may also include: analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The method may also include: for each determined hop, transmitting at least one corresponding signal associated with the hop to the network entity.

[0040] According to various embodiments, an apparatus may include a circuit system configured to: transmit at least one indication to a network entity, the at least one indication including at least one new indication in a forwarding action rule per packet forwarding control protocol session (protocol data unit session), the at least one new indication indicating which protocol data unit session / quality of service flow is involved in at least one quality of service monitoring feature. The circuit system may also be configured to: analyze at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established. The circuit system may also be configured to: for each determined hop, transmit at least one corresponding signal associated with the hop to the network entity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] For a proper understanding of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0042] Figure 1 An example of a method performed by a network entity according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0043] Figure 2 An example of another method performed by a network entity according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0044] Figure 3 An example of another method performed by a network entity according to various embodiments is illustrated.

[0045] Figure 4 An example of another method performed by a network entity according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0046] Figure 5 An example of another method performed by a network entity according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0047] Figure 6 An example of another method performed by a network entity according to various embodiments is illustrated.

[0048] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a table storing echo response results in accordance with some embodiments.

[0049] Figure 8 An example of a system according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0050] Fig. 9 An example of a system architecture according to various embodiments is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] In order to find an estimate of the network delay with an accuracy above a threshold, two techniques are proposed in 3GPP S2-1902858, referred to as Alternative 1 and Alternative 2. In Alternative 1, the first network node transmitter adds a timestamp to at least one packet. The last network node receiver compares the reception time with the included timestamp and infers the network delay. It then determines the rest of the PDB that should be met for transmitting the packet over the radio. This method assumes that all network nodes are tightly synchronized. Moreover, the delay can only be estimated when QoS flow packets are to be sent; otherwise, it requires the creation of special "virtual" packets that contain timestamps without traffic. Alternative 1 requires tight synchronization between network nodes, and if there is no traffic, the network delay cannot be estimated unless a new dedicated type of packet is created, which introduces complexity. In addition, Alternative 1 does not provide per-hop delay estimation.

[0052] In alternative 2, a GTP echo request message is generated for each node-level QoS monitoring of each network node in the path, and then the RTT is calculated when the echo response is received. The network hop delay estimate is determined by calculating RTT / 2. When a QoS flow packet is sent, each node traversed adds an estimated cumulative time corresponding to the value of the previous estimated cumulative time + the estimated processing time in the node + the estimated network hop delay of the next hop.

[0053] Certain embodiments described herein may have various benefits and advantages to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings. For example, the benchmark for delay estimation remains independent of the service and, further, independent of the node processes that occur for the establishment of the QoS flow, while still providing accurate values ​​and being usable for actual QoS flow services. In addition, the SMF can proactively consider the benchmark for delay estimation when deciding the network instance (e.g., the network instance associated with the S-NSSAI (Single Network Slice Assistance Information) of the 5G network slice) and the allocation of DSCP to be considered by each network node involved in the QoS flow at the time of PDU session / QoS flow creation / establishment. In addition, the SMF can influence the transmission resources on which network nodes (such as UPF and NG-RAN nodes) will perform the benchmark.

[0054] Certain embodiments also do not require tight synchronization across network nodes, and provide accurate estimates that, even if calculated as node estimates outside of any packet flow, can be effectively used as network delay estimates to calculate the cumulative delay budget of the actual QoS flow. Certain embodiments also provide per-hop delay estimates that are updated regularly and are independent of any ongoing service flows, which is very useful for early diagnosis of delay problems on segments between two network nodes in the absence of actual services. In addition, the SMF can actively consider the benchmark for delay estimates when deciding the allocation of network instances and DSCPs to be considered for each network node involved in the QoS flow when the PDU session / QoS flow is created / established. Moreover, the SMF may affect the transmission resources on which network nodes (such as UPF and NG-RAN nodes) can perform benchmarks in variant 2. As a result, certain embodiments can produce improved reliability and latency, as well as reduced power consumption. Finally, the UPF can make inferences by itself in variant 3, in which the minimum set of transmission resources for performing the benchmark is inferred by analyzing which PDU sessions / QoS flows are involved in the QoS monitoring process and what the network instances and DSCPs associated with them are. Accordingly, certain embodiments involve improvements in computer-related technology.

[0055] Figure 1 The diagram illustrates a method for performing a task by a first network entity such as Figure 8 An example of a method performed by the network entity 820) shown in FIG.

[0056] At step 101, a first network entity may perform at least one benchmarking process of at least one network hop (e.g., at least one hop between the first network entity and at least one peer network node) delay per at least one transmission resource (e.g., T1, T2, T3, etc.), the at least one transmission resource going to at least one peer network node identified by at least one Internet Protocol (IP) destination address. In some embodiments, the at least one transmission resource may include one or more of the following: a transmission network resource used, and at least one associated priority setting that may be configured. In addition, the at least one network hop delay may be: i The first network entity may store at least one network hop estimated delay per destination IP address in a first table, such as shown in FIG. 7( a).

[0057] In step 103, the first network entity may derive a second table (such as shown in FIG. 7( c)) by determining, for each peer node associated with the IP destination address, at least one existing configured mapping of at least one [network instance, DSCP] pair to a transmission resource Ti for each IP destination address. In some embodiments, the second table may associate each IP destination address with an estimated delay per [network instance, DSCP] pair entry.

[0058] In step 105, for each IP destination address, the first network entity may transmit at least one value of the second table to at least one second network entity, such as a session management function (SMF).

[0059] In step 107, the first network entity may receive from the second network entity: at least one corresponding signaling associated with each network node involved in the hop.

[0060] In step 109 , the first network entity may update the first table and / or the second table for each IP destination address at the end of the at least one measurement period, and / or may transmit the updated second table to the second network entity.

[0061] Figure 2 According to some embodiments, a first network entity (such as Figure 8 An example of a method performed by the network entity 820) shown in FIG.

[0062] In step 201, a first network entity (such as a session management function (SMF)) may receive at least one value of a first table from a second network entity, such as shown in FIG. 7( c), wherein each IP destination address in the first table is associated with an estimated delay per [network instance, DSCP] pair entry. In various embodiments, the first network entity may store at least one value of the first table for each IP address. In some embodiments, the at least one value of the first table may be configured for at least one future PDU session and / or QoS flow establishment.

[0063] In step 203, in response to at least one quality of service (QoS) flow needing to be established, the first network entity may analyze at least one characteristic (such as 5QI, QoS characteristics, and / or ARP) of the at least one QoS flow and / or at least one configured path (such as at least one network node expected to be traversed) to determine at least one acceptable network delay. In some embodiments, the first network entity may analyze at least one value stored in the first table for each hop involved in the path and / or an appropriate total network delay to determine at least one [network instance, DSCP] pair that should be considered for each hop.

[0064] In step 205, for each determined hop, the first network entity may transmit at least one corresponding signaling associated with the hop to the second network entity.

[0065] Figure 3 According to some embodiments, a first network entity (such as Figure 8 An example of a method performed by the network entity 820) shown in FIG.

[0066] In step 301, for each network entity involved in a path for which network delay is to be estimated, a first network entity may receive at least one hop delay measurement request from a second network entity (such as a session management function (SMF)) via N4 / NGAP, the N4 / NGAP including one or more of the following: at least one destination IP address for the hop used by the second network entity, at least one network instance, and at least one DSCP that the first network entity desires to use. In some embodiments, the first network entity may also receive at least one measurement cycle. In addition, for each destination IP address, such as for each peer network entity, a measurement request to a transmission resource T is generated according to [network instance, DSCP] i The mapping present in the first network entity may determine at least one transmission resource T that is expected to be used. i and / or only for at least one transmission resource associated with T i At least one network hop delay benchmark process is performed. In various embodiments, at least one transmission resource T i The at least one network hop delay may include one or more of the following: the transmission network resource used and at least one priority setting configured for the transmission resource. In addition, the at least one network hop delay may be a network hop estimated delay, which is calculated by calculating the network hop estimated delay at the at least one transmission resource T. i The first network entity may store at least one such estimated network hop delay per destination IP address in a first table, such as shown in FIG. 7( a).

[0067] In step 303, the first network entity may derive a second table, such as shown in FIG. 7( c), by: for each peer node associated with the IP destination address, using at least one [network instance, DSCP] pair to transmit resources T per IP destination address i In some embodiments, the second table may associate each IP destination address with an estimated delay per [network instance, DSCP] pair entry.

[0068] In step 305, the first network entity may transmit at least one value of the second table to at least one second network entity for each IP destination address.

[0069] In step 307, the first network entity may receive at least one corresponding signaling associated with each hop involved in the QoS flow establishment path from the second network entity.

[0070] In step 309, the first network entity may update the first table and / or the second table for each IP destination address at the end of at least one measurement period, and / or may transmit the updated second table to the second network entity.

[0071] Figure 4 According to some embodiments, a first network entity (such as Figure 8 An example of a method performed by the network entity 820) shown in FIG.

[0072] In step 401, for each network entity involved in the path for which the network delay is to be estimated, the first network entity may send a message to the second network entity (similar to Figure 8 The network entity 820 shown in FIG. 8A transmits at least one hop delay measurement request, the N4 / NGAP including one or more of the following: at least one destination IP address used by the first network entity for the hop, at least one network instance, and at least one DSCP desired to be used by the second network entity. In some embodiments, the first network entity may also transmit at least one measurement period. In addition, for each destination IP address, such as for each peer network entity, a transmission resource T is assigned according to [network instance, DSCP]. i The second network entity may determine at least one transmission resource T that is expected to be used. i and / or only for at least one transmission resource associated with T i At least one network hop delay benchmark process is performed. In various embodiments, at least one transmission resource T i The delay may include one or more of the following: the transmission network resources used and at least one priority setting configured for the transmission resources. In addition, the at least one network hop delay may be a network hop estimated delay, which is calculated by calculating the delay between the at least one transmission resource T and the transmission network resource used. i The second network entity may store at least one estimated network hop delay per destination IP address in a first table, as shown in FIG7( a). In some embodiments, for each destination IP address from the first table, the second network entity may use (network instance, DSCP) to map the estimated network hop delay to the transmission resource Ti The mapping present in the second network entity results in a second table giving the estimated delay per [network instance, DSCP] pair, such as shown in Table 7(c).

[0073] In step 403, in response to at least one quality of service (QoS) flow needing to be established, the first network entity may analyze at least one characteristic (such as 5QI, QoS characteristics, and / or ARP) of the at least one QoS flow and / or at least one configured path (such as at least one network node expected to be traversed) to determine at least one acceptable network delay. In some embodiments, the first network entity may analyze at least one value stored in a second table (such as shown in FIG. 7( c)) for each hop involved in the QoS flow path and / or an appropriate total network delay to determine at least one network instance that should be considered for each hop of a given QoS flow.

[0074] In step 405, for each determined hop, the first network entity may transmit at least one corresponding signaling associated with the hop to the second network entity.

[0075] Figure 5 According to some embodiments, a first network entity (such as Figure 8 An example of a method performed by the network entity 820) shown in FIG.

[0076] In step 501, the first network entity may determine, at a given point in time, for each peer IP address, at least one transmission resource T i is being used by at least one ongoing PDU session and / or at least one QoS flow. For example, if the first network node is a UPF, the first network node may determine which at least one PDU session is marked as using at least one QoS monitoring feature, as the feature may require the first network entity to insert at least one "accumulated delay" in the GTP extension header. For example, the UPF may have previously received information from a second network entity such as Figure 8 The network entity 820 shown in FIG. 8 receives at least one indication, for example, at least one new indication in a forwarding action rule (FAR) per PFCP session (PDU session). For each peer IP address and transport resource T identified above as used by at least one PDU session and / or at least one QoS flow i , the first network entity may only transmit at least one associated resource T i At least one network hop delay benchmark process is performed. In various embodiments, at least one transmission resource T iThe at least one network hop delay may include one or more of the following: the transmission network resource used and at least one priority setting configured for the transmission resource. In addition, the at least one network hop delay may be a network hop estimated delay, which is calculated by calculating the network hop estimated delay at the at least one transmission resource T. i The first network entity may store at least one estimated network hop delay per destination IP address in a first table, such as shown in FIG. 7( a).

[0077] In step 503, the first network entity may derive a second table, such as shown in FIG. 7( c), by: for each peer node associated with the IP destination address, using at least one [network instance, DSCP] pair to transmit resources T per IP destination address i In some embodiments, the second table may associate each IP destination address with an estimated delay per [network instance, DSCP] pair entry.

[0078] In step 505, the first network entity may transmit at least one value of the second table to at least one second network entity for each IP destination address.

[0079] In step 507, the first network entity may receive at least one corresponding signaling associated with each hop involved in the path from the second network entity.

[0080] In step 509, the first network entity may update the first table and / or the second table for each IP destination address at the end of at least one measurement period, and / or may transmit the updated second table to the second network entity.

[0081] Figure 6 According to some embodiments, a first network entity (such as Figure 8 An example of a method performed by the network entity 820) shown in FIG.

[0082] In step 601, a first network entity may send a message to a second network entity (such as Figure 8 The network entity 820 shown in FIG. 8 transmits at least one indication, such as at least one new indication in a forwarding action rule (FAR) per PFCP session (PDU session), indicating whether the PDU session / QoS flow is involved in the QoS monitoring feature. In addition, for each destination IP address, such as for each peer network entity, the second network entity can determine from the above at least one transmission resource T expected to be used for the QoS monitoring feature. i and / or only for at least one transmission resource associated with Ti At least one network hop delay benchmark process is performed. In various embodiments, at least one transmission resource T i The at least one network hop delay may include one or more of the following: the transmission network resource used and at least one priority setting configured for the transmission resource. In addition, the at least one network hop delay may be a network hop estimated delay, which is calculated by calculating the network hop estimated delay at the at least one transmission resource T. i The second network entity may store at least one estimated network hop delay per destination IP address in a first table, as shown in FIG7( a). For each destination IP address from the first table, the second network entity may use [network instance, DSCP] to determine the transmission resource T i The mapping of existing in the second network entity results in a second table giving the estimated delay per [network instance, DSCP] pair, such as shown in Table 7(c). The second network entity sends the second table to the first network entity.

[0083] In step 603, in response to at least one quality of service (QoS) flow needing to be established, the first network entity may analyze at least one characteristic (such as 5QI, QoS characteristics, and / or ARP) of the at least one QoS flow and / or at least one configured path (such as at least one network node expected to be traversed) to determine at least one acceptable network delay. In some embodiments, the first network entity may analyze at least one value stored in the second table for each hop involved in the path and / or an appropriate total network delay to determine at least one [network instance, DSCP] pair that should be considered for each hop of a given QoS flow.

[0084] In step 605, for each determined hop, the first network entity may transmit at least one corresponding signaling associated with the hop to the second network entity.

[0085] FIG. 7 shows a diagram of the transmission resource T i Several tables associated with the UPF benchmark of FIG7( a ) and FIG7 ( b ) show that the echo request / response is RTT / 2=1 ms. In addition, the echo request / response for FIG7( c ) and FIG7 ( d ) is RTT / 2=0.7 ms.

[0086] Figure 8 An example of a system according to some embodiments is shown. In one embodiment, the system may include a plurality of devices, such as, for example, user equipment 810 and / or a network entity 820 .

[0087] User device 810 may include one or more of a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, or a portable media player, a digital camera, a camcorder, a video game console, a navigation unit (such as a global positioning system (GPS) device), a desktop or portable computer, a single location device (such as a sensor or smart meter), or any combination thereof.

[0088] The network entity 820 may be one or more of a base station, such as an evolved Node B (eNB) or a 5G or new wireless Node B (gNB), a serving gateway, a session management function (SMF), a user plane function (UPF), a 5G NG-RAN node, a server, and / or any other access node or combination thereof. In addition, the network entity 820 and / or the user equipment 810 may be one or more of a citizen broadband radio service device (CBSD).

[0089] One or more of these devices may include at least one processor, indicated as 811 and 821, respectively. Processors 811 and 821 may be implemented by any computing or data processing device, such as a central processing unit (CPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a similar device. The processor may be implemented as a single controller, or multiple controllers or processors.

[0090] At least one memory may be provided in one or more devices indicated by 812 and 822. The memory may be fixed or removable. The memory may include computer program instructions or computer codes contained therein. The memories 812 and 822 may be independently any suitable storage device, such as a non-transient computer readable medium. A hard disk drive (HDD), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, or other suitable memory may be used. The memory may be combined on a single integrated circuit as a processor, or may be separated from one or more processors. In addition, the computer program instructions stored in the memory and that may be processed by the processor may be any suitable form of computer program code, for example, a compiled or interpreted computer program written in any suitable programming language. The memory may be removable or non-removable.

[0091] Processors 811 and 821 and memories 812 and 822 or a subset thereof may be configured to provide Figure 1 7. Although not shown, the device may also include positioning hardware, such as GPS or micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) hardware, which may be used to determine the location of the device. Other sensors are also allowed and may be included to determine location, altitude, orientation, etc., such as a barometer, compass, etc.

[0092] like Figure 8 As shown, transceivers 813 and 823 may be provided, and one or more devices may also include at least one antenna, shown as 814 and 824, respectively. The device may have many antennas, such as an antenna array configured for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communication, or multiple antennas for multiple radio access technologies. For example, other configurations of these devices may be provided. Transceivers 813 and 823 may be transmitters, receivers, or both transmitters and receivers, or units or devices configured for both transmission and reception.

[0093] The memory and the computer program instructions may be configured to, together with a processor for a particular device, cause a hardware device (such as a user device) to perform any of the processes described below (e.g., see Figure 1 7). Thus, in some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be encoded with computer instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process, such as one of the processes described herein. Alternatively, some embodiments may be performed entirely in hardware.

[0094] In some embodiments, an apparatus may include a device configured to perform Figure 1 To any process or function shown in Figure 7, the circuit system. For example, the circuit system can be a hardware-only circuit implementation, such as an analog and / or digital circuit system. In another example, the circuit system can be a combination of hardware circuits and software, such as a combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software or firmware, and / or any part of (multiple) hardware processors (including (multiple) digital processors), software, and at least one memory with software, which work together to enable the device to perform various processes or functions. In another example, the circuit system can be (multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or a part of (multiple) microprocessors, which includes software, such as firmware for operation. When the hardware operation does not require software, the software in the circuit system may not exist.

[0095] Fig. 9A 5G non-roaming reference architecture according to certain embodiments is shown. One or more of the following may communicate with at least one authentication server function (AUSF), at least one core access and mobility management function (AMF), and at least one session management function (SMF): at least one network slice selection function (NSSF), at least one network exposure function (NEF), at least one network repository function (NRF), at least one policy control function (PCF), at least one universal data management (UDM) function, and at least one application function (AF). In addition, at least one of these entities may communicate with one or more of the following: at least one user equipment (UE), a radio access network (RAN), at least one user plane function (UPF), and at least one data network (DN).

[0096] The features, structures, or characteristics of certain embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any appropriate manner in one or more embodiments. For example, the phrases "certain embodiments", "some embodiments", "other embodiments", or other similar language used throughout this specification refer to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the phrases "in certain embodiments", "in some embodiments", "in other embodiments", or other similar language that appear throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same set of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any appropriate manner in one or more embodiments.

[0097] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that certain embodiments discussed above may be practiced with steps in different orders, and / or with hardware elements in configurations different from those disclosed. Therefore, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative configurations will be clear while remaining within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, in order to determine the limits and boundaries of the present invention, reference should be made to the appended claims.

[0098] Partial Glossary

[0099] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0100] ARP allocation, reservation, priority

[0101] DSCP Differentiated Services Code Point

[0102] eMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband

[0103] eNB Evolved Node B

[0104] EPC Evolved Packet Core

[0105] FAR forwarding action rule

[0106] gNB Next Generation eNB

[0107] GPS Global Positioning System

[0108] IP Internet Protocol

[0109] LBT Listen before you speak

[0110] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0111] MCS Modulation and Coding Scheme

[0112] MME Mobility Management Entity

[0113] MTC Machine Type Communication

[0114] NGAP Next Generation Application Protocol

[0115] NR New Radio

[0116] NR-U New Radio Unlicensed

[0117] PBCH Physical Broadcast Channel

[0118] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0119] PDCP Packet Data Convergence Protocol

[0120] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0121] PDU Protocol Data Unit

[0122] PFCP Packet Forwarding Control Protocol

[0123] PUCCH Physical uplink control channel

[0124] PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0125] QoS Quality of Service

[0126] RAN Radio Access Network

[0127] RTT Round Trip Time

[0128] S-NSSAI Single Network Slice Auxiliary Information

[0129] UE User Equipment

[0130] UL Uplink

[0131] UPF User Plane Function

[0132] URLLC Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications

[0133] WLAN Wireless Local Area Network

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: means for performing at least one benchmarking procedure for at least one network hop delay per at least one transmission resource, the at least one transmission resource being destined for at least one peer network node identified by at least one Internet Protocol destination address, wherein the at least one transmission resource comprises at least one associated priority setting; means for deriving an estimated network hop delay, for each peer node associated with an internet protocol destination address, using at least one existing configured mapping of at least one pair to a transmission resource Ti per internet protocol destination address to derive an estimated network hop delay for each pair of a network instance and a differentiated services code point, wherein each pair of a network instance and a differentiated services code point comprises a network instance and a differentiated services code point; as well as Means for transmitting the derived estimated network hop delay to a network entity.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a user plane function.

3. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the network entity comprises a session management function.

4. A device for communication, comprising: means for receiving, from a second network entity, at least one value of a first table for storing echo response results, wherein each of at least one Internet Protocol destination address in the first table is associated with an estimated delay for each pair of entries, wherein each pair of entries comprises a network instance and a Differentiated Services Code Point; means for analyzing at least one characteristic of at least one quality of service flow in response to at least one quality of service flow needing to be established, wherein the at least one characteristic comprises at least one of: a quality of service identifier, a quality of service characteristic, or an allocation and retention priority; as well as Means for transmitting, for each determined network hop to be traversed by the quality of service flow, at least one corresponding signaling associated with the network hop to a second network entity. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the apparatus comprises a session management function.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 4 or 5, wherein the second network entity comprises a user plane function.

7. An apparatus for communication, comprising: means for receiving, for each network entity involved in a path for which network delay is to be estimated, receiving from a network entity at least one hop delay measurement request via an N4 / next generation application protocol, the N4 / next generation application protocol comprising one or more of: at least one destination Internet Protocol address for the hop by the apparatus, at least one network instance, and at least one Differentiated Services Code Point that the apparatus desires to use; means for deriving a first table for storing echo response results, derived, for each peer node associated with an Internet Protocol destination address, by determining at least one existing configured mapping of at least one network instance to a transmission resource Ti per Internet Protocol destination address, wherein the at least one transmission resource comprises at least one associated priority setting; as well as Means for transmitting the derived first table to the network entity.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus comprises a user plane function.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 7 or 8, wherein the network entity comprises a session management function.

10. An apparatus for communication, comprising: means for determining, at a given point in time, for each peer internet protocol address, at least one transmission resource for each peer internet protocol address being used by at least one ongoing protocol data unit session and at least one quality of service flow, wherein the at least one transmission resource includes at least one associated priority setting; means for determining a first table for storing echo response results, the first table having previously determined estimated network hop delays per transmission resource; means for deriving a second table for storing echo response results by: for each peer node associated with an internet protocol destination address, providing said network hop delay for each pair of a network instance and a differentiated services code point using at least one existing configured mapping of at least one pair to a transmission resource Ti per internet protocol destination address, wherein each pair of a network instance and a differentiated services code point comprises a network instance and a differentiated services code point; as well as Means for updating the first table and the second table for each internet protocol destination address and transmitting the updated second table to a network entity. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the apparatus comprises a user plane function.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 10 or 11, wherein the network entity comprises a session management function.

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