Method, device and system for application access to network

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application provide a method, device, and system for application access to a network, which are used to incorporate applications into mobile communication network planning to enhance the flexibility of data interaction between applications and the mobile communication network. The method includes: a session management function entity receives a first message from an application instance access module, the first message being used to request establishment of a first connection for a first application instance; the session management function entity determines a first user plane function entity serving the first application instance; the session management function entity sends a second message to the first user plane function entity, the second message including identification information of the first application instance; the session management function entity receives a third message from the first user plane function entity, the third message including an establishment result of the first connection; when the establishment result is successful, the session management function entity sends a fourth message to the application instance access module, the fourth message including a first address allocated by a core network element to the first connection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a method, device, and system for application access to a network. Background Art

[0002] Currently, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) working group is responsible for developing the standard architecture for mobile communication networks. However, when a terminal device accesses an application through a mobile communication network, the application typically belongs to a different system than the mobile communication network.

[0003] For example, mobile edge computing (MEC) deploys internet technology (IT) and cloud computing capabilities in radio access network (RAN) equipment located at the edge of the network. This allows real-time access to network information, such as user location and cell load information, and is leveraged by various applications to provide content-based services and a differentiated mobile broadband user experience. However, MEC is managed by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Within the MEC standard architecture, specific interfaces and deployment solutions are required to enable data interaction and management between the mobile communication network and applications. Alternatively, for example, the current 3GPP standard specifically describes application capability exposure and also adds a network exposure function (NEF) to expose application function (AF) capabilities. For example, the AF can influence traffic routing through the NEF. However, within this architecture, application capability exposure is required to influence the user plane path forwarding strategy and service policy for terminal devices accessing applications.

[0004] In summary, the current data interaction between applications and mobile communication networks is not flexible enough. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a method, device, and system for application access to a network, which are used to incorporate applications into mobile communication network planning to enhance the flexibility of data interaction between applications and the mobile communication network.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the embodiments of the present application adopt the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, a method for application access to a network is provided. The communication device executing the power control method may be a session management function entity (SMFE); it may also be a module implemented in the SMFE, such as a chip or chip system. The following description uses the SMFE as an example. The SMFE receives a first message from an application instance access module, the first message including identification information of a first application instance and requesting establishment of a first connection between the first application instance and a mobile communication network for the first application instance. The SMFE determines a first user plane function entity (UPFE) to serve the first application instance. The SMFE sends a second message to the first user plane function entity (UPFE), the second message including identification information of the first application instance and requesting establishment of the first connection for the first application instance. The SMFE receives a third message from the first user plane function entity (UPFE), the third message including an establishment result of the first connection, wherein the establishment result includes success. The SMFE sends a fourth message to the application instance access module, the fourth message including a first address allocated by a core network element for the first connection. In this embodiment of the present application, a session management function entity and a first user plane function entity in the mobile communication network establish a first connection between the first application instance and the mobile communication network. During the process of establishing the first connection, a core network element allocates a first address to the first connection. This indicates that the address allocation and management corresponding to the first application instance, as well as the data plane forwarding path, are all within the control of the mobile communication network. In other words, this solution allows the first application instance to be connected to the mobile communication network as a special terminal device. Because the first application instance is a specific running instance of a particular application, this solution can enhance the flexibility of data exchange between the application and the mobile communication network.

[0008] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first address is used for data communication between the terminal device and the first application instance. For example, the terminal device can access the first application instance via the first address. Based on this solution, an ad hoc network that enables plug-and-play application services can be established between the terminal device and the first application instance, thereby enabling data exchange between the terminal device and the application server where the first application instance resides.

[0009] In conjunction with the first aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the first and second messages further include information about a first path allocated by the application instance access module for the first connection; the third and fourth messages further include information about a second path allocated by the first user plane function entity for the first connection. The first and second path information are used to establish the first path between the first user plane function entity and the application instance access module in the first connection. This solution enables data transmission between the first user plane function entity and the application instance access module via the first path.

[0010] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the core network element is the first user plane functional entity; the third message also includes the first address. That is, in this embodiment of the present application, the first user plane functional entity allocates the first address to the first connection.

[0011] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in a possible implementation, the core network element is a session management function entity. That is, in the embodiment of the present application, the session management function entity allocates the first address for the first connection.

[0012] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the second message further includes the first address, where the first address is used by the first user plane function entity to publish a route. Based on this solution, other network elements or entities can subsequently directly address the first user plane function entity based on the route published by the first user plane function entity.

[0013] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible implementation, the first message further includes a first parameter, where the first parameter is used to determine the first user plane functional entity serving the first application instance or the first parameter is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity. Exemplarily, the first parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: location information of the first application instance, session and service continuity SSC mode, data network name DNN corresponding to the first connection, or identification information of the network slice where the first connection is located.

[0014] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first message further includes application information corresponding to the first application instance, where the application information is used to establish a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity. Exemplarily, the application information may include an application name, an application identifier, or application domain name information.

[0015] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible implementation method, the first message includes the above-mentioned first parameter and application information corresponding to the first application instance, and the first parameter and the application information corresponding to the first application instance are used to construct a virtual local area network including a first user plane functional entity.

[0016] In combination with the above-mentioned first aspect, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: the session management function entity sends a fifth message to the unified data management function entity, the fifth message includes identification information of the first application instance, and the fifth message is used to request to obtain the contract data of the first application instance; the session management function entity receives the contract data from the unified data management function entity, wherein the contract data is used to determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance; or the contract data is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane function entity.

[0017] It is understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the parameters of the first user plane functional entity determined to serve the first application instance include at least one of the first parameters or the contract data. The parameters used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity include at least one of the first parameters, the application information corresponding to the first application instance, or the contract data.

[0018] In conjunction with the first aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: the session management function entity registering, with the network storage function entity, functionality that the session management function entity supports for establishing a connection for the application instance. Based on this solution, when subsequently selecting a session management function entity, the session management function entity that supports establishing a connection for the application instance can be obtained from the network storage function entity.

[0019] In a second aspect, a method for application network access is provided. The communication device executing the power control method may be an application instance access module; a module implemented in the application instance access module, such as a chip or chip system; or a device including the application instance access module, such as a first application instance, an application server, or an application integration platform. The following description uses the application instance access module as an example. The application instance access module determines a session management function entity (SMFE) serving a first application instance; the application instance access module sends a first message to the SMFE, the first message including identification information of the first application instance and requesting establishment of a first connection between the first application instance and a mobile communication network; and the application instance access module receives a fourth message from the SMFE, the fourth message including a first address allocated by a core network element for the first connection. In this embodiment of the present application, the SMFE and a first user plane function entity in the mobile communication network establish the first connection between the first application instance and the mobile communication network for the first application instance. During the process of establishing the first connection, the core network element allocates the first address for the first connection, indicating that the address allocation and management corresponding to the first application instance and the data plane forwarding path are all within the control of the mobile communication network. In other words, this solution can connect the first application instance to the mobile communication network as a special terminal device. Since the first application instance is a specific running instance of a certain application, this solution can improve the flexibility of data interaction between the application and the mobile communication network.

[0020] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first address is used for data communication between the terminal device and the first application instance. For example, the terminal device can access the first application instance via the first address. Based on this solution, an ad hoc network can be established between the terminal device and the first application instance, enabling plug-and-play application services, thereby enabling data exchange between the terminal device and the application server where the first application instance resides.

[0021] In combination with the above-mentioned second aspect, in a possible implementation, the first message also includes the first path information allocated by the application instance access module to the first connection; the fourth message also includes the second path information allocated by the first user plane functional entity to the first connection, wherein the first path information and the second path information are used to establish a first path between the first user plane functional entity and the application instance access module, and the first user plane functional entity is a user plane functional entity serving the first application instance. Based on this solution, data can be transmitted between the first user plane functional entity and the application instance access module through the first path. For example, in a possible implementation, the method also includes: after the application instance access module obtains the first data from the first application instance, the first data is sent to the first user plane functional entity through the first path; or, the application instance access module receives the second data from the first user plane functional entity through the first path.

[0022] In conjunction with the above-mentioned second aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: the application instance access module publishing a route according to the first address. Based on this solution, other network elements or entities can subsequently directly address the application instance access module according to the route published by the application instance access module. For example, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: the application instance access module receiving second data from a second user plane functional entity, wherein the second user plane functional entity is addressed to the application instance access module according to the route published by the application instance access module.

[0023] In combination with the above-mentioned second aspect, in a possible implementation, before the application instance access module sends the first message to the session management function entity, the method also includes: the application instance access module receives a sixth message from the first application instance, the sixth message including application information corresponding to the first application instance, used to request registration to the application instance access module; after the application instance access module receives the fourth message from the session management function entity, the method also includes: the application instance access module sends the first address to the first application instance.

[0024] In combination with the above second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the core network element is a session management function entity; or, the core network element is a first user plane function entity serving the first application instance.

[0025] In conjunction with the above-mentioned second aspect, in one possible implementation, the first message further includes a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance; or the first parameter is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane function entity. Exemplarily, the first parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: location information of the first application instance, session and service continuity SSC mode, data network name DNN corresponding to the first connection, or identification information of the network slice where the first connection is located.

[0026] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first message further includes application information corresponding to the first application instance, where the application information is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity. Exemplarily, the application information may include an application name, an application identifier, or application domain name information.

[0027] In combination with the above-mentioned second aspect, in a possible implementation method, the first message includes the above-mentioned first parameter and application information corresponding to the first application instance, and the first parameter and the application information corresponding to the first application instance are used to construct a virtual local area network including a first user plane functional entity, and the first user plane functional entity is a user plane functional entity serving the first application instance.

[0028] In conjunction with the second aspect above, in one possible implementation, the application instance access module determines the session management function entity serving the first application instance, including: the application instance access module obtains information about one or more session management function entities that support establishing a connection for the application instance from a network storage function entity; and the application instance access module determines the session management function entity serving the first application instance based on the information about the one or more session management function entities. That is, in this embodiment of the present application, the application instance access module can determine the session management function entity serving the first application instance through interaction with the network storage function entity.

[0029] In a third aspect, a method for application access to a network is provided. The communication device executing the power control method may be a first user plane functional entity (UPFE); it may also be a module implemented in the first user plane functional entity, such as a chip or chip system. The following description uses the first user plane functional entity as an example. The first user plane functional entity receives a second message from a session management functional entity (SMFE). The second message includes identification information of a first application instance and is used to request establishment of a first connection between the first application instance and a mobile communication network. The first user plane functional entity is the user plane functional entity serving the first application instance. The first user plane functional entity sends a third message to the SMFE. The third message includes the establishment result of the first connection, where the establishment result includes success or failure. In an embodiment of the present application, the session management functional entity and the first user plane functional entity in the mobile communication network establish a first connection between the first application instance and the mobile communication network. During the establishment of the first connection, a core network element allocates a first address for the first connection. This indicates that the address allocation and management corresponding to the first application instance, as well as the data plane forwarding path, are all within the control of the mobile communication network. In other words, this solution allows the first application instance to be connected to the mobile communication network as a special terminal device. Since the first application instance is a specific running instance of a certain application, based on this solution, the flexibility of data interaction between the application and the mobile communication network can be improved.

[0030] In conjunction with the third aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the second message also includes first path information allocated by the application instance access module for the first connection; the third message also includes second path information allocated by the first user plane function entity for the first connection. The first and second path information are used to establish the first path between the first user plane function entity and the application instance access module in the first connection. Based on this solution, data can be transmitted between the first user plane function entity and the application instance access module via the first path.

[0031] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in a possible implementation, the third message further includes the first address allocated by the first user plane function entity to the first connection. That is, in this embodiment of the present application, the first user plane function entity allocates the first address to the first connection.

[0032] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in a possible implementation, the second message further includes the first address assigned by the session management function entity to the first connection. That is, in this embodiment of the present application, the session management function entity assigns the first address to the first connection.

[0033] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the first address is used for data communication between the terminal device and the first application instance. For example, the terminal device can access the first application instance via the first address. Based on this solution, an ad hoc network that enables plug-and-play application services can be established between the terminal device and the first application instance, thereby enabling data exchange between the terminal device and the application server where the first application instance resides.

[0034] In combination with the third aspect above, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: the first user plane functional entity publishes a route according to the first address. Based on this solution, other network elements or entities can subsequently directly address the first user plane functional entity according to the route published by the first user plane functional entity. For example, in a possible implementation, the method further includes: the first user plane functional entity receives second data from the second user plane functional entity, and sends the second data to the first application instance through the application instance access module. The second user plane functional entity is addressed to the first user plane functional entity according to the route published by the first user plane functional entity. In a possible implementation, the second user plane functional entity is a user plane functional entity serving a terminal device, and the terminal device can access the first application instance through the first address. Based on this solution, data transmission from the terminal device to the first application instance can be realized.

[0035] In conjunction with the third aspect, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: the first user plane function entity registering, with the network storage function entity, a function that the first user plane function entity supports for establishing a connection for the application instance. Based on this solution, when subsequently selecting a user plane function entity, the user plane function entity that supports establishing a connection for the application instance can be obtained from the network storage function entity.

[0036] In conjunction with the third aspect above, in one possible implementation, the method further includes: a first user plane function entity receiving first data from the first application instance via an application instance access module; and the first user plane function entity sending the first data to a second user plane function entity, where the second user plane function entity is a user plane function entity serving a terminal device. The terminal device can access the first application instance via the first address. Based on this solution, data transmission from the first application instance to the terminal device can be achieved.

[0037] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the above method. The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above method. The modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software implementations. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions.

[0038] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor is configured to be coupled to a memory, and after reading a computer instruction stored in the memory, execute the method as described in any one of the above aspects according to the instruction.

[0039] In combination with the fifth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions.

[0040] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface; the communication interface is used for the communication device to communicate with other devices. Exemplarily, the communication interface can be a transceiver, an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits.

[0041] In conjunction with the fifth aspect above, in one possible implementation, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, the communication device may be composed of a chip or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0042] In conjunction with the fifth aspect, in one possible implementation, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0043] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the computer-readable storage medium is run on a computer, the computer can execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method described in any one of the above aspects.

[0045] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any possible implementation method in the fourth to seventh aspects can be referred to the technical effects brought about by different implementation methods in the above-mentioned first, second or third aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0046] In an eighth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the session management function entity described in the first aspect and the first user plane function entity described in the third aspect.

[0047] In combination with the eighth aspect above, in a possible implementation, the communication system further includes the application instance access module described in the second aspect above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the existing 3GPP ULCL architecture;

[0049] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the existing 3GPP BP architecture;

[0050] Figure 3 This is a brief diagram of the MEC standard architecture currently defined by ETSI;

[0051] Figure 4 This is a diagram of a form of deploying local apps in existing MEC solutions.

[0052] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the user plane architecture for existing 5GVN services;

[0053] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the existing user plane protocol stack based on N19 tunnel forwarding;

[0054] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the deployment of the application instance access module provided in the embodiment of this application Figure 1 ;

[0056] Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the deployment of the application instance access module provided in the embodiment of this application Figure 2 ;

[0057] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of an application of the communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application in a 5G network;

[0058] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 12 Interaction diagram of the method for application access to the network provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0060] Figure 13 Interaction diagram of the method for application access to the network provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0061] Figure 14 Interaction diagram of the method for application access to the network provided in the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0062] Figure 15 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

[0064] First, application (APP) and APP instance:

[0065] In the embodiments of this application, an APP refers to a type of application service provided, for example, a type of application service that provides Internet services. For example, an APP may be Taobao, which provides Internet services for online shopping; or an APP may be Tencent Video, which provides Internet services for watching videos online, and so on.

[0066] In the embodiments of this application, an APP instance refers to an instance of an APP running. For example, when the APP is Taobao, the corresponding APP instance refers to an instance of Taobao running; or when the APP is Tencent Video, the corresponding APP instance refers to an instance of Tencent Video running.

[0067] In the embodiment of the present application, each APP can deploy multiple APP instances to jointly provide services, that is, one APP can correspond to multiple APP instances. APP instances usually run in application servers, which are described here uniformly and will not be repeated below.

[0068] Second, the anchor user plane function (UPF) and the intermediate UPF (I-UPF):

[0069] In this embodiment of the present application, the anchor UPF may be a protocol data unit (PDU) session anchor (PSA)-UPF. During the mobility of a terminal device, the anchor UPF for the entire session remains unchanged. The anchor UPF is responsible for issuing the terminal device's Internet Protocol (IP) downlink routing policy. Messages sent to the terminal device are forwarded to the anchor UPF for processing based on the downlink routing policy.

[0070] In a possible implementation, the I-UPF is located between the RAN device and the anchor UPF and switches continuously as the terminal device moves.

[0071] Third, the 3GPP uplink classifier (ULCL) architecture and the 3GPP branching point architecture:

[0072] To enable applications to more flexibly choose their deployment locations and prevent service traffic deployed at the edge from being detoured due to the core network being too high, 3GPP added user-plane ULCL / BP functions, which were not supported by the fourth-generation (4G) evolved packet core (EPC), when developing user-plane services for the fifth-generation (5G) core network.

[0073] Figure 1 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the existing 3GPP ULCL architecture. Figure 1 As shown in Figure 3, 3GPP defines the 3GPP ULCL architecture as follows: A new UPF (Uniform Functionality Provider) (UPF) can be inserted between the RAN device and the PDU session anchor point (UPF). As its name suggests, the ULCL functions as an uplink classifier for data flows. Specifically, based on the identification of uplink service flow characteristics, it diverts data to the local data network (DN) via the local anchor point (UPF) or to the remote DN via the remote anchor point (UPF). Furthermore, the UPF ULCL also aggregates downlink flows. The local DN and the remote DN are the same DN.

[0074] It should be noted that Figure 1 The UPF ULCL in the can be deployed together with the local anchor UPF, or can be deployed separately, which is not specifically limited here. Figure 1 The core access and mobility management function (AMF) in the network is used for mobility management in mobile networks, such as user location update, user network registration, user switching, etc. Figure 1 The session management function (SMF) in the mobile network is used for session management, such as session establishment, modification or release, etc., which are uniformly described here and will not be repeated below.

[0075] Figure 2 The 3GPP BP architecture is similar to the 3GPP ULCL architecture. The difference is that Figure 1The UPF ULCL in the protocol is replaced by the UPF BP. The functions of UPF BP and UPF ULCL are the same, except that UPF BP is inserted as a diversion point for Internet Protocol version 6 (IPV6); UPF ULCL is for sessions in Internet Protocol version 4 (IPV4) or non-Multi-homed (IPV6 multi-homing, i.e. allowing multiple addresses for a single session) scenarios. IPV6 has a slight difference from IPV4 on the user plane: for IPv4 or IPv6 type PDU sessions, the PDU session anchor point can be an IP anchor point of the IP address / prefix assigned to the terminal device. For IPv4 type PDU sessions or non-Multi-homed IPv6 PDU sessions, when multiple PDU session anchor points are used (because UPF ULCL is inserted), only one PDU session anchor point is the IP anchor point. However, for an IPv6 Multi-homed PDU session, there can be multiple IP anchor points.

[0076] Third, MEC standard architecture:

[0077] Figure 3 The following is a brief diagram of the MEC standard architecture currently defined by ETSI. Figure 3 As shown in FIG, the MEC standard architecture includes: MEC system layer (MEC system level) and MEC host layer (MEC host level).

[0078] The MEC system layer includes the operation support system (OSS) and the multi-access edge orchestrator.

[0079] The MEC host layer includes: MEC platform manager (MEPM), virtualization infrastructure manager, and one or more MEC hosts. MEC hosts include: MEC platform (MEP), virtualization infrastructure, and multiple MEC apps.

[0080] Specifically, the MEPM manages the lifecycle of MEC apps, their rules and requests, and MEC platform elements through the Mm5 interface. The MEP is responsible for running MEC services, performing service registration, traffic rules control, and Domain Name System (DNS) processing. The MEP performs the AF function in the 5G network, which is implemented by the MEC app. The MEP and MEC app communicate through the MP1 interface to manage the MEC app and run specific services on it. Device apps can access the MEC app on the MEC host over the network. Furthermore, the MEP communicates with the user plane (data plane) in the virtualized infrastructure through the MP2 interface. This data plane can be implemented through the UPF, so the MP2 interface can also be understood as the interface between the MEP and the UPF. It should be noted that the UPF in the MEC host refers to the UPF deployed at the edge.

[0081] In addition, if Figure 3 As shown in the figure, the customer-facing service (CFS) portal connects to the OSS via the Mx1 interface. The device app connects to the user app lifecycle management (LCM) proxy via the Mx2 interface. The user app LCM proxy connects to the OSS and the multi-access edge coordinator via the Mm8 and Mm9 interfaces, respectively. The OSS and the multi-access edge coordinator are connected via the Mm1 interface, and the OSS also connects to the MEPM via the Mm2 interface. The multi-access edge coordinator connects to the MEPM via the Mm3 interface. The multi-access edge coordinator also connects to the virtualization infrastructure via the Mm4 interface. The virtualization infrastructure connects to the MEPM via the Mm4 interface. The virtualization infrastructure in the MEC host connects to the virtualization infrastructure manager via the Mp7 interface. The MEPs of the two MEC hosts communicate with each other via the Mp3 interface. It should be noted that the device APP here refers to the APP installed on the terminal device (or user equipment (UE)), which is uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0082] As can be seen from the description of the MEC standard architecture above, in the embodiments of this application, the MEC app needs to communicate with the virtualized infrastructure in the mobile communication network through the MEC platform. In other words, in the MEC standard architecture, data interaction and management between the mobile communication network and the application are required through specific interfaces and deployment solutions. Obviously, in this solution, the data interaction between the application and the mobile communication network is not flexible enough.

[0083] Figure 4 The figure shows a form of deploying local APP in the existing MEC solution. Figure 4 As shown in Figure 1, the terminal device accesses the user plane processing function of the 5G network through the RAN equipment of the 5G network. On the one hand, the user plane processing function may connect to the content delivery website through the local IP anchor point. On the other hand, the user plane processing function can connect to the Internet through the central IP anchor point. Figure 4 The user plane processing function in can correspond to Figure 1 UPF ULCL or Figure 2 UPF BP in. Figure 4 The local IP anchor in can correspond to Figure 1 or Figure 2 The local anchor point UPF in . Figure 4 The central IP anchor point in can correspond to Figure 1 or Figure 2 The distal anchor point UPF in . Figure 4 The content delivery site in Figure 1 or Figure 2 DN of the local anchor point UPF. Figure 4 The Internet in Figure 1 or Figure 2 The DN of the remote anchor point UPF is connected. In addition, Figure 4 The user plane processing function in can be deployed in Figure 3 In the virtualized infrastructure, Figure 4 The content delivery site in can be deployed on Figure 3 It is understood that the connection between the terminal device and the user plane processing function is a wireless connection, and the connection between the user plane processing function and the content delivery website or the Internet is a wired connection.

[0084] Fourth, 5G virtual network (5GVN):

[0085] In terms of expression, 5GVN can also be called 5G local area network (5GLAN), LAN, LAN-type service, LAN-VN, 5GLAN-type service, 5GLAN-VN, 5GLAN group, or LAN group, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0086] 5GVN is a service currently offered by 5G networks, primarily used for home communications, corporate offices, factory manufacturing, connected vehicles, power grid upgrades, and public security agencies. This service enables private communication (i.e., point-to-point data transmission) between two or more devices in a group, using either Internet Protocol (IP) or non-IP (e.g., Ethernet) protocols. For example, devices in a factory could form a 5GVN group, allowing Ethernet packets to be sent between them. Alternatively, employees in a department within a company could form a 5GVN group, allowing IP packets to be sent between them. If two devices are not in the same 5GVN group, they cannot communicate.

[0087] Figure 5 The figure shows the user plane architecture of the existing 5GVN service. In which, the terminal device establishes a session to the UPF providing the 5GVN service, thereby accessing the UPF providing the 5GVN service. Figure 5 As shown, the UPF providing 5GVN services can communicate with the existing LAN in the data network (DN) through N6, for example, communicating with a personal computer (PC) in the LAN; alternatively, the UPF providing 5GVN services can also associate sessions of different terminal devices through connections between internal UPFs and UPFs to achieve private communication, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment of the present application, the interface between the UPFs providing 5GVN services is referred to as the next generation network (next generation, N) 19 interface (abbreviated as N19). The path between the UPFs providing 5GVN services is referred to as the N19 tunnel, which is uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below. Of course, the interface between the UPFs providing 5GVN services can also be called other names, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0088] For example, the N19 tunnel in the embodiment of the present application can be constructed using the GPRS tunneling protocol-user plane (GTP-U) method. The above construction method can be dynamic or pre-configured in the network, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, when the N19 tunnel is constructed using the GTP-U method, the corresponding N19 tunnel information can be UPF ID, UPF ID + tunnel endpoint identifier (TEID), IP address + TEID, or IP address + port number (port) + TEID, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0089] Figure 6 The following is a diagram of the existing user plane protocol stack based on N19 tunnel forwarding. Taking the communication between terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 belonging to the same 5GVN as an example, before terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 interact with each other, it is necessary to establish session 1 for terminal device 1 and session 2 for terminal device 2. Assuming that the anchor point UPF corresponding to session 1 is UPF1 and the anchor point UPF corresponding to session 2 is UPF2, terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 can subsequently interact with each other through the N19 tunnel between UPF1 and UPF2. Specifically, Figure 6 As shown, the 3GPP network protocol stack between the terminal device and the UPF (such as between terminal device 1 and UPF1 or between terminal device 2 and UPF2) includes a PDU session user plane protocol stack. Above the PDU session user plane protocol stack of terminal device 1 and terminal device 2 is the application (APP) layer. The 3GPP network protocol stack between UPF1 and UPF2 includes a PDU layer, a GTP-U layer, and lower protocol layers, and the lower protocol layers include a user datagram protocol (UDP) layer / IP layer, layer 2 (level 2, L2), and L1. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, for service messages, the UPF does not perceive the APP layer, so as Figure 6 As shown, the APP layer on the UPF side corresponds to the relay, which is explained here uniformly and will not be repeated below.

[0090] It should be noted that the N19 tunnel in the embodiment of the present application is a tunnel between each UPF in the 5GVN, which is uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0091] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Among them, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" refers to two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences. At the same time, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present related concepts in a concrete way for easy understanding.

[0092] In addition, the network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0093] like Figure 7 As shown, a communication system 70 provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. The communication system 70 includes a session management function entity 701 and a first user plane function entity 702. In one possible implementation, the communication system 70 also includes an application instance access module 703. Any two of the session management function entity 701, the first user plane function entity 702, or the application instance access module 703 may communicate directly or through forwarding by other devices, which is not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0094] The session management function entity 701 is configured to receive a first message from the application instance access module 703. The first message includes identification information of the first application instance and is used to request establishment of a first connection for the first application instance. The session management function entity 701 is further configured to, after determining the first user plane function entity 702 serving the first application instance, send a second message to the first user plane function entity 702. The second message includes identification information of the first application instance and is used to request establishment of the first connection for the first application instance. The first user plane function entity 702 is configured to receive the second message from the session management function entity 701 and send a third message to the session management function entity 701. The third message includes an establishment result of the first connection, where the establishment result includes success. The session management function entity 701 is configured to receive the third message from the first user plane function entity 702 and send a fourth message to the application instance access module 703. The fourth message includes a first address allocated by the core network element for the first connection. The specific implementation of the above solution will be described in detail in subsequent method embodiments and is not further described here. In an embodiment of the present application, a session management function entity and a first user plane function entity in a mobile communication network establish a first connection between the first application instance and the mobile communication network. During the process of establishing the first connection, a core network element allocates a first address to the first connection. As can be seen, the address allocation and management corresponding to the first application instance, as well as the data plane forwarding path, are all within the control of the mobile communication network. In other words, this solution allows the first application instance to be connected to the mobile communication network as a special terminal device. Because the first application instance is a specific running instance of a particular application, this solution can enhance the flexibility of data interaction between the application and the mobile communication network. Furthermore, this solution can incorporate applications into mobile communication network planning to enable plug-and-play deployment of applications within the mobile communication system, thereby enabling dynamic orchestration and path optimization for application services. This facilitates a new business deployment and cooperation model between operators and application service providers.

[0095] In the embodiment of the present application, the application instance access module 703 is used to assist the first application instance in accessing the mobile communication network.

[0096] In one possible implementation, Figure 8 As shown, the application instance access module 703 in the embodiment of the present application can be integrated into the first application instance, and the first application instance can run in the application server.

[0097] In another possible implementation, Figure 9 As shown, the application instance access module 703 in the embodiment of the present application can be deployed separately from the first application instance. Figure 9As shown, the application instance access module 703 can be integrated into the APP integration platform (e.g. Figure 3 On the MEP in the application), the first application instance can run in the application server.

[0098] It should be noted that although it is not shown, Figure 8 or Figure 9 The application server shown may also include other application instances. The embodiment of the present application is only illustrative and takes the first application instance on the application server as an example for explanation. Whether the application server runs other application instances is not specifically limited. Figure 9 In the embodiment, there may be multiple application servers interacting with the APP integration platform, and this embodiment of the application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0099] One possible implementation is Figure 7 The communication system 70 shown can be applied to the current 4G network, 5G network or other future networks, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0100] For example, Figure 10 As shown, if Figure 7 The communication system 70 shown is applied to the current 5G network. Figure 7 The network element or entity corresponding to the session management function entity 701 in the communication system 70 shown may be an SMF in the 5G network architecture; Figure 7 The network element or entity corresponding to the first user plane function entity 702 in the communication system 70 shown may be the first anchor point UPF in the 5G network architecture. Figure 7 The network element or entity corresponding to the application instance access module 703 in the communication system 70 shown may be, for example, an application as user equipment function (APP as user equipment function, AUEF). Figure 8 As shown, AUEF can be deployed in the first application instance in the application server; or, as shown Figure 9 As shown, AUEF can be deployed on the APP integration platform. Of course, AUEF may also be deployed in other ways, such as deployed on other existing functions or devices or platforms, or deployed on other newly added functions or devices or platforms, etc., and this embodiment of the application does not specifically limit this.

[0101] In addition, if Figure 10As shown, the current 5G network can also include AMF, NEF, network exposure function repository function (NRF), unified data management (UDM), policy control function (PCF) and other UPFs (such as Figure 10 The second anchor point UPF and I-UPF corresponding to the terminal device in the middle are not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0102] Although not shown, current 5G networks may also include an authentication server function (AUSF) and a network slice selection function (NSSF). For related descriptions, please refer to the 5G system architecture diagram in the 23501 standard and will not be repeated here.

[0103] Among them, Figure 10 As shown, the terminal device accesses the 5G network through the RAN device. The terminal device communicates with the AMF through the N1 interface (referred to as N1). The RAN device communicates with the AMF through the N2 interface (referred to as N2). The RAN device communicates with the I-UPF through the N3 interface (referred to as N3). The I-UPF communicates with the second anchor point UPF through the N9 interface (referred to as N9). The second anchor point UPF communicates with the first anchor point UPF through the N19 interface (referred to as N19). The SMF network element communicates with the I-UPF, the second anchor point UPF and the first anchor point UPF respectively through the N4 interface (referred to as N4). The SMF network element communicates with the AUEF through the Nx interface (referred to as Nx). The first anchor point UPF communicates with the AUEF through the Nd interface (referred to as Nd). In addition, Figure 10 The control plane functions shown, such as AMF, SMF, NEF, NRF, PCF, or UDM, can also interact using service-based interfaces. For example, the service-based interface provided by AMF can be Namf; the service-based interface provided by SMF can be Nsmf; the service-based interface provided by NEF can be Nnef; the service-based interface provided by NRF can be Nnrf; the service-based interface provided by PCF can be Npcf; and the service-based interface provided by UDM can be Nudm. For related descriptions, please refer to the 5G system architecture diagram in the 23501 standard and will not be repeated here.

[0104] In one possible implementation, the terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may be a device for implementing wireless communication functions, such as a terminal or a chip that can be used in a terminal, etc., which can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it can also be deployed on the water surface (such as a ship, etc.); it can also be deployed in the air (such as an airplane, balloon, and satellite, etc.). The terminal can be a UE, access terminal, terminal unit, terminal station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, wireless communication device, terminal agent, or terminal device in a 5G network or a future evolved public land mobile network (PLMN). An access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device or wearable device, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a UAV controller (UAVC), a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality (AR) terminal device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical care, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc. The terminal may be mobile or fixed.

[0105] In one possible implementation, the RAN device in the embodiment of the present application is a device that provides wireless communication functions for terminal devices. Access network equipment includes, for example, but is not limited to: next-generation base stations (gnodeB, gNB) in 5G, evolved node B (eNB), radio network controller (RNC), node B (NB), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), home base station (for example, home evolved nodeB, or home node B, HNB), baseband unit (BBU), transmission point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), mobile switching center, etc.

[0106] A possible implementation method is that the user plane network element, access network equipment, session management network element, policy control network element or application function network element in the embodiment of the present application can also be referred to as a communication device or communication equipment, which can be a general device or a dedicated device. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the relevant functions of the session management function entity, the first user plane function entity, or the application instance access module in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a single device, or can be implemented by multiple devices together, or can be implemented by one or more functional modules within a single device, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. It is understood that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0108] For example, the session management function entity, the first user plane function entity, or the related functions of the application instance access module in the embodiment of the present application can be Figure 11 It is implemented by the communication device 1100 in. Figure 11 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1100 includes one or more processors 1101, a communication line 1102, and at least one communication interface ( Figure 11 The description is merely illustrative, taking a communication interface 1104 and a processor 1101 as an example), and a possible implementation may further include a memory 1103.

[0109] The processor 1101 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application.

[0110] The communication line 1102 may include a path for connecting different components.

[0111] Communication interface 1104 may be a transceiver module for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, RAN, or wireless local area networks (WLAN). For example, the transceiver module may be a device such as a transceiver or a transceiver. In one possible implementation, communication interface 1104 may also be a transceiver circuit located within processor 1101, used to implement signal input and output to the processor.

[0112] The memory 1103 may be a device having a storage function. For example, it may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be connected to the processor via a communication line 1102. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0113] The memory 1103 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 1101. The processor 1101 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1103, thereby implementing the method for application access to the network provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0114] Alternatively, a possible implementation method is that in an embodiment of the present application, the processor 1101 may perform processing-related functions in the method for application access to the network provided in the following embodiment of the present application, and the communication interface 1104 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0115] In one possible implementation, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0116] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 1101 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 11 CPU0 and CPU1 in.

[0117] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 1100 may include multiple processors, such as Figure 11 Processor 1101 and processor 1108 in. Each of these processors can be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. The processor here can include at least one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or an artificial intelligence processor, etc., a computing device that runs software, each of which may include one or more cores for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing.

[0118] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 1100 may further include an output device 1105 and an input device 1106. The output device 1105 communicates with the processor 1101 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 1105 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 1106 communicates with the processor 1101 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 1106 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0119] The communication device 1100 may also be referred to as a communication device, which may be a general-purpose device or a dedicated device. For example, the communication device 1100 may be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, the above terminal device, the above network device, or a Figure 11 The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of the communication device 1100.

[0120] like Figure 12 As shown, a method for application access to a network provided in an embodiment of the present application includes the following steps:

[0121] S1201: An application instance access module determines a session management function entity serving a first application instance.

[0122] In one possible implementation, the application instance access module determines the session management functional entity serving the first application instance, including: the application instance access module obtains information of one or more session management functional entities that support establishing a connection for the application instance from the network storage functional entity; the application instance access module determines the session management functional entity serving the first application instance based on the information of the one or more session management functional entities.

[0123] S1202: The application instance access module sends a first message to the session management function entity. In response, the session management function entity receives the first message from the application instance access module. The first message includes identification information of the first application instance and is used to request establishment of a first connection for the first application instance.

[0124] In the embodiment of the present application, the "first connection" established for the first application instance refers to the connection between the first application instance and the mobile communication network established for the first application instance, which is used to access the first application instance as a special terminal device to the mobile communication network, so that the first application instance can subsequently communicate data with other devices through the first connection. Exemplarily, the first connection here can be a packet data network (PDN) connection in 4G or a PDU session in 5G, and can also be other connections in other networks in the future. They are all explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0125] In an embodiment of the present application, the identification information of the first application instance can uniquely identify the first application instance. The identification information of the first application instance can be, for example, an APP instance permanent identifier (APP instance permanent identifier, AIPI) or an APP instance hidden identifier (APP instance concealed identifier, AICI). They are uniformly described here and will not be repeated below.

[0126] In a possible implementation manner, in an embodiment of the present application, the first message may further include a first parameter and / or application information corresponding to the first application instance.

[0127] Exemplarily, in an embodiment of the present application, the first parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: location information of the first application instance, a session and service continuity (SSC) mode, a data network name (DNN) corresponding to the first connection, or identification information of the network slice where the first connection is located. Exemplarily, in an embodiment of the present application, the identification information of the network slice where the first connection is located may be, for example, single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI) of the network slice where the first connection is located. Exemplarily, in an embodiment of the present application, the location information of the first application instance may be, for example, the home public landmobile network (HPLMN) to which the first application instance is subscribed; or, the location information of the first application instance may be, for example, the area identifier of the tracking area served by the first application instance; or, alternatively, the location information of the first application instance may be, for example, the cell identifier of the cell served by the first application instance, etc.

[0128] Illustratively, in an embodiment of the present application, the application information corresponding to the first application instance includes: application name, application identifier, application domain name information, etc.

[0129] S1203: The session management function entity determines a first user plane function entity serving the first application instance.

[0130] In a possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, the session management function entity may determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance based on the above-mentioned first parameter.

[0131] For example, the session management function entity may determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance based on the location information of the first application instance in the first parameter and the S-NSSAI of the network slice where the first connection is located. Exemplarily, the session management function entity may determine, among the user plane function entities supporting the S-NSSAI of the network slice where the first connection is located, the user plane function entity that is closest to the application server carrying the first application instance as the first user plane function entity.

[0132] In another possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, the session management function entity may also obtain the subscription data of the first application instance from the unified data management function entity. Furthermore, the session management function entity may determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance based on the subscription data of the first application instance.

[0133] Exemplarily, in an embodiment of the present application, the contract data of the first application instance includes: the allowed connection type, the location information of the contracted first application instance, the default quality of service (QoS) parameters, the allowed SSC mode, the contracted DNN or at least one of the identification information of the contracted network slice.

[0134] For example, the session management function entity may determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance based on the location information of the first application instance in the subscription data of the first application instance and the subscribed DNN. Exemplarily, the session management function entity may determine, among the user plane function entities supporting the DNN subscribed to the first application instance, the user plane function entity closest to the application server hosting the first application instance as the first user plane function entity.

[0135] In an embodiment of the present application, the session management function entity obtains the contract data of the first application instance from the unified data management function entity, which may include: the session management function entity sends a fifth message to the unified data management function entity, the fifth message includes identification information of the first application instance, and the fifth message is used to request to obtain the contract data of the first application instance; the session management function entity receives the contract data of the first application instance from the unified data management function entity.

[0136] In another possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, the session management function entity may further obtain the subscription data of the first application instance from the unified data management function entity. Furthermore, the session management function entity may determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance based on the subscription data of the first application instance and the first parameter.

[0137] For example, the session management function entity may determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance based on the location information of the first application instance in the first parameter and the DNN subscribed to by the first application instance in the subscription data of the first application instance. Exemplarily, the session management function entity may determine, among the user plane function entities supporting the DNN subscribed to by the first application instance, the user plane function entity that is closest to the application server hosting the first application instance as the first user plane function entity.

[0138] It should be noted that the above examples are merely exemplary of several ways in which a session management function entity may determine as the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance. Of course, the session management function entity may also determine as the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance in other ways, which are not specifically limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0139] In one possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, the session management function entity may further assign a first address to the first connection. The first address is used for data communication between the terminal device and the first application instance. For example, the terminal device may access the first application instance through the first address.

[0140] Exemplarily, the first address in the embodiment of the present application may include, for example, an IP address (IP address) or an IPv6 prefix (IPv6 Prefix) or a media access control (MAC) address, etc., which are uniformly described here and will not be repeated below.

[0141] S1204: The session management function entity sends a second message to the first user plane function entity. In response, the first user plane function entity receives the second message from the session management function entity. The second message includes identification information of the first application instance and is used to request establishment of a first connection for the first application instance.

[0142] A possible implementation method, in an embodiment of the present application, if the session management function entity assigns a first address to the first connection, the second message may also include the first address. The first address is used for the first user plane function entity to publish a route (route advertisement). In this way, during subsequent data communication, other entities or modules can directly address the first user plane function entity according to the route published by the first user plane function entity. For example, the method for application access to the network provided by an embodiment of the present application may also include: the first user plane function entity receives second data from the second user plane function entity, and sends the second data to the first application instance through the application instance access module. The second user plane function entity is addressed to the second user plane function entity according to the route published by the first user plane function entity. The relevant addressing method can refer to the existing technology and will not be described here.

[0143] In a possible implementation, in the embodiment of the present application, the first address may also be allocated by the first user plane function entity. That is, the first user plane function entity may allocate the first address for the first connection.

[0144] S1205: The first user plane function entity sends a third message to the session management function entity. Accordingly, the session management function entity receives the third message from the first user plane function entity. The third message includes the establishment result of the first connection, where the establishment result includes success or failure.

[0145] In one possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, when the above-mentioned first address is allocated by the first user plane function entity, the third message also includes the first address.

[0146] S1206: When the establishment result is successful, the session management function entity sends a fourth message to the application instance access module. Correspondingly, the application instance access module receives the fourth message from the session management function entity.

[0147] The fourth message includes the first address allocated by the session management function entity to the first connection, or includes the first address allocated by the first user plane function entity to the first connection.

[0148] A possible implementation method, in an embodiment of the present application, after the application instance access module obtains the first address, it can publish a route based on the first address. In this way, during subsequent data communication, other entities or modules can directly address the application instance access module based on the route published by the application instance access module. For example, the method for application access network provided by an embodiment of the present application may also include: the application instance access module receives the second data from the second user plane functional entity, wherein the second user plane functional entity is addressed to the application instance access module based on the route published by the application instance access module. The relevant addressing method can be referred to the existing technology and will not be described here.

[0149] One possible implementation is Figure 12In the method for application access to the network shown, the first message and the second message may further include the first path information allocated by the application instance access module to the first connection. The third message and the fourth message may further include the second path information allocated by the first user plane functional entity to the first connection. The first path information and the second path information are used to establish a first path between the first user plane functional entity and the application instance access module in the first connection, and the first path is used for data transmission between the first user plane functional entity and the application instance access module. For example, after the application instance access module obtains the first data from the first application instance, it sends the first data to the first user plane functional entity through the first path; or, the application instance access module receives the second data from the first user plane functional entity through the first path.

[0150] It should be noted that the "path" in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as a tunnel or other name, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this. For example, the first path information described above can be replaced by first tunnel information, the second path information described above can be replaced by second tunnel information, and so on. The details will not be repeated here.

[0151] Exemplarily, in an embodiment of the present application, the first path between the first user plane functional entity and the application instance access module may, for example, include a GTP-U tunnel, a generic routing encapsulation protocol (GRE) tunnel, or an IP tunnel, etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0152] In the embodiment of the present application, corresponding to different types of paths, the first path information and the second path information may be different.

[0153] Exemplarily, assuming that the first path is a GTP-U tunnel, the first path information may be the address of the application instance access module, and the second path information may be the address of the first user plane functional entity; or, the first path information may be the endpoint identifier of the first path on the application instance access module side and the address of the application instance access module, and the second path information may be the endpoint identifier of the first path on the first user plane functional entity side and the address of the first user plane functional entity; or, the first path information may be the endpoint identifier of the first path on the application instance access module side, the address of the application instance access module and the port number (port), and the second path information may be the endpoint identifier of the first path on the first user plane functional entity side, the address of the first user plane functional entity and the port number (port).

[0154] Exemplarily, assuming that the first path is a GRE tunnel, the first path information may be the address of the application instance access module, and the second path information may be the address of the first user plane functional entity; or, the first path information may be the endpoint identifier of the first path on the application instance access module side and the address of the application instance access module, and the second path information may be the endpoint identifier of the first path on the first user plane functional entity side and the address of the first user plane functional entity; or, the first path information may be the endpoint identifier of the first path on the application instance access module side, the address of the application instance access module and the key, and the second path information may be the endpoint identifier of the first path on the first user plane functional entity side, the address of the first user plane functional entity and the key.

[0155] Exemplarily, assuming that the first path is an IP tunnel, the first path information may be the address of the application instance access module, and the second path information may be the address of the first user plane functional entity; or, the first path information may be the address and port number (port) of the application instance access module, and the second path information may be the address and port number (port) of the first user plane functional entity.

[0156] Among them, the endpoint identifier in the embodiment of the present application can be, for example, a fully qualified tunnel endpoint identifier (FTEID), which is uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0157] One possible implementation is Figure 12 In the method of application access network shown, the session management function entity can also build a virtual local area network including the first user plane function entity based on at least one of the above-mentioned first parameter, application information corresponding to the first application instance, or subscription data of the first application instance.

[0158] For example, when the first application instance goes online, the application information corresponding to the first application instance will be registered, and the terminal device can subscribe to and sign up for the service corresponding to the first application instance. The session management function entity can, based on the application information corresponding to the first application instance, build a virtual local area network with the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance and the user plane function entity serving the terminal device that has subscribed to or signed up for the service corresponding to the first application instance; or, the session management function entity can, based on the application information corresponding to the first application instance and the S-NSSAI of the network slice where the first connection in the first parameter is located, build a virtual local area network with the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance and the user plane function entity serving the terminal device that has subscribed to or signed up for the service corresponding to the first application instance. A virtual local area network is constructed together with the user plane functional entity that supports the S-NSSAI of the network slice where the first connection is located in the user plane functional entity that serves the terminal device that subscribes to or signs a contract for the service corresponding to the first application instance; or, the session management functional entity may construct a virtual local area network together with the first user plane functional entity that serves the first application instance and the user plane functional entity that supports the DNN signed by the first application instance in the user plane functional entity that serves the terminal device that subscribes to or signs a contract for the service corresponding to the first application instance based on the application information corresponding to the first application instance and the DNN signed by the first application instance in the signing data of the first application instance.

[0159] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the method of constructing a virtual network is similar to the existing method of constructing 5GVN. The difference is, for example, that: in the embodiment of the present application, when constructing a virtual local area network, the first application instance can be regarded as a special type of terminal device to construct a virtual local area network together with other ordinary terminal devices. In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, if a virtual local area network can be constructed for the first application instance and the terminal device, then in the process of establishing a first connection for the first application instance, and in the process of establishing a second connection for the terminal device, the same virtual local area network address needs to be assigned to the first connection and the second connection. For example, assuming that the first application instance is deployed in a certain area, the goal is to provide services to terminal devices in the area that have signed contracts for corresponding services. Then, in the process of establishing a first connection for the first application instance, and in the process of establishing a second connection for the terminal device, the same virtual local area network address needs to be assigned to the first connection and the second connection.

[0160] In one possible implementation, the method for application network access provided in an embodiment of the present application may further include: a session management function entity registering with a network storage function entity its support for establishing a connection for an application instance. Based on this solution, when subsequently selecting a session management function entity, the session management function entity supporting establishing a connection for the application instance may be obtained from the network storage function entity.

[0161] In one possible implementation, the method for application network access provided in an embodiment of the present application may further include: a first user plane functional entity registering with a network storage functional entity a function that the first user plane functional entity supports for establishing a connection for an application instance. Based on this solution, when subsequently selecting a user plane functional entity, the user plane functional entity that supports establishing a connection for the application instance may be obtained from the network storage functional entity.

[0162] In one possible implementation, before the application instance access module determines the session management function entity serving the first application instance (step S1201), the method for application access to a network provided by an embodiment of the present application may further include: the application instance access module receiving a sixth message from the first application instance, the sixth message including application information corresponding to the first application instance and requesting registration; and after the application instance access module receives the fourth message from the session management function entity (step S1206), the method for application access to a network provided by an embodiment of the present application may further include: the application instance access module sending the first address to the first application instance. This solution is applicable to scenarios where the application instance access module is deployed separately from the first application instance.

[0163] It can be understood that the embodiment of the present application is illustrated by taking the establishment of the first connection for the first application instance as an example. The first application instance is not limited to only one connection. One or more connections can be established for the first application instance. Each connection has a corresponding path and path information. They are uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

[0164] In an embodiment of the present application, a session management function entity and a first user plane function entity in a mobile communication network establish a first connection between the first application instance and the mobile communication network. During the process of establishing the first connection, a core network element allocates a first address to the first connection. As can be seen, the address allocation and management corresponding to the first application instance, as well as the data plane forwarding path, are all within the control of the mobile communication network. In other words, this solution allows the first application instance to be connected to the mobile communication network as a special terminal device. Because the first application instance is a specific running instance of a particular application, this solution can enhance the flexibility of data interaction between the application and the mobile communication network. Furthermore, this solution can incorporate applications into mobile communication network planning to enable plug-and-play deployment of applications within the mobile communication system, thereby enabling dynamic orchestration and path optimization for application services. This facilitates a new business deployment and cooperation model between operators and application service providers.

[0165] The actions of the session management function entity, the application instance access module or the first user plane function entity in the above steps S1201 to S1206 can be performed by Figure 11The processor 1101 in the communication device 1100 shown calls the application code stored in the memory 1103 to instruct the session management function entity, the application instance access module or the first user plane function entity to execute, and this embodiment does not impose any limitation on this.

[0166] The following will describe in detail the method for application access to a network provided by the embodiment of the present application with reference to specific examples.

[0167] It should be noted that the message names between entities or modules or the names of parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of the present application are only examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0168] First, Figure 7 The communication system shown is applied to Figure 10 As an example, the 5G network shown in Figure 12 Based on the embodiment shown, Figure 13 The figure shows a method for application access to the network provided by an embodiment of the present application. In the method for application access to the network, the first APP instance in the application server provides AUEF (that is, AUEF can be regarded as a functional module in the first APP instance), and SMF / UPF supports the first APP instance to be directly connected to the 5G network as a special terminal device, and supports the session established for the first APP instance (for the convenience of explanation, the session established for the first APP instance will be referred to as the session of the first APP instance below) to allocate addresses, establish paths and other functions. Exemplarily, a possible implementation method of the method for application access to the network includes the following steps S1300-S1302:

[0169] S1300. SMF registers with NRF whether SMF supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance.

[0170] For example, in an embodiment of the present application, the SMF may register with the NRF whether it supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance through the Nnrf_network function (NF) management (Management)_NF registration (Register) or Nnrf_NFManagement_NF update (Update) service operation. The input parameters of the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister or Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate service operation include at least an indication of whether the SMF supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance. Of course, the input parameters of the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister or Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate service operation may also include other parameters. For details, please refer to the existing 3GPP standards and will not be described in detail here.

[0171] A possible implementation method, in an embodiment of the present application, the SMF that supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance may also be referred to as an APP Session Management Function (ASMF). When ASMF registers with NRF that it supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance, it is necessary to extend a new information element (IE) to support the description of the function. For example, ASMF may register with NRF through the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister or Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate service operation that it supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance. The input parameters of the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister or Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate service operation include at least indication information that ASMF supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0172] S1301. The first anchor UPF registers with the NRF whether the first anchor UPF supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance.

[0173] For example, in an embodiment of the present application, the first anchor UPF may register with the NRF via the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister or Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate service operation whether it supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance. The input parameters of the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister or Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate service operation include at least information indicating whether the first anchor UPF supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance. Of course, the input parameters of the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister or Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate service operation may also include other parameters. For details, please refer to the existing 3GPP standards and will not be detailed here.

[0174] A possible implementation method, in an embodiment of the present application, the first anchor point UPF that supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance may also be referred to as the first anchor point APP user plane function (AUPF). When the first anchor point AUPF registers with the NRF that it supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance, it is necessary to extend a new IE to support the description of this function. For example, the first anchor point AUPF may register with the NRF through the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister or Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate service operation that it supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance. The input parameters of the Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister or Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate service operation include at least indication information that the first anchor point AUPF supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance, and this embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0175] S1302. The application server where the first APP instance is located obtains information of one or more SMFs that support establishing a PDU session for the APP instance from the NRF.

[0176] In the embodiment of the present application, the information of the SMF includes identification information of the SMF. Exemplarily, in the embodiment of the present application, the identification information of the SMF may be, for example, the IP address of the SMF or the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the SMF, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0177] A possible implementation method is that in the embodiment of the present application, the SMF information may also include attribute information of the SMF, such as load information, etc., which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0178] In one possible implementation, the application server where the first APP instance is located can query the NRF for information about the SMF that supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance through the Nnrf_NF Discovery_Request service operation. At this time, the input parameters of the Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request service operation include the functional requirements for supporting the establishment of a PDU session for the APP instance, and the output parameters of the Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request service operation include information about one or more SMFs that support the establishment of a PDU session for the APP instance.

[0179] In another possible implementation, the application server where the first APP instance is located can subscribe to the information of the SMF that supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance from the NRF through the Nnrf_NFManagement_NF Status Subscribe service operation. At this time, the input parameters of the Nnrf_NFManagement_StatusSubscribe service operation include the functional requirements for supporting the establishment of a PDU session for the APP instance. Furthermore, the NRF can return information about one or more SMFs that support establishing a PDU session for the APP instance to the APP instance through the Nnrf_NFManagement_StatusNotify service operation.

[0180] Of course, in an embodiment of the present application, if the application server where the first APP instance is located cannot obtain information about one or more SMFs that support establishing a PDU session for the APP instance from the NRF, the application server where the first APP instance is located may also be configured with an SMF that supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance, such as the application server that can determine a certain SMF as the SMF that supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance. This embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. Alternatively, in an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned step S1302 may not be performed, but the application server where the first APP instance is located may directly configure an SMF that supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance, such as the application server where the first APP instance is located may determine a certain SMF as the SMF that supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance. This embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0181] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present application, the application server where the first APP instance is located may initiate a session establishment process, including the following step S1303:

[0182] S1303. The application server where the first APP instance resides sends an Nsmf_PDU session creation (PDU session create) request to the selected SMF that supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance. Accordingly, the SMF receives the Nsmf_PDU session creation request from the application server. The Nsmf_PDU session creation request includes identification information of the first APP instance and is used to request establishment of a PDU session for the first APP instance.

[0183] The description of the identification information of the first APP instance can be found in Figure 12 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0184] It should be noted that the Nsmf_PDU session creation request in the embodiment of the present application is only Figure 12 An example of the first message in the embodiment; the first message may also be other, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0185] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is exemplified by taking the SMF in step S1300 as the SMF selected to support establishing a PDU session for the APP instance as an example. This is explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0186] A possible implementation method is that in an embodiment of the present application, when the NRF returns information about multiple SMFs that support establishing PDU sessions for APP instances to the application server, the application server can determine the SMF that serves the first APP instance based on the attribute information of the SMF (such as load information), or it can randomly select the SMF that serves the first APP instance. This embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0187] In one possible implementation, the Nsmf_PDU session creation request in the embodiment of the present application may further include application information corresponding to the first APP instance, where the application information may uniquely identify an APP. For example, the application information may include an APP name, APP ID, or APP domain name information, which are all described here and are not further described below.

[0188] In a possible implementation, the Nsmf_PDU session creation request in the embodiment of the present application may further include first path information, which is used to establish a path between the first anchor UPF and the AUEF, and the first anchor UPF is the anchor UPF serving the first APP instance. Figure 12 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0189] In a possible implementation, the Nsmf_PDU session creation request in the embodiment of the present application may further include a first parameter. For a description of the first parameter, refer to Figure 12 The embodiments described above will not be described in detail here.

[0190] In one possible implementation, the method for application access to a network provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps S1304-S1305:

[0191] S1304: The SMF sends a subscriber data management (SDM) Get Request to the UDM. Accordingly, the UDM receives the SDM Get Request from the SMF. The SDM Get Request includes the identification information of the first APP instance and is used to request the subscription data of the first APP instance.

[0192] It should be noted that the SDM_Get request of the SMF in the embodiment of the present application is only Figure 12 An example of the fifth message in the embodiment; the fifth message may also be other, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0193] A possible implementation method, in an embodiment of the present application, when the Nsmf_PDU session creation request includes application information corresponding to the first APP instance, the SDM_acquisition request may also include application information corresponding to the first APP instance, and the application information corresponding to the first APP instance is used to include the first anchor point UPF to build a virtual local area network, and the first anchor point UPF is the anchor point UPF serving the first APP instance.

[0194] A possible implementation method is that in an embodiment of the present application, when the Nsmf_PDU session creation request includes a first parameter, the SDM_acquisition request may also include a first parameter, and the first parameter is used to construct a virtual local area network including a first anchor point UPF.

[0195] S1305: UDM sends an SDM_Get Response to SMF. Correspondingly, SMF receives the SDM_Get Response from UDM. The SDM_Get Response includes the subscription data of the first APP instance.

[0196] Among them, the description of the contract data of the first APP instance can be referred to Figure 12 The embodiments described above will not be described in detail here.

[0197] In an embodiment of the present application, the default QoS parameters in the contract data of the first APP instance may include, for example, a 5G QoS identifier (5G QoS identifier, 5QI) or an allocation and retention priority (ARP), etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0198] Furthermore, the method for application accessing a network provided in the embodiment of the present application may further include the following steps S1306-S1309:

[0199] S1306. SMF determines the anchor UPF serving the first APP instance.

[0200] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is exemplified by taking the first anchor point UPF in step S1301 as the anchor point UPF selected to serve the first APP instance as an example. This is explained uniformly here and will not be repeated below.

[0201] In one possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, the SMF may query the NRF for information about the UPF that supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance. Specifically, the SMF sends a query request to the NRF, which includes the location information of the first APP instance obtained in step S1303 or the location information of the first APP instance obtained in step S1305. Furthermore, the NRF sends information about one or more UPFs that support establishing a PDU session for the APP instance to the SMF.

[0202] In the embodiment of the present application, the UPF information includes the identification information of the UPF. For example, in the embodiment of the present application, the identification information of the UPF may be, for example, the IP address of the UPF, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0203] A possible implementation method is that in the embodiment of the present application, the UPF information may also include the location information of the UPF or the attribute information of the UPF (such as load information), etc., and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0204] A possible implementation method, in an embodiment of the present application, when NRF returns information of multiple UPFs that support establishing PDU sessions for APP instances to SMF, SMF can determine the anchor UPF serving the first APP instance based on the UPF's location information, UPF's attribute information, the location information of the first APP instance obtained through step S1303 and / or step S1305, SSC mode, DNN, and at least one of the identification information of the network slice. For details, please refer to the existing SMF method of selecting the UPF to serve the terminal device, which will not be repeated here.

[0205] Of course, in an embodiment of the present application, if the SMF cannot obtain information about one or more UPFs that support establishing a PDU session for an APP instance from the NRF, the SMF may also configure a UPF that supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance. For example, the SMF may determine a certain UPF as a UPF that supports establishing a PDU session for an APP instance. This embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0206] S1307. The SMF sends an N4 session establishment request to the selected first anchor UPF. Accordingly, the first anchor UPF receives the N4 session establishment request from the SMF. The N4 session establishment request includes the identification information of the first APP instance and is used to request the establishment of a PDU session for the first APP instance.

[0207] It should be noted that the N4 session establishment request in the embodiment of the present application is only Figure 12 An example of the second message in the embodiment; the second message may also be other, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0208] In one possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, when the Nsmf_PDU session creation request in step S1303 includes the first path information, the N4 session establishment request also includes the first path information.

[0209] A possible implementation method is that in an embodiment of the present application, when the contract data of the first APP instance includes default QoS parameters, the N4 session establishment request may also include QoS policy information determined based on the QoS parameters. The QoS policy information is used when the first anchor point UPF subsequently sends data. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0210] S1308. The first anchor UPF sends an N4 session establishment response to the SMF. Accordingly, the SMF receives the N4 session establishment response from the first anchor UPF. The N4 session establishment response includes a session establishment result, which can be, for example, success or failure.

[0211] It should be noted that the N4 session establishment response in the embodiment of the present application is only Figure 12 An example of the third message in the embodiment; the third message may also be other, and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0212] In one possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, the first anchor point UPF may allocate second path information, which is used to establish a path between the first anchor point UPF and the AUEF. Furthermore, the N4 session establishment response may include the second path information. For a description of the second path information, please refer to Figure 12 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0213] A possible implementation method is that the first anchor point UPF in the embodiment of the present application can also support the routing policy release and forwarding path selection functions of the first APP instance in the 5G network, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0214] In addition, in the embodiment of the present application, the SMF or the first anchor UPF can also allocate a first address for the session of the first APP instance. Figure 12 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0215] S1309. After the SMF determines that the session is successfully established, the SMF sends an Nsmf_PDU session creation (PDU session create) response to the application server where the first APP instance is located. Accordingly, the application server where the first APP instance is located receives the Nsmf_PDU session creation response from the SMF. The Nsmf_PDU session creation response includes the session identifier assigned by the SMF to the first APP instance and the first address assigned by the SMF or the first anchor UPF to the session of the first APP instance.

[0216] It should be noted that the Nsmf_PDU session creation response in the embodiment of the present application is only Figure 12 An example of the fourth message in the embodiment; the fourth message may also be other, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

[0217] In one possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, if the N4 session establishment response in step S1308 includes the second path information, the Nsmf_PDU session creation response may also include the second path information.

[0218] A possible implementation method is that in an embodiment of the present application, when the first APP instance obtains the second path information and the first anchor point UPF obtains the first path information, it can be considered that the path between the first anchor point UPF and the AUEF in the first APP instance is established.

[0219] A possible implementation method is that in an embodiment of the present application, the application server where the first APP instance is located can also publish a route based on the first address assigned to the session of the first APP instance by the SMF or the first anchor point UPF. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0220] The above steps S1303-S1309 illustrate the session establishment process of the first APP instance in the 5G network. Of course, when the state of the first APP instance changes, the session update process of the first APP instance in the 5G network can also be completed by extending the Nsmf_PDU session_update (Update) service or a new service type; or, when the first APP instance goes offline, the session release process of the first APP instance in the 5G network can also be completed by extending the Nsmf_PDU session_release (Release) service or a new service type. This embodiment of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0221] S1310: The terminal device initiates a session establishment process. For related implementation, reference may be made to the prior art and will not be repeated herein. In the embodiment of the present application, the anchor point UPF serving the terminal device is taken as the second anchor point UPF for illustration.

[0222] A possible implementation method, in an embodiment of the present application, in the process of establishing a session between the first APP instance and the terminal device, since the first APP instance can be regarded as a special terminal device, the UDM can add the function of building a virtual local area network based on the attributes of the first APP instance or the terminal device. For example, the UDM can dynamically build a virtual local area network based on at least one of the above-mentioned first parameter, the application information corresponding to the first APP instance, or the contract data of the first APP instance; or, the UDM can build a virtual local area network based on the virtual network identifier preset in the contract data of the first APP instance and the terminal device in the UDM. For specific construction methods of virtual local area networks, please refer to Figure 12 The embodiments shown will not be described in detail here. It should be noted that the above-mentioned method of constructing a virtual local area network by the UDM based on the attributes of the first APP instance or the terminal device is only one possible implementation method. In the embodiment of the present application, in the process of establishing a session for the first APP instance and the terminal device, other network functions or network entities can also implement the selection of a virtual local area network based on relevant attributes. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0223] Among them, in an embodiment of the present application, if a virtual local area network can be constructed for the first APP instance and the terminal device, the SMF can add the address and N19 tunnel information allocated by the 5G network for the session between the terminal device and the first APP instance belonging to the same virtual local area network to the forwarding policy set of the same virtual local area network, and send it to the UPF corresponding to all terminal devices and the first APP instance under the virtual local area network to implement routing query and forwarding processing at the virtual local area network level. This embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this. The relevant description of the N19 tunnel information can be referred to the preamble of the specific implementation method and will not be repeated here.

[0224] Furthermore, after completing the process of establishing a session for the terminal device and the process of establishing a session for the first APP instance, a self-organizing network that can implement plug-and-play application services can be formed between the terminal device and the APP instance, thereby enabling data exchange between the terminal device and the application server where the first APP instance is located. The following examples illustrate the case where the terminal device sends second data to the application server where the first APP instance is located, and the case where the application server where the first APP instance is located sends first data to the terminal device.

[0225] In particular, taking the example of building a virtual local area network for the first APP instance and the terminal device, and the terminal device sending the second data to the application server where the first APP instance is located, the method for the application to access the network includes the following steps:

[0226] S1311: The terminal device sends second data to the second anchor UPF. Accordingly, the second anchor UPF receives the second data from the terminal device. The second data includes a source address and a destination address. The source address is the second address assigned by the core network to the terminal device during the process of establishing a session for the terminal device, and the destination address is the first address assigned by the core network to the first APP instance during the process of establishing a session for the first APP instance.

[0227] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, the terminal device can send the second data to the second anchor point UPF through the I-UPF, or can send the second data directly to the second anchor point UPF. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0228] S1312. The second anchor point UPF determines the first anchor point UPF serving the first APP instance according to the destination address.

[0229] In this embodiment of the present application, the second anchor UPF can query whether the destination address falls within the address range allocated by the virtual local area network where the terminal device is located. When the destination address falls within the address range allocated by the virtual local area network where the terminal device is located, the second anchor UPF can further determine the first anchor UPF serving the first APP instance based on the destination address.

[0230] S1313: The second anchor UPF sends the second data to the first anchor UPF through the N19 tunnel between the first anchor UPF and the second anchor UPF. Correspondingly, the first anchor UPF receives the second data from the second anchor UPF.

[0231] Among them, in an embodiment of the present application, when the second anchor point UPF sends the second data to the first anchor point UPF through the N19 tunnel between the first anchor point UPF and the second anchor point UPF, the corresponding N19 tunnel information can be used to encapsulate the second data. For details, please refer to the existing N19 tunnel data transmission method, which will not be repeated here.

[0232] S1314: The first anchor UPF sends the second data to the application server where the first APP instance is located. Correspondingly, the application server where the first APP instance is located receives the second data from the first anchor UPF.

[0233] Among them, in an embodiment of the present application, when the first anchor point UPF sends the second data to the application server where the first APP instance integrated with AUEF is located through the path between the first anchor point UPF and AUEF, the second data can be encapsulated using the above-mentioned first path information and second path information. For details, please refer to the existing data transmission method, which will not be repeated here.

[0234] If it is necessary to explain, the above steps S1311-S1314 are explained by taking the construction of a virtual local area network for the first APP instance and the terminal device as an example. A possible implementation method, in the embodiment of the present application, the second data may also be transmitted without passing through the N19 tunnel between the first anchor UPF and the second anchor UPF. For example, when in the process of establishing a session for the first APP instance, the application server where the first APP instance is located publishes a route based on the first address assigned to the session of the first APP instance by the SMF or the first anchor UPF. In the embodiment of the present application, after the second anchor UPF receives the second data, it can directly address the application server according to the existing routing method based on the first address published by the application server where the first APP instance is located, and then the second anchor UPF can forward the second data to the application server. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. Or, for example, in an embodiment of the present application, when in the process of establishing a session for the first APP instance, the first anchor point UPF supports the publication of a routing policy for the first APP instance within the 5G network. Then, in an embodiment of the present application, after the second anchor point UPF receives the second data, it can directly address the first anchor point UPF according to the existing routing method based on the routing policy published by the first anchor point UPF, and then the second anchor point UPF sends the second data to the first anchor point UPF. After receiving the second data, the first anchor point UPF sends the second data to the application server where the first APP instance is located. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0235] In particular, taking the example of building a virtual local area network for a first APP instance and a terminal device, and the application server where the first APP instance is located sending first data to the terminal device, the method for accessing the network by the application includes the following steps:

[0236] S1315: The application server where the first APP instance resides sends first data to the first anchor UPF. Accordingly, the first anchor UPF receives the first data from the application server where the first APP instance resides. The first data includes a source address and a destination address. The source address is the first address assigned by the core network to the session of the first APP instance during the process of establishing a session for the first APP instance, and the destination address is the second address assigned by the core network to the session of the terminal device during the process of establishing a session for the terminal device.

[0237] Among them, in an embodiment of the present application, when the application server where the first APP instance integrated with AUEF is located sends the first data to the first anchor point UPF through the path between the first anchor point UPF and AUEF, the first data can be encapsulated using the above-mentioned first path information and the second path information. For details, please refer to the existing data transmission method, which will not be repeated here.

[0238] S1316. The first anchor point UPF determines the second anchor point UPF serving the terminal device according to the destination address.

[0239] In this embodiment of the present application, the first anchor UPF may query whether the destination address falls within the address range allocated by the virtual local area network where the first APP instance is located. When the destination address falls within the address range allocated by the virtual local area network where the first APP instance is located, the first anchor UPF may further determine the second anchor UPF serving the terminal device based on the destination address.

[0240] S1317: The first anchor UPF sends the first data to the second anchor UPF through the N19 tunnel between the first anchor UPF and the second anchor UPF. Correspondingly, the second anchor UPF receives the first data from the first anchor UPF.

[0241] Among them, in an embodiment of the present application, when the first anchor point UPF sends the first data to the second anchor point UPF through the N19 tunnel between the first anchor point UPF and the second anchor point UPF, the first data can be encapsulated using the corresponding N19 tunnel information. For details, please refer to the existing N19 tunnel data transmission method, which will not be repeated here.

[0242] S1318: The second anchor point UPF sends the first data to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the first data from the second anchor point UPF.

[0243] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the second anchor point UPF may send the first data to the terminal device through the I-UPF, or may send the first data directly to the terminal device, and the embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0244] It should be noted that the above steps S1315-S1318 are explained by taking the example of building a virtual local area network for the first APP instance and the terminal device. A possible implementation method, in the embodiment of the present application, the first data may also be transmitted without passing through the N19 tunnel between the first anchor point UPF and the second anchor point UPF. For example, when in the process of establishing a session for the terminal device, the second anchor point UPF publishes a route based on the second address assigned by the SMF or the second anchor point UPF to the session of the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the application server where the first APP instance is located can directly address the second anchor point UPF according to the existing routing method based on the second address published by the second anchor point UPF, and then the second anchor point UPF can forward the first data to the terminal device. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0245] In an embodiment of the present application, the SMF and the first anchor point UPF in the mobile communication network establish a session for the first APP instance, and in the process of establishing the session, a first address is allocated to the session of the first APP instance. It can be seen that the address allocation and management corresponding to the first application instance and the forwarding path of the data plane are all within the control range of the mobile communication network. In other words, this solution can connect the first APP instance to the 5G network as a special terminal device. Since the first APP instance is a specific running instance of an application, based on this solution, the flexibility of data interaction between the application and the mobile communication network can be improved. Furthermore, based on this solution, the application can be incorporated into the mobile communication network planning to achieve plug-and-play of the application in the mobile communication system, thereby realizing dynamic orchestration and path optimization of application services. This is conducive to realizing a new business deployment and cooperation model between operators and application service providers.

[0246] The actions of the SMF, application server or first anchor UPF in the above steps S1300 to S1318 can be performed by Figure 11 The processor 1101 in the communication device 1100 shown calls the application code stored in the memory 1103 to instruct the SMF, application server or first anchor point UPF to execute, and this embodiment does not impose any limitation on this.

[0247] Secondly, Figure 7 The communication system shown is applied to Figure 10 As an example, the 5G network shown in Figure 12 Based on the embodiment shown, Figure 14 Another method for application access to a network provided by an embodiment of the present application is shown. In the method for application access to a network, Figure 13 In the basic process of the embodiment shown, in order to avoid a large amount of adaptation work of independently developing AUEF for the first APP instance, AUEF can be deployed separately from the first APP instance (such as Figure 6For example, a unified AUEF provided by the APP integration platform is used as an example. At the same time, combined with the original online and offline process of the first APP instance, when the first APP instance goes online or offline, the SMF / UPF supports the first APP instance as a special terminal device to be directly connected to the 5G network through AUEF, and supports the session established for the first APP instance (for the convenience of explanation, the session established for the first APP instance will be referred to as the session of the first APP instance below) to allocate addresses, establish paths and other functions. Exemplarily, a possible implementation method of the method for applying network access includes the following steps S1400-S1402:

[0248] S1400. SMF registers with NRF whether SMF supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance.

[0249] The specific implementation of step S1400 can refer to Figure 13 Step S1300 in the illustrated embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0250] S1401. The first anchor point UPF registers with the NRF whether the first anchor point UPF supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance.

[0251] The specific implementation of step S1401 can refer to Figure 13 Step S1301 in the illustrated embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0252] S1402. The APP integration platform where the AUEF is located obtains information about one or more SMFs that support establishing a PDU session for the APP instance from the NRF.

[0253] In step S1402, the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located obtains information about one or more SMFs that support establishing a PDU session for the APP instance from the NRF. Figure 13 In the embodiment shown, the application server where the first APP instance is located in step S1302 obtains information about one or more SMFs that support establishing a PDU session for the APP instance from the NRF. The difference is, for example, that the application server where the first APP instance is located in step S1302 is replaced by the APP integration platform where the AUEF in step S1402 is located, which will not be repeated here.

[0254] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present application, the application server where the first APP instance is located may initiate a session establishment process, including the following steps S1403-S1404:

[0255] S1403. When the first APP instance is online on the APP integration platform, the application server where the first APP instance is located sends an APP registration request (APP register request) to the APP integration platform where AUEF is located. Correspondingly, the APP integration platform where AUEF is located receives the APP registration request from the application server where the first APP instance is located. The APP registration request includes application information corresponding to the first APP instance. Among them, the relevant description of application information can be referred to Figure 13 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0256] S1404. After the AUEF of the APP integration platform assigns the identification information of the first APP instance to the first APP instance, it sends an Nsmf_PDU session creation (PDU session create) request to the selected SMF that supports establishing a PDU session for the APP instance. Correspondingly, the SMF receives the Nsmf_PDU session creation request from the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located. The Nsmf_PDU session creation request includes the identification information of the first APP instance and is used to request the establishment of a PDU session for the first APP instance.

[0257] The description of the identification information of the first APP instance can be found in Figure 12 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0258] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application is exemplified by taking the SMF in step S1400 as the SMF selected to support establishing a PDU session for the APP instance as an example, which is explained here uniformly and will not be repeated below.

[0259] A possible implementation method, in an embodiment of the present application, when the NRF returns information about multiple SMFs that support establishing PDU sessions for APP instances to the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located, the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located can determine the SMF that serves the first APP instance based on the attribute information of the SMF (such as load information), or it can randomly select the SMF that serves the first APP instance. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0260] In a possible implementation, the Nsmf_PDU session creation request in the embodiment of the present application may also include application information corresponding to the first APP instance. Figure 13 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0261] In a possible implementation, the Nsmf_PDU session creation request in the embodiment of the present application may further include first path information, which is used to establish a path between the first anchor UPF and the AUEF, and the first anchor UPF is the anchor UPF serving the first APP instance. Figure 12 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0262] In a possible implementation, the Nsmf_PDU session creation request in the embodiment of the present application may further include a first parameter. For a description of the first parameter, refer to Figure 12 The embodiments described above will not be described in detail here.

[0263] S1405-S1409, same Figure 5 Steps S1304-S1309 in the illustrated embodiment are not described in detail here.

[0264] S1410. After the SMF determines that the session is successfully established, the SMF sends an Nsmf_PDU session creation (PDU session create) response to the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located. Accordingly, the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located receives the Nsmf_PDU session creation response from the SMF. The Nsmf_PDU session creation response includes the session identifier assigned by the SMF to the first APP instance and the first address assigned by the SMF or the first anchor UPF to the session of the first APP instance.

[0265] In one possible implementation, in an embodiment of the present application, if the N4 session establishment response in step S1409 includes the second path information, the Nsmf_PDU session creation response may also include the second path information.

[0266] A possible implementation method is that in an embodiment of the present application, when the APP integration platform obtains the second path information and the first anchor point UPF obtains the first path information, it can be considered that the path between the first anchor point UPF and the AUEF in the APP integration platform is established.

[0267] S1411. The APP integration platform where the AUEF is located sends an APP registration response to the application server where the first APP instance is located. Correspondingly, the application server where the first APP instance is located receives the APP registration response from the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located. The APP registration response includes the session identifier assigned by the SMF to the first APP instance and the first address assigned by the SMF or the first anchor UPF to the session of the first APP instance.

[0268] A possible implementation method is that in an embodiment of the present application, the application server where the first APP instance is located can also publish a route based on the first address assigned to the session of the APP instance by the SMF or the first anchor point UPF. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0269] The above steps S1403-S1411 give the process of establishing a session when the first APP instance goes online on the APP integration platform and in the 5G network. Of course, when the state of the first APP instance changes, the application server where the first APP instance is located can send an APP registration update to the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located, and then the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located can complete the session update process of the first APP instance in the 5G network by extending the Nsmf_PDU session_update (Update) service or a new service type; or, when the first APP instance goes offline, the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located can complete the session release process of the first APP instance in the 5G network by extending the Nsmf_PDU session_release (Release) service or a new service type. The embodiments of this application will not be repeated here.

[0270] S1412: The terminal device initiates a session establishment process. For related implementation, reference may be made to the prior art and will not be repeated herein. In the embodiment of the present application, the anchor point UPF serving the terminal device is taken as the second anchor point UPF for illustration.

[0271] A possible implementation method, in the embodiment of the present application, in the process of establishing a session between the first APP instance and the terminal device, since the first APP can be regarded as a special terminal device, the UDM can add the function of building a virtual local area network based on the attributes of the first APP instance or the terminal device. Figure 13 The embodiments shown are not described in detail here.

[0272] Furthermore, after completing the process of establishing a session for the terminal device and the process of establishing a session for the first APP instance, a self-organizing network that can implement plug-and-play application services can be formed between the terminal device and the first APP instance, thereby enabling data exchange between the terminal device and the application server where the first APP instance is located. The following examples illustrate the case where the terminal device sends second data to the application server where the first APP instance is located, and the case where the application server where the first APP instance is located sends first data to the terminal device.

[0273] In particular, taking the example of building a virtual local area network for the first APP instance and the terminal device, and the terminal device sending the second data to the application server where the first APP instance is located, the method for the application to access the network includes the following steps:

[0274] S1413-S1415, same Figure 13 Steps S1311 - S1313 in the illustrated embodiment are not described in detail here.

[0275] S1416: The first anchor point UPF sends the second data to the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located through the path between the first anchor point UPF and the AUEF. Correspondingly, the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located receives the second data from the first anchor point UPF.

[0276] Among them, in an embodiment of the present application, when the first anchor point UPF sends the second data to the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located through the path between the first anchor point UPF and the AUEF, the second data can be encapsulated using the above-mentioned first path information and the second path information. For details, please refer to the existing data transmission method, which will not be repeated here.

[0277] S1417: The APP integration platform where the AUEF is located sends the second data to the application server where the first APP instance is located. Correspondingly, the application server where the first APP instance is located receives the second data from the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located.

[0278] It should be noted that the above steps S1413-S1417 are explained by taking the example of building a virtual local area network for the first APP instance and the terminal device. A possible implementation method, in the embodiment of the present application, the second data may also be transmitted without passing through the N19 tunnel between the first anchor UPF and the second anchor UPF. For example, when in the process of establishing a session for the first APP instance, the application server where the first APP instance is located publishes a route based on the first address assigned to the session of the first APP instance by the SMF or the first anchor UPF. In the embodiment of the present application, after the second anchor UPF receives the second data, it can directly address the application server according to the existing routing method based on the first address published by the application server where the first APP instance is located, and then the second anchor UPF can forward the second data to the application server. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. Or, for example, in an embodiment of the present application, when in the process of establishing a session for the first APP instance, the first anchor point UPF supports the publication of a routing policy for the first APP instance within the 5G network. Then, in an embodiment of the present application, after the second anchor point UPF receives the second data, it can directly address the first anchor point UPF according to the existing routing method based on the routing policy published by the first anchor point UPF, and then the second anchor point UPF sends the second data to the first anchor point UPF. After receiving the second data, the first anchor point UPF sends the second data to the application server where the first APP instance is located through the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0279] In particular, taking the example of building a virtual local area network for a first APP instance and a terminal device, and the application server where the first APP instance is located sending first data to the terminal device, the method for accessing the network by the application includes the following steps:

[0280] S1418. The application server where the first APP instance is located sends first data to the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located. Correspondingly, the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located receives the first data from the application server where the first APP instance is located. The first data includes a source address and a destination address. The source address is the first address assigned by the core network to the session of the first APP instance during the process of establishing a session for the first APP instance, and the destination address is the second address assigned by the core network to the session of the terminal device during the process of establishing a session for the terminal device.

[0281] S1419: The APP integration platform where the AUEF is located sends the first data to the first anchor point UPF through the path between the first anchor point UPF and the AUEF. Correspondingly, the first anchor point UPF receives the first data from the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located.

[0282] Among them, in an embodiment of the present application, when the APP integration platform where the AUEF is located sends the first data to the first anchor point UPF through the path between the first anchor point UPF and the AUEF, the first data can be encapsulated using the above-mentioned first path information and the second path information. For details, please refer to the existing data transmission method, which will not be repeated here.

[0283] S1420-S1422, same Figure 13 Steps S1316-S1318 in the illustrated embodiment will not be described in detail here.

[0284] If it is necessary to explain, the above steps S1418-S1422 are explained by taking the construction of a virtual local area network for the first APP instance and the terminal device as an example. A possible implementation method, in the embodiment of the present application, the first data may also be transmitted without passing through the N19 tunnel between the first anchor point UPF and the second anchor point UPF. For example, when in the process of establishing a session for the terminal device, the second anchor point UPF publishes a route according to the second address assigned by the SMF or the second anchor point UPF to the session of the terminal device. In the embodiment of the present application, the application server where the first APP instance is located can directly address the second anchor point UPF according to the existing routing method based on the second address published by the second anchor point UPF, and then the second anchor point UPF can forward the first data to the terminal device. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0285] In an embodiment of the present application, the SMF and the first anchor point UPF in the mobile communication network establish a session for the first APP instance, and in the process of establishing the session, a first address is allocated to the session of the first APP instance. It can be seen that the address allocation and management corresponding to the first application instance and the forwarding path of the data plane are all within the control range of the mobile communication network. In other words, this solution can connect the first APP instance to the 5G network as a special terminal device. Since the first APP instance is a specific running instance of an application, based on this solution, the flexibility of data interaction between the application and the mobile communication network can be improved. Furthermore, based on this solution, the application can be incorporated into the mobile communication network planning to achieve plug-and-play of the application in the mobile communication system, thereby realizing dynamic orchestration and path optimization of application services. This is conducive to realizing a new business deployment and cooperation model between operators and application service providers.

[0286] The actions of the SMF, APP integration platform or the first anchor point UPF in the above steps S1400 to S1422 can be performed by Figure 11 The processor 1101 in the communication device 1100 shown calls the application code stored in the memory 1103 to instruct the SMF, APP integration platform or the first anchor point UPF to execute, and this embodiment does not impose any limitation on this.

[0287] It is understandable that Figures 12 to 14 In the illustrated embodiment, the methods and / or steps implemented by the first user plane functional entity may also be implemented by components that can be used for the first user plane functional entity; the methods and / or steps implemented by the application instance access module may also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the application instance access module; and the methods and / or steps implemented by the session management functional entity may also be implemented by components (such as chips or circuits) that can be used for the session management functional entity.

[0288] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Accordingly, the embodiment of the present application also provides a communication device, which can be the session management function entity in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above session management function entity, or a component that can be used for the session management function entity. It can be understood that in order to implement the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. It should be easily appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or in a manner where computer software drives hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present application.

[0289] Figure 15 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 150. The communication device 150 includes a processing module 1502 and a transceiver module 1501. The transceiver module 1501, which may also be called a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0290] Taking the communication device 150 as the session management network element in the above method embodiment or a chip or other component provided in the session management network element as an example:

[0291] Among them, the transceiver module 1501 is used to receive a first message from the application instance access module, the first message includes identification information of the first application instance, and the first message is used to request to establish a first connection for the first application instance. The processing module 1502 is used to determine the first user plane functional entity serving the first application instance. The transceiver module 1501 is also used to send a second message to the first user plane functional entity, the second message includes identification information of the first application instance, and the second message is used to request to establish a first connection for the first application instance. The transceiver module 1501 is also used to receive a third message from the first user plane functional entity, the third message includes the establishment result of the first connection, wherein the establishment result includes success. The transceiver module 1501 is also used to send a fourth message to the application instance access module, the fourth message includes the first address allocated by the core network network element to the first connection.

[0292] In one possible implementation, the first message and the second message also include the first path information allocated by the application instance access module to the first connection; the third message and the fourth message also include the second path information allocated by the first user plane functional entity to the first connection, wherein the first path information and the second path information are used to establish the first path between the first user plane functional entity and the application instance access module in the first connection.

[0293] In a possible implementation manner, the core network element is a first user plane functional entity; and the third message also includes the first address.

[0294] In a possible implementation manner, the core network element is a session management function entity.

[0295] In a possible implementation manner, the second message further includes a first address, and the first address is used by the first user plane function entity to publish the route.

[0296] In a possible implementation, the first message further includes a first parameter, where the first parameter is used to determine a first user plane functional entity serving the first application instance; or the first parameter is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity.

[0297] In one possible implementation, the first parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: location information of the first application instance, SSC mode, DNN corresponding to the first connection, or identification information of the network slice where the first connection is located.

[0298] In a possible implementation, the first message further includes application information corresponding to the first application instance, where the application information is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity.

[0299] In one possible implementation, transceiver module 1501 is further configured to send a fifth message to the unified data management function entity, the fifth message including identification information of the first application instance, and the fifth message being used to request the subscription data of the first application instance. Transceiver module 1501 is further configured to receive subscription data from the unified data management function entity, wherein the subscription data is used to determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance; or the subscription data is used to establish a virtual local area network including the first user plane function entity.

[0300] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1501 is further configured to register with the network storage function entity that the communication device 150 supports the function of establishing a connection for the application instance.

[0301] Take the communication device 150 as an example of the application instance access module in the above method embodiment or a chip or other component provided in the application instance access module:

[0302] Processing module 1502 is configured to determine a session management function entity serving the first application instance. Transceiver module 1501 is configured to send a first message to the session management function entity, the first message including identification information of the first application instance and requesting establishment of a first connection for the first application instance. Transceiver module 1501 is further configured to receive a fourth message from the session management function entity, the fourth message including a first address allocated by a core network element for the first connection.

[0303] In one possible implementation, the first message also includes first path information allocated by the communication device to the first connection; the fourth message also includes second path information allocated by the first user plane functional entity to the first connection, wherein the first path information and the second path information are used to establish a first path between the first user plane functional entity and the application instance access module in the first connection, and the first user plane functional entity is a user plane functional entity serving the first application instance.

[0304] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 1501 is further used to obtain the first data from the first application instance and then send the first data to the first user plane functional entity through the first path; or, the transceiver module 1501 is further used to receive the second data from the first user plane functional entity through the first path.

[0305] In a possible implementation, the processing module 1502 is further configured to publish a route according to the first address.

[0306] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1501 is further configured to receive second data from a second user plane functional entity, where the second user plane functional entity is addressed to the application instance access module according to a route published by the application instance access module.

[0307] In one possible implementation, transceiver module 1501 is further configured to receive a sixth message from the first application instance before sending the first message to the session management function entity. The sixth message includes application information corresponding to the first application instance and is used to request registration with the application instance access module. Transceiver module 1501 is further configured to send the first address to the first application instance after receiving the fourth message from the session management function entity.

[0308] In a possible implementation manner, the core network element is a session management function entity; or, the core network element is a first user plane function entity serving the first application instance.

[0309] In a possible implementation, the first message further includes a first parameter, where the first parameter is used to determine a first user plane functional entity serving the first application instance; or the first parameter is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity.

[0310] In one possible implementation, the first parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: location information of the first application instance, SSC mode, DNN corresponding to the first connection, or identification information of the network slice where the first connection is located.

[0311] In one possible implementation, the first message also includes application information corresponding to the first application instance, where the application information is used to construct a virtual local area network including a first user plane functional entity, and the first user plane functional entity is a user plane functional entity serving the first application instance.

[0312] In one possible implementation, processing module 1502 is used to determine the session management functional entity serving the first application instance, including: obtaining information of one or more session management functional entities that support establishing a connection for the application instance from a network storage functional entity; and determining the session management functional entity that serves the first application instance based on the information of the one or more session management functional entities.

[0313] Take the communication device 150 as the first user plane functional entity in the above method embodiment or a chip or other component provided in the first user plane functional entity as an example:

[0314] Transceiver module 1501 is configured to receive a second message from the session management function entity, the second message including identification information of the first application instance and requesting establishment of a first connection for the first application instance. Transceiver module 1501 is further configured to send a third message to the session management function entity, the third message including a result of establishing the first connection, where the result of establishing the connection includes success or failure.

[0315] In one possible implementation, the second message also includes the first path information allocated by the application instance access module to the first connection; the third message also includes the second path information allocated by the communication device to the first connection, wherein the first path information and the second path information are used to establish the first path between the first user plane functional entity and the application instance access module in the first connection.

[0316] In a possible implementation manner, the third message further includes a first address allocated by the communication device to the first connection.

[0317] In a possible implementation manner, the second message further includes a first address allocated by the session management function entity to the first connection.

[0318] In a possible implementation, the processing module 1502 is configured to publish a route according to the first address.

[0319] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1501 is further configured to register with the network storage function entity that the communication device 150 supports the function of establishing a connection for the application instance.

[0320] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module 1501 is also used to receive the first data from the first application instance through the application instance access module; the transceiver module 1501 is also used to send the first data to the second user plane functional entity, and the second user plane functional entity is a user plane functional entity serving the terminal device.

[0321] In one possible implementation, transceiver module 1501 is further configured to receive second data from a second user plane functional entity, which is a user plane functional entity serving the terminal device. Transceiver module 1501 is further configured to send the second data to the first application instance via the application instance access module. In one possible implementation, the second user plane functional entity is addressed to the first user plane functional entity based on a route advertised by the first user plane functional entity.

[0322] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here.

[0323] In this embodiment, the communication device 150 is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. Here, "module" can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the communication device 150 can be used. Figure 11 The form of the communication device 1100 is shown.

[0324] for example, Figure 11 The processor 1101 in the communication device 1100 shown can call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1103 to enable the communication device 1100 to execute the method for application accessing the network in the above method embodiment.

[0325] Specifically, Figure 15 The functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1501 and the processing module 1502 can be realized by Figure 11 The processor 1101 in the communication device 1100 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1103 to implement. Or, Figure 15 The function / implementation process of the processing module 1502 can be achieved by Figure 11 The processor 1101 in the communication device 1100 shown calls the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 1103 to implement, Figure 15 The function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1501 can be achieved by Figure 11 It is implemented by the communication interface 1104 in the communication device 1100 shown in FIG.

[0326] Since the communication device 150 provided in this embodiment can execute the above-mentioned method for application access to the network, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above-mentioned method embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0327] It should be noted that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented by software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in a memory, and a processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into an SoC (system on chip) or an ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions to perform calculations or processing within the processor, it can further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a PLD (programmable logic device), or a logic circuit that implements dedicated logic operations.

[0328] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0329] In one possible implementation, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments. In one possible implementation, the communication device also includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data, and the processor can call the program code stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of a chip, or it may include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0330] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0331] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other changes to the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0332] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a network by an application, characterized in that: The method comprises: The session management function entity receives a first message from the application instance access module, where the first message includes identification information of the first application instance, and the first message is used to request establishment of a first connection for the first application instance; The session management function entity is determined to be a first user plane function entity serving the first application instance; The session management function entity sends a second message to the first user plane function entity, where the second message includes identification information of the first application instance, and the second message is used to request establishment of the first connection for the first application instance; The session management function entity receives a third message from the first user plane function entity, where the third message includes an establishment result of the first connection, wherein the establishment result includes success; The session management function entity sends a fourth message to the application instance access module, where the fourth message includes a first address allocated by a core network element to the first connection.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first message and the second message also include the first path information allocated by the application instance access module to the first connection; the third message and the fourth message also include the second path information allocated by the first user plane function entity to the first connection, wherein the first path information and the second path information are used to establish the first path between the first user plane function entity and the application instance access module in the first connection.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The core network element is the first user plane functional entity; the third message also includes the first address.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that The core network element is the session management function entity.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The second message also includes the first address, where the first address is used by the first user plane function entity to publish routes.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 5, characterized in that: The first message also includes a first parameter, where the first parameter is used to determine the first user plane functional entity serving the first application instance; or the first parameter is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: The location information of the first application instance, the session and service continuity SSC mode, the data network name DNN corresponding to the first connection, or the identification information of the network slice where the first connection is located.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 5 and 7, characterized in that: The first message also includes application information corresponding to the first application instance, where the application information is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 5 and 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The session management function entity sends a fifth message to the unified data management function entity, where the fifth message includes identification information of the first application instance, and the fifth message is used to request to obtain subscription data of the first application instance; The session management function entity receives the subscription data from the unified data management function entity, wherein the subscription data is used to determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance; or the subscription data is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane function entity.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1, 2, 5 and 7, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The session management function entity registers with the network storage function entity a function of the session management function entity supporting establishing a connection for an application instance.

11. A communication device, the communication device being a session management function entity or a module applied to the session management function entity, characterized in that: The communication device includes: a transceiver module and a processing module; The transceiver module is configured to receive a first message from the application instance access module, where the first message includes identification information of the first application instance and is used to request establishment of a first connection for the first application instance; The processing module is configured to determine a first user plane functional entity serving the first application instance; The transceiver module is further configured to send a second message to the first user plane function entity, where the second message includes identification information of the first application instance, and the second message is used to request establishment of the first connection for the first application instance; The transceiver module is further configured to receive a third message from the first user plane function entity, where the third message includes an establishment result of the first connection, wherein the establishment result includes success; The transceiver module is further configured to send a fourth message to the application instance access module, where the fourth message includes a first address allocated by a core network element to the first connection.

12. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein: The first message and the second message also include the first path information allocated by the application instance access module to the first connection; the third message and the fourth message also include the second path information allocated by the first user plane function entity to the first connection, wherein the first path information and the second path information are used to establish the first path between the first user plane function entity and the application instance access module in the first connection.

13. The communication device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The core network element is the first user plane functional entity; the third message also includes the first address.

14. The communication device according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The core network element is the session management function entity.

15. The communication device according to claim 14, wherein: The second message also includes the first address, where the first address is used by the first user plane function entity to publish routes.

16. The communication device according to any one of claims 11, 12, and 15, characterized in that: The first message also includes a first parameter, where the first parameter is used to determine the first user plane functional entity serving the first application instance; or the first parameter is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity.

17. The communication device according to claim 16, wherein: The first parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: The location information of the first application instance, the session and service continuity SSC mode, the data network name DNN corresponding to the first connection, or the identification information of the network slice where the first connection is located.

18. The communication device according to any one of claims 11, 12, 15, and 17, characterized in that: The first message also includes application information corresponding to the first application instance, where the application information is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane functional entity.

19. The communication device according to any one of claims 11, 12, 15, and 17, characterized in that: The transceiver module is further configured to send a fifth message to the unified data management function entity, where the fifth message includes identification information of the first application instance and is used to request the subscription data of the first application instance; The transceiver module is also used to receive the contract data from the unified data management function entity, wherein the contract data is used to determine the first user plane function entity serving the first application instance; or the contract data is used to construct a virtual local area network including the first user plane function entity.

20. The communication device according to any one of claims 11, 12, 15, and 17, characterized in that: The transceiver module is further configured to register with the network storage function entity the function of the communication device supporting establishing a connection for the application instance.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: comprising at least one processor; The processor is configured to be coupled to a memory, and after reading computer instructions stored in the memory, execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 according to the computer instructions.

22. The communication device according to claim 21, wherein: The communication device further includes a communication interface; The communication interface is used to communicate with other communication devices.

23. The communication device according to claim 21, wherein: The communication device further includes a memory; The memory is used to store the computer instructions.

24. The communication device according to claim 21, wherein The communication device is a chip or a chip system.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that A computer program is stored thereon, which, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions, which, when the computer program product is run on a computer, causes the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

27. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system includes a session management function entity and a first user plane function entity; The session management function entity is configured to receive a first message from an application instance access module, where the first message includes identification information of a first application instance and is used to request establishment of a first connection for the first application instance; The session management function entity is further configured to send a second message to the first user plane function entity, where the second message includes identification information of the first application instance, and the second message is used to request establishment of the first connection for the first application instance; The first user plane function entity is configured to receive the second message from the session management function entity, and send a third message to the session management function entity, where the third message includes an establishment result of the first connection, wherein the establishment result includes success; The session management function entity is further used to send a fourth message to the application instance access module, where the fourth message includes a first address allocated by a core network element to the first connection.

28. The communication system according to claim 27, wherein: The communication system further includes the application instance access module; The application instance access module is configured to send the first message to the session management function entity; The application instance access module is further configured to receive the fourth message from the session management function entity.

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