Edge service support server and method of operating the edge service support server

Abstract

The present invention relates to an edge service support server and an operating method of the edge service support server, wherein the infrastructure of cloud computing technology is deployed to the central office of the service provider network to implement ultra-low latency edge computing services. According to the edge service support server and the operating method of the edge service support server of the present invention, a specific edge area matching the public access information (public IP) of the terminal is selected as the edge area closest to the terminal from the edge areas managed by the communication service provider network for each service coverage area, and the terminal is enabled to use the edge computing service through the selected edge area. Therefore, the present invention can implement an ultra-low latency edge computing service that minimizes the communication latency caused by the difference between the distances of the terminal to the computing resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a solution for implementing ultra-low latency edge computing services by forward deploying an infrastructure of cloud computing technology at a site of a communication operator network.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0116170, filed on September 10, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0003] Cloud computing technology is an Internet-based computing technology that integrates and provides computer resources in different physical locations through virtualization technology.

[0004] According to cloud computing technology, computer system resources such as data storage (cloud storage) and computing power have on-demand availability without manual management by users.

[0005] Therefore, cloud computing technology enables users to use necessary hardware in a virtual space and provides a user environment in which, without installing software in his / her computer, the user can always use the same hardware through Internet access and can easily share data with various information communication devices.

[0006] At the same time, such cloud computing technology may enable service providers to provide services by providing (renting) computing resources to unspecified multiple companies, institutions or individuals through a public Internet network.

[0007] If computing resources (public resources) are physically shared and used by unspecified multiple companies, institutions, or individuals in this manner, then because the publicly available computing resources are used at different physical locations, the distance to the computing resources is different at each service use location.

[0008] As a result, the quality of service may be different at each service usage location due to the different distances from the computing resources. If the distance from the computing resources is greater than a predetermined distance, the communication latency caused by the large distance may result in a significantly worse quality of service than other services at the usage location.

[0009] In particular, considering the recent trend of requiring ultra-low latency (RTT) within single-digit milliseconds or 10s of milliseconds for services at each usage location and requiring large-capacity bandwidth of hundreds of Mbps to single-digit Gbps per flow, the above-mentioned communication latency caused by the distance from computing resources may be a major factor that seriously reduces service satisfaction.

[0010] Therefore, the present disclosure may provide a new solution capable of implementing ultra-low latency services in a cloud computing environment. Summary of the invention

[0011] Technical issues

[0012] The present disclosure is made in view of the above situation, and one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a solution for implementing ultra-low latency edge computing services by forward deploying an infrastructure of cloud computing technology at a site of a communication operator network.

[0013] Technical Solution

[0014] According to one aspect, an edge service support server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a receiving unit, which is configured to receive a processing delegation regarding a cloud-based edge computing service request from a terminal; and a processing unit, which is configured to obtain server access information about a target application server from an application server in each edge area in which an application for the edge computing service is installed, based on the processing delegation and based on service identification information about the edge computing service requested by the terminal, wherein the target application server can be accessed by the terminal in a communication operator network in which the edge computing service is requested.

[0015] Specifically, the edge service support server may further include a return unit configured to return server access information about the target application server as a result of processing the delegation to the terminal, so that the terminal can receive edge computing services from the target application server according to the server access information.

[0016] Specifically, when an application client of an edge computing service is executed in a terminal, a processing delegation may be received from the terminal.

[0017] Specifically, the service identification information may include public access information allocated from a terminal in an edge computing service environment, and the processing unit can identify a specific service zone in the communication operator network that matches the public access information based on the public access information, so that application servers in at least some edge areas related to the specific service zone among all edge areas can be determined as target application servers.

[0018] Specifically, based on the matching information between the private access information and the public access information assigned to the terminal in the communication operator network, the specific service zone can be identified as a service zone among multiple service zones of the communication operator network to which the private access information matching the public access information is assigned.

[0019] Specifically, the target application server may be determined as an application server belonging to a specific service zone or in an edge area that is disposed closest to the specific service zone.

[0020] Specifically, the service identification information may include application identification information indicating a specific application of the edge computing service, and the processing unit may be configured so that, based on the application identification information, an application server in a serviceable edge area in all edge areas where the specific application is installed can be determined as a target application server.

[0021] Specifically, when there are two or more target application servers, the processing unit may select one of the two or more target application servers as the target application server to be accessed by the terminal according to a predetermined edge access policy.

[0022] According to another aspect, a method for operating an edge service support server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a receiving step, receiving a processing delegation regarding a cloud-based edge computing service request from a terminal; and a processing step, according to the processing delegation, based on the service identification information of the edge computing service requested by the terminal, processing to obtain server access information of a target application server from application servers in each edge area where an application of the edge computing service is installed, wherein the target application server can be accessed by the terminal in the network of a communication operator requesting the edge computing service.

[0023] Specifically, the method may further include a returning step: returning server access information about the target application server as a result of processing the delegation to the terminal, so that the terminal can receive edge computing services from the target application server according to the server access information.

[0024] Specifically, when an application client of an edge computing service is executed in a terminal, a processing delegation may be received from the terminal.

[0025] Specifically, the service identification information may include public access information allocated from the terminal in the edge computing service environment, and in the processing step, a specific service zone in the communication operator network that matches the public access information can be identified based on the public access information, so that application servers in at least some edge areas related to the specific service zone in all edge areas can be determined as target application servers.

[0026] Specifically, based on the matching information between the private access information and the public access information assigned to the terminal in the communication operator network, the specific service zone can be identified as a service zone among multiple service zones of the communication operator network to which the private access information matching the public access information is assigned.

[0027] Specifically, the target application server may be determined as an application server belonging to a specific service zone or in an edge area that is disposed closest to the specific service zone.

[0028] Specifically, the service identification information may include application identification information indicating a specific application of the edge computing service, and in the processing step, based on the application identification information, an application server in a serviceable edge area in all edge areas where the specific application is installed can be determined as a target application server.

[0029] Specifically, in the processing step, when there are two or more target application servers, one of the two or more target applications may be selected as the target application server to be accessed by the terminal according to a predetermined edge access policy.

[0030] Beneficial effects

[0031] According to the edge service support server and the method for operating the edge service support server disclosed in the present invention, in an edge computing service environment in which an edge area for providing a public cloud-based edge computing service is forwardly arranged at a site of a communication operator network, among the edge areas managed with respect to various service zones in the communication operator network, a specific edge area matching the public access information (public IP) of the terminal is selected as the edge area closest to the terminal, and the terminal is enabled to use the edge computing service through the selected edge area, thereby realizing an ultra-low latency edge computing service that minimizes the communication latency caused by the distance between the terminal and the computing resources. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 An example of a cloud-based edge computing service environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0033] Figure 2 The configuration of an edge service support server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0034] Figure 3 An example of signal flow in a cloud-based edge computing service environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method for operating corresponding components in a cloud-based edge computing service environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a method for operating an edge service support server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to cloud computing technology, which enables a service provider to provide services by providing (renting) computing resources to unspecified multiple companies, institutions, or individuals through a public Internet network.

[0039] In such a cloud computing environment, computing resources (public resources) are physically shared and used by unspecified multiple companies, organizations, or individuals, and such characteristics may cause communication latency depending on the distance between a service use location and the computing resources.

[0040] Therefore, embodiments of the present disclosure can implement ultra-low latency edge computing services by forward deploying the infrastructure of cloud computing technology at sites of communication operator networks, thereby minimizing communication latency that may be caused by the distance between the service usage location and the computing resources.

[0041] The communication operator network includes all types of communication networks to which edge computing (MEC) technology can be applied, and can be understood to include, for example, LTE (4G) communication systems and 5G communication systems.

[0042] At this point, Figure 1 An example of a cloud-based edge computing service environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0043] like Figure 1 As shown, in a public cloud-based edge computing service environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each edge area that can provide a public cloud-based edge computing service is forwardly set at a site of a communication operator network, and the environment includes an edge service support server 200, which is configured to enable the terminal 100 to receive edge computing services through the edge area closest to the terminal 100.

[0044] The terminal 100 corresponds to a mobile device in which an application client is installed to receive a public cloud-based edge computing service.

[0045] In addition, the edge service support server 200 enables the terminal 100 to receive edge computing services through the edge area closest to the terminal 100 through the interaction between the cloud edge computing policy server 300 on the public cloud side and the edge platform management device 400 of the communication operator network when the terminal 100 requests edge computing services.

[0046] Specifically, the edge service support server 200 can be understood as an application server, which processes the delegated operation according to the processing delegation of the edge computing service request from the application client in the terminal 100, and returns the processing result to the terminal 100.

[0047] Meanwhile, the edge area set at the site of the communication operator network as described above can be divided into a public cloud used by a service provider other than the communication operator to provide computing resources to individuals, and a private cloud independently operated by the communication operator network.

[0048] In this regard, it will be assumed in the embodiments of the present disclosure that a service provider other than a communication operator uses a public cloud to provide computing resources to an individual.

[0049] Therefore, the application client installed in the terminal 100 in the embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented as a thin client capable of minimizing the operation or dependency of the terminal 100 related to receiving edge computing services.

[0050] In addition, the edge platform management device 400 can be understood as a device for managing each edge area set forward at the site of the communication operator relative to each service zone (e.g., Seoul zone, Busan zone, Gwangju zone) through the edge gateway device 500.

[0051] The edge gateway device 500 is constructed in a mobile edge platform (MEP) in each service zone.

[0052] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the above configuration enables the terminal 100 to use edge computing services from an edge area closest to the terminal 100 in a cloud-based edge computing service environment. A configuration for implementing the edge service support server 200 will be described in more detail.

[0053] Prior to description, it is assumed that in an embodiment of the present disclosure, each application server 600 having the same application installed therein exists in each edge area forwardly provided at a site of a communication operator in order to provide edge computing services to the terminal 100 .

[0054] Figure 2 The configuration of the edge service support server 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown, the edge service support server 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a receiving unit 210, which is configured to receive a processing delegation regarding an edge computing service request; and a processing unit 220, which is configured to process the operation delegated by the terminal 100.

[0056] In addition, the edge service support server 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a returning unit 230 configured to return a result of processing delegation in addition to the above components.

[0057] All or some components of the edge service support server 200 may be implemented as a hardware module or a software module, or as a combination of a hardware module and a software module.

[0058] As used herein, a software module may be understood as, for example, instructions executed by a processor that processes operations within the edge service support server 200 , and such instructions may be installed in a separate memory within the edge service support server 200 .

[0059] At the same time, in addition to the above-mentioned components, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may also include a communication unit 240, which is an RF module responsible for the actual communication function between the terminal 100 and the edge platform management device 400 within the communication operator network.

[0060] The communication unit 240 includes, for example, an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a codec chipset, a memory, etc., but is not limited thereto and may include all known circuits that perform these functions.

[0061] The cloud edge computing policy server 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure enables the terminal 100 to receive edge computing services via the edge area located closest to the terminal 100 through the above components. Hereinafter, each component for implementing the cloud edge computing policy server 300 will be described in more detail.

[0062] The receiving unit 210 performs a function of receiving a processing delegation regarding an edge computing service request.

[0063] More specifically, the receiving unit 210 receives a processing delegation regarding a public cloud-based edge computing service request.

[0064] In response to execution of the application client installed in the terminal 100 , the receiving unit 210 may receive a processing delegation regarding an edge computing service request from the terminal 100 .

[0065] That is, in response to the execution of the application client installed in the terminal 100 , the receiving unit 210 receives the edge computing service request sent from the terminal 100 as a processing entrustment regarding the edge computing service from the terminal 100 .

[0066] In summary, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when Figure 3 When the application client installed in the terminal 100 is executed as in the above, the terminal 100 transmits the edge computing service request to the edge service support server 200 (①), and the edge service support server 200 receives such edge computing service request from the terminal 100 as a processing entrustment.

[0067] The processing unit 220 performs a function of identifying service identification information according to a processing entrustment from the terminal 100 .

[0068] More specifically, when receiving the processing delegation from the terminal 100 , the processing unit 220 identifies, from the terminal 100 , service identification information about the edge computing service requested by the terminal 100 .

[0069] Regarding the edge computing service requested by the terminal 100, the processing unit 220 may identify the application identification information (app ID, PKG name) indicating the specific application of the edge computing service and the public access information (public IP) allocated to the terminal 100 in the edge computing service environment as service identification information.

[0070] The public access information (public IP) assigned to the terminal 100 is used as key information for identifying a service zone in which the terminal 100 is located in an edge area managed with respect to each service zone (e.g., Seoul zone, Busan zone, Gwangju zone), which will be described in more detail below.

[0071] In addition, the processing unit 220 performs a function of acquiring server access information (ME APP server IP) about the target application server.

[0072] More specifically, when service identification information is identified from the terminal 100, the processing unit 220 obtains, based on the corresponding service identification information, server access information related to a target application server that the terminal 100 can access in a location within the network of the communication operator requesting the edge computing service, in an application server 600 in a corresponding edge area where the same application is installed for the edge computing service.

[0073] The processing unit 220 transmits the server access information request including the service identification information to the cloud edge computing policy server 300, so that the cloud edge computing policy server 300 can determine the target application server that the terminal 100 can access.

[0074] At this point, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 refers to the public access information of the terminal 100 within the service identification information to identify a specific service zone that matches the corresponding public access information among all service zones of the communication operator network.

[0075] More specifically, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 can transmit the public access information (Pubic IP) assigned to the terminal 100 to the edge platform management device 400 located in the communication operator network, thereby obtaining information about the area in the communication operator network where the terminal 100 requests edge computing services from the edge platform management device 400.

[0076] At this point, the edge platform management device 400 identifies the private access information (private IP) that matches the public access information of the terminal device 100, and can identify the specific service zone for which the terminal 100 requests edge computing services as regional information in all service zones of the communication operator network with reference to the identified private access information.

[0077] The service zone is identified by using an access information pool associated with each service zone, and the access information pool associated with each service zone includes a list on private access information differently allocated in respective service zones in a communication operator network.

[0078] That is, the edge platform management device 400 identifies the service zone of the access information pool to which the private access information of the terminal device 100 belongs as regional information based on the access information pool related to each service zone, which is a list of private access information allocated in each service zone in the communication operator network.

[0079] At the same time, it is obvious that in order to identify the service zone in this way by using the access information pool associated with each service zone, the edge platform management device 400 needs to pre-acquire the private access information assigned to the terminal 100 in the communication operator network, so as to match it with the public access information (public IP) assigned to the terminal 100 and manage it.

[0080] For reference, the edge platform management device 400 can pre-acquire the private access information (private IP) assigned to the terminal 100 in the following manner: for example, the public access information (public IP) of the edge computing service can be received through the communication operator network at the time point when the public access information (public IP) of the edge computing service is assigned to the terminal 100 that has accessed the communication operator network; alternatively, the private access information (private IP) can be received, which has been identified from the terminal 100 by the cloud edge computing policy server 300 at the time point when the public access information (public IP) for the area information request is received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300.

[0081] In summary, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 3As shown, the edge service support server 200 transmits a server access information request including service identification information to the cloud edge computing policy server 300 (②), so that the cloud edge computing policy server 300 requests the edge platform management device 400 to provide information about the area in the communication operator network where the terminal 100 requests edge computing services based on the public access information in the service identification information (③). In response to this, the edge platform management device 400 identifies a specific service zone in the communication operator network that matches the public access information based on the matching information between the public access information and the private access information, and provides it to the cloud edge computing policy server 300 as a response (④). Therefore, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 determines that the application server 600 in at least some edge areas related to the specific service zone among all edge areas is the target application server, and transmits the server access information thereto to the edge service support server 200 (⑤).

[0082] At the same time, in combination with transmitting the server access information request including the service identification information to the cloud edge computing policy server 300 as described above, the processing unit 220 enables the cloud edge computing policy server 300 to distinguish the edge areas where the specific application indicated by the application identification information is installed as serviceable edge areas in all edge areas according to the application identification information (app IP, PKG name) within the service identification information.

[0083] At this point, after distinguishing the serviceable edge areas according to the application identification information (app IP, PKG name), the cloud edge computing policy server 300 can determine that the application server 600 in the edge area of ​​the serviceable edge area that matches the specific service zone in the communication operator network where the terminal 100 requests the edge computing service is the target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100, or determine that the application server 600 in the edge area closest to the specific service zone is the target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100.

[0084] Obviously, to this end, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 needs to match and manage the server access information of the application server 600 in the corresponding edge area with the location in the corresponding service zone of the communication operator.

[0085] For reference, server access information about target application servers determined by the cloud edge computing policy server 300 may be received as a list, and such a list may be received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300 as a redirect message corresponding to HTTP 302.

[0086] In addition, the processing unit 220 performs a function of selecting a target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100 .

[0087] More specifically, when the target application server has been determined so that a list of server access information about the target application server is received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300, the processing unit 220 selects a specific target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100 according to a predetermined edge access policy.

[0088] Therefore, edge access policy can be defined as an algorithm combining conditions such as resource usage (CPU, memory, disk), capacity reference (number of access users, sessions, throughput), billing (time, capacity) and access history.

[0089] For example, the processing unit 220 may select a server with the minimum resource usage or the minimum capacity reference from the target application servers on the list according to the edge access policy, may select a server that can minimize billing (time, capacity), or may select a server with an access history of the terminal 100 requesting edge computing services, thereby improving the cache hit rate in the terminal 100.

[0090] Obviously, in combination with the selection of the above-mentioned billing standard, if the public cloud and the communication operator have agreed that only a specific IP band will be free, the server to which the server access information of the corresponding IP is assigned can be selected.

[0091] At the same time, when the target application server list received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300 does not have a server that meets the edge access policy, the processing unit 220 may select the server access information of the application server currently managed by it, rather than the target application server on the list, thereby ensuring service continuity regarding the edge computing service.

[0092] The returning unit 230 performs a function of returning the result of processing the delegation.

[0093] More specifically, when the target application server that has accessed the terminal 100 is finally selected, the returning unit 230 returns the server access information on the target application server to the terminal 100 as a result of the processing delegation.

[0094] Therefore, when receiving server access information corresponding to the result of processing delegation from the edge service support server 200, the terminal 100 can access the target application server according to the corresponding server access information and receive the edge computing service.

[0095] In summary, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 3As shown, when the target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100 is finally selected, the edge service support server 200 returns the server access information of the corresponding target application server to the terminal 100 (⑥), so that the terminal 100 can receive the edge computing service requested by the target application server according to the returned server access information (⑦).

[0096] At the same time, the implementation mode of the present disclosure has been described above, assuming that a query about the area information where the terminal 100 is located is sent to the cloud edge computing policy server 300, and at least one of the application servers 600 in the corresponding edge area matching the corresponding area information is determined as the target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100.

[0097] However, the present disclosure is not limited to such an implementation, and it is obvious that if there is a session with the terminal 100 requesting the edge computing service (if there is a source IP of the terminal), or if there is cached information about the corresponding terminal 100 maintained for a predetermined time, information about the target application that has been accessed by the terminal 100 can be returned without sensing a query to the cloud edge computing policy server 300, thereby reducing network load and call processing waiting time.

[0098] As described above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the edge service support server 200 is configured so that an edge area for providing cloud-based edge computing services is forwardly set at a site of a communication operator network, so that when the terminal 100 requests an edge computing service, the terminal 100 can receive the edge computing service through the edge area closest to the terminal 100, thereby realizing an ultra-low latency edge computing service with minimized communication latency.

[0099] Specifically, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the edge service support server 200 is configured to enable the edge service support server 200 to operate the application server in the following manner: by processing the delegated operation according to the processing delegation of the edge computing service request from the server according to the application client in the terminal 100, and by returning the processing result to the terminal 100, so that the application client for edge computing service installed in the terminal 100 can be implemented as a thin client that can minimize the dependence on the terminal 100.

[0100] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 4 A method for operating various components in a cloud-based edge computing service environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0101] First, the terminal 100 sends an edge computing service request to the edge service support server 200 ( S110 - S120 ).

[0102] In response to the execution of the installed application client, the terminal 100 may send an edge computing service request to the edge service support server 200 so as to delegate a series of operations required to use the edge computing service to the edge service support server 200 .

[0103] Thereafter, when receiving the processing delegation from the terminal 100 , the edge service support server 200 identifies service identification information about the edge computing service requested by the terminal 100 from the terminal 100 ( S130 ).

[0104] Regarding the edge computing service requested by the terminal 100, the edge service support server 200 can identify the application identification information (app ID, PKG name) indicating the specific application used for the edge computing service and the public access information (public IP) assigned to the terminal 100 in the edge computing service environment as service identification information.

[0105] Thereafter, when the service identification information is identified from the terminal 100, the edge service support server 200 transmits a server access information request including the service identification information to the cloud edge computing policy server 300 to obtain server access information (ME app server IP) about the target application server (S140).

[0106] In connection with transmitting the server access information request to the cloud edge computing policy server 300 in this manner, the edge service support server 200 enables the cloud edge computing policy server 300 to distinguish edge areas in which a specific application indicated by the application identification information is installed as serviceable edge areas in all edge areas based on the application identification information (app IP, PKG name) within the service identification information.

[0107] Thereafter, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 refers to the public access information of the terminal 100 within the service identification information received from the edge service support server 200 to identify a specific service zone that matches the corresponding public access information in all service zones of the communication operator network (S150-S180).

[0108] The cloud edge computing policy server 300 can transmit the public access information (Pubic IP) assigned to the terminal 100 to the edge platform management device 400 located in the communication operator network, thereby obtaining information about the area in the communication operator network where the terminal 100 requests edge computing services from the edge platform management device 400.

[0109] At this point, the edge platform management device 400 identifies the private access information (private IP) that matches the public access information of the terminal device 100, and can identify the specific service zone where the terminal 100 requests edge computing services as regional information in all service zones of the communication operator network with reference to the identified private access information.

[0110] The service zone is identified by using an access information pool associated with each service zone, and the access information pool associated with each service zone includes a list on private access information differently allocated in respective service zones in a communication operator network.

[0111] That is, the edge platform management device 400 identifies the service zone of the access information pool to which the private access information of the terminal device 100 belongs as regional information based on the access information pool related to each service zone, wherein the access information pool is a list of private access information allocated in each service zone in the communication operator network.

[0112] At the same time, it is obvious that in order to identify the service zone in this way by using the access information pool associated with each service zone, the edge platform management device 400 needs to pre-acquire the private access information assigned to the terminal 100 in the communication operator network, so as to match it with the public access information (public IP) assigned to the terminal 100 and manage it.

[0113] For reference, the edge platform management device 400 can pre-acquire the private access information (private IP) assigned to the terminal 100 in the following manner: for example, the public access information (public IP) of the edge computing service can be received through the communication operator network at the time when it is assigned to the terminal 100 that has accessed the communication operator network; alternatively, the private access information (private IP) can be received, which has been identified from the terminal 100 by the cloud edge computing policy server 300 at the time when the public access information (public IP) for the area information request is received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300.

[0114] Next, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 distinguishes the serviceable edge areas according to the application identification information (app IP, PKG name), and determines that the application server 600 in the edge area of ​​the serviceable edge area matches the specific service zone within the communication operator network where the terminal 100 requests the edge computing service, or the application server 600 in the edge area closest to the specific service zone is the target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100 (S190-S200).

[0115] Obviously, to this end, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 needs to match and manage the server access information of the application server 600 in the corresponding edge area with the location in the corresponding service zone of the communication operator.

[0116] Furthermore, when the target application server has been determined so that a list of server access information about the target application server is received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300, the edge service support server 200 selects a specific target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100 according to a predetermined edge access policy (S210).

[0117] Edge access policies can be defined as algorithms that combine conditions such as resource usage (CPU, memory, disk), capacity references (number of access users, sessions, throughput), billing (time, capacity), and access history.

[0118] For example, the edge service support server 200 can select a server with the minimum resource usage or the minimum capacity reference from the target application servers on the list according to the edge access policy, can select a server that can minimize billing (time, capacity), or can select a server with an access history of the terminal 100 requesting edge computing services, thereby improving the cache hit rate in the terminal 100.

[0119] Obviously, in combination with the selection of the above-mentioned billing standard, if the public cloud and the communication operator have agreed that only a specific IP band will be free, the server to which the server access information of the corresponding IP is assigned can be selected.

[0120] At the same time, when the target application server list received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300 does not have a server that meets the edge access policy, the edge service support server 200 may select the server access information of the application server currently managed by it instead of the target application server on the list, thereby ensuring service continuity regarding the edge computing service.

[0121] For reference, server access information about target application servers determined by the cloud edge computing policy server 300 may be received as a list, and such a list may be received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300 as a redirect message corresponding to HTTP 302.

[0122] Thereafter, when the target application server that has accessed the terminal 100 is finally selected, the edge service support server 200 returns the server access information about the target application server as the result of the processing delegation to the terminal 100. Therefore, when receiving the server access information corresponding to the result of the processing delegation from the edge service support server 200, the terminal 100 accesses the target application server according to the corresponding server access information and receives the edge computing service (S230-S240).

[0123] In the following, reference will be made to Figure 5 A method for operating the edge service support server 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described.

[0124] First, the receiving unit 210 receives a processing entrustment regarding a public cloud-based edge computing service ( S310 ).

[0125] In response to execution of the application client installed in the terminal 100 , the receiving unit 210 may receive a processing delegation regarding an edge computing service request from the terminal 100 .

[0126] That is, in response to the execution of the application client installed in the terminal 100 , the receiving unit 210 receives the edge computing service request sent from the terminal 100 as a processing entrustment regarding the edge computing service from the terminal 100 .

[0127] In summary, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when Figure 3 When the application client installed in the terminal 100 is executed as in the above, the terminal 100 transmits the edge computing service request to the edge service support server 200 (①), and the edge service support server 200 receives such edge computing service request from the terminal 100 as a processing entrustment.

[0128] Thereafter, upon receiving the processing delegation from the terminal 100 , the processing unit 220 identifies service identification information about the edge computing service requested by the terminal 100 from the terminal 100 ( S320 ).

[0129] Regarding the edge computing service requested by the terminal 100, the processing unit 220 may identify the application identification information (app ID, PKG name) indicating the specific application of the edge computing service and the public access information (public IP) allocated to the terminal 100 in the edge computing service environment as service identification information.

[0130] The public access information (public IP) assigned to the terminal 100 is used as key information for identifying a service zone in which the terminal 100 is located in an edge area managed with respect to each service zone (e.g., Seoul zone, Busan zone, Gwangju zone), which will be described in more detail below.

[0131] Thereafter, when service identification information is identified from the terminal 100, the processing unit 220 obtains, based on the corresponding service identification information, server access information (S330-S340) about the target application server that the terminal 100 can access in a location within the network of the communication operator requesting the edge computing service, in the application server 600 in the corresponding edge area where the same application is installed for the edge computing service.

[0132] The processing unit 220 transmits the server access information request including the service identification information to the cloud edge computing policy server 300, so that the cloud edge computing policy server 300 can determine the target application server that the terminal 100 can access.

[0133] At this point, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 refers to the public access information of the terminal 100 within the service identification information to identify a specific service zone that matches the corresponding public access information among all service zones of the communication operator network.

[0134] More specifically, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 can transmit the public access information (Pubic IP) assigned to the terminal 100 to the edge platform management device 400 located in the communication operator network, thereby obtaining information about the area in the communication operator network where the terminal 100 requests edge computing services from the edge platform management device 400.

[0135] At this point, the edge platform management device 400 identifies the private access information (private IP) that matches the public access information of the terminal device 100, and can identify the specific service zone for which the terminal 100 requests edge computing services as regional information in all service zones of the communication operator network with reference to the identified private access information.

[0136] The service zone is identified by using an access information pool associated with each service zone, and the access information pool associated with each service zone includes a list on private access information differently allocated in respective service zones in a communication operator network.

[0137] That is, the edge platform management device 400 identifies the service zone of the access information pool to which the private access information of the terminal device 100 belongs as regional information based on the access information pool related to each service zone, which is a list of private access information allocated in each service zone in the communication operator network.

[0138] At the same time, it is obvious that in order to identify the service zone in this way by using the access information pool associated with each service zone, the edge platform management device 400 needs to pre-acquire the private access information assigned to the terminal 100 in the communication operator network, so as to match it with the public access information (public IP) assigned to the terminal 100 and manage it.

[0139] For reference, the edge platform management device 400 can pre-acquire the private access information (private IP) assigned to the terminal 100 in the following manner: for example, the public access information (public IP) of the edge computing service can be received through the communication operator network at the time point when the public access information (public IP) of the edge computing service is assigned to the terminal 100 that has accessed the communication operator network; alternatively, the private access information (private IP) can be received, which has been identified from the terminal 100 by the cloud edge computing policy server 300 at the time point when the public access information (public IP) for the area information request is received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300.

[0140] In summary, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 3 As shown, the edge service support server 200 transmits a server access information request including service identification information to the cloud edge computing policy server 300 (②), so that the cloud edge computing policy server 300 requests the edge platform management device 400 to provide information about the area in the communication operator network where the terminal 100 requests edge computing services based on the public access information in the service identification information (③). In response to this, the edge platform management device 400 identifies a specific service zone in the communication operator network that matches the public access information based on the matching information between the public access information and the private access information, and provides it to the cloud edge computing policy server 300 as a response (④). Therefore, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 determines that the application server 600 in at least some edge areas related to the specific service zone among all edge areas is the target application server, and transmits the server access information thereto to the edge service support server 200 (⑤).

[0141] At the same time, in combination with transmitting the server access information request including the service identification information to the cloud edge computing policy server 300 as described above, the processing unit 220 enables the cloud edge computing policy server 300 to distinguish the edge areas where the specific application indicated by the application identification information is installed as serviceable edge areas in all edge areas according to the application identification information (app IP, PKG name) within the service identification information.

[0142] In this regard, after distinguishing the serviceable edge areas according to application identification information (app IP, PKG name), the cloud edge computing policy server 300 can determine that the application server 600 in the edge area of ​​the serviceable edge area that matches the specific service zone in the communication operator network where the terminal 100 requests the edge computing service is the target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100, or determine that the application server 600 in the edge area closest to the specific service zone is the target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100.

[0143] Obviously, to this end, the cloud edge computing policy server 300 needs to match and manage the server access information of the application server 600 in the corresponding edge area with the location in the corresponding service zone of the communication operator.

[0144] For reference, server access information about target application servers determined by the cloud edge computing policy server 300 may be received as a list, and such a list may be received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300 as a redirect message corresponding to HTTP 302.

[0145] In addition, when the target application server has been determined so that a list of server access information about the target application server is received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300, the processing unit 220 selects a specific target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100 according to a predetermined edge access policy (S360).

[0146] Therefore, edge access policy can be defined as an algorithm combining conditions such as resource usage (CPU, memory, disk), capacity reference (number of access users, sessions, throughput), billing (time, capacity) and access history.

[0147] For example, the processing unit 220 may select a server with the minimum resource usage or the minimum capacity reference from the target application servers on the list according to the edge access policy, may select a server that can minimize billing (time, capacity), or may select a server with an access history of the terminal 100 requesting edge computing services, thereby improving the cache hit rate in the terminal 100.

[0148] Obviously, in combination with the selection of the above-mentioned billing standard, if the public cloud and the communication operator have agreed that only a specific IP band will be free, the server to which the server access information of the corresponding IP is assigned can be selected.

[0149] At the same time, when the target application server list received from the cloud edge computing policy server 300 does not have a server that meets the edge access policy, the processing unit 220 may select the server access information of the application server currently managed by it, rather than the target application server on the list, thereby ensuring service continuity regarding the edge computing service.

[0150] Thereafter, when the target application server that has accessed the terminal 100 is finally selected, the returning unit 230 returns server access information on the target application server to the terminal 100 as a result of processing delegation (S370).

[0151] Therefore, when receiving server access information corresponding to the result of processing delegation from the edge service support server 200, the terminal 100 can access the target application server according to the corresponding server access information and receive the edge computing service.

[0152] In summary, in the embodiments of the present disclosure, Figure 3 As shown, when the target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100 is finally selected, the edge service support server 200 returns the server access information of the corresponding target application server to the terminal 100 (⑥), so that the terminal 100 can receive the edge computing service requested by the target application server according to the returned server access information (⑦).

[0153] At the same time, the implementation mode of the present disclosure has been described above, assuming that a query about the area information where the terminal 100 is located is sent to the cloud edge computing policy server 300, and at least one of the application servers 600 in the corresponding edge area matching the corresponding area information is determined as the target application server to be accessed by the terminal 100.

[0154] However, the present disclosure is not limited to such an implementation, and it is obvious that if there is a session with the terminal 100 requesting the edge computing service (if there is a source IP of the terminal), or if there is cached information about the corresponding terminal 100 maintained for a predetermined time, information about the target application that has been accessed by the terminal 100 can be returned without sensing a query to the cloud edge computing policy server 300, thereby reducing network load and call processing waiting time.

[0155] As described above, according to the operating method of an embodiment of the present disclosure, an edge area for providing cloud-based edge computing services is set forward at a site of a communication operator network, so that when the terminal 100 requests an edge computing service, the terminal 100 can receive the edge computing service through the edge area closest to the terminal 100, thereby realizing an ultra-low latency edge computing service with minimized communication latency.

[0156] Specifically, according to the method for operating the edge service support server 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the edge service support server 200 operates as an application server, which processes the delegated operation according to the processing delegation of the edge computing service request from the application client in the terminal 100, and returns the processing result to the terminal 100, so that the application client installed in the terminal 100 for the edge computing service can be implemented as a thin client that can minimize the dependence on the terminal 100.

[0157] Meanwhile, the operation method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure can be implemented as a program command that can be executed by various computer devices and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium can include program commands, data files, data structures, etc., individually or in combination. The program commands recorded in the medium can be specially designed and configured for the present disclosure, or can be known and available to those skilled in the art about computer software. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as optical floppy disks, and hardware devices such as ROMs, RAMs, and flash memories that are specially configured to store and execute program commands. Examples of program commands include not only machine language codes made by compilers, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by computers using interpreters, etc. The above-mentioned hardware devices can be configured to operate as one or more software modules for performing the operations of the present disclosure, and vice versa.

[0158] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to exemplary embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure should be understood to include various modifications or changes that can be made by technicians in the field to which the present disclosure belongs without departing from the gist of the present disclosure defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An edge service support server, the edge service support server comprising: A receiving unit, the receiving unit being configured to receive a processing delegation regarding a cloud-based edge computing service request from a terminal; as well as a processing unit configured to obtain, according to the processing delegation and based on the service identification information of the edge computing service requested by the terminal, server access information of a target application server from an application server in each edge area where an application of the edge computing service is installed; The target application server can be accessed by the terminal in the communication operator network requesting the edge computing service, and The processing unit identifies a specific service zone for the terminal in the communication operator network based on the service identification information, so that an application server in at least one edge area of ​​all edge areas related to the specific service zone can be determined as the target application server.

2. According to the edge service support server of claim 1, the edge service support server also includes a return unit, which is configured to return the server access information of the target application server as a result of processing the processing delegation to the terminal, so that the terminal can receive the edge computing service from the target application server according to the server access information.

3. The edge service support server according to claim 1, wherein: When an application client for the edge computing service is executed in the terminal, the processing delegation is received from the terminal.

4. The edge service support server according to claim 1, wherein: The service identification information includes public access information allocated to the terminal in the edge computing service environment, and The processing unit identifies, according to the public access information, the specific service zone in the communication operator network that matches the public access information.

5. The edge service support server according to claim 4, wherein: Based on matching information between the public access information and private access information assigned to the terminal in the communication operator network, the specific service zone is identified as a service zone among multiple service zones of the communication operator network to which the private access information matching the public access information is assigned.

6. The edge service support server according to claim 4, wherein: The target application server is determined to be an application server included in the specific service zone or in an edge area closest to the specific service zone.

7. The edge service support server according to claim 1, wherein: The service identification information includes application identification information indicating a specific application of the edge computing service, and The processing unit is configured to enable, according to the application identification information, to determine an application server in an edge area that can provide a service among all edge areas where the specific application is installed as the target application server.

8. The edge service support server according to claim 1, wherein: When there are two or more target application servers, the processing unit selects one of the two or more target application servers to be accessed by the terminal according to a predetermined edge access policy.

9. A method for operating an edge service support server, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a processing delegation regarding a cloud-based edge computing service request from a terminal; as well as According to the processing delegation, based on the service identification information of the edge computing service requested by the terminal, processing is performed to obtain server access information of the target application server from application servers in each edge area where an application for the edge computing service is installed, The target application server can be accessed by the terminal in the communication operator network requesting the edge computing service, and Among them, the step of processing to obtain the server access information of the target application server includes: identifying the specific service zone for the terminal in the communication operator network based on the service identification information, so that an application server in at least one edge area of ​​all edge areas related to the specific service zone can be determined as the target application server.

10. The method for operating an edge service support server according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of: Returning server access information of the target application server as a result of processing the processing delegation to the terminal, so that the terminal can receive the edge computing service from the target application server according to the server access information.

11. The method for operating an edge service support server according to claim 9, wherein: When an application client for the edge computing service is executed in the terminal, the processing delegation is received from the terminal.

12. The method for operating an edge service support server according to claim 9, wherein: The service identification information includes public access information allocated to the terminal in the edge computing service environment, and The step of performing processing to obtain the server access information of the target application server further includes: identifying, based on the public access information, the specific service zone in the communication operator network that matches the public access information.

13. The method for operating an edge service support server according to claim 12, wherein: Based on matching information between the public access information and private access information assigned to the terminal in the communication operator network, the specific service zone is identified as a service zone among multiple service zones of the communication operator network to which the private access information matching the public access information is assigned.

14. The method for operating an edge service support server according to claim 12, wherein: The target application server is determined to be an application server included in the specific service zone or in an edge area closest to the specific service zone.

15. The method for operating an edge service support server according to claim 9, wherein: The service identification information includes application identification information indicating a specific application for the edge computing service, and The step of performing processing to obtain the server access information of the target application server includes: determining, according to the application identification information, an application server in an edge area that can provide services among all edge areas where the specific application is installed as the target application server.

16. The method for operating an edge service support server according to claim 9, wherein: The step of performing processing to obtain the server access information of the target application server includes: when there are two or more target application servers, selecting one of the two or more target application servers to be accessed by the terminal according to a predetermined edge access policy.

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