A MEC resource configuration method and device, a storage medium and an electronic device

Abstract

This application discloses a method, apparatus, storage medium, and electronic device for configuring MEC resources, relating to the field of communication technology, to solve the problem of high MEC resource consumption during MEC resource deployment. The method includes: determining a minimum set of nodes based on configuration requirements information corresponding to a target service area specified by the user; the minimum set of nodes includes at least one network node, and at least one network node covers the target service area; obtaining the MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum set of nodes to obtain a set of MEC boundaries containing the MEC boundaries corresponding to all network nodes, with a subset of the MEC boundary set corresponding to a region; determining the candidate subset with the fewest elements that corresponds to all network nodes in the region as the target subset; and deploying MEC resources on the network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset. Thus, the user's network requirements are met by deploying the minimum amount of MEC resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communications, and more particularly to a method, apparatus, storage medium, and electronic device for configuring MEC resources. Background Technology

[0002] By deploying MEC (Mobile / Multi-access Edge Computing) in the edge cloud of a 5G (5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology) network, cloud computing capabilities and information technology service environment are provided for edge applications at the edge of the mobile network, which is closer to the customer. It features ultra-low latency, ultra-high bandwidth, localization, and high real-time analysis and processing.

[0003] Based on the aforementioned advantages, deploying MEC resources in the edge cloud of 5G network systems has become a popular trend. However, during the deployment of MEC resources, two problems arise. First, during network planning, it is impossible to tailor MEC resource deployment plans to the specific needs of users, leading to the deployment of MEC resources in unnecessary network areas and resulting in wasted resources. Second, during business implementation, business departments often lack network planning tools and data, requiring the ad-hoc initiation of numerous processes and the collection of substantial network data, resulting in low deployment efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, how to quickly and reasonably deploy MEC resources with minimal MEC resources to meet customer needs has become an urgent technical problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a method, apparatus, storage medium, and electronic device for configuring MEC resources, which can solve the problem of high MEC resource consumption during the deployment process by reasonably deploying MEC resources according to user needs.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a method for configuring MEC resources, which includes: determining a minimum set of nodes based on configuration requirement information corresponding to a target service area specified by a user, wherein the minimum set of nodes includes at least one network node and the at least one network node covers the target service area;

[0008] Obtain the MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum node set to get the MEC boundary set containing the MEC boundaries corresponding to all network nodes. A subset of the MEC boundary set corresponds to a region.

[0009] The candidate subset that contains all network nodes and has the fewest elements in the corresponding region is determined as the target subset;

[0010] Deploy MEC resources on the network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset.

[0011] Optionally, the candidate subset containing all network nodes and having the fewest elements in the corresponding region is determined as the target subset, including: if there is a single-element candidate subset in the candidate subset, the single-element candidate subset is determined as the target subset; if there is no single-element candidate subset in the candidate subset, the smallest multi-element candidate subset with the fewest elements in the multi-element subset is determined as the target subset.

[0012] Optionally, when the number of single-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, any single-element candidate subset may be selected as the target subset.

[0013] Optionally, when the number of minimum multi-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, any minimum multi-element subset may be selected as the target subset.

[0014] Optionally, configuration requirements include a service level agreement (SLA), which includes network service quality.

[0015] Secondly, this application provides an MEC resource configuration device, including: a first determining unit, which is used to determine a minimum node set according to the configuration requirement information corresponding to the target service area specified by the user, the minimum node set including at least one network node, and the at least one network node covering the target service area;

[0016] The acquisition unit is used to acquire the MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum node set, so as to obtain the MEC boundary set containing the MEC boundaries corresponding to all network nodes. A subset of the MEC boundary set corresponds to a region.

[0017] The second determining unit is used to determine the candidate subset that contains all network nodes and has the fewest elements in the corresponding region as the target subset;

[0018] Deployment units are used to deploy MEC resources on each MEC boundary in the target subset.

[0019] Optionally, the second determining unit is specifically used to: determine the subset containing all network nodes in the corresponding region as a candidate subset; if there is a single-element candidate subset in the candidate subset, determine the single-element candidate subset as the target subset; if there is no single-element candidate subset in the candidate subset, determine the smallest multi-element candidate subset with the fewest elements in the multi-element subset as the target subset.

[0020] Optionally, the second determining unit is specifically used to: when the number of single-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, select any single-element candidate subset as the target subset.

[0021] Optionally, the second determining unit is specifically used to: when the number of minimum multi-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, select any minimum multi-element subset as the target subset.

[0022] Optionally, configuration requirements include a service level agreement (SLA), which includes network service quality.

[0023] Thirdly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a program or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the first aspect.

[0024] Fourthly, this application provides an electronic device including a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the program or instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the first aspect.

[0025] In the MEC resource configuration method provided in this application, a minimum set of network nodes that can contain the target service area is determined according to the configuration requirements information corresponding to the target service area specified by the user. Each minimum set of nodes consists of at least one network node, and the regions corresponding to all network nodes in the minimum set can cover the target service area. Based on the determined minimum set of nodes, the MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum set is obtained. Then, based on the obtained MEC boundaries corresponding to all network nodes, a set of MEC boundaries that can contain at least one MEC boundary corresponding to all network nodes is determined. A subset of the MEC boundary set corresponds to one region. From the subset determined by the MEC boundary set, the subset whose corresponding region can contain all network nodes is determined as a candidate subset. The candidate subset with the fewest elements is determined as the target subset. MEC resources are then deployed on the network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset. This application first determines the minimum set of nodes based on user needs, and then determines the minimum candidate subset based on the minimum set of nodes, so as to determine the set of MEC boundaries with the minimum MEC resources to be deployed. This enables the deployment of the minimum number of MEC resources to meet user network needs, thereby solving the problem of wasted MEC resources caused by the inability to quickly and reasonably deploy the network according to user needs during the MEC deployment process. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is one of the flowcharts illustrating an MEC resource configuration method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 2 A second schematic flowchart illustrating a MEC resource configuration method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 3 This is one of the schematic diagrams of a single-element candidate subset provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 4 One of the schematic diagrams of a multi-element candidate subset provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0030] Figure 5 This is one of the schematic diagrams of a single-element candidate subset provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0031] Figure 6 This is a second schematic diagram of a multi-element candidate subset provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an MEC resource configuration device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0033] Figure 8 A hardware schematic diagram of the electronic device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0034] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0035] It should be noted that any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being better or more advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0036] To facilitate a clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of this application to distinguish the same or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. Those skilled in the art can understand that the terms "first" and "second" are not intended to limit the quantity or execution order.

[0037] To address the problems existing in the background technology, this application provides a MEC resource configuration method and apparatus. The aforementioned MEC resource configuration method is applicable to MEC resource configuration apparatuses. First, the MEC resource configuration apparatus determines a minimum set of network nodes that can contain the target service area according to the configuration requirements information corresponding to the target service area specified by the user. A minimum set of nodes consists of at least one network node, and the regions corresponding to all network nodes in the minimum set can cover the target service area. Second, based on the determined minimum set of nodes, the MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum set is obtained. Thus, among the obtained MEC boundaries corresponding to all network nodes, a set of MEC boundaries that can contain at least one MEC boundary corresponding to all network nodes is determined. A subset of the MEC boundary set corresponds to a region. From the subset determined by the MEC boundary set, the subset whose corresponding region can contain all network nodes is determined as a candidate subset. The candidate subset with the fewest elements is determined as the target subset. MEC resources are deployed on the network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset. This application uses an MEC resource configuration method and apparatus to first determine the minimum set of nodes based on user needs, and then determine the minimum candidate subset based on the minimum set of nodes, so as to determine the MEC boundary set with the minimum MEC resources to be deployed. This achieves the goal of meeting user network needs by deploying the minimum number of MEC resources, thereby solving the problem of MEC resource waste caused by the inability to quickly and reasonably deploy the network according to user needs during the MEC deployment process.

[0038] For example, such as Figure 1 The illustrated diagram is one of the flowcharts of an MEC resource configuration method provided in this application embodiment. This application embodiment provides an MEC resource configuration method, which may include the following steps 101 to 105.

[0039] Step 101: Based on the configuration requirements information corresponding to the target service area specified by the user, determine the minimum set of nodes. The minimum set of nodes includes at least one network node, and at least one network node covers the target service area.

[0040] In this embodiment, by determining the minimum set of network nodes that can cover the target service area according to the configuration requirement information corresponding to the target service area specified by the user, the user's service requirements for the target area are met with the fewest possible network nodes. A minimum set of nodes consists of at least one network node, and the regions corresponding to all network nodes in the minimum set can cover the target service area.

[0041] It is understandable that there can be many different types of network nodes that can cover the target service area. The minimum set of nodes is the set of network nodes that covers the target service area with the fewest number of nodes. For example, if the set of network nodes that can cover the target service area includes the following three sets: {network node 1, network node 2}, {network node 2, network node 3, network node 5}, and {network node 1, network node 3, network node 4, network node 5}, that is, if network node 1 and network node 2 can cover the target service area, network node 2, network node 3, and network node 5 can also cover the target service area, and network node 1, network node 3, network node 4, and network node 5 can also cover the target service area, then {network node 1, network node 2} is selected as the minimum set of nodes.

[0042] It should be noted that when there are one or more minimum node sets, any one of the minimum node sets can be selected as the minimum node set. For example, if both {network node 1, network node 2} and {network node 1, network node 3} are minimum node sets, either {network node 1, network node 2} or {network node 1, network node 3} can be selected as the network node.

[0043] Step 102: Obtain the MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum node set to obtain the MEC boundary set containing the MEC boundaries corresponding to all network nodes. A subset of the MEC boundary set corresponds to a region.

[0044] As can be understood, the MEC boundary, or Mobile Edge boundary, is the boundary area formed by the intersection of the wireless network edge and the infrastructure edge. In other words, the MEC boundary is the boundary formed by the area where mobile networks and the internet intersect and transmit data traffic.

[0045] In this embodiment, the MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum node set is obtained, thereby determining a set of MEC boundaries that can contain at least one MEC boundary corresponding to all network nodes from the obtained MEC boundaries. A subset of the MEC boundary set corresponds to a region.

[0046] Specifically, a single MEC boundary or a combination of multiple MEC boundaries in the MEC boundary set forms a non-empty subset of the MEC boundary set. All MEC boundaries within each non-empty subset enclose a region, which is the region corresponding to that non-empty subset. It should be understood that for a non-empty subset containing multiple MEC boundaries, its corresponding region can be the union of the regions enclosed by each MEC boundary within that non-empty subset; for a non-empty subset containing only one MEC boundary, its corresponding region can be the region enclosed by that single MEC boundary.

[0047] It is understandable that each network node in the minimum node set corresponds to an MEC boundary, and each MEC boundary corresponds to a network region. Selecting all the corresponding MEC boundaries as set elements, we construct the MEC boundary set.

[0048] It should be noted that the database pre-stores the mapping relationship between each network node and the MEC boundary of each network node.

[0049] In some embodiments, the MEC boundaries of each network node are determined by a boundary determination server.

[0050] Specifically, the boundary determination server first determines the maximum communication distance of the network nodes. Then, it identifies multiple MEC boundary nodes from the multiple transportable paths corresponding to the network nodes. Each transportable path corresponds to one MEC boundary node, which is the network node with the largest communication distance among at least one network node on that transportable path whose communication distance to the network node is less than or equal to the maximum communication distance. Next, the boundary determination server defines the set of boundaries from these multiple boundaries as the MEC boundary of the network node. One boundary is the boundary between a first MEC boundary node and a second MEC boundary node, where the first MEC boundary node is one of the multiple MEC boundary nodes, and the second MEC boundary node is the MEC boundary node adjacent to the first MEC boundary node.

[0051] In this embodiment, the boundary determination server identifies multiple MEC boundary nodes based on the maximum communication distance. These multiple MEC boundary nodes are multiple valid network nodes (i.e., those that can obtain valid service data from network nodes). Based on these multiple valid network nodes, the MEC boundary of each network node is determined. Within this MEC boundary, the network node can transmit service data and facilitates the deployment of MEC facilities. Therefore, the boundary determination server can identify the target MEC node that provides service data to the user equipment (UE) within this MEC boundary, thereby improving the efficiency of the UE in obtaining service data.

[0052] Step 103: Determine the subset of the corresponding region that contains all network nodes as the candidate subset.

[0053] In this embodiment of the application, a subset of the MEC boundary set corresponding to a region that can contain all network nodes is determined as a candidate subset, so as to determine the candidate location for deploying MEC.

[0054] Understandably, by ensuring that the region corresponding to the candidate subset can contain all network nodes in the smallest node, it is guaranteed that the deployment of MEC resources can include the target service region specified by the user.

[0055] It should be noted that the elements constituting the candidate subset are MEC boundaries. For example... Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 The minimum set of nodes in the set consists of network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, and network node 4. The MEC boundaries corresponding to network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, and network node 4 are MEC boundary 1, MEC boundary 2, MEC boundary 3, and MEC boundary 4, respectively. The region formed by the three boundaries {MEC boundary 1, MEC boundary 2, MEC boundary 3} of the MEC boundary set cannot contain network node 4; that is, {MEC boundary 1, MEC boundary 2, MEC boundary 3} cannot include all network nodes in the minimum set of nodes. Therefore, the subset {MEC boundary 1, MEC boundary 2, MEC boundary 3} is not a candidate subset. However, the subset {MEC boundary 4} of the MEC boundary set can include all network nodes in the minimum set of nodes; therefore, the subset {MEC boundary 4} is a candidate subset.

[0056] Step 104: The candidate subset with the fewest elements in the candidate subset is determined as the target subset.

[0057] In the embodiments of this application, the region corresponding to the candidate subset can contain all network nodes of the smallest node, and the candidate subset containing the fewest elements in each candidate subset is determined as the target subset.

[0058] It is understandable that, such as Figure 4 The minimum set of nodes in the network is {network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, network node 4}, and the corresponding candidate subsets are {MEC boundary 1 and MEC boundary 3}, {MEC boundary 1, MEC boundary 2 and MEC boundary 3}, {MEC boundary 1, MEC boundary 3 and MEC boundary 4}, {MEC boundary 2, MEC boundary 3 and MEC boundary 4}, and {MEC boundary 1, MEC boundary 2, MEC boundary 3 and MEC boundary 4}. The number of elements in these five candidate subsets are 2, 3, 3, 3, and 4 respectively. Therefore, the subset with the fewest elements (i.e., 2 elements) {MEC boundary 1 and MEC boundary 3} is selected as the target subset.

[0059] Optionally, in this embodiment, after determining the subset containing all network nodes in the corresponding region as the candidate subset, it is also necessary to determine the candidate subset with the fewest elements as the target subset, such as... Figure 2The diagram shown is a second schematic of an MEC resource configuration method provided in this application embodiment. In this application embodiment, step 104 can also be implemented by steps 201 to 203.

[0060] Step 201: Determine whether a single-element candidate subset exists in the candidate subset. If yes, proceed to step 202; otherwise, proceed to step 203.

[0061] Step 202: Determine the single-element candidate subset as the target subset;

[0062] Step 203: Determine the smallest multi-element candidate subset with the fewest elements in the multi-element subset as the target subset.

[0063] In this embodiment of the application, a candidate subset corresponds to only one element. That is, if there exists a region corresponding to an MEC boundary that can contain all network nodes of the minimum node, it indicates that a single-element candidate subset exists, and the single-element candidate subset is determined as the target subset.

[0064] Understandably, a single-element candidate subset is used to represent that the region corresponding to the MEC boundary of a network node can contain all network nodes of the smallest node.

[0065] For example, such as Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a single-element candidate subset is shown. Figure 3 The minimum set of nodes is {network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, network node 4}. The region corresponding to the MEC boundary 3 of network node 4 can include all network nodes in the minimum set of nodes: network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, and network node 4. Therefore, the single-element candidate subset {MEC boundary 4} is selected as the target subset.

[0066] In this embodiment, a multi-element candidate subset corresponds to at least one element. If no single-element candidate subset exists in the candidate subset, the candidate subset with the fewest elements among the candidate subsets whose regions corresponding to multiple MEC boundaries can contain all network nodes of the smallest node is determined as the target subset.

[0067] Understandably, multi-element candidate subsets are used to represent that the region corresponding to the MEC boundary of multiple network nodes can contain all network nodes of the smallest node.

[0068] For example, such as Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a multi-element candidate subset is shown. Figure 4The minimum set of nodes is {Network Node 1, Network Node 2, Network Node 3, Network Node 4}, and the corresponding candidate subsets are {MEC Boundary 1 and MEC Boundary 3}, {MEC Boundary 1, MEC Boundary 2 and MEC Boundary 3}, {MEC Boundary 1, MEC Boundary 3 and MEC Boundary 4}, {MEC Boundary 2, MEC Boundary 3 and MEC Boundary 4}, and {MEC Boundary 1, MEC Boundary 2, MEC Boundary 3 and MEC Boundary 4}. The MEC boundary of Network Node 1 corresponds to MEC Boundary 1, the MEC boundary of Network Node 2 corresponds to MEC Boundary 2, the MEC boundary of Network Node 3 corresponds to MEC Boundary 3, and the MEC boundary of Network Node 4 corresponds to MEC Boundary 4. Therefore, {MEC Boundary 1 and MEC Boundary 3} from the candidate subsets containing multiple elements is selected as the target subset.

[0069] Specifically, when the number of single-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, any single-element candidate subset is selected as the target subset.

[0070] For example, such as Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a single-element candidate subset is shown. Figure 5 If the minimum set of nodes is {network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, network node 4}, then the region corresponding to the MEC boundary 2 of network node 2 can include all network nodes in the minimum set of nodes: network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, and network node 4, or the region corresponding to the MEC boundary 4 of network node 4 can include all network nodes in the minimum set of nodes, i.e., all network nodes are network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, and network node 4. Then, the single-element candidate subset {MEC boundary 2} or {MEC boundary 4} is selected as the target subset.

[0071] Specifically, when the number of minimum multi-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, any minimum multi-element subset is selected as the target subset.

[0072] For example, such as Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a multi-element candidate subset is shown. Figure 6 The minimum set of nodes is {network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, network node 4}. The candidate subsets of network node 1 and network node 3 must have corresponding regions on their respective MEC boundaries 1 and 3 that include all network nodes in the minimum set: network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, and network node 4. Alternatively, the candidate subsets of network node 1 and network node 4 must have corresponding regions on their respective MEC boundaries 1 and 4 that include all network nodes in the minimum set: network node 1, network node 2, network node 3, and network node 4. In this case, the single-element candidate subset {MEC boundary 1 and MEC boundary 3} or {MEC boundary 1 and MEC boundary 4} is selected as the target subset.

[0073] Optionally, the configuration requirements information includes a service level agreement (SLA), which includes network service quality.

[0074] In the embodiments of this application, the quality of network service in the service level agreement signed with the user is calculated for each network node to determine the network nodes that meet the customer's needs.

[0075] In step 101, before determining the minimum node, it is first determined that the network nodes in the minimum node are network nodes that meet the network service quality requirements of the user's needs.

[0076] It is understandable that different types of services are divided into different levels, and different levels of services can correspond to different service level agreements (SSAs). Different SSAs also correspond to different network service quality (SQV), which specifically includes latency, bandwidth, reliability, and jitter.

[0077] Step 105: Deploy MEC resources on the network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset.

[0078] In the embodiments of this application, the candidate subset with the fewest elements in the candidate subset of all network nodes in the minimum node set whose regions corresponding to the MEC boundaries of all network nodes in the minimum node set can contain all network nodes in the minimum node set is determined as the target subset, and MEC resources are deployed on the network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset, so as to meet the user's network service quality requirements by deploying the minimum MEC resources.

[0079] In a specific embodiment, after determining the network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset, MEC resources (such as virtual machines (VMs) or containers) are deployed at the aforementioned network node locations. Multiple containers can run on the same machine and share the operating system kernel with other containers; each container runs as an isolated process in user space.

[0080] Specifically, MEC resources can be flexibly deployed in access data centers, aggregation data centers, and city-level core data centers, depending on different business scenarios and latency requirements.

[0081] like Figure 7 As shown, this application provides an MEC resource configuration device, which includes: a first determining unit 71, an acquiring unit 72, a second determining unit 73, and a deployment unit 74.

[0082] The first determining unit 71 is used to determine a minimum set of nodes based on the configuration requirement information corresponding to the target service area specified by the user. The minimum set of nodes includes at least one network node, and at least one network node covers the target service area.

[0083] The acquisition unit 72 is used to acquire the MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum node set, so as to obtain the MEC boundary set containing the MEC boundaries corresponding to all network nodes. A subset of the MEC boundary set corresponds to a region.

[0084] The second determining unit 73 is used by the second confirming unit to determine the candidate subset with the fewest number of elements in the corresponding region as the target subset;

[0085] Deployment unit 74 is used to deploy MEC resources on network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset.

[0086] Optionally, the second determining unit 73 is specifically used to: determine the subset containing all network nodes in the corresponding region as a candidate subset; if there is a single-element candidate subset in the candidate subset, determine the single-element candidate subset as the target subset; if there is no single-element candidate subset in the candidate subset, determine the smallest multi-element candidate subset with the fewest elements in the multi-element subset as the target subset.

[0087] Optionally, the second determining unit 73 is further used to: when the number of single-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, select any single-element candidate subset as the target subset.

[0088] Optionally, the second determining unit 73 is further used to: when the number of minimum multi-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, select any minimum multi-element subset as the target subset.

[0089] Optionally, configuration requirements include a service level agreement (SLA), which includes network service quality.

[0090] In the MEC resource configuration device provided in this application embodiment, firstly, the MEC resource configuration device determines the minimum set of network nodes that can contain the target service area according to the configuration requirement information corresponding to the target service area specified by the user. Secondly, the acquisition unit acquires the MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum set of nodes, thereby determining the set of MEC boundaries that can contain at least one MEC boundary corresponding to all network nodes from the acquired MEC boundaries. Thirdly, the subset of the subset determined from the MEC boundary set that corresponds to the area that can contain all network nodes is determined as the candidate subset, and the candidate subset with the fewest elements is determined as the target subset. MEC resources are then deployed on the network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset. This application, through the MEC resource configuration device, first determines the minimum set of nodes according to user requirements, and then determines the minimum candidate subset based on the minimum set of nodes, thereby determining the set of MEC boundaries with the minimum number of MEC resources to be deployed. This achieves the goal of meeting user network requirements by deploying the minimum number of MEC resources, thus solving the problem of wasted MEC resources caused by the inability to quickly and reasonably deploy the network according to user requirements during the MEC deployment process.

[0091] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a program or instruction is stored. When the program or instruction is executed by a processor, it implements the various steps in the MEC resource configuration method flow shown in the above method embodiments.

[0092] The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of readable storage media (a non-exhaustive list) include: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), registers, hard disks, optical fibers, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing, or any other form of readable storage medium in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium may also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In the embodiments of this application, the computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program that can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0093] An embodiment of this application provides a computer program product stored in a non-volatile storage medium, which is executed by at least one processor to implement the various steps in the MEC resource configuration method flow shown in the above method embodiment.

[0094] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. 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 readable storage medium or transmitted from one readable storage medium to another. 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 wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state drives (SSDs)).

[0095] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of another possible structure of the electronic device involved in the above embodiments is shown. The device includes: a memory 81, a processor 82, and a program or instructions stored in the memory 81 and executable on the processor 82. When executed by the processor 82, the program or instructions implement the various steps in the MEC resource configuration method flow shown in the above method embodiments. The electronic device may also include a communication interface 83 and a bus 84. The communication interface 83 is used to support communication between the device and other network entities, for example, to perform the steps executed by the acquisition unit 72 described above.

[0096] The processor 82 described above can also implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, units, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor 82 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute various exemplary logic blocks, units, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0097] The memory 81 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory; the memory may also include non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory, flash memory, hard disk or solid-state drive; the memory may also include combinations of the above types of memory.

[0098] Bus 84 can be an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Bus 84 can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 8 The bus is represented by a single thick line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0099] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional units is used as an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units to complete all or part of the functions described above. The specific working process of the system, device and unit described above can be referred to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0100] Since the electronic devices, readable storage media, and computer program products in the embodiments of this application can be applied to the above-described MEC resource configuration method, the technical effects they can achieve can also be referred to the above-described method embodiments. The embodiments of this application will not be repeated here.

[0101] It should be noted that the above-mentioned units can be separate processors, or they can be integrated into a processor of the controller. Alternatively, they can be stored in the controller's memory as program code, and called and executed by a processor of the controller. The processor mentioned here can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application.

[0102] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the order of the above-mentioned processes does not imply the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0103] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in 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. Those skilled in the art can 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.

[0104] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0105] 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 illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling, direct coupling, or communication connections shown or discussed may be implemented through interfaces, and these interface connections may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0106] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. 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 the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0107] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0108] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for MEC resource configuration, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: According to the configuration requirement information corresponding to the target service area specified by the user, a minimum node set is determined, the minimum node set comprising at least one network node, the network nodes in the minimum node set covering the target service area; The MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum node set is obtained to obtain a MEC boundary set comprising the MEC boundaries corresponding to all the network nodes, a subset of the MEC boundary set corresponding to an area; wherein the MEC boundary is the boundary formed by the area where the mobile network and the Internet intersect and transfer data traffic; The subset corresponding to the area containing all the network nodes is determined as a candidate subset; In the case where there is a single-element candidate subset in the candidate subset, the single-element candidate subset is determined as a target subset; In the case where there is no single-element candidate subset in the candidate subset, the minimum multi-element candidate subset with the least number of elements in the multi-element subset is determined as the target subset; MEC resources are deployed on the network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset. 2.The MEC resource configuration method of claim 1, wherein, The method comprises the following steps: When the number of single-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, any one single-element candidate subset is selected as the target subset. 3.The MEC resource configuration method of claim 1, wherein, The method comprises the following steps: When the number of minimum multi-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, any one minimum multi-element subset is selected as the target subset.

4. The MEC resource configuration method of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The configuration requirement information comprises a service level agreement, and the service level agreement comprises network quality of service.

5. A MEC resource configuration apparatus, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: A first determination unit is configured to determine a minimum node set according to configuration requirement information corresponding to a target service area specified by a user, the minimum node set comprising at least one network node, the at least one network node covering the target service area; An acquisition unit is configured to obtain a MEC boundary corresponding to each network node in the minimum node set to obtain a MEC boundary set comprising the MEC boundaries corresponding to all the network nodes, a subset of the MEC boundary set corresponding to an area; wherein the MEC boundary is the boundary formed by the area where the mobile network and the Internet intersect and transfer data traffic; A second determination unit is specifically configured to: The subset corresponding to the area containing all the network nodes is determined as a candidate subset; In the case where there is a single-element candidate subset in the candidate subset, the single-element candidate subset is determined as a target subset; In the case where there is no single-element candidate subset in the candidate subset, the minimum multi-element candidate subset with the least number of elements in the multi-element subset is determined as the target subset; A deployment unit is configured to deploy MEC resources on the network nodes corresponding to each MEC boundary in the target subset.

6. The MEC resource configuration apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The second determination unit is specifically configured to: When the number of single-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, any one single-element candidate subset is selected as the target subset.

7. The MEC resource configuration apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The second determination unit is specifically configured to: When the number of minimum multi-element candidate subsets is greater than 1, any one minimum multi-element subset is selected as the target subset. 8.The MEC resource configuration apparatus of any of claims 5-7, wherein the configuration requirement information comprises a service level agreement, and the service level agreement comprises a network quality of service. The configuration requirement information comprises a service level agreement, and the service level agreement comprises a network quality of service.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A program or instruction is stored on the computer readable storage medium, and the program or instruction is executed by the processor to implement the MEC resource configuration method of any of claims 1-4.

10. An electronic device, comprising: Comprise: A processor, a memory, and a program or instruction stored on the memory and executable on the processor, and the program or instruction is executed by the processor to implement the MEC resource configuration method of any of claims 1-4.

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