A cross-wide area network application control method and system

Abstract

The present application discloses a method and system for cross-wide area network application control, wherein a unified control function entity is set in a cross-wide area network network, the unified control function entity collects information related to application control, performs resource calculation and node deployment analysis for applications and network function entities based on the information, generates a configuration strategy, and performs resource allocation and node deployment for applications and network function entities in the computing network according to the configuration strategy. In this way, the embodiment of the present application is based on the information related to application control collected by the set special entity, and generates a configuration strategy based on the information, thereby realizing cross-wide area network application control and ensuring the service quality of the provided application.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to computer network technology, and in particular to a method and system for application management and control across a wide area network. Background Art

[0002] In a computer network, network-side devices can manage and control various types of applications as needed, that is, calculate and allocate resources based on the applications in the computer network, and deploy each node in the network, and the network-side devices can perform corresponding application management and control based on user requests transmitted by edge nodes. At present, when managing applications in a computer network, the main consideration is whether the remaining resources that can be provided in the computer network match the resource requirements of the application itself. If so, the network-side devices will allocate resources in the computer network and deploy the application to the corresponding edge nodes and control plane nodes.

[0003] However, when the computer network uses computers across a wide area network, the scheduling of application deployment and user request requirements transmitted by edge nodes cannot be separated from the assistance of the core network control plane nodes and edge nodes in the computer network. Ignoring the above factors will cause problems such as excessive latency in the management and control process and unreasonable user plane path planning, resulting in a reduction in the service quality of the application. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for application management and control across a wide area network, which can implement application management and control across a wide area network and ensure the service quality of the provided application.

[0005] The embodiment of the present application is implemented as follows:

[0006] A method for cross-wide area network application management and control, wherein a unified management and control function entity is set in the cross-wide area network, and the method comprises:

[0007] The unified control function entity collects information related to application control in the cross-WAN network, performs analysis of resource calculation and node deployment for applications and network function entities based on the information, and generates a configuration strategy;

[0008] The unified management and control functional entity performs resource allocation and node deployment of applications and network functional entities in the cross-wide area network according to the configuration strategy.

[0009] Preferably, the information involved in the application control includes: network status information of the core network and application demand information;

[0010] Or the information involved in the application management includes: one or more combinations of computing power type information, computing power requirement information, latency requirement information, bandwidth requirement information and energy consumption information.

[0011] Preferably, the node includes an edge server, and the node deployment includes:

[0012] The unified management and control functional entity configures the edge server, including configuring a device template and a device instance of the edge server;

[0013] The unified management and control functional entity controls the application implementation of the edge node through the configured edge server.

[0014] Preferably, the nodes include edge nodes, cloud nodes and control plane nodes, and the information collected for application management and control includes:

[0015] Collect remaining resource information of edge nodes, resource demand information of applications, and resource demand information of control plane nodes;

[0016] The performing resource allocation and node deployment of applications and network function entities in the cross-wide area network according to the configuration strategy includes:

[0017] a. traverse the preset edge node list, determine whether the remaining resource information of the current edge node meets the resource demand information of the application, and if so, add the current edge node to the edge node candidate list until the edge node list is traversed; determine whether the edge node candidate list is empty, if so, execute step b; if not, execute step d;

[0018] b. Traverse the preset cloud node list, determine whether the remaining resources of the current cloud node meet the resource requirement information required by the application and the resource requirements of the control plane node, and add the current cloud node to the cloud node candidate list until the traversal is completed; determine whether the cloud node candidate list is empty, if not, execute step c; if yes, end the current deployment process;

[0019] c. In the cloud node candidate list, find the cloud node with the lowest latency to the user and use it as the deployment cloud node for this application, ending this deployment;

[0020] d. Traverse the candidate list of edge nodes, and for the current edge node, find the one with the shortest delay from the user to the corresponding control plane node via the current edge node, and then deploy the found edge node and control plane node.

[0021] Preferably, the query finds that the delay between the user via the current edge node and the corresponding control plane node is the smallest, and the current edge node and the corresponding control plane node include:

[0022] d1. Traverse the candidate list of edge nodes, and for the current edge node, determine whether the list of control plane nodes reachable by the current edge node is empty. If yes, execute step d2; if no, execute step d3;

[0023] d2. Determine whether the remaining resources of the current edge node meet the resource requirements of the control plane node. If yes, add a reachable control plane node list to the current edge node; if no, return to step b to execute; after traversing the edge node candidate list, execute step d3;

[0024] d3. Traverse the list of control plane nodes reachable by the edge node, query a control plane node where the delay from the user via the corresponding edge node to the control plane node is the smallest, and deploy the corresponding edge node and the control plane node according to the query result.

[0025] Preferably, the information involved in the collection and application control includes network status information of the core network, and the information involved in the collection and application control includes:

[0026] Send a core network network status information subscription request to the network open function entity NEF;

[0027] NEF receives the subscription request, and when the subscription request includes a subscription request for user-related information, sends a subscription request for user-related information to the access control and mobility management function entity AMF, so that AMF returns the user-related information; when the subscription request includes a subscription request for user plane status information, sends a subscription request for user plane status information to the session management function entity SMF, so that SMF returns the user plane status information;

[0028] NEF aggregates the user plane status information and user related information and sends them to the unified management and control functional entity.

[0029] Preferably, the configuration strategy is a user plane traffic routing strategy, and the resource allocation of the network function entity includes:

[0030] Sending a traffic routing policy request to NEF so that NEF collects and returns the traffic routing policy information required by the request;

[0031] NEF sends the traffic routing policy to the control plane network function entity PCF, so that PCF generates corresponding policy and charging control PCC rules for each protocol data unit PDU session involved;

[0032] The PCF sends the PCC rules to the SMF so that the SMF configures the user plane information of the corresponding PDU session.

[0033] Preferably, after performing resource allocation and node deployment of the network function entity, the method further includes:

[0034] The control plane nodes and applications in the cross-WAN network complete the processing of user data involved in the application through a scheduling interface.

[0035] A cross-wide area network application management and control system, the system comprising: a unified management and control function entity, a control plane node and an edge node, wherein:

[0036] The unified control function entity is used to collect information related to application control, perform resource calculation and node deployment analysis for applications and network function entities based on the information, and generate configuration strategies; based on the configuration strategies, perform resource allocation for applications and network function entities, and deployment of control plane nodes and edge nodes in the cross-WAN network;

[0037] The control plane node is used to perform resource allocation and deployment of network function entities under the control of the unified management and control function entity;

[0038] The edge node is used to allocate and deploy resources of applications and network functional entities under the control of the unified management and control functional entity.

[0039] An electronic device, characterized in that the electronic device is any of the above-mentioned unified control function entities, including:

[0040] processor;

[0041] A memory storing a program, wherein the program is configured to implement the cross-wide area network application management and control method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 when executed by the processor.

[0042] As can be seen above, the embodiment of the present application sets a unified control function entity in the network across the wide area network, and the unified control function entity collects information related to application control, analyzes resource calculation and node deployment for applications and network function entities based on the information, generates configuration strategies, and performs resource allocation and node deployment of applications and network function entities in the computing network according to the configuration strategies. In this way, the embodiment of the present application is based on the information related to application control collected by the set special entity, and generates configuration strategies based on the information, thereby realizing application control across the wide area network and ensuring the service quality of the provided applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] Figure 1 A flow chart of a cross-wide area network application management and control method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 2A schematic diagram of the structure of an application management and control system across a wide area network provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a network structure when the unified management and control function entity provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied in a network across a wide area network;

[0046] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0048] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequential order. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein, for example. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0049] It can be seen from the background technology that when the computer network adopts a cross-wide area network, the scheduling of application deployment and user request needs cannot be separated from the assistance of the core network control plane nodes and edge nodes in the computer network. Therefore, how to coordinate and schedule the core network control plane nodes and edge nodes in a unified manner during the application management process is the key to achieving application management and providing application service quality.

[0050] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the embodiments of the present application set up a unified management and control functional entity in a network across a wide area network. The unified management and control functional entity collects information related to application management, analyzes resource calculation and node deployment for applications and network functional entities based on the information, generates a configuration strategy, and performs resource allocation and node deployment of network functional entities in the computing network according to the configuration strategy.

[0051] In this way, the embodiment of the present application is based on the special entity set up, which generates configuration policies based on the collected information related to application management and control, thereby realizing application management across the wide area network and ensuring the service quality of the provided applications.

[0052] Furthermore, after allocating resources and deploying nodes of network functional entities in the computing network according to the configuration strategy, it also includes that the core network control plane nodes and applications in the computer network complete the processing of user data involved in the application through a scheduling interface, thereby improving the user experience of the application.

[0053] Here, the node deployment includes the deployment of control plane nodes, cloud nodes and edge nodes. Among them, edge nodes can also be called user plane network elements or user plane nodes, and their geographical location is at the edge of the network across the wide area network, close to users and access networks; cloud nodes are data centers at the core of the network; control plane nodes can also be called control plane network elements, which are functional nodes of the core network.

[0054] In the embodiment of the present application, the unified management and control functional entity can be physically a single entity or can be composed of multiple entities, which is not limited here.

[0055] Here, the information involved in application management and control includes: network status information of the core network and application demand information.

[0056] Figure 1 A flow chart of a cross-WAN application management and control method provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the specific steps include:

[0057] Step 101: Setting a unified management and control functional entity in a network across a wide area network;

[0058] Step 102: The unified control function entity collects information related to application control in the cross-WAN network, performs resource calculation and node deployment analysis for applications and network function entities based on the information, and generates a configuration strategy;

[0059] Step 103: The unified management and control functional entity performs resource allocation and node deployment of network functional entities in the cross-WAN network according to the configuration strategy.

[0060] In the above method, the information involved in the application management and control includes: network status information of the core network and application demand information.

[0061] In the above method, the information involved in the application management includes: one or more combinations of computing power type information, computing power requirement information, latency requirement information, bandwidth requirement information and energy consumption information.

[0062] In the above method, after the resource allocation and node deployment of the network function entity, the method further includes: the control plane node in the computer network and the application complete the processing of the user data involved in the application through the scheduling interface. In this way, the user experience of the application can be improved.

[0063] In the above method, the network function entities include various function entities located in the core network and various edge function entities located in the edge network, which are not limited here.

[0064] In the above method, the node includes an edge server, and the node deployment includes:

[0065] The unified management and control functional entity configures the edge server, including configuring a device template and a device instance of the edge server;

[0066] The unified management and control functional entity controls the application implementation of the edge node through the configured edge server.

[0067] Specifically, the device template and device instance for configuring the edge server include:

[0068] The unified management and control functional entity sends the information of the device template and the device instance to the edge server in a mapping form so that the edge server is configured, wherein the configuration device template is represented by the static attributes of the device, and the device instance is represented by the twin attributes of the device;

[0069] The unified management and control functional entity monitors the device templates and device instances configured by the edge server, and when changes are detected, sends information about the changed device templates and device instances to the edge server, so that the edge server updates the configuration.

[0070] In the above method, the nodes include edge nodes, cloud nodes and control plane nodes, and the information collected for application management and control includes:

[0071] Collect remaining resource information of edge nodes, resource demand information of applications, and resource demand information of control plane nodes;

[0072] The performing resource allocation and node deployment of network function entities in the cross-wide area network according to the configuration strategy includes:

[0073] a. traverse the preset edge node list, determine whether the remaining resource information of the current edge node meets the resource demand information of the application, and if so, add the current edge node to the edge node candidate list until the edge node list is traversed; determine whether the edge node candidate list is empty, if so, execute step b; if not, execute step d;

[0074] b. Traverse the preset cloud node list, determine whether the remaining resources of the current cloud node meet the resource requirement information required by the application and the resource requirements of the control plane node, and add the current cloud node to the cloud node candidate list until the traversal is completed; determine whether the cloud node candidate list is empty, if not, execute step c; if yes, end the current deployment process;

[0075] c. In the cloud node candidate list, find the cloud node with the lowest latency to the user and use it as the deployment cloud node for this application, ending this deployment;

[0076] d. Traverse the candidate list of edge nodes, and for the current edge node, find the one with the shortest delay from the user to the corresponding control plane node via the current edge node, and then deploy the found edge node and control plane node.

[0077] In the above process, the query finds that the delay between the user via the current edge node to the corresponding control plane node is the smallest, and the current edge node and the corresponding control plane node include:

[0078] d1. Traverse the candidate list of edge nodes, and for the current edge node, determine whether the list of control plane nodes reachable by the current edge node is empty. If yes, execute step d2; if no, execute step d3;

[0079] d2. Determine whether the remaining resources of the current edge node meet the resource requirements of the control plane node. If yes, add a reachable control plane node list to the current edge node; if no, return to step b to execute; after traversing the edge node candidate list, execute step d3;

[0080] d3. Traverse the list of control plane nodes reachable by the edge node, query a control plane node where the delay from the user via the corresponding edge node to the control plane node is the smallest, and deploy the corresponding edge node and the control plane node according to the query result.

[0081] In the method, the information involved in the collection and application control includes network status information of the core network, and the information involved in the collection and application control includes:

[0082] Send a core network network status information subscription request to a network open function entity (NEF);

[0083] NEF receives the subscription request, and when the subscription request includes a subscription request for user-related information, sends a subscription request for user-related information to an access control and mobility management function (AMF), so that AMF returns user-related information; when the subscription request includes a subscription request for user plane status information, sends a subscription request for user plane status information to a session management function (SMF), so that SMF returns user plane status information;

[0084] NEF aggregates the user plane status information and user related information and sends them to the unified management and control functional entity.

[0085] In the method, the configuration strategy is a user plane traffic routing strategy, and the resource allocation of the network function entity includes:

[0086] Sending a traffic routing policy request to NEF so that NEF collects and returns the traffic routing policy information required by the request;

[0087] NEF sends the traffic routing policy to the control plane network function entity (PCF) so that the PCF generates corresponding policy and charging control (PCC) rules for each involved protocol data unit (PDU) session;

[0088] The PCF sends the PCC rules to the SMF so that the SMF configures the user plane information of the corresponding PDU session.

[0089] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a cross-wide area network application management and control system provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: a unified management and control function entity, a control plane node and an edge node, wherein:

[0090] The unified control function entity is used to collect information related to application control, analyze resource calculation and node deployment for applications and network function entities based on the information, and generate configuration strategies; based on the configuration strategies, perform resource allocation of network function entities, deployment of control plane nodes and edge nodes in the cross-WAN network;

[0091] The control plane node is used to perform resource allocation and deployment of network function entities under the control of the unified management and control function entity;

[0092] The edge node is used to perform resource allocation and deployment of network function entities under the control of the unified management and control function entity.

[0093] Figure 3A schematic diagram of the network structure when the unified control function entity provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied in a network across a wide area network. As shown in the figure, a unified control function entity is set up in the network across a wide area network. The control function entity collects edge application status information, cloud application status information, network status information, etc., analyzes the information, obtains the configuration strategy, and then deploys the cloud network elements and the edge network elements involved based on the configuration strategy, and configures the application resources to the cloud and the edge.

[0094] Here, edge application status information, cloud application status information and network status information are information related to application management and control. Edge devices include edge UPF and edge nodes such as user terminals (UE) or cameras. The edge devices are also edge nodes, or user plane network elements; cloud network elements are actually various types of core network control plane nodes, which can also be called control plane network elements, which are not limited here.

[0095] In the figure, the cloud data center is the cloud node; the unified control function entity is marked as a unified control system, that is, the unified control function entity is realized by the unified control system set up internally.

[0096] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below.

[0097] In the embodiment of the present application, the information involved in application control includes the network status information of the core network and the application demand information of the edge node. The network status information of the core network can also be called cloud application status information. Specifically, the information involved in application control includes: computing power type information, computing power demand information, latency demand information, bandwidth demand information, energy consumption information, etc., as shown in Table 1.

[0098]

[0099] Table 1

[0100] In the implementation of this application, the unified management and control functional entity needs to clarify the configuration that needs to be sent from the cloud during the process of resource allocation and node deployment of network functional entities in the computing network according to the configuration strategy. The unified management and control functional entity needs to complete the management and configuration of the edge server, specifically including configuring device templates and device instances, wherein the configured device templates are represented by the static attributes of the device, and the device instances are represented by the twin attributes of the device. The unified management and control functional entity has a downstream controller that monitors the configured device templates and device instances in the edge server, and if changes are found, the change information is sent to the edge server. In order to implement this function in the unified management and control functional entity, the structure of the downstream controller in the unified management and control functional entity includes a device template manager and a device instance manager. The device template manager and the device instance manager respectively store and send device templates and device instances in the form of a map by establishing communication with the edge server.

[0101] The specific implementation process is shown in Table 2.

[0102]

[0103] Table 2

[0104] In an embodiment of the present application, the unified control functional entity collects information related to application control, and performs analysis of resource calculation and node deployment for applications and network functional entities based on the information. In the process of generating configuration strategies, it is necessary to obtain the resource requirements of the application and the resource requirements of the control plane nodes, and analyze them accordingly. After obtaining the configuration strategy, the edge nodes and control plane nodes are deployed.

[0105] The following is a specific embodiment to describe in detail the deployment process of the edge node, and the deployment process includes:

[0106] The first step: the unified management and control functional entity collects information of edge nodes.

[0107] In the steps, edge node information is collected periodically, including available resource information, delay information, and / or location information of the edge nodes.

[0108] In the step, the unified management and control function entity maintains an edge node list {E1, E2, ..., E N}, where E i →cpu, E i →mem, E i →disk represents the edge node E i Available CPU, memory, and storage resources. Maintain the delay list between any two edge nodes in the edge node {t 12 , t13 , ..., t ij}, where i, j represent different edge nodes, t ij Represents the delay from edge node i to node j, 1≤i, j≤N.

[0109] In the steps, a cloud node list {C1, C2, ..., C M}, where C i →cpu、C i →mem, C i →disk represents cloud node C i Available CPU, memory, and storage resources.

[0110] Step 2: The unified management and control functional entity obtains resource demand information of the application and resource demand information of the control plane node.

[0111] In this step, the resource requirement information of the application includes CPU requirement cpu , memory requirement mem , storage resource requirements disk , latency requirement d. The resource requirements of the control plane network elements include the CPU requirements of the control plane functions f cpu , memory requirement f mem , storage resource requirements f disk .

[0112] Step 3: The unified management and control functional entity analyzes the information obtained in Step 1 and Step 2, traverses the edge node list, and confirms whether the remaining resources of the current edge node meet the resource information required by the application. If so, the current edge node is added to the edge node candidate list until the edge node list is traversed. Determine whether the edge node list is empty. If so, execute Step 4; if not, execute Step 6.

[0113] In this step, the edge node list {E1, E2, ..., E N}, for the current node E i , to determine whether its remaining resources meet the application resource requirements, that is: E i →cpu≥r cpu 、E i →mem≥r mem 、E i →disk≥r disk .

[0114] Step 4: The unified management and control functional entity analyzes the information obtained in the first and second steps, traverses the cloud node list, confirms whether the remaining resources of the current cloud node meet the resource information required by the application and the resource demand information of the control plane node, and then adds the current cloud node to the cloud node candidate list. After the traversal is completed, if the cloud node candidate list is not empty, execute the fifth step, otherwise, end the deployment process and the scheduling process.

[0115] In this step, the unified management and control functional entity maintains a cloud node list {C1, C2, ..., C M}, traverse the cloud node list, and for the current cloud node C i , determine whether its remaining resources meet the application resource requirements and control plane function requirements, that is:

[0116] C i →cpu≥r cpu , C i →mem≥r mem , C i →disk≥r disk

[0117] Step 5: The unified management and control functional entity traverses the cloud node candidate list, finds the cloud node with the lowest latency to the user, and uses it as the deployment cloud node for this application, ending this scheduling.

[0118] In this step, the cloud node candidate list Lc is traversed to find a cloud node i that has a delay t i The lowest in the list Lc, returns cloud node i as the scheduling node for this application, and ends this scheduling.

[0119] Step 6: The unified management and control function entity traverses the edge node candidate list, and for the current edge node, finds the current edge node and the corresponding control plane node with the minimum delay between the user via the current edge node to the corresponding control plane node. The search process is described in the following steps 7 to 9.

[0120] In this step, define t i represents the delay from user to edge node i, t ij is the delay from edge node i to control plane node j, t j represents the delay from the user to the control plane node, then the system delay t = t i +t i +t ij, where edge node i is the application deployment node and control plane node j is the node where the control plane is deployed. It is necessary to find an edge node i and a control plane node j so that when the application is deployed on edge node i and the control plane is deployed on control plane node j, the system delay t is minimized.

[0121] Step 7: The unified management and control function entity traverses the edge node candidate list, and for the currently traversed edge node, determines whether its reachable control plane node list is empty. If so, it represents reselecting the control plane node for control plane node deployment, and executes step 8; if not, executes step 9;

[0122] In this step, the edge node candidate list Le is traversed, and for the current edge node i, a control plane node list {M1, M2, ..., M x}.

[0123] Step 8: The unified control function entity traverses the current edge node list, and determines whether the remaining resources of the current edge node meet the control plane requirements. If so, the control plane node list reachable by the edge node is added to the edge node. After traversing the current edge node list, if the control plane node list reachable by the current edge node is not empty, execute step 9; otherwise, execute step 4.

[0124] In this step, specifically, the current edge node list {E1, E2, ..., E N}, for the current edge node E j , to determine whether its remaining resources meet the control plane resource requirements, that is:

[0125] E j →cpu≥f cpu 、E j →mem≥f mem 、E j →disk≥f disk

[0126] If the edge node E j If the above conditions are met, a list M of control plane nodes reachable by the edge node is added to the edge node.

[0127] It should be noted in this step that for the edge node i where the application is deployed, its available resources need to be deducted from the application resources first.

[0128] Step 9: The unified management and control function entity traverses the list of control plane nodes reachable by the current edge node, queries a control plane node, and minimizes the delay from the user through the edge node to the control plane node in the case of a determined edge node, and temporarily stores the query results. Query all edge nodes in the edge node candidate list and temporarily store the query results. Select the query results under multiple deployment strategies from the query result set, deploy the corresponding control plane node and the corresponding edge node.

[0129] In this step, the control plane node list {M1, M2, ..., M x}, find a control plane node j so that, given edge node i, the system delay t i +t j +t ij The minimum, and the result set {i, j, t} is temporarily stored in the result list R. After traversing the candidate list, traverse the result list R, select the result set {i, j, t} with the minimum system delay t under multiple deployment schemes in R. If the control plane node j is not deployed at this time, it means that the current scheme needs to redeploy the control plane node. After the control plane is deployed to the control node j, return the edge node i as the scheduling result of this application.

[0130] In the embodiment of the present application, the network status information of the core network can also be obtained. Specifically, the network status information of the core network can be obtained according to the scheduling strategy. A specific example is given for illustration.

[0131] Obtaining the core network status information based on the scheduling strategy includes:

[0132] The first step: the unified management and control function entity sends a core network network status information subscription request to the NEF, and the request defines the reply report information and the data type of the report.

[0133] In this step, NEF is a control plane node. The subscription request definition reply report information includes: reply report type, maximum number of reports, maximum time interval between two reports, etc., wherein the reply report type includes a single report, a periodic report or an event-driven report. The subscription request definition reply data information includes: the number of currently connected users, specific user location information, specific users and user plane function entity (UPF) topology, UPF instance capabilities, UPF instance relative static capacity, UPF instance dynamic load, or / and end-to-end delay, etc. Among them, the capabilities of the UPF instance include whether it supports the uplink classifier (UL-CL), whether it supports Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), etc. The relative static capacity of the UPF instance includes static capacity information under different slices and data network names (DNN), and the dynamic load of the UPF instance includes CPU occupancy, memory usage, and average packet queuing delay, etc.;

[0134] Step 2: NEF receives the subscription request and processes the subscription request.

[0135] In this step, if the subscription request includes a subscription request for user-related information, a subscription request for user-related information is sent to all AMFs that are in service or have the same public land mobile network (PLMN); the AMF confirms the subscription of the user-related information.

[0136] In this step, if the subscription request includes a subscription request for user plane status information, the NEF sends a subscription request for the user plane status information to all SMFs in service, and the SMF confirms the subscription of the user plane status information.

[0137] Among them, the subscription request for user plane status information needs to define the data type of the replied user plane status information, such as: UPF instance topology and UPF instance dynamic load, etc.

[0138] Step 3: NEF confirms subscription to the core network's network status information.

[0139] Step 4: AMF sends user-related information to NEF according to the reply report type and report data type defined in the subscription request for user plane status information.

[0140] In this step, when the number of reports reaches the preset maximum number of reports, the reporting is automatically stopped; otherwise, the reporting continues until the NEF cancels the subscription.

[0141] Step 5: SMF and UPF instance initiate a request through the N4 interface to obtain the current relative static capacity and dynamic load of the UPF instance. The UPF instance replies the user plane status information to SMF through the N4 interface.

[0142] Step 6: SMF collects and summarizes the user plane status information provided by the UPF instance, confirms that the collection is complete, and integrates it with the relevant information it has, and sends the processed user plane status information to NEF. When the number of reports reaches the maximum number of reports, the report will automatically stop, otherwise, the report will continue until NEF cancels the subscription.

[0143] Step 7: NEF collects and summarizes the information sent by SMF and AMF, and determines whether the collection is complete. If so, it sends the reply report information and report data type defined in the subscription request to the unified management and control function entity.

[0144] In the embodiment of the present application, the control plane nodes interact with each other, generate a configuration policy for the user plane traffic routing policy, and issue the policy, as described below:

[0145] Step 1: The unified management and control function entity sends a traffic routing policy request to the NEF, and the request definition carries routing policy information.

[0146] In this step, the routing policy information includes: AF transaction ID, UE IP address, GPSI, DNN, S-NSSAI, application identifier, DNAI(s) (used to identify the application location), corresponding routing scheme ID or N6 traffic routing information, etc.

[0147] Step 2: After receiving the traffic routing policy request, NEF collects the traffic routing policy information required by the request and maps it to the information required by the core network. NEF replies the mapped information required by the core network to the unified management and control functional entity.

[0148] In this step, a mapping method is used, such as mapping the target user's general serial interface (GPSI) to a user permanent identifier (SUPI), and mapping the application identifier to a combination of DNN and network slice selection auxiliary information (S-NSSAI) or a data network access identifier (DNAI(s)) and a routing scheme identifier (ID). If the location of the service identified by the application identifier changes dynamically, the corresponding DNAI(s) and routing scheme ID or N6 traffic routing information must be explicitly specified in the first step.

[0149] Step 3: NEF sends the traffic routing policy to PCF.

[0150] Step 4: PCF generates new PCC rules for each PDU session involved, and updates the corresponding SMF through SM policy control. SMF replies with the SM policy control update result.

[0151] Step 5: After receiving the new PCC rules sent by PCF, SMF reconfigures the user plane of the relevant PDU session.

[0152] In this step, the user plane configuration of the relevant PDU session includes: adding, replacing or removing a UPF instance in the data path, the UPF instance may serve as a UL-CL node or branching point; or allocating a new IPv6 prefix to the user; or updating the UPF traffic rules for the target DNAI.

[0153] It can be seen from the embodiments of the present application that the embodiments of the present application set up a unified control function entity in the network across the wide area network, the unified control function entity collects information related to application control, analyzes the information, generates a configuration strategy, and performs resource allocation and node deployment of the network function entity in the computing network according to the configuration strategy. In this way, the joint optimization of application services and the network across the wide area network is completed, and the user experience is improved.

[0154] In another embodiment of the present application, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium stores instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to execute a method for cross-wide area network application management and control in the aforementioned embodiment.

[0155] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an electronic device provided by another embodiment of the present application. Figure 4 As shown, another embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, which may include a processor 401, wherein the processor 401 is used to execute the steps of the above-mentioned cross-wide area network application management and control method. Figure 4 It can also be seen that the electronic device provided in the above embodiment also includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 402, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is run by the processor 401, the steps of the above-mentioned cross-wide area network application management and control method are executed.

[0156] Specifically, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 402 can be a general storage medium, such as a mobile disk, a hard disk, FLASH, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), or a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. When the computer program on the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 402 is executed by the processor 401, it can trigger the processor 401 to execute the above-mentioned various steps of a cross-wide area network application management and control method.

[0157] In practical applications, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 402 may be included in the device / apparatus / system described in the above embodiment, or may exist independently without being assembled into the device / apparatus / system. The above computer-readable storage medium carries one or more programs, and when the above one or more programs are executed, each step in the above cross-wide area network application control method can be executed.

[0158] Yet another embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implements each step of the above-mentioned cross-wide area network application management and control method.

[0159] The flow chart and block diagram in the accompanying drawings of the present application show the possible architecture, function and operation of the system, method and computer program product according to the various embodiments disclosed in the present application. In this regard, each box in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment or a part of a code, and the above-mentioned module, program segment or a part of a code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some implementations as replacements, the functions marked in the box can also occur in the order of the standards in different figures. For example, the boxes represented by two connections can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram or flow chart, and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram or flow chart can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0160] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of the present disclosure may be combined and / or combined in a variety of ways, even if such combinations or combinations are not explicitly described in the present application. In particular, without departing from the spirit and teachings of the present application, the features described in the various embodiments and / or claims of the present application may be combined and / or combined in a variety of ways, and all of these combinations and / or combinations fall within the scope disclosed in the present application.

[0161] Specific embodiments are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core ideas of the present application, and is not used to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, changes can be made in the specific implementation methods and application scopes according to the ideas, spirits and principles of the present application, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made by them should be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling applications across a wide area network, characterized in that: A unified management and control functional entity is set in the cross-wide area network, and the method includes: The unified control function entity collects information related to application control in the cross-WAN network, performs analysis of resource calculation and node deployment for applications and network function entities based on the information, and generates a configuration strategy; The unified management and control functional entity performs resource allocation and node deployment of applications and network functional entities in the cross-wide area network according to the configuration strategy; The nodes include edge nodes, cloud nodes and control plane nodes, and the information collected for application management and control includes: Collect remaining resource information of edge nodes, resource demand information of applications, and resource demand information of control plane nodes; The performing resource allocation and node deployment of applications and network function entities in the cross-wide area network according to the configuration strategy includes: a. traverse the preset edge node list, determine whether the remaining resource information of the current edge node meets the resource demand information of the application, and if so, add the current edge node to the edge node candidate list until the edge node list is traversed; determine whether the edge node candidate list is empty, if so, execute step b; if not, execute step d; b. Traverse the preset cloud node list, determine whether the remaining resources of the current cloud node meet the resource requirement information required by the application and the resource requirements of the control plane node, and add the current cloud node to the cloud node candidate list until the traversal is completed; determine whether the cloud node candidate list is empty, if not, execute step c; if yes, end the current deployment process; c. In the cloud node candidate list, find the cloud node with the lowest latency to the user and use it as the deployment cloud node for this application, ending this deployment; d. Traverse the candidate list of edge nodes, and for the current edge node, find the one with the shortest delay from the user to the corresponding control plane node via the current edge node, and then deploy the found edge node and control plane node.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The information involved in the application control includes: network status information of the core network and application demand information; Or the information involved in the application management includes: one or more combinations of computing power type information, computing power requirement information, latency requirement information, bandwidth requirement information and energy consumption information.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The node includes an edge server, and the node deployment includes: The unified management and control functional entity configures the edge server, including configuring a device template and a device instance of the edge server; The unified management and control functional entity controls the application implementation of the edge node through the configured edge server.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The query finds that the delay between the user via the current edge node and the corresponding control plane node is the smallest, and the current edge node and the corresponding control plane node include: d1. Traverse the candidate list of edge nodes, and for the current edge node, determine whether the list of control plane nodes reachable by the current edge node is empty. If yes, execute step d2; if no, execute step d3; d2. Determine whether the remaining resources of the current edge node meet the resource requirements of the control plane node. If yes, add a reachable control plane node list to the current edge node; if no, return to step b to execute; after traversing the edge node candidate list, execute step d3; d3. Traverse the list of control plane nodes reachable by the edge node, query a control plane node where the delay from the user via the corresponding edge node to the control plane node is the smallest, and deploy the corresponding edge node and the control plane node according to the query result.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The information involved in the collection and application control includes network status information of the core network, and the information involved in the collection and application control includes: Send a core network status information subscription request to the network open function entity NEF; NEF receives the subscription request, and when the subscription request includes a subscription request for user-related information, sends a subscription request for user-related information to the access control and mobility management function entity AMF, so that AMF returns the user-related information; when the subscription request includes a subscription request for user plane status information, sends a subscription request for user plane status information to the session management function entity SMF, so that SMF returns the user plane status information; NEF aggregates the user plane status information and user related information and sends them to the unified management and control functional entity.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The configuration strategy is a user plane traffic routing strategy, and the resource allocation of applications and network function entities includes: Sending a traffic routing policy request to the NEF so that the NEF collects and returns the traffic routing policy information required by the request; NEF sends the traffic routing policy to the control plane network function entity PCF, so that PCF generates corresponding policy and charging control PCC rules for each protocol data unit PDU session involved; The PCF sends the PCC rules to the SMF so that the SMF configures the user plane information of the corresponding PDU session.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that After the resource allocation and node deployment of the application and network function entity, the method further includes: The control plane nodes and applications in the cross-WAN network complete the processing of user data involved in the application through a scheduling interface.

8. A cross-wide area network application management and control system, characterized in that: The system includes: a unified management and control functional entity, a control plane node and an edge node, wherein: The unified control function entity is used to collect information related to application control, perform resource calculation and node deployment analysis for applications and network function entities based on the information, and generate configuration strategies; based on the configuration strategies, perform resource allocation for applications and network function entities, and deployment of control plane nodes and edge nodes in the cross-WAN network; The control plane node is used to perform resource allocation and deployment of network function entities under the control of the unified management and control function entity; The edge node is used to perform resource allocation and deployment of application and network function entities under the control of the unified management and control function entity; The nodes include edge nodes, cloud nodes and control plane nodes, and the information collected for application management and control includes: Collect remaining resource information of edge nodes, resource demand information of applications, and resource demand information of control plane nodes; The performing resource allocation and node deployment of applications and network function entities in the cross-wide area network based on the configuration strategy includes: a. traverse the preset edge node list, determine whether the remaining resource information of the current edge node meets the resource demand information of the application, and if so, add the current edge node to the edge node candidate list until the edge node list is traversed; determine whether the edge node candidate list is empty, if so, execute step b; if not, execute step d; b. Traverse the preset cloud node list, determine whether the remaining resources of the current cloud node meet the resource requirement information required by the application and the resource requirements of the control plane node, and add the current cloud node to the cloud node candidate list until the traversal is completed; determine whether the cloud node candidate list is empty, if not, execute step c; if yes, end the current deployment process; c. In the cloud node candidate list, find the cloud node with the lowest latency to the user and use it as the deployment cloud node for this application, ending this deployment; d. Traverse the candidate list of edge nodes, and for the current edge node, find the one with the shortest delay from the user to the corresponding control plane node via the current edge node, and then deploy the found edge node and control plane node.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device is any unified control function entity as claimed in claims 1 to 8, including: processor; A memory storing a program, wherein the program is configured to implement the cross-wide area network application management and control method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 when executed by the processor.

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