A communication method, device and storage medium based on NF

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, device and storage medium based on NF, which are used to reduce the complexity of the business processing flow. In the embodiment of the present application, the network storage network element receives a first message sent by the NF requester, and the first message includes the parameters of the service requested by the NF requester, and determines the NF provider that matches the parameters based on the parameters. When the first message includes the first indication information, the network storage network element carries the first part of the description information in the description information of the NF provider in the second message, and sends the second message. The first indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first part of the description information to the NF requester, and the network storage network element returns the first part of the description information to the NF requester. Since only the first part of the description information is returned, the amount of returned data is small, and therefore, the complexity of data transmission in the service discovery process of the network storage network element can be reduced, the business processing speed of the NF requester can be improved, and the speed of the service discovery process can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a NF-based communication method, device, and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] The 5G core network adopts a service-based architecture. The interfaces between network functions (NFs) use service-based interfaces (SBIs), and NF providers use a service-based communication mechanism. NF providers register with the Network Function Repository Function (NRF) to provide services.

[0003] In a specific implementation, the terminal device sends a service request to the NF requester to request the corresponding service. After receiving the service request sent by the terminal device, the NF requester sends a service discovery request to the NRF. The NRF performs a service discovery process to find an NF provider that can provide the corresponding service to the NF requester. After finding one or more NF providers that can provide the corresponding service through the service discovery process provided by the NRF, the NRF returns all the description information of all the NF providers that can provide the service to the NF provider, so that the NF provider can determine an NF provider that will ultimately provide the service to it from the NF providers that can provide the service. This complex process will increase the complexity of the service processing flow and may even cause call drops. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a NF-based communication method, device, and storage medium for reducing the complexity of business processing procedures.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method based on a network function NF, comprising: a network storage network element receives a first message sent by an NF requester, wherein the first message includes parameters of the service requested by the NF requester. The network storage network element determines the NF provider that matches the parameters based on the parameters. When the first message includes first indication information, the network storage network element carries the first part of the description information of the NF provider in a second message, and the first indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first part of the description information to the NF requester. The network storage network element sends the second message to the NF requester. Since only the first part of the description information is returned, the amount of returned data is small, thereby reducing the complexity of data transmission in the service discovery process of the network storage network element, and also improving the business processing speed of the NF requester and the speed of the service discovery process.

[0006] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first indication information includes: a preset bit value carried by a preset bit position of the first message. For example, if the bit value of the preset bit position is set to 1, it indicates that the first message carries the first indication information. If the bit value of the preset bit position is set to zero, or if the preset bit position does not carry any content and is empty, or it can be said that the preset bit position is default, it indicates that the first message does not carry the first indication information.

[0007] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, after the network storage network element determines, based on the parameters, a NF provider that matches the parameters, the method further includes: when the network storage network element determines that the first message does not include the first indication information, the network storage network element includes the description information of the NF provider in the second message. In this implementation, the NF requester can decide, based on specific needs, whether to have the network storage network element return the description information or return the first portion of the description information, thereby increasing the flexibility of the solution.

[0008] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the first portion of description information includes: the priority of the NF provider, the weight of the NF provider, and the load of the NF provider. This can reduce the amount of data returned by the network storage element during the service discovery process to the NF requester and also meet the NF requester's need to select an NF provider based on the first portion of description information.

[0009] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, after the network storage network element sends the second message, the method further includes: the network storage network element sending a second portion of the description information of the NF provider to the NF requester; wherein the second portion of the description information includes all or part of the information in the description information of the NF provider other than the first portion of the description information. In this way, when the NF requester subsequently receives similar service requests from other terminal devices, it can locally query the information of the NF provider, thereby reducing the process of interacting with the network storage network element and improving service processing speed.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, before the network storage network element sends the second part of the description information of the NF provider to the NF requester, it also includes: the network storage network element receives a third message sent by the NF requester, and the third message includes the identifier of the NF provider; the network storage network element sends the second part of the description information of the NF provider to the NF requester, including: the network storage network element carries the second part of the description information of the NF provider in a fourth message, and sends the fourth message to the NF requester. The timing of sending the third message can be flexibly selected. For example, the NF requester can first execute the process of ending the service acquisition of the terminal device and provide the corresponding service to the terminal device, and then send the third message to trigger the network storage network element to return the second part of the description information. This can improve the speed of the business process of providing services to the terminal device.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the third message also includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the identifier of the second part of the description information. In this way, the NF requester can specify the parameters that the network storage network element needs to return, such as the identifier of the second part of the description information. In this way, on the one hand, when a terminal requests the provision of a corresponding service, it can query whether the NF provider meets the requirements based on the first part of the description information and the second part of the description information. On the other hand, compared with the solution of returning all the description information of the NF provider to the NF requester, the data transmission volume of the service discovery process can be reduced. Moreover, the first part of the description information and the second part of the description information are sent as two separate signaling messages. The first part of the description information has a smaller data volume and is returned to the NF requester first to further speed up the process of providing the corresponding service to the terminal device. The second part of the description information is then returned to the NF requester to meet the requirements of local query when similar service requests are received later, thereby improving the service processing speed.

[0012] In one possible implementation of the first aspect, the identifier of the second portion of the description information is determined by the NF requester based on a predetermined correspondence between the NF provider type identifier and the identifier of the second portion of the description information, as well as the type identifier of the NF provider. In this manner, appropriate second portion of the description information can be selected based on the type of the NF provider, providing a more flexible solution.

[0013] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method based on a network function (NF), comprising: the NF requester carries first indication information in a first message, the first indication information being used to instruct the network storage network element to return a first portion of description information to the NF requester; the NF requester sends the first message to the network storage network element, the first message also including parameters of the service requested by the NF requester; the NF requester receives a second message sent by the network storage network element; wherein, when the first message carries the first indication information, the second message includes the first portion of description information in the description information of the NF provider that matches the parameters. Since only the first portion of description information is returned, the amount of returned data is small, thereby reducing the complexity of data transmission in the service discovery process of the network storage network element, improving the business processing speed of the NF requester, and improving the speed of the service discovery process.

[0014] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a communication method based on a network function (NF), comprising: when the NF requester needs to obtain a first portion of description information, including first indication information in a first message, the first indication information being used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first portion of description information to the NF requester; the NF requester sending the first message to the network storage network element, the first message also including parameters of the service requested by the NF requester; and the NF requester receiving a second message sent by the network storage network element; wherein, when the first message includes the first indication information, the second message includes the first portion of description information from the description information of the NF provider that matches the parameters. Since only the first portion of description information is returned, the amount of returned data is relatively small, thereby reducing the complexity of data transmission during the service discovery process of the network storage network element, improving the service processing speed of the NF requester and the speed of the service discovery process. In this embodiment, the NF requester can decide whether to have the network storage network element return the description information or the first portion of the description information based on specific needs, thereby increasing the flexibility of the solution.

[0015] In one possible implementation of the third aspect, when the first message does not carry the first indication information, the second message includes description information of the NF provider that matches the parameters; before the NF requester sends the first message to the network storage network element, the method further includes: when the network storage network element is required to return description information to the network function NF requester, the NF requester does not carry the first indication information in the first message. In this implementation, the NF requester can decide, based on specific needs, whether to have the network storage network element return the description information or return the first portion of the description information, thereby increasing the flexibility of the solution.

[0016] In a possible implementation of the second and / or third aspects above, the first indication information includes: a preset bit value carried by a preset bit position of the first message. For example, if the bit value of the preset bit position is set to 1, it indicates that the first message carries the first indication information. If the bit value of the preset bit position is set to zero, or the preset bit position does not carry any content and is empty, it can also be said that the preset bit position is default, which indicates that the first message does not carry the first indication information.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the second aspect and / or the third aspect above, the NF requester sends the first message to the network storage network element, including: the NF requester receives the service request sent by the terminal device, and when it determines that no NF provider that matches the parameters and can provide the required service to the terminal device is found in the local storage area, sends the first message to the network storage network element. The service request includes the parameters of the service required by the terminal device. In this implementation, when the NF requester receives the service request, it first searches locally, and only initiates the service discovery process when no NF provider is found. In this way, the number of times the service discovery process is initiated can be reduced, the pressure on the network storage network element can be relieved, the amount of network data transmission can be reduced, and network resources can be saved.

[0018] In one possible implementation of the second and / or third aspects, the first portion of description information includes: the priority of the NF provider, the weight of the NF provider, and the load of the NF provider. This can reduce the amount of data returned by the network storage element during the service discovery process to the NF requester and also meet the NF requester's need to select an NF provider based on the first portion of description information.

[0019] In a possible implementation of the second and / or third aspects above, after the NF requester receives the second message sent by the network storage network element, the method further includes: the NF requester receives the second portion of the description information in the description information sent by the network storage network element; wherein the second portion of the description information includes: all or part of the information in the description information of the NF provider other than the first portion of the description information. In this way, when the NF requester subsequently receives similar service requirements from other terminal devices, it can query the information of the NF provider locally, thereby reducing the process of interacting with the network storage network element and improving the service processing speed.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the second and / or third aspects above, before the NF requester receives the second part of the description information in the description information sent by the network storage network element, it also includes: the NF requester sends a third message to the network storage network element, and the third message includes the identifier of the NF provider; the NF requester receives the second part of the description information in the description information sent by the network storage network element, including: the NF requester receives a fourth message, and the fourth message includes the second part of the description information. The timing of sending the third message can be flexibly selected. For example, the NF requester can first execute the process of ending the service acquisition of the terminal device and provide the corresponding service for the terminal device, and then send the third message to trigger the network storage network element to return the second part of the description information. This can improve the speed of the business process of providing services to the terminal device.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the second and / or third aspects above, the fourth message further includes second indication information, which is used to indicate the identifier of the second portion of the description information. In this way, the NF requester can specify parameters that the network storage element needs to return, such as the identifier of the second portion of the description information. In this way, on the one hand, when a terminal requests the provision of a corresponding service, it can query whether the NF provider meets the requirements based on the first and second portions of the description information. On the other hand, compared to a solution in which all the description information of the NF provider is returned to the NF requester, the amount of data transmitted during the service discovery process can be reduced. Furthermore, the first and second portions of the description information are sent as two separate signaling messages. The first portion of the description information has a smaller data volume and is returned to the NF requester first, further accelerating the process of providing the corresponding service to the terminal device. The second portion of the description information is then returned to the NF requester to allow local queries when similar service requests are subsequently received, thereby improving service processing speed.

[0022] In one possible implementation of the second and / or third aspects above, before the NF requester sends the fourth message to the network storage network element, the method further includes: the NF requester determining, based on a preset correspondence between the NF provider type identifier and the identifier of the second partial description information, and the NF provider type identifier, the identifier of the second partial description information corresponding to the type identifier provided by the NF; and the NF requester including the second indication information indicating the identifier of the second partial description information in the third message. In this way, appropriate second partial description information can be selected based on the type of the NF provider, providing a more flexible solution.

[0023] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a transceiver unit and a processing unit, configured to perform any embodiment of any of the communication methods described in aspects 1 to 3 above. The transceiver unit is configured to perform functions related to sending and receiving. Optionally, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, and the transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit or port of the communication chip.

[0024] In another design, the transceiver unit may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the transceiver unit may be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0025] Optionally, the communication device further includes modules that can be used to execute any implementation of any communication method of the first to third aspects above.

[0026] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is the aforementioned NF requester or network storage element. The device includes a processor and a memory. Optionally, the device further includes a transceiver. The memory is configured to store a computer program or instruction, and the processor is configured to retrieve and execute the computer program or instruction from the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction in the memory, the communication device executes any implementation of any of the communication methods described in aspects 1 to 3 above.

[0027] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0028] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0029] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0030] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and is configured to execute the method of any one of aspects 1 to 3, and any possible implementation of aspects 1 to 3. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a memory. Optionally, the communication device further comprises a communication interface, the processor being coupled to the communication interface.

[0031] In another implementation, the communication device is a network device. When the communication device is a network device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0032] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. 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.

[0033] In a seventh aspect, a system is provided, which includes the above-mentioned NF requester and a network storage network element.

[0034] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when run, enables a computer to execute a method in any possible implementation of the first aspect, or enables a computer to execute a method in any implementation of the first to third aspects.

[0035] In the ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions) which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute a method in any possible implementation of the first to third aspects above.

[0036] In a tenth aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal via the input circuit and transmit a signal via the output circuit, so that the method of any one of the first to third aspects, and any possible implementation of the first to third aspects, is implemented.

[0037] In a specific implementation, the processing device may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another network system architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 3A flowchart of a NF-based communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 4 A flowchart of another NF-based communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device is provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device is provided for an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 7 A structural diagram of another communication device is provided for an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] Figure 1 This is an example of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 The communication system provided in the embodiments of the present application may generally include the following devices, network elements, and networks:

[0046] 1. Terminal devices 112: These may include various handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, as well as various forms of terminals, including mobile stations (MS), terminals, user equipment (UE), and soft terminals. Examples include water meters, electricity meters, and sensors.

[0047] 2. (Radio) Access Network (R) AN) Element 113: Provides network access for authorized terminal devices in a specific area and enables the use of transmission tunnels of different qualities based on the level of the terminal device and service requirements.

[0048] The (R)AN network element 113 can manage wireless resources, provide access services for terminal devices, and then complete the forwarding of control signals and terminal device data between the terminal device and the core network. The (R)AN can also be understood as a base station in a traditional network.

[0049] 3. User plane network element: used for packet routing and forwarding, as well as quality of service (QoS) processing of user plane data.

[0050] like Figure 1As shown, in a 5G communication system, the user plane network element may be a user plane function (UPF) network element 114, which may include an intermediate user plane function (I-UPF) network element and an anchor user plane function (A-UPF) network element. In future communication systems, the user plane network element may still be a UPF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0051] 4. Data network (DN) network element 115: used to provide a network for transmitting data.

[0052] like Figure 1 As shown, in the 5G communication system, the data network can be DN1 and DN2. In future communication systems, the data network can still be DN, or it can have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0053] 5. Access management element: Mainly used for mobility management and access management. It can be used to implement other functions of the mobility management entity (MME) in addition to session management, such as lawful interception and access authorization / authentication.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, in the 5G communication system, the access management network element may be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element 109. In future communication systems, the access management network element may still be an AMF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0055] 6. Session management network element: mainly used for session management, Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management of terminal devices, selection of endpoints for manageable user plane functions, policy control and charging function interfaces, and downlink data notification.

[0056] like Figure 1As shown, in a 5G communication system, the session management network element may be a session management function (SMF) network element 110, which may include an intermediate session management function (I-SMF) network element and an anchor session management function (A-SMF) network element. In future communication systems, the session management network element may still be an SMF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0057] 7. Policy control network element: A unified policy framework used to guide network behavior and provide policy rule information for control plane functional network elements (such as AMF, SMF network elements, etc.).

[0058] In a 4G communication system, the policy control network element may be a policy and charging rules function (PCRF) network element. Figure 1 As shown, in the 5G communication system, the policy control network element may be a policy control function (PCF) network element 104. In future communication systems, the policy control network element may still be a PCF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0059] 8. Authentication service network element: used for authentication services, generating keys to achieve two-way authentication of terminal devices, and supporting a unified authentication framework.

[0060] like Figure 1 As shown, in the 5G communication system, the authentication service network element may be an authentication server function (AUSF) network element 108. In future communication systems, the authentication server function network element may still be an AUSF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0061] 9. Data management network element: used to process terminal device identification, access authentication, registration and mobility management, etc.

[0062] like Figure 1 As shown, in the 5G communication system, the data management network element may be a unified data management (UDM) network element 105. In future communication systems, the unified data management may still be a UDM network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0063] 10. Application network element: used for data routing affected by applications, accessing network open function network elements, interacting with the policy framework for policy control, etc.

[0064] like Figure 1 As shown, in the 5G communication system, the application network element may be an application function (AF) network element 107. In future communication systems, the application network element may still be an AF network element 107, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0065] 11. Network storage network element: used to maintain real-time information of all network function services in the network.

[0066] In a 5G communication system, the network storage network element may be a network repository function (NRF) network element 103. In future communication systems, the network storage network element may still be an NRF network element, or may have other names, which are not limited in this application.

[0067] 12. Network slice selection function network element: used to provide network slice selection function.

[0068] like Figure 1 As shown, in the 5G communication system, the network slice selection function network element can be the network slice selection function (NSSF) network element 101. In future communication systems, the network slice selection function network element can still be the NSSF network element, or it can have other names, which is not limited in this application.

[0069] 13. Network capability exposure function network element: used to provide network customization functions.

[0070] like Figure 1 As shown, in the 5G communication system, the network capability exposure function network element can be a network capability exposure function (NEF) network element 102. In future communication systems, the network capability exposure function network element can still be an NEF network element, or it can have other names, which is not limited in this application.

[0071] 14. Network Analysis Function Element: This element provides data analysis capabilities at the instance level of the network slice. For example, it can acquire data, use it for training and analysis, and make inferences based on the analysis results.

[0072] like Figure 1As shown, in the 5G communication system, the network analysis function network element can be the network analysis function (NWDAF) network element 106. In future communication systems, the network analysis function network element can still be the NWDAF network element, or it can have other names, which is not limited in this application.

[0073] 15. Service communication function network element: used to provide selective communication functions between NFs.

[0074] like Figure 1 As shown, in the 5G communication system, the service communication function network element can be a service communication function (SCP) network element 111. In future communication systems, the service communication function network element can still be an SCP network element, or it can have other names, which is not limited in this application.

[0075] It is understandable that the above-mentioned network elements or functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The above-mentioned network elements or functions can be divided into one or more services. Furthermore, there may be services that exist independently of the network functions. In this application, instances of the above-mentioned functions, or instances of services included in the above-mentioned functions, or service instances that exist independently of the network functions may be referred to as service instances.

[0076] Furthermore, the AF network element can be abbreviated as AF, the NRF network element can be abbreviated as NRF, and the PCF network element can be abbreviated as PCF. That is, the AF described later in this application can be replaced by the application network element, the NRF can be replaced by the network storage network element, and the PCF can be replaced by the policy control network element.

[0077] For the convenience of explanation, in this application, the method for UPF selection or SMF selection is explained by taking the device as an SMF network element, an AMF network element, and a network storage network element as an example. For the implementation method where the device is a chip within an SMF network element, a chip within an AMF network element, or a chip within a network storage network element, please refer to the specific description that the devices are SMF network elements, AMF network elements, and network storage network elements, and no repetition will be given.

[0078] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application are not limited to the above-mentioned system architecture, but may also be applied to other future communication systems, such as the 6th generation (6G) communication system architecture. Furthermore, the names of the various network elements used in the embodiments of the present application may retain the same functions in future communication systems, but the names may be changed.

[0079] Figure 2A schematic diagram of a network system architecture applicable to the embodiment of the present application is shown as an example. Figure 2 As shown, it includes a network storage network element 131, an NF requester and an NF provider. There can be one or more NF requesters, such as Figure 2 NF requester 132 is shown in FIG. There may also be one or more NF providers, such as Figure 2 NF provider 133 and NF provider 134 are shown in FIG. NF requester can be written as NF Consumer in English, which belongs to the network function consumer. NF provider can be written as NF Producer in English, which belongs to the network function provider.

[0080] In the embodiment of the present application, the NF requester may be the AMF network element 109, the SMF network element 110, the NSSF network element 101, and the like.

[0081] The NF provider in the embodiment of the present application can be PCF network element 104, UDM network element 105, AUSF network element 108, charging function (CHF) network element, SMF network element 110, UPF network element 114, network storage network element 103 and NSSF network element 101, etc.

[0082] NF providers can provide many services, such as UDM network element 105 can provide user contract information, PCF network element 104 can provide user policy control, AUSF network element 108 can provide user authentication services, CHF network element can provide user billing information statistics services, SMF network element 110 can provide session access services, and UPF network element 114 can provide data transmission services.

[0083] Figure 3 The following is a flow chart showing a communication method based on NF provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 Shown, including:

[0084] In step 201, the NF requester carries first indication information in a first message.

[0085] The first indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first part of the description information to the NF requester.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present application, there can be multiple implementation methods for the NF requester to send the first message. For example, when the NF requester needs to initiate a service discovery process, the first message sent by the NF requester carries the first indication information. For example, in another implementation method, the NF requester can decide whether to carry the first indication information in the first message based on actual needs. For example, when the network storage network element is required to return all the description information, the first indication information may not be carried in the first message, but when the network storage network element is only required to return the first part of the description information, the first indication information may be carried in the first message. The NF requester can select the NF provider based on the first part of the description information. This solution can improve the flexibility of the solution. Step 202, the NF requester sends the first message to the network storage network element.

[0087] Correspondingly, the network storage network element receives the first message sent by the network function NF requester.

[0088] In an optional implementation, the first message may be a service discovery request, which may be written as NF discovery request in English. The NF requester may perform a service discovery process through a network storage element to discover an NF provider that can provide services to the NF requester.

[0089] The first message also includes parameters of the service requested by the NF requester. In a specific implementation, there are multiple services requested by the NF requester, such as a session service request, a data transmission service request, a policy information request, a billing information request, an authentication request, and the like. In a specific implementation, the parameters included in the first message may include one or more contents. In the embodiment of the present application, several examples of parameters included in the first message are listed. The parameters included in the first message may be: the type of NF provider that can provide services to the terminal device, the type of service requested by the NF requester, the information of the network slice requested by the NF requester, the type of data network requested by the NF requester, the location information of the user served by the service requested by the NF requester, the identification information of the user served by the service requested by the NF requester, the session type of the service requested by the NF requester, the features that the NF provider that can provide services to the terminal device needs to support, the public land mobile network (PLMN) of the service requested by the NF requester, etc.

[0090] Step 203: The network storage NE determines an NF provider that matches the parameters based on the parameters.

[0091] In step 203, the network storage network element determines that there may be only one NF provider that matches the parameters, and the NF provider can provide the service requested by the NF requester to the NF requester.

[0092] Step 204: When the first message includes the first indication information, the network storage network element carries the first part of the description information of the NF provider in the second message.

[0093] In an optional implementation, the first message may be a service discovery response. Service discovery response can be written in English as: NF discovery response.

[0094] If the network storage network element determines one or more NF providers in step 203, the network storage network element may include the first portion of description information for each of all the determined NF providers in the second message in step 204. Alternatively, the network storage network element may include the first portion of description information for some of the determined NF providers in the second message. The first portion of description information included in the second message by the network storage network element in step 204 may correspond to one or more NF providers.

[0095] The above content is described using the concept of a set. The first NF provider set includes one or more NF providers. Each NF provider in the first NF provider is an NF provider that is determined by the network storage network element in step 203 to match the parameters and can provide the service requested by the NF requester to the NF requester. The second NF provider set includes all or part of the NF providers in the first NF provider set. The second NF provider set includes one or more NF providers. And each NF provider in the second NF provider set is the NF provider corresponding to the first part of the description information carried by the network storage network element in the second downlink in step 204. In the embodiment of the present application, an NF provider includes a first part of description information. Based on this, the NF provider corresponding to the first part of the description information in the embodiment of the present application refers to: the NF provider including the first part of the description information.

[0096] Step 205: The network storage network element sends a second message to the NF requester.

[0097] Correspondingly, the NF requester receives the second message sent by the network storage network element.

[0098] Among them, when the first message carries the first indication information, the second message includes the first part of the description information in the description information of the NF provider that matches the parameter.

[0099] Figure 4 The flowchart of another NF-based communication method provided by the embodiment of the present application is shown as follows: Figure 4 As shown, before step 203, step 301 may be further included.

[0100] Step 301: The NF provider sends a registration request to the network storage element.

[0101] In step 301, a registration request is sent to register an NF provider with the network storage network element. The registration request can be written as "NF register" in English. In step 203, the network storage network element determines, based on the parameters, an NF provider that matches the parameters from among the NF providers already registered with the network storage network element.

[0102] In step 301, the registration request may include partial description information of the NF provider. For example, this may include the NF provider's identifier, NF provider's priority, NF provider's weight, NF provider's load, service coverage, supported service types, supported user number segments, supported session types, served PLMNs, supported features, load status, etc. The partial description information of the NF provider may also be sent by the NF provider after registering on the network storage network element.

[0103] The description information of the NF provider in the embodiment of the present application can be understood as all description information reported by the NF provider to the network storage network element, and can also be called the entire description information or full description information of the NF provider.

[0104] In the embodiment of the present application, the first part of the description information may be part of the description information reported by the NF provider to the network storage network element. The first part of the description information may also be called the summary information of the NF provider, which can be written as abstract profile in English. The first part of the description information may include part of the description information of the NF provider. For example, the first part of the description information may also include the identifier of the NF provider. For another example, it may also include any one or more of the priority of the NF provider, the weight of the NF provider, and the load of the NF provider.

[0105] In an embodiment of the present application, the identifier of the NF provider may be an identifier (ID) of the NF provider or a type identifier indicating the type of the NF provider. The weight of the NF provider may be set by the operator on the system when deploying the NF provider. It may also be changed later. The load of the NF provider may be reported by the NF provider. Specifically, the NF provider may detect its own load according to certain rules, such as periodically detecting its own load, and reporting the detected load of the NF provider to the network storage network element.

[0106] Through the above steps 201 to 205, it can be seen that in the implementation mode of the present application, since only the first part of the description information is returned and the amount of returned data is small, it can reduce the complexity of data transmission in the service discovery process of the network storage network element, improve the business processing speed of the NF requester, and improve the speed of the service discovery process.

[0107] like Figure 4 As shown, before the above step 202, step 401 may also be included:

[0108] Step 401: When the network storage network element is required to return description information to the network function NF requester, the NF requester does not carry first indication information in the first message.

[0109] Correspondingly, after step 203 , step 402 is also included.

[0110] Step 402: When the network storage network element determines that the first indication information is not included in the first message, the network storage network element carries the description information of the NF provider in the second message.

[0111] That is, before the NF requester sends the first message in step 202, if the NF requester requires the network storage element to return only the first portion of the description information, the first indication information is included in the first message. If the network storage element is required to return all the description information, the first indication information is not included in the first message.

[0112] With respect to the network storage network element, when the first message includes the first indication information, the network storage network element sends the first portion of the description information to the NF requester, and when the first message does not include the first indication information, the network storage network element sends the description information to the NF requester. In this embodiment, the NF requester can request to obtain the entire description information or the first portion of the description information from the NF provider based on specific needs, making the service discovery process more flexible and more tailored to actual needs.

[0113] The first indication information can take many forms, such as a preset value on a preset bit in the first message. In one implementation, when the first message is a service discovery request, the signaling of the service discovery request can be extended. When the value carried by the bit after the extension of the service discovery request is 1, it can indicate that the network storage network element only needs to return the first part of the description information to the NF requester in the second message, and there is no need to return the full description information of the NF provider to the NF requester in the second message. If the bit value on the preset bit is set to zero, or the preset bit does not carry content and is empty, it can also be said that the preset bit is default, which means that the first message does not carry the first indication information. The network storage network element needs to return the full description information of the NF provider to the NF requester in the second message. It can be seen that when the network storage network element needs to return only the first part of the description information to the NF requester in the second message, it can be achieved by adding one bit to the service discovery request. The changes to the service discovery request and the service discovery process are relatively small, and it is more compatible with existing solutions.

[0114] Correspondingly, in another embodiment, if the signaling of the service discovery request is not extended, it means that the network storage network element returns the full description information of the NF provider to the NF requester in the second message. Alternatively, it can be described as a default absence of an indication in the first message, which means that the network storage network element returns the full description information of the NF provider to the NF requester in the second message. As can be seen, in this implementation, when the network storage network element is required to return the full description information of the NF provider in the second message, there is no need to modify the service discovery request, thus achieving greater compatibility with existing technologies.

[0115] In the third implementation, if the signaling of the service discovery request is extended, and when the value carried by the bit after the extension of the service discovery request is 0, it means that the network storage network element returns all the description information of the NF provider to the NF requester in the second message. It can be seen that in this implementation, when the network storage network element is required to return all the description information of the NF provider in the second message, it can be implemented by adding 1 bit to the service discovery request. This implementation can also be described as: when the first indication information is not carried in the first message, the third indication information can be carried in the first message, and the third indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return all the description information to the NF requester. This implementation method has fewer changes to the service discovery request and the service discovery process, and is more compatible with existing solutions.

[0116] In the above content, the NF requester may also send a first message that does not carry the first indication information, and the network storage network element may determine whether to return the first part of the description information or all the description information to the NF requester based on the parameters carried in the first message.

[0117] like Figure 4 As shown, after the above step 205, steps 501, 502 and 503 may be further included.

[0118] In step 501, the NF requester determines a target NF provider from one or more NF providers that match the parameters.

[0119] Step 502: The NF requester sends a service acquisition request to the target NF provider.

[0120] The service acquisition request may include the type of NF provider that can provide the service to the terminal device, the type of service requested by the NF requester, the type of data network requested by the NF requester, the location information of the user served by the service requested by the NF requester, the identification information of the user served by the service requested by the NF requester, the session type of the service requested by the NF requester, the features that the NF provider that can provide the service to the terminal device needs to support, and the PLMN of the service requested by the NF requester. A service acquisition request can be written as "service request" in English. A service acquisition request is used to request the target NF provider to provide the corresponding service.

[0121] Correspondingly, after receiving the service acquisition request, the NF provider provides the corresponding service.

[0122] Step 503: The target NF provider returns a service acquisition response to the NF requester.

[0123] The service acquisition response may include the service scope covered by the target NF provider, the service types supported by the target NF provider, the user number segments supported by the target NF provider, the session types supported by the target NF provider, the PLMN served by the target NF provider, the features supported by the target NF provider, the load status of the target NF provider, etc. The service acquisition request can be written as service response in English.

[0124] After step 205, the NF requester can cache the first portion of the received NF provider description information in a local storage area. This allows the requester to search the local storage area for a matching NF provider when receiving subsequent similar service requests. Specifically, steps 601 and 602 may be included before step 201.

[0125] Step 601: The NF requester receives a service request sent by a terminal device.

[0126] The service request may be used to request a service for a terminal device, such as a service provided by a physical network function (PNF). The service request may include information such as a terminal identifier.

[0127] In step 602, the NF requester searches the local storage area, and if it is determined that no NF provider matching the parameters and capable of providing the required service to the terminal device is found in the local storage area, step 201 or the above step 401 is executed.

[0128] In step 603, the NF requester searches the local storage area. If an NF provider that matches the parameters and can provide the required service to the terminal device is found in the local storage area, the above step 501 can be directly executed.

[0129] After the above step 205, step 701 may be further included:

[0130] Step 701: The network storage network element sends the second part of the description information of the NF provider to the NF requester.

[0131] The second part of the description information includes: all or part of the information in the description information of the NF provider except the first part of the description information.

[0132] Correspondingly, after the NF requester receives the second message sent by the network storage network element, the method further includes:

[0133] The NF requester receives the second part of the description information in the description information sent by the network storage network element;

[0134] The second part of the description information includes: all or part of the information in the description information of the NF provider except the first part of the description information.

[0135] In step 701, the second portion of the description information can be carried in a fourth message. Specifically, step 701 can also be described as follows: the network storage element carries the second portion of the description information with the NF provider in a fourth message and sends the fourth message to the NF requester. In response, the NF requester receives the fourth message, which includes the second portion of the description information.

[0136] In other words, after the network storage element returns the first portion of the description information to the NF provider via the first message, the service discovery process can be accelerated due to the smaller amount of the first portion of the description information. Furthermore, the second portion of the description information is subsequently sent to the NF requester, allowing the NF requester to first search the local cache for a matching NF provider when it receives other similar service requests.

[0137] There are many ways to implement the above step 701, for example, the network storage NE may actively trigger the process after carrying the first part of the description information in the second message, or the NF may actively request the network storage NE to obtain the second part of the description information by sending a message to the network storage NE.

[0138] In one case, the second part of the description information may be all the information in the description information of the NF provider except the first part of the description information.

[0139] In another case, the second portion of the description information may be part of the description information of the NF provider other than the first portion of the description information. In this case, a correspondence between the type identifier of the NF provider and the identifier of the second portion of the description information may be preset in the network storage network element. The network storage network element may determine the second portion of the description information of the NF provider based on the type identifier of the NF provider.

[0140] In the embodiment of the present application, there are multiple correspondences between the type identifier of the NF provider and the identifier of the second part of the description information. For example, if the type identifier of the NF provider is UDM, then the identifier of the second part of the description information corresponding to the type identifier of the NF provider is the number segment information. In this case, the network storage network element will send the number segment information supported by the NF provider to the NF requester, that is, the second part of the description information corresponding to the identifier of the second part of the description information will be sent to the NF requester.

[0141] When the NF requester sends a message to the network storage NE to actively request to obtain the second part of the description information, after the above step 205 and before the above step 701, step 702 may be further included:

[0142] Step 702: The NF requester sends a third message to the network storage network element, where the third message includes the identifier of the NF provider.

[0143] Correspondingly, the network storage network element receives the third message sent by the NF requester, and the third message includes the identifier of the NF provider.

[0144] In an optional implementation, the fourth message further includes second indication information, and the second indication information is used to indicate the identifier of the second part of the description information. Correspondingly, after the above step 205 and before the above step 702, step 703 is also included:

[0145] Step 703: The NF requester determines the identifier of the second part of the description information corresponding to the type identifier provided by the NF based on the correspondence between the preset type identifier of the NF provider and the identifier of the second part of the description information, as well as the type identifier of the NF provider; the NF requester carries the second indication information used to indicate the second part of the description information in the third message.

[0146] It can also be said that the identifier of the second part of the description information is determined by the NF requester based on the correspondence between the preset type identifier of the NF provider and the identifier of the second part of the description information, as well as the type identifier of the NF provider.

[0147] The second indication information can be directly the second part of the description information, for example, the identifier of the second part of the description information is the number segment information of the NF provider, and the second indication information is the number segment. The second indication information can also be other information that can indicate the second part of the description information. For example, the correspondence between the second indication information and the identifier of the second part of the description information can be stored on the NF requester and the network storage network element. When the NF requester queries the identifier of the second part of the description information as the number segment based on the correspondence, the second indication information is: the preset bit of the third message is set to 1. When the network storage network element receives the third message, it is found that the preset bit of the third message is set to 1. It is then found from the correspondence between the second indication information and the identifier of the second part of the description information that the identifier of the second part of the description information is the number segment information. Therefore, the content corresponding to the number segment information of the NF provider (that is, the second part of the description information corresponding to the identifier of the second part of the description information) is returned to the NF requester.

[0148] In an optional implementation, when the third message does not carry the second indication information, the network storage network element may return all description information of the NF provider except the first part of the description information to the NF requester.

[0149] The embodiment of the present application also provides an implementation method, which is implemented by extending the retrievalAttributes / unretrievalAttributes information element in the third message. For an NF provider, when the third message includes retrieval Attributes, it means that the network storage network element needs to return all descriptive information included in the list associated with retrievalAttributes to the NF requester. When the third message includes unretrievalAttributes, it means that the network storage network element needs to return all descriptive information of the NF provider included in the list associated with unretrieval Attributes to the NF requester.

[0150] For example, when the NF requester is AMF and the NF provider is UDM, the descriptive information included in the list associated with the retrievalAttributes carried in the third message can be: number segment information. In this case, the network storage network element needs to return the NF provider's number segment information to the NF requester via the fourth message.

[0151] For another example, when the NF requester is the AMF and the NF provider is the SMF, the descriptive information included in the list associated with the retrievalAttributes carried in the third message may be: location information. In this case, the network storage NE needs to return the NF provider's location information to the NF requester via the fourth message.

[0152] For another example, when the NF requester is the AMF and the NF provider is the SMF, the descriptive information included in the list associated with the unretrieval attributes carried in the third message may include priority and weight. In this case, the network storage NE needs to return all descriptive information of the NF provider, except priority and weight, to the NF requester via the fourth message.

[0153] As can be seen from the above step 701, or as can be seen from steps 702 and 703, in the embodiment of the present application, the network storage network element can return the description information of the NF provider to the NF requester in two parts. After returning the first part of the description information, the NF requester can select the target NF provider based on the first part of the description information, thereby speeding up the service discovery process. The subsequent return of the second part of the description information to the NF requester not only allows the NF requester to cache the second part of the description information for subsequent use, but also, compared to the solution of carrying all the description information of the NF provider in the second message, the second part of the description information in the embodiment of the present application can be: part of the information in the description information of the NF provider other than the first part of the description information, that is, the second part of the description information can be the information of the NF provider specified by the fourth part, which can reduce the cache amount of the NF requester in the local storage area and also speed up the transmission speed of the second part of the description information.

[0154] According to the above method, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the communication device can be an NF requester or a network storage network element, or it can be a chip or circuit, such as a chip or circuit that can be set in a network storage network element.

[0155] Furthermore, the communication device 801 may further include a bus system, wherein the processor 802 , the memory 804 , and the transceiver 803 may be connected via the bus system.

[0156] It should be understood that the processor 802 may be a chip. For example, the processor 802 may be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a central processor unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips.

[0157] During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in processor 802 or by software instructions. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in processor 802. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in memory 804, and processor 802 reads the information in memory 804 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0158] It should be noted that the processor 802 in the embodiments of the present application can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium mature in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

[0159] It is understood that the memory 804 in the embodiment of the present application can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus RAM (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0160] In the case where the communication device 801 corresponds to the network storage network element in the above method, the communication device may include a processor 802, a transceiver 803 and a memory 804. The memory 804 is used to store instructions, and the processor 802 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 804 to implement the above method. Figures 2 to 4 A related solution of a network storage network element in any one or more corresponding methods shown in .

[0161] When the communication device 801 is the above-mentioned network storage network element, the communication device 801 can be used to perform the above-mentioned Figures 2 to 4The method executed by the network storage network element in any of the schemes. When the communication device 801 is the above-mentioned network storage network element, the transceiver 803 is used to receive a first message sent by an NF requester and send a second message to the NF requester, wherein the first message includes parameters of the service requested by the NF requester; the processor 802 is used to determine, based on the parameters, an NF provider that matches the parameters; when the first message includes first indication information, the first part of the description information of the NF provider is carried in the second message, and the first indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first part of the description information to the NF requester.

[0162] In a possible implementation manner, the processor 802 is further configured to: when the first indication information is not included in the first message, carry the description information of the NF provider in the second message.

[0163] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 803 is further used to: send the second part of the description information in the description information to the NF requester; wherein the second part of the description information includes: all or part of the information in the description information of the NF provider except the first part of the description information.

[0164] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 803 is further configured to receive a third message sent by the NF requester, wherein the third message includes an identifier of the NF provider. The processor 802 is specifically configured to carry the second portion of description information about the NF provider in a fourth message, and send the fourth message to the NF requester via the transceiver 803.

[0165] In a possible implementation manner, the identifier of the second part of the description information is determined by the NF requester according to a correspondence between a preset type identifier of the NF provider and an identifier of the second part of the description information, and the type identifier of the NF provider.

[0166] In the case where the communication device 801 corresponds to the NF requester in the above method, the communication device may include a processor 802, a transceiver 803 and a memory 804. The memory 804 is used to store instructions, and the processor 802 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 804 to implement the above Figures 2 to 4 The relevant scheme of the NF requester in any one or more corresponding methods shown in .

[0167] When the communication device 801 is the NF requester, the communication device 801 can be used to perform the above Figures 2 to 4The method performed by the NF requester in any of the solutions. When the communication device 801 is the above-mentioned NF requester, the processor 802 is configured to: carry first indication information in a first message, where the first indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first part of description information to the NF requester;

[0168] Transceiver 803 is used to: send the first message to the network storage network element, the first message also including the parameters of the service requested by the NF requester; receive the second message sent by the network storage network element; wherein, when the first message carries the first indication information, the second message includes the first part of the description information in the description information of the NF provider that matches the parameters.

[0169] In one possible implementation, the transceiver 803 is further used to: receive the second part of the description information in the description information sent by the network storage network element; wherein the second part of the description information includes: all or part of the information in the description information of the NF provider except the first part of the description information.

[0170] In a possible implementation, the transceiver 803 is further used to: send a third message to the network storage network element, wherein the third message includes the identifier of the NF provider; and receive a fourth message, wherein the fourth message includes the second part description information.

[0171] In one possible implementation, the processor 802 is further used to: determine the identifier of the second part of the description information corresponding to the type identifier provided by the NF based on the correspondence between the preset type identifier of the NF provider and the identifier of the second part of the description information, and the type identifier of the NF provider; and carry the second indication information used to indicate the identifier of the second part of the description information in the third message.

[0172] For the concepts, explanations, detailed descriptions and other steps involved in the communication device and related to the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application, please refer to the descriptions of these contents in the aforementioned methods or other embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0173] According to the above method, Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, the communication device 901 may include a communication interface 904, a processor 902, and a transceiver 903. The communication interface 904 is used to input and / or output information; the processor 902 is used to execute computer programs or instructions, so that the communication device 901 can achieve the above Figures 2 to 4 The method of the NF requester side in the related scheme, or the communication device 901 implements the above Figures 2 to 4 In the embodiment of the present application, the transceiver 903 can implement the above Figure 5 The solution implemented by the transceiver 802, the processor 902 can implement the above Figure 5 The solution implemented by the processor 802 will not be described in detail here.

[0174] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes the aforementioned network storage network element and one or more NF requesters.

[0175] Based on the above embodiments and the same concept, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 7 As shown, the communication device 1001 can be an NF requester or a network storage network element, or it can be a chip or circuit, such as a chip or circuit that can be set in a network device.

[0176] When the communication device 1001 corresponds to the network storage network element in the above method, the communication device may include a processing unit 1002, a transceiver unit 1003 and a memory 1004. The memory 1004 is used to store instructions, and the processing unit 1002 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1004 to implement the above method. Figures 2 to 4 A related solution of a network storage network element in any one or more corresponding methods shown in .

[0177] When the communication device 1001 is the above-mentioned network storage network element, the transceiver unit 1003 is used to receive a first message sent by a network function NF requester and send a second message to the NF requester, wherein the first message includes parameters of the service requested by the NF requester; the processing unit 1002 is used to determine the NF provider that matches the parameters based on the parameters; when the first message includes first indication information, the first part of the description information in the description information of the NF provider is carried in the second message, and the first indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first part of the description information to the NF requester.

[0178] The communication device may correspond to the NF requester in the above method. Figures 2 to 4 The communication device may include a processing unit 1002 and a transceiver unit 1003.

[0179] When the communication device 1001 is the above-mentioned NF requester, the processing unit 1002 is used to: carry the first indication information in the first message, and the first indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first part of the description information to the NF requester; the transceiver unit 1003 is used to: send the first message to the network storage network element, and the first message also includes the parameters of the service requested by the NF requester; receive the second message sent by the network storage network element; wherein, when the first indication information is carried in the first message, the second message includes the first part of the description information in the description information of the NF provider that matches the parameters.

[0180] For the concepts, explanations, detailed descriptions and other steps involved in the communication device and related to the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application, please refer to the descriptions of these contents in the aforementioned methods or other embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0181] It can be understood that the functions of the various units in the above-mentioned communication device 1001 can be implemented with reference to the corresponding method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0182] It should be understood that the division of the units of the above communication equipment is only a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, all or part of the units can be integrated into one physical network element, or they can be physically separated. In the embodiment of the present application, the transceiver unit 1002 can be composed of the above Figure 5 The processing unit 1002 can be implemented by the transceiver 802 of the above Figure 5 The processor 802 is implemented.

[0183] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: a computer program code, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to execute Figures 2 to 4 A method according to any one of the embodiments shown.

[0184] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a program code, and when the program code is run on a computer, the computer executes Figures 2 to 4 A method according to any one of the embodiments shown.

[0185] According to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a system, which includes one or more terminal devices and one or more network devices as mentioned above.

[0186] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can 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 can 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 can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available 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 high-density digital video disc (DVD)), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disc (SSD)).

[0187] The network devices in the above-mentioned various device embodiments correspond to the network devices or terminal devices in the terminal devices and method embodiments, and the corresponding modules or units perform the corresponding steps. For example, the communication unit (transceiver) performs the receiving or sending steps in the method embodiments, and other steps except sending and receiving can be performed by the processing unit (processor). The functions of the specific units can be referred to in the corresponding method embodiments. Among them, there can be one or more processors.

[0188] As used in this specification, the terms "component", "module", "system", etc. are used to refer to computer-related network elements, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable file, an execution thread, a program and / or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a computing device and a computing device can be a component. One or more components can reside in a process and / or an execution thread, and a component can be located on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. In addition, these components can be executed from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored thereon. Components can communicate, for example, through local and / or remote processes based on signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from two components interacting with another component across a local system, a distributed system and / or a network, such as the Internet interacting with other systems via signals).

[0189] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0190] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, devices and units can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0191] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0192] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0193] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0194] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0195] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method based on a network function NF, characterized in that: include: The network storage network element receives a first message sent by a network function NF requester, where the first message includes parameters of a service requested by the NF requester; The network storage network element determines, based on the parameters, an NF provider that matches the parameters; When the first message includes the first indication information, the network storage network element carries the first part of the description information of the NF provider in the second message, and the first indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first part of the description information to the NF requester, where the first part of the description information is part of the description information of the NF requester; The network storage network element sends the second message to the NF requester.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first indication information includes: a preset bit value carried on a preset bit position of the first message.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The first part of description information includes: the priority of the NF provider, the weight of the NF provider and the load of the NF provider.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: After the network storage network element sends the second message, the method further includes: The network storage network element sends the second part of the description information of the NF provider to the NF requester; The second part of the description information includes: all or part of the information in the description information of the NF provider except the first part of the description information.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein Before the network storage network element sends the second part of the description information of the NF provider to the NF requester, the method further includes: The network storage network element receives a third message sent by the NF requester, where the third message includes an identifier of the NF provider; The network storage network element sends the second part of the description information of the NF provider to the NF requester, including: The network storage network element carries the second part of the description information of the NF provider in a fourth message and sends the fourth message to the NF requester.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein The third message also includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate an identifier of the second part of the description information.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein The identifier of the second part of the description information is determined by the NF requester according to a correspondence between a preset type identifier of the NF provider and an identifier of the second part of the description information, and the type identifier of the NF provider.

8. A communication method based on a network function NF, characterized in that: include: The NF requester carries the first indication information in the first message, where the first indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first part of the description information to the NF requester; The NF requester sends the first message to the network storage network element, where the first message also includes parameters of the service requested by the NF requester; The NF requester receives a second message sent by the network storage network element; Among them, when the first indication information is carried in the first message, the second message includes the first part of the description information in the description information of the NF provider that matches the parameter, and the first part of the description information is a part of the description information of the NF requester.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein The first part of description information includes: the priority of the NF provider, the weight of the NF provider and the load of the NF provider.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that After the NF requester receives the second message sent by the network storage network element, the method further includes: The NF requester receives the second part of the description information in the description information sent by the network storage network element; The second part of the description information includes: all or part of the information in the description information of the NF provider except the first part of the description information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein Before the NF requester receives the second part of the description information in the description information sent by the network storage network element, the method further includes: The NF requester sends a third message to the network storage network element, where the third message includes an identifier of the NF provider; The NF requester receives the second part of the description information in the description information sent by the network storage network element, including: The NF requester receives a fourth message, where the fourth message includes the second part of the description information.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The fourth message also includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate an identifier of the second part of the description information.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Before the NF requesting direction sends the fourth message to the network storage network element, the method further includes: The NF requester determines, based on a preset correspondence between the type identifier of the NF provider and the identifier of the second part of the description information, and the type identifier of the NF provider, the identifier of the second part of the description information corresponding to the type identifier provided by the NF; The NF requester carries the second indication information used to indicate the identifier of the second part description information in the third message.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a transceiver unit, configured to receive a first message sent by a network function NF requester, and send a second message to the NF requester, wherein the first message includes parameters of the service requested by the NF requester; A processing unit is used to determine, based on the parameters, an NF provider that matches the parameters; when the first message includes first indication information, the first part of the description information in the description information of the NF provider is carried in the second message, and the first indication information is used to indicate that the first part of the description information is returned to the NF requester, and the first part of the description information is a part of the description information of the NF requester.

15. The device according to claim 14, characterized in that The first indication information includes: a preset bit value carried on a preset bit position of the first message.

16. The device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The first part of description information includes: the priority of the NF provider, the weight of the NF provider and the load of the NF provider.

17. The device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to: Sending the second part of the description information to the NF requester; The second part of the description information includes: all or part of the information in the description information of the NF provider except the first part of the description information.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein The transceiver unit is further configured to: receiving a third message sent by the NF requester, where the third message includes an identifier of the NF provider; The processing unit is specifically configured to: The second part of the description information about the NF provider is carried in a fourth message, and the fourth message is sent to the NF requester through the transceiver unit.

19. The device according to claim 18, characterized in that The third message also includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate an identifier of the second part of the description information.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein The identifier of the second part of the description information is determined by the NF requester according to a correspondence between a preset type identifier of the NF provider and an identifier of the second part of the description information, and the type identifier of the NF provider.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: include: The processing unit is configured to: carry first indication information in a first message, where the first indication information is used to instruct the network storage network element to return the first part of the description information; The transceiver unit is configured to: send the first message to the network storage network element, wherein the first message further includes parameters of the service requested by the NF requester; and receive a second message sent by the network storage network element; Among them, when the first indication information is carried in the first message, the second message includes the first part of the description information in the description information of the NF provider that matches the parameter, and the first part of the description information is a part of the description information of the NF requester.

22. The device according to claim 21, wherein The first part of description information includes: the priority of the NF provider, the weight of the NF provider and the load of the NF provider.

23. The device according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that The transceiver unit is further configured to: receiving a second part of the description information in the description information sent by the network storage network element; The second part of the description information includes: all or part of the information in the description information of the NF provider except the first part of the description information.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein The transceiver unit is further configured to: Sending a third message to the network storage network element, where the third message includes an identifier of the NF provider; A fourth message is received, where the fourth message includes the second part of description information.

25. The device according to claim 24, characterized in that The fourth message also includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to indicate an identifier of the second part of the description information.

26. The device according to claim 25, characterized in that The processing unit is further configured to: Determining the identifier of the second part of the description information corresponding to the type identifier provided by the NF according to the preset correspondence between the type identifier of the NF provider and the identifier of the second part of the description information, and the type identifier of the NF provider; The second indication information used to indicate the identifier of the second part of the description information is carried in the third message.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor and a memory, The memory is used to store computer programs or instructions; The processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction in the memory, so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is performed.

28. A communication device, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor and a communication interface, The communication interface is used to input and / or output information; The processor is configured to execute a computer program or instruction so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is performed.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, which, when called by a computer, enable the computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

30. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is coupled to the processor, and the processor is configured to run a computer program or instruction so that the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is executed.

31. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises the communication device according to any one of claims 14 to 20, and the communication device according to any one of claims 21 to 26.

32. A communication system, characterized in that: Comprising the communication device according to claim 27 and the communication device according to claim 28.

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