Method for obtaining service capability information of sepp network element, configuration method and related equipment

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a SEPP network element service capability information acquisition method, a configuration method and related equipment, and relates to the technical field of communication. The method comprises the following steps: sending a name authority pointer (NAPTR) record query request to a domain name system (DNS) server, wherein the NAPTR record information of one or more SEPP network elements is stored on the DNS server, and the service character of each service supported by each SEPP network element is contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element; receiving the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server according to the NAPTR record query request; and determining the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element according to the service character contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element. The present disclosure can dynamically discover the service capability information supported by the SEPP network element through the DNS.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method for obtaining SEPP network element service capability information, a configuration method, and related equipment. Background Technology

[0002] SEPP (Security Edge Protection Proxy) network elements are responsible for interconnecting 5G core networks of different operators. Depending on the different service requirements of the interconnection (such as roaming services, SMS services, roaming activation testing, inter-network mobility management, etc.), operators often want to have free control over the deployment strategy of SEPP network elements. For example, one SEPP network element may be configured to be responsible only for roaming services, while another SEPP network element may be configured to be responsible only for SMS services.

[0003] According to the current standard protocol, when one operator's SEPP network element dynamically discovers another operator's (peer operator's) SEPP network element through DNS, it can only discover the IP address and port number of the peer SEPP network element, but cannot know the service capabilities supported by the peer SEPP network element, and therefore cannot implement the operator's above-mentioned deployment strategy for SEPP.

[0004] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background section above is only used to enhance the understanding of the background of this disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure provides a method, configuration method, and related equipment for obtaining SEPP network element service capability information, which at least to some extent overcomes the technical problem in related technologies that the service capability information supported by SEPP network elements cannot be dynamically discovered through DNS.

[0006] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part from practice of this disclosure.

[0007] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method for obtaining SEPP network element service capability information is provided, comprising: sending a Name Authority Pointer (NAPTR) record query request to a Domain Name System (DNS) server, wherein the DNS server stores NAPTR record information for one or more SEPP network elements, and the NAPTR record information for each SEPP network element contains service characters for the services supported by each SEPP network element; receiving the NAPTR record information for each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server based on the NAPTR record query request; and determining the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information for each SEPP network element.

[0008] In some embodiments, before receiving the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server according to the NAPTR record query request, the method further includes: adding service characters to the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on the DNS server to characterize the services supported by each SEPP network element.

[0009] In some embodiments, the NAPTR record information includes a service field and a replacement field; wherein, in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on the DNS server, service characters for characterizing the services supported by each SEPP network element are added, including: adding service characters for characterizing the services supported by each SEPP network element to both the service field and the replacement field included in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element.

[0010] In some embodiments, after determining the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element, the method further includes: determining one or more SEPP network elements supporting the current service requirement based on the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element; sending a service SRV record query request to the DNS server based on each SEPP network element supporting the current service requirement; receiving the SRV record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server based on the SRV record query request, wherein the SRV record information of each SEPP network element contains the hostname and port number of each SEPP network element; determining the target SEPP network element to be connected based on the SRV record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server based on the SRV record query request; sending an IP address query request to the DNS server based on the hostname of the target SEPP network element, wherein the IP address query request is used to request a query for the IP address of the target SEPP network element; receiving the IP address of the target SEPP network element returned by the DNS server; and initiating a connection establishment request to the target SEPP network element based on the IP address and port number of the target SEPP network element.

[0011] In some embodiments, the IP address query request includes: an A query request or an AAAA query request, wherein the A query request is used to request a query for the IPv4 address of the SEPP network element, and the AAAA query request is used to request a query for the IPv6 address of the SEPP network element.

[0012] In some embodiments, sending a Name Authority Pointer (NAPTR) record query request to a Domain Name System (DNS) server includes: obtaining the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the operator network based on the Public Land Mobile Network Identifier (PLMN ID); and sending a NAPTR record query request to the DNS server based on the FQDN of the operator network to query one or more SEPPSEPP network elements within the operator network.

[0013] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for configuring SEPP network element service capability information is also provided, comprising: adding service characters for the services supported by each SEPP network element to the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on a DNS server.

[0014] In some embodiments, the NAPTR record information includes a service field and a replacement field; wherein, in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on the DNS server, service characters for the services supported by each SEPP network element are added, including: adding service characters for the services supported by each SEPP network element to both the service field and the replacement field included in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element.

[0015] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a device for obtaining SEPP network element service capability information is also provided, comprising: a NAPTR record query request module, configured to send a Name Authority Pointer (NAPTR) record query request to a Domain Name System (DNS) server, wherein the DNS server stores NAPTR record information of one or more SEPP network elements, and the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element contains service characters for the services supported by each SEPP network element; a NAPTR record query result response module, configured to receive the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server according to the NAPTR record query request; and an SEPP network element service capability information acquisition module, configured to determine the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element.

[0016] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a SEPP network element service capability information configuration device is also provided, comprising: an SEPP network element service capability information configuration module, used to add service characters for the services supported by each SEPP network element to the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on a DNS server.

[0017] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an electronic device is also provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the SEPP network element service capability information acquisition method or the SEPP network element service capability information configuration method described in any one of the preceding claims by executing the executable instructions.

[0018] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, on which a computer program is stored, which, when executed by a processor, implements the SEPP network element service capability information acquisition method or the SEPP network element service capability information configuration method described in any one of the preceding claims.

[0019] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer program product is also provided, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the SEPP network element service capability information acquisition method or the SEPP network element service capability information configuration method described in any one of the above claims.

[0020] The SEPP network element service capability information acquisition method, configuration method, and related devices provided in the embodiments of this disclosure, by adding service characters representing the services supported by each SEPP network element to the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on the DNS server, can obtain the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element by sending a NAPTR record query request to the DNS server. Then, based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element, the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element can be determined. The embodiments of this disclosure can dynamically discover the service capability information supported by SEPP network elements through DNS.

[0021] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates an application system architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 2 This diagram illustrates a flowchart of a method for obtaining SEPP network element service capability information according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 3 This illustration shows a flowchart of a method for establishing a network connection based on SEPP network element service capability information in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates a flowchart of a SEPP network element service capability information configuration method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates a SEPP network element service capability information acquisition device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 6This diagram illustrates a SEPP network element service capability information configuration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates a structural block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a computer-readable storage medium is shown in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be more comprehensive and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0032] Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Some block diagrams shown in the drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0033] To facilitate understanding, before introducing the embodiments of this disclosure, the following explanations are provided for several terms involved in the embodiments of this disclosure:

[0034] SEPP: Security Edge Protection Proxy, is a boundary gateway between the core network control plane of an operator. When roaming between two operators, it provides security protection for signaling between networks and enables network topology hiding.

[0035] SMS: Short Messaging Service.

[0036] DNS: Domain Name System.

[0037] NAPTR: Naming Authority Pointer.

[0038] SRV: Service Record.

[0039] FQDN: Fully Qualified Domain Name, also known as a fully qualified domain name or fully qualified domain name, carries both the hostname and the domain name.

[0040] PLMN: Public Land Mobile Network.

[0041] HPLMN: Home Public Land Mobile Network.

[0042] VPLMN: Visited Public Land Mobile Network.

[0043] The specific implementation methods of the embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0044] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates an exemplary application system architecture for which the SEPP network element service capability information acquisition method or SEPP network element service capability information configuration method described in this disclosure can be applied. Figure 1 As shown, the system architecture includes: a first SEPP network element 10A, a second SEPP network element 10B, a first core network 20A, and a second core network 20B.

[0045] Specifically, the first SEPP network element 10A is an SEPP network element located in the first operator's network; the second SEPP network element 10B is an SEPP network element located in the second operator's network; the first core network 20A is the core network of the first operator; and the second core network 20B is the core network of the second operator. The first SEPP network element 10A and the second SEPP network element 10B can be connected via an N32 interface.

[0046] The first core network 20A and the second core network 20B can be 5G core networks or core networks of 5G versions or later.

[0047] In roaming scenarios, the first operator can be the home operator and the second operator can be the visited operator; or the second operator can be the home operator and the first operator can be the visited operator.

[0048] Those skilled in the art will know that Figure 1 The number of SEPP network elements and core network shown is merely illustrative; any number of SEPP network elements and core network can be used depending on actual needs. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0049] Under the above system architecture, this disclosure provides a method for obtaining SEPP network element service capability information. In principle, this method can be executed by any electronic device with computing capabilities. In some embodiments, the method for obtaining SEPP network element service capability information provided in this disclosure can be executed by a first SEPP network element in the above system architecture; in other embodiments, the method can be executed by a second SEPP network element in the above system architecture; and in still other embodiments, the method can also be executed by other devices communicating with the first or second SEPP network element.

[0050] Figure 2 This invention discloses a flowchart of a method for obtaining SEPP network element service capability information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown in the embodiments of this disclosure, the method for obtaining SEPP network element service capability information includes the following steps:

[0051] S202, send a NAPTR record query request to the DNS server, wherein the DNS server stores NAPTR record information for one or more SEPP network elements, and the NAPTR record information for each SEPP network element contains the service characters of the services supported by each SEPP network element.

[0052] It should be noted that the aforementioned DNS server refers to a server that provides domain name resolution services for SEPP network elements. This server stores NAPTR record information for one or more SEPP network elements, and the NAPTR record information for each SEPP network element contains the business characters of the services supported by each SEPP network element.

[0053] In practice, by sending a NAPTR record query request to the DNS server, the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element can be queried, and then the services supported by each SEPP network element can be determined based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element.

[0054] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the business character can be a preset character that can distinguish different businesses, and can be any one or more combinations of letters, numbers, and special characters, but not limited to.

[0055] S204: Receive NAPTR record information for each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server based on the NAPTR record query request.

[0056] It should be noted that after receiving a NAPTR record query request, the DNS server can return the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element based on the identifiers of one or more SEPP network elements contained in the NAPTR record query request.

[0057] In some embodiments, before receiving the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server based on the NAPTR record query request, it is necessary to pre-store the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element on the DNS server, and add service characters to represent the services supported by each SEPP network element.

[0058] NAPTR record information contains the following fields: order; pref (Preference); flag; service; regexp (regular expression); replacement (replacement, used for the next DNS query).

[0059] In specific implementation, this embodiment adds service characters to the service field and replacement field of the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element to characterize the services supported by each SEPP network element.

[0060] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the business characters added to the service field and the replacement field can be the same or different. For example, for roaming, the business character added to the service field is "+pp-r" and the business character added to the replacement field is "r"; for short message service (SMS), the business character added to the service field is "+pp-s" and the business character added to the replacement field is "s".

[0061] S206. Based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element, determine the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element.

[0062] It should be noted that since each SEPP network element contains the service characters of the services it supports in the NAPTR record information on the DNS server, after receiving the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server, the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element can be determined based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element.

[0063] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3As shown, after determining the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element, the SEPP network element service capability information acquisition method provided in this embodiment may further include the following steps:

[0064] S208, Based on the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element, determine one or more SEPP network elements that support the current service requirements;

[0065] S210, based on the various SEPP network elements that support the current business requirements, sends a service SRV record query request to the DNS server;

[0066] S212, Receive the SRV record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server according to the SRV record query request, wherein the SRV record information of each SEPP network element contains the hostname and port number of each SEPP network element.

[0067] S214. Based on the SRV record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server according to the SRV record query request, determine the target SEPP network element to be connected.

[0068] S216. Based on the hostname of the target SEPP network element, send an IP address query request to the DNS server. The IP address query request is used to query the IP address of the target SEPP network element.

[0069] S218, Receive the IP address of the target SEPP network element returned by the DNS server;

[0070] S220: Based on the IP address and port number of the target SEPP network element, initiate a connection establishment request to the target SEPP network element.

[0071] It should be noted that the purpose of the DNS server query is to return the IP address and port number of the SEPP network element. After determining the service capabilities supported by each SEPP network element based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server, SEPP network elements that support the current service requirements can be selected. Then, an SRV record query request for these SEPP network elements is sent to the DNS server so that the DNS server can return the SRV record information of these SEPP network elements (including the hostname and port number of the SEPP network element). From this, the SEPP network element with which to establish a connection (the target SEPP network element) is selected. Then, based on the hostname of the SEPP network element, an IP address query request is sent to the DNS server so that the DNS server can return the IP address of the SEPP network element. Finally, based on the IP address and port number of the SEPP network element, a connection establishment request is initiated to establish a network connection with the SEPP network element.

[0072] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the IP address query request may include: an A query request or an AAAA query request, wherein an A query request is used to request a query for the IPv4 address of the SEPP network element, and an AAAA query request is used to request a query for the IPv6 address of the SEPP network element.

[0073] In some embodiments, S202 can be implemented through the following steps: obtaining the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the operator network based on the Public Land Mobile Network ID (PLMN ID); and sending a NAPTR record query request to a DNS server based on the FQDN of the operator network to query one or more SEPP network elements within the operator network. Through this embodiment, the service capabilities supported by each SEPP network element within the operator network can be obtained.

[0074] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the NAPTR record query request sent to the DNS server in S202 above can be sent by a SEPP network element within the home operator network. When a SEPP network element within the home operator network discovers a SEPP network element within the visited operator network (the network where the visitor is located) through DNS, it can obtain the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the visited operator network based on the PLMNID of the visited operator network. Then, based on the FQDN of the visited operator network, it sends a NAPTR record query request to the DNS server to query each SEPP network element within the visited operator network, so as to obtain the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element within the visited operator network.

[0075] The current SEPP network element dynamic discovery mechanism can only discover the IP address and port number of the peer SEPP network element, and does not support the discovery of the service types supported by the peer SEPP network element. In this embodiment, corresponding characters are added to the service field of the corresponding NAPTR record of the DNS server to represent the service capabilities supported by the SEPP network element, and characters representing the corresponding service capabilities are also added to the replacement field. The SEPP network element initiating the query can obtain the service capabilities supported by the peer SEPP network element based on the corresponding characters in the NAPTR record, and initiate an SRV query based on the value of the corresponding replacement field to obtain the hostname and port number of the peer SEPP. Finally, an A / AAAA query is initiated to obtain the IP address of the peer SEPP network element. It can be seen that the network element service capability information acquisition method provided in this embodiment enables an operator's SEPP network element to discover the peer operator's SEPP network element with different service capabilities based on the peer operator's FQDN when dynamically discovering the peer SEPP network element through DNS, allowing the operator to deploy SEPP network elements more flexibly.

[0076] Taking the dynamic discovery of SEPP network elements of a peer operator by a carrier's SEPP network elements as an example, the following practical example will be used to describe the embodiments of this disclosure in detail. Specifically, it includes the following aspects:

[0077] 1) NAPTR record lookup: One operator's SEPP needs to discover another operator's SEPP and initiate a connection via the N32 interface. It generates an FQDN (sepp.5gc.mncxxx.mccyyy.3gppnetwork.org) based on the other operator's PLMN ID and initiates a NAPTR record lookup accordingly.

[0078] Table 1 shows the NAPTR record information returned by the DNS server. In Table 1, the ORDER field represents the processing order; the PREFERENCE field represents the weight; the FLAGS field represents the mapping relationship, with a value of 's' indicating that the next step is an SRV query, and a value of 'A' indicating that the next step is an A query or an AAAA query; the SERVICES field represents the service; the REGEXP field represents the regular expression; and the REPLACEMENT field represents the replacement, containing the domain name required for the next query.

[0079] Table 1

[0080]

[0081] As shown in Table 1, +pp-r in the SERVICES field indicates that the SEPP network element's service capability supports roaming services (ROAMING), and when initiating an N32 interface connection later, the N32Purpose value is ROAMING; similarly, +pp-s in the SERVICES field indicates that the SEPP network element's service capability supports short message service (SMS), and when initiating an N32 interface connection later, the N32Purpose value is SMS_INTERCONNECT.

[0082] The initiating SEPP network element selects based on the service capabilities of the other SEPP network element and initiates an SRV record query based on the value S in the FLAGS field.

[0083] 2) SRV record query:

[0084] The initiating SEPP network element selects a peer SEPP network element that supports roaming services based on business needs, and performs an SRV query using _n32r._tcp.sepp.5gc.mncxxx.mccyyy.3gppnetwork.org. The SRV record information returned by the DNS server is shown in Table 2. In Table 2, the ORDER field represents the processing order; the WEIGHT field represents the weight; the PORT field represents the port number; and the TARGET field represents the hostname.

[0085] Table 2

[0086]

[0087] 3) IP address lookup:

[0088] The initiating SEPP network element selects the hostname of one of the opposing SEPP network elements and initiates an A / AAAA query. The DNS server returns the corresponding IP address.

[0089] 4) Network connection establishment:

[0090] The initiating SEPP network element obtains the IP address and port number of the other party's SEPP network element and begins to establish a connection on the N32 interface.

[0091] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a method for configuring SEPP network element service capability information. In principle, this method can be executed by any electronic device with computing capabilities. In some embodiments, the SEPP network element service capability information configuration method provided in this disclosure can be executed by a first SEPP network element in the aforementioned system architecture; in other embodiments, the SEPP network element service capability information configuration method provided in this disclosure can be executed by a second SEPP network element in the aforementioned system architecture; in still other embodiments, the SEPP network element service capability information configuration method provided in this disclosure can also be executed by other devices communicating with the first SEPP network element or the second SEPP network element.

[0092] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates a flowchart of a SEPP network element service capability information configuration method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the SEPP network element service capability information configuration method provided in this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0093] S402, in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on the DNS server, add the service characters of the services supported by each SEPP network element.

[0094] In practical implementation, the service characters supported by each SEPP network element can be added to both the service field and the replacement field in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element.

[0095] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a SEPP network element service capability information acquisition device, as described in the following embodiments. Since the principle by which this device embodiment solves the problem is similar to that of the above method embodiments, the implementation of this device embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above method embodiments, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0096] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates a SEPP network element service capability information acquisition device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the device includes: a NAPTR record query request module 501, a NAPTR record query result response module 502, and a SEPP network element service capability information acquisition module 503.

[0097] The NAPTR record query request module 501 is used to send a Name Authority Pointer (NAPTR) record query request to the Domain Name System (DNS) server. The DNS server stores NAPTR record information for one or more SEPP network elements, and the NAPTR record information for each SEPP network element contains service characters for the services supported by each SEPP network element. The NAPTR record query result response module 502 is used to receive the NAPTR record information for each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server based on the NAPTR record query request. The SEPP network element service capability information acquisition module 503 is used to determine the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element.

[0098] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, the SEPP network element service capability information acquisition device provided in this embodiment may further include: a configuration module 504, used to add service characters to the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on the DNS server to characterize the services supported by each SEPP network element.

[0099] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the configuration module is also used to add service characters to the service field and replacement field included in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element to characterize the services supported by each SEPP network element.

[0100] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, the SEPP network element service capability information acquisition device provided in this embodiment may further include: a first SEPP network element filtering module 505, an SRV record query request module 506, an SRV record query result response module 507, a second SEPP network element filtering module 508, an IP address query request module 509, an IP address query result response module 510, and a network connection establishment module 511.

[0101] The first SEPP network element filtering module 505 is used to determine one or more SEPP network elements that support the current service requirements based on the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element; the SRV record query request module 506 is used to send a service SRV record query request to the DNS server based on each SEPP network element that supports the current service requirements; the SRV record query result response module 507 is used to receive the SRV record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server based on the SRV record query request, wherein the SRV record information of each SEPP network element contains the hostname and port number of each SEPP network element; the second SEPP network element filtering module 505... 08 is used to determine the target SEPP network element to be connected based on the SRV record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server according to the SRV record query request; IP address query request module 509 is used to send an IP address query request to the DNS server based on the hostname of the target SEPP network element, and the IP address query request is used to query the IP address of the target SEPP network element; IP address query result response module 510 is used to receive the IP address of the target SEPP network element returned by the DNS server; network connection establishment module 511 is used to initiate a connection establishment request to the target SEPP network element based on the IP address and port number of the target SEPP network element.

[0102] In some embodiments, the IP address query request includes: an A query request or an AAAA query request, wherein the A query request is used to request the query of the IPv4 address of the SEPP network element, and the AAAA query request is used to request the query of the IPv6 address of the SEPP network element.

[0103] In some embodiments, the NAPTR record query request module 501 is further configured to: obtain the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the operator network based on the Public Land Mobile Network ID (PLMN ID) of the operator network; and send a NAPTR record query request to the DNS server based on the FQDN of the operator network to query one or more SEPP network elements within the operator network.

[0104] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a SEPP network element service capability information configuration device, as described in the following embodiments. Since the principle by which this device embodiment solves the problem is similar to that of the above method embodiments, the implementation of this device embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above method embodiments, and repeated details will not be elaborated further.

[0105] Figure 6 This diagram illustrates a SEPP network element service capability information configuration device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the device includes: SEPP network element service capability information configuration module 601.

[0106] Among them, the SEPP network element service capability information configuration module 601 is used to add the service characters of the services supported by each SEPP network element to the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on the DNS server.

[0107] It should be noted that the examples and application scenarios implemented by the above modules and corresponding steps are the same, but are not limited to the content disclosed in the above method embodiments. It should also be noted that the above modules, as part of an apparatus, can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer-executable instructions.

[0108] Those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of this disclosure can be implemented as systems, methods, or program products. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be specifically implemented in the following forms: entirely in hardware, entirely in software (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or in a combination of hardware and software, collectively referred to herein as “circuit,” “module,” or “system.”

[0109] The following reference Figure 7 To describe an electronic device 700 according to such an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 The electronic device 700 shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitation on the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0110] like Figure 7 As shown, the electronic device 700 is manifested in the form of a general-purpose computing device. The components of the electronic device 700 may include, but are not limited to: at least one processing unit 710, at least one storage unit 720, and a bus 730 connecting different system components (including storage unit 720 and processing unit 710).

[0111] The storage unit stores program code that can be executed by the processing unit 710, causing the processing unit 710 to perform the steps described in the "Exemplary Methods" section above according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0112] In some embodiments, when the electronic device 700 is a SEPP network element service capability information acquisition device, the processing unit 710 may execute the following steps of the above method embodiment: sending a Name Authority Pointer (NAPTR) record query request to a Domain Name System (DNS) server, wherein the DNS server stores NAPTR record information of one or more SEPP network elements, and the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element contains service characters of the services supported by each SEPP network element; receiving the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server according to the NAPTR record query request; and determining the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element according to the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element.

[0113] In some embodiments, when the electronic device 700 is a SEPP network element service capability information configuration device, the processing unit 710 may perform the following steps of the above method embodiment: adding the service characters of the services supported by each SEPP network element to the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on the DNS server.

[0114] Storage unit 720 may include a readable medium in the form of a volatile storage unit, such as random access memory (RAM) 7201 and / or cache memory 7202, and may further include a read-only memory (ROM) 7203.

[0115] The storage unit 720 may also include a program / utility 7204 having a set (at least one) program module 7205, such program module 7205 including but not limited to: an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules and program data, each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0116] Bus 730 can represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory cell bus or memory cell controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processing unit, or a local bus using any of the various bus structures.

[0117] Electronic device 700 can also communicate with one or more external devices 740 (e.g., keyboard, pointing device, Bluetooth device, etc.), and with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with electronic device 700, and / or with any device that enables electronic device 700 to communicate with one or more other computing devices (e.g., router, modem, etc.). This communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interface 750. Furthermore, electronic device 700 can also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via network adapter 760. As shown, network adapter 760 communicates with other modules of electronic device 700 via bus 730. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figures, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with electronic device 700, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0118] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, terminal device, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0119] In particular, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the process described above with reference to the flowchart can be implemented as a computer program product, which includes: a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the SEPP network element service capability information acquisition method or the SEPP network element service capability information configuration method of any of the above-mentioned methods.

[0120] In exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is also provided, which may be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. Figure 8 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of a computer-readable storage medium according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, such as... Figure 8As shown, the computer-readable storage medium 800 stores a program product capable of implementing the methods described above in this disclosure. In some possible embodiments, various aspects of this disclosure may also be implemented as a program product comprising program code that, when run on a terminal device, causes the terminal device to perform the steps described in the "Exemplary Methods" section of this specification according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0121] More specific examples of computer-readable storage media in this disclosure may include, but are not limited to: electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0122] In this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium may include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying readable program code. Such propagated data signals may take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A readable signal medium may also be any readable medium other than a readable storage medium, capable of transmitting, propagating, or transmitting a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0123] Optionally, the program code contained on the computer-readable storage medium may be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical fiber, RF, etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0124] In practical implementation, program code for performing the operations of this disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java and C++, and conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as C or similar languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's device, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving remote computing devices, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0125] It should be noted that although several modules or units for the device used to perform actions have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0126] Furthermore, although the steps of the method in this disclosure are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that the steps must be performed in that specific order, or that all the steps shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. Additional or alternative steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or a step may be broken down into multiple steps.

[0127] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, mobile terminal, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0128] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for obtaining service capability information of a security edge protection proxy (SEPP) network element, characterized in that, include: A Name Authority Pointer (NAPTR) record query request is sent to a Domain Name System (DNS) server. The DNS server stores NAPTR record information for one or more SEPP network elements. Each SEPP network element's NAPTR record information contains a service field and a replacement field. Both the service field and the replacement field contain service characters used to characterize the services supported by each SEPP network element. Receive the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server based on the NAPTR record query request; Based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element, determine the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element.

2. The method for obtaining service capability information of a SEPP network element according to claim 1, characterized in that, After determining the service capabilities supported by each SEPP network element based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element, the method further includes: Based on the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element, identify one or more SEPP network elements that support the current service requirements; Based on the various SEPP network elements that support the current business requirements, a service SRV record query request is sent to the DNS server; Receive the SRV record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server according to the SRV record query request, wherein the SRV record information of each SEPP network element contains the hostname and port number of each SEPP network element; Based on the SRV record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server according to the SRV record query request, the target SEPP network element to be connected is determined. Based on the hostname of the target SEPP network element, an IP address query request is sent to the DNS server. The IP address query request is used to query the IP address of the target SEPP network element. Receive the IP address of the target SEPP network element returned by the DNS server; Based on the IP address and port number of the target SEPP network element, a connection establishment request is initiated to the target SEPP network element.

3. The method for obtaining service capability information of a SEPP network element according to claim 2, characterized in that, The IP address query request includes: an A query request or an AAAA query request, wherein the A query request is used to query the IPv4 address of the SEPP network element, and the AAAA query request is used to query the IPv6 address of the SEPP network element.

4. The method for obtaining service capability information of a SEPP network element according to claim 1, characterized in that, Send a Name Authority Pointer (NAPTR) record query request to the Domain Name System (DNS) server, including: Obtain the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the operator's network based on the Public Land Mobile Network ID (PLMN ID). Based on the FQDN of the operator network, a NAPTR record query request is sent to the DNS server to query one or more SEPPSEPP network elements within the operator network. 5.A method for configuring service capability information of a SEPP network element, characterized in that, include: In the service field and replacement field of the NAPTR record information for each SEPP network element stored on the DNS server, add the service characters for the services supported by each SEPP network element. 6.A device for obtaining service capability information of a SEPP network element, characterized in that, include: The NAPTR record query request module is used to send a Name Authority Pointer (NAPTR) record query request to the Domain Name System (DNS) server. The DNS server stores NAPTR record information for one or more SEPP network elements. Each SEPP network element's NAPTR record information contains a service field and a replacement field. Both the service field and the replacement field contain service characters used to characterize the services supported by each SEPP network element. The NAPTR record query result response module is used to receive the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element returned by the DNS server according to the NAPTR record query request; The SEPP network element service capability information acquisition module is used to determine the service capability information supported by each SEPP network element based on the service characters contained in the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element. 7.A device for configuring service capability information of a SEPP network element, characterized in that, include: The SEPP network element service capability information configuration module is used to add service characters for the services supported by each SEPP network element to the service fields and replacement fields of the NAPTR record information of each SEPP network element stored on the DNS server.

8. An electronic device, comprising: include: processor; as well as Memory for storing the executable instructions of the processor; The processor is configured to execute the SEPP network element service capability information acquisition method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or the SEPP network element service capability information configuration method according to claim 5, by executing the executable instructions.

9. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the SEPP network element service capability information acquisition method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or the SEPP network element service capability information configuration method according to claim 5.

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