Method, apparatus and system for discovering edge network management server

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, architectures, and interfaces are disclosed for a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU) to discover available edge network (EN) management (ENM) servers associated with any of an EN service and an EN application. One method can include transmitting a first message to a core network entity, the first message including information indicating a request to discover an ENM server, receiving a second message from the core network entity in response to the request to discover an ENM server, the second message including ENM server information indicating (1) any number of available ENM servers and (2) respective available ENM server endpoint information, and performing communication with one or more of the available ENM servers.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese Patent Application No. 202180030480.4, titled “Method, Apparatus and System for Discovering Edge Network Management Server,” filed on April 2, 2021, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. BACKGROUND

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of computing and communications, and more specifically, to methods, apparatus, systems, architectures, and interfaces for computing and communications in advanced or next generation wireless communication systems, including communications performed using New Radio and / or New Radio (NR) access technologies and communication systems. Such NR access and technologies, which can also be referred to as 5G, can provide edge computing, which can also be referred to as fog networking and / or pervasive computing, and can necessitate edge computing. For example, use cases such as automation of vehicles, such as cars and drones, real-time augmented reality (AR), immersive gaming, etc., represent just a few of the technologically advanced use cases that can require edge computing, e.g., for low latency support. While attempts have been made to implement such use cases using conventional network capabilities and technologies, such implementations remain deficient and available with limited features, e.g., in controlled environments and / or using specialized hardware.

[0003] While edge computing can have similarities to (e.g., conventional) cloud computing, edge computing has its own unique set of challenges. For example, in the case of (e.g., conventional) cloud computing networks, existing discovery and / or routing mechanisms assume that services are centrally located, and such services provide equivalent performance and / or functionality. However, both assumptions are not accurate in the case of edge computing, as services are deployed and / or placed closer to the point of consumption in a decentralized manner. In this case, such services can not provide an equivalent latency to the end user depending on the selected service instance. The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)— Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) and 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) 5G Edge Computing group focus on characterizing and addressing such edge computing problems.

[0004] Solving such edge computing problems can include addressing Domain Name System / Service / Server (DNS) technology. DNS is an essential component of the Internet as it provides a globally distributed name directory service and is used for both public and private networks. DNS translates a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) that identifies an application or service into an IP address that is needed to locate and identify a computer resource in the IP address space where the application and service are available.

[0005] In the case of distributed (e.g., conventional) cloud services, the function of DNS is to optimize user distribution by serving different IP addresses for the same FQDN, e.g., to direct users to proximate servers for low latency. DNS communications using a message structure with 5 parts: (1) header, (2) question (e.g., question for DNS), (3) answer (e.g., resource record (RR) answering the question), (4) authority (e.g., RR pointing to authority), and (5) additional (e.g., RR holding additional information). The header is always present and specifies which of the remaining parts are present. The header includes a 16-bit identifier (ID) used in both requests and responses, a series of bits describing the message, and four counters indicating the number of records in the other sections. The question includes fields describing the question / query sent to the name server and consists of a query type (QTYPE), query class (QCLASS), and query domain name (QNAME) fields. The answer, authority, and additional sections have the same format, each being a list of RRs, each of which can be empty. Further, as discussed herein, the DNS message format can be similar to the format described and / or defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).

[0006] For example, edge computing as described by 3GPP can be considered a network architecture concept that enables deployment of cloud computing capabilities and service environments at the edge of a network, e.g., a 3GPP cellular network. Edge computing can allow any of lower latency, higher bandwidth, reduced backhaul traffic, and new services. Further, for example, as described by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) Multi-Access Edge Computing (MEC) Industry Specification Group (ISG), edge computing can be considered part of the evolution of mobile networks and the convergence of IT and telecommunications / wireless networking. Multi-Access Edge Computing provides vertical business sectors and services to consumer and enterprise customers and allows software applications to access / use local content and real-time information about local access network conditions. Further, when deploying services and caching content at the edge of the network, the mobile core network is relieved of further congestion (e.g., to efficiently serve local purposes). Additionally, edge computing can be viewed as needed (e.g., as necessary) to enable various technically advanced use cases, such as vehicle / drone automation, real-time AR / VR, and immersive gaming. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] A more detailed understanding can be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts and wherein:

[0008] Figure 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system in which one or more disclosed embodiments can be implemented;

[0009] Figure 1B is a diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that can be used within the communications system 100 of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment; Figure 1A is a system diagram of an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that can be used within the communications system 100 of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment;

[0010] Figure 1C is a diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that can be used within the communications system 100 of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment; Figure 1A is a system diagram of an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that can be used within the communications system 100 of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment;

[0011] Figure 1D is a system diagram of an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that can be used within the communications system 100 of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment; Figure 1A is a system diagram of an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that can be used within the communications system 100 of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment;

[0012] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a 3GPP application architecture for implementing edge applications;

[0013] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an ETSI-MEC reference architecture (e.g., framework);

[0014] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating client discovery of an ENM server with address allocation according to embodiments;

[0015] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating client discovery of an ENM server without IP address allocation according to embodiments;

[0016] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a DHCP server filtering ENM servers based on requirements according to embodiments;

[0017] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a client selecting an ENM server according to embodiments;

[0018] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating a client re-discovering an ENM server according to embodiments;

[0019] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating EXS discovery according to embodiments;

[0020] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating EXS discovery according to embodiments;

[0021] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating EXS discovery according to embodiments;

[0022] Figure 12is a graph illustrating a correlation of EEC and AC according to a base number according to an embodiment; and

[0023] Figure 13 is a graph illustrating ECS provisioning according to an embodiment.

[0024] Exemplary network for implementing embodiments

[0025] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments can be implemented. The communications system 100 can be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 can enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 can employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word DFT-Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0026] As Figure 1AAs shown, the communication system 100 can include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a CN 106 / 115, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d can be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which can be referred to as a "station" and / or a "STA") can be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals, and can include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain environment), a consumer electronics, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d can be interchangeably referred to as a WTRU.

[0027] The communication system 100 can also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b can be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106 / 115, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b can be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b can include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0028] The base stations 114a can be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which can also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base stations 114a and / or the base stations 114b can be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies (which can be referred to as a cell (not shown)). These frequencies can be in the licensed spectrum, the unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of the licensed and unlicensed spectrums. A cell can provide wireless service to a particular geographic area that can be relatively fixed or can change over time. The cell can further be divided into cell sectors. For example, a cell associated with a base station 114a can be divided into three sectors. Thus, in embodiments, the base station 114a can include three transceivers, one for each sector of the cell. In embodiments, the base station 114a can employ Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) techniques and can utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming can be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0029] The base stations 114a, 114b can communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over the air interface 116, which can be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 can be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0030] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 can be a multiple access system and can employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in the RAN 104 / 113 can implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which can establish the air interface 115 / 116 / 117 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA can include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA can include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0031] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which can establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-A Pro.

[0032] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access, which can establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0033] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement LTE wireless access and NR wireless access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., an eNB and a gNB).

[0034] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 IX, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0035] Figure 1AThe base station 114b in the embodiment can be, for example, a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, and can utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity access by the WTRUs 102c, 102d within a local area. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d can implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d can implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d can utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown, the base station 114b can have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b can not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106 / 115. Figure 1A

[0036] The RAN 104 / 113 can be in communication with the CN 106 / 115, which can be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data can have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 / 115 can provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in Figure 1A Although not shown in FIG. 10, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 / 115 can be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which can employ a NR radio technology, the CN 106 / 115 can also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0037] ​The CN 106 / 115 can also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 can include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide infrastructure for the provision of voice telephony, facsimile, and / or other

[0038] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 can include multi-mode capabilities, e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d can include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links. For example, the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d can include a transceiver Figure 1A The WTRU 102c shown in Figure 1A can be configured to communicate with the base station 114a using a cellular-based radio technology, and can be configured to communicate with the base station 114b using an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0039] Figure 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in Figure 1B As shown, the WTRU 102 can include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 can include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0040] The processor 118 can be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 can perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 can be coupled to the transceiver 120, which can be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While Figure 1B The processor 118 and the transceiver 120 are depicted as separate components, it is to be understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 can be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0041] The transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0042] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in the WTRU 102 Figure 1B In one embodiment, the WTRU 102 can include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) to facilitate MIMO technology. In this embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals, respectively, using multiple antennas.

[0043] The transceiver 120 can be configured to modulate information to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate information received by the transmit / receive element 122. As indicated above, the WTRU 102 can be a multi-mode device. Thus, the transceiver 120 can include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11, for example.

[0044] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 can be coupled to, and can receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 can also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 can access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 can include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 can include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 can access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0045] The processor 118 can receive power from the power source 134 and can be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 can be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 can include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0046] The processor 118 can also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which can be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 can receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 can acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0047] The processor 118 can further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which can include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 can include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth® The peripheral device 138 can include one or more sensors, which can be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, a compass sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0048] The WTRU 102 can include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception) can be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio can include an interference management unit to reduce and / or substantially eliminate self-interference and / or cross- interference by using hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In one embodiment, the WRTU 102 can include a half duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for UL (e.g., for transmission) or downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0049] Figure 1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As described above, the RAN 104 can be in communication with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116 and can include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, although it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 can include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c can each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c can implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, can use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0050] The RAN 104 can include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, although it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 can include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c can each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c can implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a, for example, can use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a.

[0051] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c can be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and can be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, and the like. As shown, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c can communicate with one another over an X2 interface. Figure 1C

[0052] Figure 1C The CN 106 can include a mobility management entity (MME) 162, a serving gateway (SGW) 164, and a packet data network (PDN) gateway (or PGW) 166. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 106, it will be appreciated that any of these elements can be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0053] The MME 162 can be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an SI interface and can serve as a control node. For example, the MME 162 can be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, bearer activations / deactivations, selecting a particular serving gateway during an initial attach of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like. The MME 162 can provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that employ other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0054] The SGW 164 can be connected to each of the eNode Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via the SI interface. The SGW 164 can generally route and forward user data packets to / from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 can perform other functions, such as anchoring user planes during inter-eNode B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing contexts of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the like.

[0055] The SGW 164 can be connected to the PGW 166, which can provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0056] ​CN 106 can facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 can include, or can communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. Further, the CN 106 can provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which can include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In one embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can be connected to a local DN 110 through the UPF 106a. In another embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can be connected to the DN 110 through the UPF 106a and the UPF 106b.

[0057] Although WTRUs are described in Figures 1A-1D representative embodiments as wireless terminals, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments such a terminal can (e.g., temporarily or permanently) use a wired communication interface with the communication network.

[0058] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 can be a WLAN.

[0059] A WLAN in Infrastructure Basic Service Set (BSS) mode can have an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP can have an access or an interface to a Distribution System (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic in to and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to STAs that is carried by the DS can be transmitted from the AP. Traffic from STAs that is carried by the DS can be transmitted to the AP. The AP can transmit traffic to and from STAs not associated with the AP. A STA associated with the AP can also communicate traffic directly with another STA associated with the AP (and / or the DS). Such a direct communication between STAs associated with the AP can be in direct link setup (DLS). In a BSS, the AP can coordinate scheduling of the traffic of the STAs associated with the AP. The DS can coordinate scheduling of traffic of STAs associated with APs. The DS can be an Ethernet network, an ATM network, a wireless mesh network, and / or the like. The DS can be an MPLS network. The DS can comprise a virtual DS (VDS). The VDS can comprise a virtual private network (VPN). The VDS can comprise a virtual local area network (VLAN). The VLAN can include a virtual private LAN service (VPLS) network. The AP can be an e-AP.

[0060] When using an 802.11 ac infrastructure mode of operation or similar mode of operation, an AP can transmit beacons on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel can be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a width that is dynamically set via signaling. The primary channel can be the operating channel of the BSS and can be used by STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In certain representative embodiments, carrier sense multiple access / collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) can be implemented, for example, in 802.11 systems. For CSMA / CA, a STA (e.g., each STA), including the AP, can listen to the primary channel. If the primary channel is sensed / detected as busy by a particular STA, the particular STA can back off. Only one STA can transmit in a given BSS at any given time.

[0061] High Throughput (HT) STAs can use 40 MHz wide channels for communication, for example, via a combination of the primary 20 MHz channel with an adjacent or nonadjacent 20 MHz channel to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0062] Very High Throughput (VHT) STAs can support 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz channels can be formed by combining contiguous 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel can be formed by combining 8 contiguous 20 MHz channels, or by combining two noncontiguous 80 MHz channels, which can be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, after channel encoding, the data can be parsed by a segment parser that can divide the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing and time domain processing can be done on each stream separately. The streams can be mapped to the two 80 MHz channels, and the data can be transmitted by a transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above described operations for the 80+80 configuration can be reversed, and the combined data can be sent to the Medium Access Control (MAC).

[0063] 802.11af and 802.11ah support sub-1 GHz modes of operation. The channel operating bandwidth and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah relative to those used in 802.11η and 802.1 lac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the television white space (TVWS) spectrum, and 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to representative embodiments, 802.11ah can support meter type control / machine type communications, such as MTC devices in a macro coverage area. MTC devices can have certain capabilities, e.g., limited capabilities, including support for (e.g., only support for) certain bandwidths and / or limited bandwidth. MTC devices can include a battery with a battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain a very long battery life).

[0064] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths such as 802.11η, 802.1 lac, 802.11af, and 802.11ah include a channel that can be designated as a primary channel. The primary channel can have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in a BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel can be set and / or limited by a STA from all STAs operating in the BSS that supports the smallest bandwidth mode of operation. In the example of 802.11ah, for a STA (e.g., MTC type device) that supports (e.g., only supports) a 1 MHz mode, the primary channel can be 1 MHz wide even though other STAs in the AP and BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth modes of operation. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) settings can depend on the status of the primary channel. If the primary channel is busy, e.g., due to a STA (only supporting a 1 MHz mode of operation) transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency band can be considered busy even though most of the frequency band remains idle and can be available.

[0065] In the United States, the available frequency bands for 802.11ah to use are 902 MHz to 928 MHz. In Korea, the available frequency bands are 917.5 MHz to 923.5 MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are 916.5 MHz to 927.5 MHz. The total bandwidth available to 802.11ah is 6 MHz to 26 MHz, depending on the country code.

[0066] Figure 1D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 113 and the CN 115 according to an embodiment. As noted above, the RAN 113 can employ an NR radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. The RAN 113 can also be in communication with the CN 115.

[0067] The RAN 113 can include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, although it will be appreciated that the RAN 113 can include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can implement MIMO technology. For example, gNBs 180a, 108b can utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a, for example, can use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and / or receive wireless signals from, the WTRU 102a. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can implement carrier aggregation technology. For example, the gNB 180a can transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers can be on unlicensed spectrum while the remaining component carriers can be on licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can implement Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP) technology. For example, WTRU 102a can receive coordinated transmissions from gNB 180a and gNB 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0068] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can use OFDM symbols of different lengths associated with different numerologies to communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or the OFDM subcarrier spacing can vary from different transmissions, from different cells, and / or from different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can use subframes or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of various or scalable lengths (e.g., containing different numbers of OFDM symbols and / or lasting varying lengths of absolute time) to communicate with gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c.

[0069] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In the standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can communicate with one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without also accessing other RANs, such as eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c. In the standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can utilize one or more of gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as a mobility anchor point. In the standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can use signals

[0070] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and can be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support of network slicing, dual connectivity, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data towards user plane functions (UPFs) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information towards access and mobility management functions (AMFs) 182a, 182b, and / or the like. As shown, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can communicate with one another over an Xn interface. Figure 1D As shown, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can be in communication with the AN 180a, 180b, 180c over an X2 interface.

[0071] Figure 1DThe illustrated CN 115 can include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the CN 115, it will be appreciated that any of these elements can be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0072] The AMF 182a, 182b can be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N2 interface and can serve as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b can be responsible for authenticating the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, supporting for different PDU sessions with different requirements (for example, a PDU session for a mission-critical service requiring low latency and high reliability), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, management of the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c registration area, termination of NAS signaling, mobility management, and the like. The AMF 162 can utilize network slicing to customize CN support for the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of service being utilized by the WTRU 102a, 102b, 102c. For example, different network slices can be established for different use cases such as services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services for machine type communication (MTC) access, and / or the like. The AMF 162 can provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 113 and other RANs (not illustrated) that employ other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE- A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies such as WiFi.

[0073] The SMF 183a, 183b can be connected to AMF 182a, 182b in the CN 115 via an N11 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b can also be connected to UPF 184a, 184b in the CN 115 via an N4 interface. The SMF 183a, 183b can select and control the UPF 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPF 184a, 184b. The SMF 183a, 183b can perform other functions, such as managing and allocating IP address, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing downlink data notifications, and the like. A PDU session type can be IP-based, non-IP based, Ethernet-based, and the like.

[0074] The UPF 184a, 184b can be connected to one or more of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 113 via an N3 interface, which can provide WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet- switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPF 184, 184b can perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policies, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering of downlink packets, providing mobility anchoring, and the like.

[0075] The CN 115 can facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 115 can include, or can communicate with, an IP gateway (e.g., an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 115 and the PSTN 108. Further, the CN 115 can provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to the other networks 112, which can include other wired and / or wireless networks that are owned and / or operated by other service providers. In embodiments, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can be connected to a DN 185a, 185b through the UPF 184a, 184b via the N3 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the UPF 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPF 184a, 184b and the DN 185a, 185b.

[0076] In view of Figures 1A-1D And Figures 1A-1D In view of the corresponding description of FIGS. 1-3, one or more or all of the functions described herein with reference to one or more of the WTRUs 102a-d, base stations 114a-b, eNode-Bs 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNBs 180a-c, AMF 182a-b, UPF 184a-b, SMF 183a-b, DN 185a-b, and / or any other device described herein can be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). An emulation device can be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more or all of the functions described herein. For example, emulation devices can be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functionality.

[0077] The one or more emulation devices can perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, an emulation device can be utilized in a testing lab and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices can be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications, via RF circuitry (e.g., which can include one or more antennas) can be used by an emulation device to transmit and / or receive data.

[0078] The one or more emulation devices can perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, an emulation device can be utilized in a testing lab and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices can be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications, via RF circuitry (e.g., which can include one or more antennas) can be used by an emulation device to transmit and / or receive data. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0079] Brief introduction - DNS

[0080] In view of the DNS communication having a message structure including sections for header, question, answer, authority, and additional RR, the DNS protocol can be considered to consist of two (e.g., main) parts: (1) a query / response protocol for querying for a particular name, and (2) a protocol for name servers to exchange database records.

[0081] Applications at / on the edge of a wireless network (e.g., 3GPP network) can be (e.g., should, need to be) deployed without impacting edge-unaware applications on the WTRU (e.g., edge-unaware applications) and with minimal impact on edge-aware applications at / on the WTRU.

[0082] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a 3GPP application architecture for implementing edge applications.

[0083] REFERENCE Figure 2And the disclosure below, the architecture for implementing edge applications can be as described by 3GPP. The architecture 200 for implementing edge applications can include a WTRU 201 including any of an application client 202 and an edge-enabled client 203. Further, the architecture 200 can include any of a 3GPP network 204, an edge data network 205 including any of an edge application server 206 and an edge-enabled server 207, and an edge data network configuration server 208. The edge-enabled server 207 provides functionality required by the edge application server 206 to operate in the edge data network 205. Such functionality includes providing the edge-enabled client 203 with information about the edge application server 206, and providing any configuration information required to communicate with the server 206. The edge-enabled client 203 provides functionality for the application client 202 operating on the WTRU to use the edge application server 206. That is, the edge-enabled client 203 communicates with the edge-enabled server 207 to discover and retrieve information about the edge application server 206.

[0084] The EDGE-1 reference point between the edge-enabled client 203 and the edge-enabled server 207 is an entry point for a device (e.g., WTRU, BS, node, server, etc.) into the edge network management system. For example, as suggested by 3GPP, a (e.g., conventional) mechanism to find an edge-enabled server such as the server 207 is to use a combination of pre-configuration and DNS. That is, 3GPP proposes that a service provider deploys a global / regional edge data network configuration server such as the server 208, and the edge-enabled client (such as the client 203) requests information to establish a connection with the edge-enabled server. The edge-enabled client (e.g., the client 203) is (e.g., must have been) configured with the address / URI of the edge data network configuration server (e.g., the server 208). Such address / URI is either pre-configured in the WTRU, or is a predefined value derived from the service network domain name.

[0085] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an ETSI-MEC reference architecture (e.g., framework).

[0086] Reference Figure 3, the ETSI MEC framework, such as multi-access edge system 300, enables MEC applications 301 to be implemented as pure software entities running on virtualized infrastructure located in or close to the network edge. The ETSI MEC defines a reference architecture, identifying functional elements of a MEC system and reference points between the functional elements. Multi-access edge system 300 includes MEC hosts and MEC management (e.g., this is necessary) to run MEC applications within an operator network or a subset of an operator network. MEC management includes MEC system level management and MEC host level management. MEC system level management includes a multi-access edge orchestrator (MEO) 302 as a (e.g., core) component with an overview of the (e.g., complete) MEC system. Such an overview can include, for example, network topology, deployed MEC hosts, and available resources and services. MEO 302 is responsible for loading, placement, instantiation, termination, and relocation of applications.

[0087] An operations support system (OSS) 303 is (e.g., refers to) an operator’s OSS. OSS 303 receives requests for application operations (e.g., instantiation, termination, and relocation) and decides whether to grant such requests. Granted requests are forwarded to MEO 302 for further processing. A user application 301 is a MEC application that is instantiated in MEC system 300 in response to a request by a user via a device application. A user application lifecycle management proxy (UALCMP) allows device applications to request loading, instantiation, termination, and relocation of user applications and allows device applications to be informed of the status of user applications. UALCMP authorizes requests from device applications in devices (e.g., WTRUs, laptops with internet connectivity, tablets, etc.) and interacts with OSS and MEO to further process the requests. The Mx2 reference point between device applications and UALCMP is the entry point for devices into the edge network management system. Furthermore, ETSI MEC does not explicitly state how to find the UALCMP. However, it is (e.g., generally) assumed that the UALCMP will reside in a well-known FQDN, which is equivalent to a combination of pre-configuration and DNS (e.g., similar to in 3GPP).

[0088] DHCP enables devices to join a network and start communicating within and outside the network, for example in the case of IPv4 networks. DHCPv6 is the equivalent protocol for IPv6. Both DHCP and DHCPv6 employ options for carrying additional parameters in protocol messages. Such options are used in both directions, i.e., client to server and server to client directions. A client can use such options to provide information about itself, as well as suggestions or hints from the server of configuration parameters expected (e.g., by the client). A (e.g., DHCP, DHCPv6) server can use options to provide information about the network and configuration values for the client. DHCP Inform messages enable the exchange of DHCP options without allocating a client IP address, extending the DHCP options mechanism to clients that configure their address via other means. Such a feature continues in DHCPv6, which can operate as an alternative or supplement to Stateless Address Auto-Configuration (SLAAC).

[0089] In the case of 3GPP networks with / using DHCP, an IP address is allocated, for example, during protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment, and network configuration parameters (e.g., DNS server address) are provided to the WTRU. In this case, the WTRU can (e.g., can choose) to obtain an IP address, for example, after PDU session establishment, via NAS signaling or via DHCP. Further, the WTRU can (e.g., can choose independently) to obtain network parameters, for example, via NAS signaling or via DHCP, for example, in the case of IPv4 and IPv6. For example, in the case of 3GPP networks (i.e., and / or any similar wireless network), to support DHCP-based IP address configuration, a session management function (SMF) acts as a DHCP server for (e.g., for use by) the WTRU.

[0090] Further, in this case, an external data network can be used to obtain IP address and network parameters, and in this case, the SMF acts as a DHCP client for an external DHCP server. In this case, NAS signaling can be used, and there is an “Extended Protocol Configuration Option” defined for PDU session messages, and such an option definition can refer back to (e.g., to) “Protocol Configuration Options” (PCOs) defined for PDP context messages. In this case, there can be local server discovery, examples of which include in an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) interworking model as described according to 3GPP documents. In this case, a proxy call session control function (P-CSCF) server address is provided to the WTRU via a DHCP option or a PDU session PCO. Further, in this case of 3GPP networks, the P-CSCF IP address can be configured locally in the SMF or discovered using a network repository function (NRF).

[0091] Discovery of edge network management server

[0092] In an edge computing environment, an edge-aware application (e.g., device) attempting to join an edge network and discover and utilize edge network services can (e.g., must first) discover an edge network management server. That is, in an edge computing environment, for example, in the case of the architectures shown in FIGS. 1-3, and / or in the case of the 3GPP architecture, an edge-enabled client must find the address of an edge-enabled server and / or edge data network configuration server; and in the case of the ETSI MEC architecture, a device application must find the address of the UALCMP. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In an edge computing environment, an edge-aware application (e.g., device) attempting to join an edge network and discover and utilize edge network services can (e.g., must first) discover an edge network management server. That is, in an edge computing environment, for example, in the case of the architectures shown in FIGS. 1-3, and / or in the case of the 3GPP architecture, an edge-enabled client must find the address of an edge-enabled server and / or edge data network configuration server; and in the case of the ETSI MEC architecture, a device application must find the address of the UALCMP.

[0093] Edge networks are (e.g., by definition) localized and specific with respect to any of topology, capabilities, and configuration. However, edge computing can (e.g., is expected to) be deployed on a global scale across many mobile network service providers, cable providers, tower companies, neutral hosts, and infrastructure provider platforms. In this case, conventional (e.g., current state-of-the-art) mechanisms for discovering edge network management servers require (e.g., necessitate): (1) some amount of pre-configuration and (2) DNS, which cannot be reliably used in edge networks. That is, DNS cannot be reliably used for any of the following reasons: (i) DNS cache prevents clients from persistently using edge network DNS servers; (ii) flushing the cache to force a full DNS resolution is very inefficient and slow; and (iii) the network does not support using TTL zero for DNS entries.

[0094] According to embodiments, namely, in view of the above-described (e.g., conventional) mechanisms for discovering edge network management servers, there is a need to determine how edge-aware applications / devices discover and locate edge network management servers, for example, without pre-configuration and / or without prior association with an edge network. According to embodiments, for example, for universal applicability, a mechanism (e.g., process, feature, operation, method, etc.) for discovering (e.g., an edge network management server) can (e.g., should, need to) perform and / or satisfy any of the following: (1) does not require either pre-configuration or prior association with (e.g., a specific) edge network provider in the application / device; (2) has minimal impact on edge-aware devices and no impact on edge-unaware devices; (3) is applicable to networks of different sizes and complexities; and (4) provides multiple addresses to support multiple edge network management servers and / or multiple edge network management systems.

[0095] ECS provisioning for WTRUs with multiple EECs

[0096] In addition to the cases discussed above (e.g., in addition to the cases discussed above), for example, in the case of the architecture and / or features specified by 3GPP (see, e.g., 3GPP documents on edge applications), this can address the provisioning of ECS configuration information (e.g., by 5GC procedures). However, in this case (e.g., as specified by 3GPP), it is not clear how this case addresses the case where more than one EEC is supported in (e.g., by) a WTRU, and in this case, these EECs can be connected to one or more Application Client (AC). In this case, when more than one EEC and more than one AC are supported in / by a WTRU, it can be needed to determine how / able the SMF can be to provide ECS information to the correct EEC.

[0097] According to embodiments, DHCP can be used to discover an entry point to an edge network management server (e.g., access to an edge network management server, a path to an edge network management server, an interface for an edge network management server, access an edge network management server, etc.). According to embodiments, a DHCP option for an edge network management (ENM) server can satisfy (e.g., all) of the requirements of the discovery mechanism discussed above, and in addition, can provide any of the benefits noted below. According to embodiments, a benefit can be that, regardless of the size of the network, a DHCP server can prioritize and / or filter ENM server candidates, e.g., based on the location (e.g., point of attachment) of the client. For example, (a) the DHCP server is localized to the point of attachment, or (b) the DHCP server is centralized and uses a DHCP relay agent, which can provide the necessary information.

[0098] According to embodiments (e.g., a benefit can be) information associated with any requirements and / or availability of edge network services can be communicated (e.g., signaled, transmitted, sent, etc.) between a DHCP client and server. According to embodiments, the requirements of this communication can be used by either the client or server, e.g., to further prioritize / filter ENM server candidates. According to embodiments, re-discovery can be triggered in the case that the requirements and / or availability of edge network services change. According to embodiments, another benefit can be that the solution (e.g., resolved FQDN) can remain local and can be (e.g., easily) managed at the edge network level. According to embodiments, there can be no need for a global and / or regional configuration server, e.g., with information associated with (e.g., including, containing, storing, etc.) many edge networks (e.g., spanning).

[0099] Client discovery of ENM server

[0100] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating client discovery of an ENM server with address allocation according to an embodiment.

[0101] According to an embodiment, client discovery of an ENM server with address allocation can be performed as described below, with reference to Figure 4 . According to an embodiment, a client can request values for specified configuration parameters using a parameter request list as (e.g., existing) DHCP options, and the list can be specified as n octets, where each octet is a valid DHCP option code. According to an embodiment, a client using DHCP for IP address allocation and wishing to discover an ENM server can add the code for the new ENM server DHCP option to the parameter request list, e.g., in any DISCOVER message and (e.g., subsequent) REQUEST message. According to an embodiment, the DHCP server (e.g., in response to the parameter request list) can include the actual ENM server DHCP option (e.g., including ENM server information) in any OFFER and ACK message.

[0102] According to an embodiment, integration between DHCP clients and servers can be illustrated in Figure 4 , where the new ENM server option is appended to existing DHCP messages. According to an embodiment, such a convention of appending information to existing DHCP messages can be used throughout the document. According to an embodiment, new parameters can be listed in the message flow and existing parameters can be omitted. According to an embodiment, the format of the ENM server DHCP option can be similar to the regular (e.g., standardized) format for DNS, NTP, and SMTP servers, and can be as follows:

[0103] This option specifies a list of IP addresses of ENM servers available to the client. The server shall list in order of preference.

[0104] The code for this option is X. The minimum length is 4, and the length must be a multiple of 4.

[0105]

[0106] According to an embodiment, the format for DHCPv6 can be as follows, in a similar manner as for DCHP:

[0107] The ENM server option provides a list of one or more IPv6 addresses of ENM servers available to the client. The ENM servers are listed in order of preference for use by the client.

[0108]

[0109] Figure 5is a diagram illustrating client discovery of an ENM server without IP address assignment, according to an embodiment.

[0110] According to an embodiment (e.g., as with similar DHCP options), in the event that the DHCP server does not understand the ENM server option code, the DHCP server can (e.g., should, will) not return the ENM server option. According to an embodiment, in the event that the DHCP server understands the ENM server option code but is not (e.g., used as) an edge network, the DHCP can return an empty list of ENM servers. Note that a conventional (e.g., standard, contemporary, prior art, etc.) DHCP server is manually configured by an administrator, either directly or indirectly, via a management platform. According to an embodiment, the configuration of the DHCP server with EMM server addresses and any related information discussed herein can be (e.g., is expected to be) done using prior art.

[0111] According to an embodiment, referring to Figure 5 , a client that has an IP address configured by other means but wishes to discover an ENM server can add the code for the ENM server DHCP option to the parameter request list, e.g., in an INFORM message. According to an embodiment, the DHCP server can (e.g., in response to) include the ENM server DHCP option in, e.g., an ACK message.

[0112] DHCP server prioritization of ENM servers

[0113] According to an embodiment, the DHCP server can apply (e.g., freely) prioritization to the EMM server list, e.g., when it deems it appropriate, based on any of performance metrics, operator preference, load balancing, etc. According to an embodiment, as described above, the DHCP server can communicate the prioritization to the client, e.g., using the order of the list in the ENM server DHCP option. According to an embodiment, in the event that a DHCP relay agent is (e.g., is being) used, the DHCP relay agent can be configured with an IP address on the subnet it is serving. According to an embodiment, the DHCP relay agent can add this IP address to the messages it relays to the DHCP server. According to an embodiment, the DHCP server can use this field (e.g., the field in the relayed message), e.g., to determine whether it should broadcast its response or unicast it back to the relay agent.

[0114] According to embodiments, the DHCP server can (e.g., further) use the DHCP relay agent address to customize the configuration sent to the client. For example, in the case where there are multiple ENM servers, the DHCP server can prioritize (e.g., customize the configuration) based on proximity to the client. According to embodiments, for example, there can be a case of a campus network served by (e.g., a single) DHCP server. In this case, the network can have two (e.g., or more) connected zones (e.g., regions), each with a respective DHCP relay agent. In this case, there can be an edge network provider (e.g., contracted to) enable (e.g., edge, fog, etc.) services in the campus network. For example, in this case, edge network providers PI and P2 can provide (e.g., enable) services throughout the campus network, however, for example due to deployment constraints, most of PI’s resources are located in the east zone, and most of P2’s resources are located in the west zone.

[0115] According to embodiments, in this case, the DHCP server can prioritize the PI EMM servers for clients connected in the east zone, and the P2 EMM servers for clients connected in the west zone. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the DHCP can prioritize the EMM servers for any of various reasons, factors, characteristics, requirements, etc. in addition to and / or instead of the location of the ENM servers. For example, in the case of a campus network, there can be another case where (e.g., certain) services are provided by PI in the west zone, which has a higher QoS than services provided by P2, and the DHCP server can prioritize the EMM servers accordingly.

[0116] DHCP server filtering of ENM servers

[0117] According to embodiments, in cases where a client device can (e.g., desire, need, want, determine, etc.) use edge computing, the client device can (e.g., can) do so for (e.g., particular) reasons, such as known desired applications and services that span the device and edge network. In such cases, the client device can assist the DHCP server in filtering available ENM servers. According to embodiments, the DHCP client can add (e.g., new) ENM server requirements DHCP options to its messages. According to embodiments, the EMM server requirements DHCP options can be, for example, a list of identifiers of any services and / or (e.g., associated) applications that the client desires the edge network environment to provide. According to embodiments, for example, in ETSI MEC terminology, this can be feature dependency, and in 3GPP, this can be the Open Network Exposure Function or Service Capability Exposure Function (NEF / SCEF) category. According to embodiments (e.g., in addition to such categories), the WTRU (e.g., client, DHCP client) can use information associated with (e.g., from) traffic descriptor rules, such as provided by the network, for example, from a UE (e.g., WTRU) Route Selection Policy (URSP). According to embodiments, such traffic descriptor related information can be associated with an application, for example, information (e.g., application ID) indicating an application descriptor identifying an application, for example, included in the EMM server requirements DHCP options, and / or associated with any of IP information or non-IP information.

[0118] According to embodiments, various use cases of client device assisted DHCP servers can exist, for example, by using any of the above described client device features, such as providing (e.g., adding, sending, transmitting, etc.; new) ENM server requirements DHCP options in messages transmitted by the client device. According to embodiments, such use cases can include any of the following: application compute offload; augmented reality; and active device location tracking.

[0119] According to embodiments, in the case of application compute offload, the network can perform certain (e.g., compute intensive) operations, processes, functions, etc. For example, instead of the user’s mobile device, the network can perform any of graphics rendering or data processing according to a DHCP server receiving an ENM server requiring a DHCP option in a message transmitted by the client device. According to embodiments, in this case, the feature dependency can be “user application” or any other suitable signal, field, information, or indicator of the client device of the network having (e.g., a preference, a request, etc.) to perform certain operations, processes, functions, etc. For example, in the case of the client device being a smartphone used as a VR headset / screen, the ENM server requiring a DHCP option can indicate a preference / request for image / motion rendering to be offloaded via the network to, for example, any of a home device or other device.

[0120] According to embodiments, in the case of augmented reality, the client device (e.g., that can send a discovery message to a DHCP server) can (e.g., be involved in) provide an interactive experience in which objects in the real world are augmented (e.g., reside in) with computer-generated sensory information. In this case, as the user (e.g., client device) moves around, connectivity must be maintained, and the server instance (e.g., as selected by the DHCP server) can be repositioned (e.g., reconfigured, re-discovered, re-selected, filtered, etc.) to meet performance requirements (e.g., as indicated / requested by the client device). Such changes in the ENM server instance can be referred to as intelligent repositioning. According to embodiments, in this case of augmented reality, the feature dependency can be “user application” and “intelligent repositioning” or any other suitable signal, field, information, or indicator of the client device of the network having (e.g., a preference, a request, etc.) to perform certain operations, processes, functions, etc. of the EMN server instance.

[0121] According to embodiments, the case of active device location tracking can enable tracking of active terminals (e.g., real-time, network measurement based). According to embodiments, in the case of active device location tracking, location based services can be implemented in any venue, retail location, and areas where GPS coverage is not available. For example, such services can include any of mobile advertising, crowd management, and smart cities. According to embodiments, in this case of active device location tracking, the feature dependency can be "user application" and "location," or any other suitable signal, field, information, or indicator of a client device that has a network providing services (e.g., via an EMN server instance) according to the location of the client device (e.g., preferences, requests, etc.). For example, a client device can indicate to a DHCP server (e.g., by transmitting a message including any of the feature dependencies "user application" and "location") that an application / service indicating parking space availability is to be executed using an EMM server instance associated with any of a plurality of locations of a parking garage.

[0122] According to embodiments, the format of the ENM server requirement DHCP option can be as follows:

[0123] This option specifies a list of edge application / service identifiers required by the client. Each identifier is represented as a 32-bit integer.

[0124] A maximum of 32 identifiers can be listed.

[0125] The code for this option is Y. The minimum length is 4, the maximum length is 128, and the length must be a multiple of 4.

[0126]

[0127] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a DHCP server filtering ENM servers based on requirements according to embodiments.

[0128] According to embodiments, in the case where the DHCP server cannot satisfy the client's requirements for any available EVM server, the DHCP server can return a list of EVM servers that can be empty. According to embodiments (e.g., another aspect), in the case where the client message is a DISCOVER message, the DHCP server can (e.g., determine, prefer, select, etc.) not respond (e.g., not respond at all).

[0129] Client selection of ENM server

[0130] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a client selecting an ENM server according to embodiments. According to embodiments, (e.g., referring to Figure 7) The client can (e.g., freely) select (e.g., among the EMM servers) any of the EMM servers, e.g., regardless of their listed order. According to embodiments, in the case that the client receives more than one OFFER message in response to the DISCOVER message, the client can (e.g., also freely) select among those OFFERS based on any of the ENM servers or any other criteria. According to embodiments, (e.g., it can be appropriate that) less strict filters can be applied to the DHCP servers, and e.g., this can allow the client to make a more informed decision among the ENM servers. According to embodiments, there can be cases where the client can need certain services, but other cases can be optional (e.g., optional, nice-to-have, etc.). In such cases, the client can start discovery with its minimum service set and then gradually increase it.

[0131] According to embodiments, e.g., for more efficient exchange, the DHCP server can add, e.g., requirement compliance information for each ENM server in the (e.g., new) ENM servers with requirement compliance DHCP options. According to embodiments, these features of the DHCP server that add requirement compliance information or any other features of the DHCP server discussed herein can be performed with respect to any of the following use cases: (1) application compute offload, (2) active device location tracking, and (3) augmented reality. According to embodiments, e.g., in the case of application compute offload, the WTRU (e.g., DHCP client device) can (e.g., be able to) perform the compute tasks of (e.g., all) the applications, but can (e.g., should, will, etc.) use offload, e.g., if available. According to embodiments, in such cases, the feature dependency “user application” can be considered optional (e.g., not required, nice-to-have, can be variably / conditionally provided, etc.) by either the DHCP client or the DHCP server. For example, in such cases, when the WTRU performs application compute, the battery / power supply of the WTRU can decrease, and offload can become more important, thereby changing the feature dependency to a requirement, e.g., instead of optional. That is, according to embodiments, the feature dependency can change, e.g., for any of a variety of reasons, such as but not limited to any of the requirements, capabilities, parameters, characteristics, measured values, configurations, resources, triggers, signals, and indicators associated with any of the client device (e.g., WTRU), application, service, network slice, ENM server instance, network, fog network, edge network, radio frequency network, core network, wired network, etc.

[0132] According to embodiments, for example, in the case of active device location tracking and augmented reality, a tourist can be walking through an area (e.g., new to them), the main interest being not to get lost (e.g., navigate to a desired location) and to learn about landmarks along the walking route. That is, the tourist can want to have (e.g., enjoy) an enhanced experience using AR. In this case, according to embodiments, the feature dependency can be such that "user application" and "location" are required (e.g., must have), and "smart relocation" is optional (e.g., have if better) for executing the application (e.g., a service executed by the tourist WTRU) (e.g., sending a discovery request associated with the application) in order to guide (e.g., navigate) through the area (e.g., new venue) and to obtain historical information (e.g., AR information) in the area. In this case, the main interests of the tourist to learn and not get lost can be satisfied.

[0133] According to embodiments, the format of the (e.g., new) ENM server with requirements compliance DHCP option can be as follows:

[0134] This option specifies a list of IP addresses of ENM servers that are available to the client. The server shall list them in order of preference.

[0135] For each ENM server, the bit mask indicates the availability of each ENM server requirement,

[0136] In the order specified by the client in the ENM server requirements option.

[0137] The code for this option is Z. The minimum length is 8, and the length must be a multiple of 8.

[0138]

[0139] Client re-discovery of ENM server

[0140] Figure 8 is a diagram showing a client re-discovering an ENM server according to embodiments.

[0141] According to embodiments, in the case of a change in the ENM server requirements of a client, for example, when associated with an edge network, i.e., in the DHCP "bound" state, the client can issue a DHCP REQUEST including its new requirements, for example, as Figure 8As shown, the client can send a DHCP INFORM message, e.g., including the client's requirements. According to embodiments, the DHCP server can send an ACK, e.g., in response with an ACK, e.g., including any of: a list of EMM servers that meet the requirements, or a list of EMM servers with compliance to the related requirements. According to embodiments, in the event the DHCP server determines, e.g., decides, that there are no, e.g., satisfactory, EMM servers available, the DHCP server can, e.g., instead, send a NAK, e.g., to trigger the client to go back to the "initializing" state to send a new DISCOVER message. According to embodiments, in the event the client's EMM server requirements change without using DHCP for IP address allocation, the client can issue a DHCP INFORM message, e.g., including the client's new requirements. According to embodiments, the DHCP server can send an ACK, e.g., in response with an ACK, e.g., including any of: a list of EMM servers that meet the requirements, or a list of EMM servers with compliance to the related requirements. According to embodiments, in the event the DHCP server determines, e.g., decides, that there are no, e.g., satisfactory, ENM servers available, the DHCP server can, e.g., still, send an ACK, e.g., with an empty ENM server list.

[0142] Applicability of DHCP to 3GPP

[0143] As discussed above, there can be a case, e.g., 3GPP SA6 architecture, with an edge enabler server (EES) that acts as an EMM server, e.g., operates as an EMM server, performs operations of an EMM server, etc. In this case, e.g., to facilitate discovery of the EES, an edge data network configuration server (ECS), e.g., of the 3GPP SA6 architecture, can be used. However, in this case, using the ECS can, e.g., simply, just, etc., add, e.g., additional, complexity to / from discovery, or in other words, can add a layer to the problem of performing discovery. That is, in this case of an ECS in the 3GPP SA6 architecture, there is a need to determine how to find the ECS. According to embodiments, in the event the ECS is, e.g., also, used as an ENM server, there are methods, operations, features, etc., as discussed below, for determining and / or finding the ECS. As described below, the acronym EXS can be used interchangeably to refer to either of an EES or an ECS.

[0144] According to embodiments, for example, as discussed above, DHCP can be supported for Local Area Data Networks (LADNs) (e.g., supported options). For example, DHCP options and / or PDU session PCOs can be used (e.g., already specified by 3GPP for) discovering addresses of local servers (e.g., of LADNs) in similar subsystems (e.g., P-CSCF for IMS) (e.g., as a means of discovery / for discovering said addresses). According to embodiments, for example, in the case of DHCP in 3GPP, the EXS address can be added to (e.g., included in, provided in / by, indicated in / by, etc.) the PCO. That is, according to embodiments, in order to support WTRU discovery of EXS (e.g., determining the EXS address), regardless of the method used for WTRU address allocation and network configuration (e.g., in a neutral manner), the EXS address can (e.g., should) be added to the PCO.

[0145] According to embodiments, the SMF can (e.g., be able to, be configured to, etc.) obtain and / or provide (e.g., necessary) information (e.g., EXS address) for discovering EXS and / or associated with discovering EXS. According to embodiments, for example, in the case of operator-owned edge networks, the EXS address can be obtained in the same, similar, etc. manner (e.g., using operations / processes / features, etc.) as the P-CSCF address. That is, according to embodiments, the EXS address can be obtained according to either of locally configured in the SMF or using NRF discovery. According to embodiments, in the case of obtaining the EXS address, the WTRU can include (e.g., new) indicators, for example, within the S1 SM container, for example, to trigger the SMF to determine the address of the EXS. According to embodiments, in the case of third-party edge networks, the EXS address can be obtained using (e.g., via) a DHCP request to a local DHCP server. According to embodiments, in this case, the third-party edge network can (e.g., remain) independent of the 3GPP system and can seamlessly support 3GPP and non-3GPP WTRUs (e.g., in a similar manner, etc.).

[0146] Figure 9 、 Figure 10 and Figure 11 are diagrams illustrating EXS discovery according to embodiments. According to embodiments, for example, with reference to Figure 9 、 Figure 10 and Figure 11 , there can be variations, for example, of the procedure for EXS discovery. According to embodiments, with reference to Figure 9 , the (e.g., 3GPP) EXS address can be configured (e.g., locally stored) in the SMF. According to embodiments, for example, in the case of Figure 9In the case of EXS discovery, the WTRU can obtain the EXS address using either the DHCP message or the PDU session establishment message. According to embodiments, referring to Figure 10 , the EXS can be registered with the NRF and the SMF can query the NRF. According to embodiments, referring to Figure 11 , the EXS can be configured (e.g., stored) in a (e.g., local) DHCP server.

[0147] According to embodiments, in the case of EXS discovery, there can be an impact on either the WTRU or the SMF, for example, referring to any of Figure 9 , Figure 10 and Figure 11 . According to embodiments, either the WTRU or the SMF can request and / or provide the EXS address, for example, using (e.g., new) PCO during PDU session establishment. According to embodiments, in the direction of the WTRU towards the network, there can be either of an EXS IPv4 address request and an EXS IPv6 address request (e.g., transmission thereof, information indicating thereof, etc.), which can be included in and / or associated with any suitable and / or not yet determined (e.g., new) container identifier. According to embodiments, in the direction of the network towards the WTRU, there can be either of an EXS IPv4 address and an EXS IPv6 address (e.g., transmission thereof, information indicating thereof, etc.), which can be included in and / or associated with any suitable and / or not yet determined (e.g., new) container identifier.

[0148] According to embodiments, the container identifier can indicate an EXS address request (e.g., include information indicating an EXS address request). According to embodiments, in the case of a container identifier indicating an EXS address request, the container identifier content field can be empty and the length of the container identifier content can indicate (e.g., be equal to) a length of zero. According to embodiments, in the case of the container identifier content field not being empty, it can (e.g., should) be ignored. According to embodiments, the container identifier can indicate an EXS address (e.g., include information indicating an EXS address). For example, in the case of a container identifier indicating an EXS address, the container identifier content field can include the (e.g., one) IP address corresponding to the EXS address to be used according to embodiments. According to embodiments, in the case of more than one EXS address to be included, more logical units with container identifiers indicating the EXS address can be used.

[0149] According to embodiments, for example, for any of registration and / or discovery of EXS, any of the EXS, NRF and SMF can use any of the following: a (e.g., new) NF type, e.g., associated with the EXS; and a (e.g., new) data type, e.g., associated with Exslnfo. According to embodiments, any of the attribute name and / or associated data type, presence (P) or optional (O) value, cardinality and / or description can be as provided (e.g., shown, etc.) in Table 1.

[0150]

[0151] Table 1

[0152] Support for multiple EECs during ECS provisioning

[0153] According to embodiments, there can be cases where a plurality of edge enabler clients (EECs) can be associated with a plurality of application clients (ACs) (e.g., as defined by 3GPP), and these EECs can be (e.g., even, also, etc.) associated with a plurality of PLMNs.

[0154] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating association of EECs and ACs according to cardinality, according to embodiments.

[0155] According to embodiments, ECS address information can be provided by the MNO, e.g., through 5G core network procedures. According to embodiments, for example, referring to Figure 12 There can be multiple EECs, and these EECs can serve one or more ACs. For example, EE1 can serve requests from AC1 and AC2, while EEC2 can serve requests from AC3 and ACn (e.g., be responsible for AC3 and ACn). According to embodiments, an EEC can be associated with one or more ECSs, and / or an ECS can be associated with one or more EECs.

[0156] Figure 13 is a diagram illustrating ECS provisioning, according to embodiments.

[0157] According to embodiments, the EEC can provide, for example, to the WTRU, information indicating any of the available EECs and / or their IDs and / or application IDs and / or services supported by these EECs (e.g., regarding any of the available EECs and / or their IDs and / or application IDs and / or services supported by these EECs). That is, for example, in the case of multiple EECs and / or multiple ACs, in addition to and / or instead of informing the SMF whether the WTRU supports transferring ECS configuration information between the NAS layer and the EEC, the EEC can provide the WTRU with information regarding the available EECs and / or their IDs or application IDs / services supported by these EECs. According to embodiments, for example, with reference to Figure 13 For example (e.g., especially) a network, such as the SMF, can use such information to select applicable ECS information, for example, according to the EECs supported and / or configured in the WTRU.

[0158] According to embodiments, with reference to Figure 13 The ECS provisioning procedure can include any of the following operations: According to embodiments, as a first operation, the AC (e.g., AC1) that can need to contact the relevant EAS server can request EAS discovery over the EDGE-4, and the AC can provide (e.g., as part of and / or included in the request) any of its application IDs or service IDs. According to embodiments, as a second operation, the EEC (e.g., EEC1) associated with the AC1 can issue (e.g., send, transmit, provide, etc.) an AT command, for example, to trigger establishment of a PDU session. According to embodiments, the EEC (e.g., EEC1) can (e.g., also, additionally, etc.) provide its EEC ID (e.g., EEC1) and the application Id and / or service ID provided by the relevant AC. According to embodiments, such information can be provided (e.g., sent), for example, in the PCO part of the +CGDCONT AT command.

[0159] According to embodiments, as a third operation, an AC such as AC2 can need to contact a related EAS server, e.g., to request EAS discovery over EDGE-4, and such an AC (e.g., AC2) can provide its application ID or service ID to the EAS server, e.g. According to embodiments, as a fourth operation, an EEC associated with AC2 (e.g., EEC2) can send (e.g., transmit, issue, etc.) an AT command to trigger establishment of a PDU session, and the EEC can provide its EEC ID (e.g., EEC2) and / or either of an application ID and a service ID provided by a related AC. According to embodiments, such a command and / or information can be sent in a PCO portion of a +CGDCONT AT command. According to embodiments, as a fifth operation, a NAS layer (e.g., for and / or associated with a processor of the NAS layer) can be implemented such that the NAS layer waits for more than one EEC request before issuing a PDU session establishment message, and thus can provide information for any of one or more EECs and any of one or more ACs. According to embodiments, such a request can be from an EEC associated with a service provided within the same network slice, e.g., as given by an S-NSSAI provided in an AT command.

[0160] According to embodiments, as a sixth operation, an SMF can derive ECS information related to an EEC and / or application ID provided in a PCO, e.g., within (e.g., during) a PDU session establishment request message upon receipt of the PDU session establishment request message. According to embodiments, as a seventh operation, the SMF can provide the derived information in a PDU session establishment accept message, e.g., according to the EEC. According to embodiments, as an eighth operation, a NAS layer can relay the ECS information to a related EEC (e.g., EEC2). According to embodiments, as a ninth operation, an EEC can obtain applicable EES address information, e.g., using the ECS information provided in a PCO. According to embodiments, in such a ninth operation, the EEC can use (e.g., traverse) an EES to obtain applicable EAS information.

[0161] According to embodiments, as a tenth operation, the EEC can provide the applicable EAS information to the relevant AC (e.g., AC2) in the EAS discovery response. According to embodiments, as an eleventh operation, the NAS layer can relay the ECS information to the relevant EEC (e.g., EEC1). According to embodiments, as a twelfth operation, the EEC can obtain the applicable EES address information, e.g., using the ECS information provided in the PCO. According to embodiments, the EEC can use (e.g., traverse) the EES to obtain the applicable EAS information. According to embodiments, as a thirteenth operation, the EEC can provide the applicable EAS information to the relevant AC (e.g., AC1) in the EAS discovery response.

[0162] According to embodiments, in the case of ECS provisioning, e.g., refer to any of Figure 12 and Figure 13 there can be an impact to either the WTRU or the network. According to embodiments, in the case of the WTRU, there can be an EEC inside the WTRU which can (e.g., need to) provide any of the EEC’s client ID, application ID, and service ID, e.g., from the connected AC using (e.g., by, via, etc.) +CGDCONT AT command. According to embodiments, when issuing the PDU session establishment request message, the NAS layer can (e.g., need to) relay any of the EEC ID, application ID, and service ID, e.g., in the PCO. According to embodiments, in the case of the WTRU, the EEC (e.g., inside the WTRU) can (e.g., need to) extract the ECS information provided in the PCO. According to embodiments, the WTRU can extract the ECS information for each AC, and the WTRU can determine whether it can (e.g., need to) contact one or more EES, e.g., to obtain the relevant EAS information.

[0163] According to embodiments, in the case of the network, the SMF can (e.g., need to) extract any of the EEC ID, application ID, and service ID, e.g., in order to use them as input to derive the relevant ECS information on a per-EEC basis. According to embodiments, in the case of the network, e.g., for each EEC, the SMF can (e.g., need to) provide the ECS information, e.g., inside the PCO in the PDU session establishment accept message. According to embodiments, in this case, an optimization can be made in the case where all EECs are associated with / linked to the same ECS.

[0164] Conclusion

[0165] Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein can be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer- readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage media include a hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as an internal hard disk and a removable disk, magneto-optical media, and computer-readable storage media such as a CD-ROM and a digital versatile disc (DVD). A processor associated with the software can be for implementing a radio frequency transceiver for a UE, WTRU, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

[0166] Furthermore, in the embodiments described above, processing platforms, computing systems, controllers, and other devices including constraint servers and rendezvous points / servers containing processors are indicated. These devices can include at least one central processing unit ("CPU") and memory. In accordance with the practices of persons skilled in the art of computer programming, reference to acts and symbolic representations of operations or instructions can be performed by the various CPUs and memories. Such acts and operations or instructions can be thought of as being "executed" or "computer executed" or "CPU executed" by the various CPUs.

[0167] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the acts and symbolically represented operations or instructions include the manipulation of electrical signals by the CPU. The electrical system representations, data bits, can cause a resulting transformation or reduction of the electrical signals or other manipulations of electrical signals to recreate or otherwise change the CPU's operation, such as to store data bits in memory locations, such that the various CPU's can effectively "execute" specified acts and others by software. Memory locations that can store data bits are physical locations that have particular electrical, magnetic, optical, or organic properties structured to store or maintain the data bits. It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments are not limited to the

[0168] The data bits can also be maintained on a computer readable medium including magnetic disks, optical disks, and any other volatile (e.g., Random Access Memory ("RAM")) or non-volatile (e.g., Read-Only Memory ("ROM")) mass storage system readable by the CPU. The computer readable medium can include cooperating or interconnected computer readable media, which exist exclusively in the processing system, or distributed among multiple interconnected processing systems that can be local or remote to the processing system. It should be understood that representative embodiments are not limited to the above-mentioned memories or CPU's, and that other platforms and memories can support the described methods.

[0169] In exemplary embodiments, any of the operations, processes, etc. described herein can be implemented as computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable instructions can be executed by a processor of a mobile unit, network element, and / or any other computing device.

[0170] There is little distinction between the designations of hardware and software in the system aspects of the exemplary embodiments. The use of the terms hardware and software should not be construed to limit the scope of the exemplary embodiments. Rather, the terms hardware and software should be construed to encompass a full range of media that can be implemented with the process and / or system and / or other technology described herein, which can be expressed from a design perspective as hardware, software, and / or firmware instructions. For example, a general purpose computer, an application specific computer, a microprocessor, and / or a microprocessor array can all be considered a means for implementing the processes and / or systems described herein. Any device or element that can perform the operations described herein is a means for performing those operations; in an example embodiment, such means are a software program and / or firmware An example of a software program and / or firmware that can be used to implement the exemplary embodiments described herein is software code (e.g., a computer program) stored in memory (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc.) and / or on a computer readable medium (e.g., a hard disk drive, CD Rom, DVD Rom, etc.). When a software program and / or firmware is implemented, the program and / or firmware instructions or code can be stored in the memory and / or on the computer readable medium using different data formats depending on the requirements of the program and / or firmware instructions or code. Any data format can be used as long as it is decodable by the processor and / or other device that executes the program and / or firmware instructions or code. The data format can be selected based on the requirements of the program and / or firmware instructions or code and / or the requirements of the processor and / or other device that executes the program and / or firmware instructions or code. For example, the program and / or firmware instructions or code can be stored in the memory and / or on the computer readable medium using a binary data format, a hexadecimal data format, an octal data format, a decimal data format, and / or any other data format. The program and / or firmware instructions or code can be stored in the memory and / or on the computer readable medium using different data formats at different times. For example, the program and / or firmware instructions or code can be stored in the memory and / or on the computer readable medium using a binary data format at one time and a hexadecimal data format at another time. The program and / or firmware instructions or code can be stored in the memory and / or on the computer readable medium using different data formats at different times and / or locations. For example, the program and / or firmware instructions or code can be stored in the memory and / or on the computer readable medium using a binary data format in one location and a hexadecimal data format in another location. The program and / or firmware instructions or code can be stored in the memory and / or on the computer readable medium using different data formats at different times and / or locations and / or using different data formats at the same time and / or in the same location.

[0171] The above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out, various embodiments of devices and / or processes. Based on the teachings provided herein, a person skilled in the art will recognize that numerous changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Although the exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be recognized that a person of ordinary skill in the art will be able to make various changes, substitutions and alterations to the embodiments described and illustrated herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that all such changes, substitutions, and alterations that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure be encompassed herein. In addition, although the exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be recognized that a person of ordinary skill in the art will be able to make various changes, substitutions and alterations to the embodiments described and illustrated herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that all such changes, substitutions, and alterations that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure be encompassed herein. In addition, although the exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will be recognized that a person of ordinary skill in the art will be able to make various changes, substitutions and alterations to the embodiments described and illustrated herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it is intended that all such changes, substitutions, and alterations that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure be encompassed herein.

[0172] While features and elements are presented and described above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. This disclosure is not intended to be limited to the expressly disclosed embodiments that are intended as illustrative only. It is to be understood that variations and modifications of the systems, apparatuses and methodologies described herein can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the application should be construed as critical or essential to the application unless explicitly described as such. The use herein of the terms “comprise”, “comprises” or “comprising” (and conjugations thereof) does not exclude the presence of other elements or acts. The use of the term “comprises” (and conjugations thereof) to describe and claim certain features or elements of the application is not intended to be construed as implying that elements not already present are essential to the application. According to the foregoing description, the methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure will be apparent to one skilled in the art. Such modifications and variations that fall within the purview of the above described various aspects will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the foregoing description, the disclosure is to be understood to be limited only by the range of equivalents by which the appended claims are eligible. It is to be understood that the application is not limited to particular methods or systems.

[0173] It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein when referring to this document, the term “user equipment” and its acronym “UE” can mean: (1) a wireless transmit and / or receive unit (WTRU), such as described below; (2) any one of several implementations of a WTRU, such as described below; (3) a device having wireless functionality and / or having wired functionality (e.g., tetherable) configured with some or all of the structure and functionality of a WTRU, in particular, as described below; (4) a device having wireless functionality and / or having wired functionality configured with less than all of the structure and functionality of a WTRU, as described below; or (5) the like. Details of an exemplary WTRU can represent any WTRU described herein.

[0174] In certain representative embodiments, portions of the subject matter described herein can be implemented via Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and / or other integrated formats. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and / or writing the code for the software and or the firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media used to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearing media include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable type medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a CD, DVDs, digital tape, computer memory, etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a digital and / or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wired communications link, a wireless communication link, etc.).

[0175] The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively "associated" such that the desired functionality is achieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as "associated with" each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermediate components. Likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being "operably connected", or "operably coupled", to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being "operably couplable", to each other to achieve the desired functionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and / or physically interacting components and / or wirelessly interactable and / or wirelessly interacting components and / or logically interacting and / or logically interactable components.

[0176] With respect to essentially any plural and / or singular terms herein, those skilled in the art can convert plural to singular and / or singular to plural as appropriate in accordance with context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural permutations are explicitly set out herein.

[0177] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., as set forth in the claims’ body and / or preamble) are intended to be interpreted as “open ended” unless otherwise indicated. Thus, for example, a phrase referring to “at least an item” is intended to mean that a given item is an item and also that there is at least one of the item in the present application. This interpretation is applicable similarly where the term “comprises” is used in the claims. Similarly, a phrase referring to “at least one of a first and second item” is intended to refer to at least one of the first item or the second item. Further, where a phrase is used herein that has been used to interpret a similar phrase in the claims, such interpretation should apply equally to the claims. For example, where the phrase “at least one of a first and second item” is used in the description, such phrase should also be interpreted to apply to the claims. Similarly, where a meaning given to a phrase in the claims is contrary to the meaning of the phrase used in the description, the phrase in the claims should control. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., as set forth in the claims’ body and / or preamble) are intended to be interpreted as “open ended” unless otherwise indicated. Thus, for example, a phrase referring to “at least an item” is intended to mean that a given item is an item and also that there is at least one of the item in the present application. This interpretation is applicable similarly where the term “comprises” is used in the claims. Similarly, a phrase referring to “at least one of a first and second item” is intended to refer to at least one of the first item or the second item. Further, where a phrase is used herein that has been used to interpret a similar phrase in the claims, such interpretation should apply equally to the claims. For example, where the phrase “at least one of a first and second item” is used in the description, such phrase should also be interpreted to apply to the claims. Similarly, where a meaning given to a phrase in the claims is contrary to the meaning of the phrase used in the description, the phrase in the claims should control. It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., as set forth in the claims’ body and / or preamble) are intended to be interpreted as “open ended” unless otherwise indicated. Thus, for example, a phrase referring to “at least an item” is intended to mean that a given item is an item and also that there is at least one of the item in the present application. This interpretation is applicable similarly where the term “comprises” is used in the claims. Similarly, a phrase referring to “at least one of a first and second item” is intended to refer to at least one of the first item or the second item. Further, where a phrase is used herein that has been used to interpret a similar phrase in the claims, such interpretation should apply equally to the claims. For example, where the phrase “at least one of a first and second item” is used in the description, such phrase should also be interpreted to apply to the claims. Similarly, where a meaning given to a phrase in the claims is contrary to the meaning of the phrase used in the description, the phrase in the claims should control.For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B." Additionally, as used herein, the term "any one of" followed by a listing of several items and / or categories of items, is intended to include any one of the listed items individually, or any combination of the listed items, or any combination of at least one of the listed items with at least one of the other remaining categories of items. Further, as used herein, the term "group" or "grouping" is intended to include any number of items, including zero. Additionally, as used herein, the term "number" is intended to include any number, including zero.

[0178] Further, where a feature or aspect of the disclosure is described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

[0179] As those skilled in the art will appreciate, all ranges disclosed herein are also intended to encompass any and all possible sub-ranges and combinations of sub-ranges thereof, for any and all purposes. Any listed range can be easily recognized as sufficiently describing and enabling the same range being broken down into at least two halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, etc. As a non-limiting example, each range discussed herein can be easily broken down into a lower third, middle third and upper third, etc. As will also be understood by those skilled in the art, all language such as "up to," "at most," "at least," and the like, include the number zero. Finally, as will be understood by those skilled in the art, ranges can be expressed herein with endpoints. For example, a range of "1 to 3" can be expressed as: 1, 2, 3; 3, 2, 1; or 3, 1, 2, 1, 3, 2, etc.

[0180] Further, unless otherwise noted, no claim to priority to a sequence listing is made. Additionally, no claim is made to priority to a sequence listing where a claim is presented in the claims section of this application. 6 or apparatus-plus-function claims are meant to cover the corresponding structures, materials, or acts regardless of nomenclature.

[0181] The software-associated processor can be used to implement the radio frequency transceiver in a Transmitter-Receiver Unit (WTRU), User Equipment (UE), terminal, base station, Mobility Management Entity (MME), or Evolved Packet Core (EPC), or any host. The WTRU can be used in conjunction with modules and can be implemented in hardware and / or software including: Software-defined Radio (SDR) and other components such as cameras, video camera modules, videophones, speakerphones, vibration devices, speakers, microphones, television transceivers, hands-free headsets, keypads, etc. Modules, FM radio units, Near Field Communication (NFC) modules, Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) units, Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) units, Digital Music Players, Media Players, Video Game Players, Internet Browsers, and / or any Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or Ultra-Wideband (UWB) modules.

[0182] Although the invention has been described in relation to a communication system, it is conceivable that the system can be implemented in software on a microprocessor / general-purpose computer (not shown). In some embodiments, one or more functions of the various components can be implemented in software that controls the general-purpose computer.

[0183] Furthermore, while the invention has been shown and described herein with reference to specific embodiments, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown. Rather, various modifications may be made to the details within the scope and domain of equivalents of the claims without departing from the invention.

Claims

1. A method for discovering available edge data network configuration servers (ECSs) associated with an edge enabler server (EES) performed by a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU), the method comprising: sending a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment request message to a core network entity, wherein the PDU session establishment request message includes a first protocol configuration option (PCO), and wherein the first PCO includes information related to receiving an ECS address; receiving a PDU session establishment accept message from the core network entity in response to the PDU session establishment request message, wherein the PDU session establishment accept message includes a second PCO, and wherein the second PCO includes ECS information; and performing communication with one or more ECSs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the core network entity comprises a session management function (SMF).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first PCO includes an edge enabler client (EEC) identification (ID), and one or more of an application ID or a service ID.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ECS information includes an ECS address.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: sending at least a portion of the ECS information from a non-access stratum (NAS) layer of the WTRU to an edge enabler client (EEC) of the WTRU.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising: obtaining, by the EEC of the WTRU, EES address information based on the ECS information.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the ECS address comprises an internet protocol (IP) address.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the ECS information is sent from a non-access stratum (NAS) layer of the WTRU to the EEC of the WTRU using attention (AT) commands.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising: obtaining, by the EEC of the WTRU, edge application server (EAS) address information based on the EES address information.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: sending an EAS discovery request to the EEC via an application client (AC) of the WTRU, wherein the EAS discovery request includes an application ID or a service ID.

11. A method for enabling discovery of available edge data network configuration servers (ECSs) associated with an edge enabler server (EES) performed by a session management function (SMF), the method comprising: receiving a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment request message from a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), wherein the PDU session establishment request message includes a first protocol configuration option (PCO), and wherein the first PCO includes information related to receiving an ECS address; determining ECS information based on the PDU session establishment request message; and performing communication with one or more ECSs. ​ in response to the PDU session establishment request message, sending a PDU session establishment accept message to the WTRU, wherein the PDU session establishment accept message includes a second PCO, and wherein the second PCO includes ECS information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the ECS information includes an ECS address.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the ECS address includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving an EAS discovery request from an application client (AC) of the WTRU, wherein the EAS discovery request includes an application ID or a service ID.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the ECS information is received by the SMF from a Network Repository Function (NRF).

16. A wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: send a protocol data unit (PDU) session establishment request message to a core network entity, wherein the PDU session establishment request message includes a first protocol configuration option (PCO), and wherein the first PCO includes information related to receiving an ECS address; in response to the PDU session establishment request message, receive a PDU session establishment accept message from the core network entity, wherein the PDU session establishment accept message includes a second PCO, and wherein the second PCO includes ECS information; execute communications with one or more ECSs.

17. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the core network entity comprises a session management function (SMF).

18. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the first PCO includes one or more of an edge enabler client (EEC) identification (ID) and an application ID or a service ID.

19. The WTRU of claim 16, wherein the ECS information includes an ECS address.

20. The WTRU of claim 19, wherein the ECS address includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address. ​

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