A data processing method, a network element device and a readable storage medium

Abstract

The application discloses a data processing method, a network element device and a readable storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: obtaining a domain name system message report of at least two edge application server addresses; then selecting a target data network access identifier, and taking an edge application server address, which has a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier, from the at least two edge application server addresses as a shunting edge application server address; and then generating a shunting rule of an intermediate user plane network element according to the shunting edge application server address by a session management network element. By using the application, the waste of network resources can be reduced.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the Chinese patent application No. 2021108391041, filed on July 23, 2021, entitled “Data processing method, network element device and readable storage medium”, the whole content of which is incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of communication, in particular to a data processing method, a network element device and a readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0003] With the popularity and rapid development of intelligent terminals, the amount of data generated at the network edge is rapidly increasing, further promoting the development of edge computing.

[0004] Currently, in the fifth generation mobile communication technology (5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology, 5G) supporting edge computing, a terminal device (User Equipment, UE) can obtain an edge application service (Edge Application Service) through an edge application server (Edge Application Server, EAS). Before obtaining the edge application service, the terminal device needs to discover an IP (Internet Protocol) address of a suitable edge application server first. The existing edge application server discovery (EAS Discovery) method is to query the IP address of the edge application server according to a domain name system (Domain Name System, DNS) mechanism. In this process, a session management network element (Session Management Function, SMF) in the 5G core network generates a shunting rule according to the IP address of the edge application server obtained by querying, an intermediate user plane network element (I-UPF, Intermediate User Plane Function) configures a shunting path for the terminal device according to the shunting rule, and then an edge application server discovery network element (Edge Application Server Discovery Function, EASDF) sends the IP address to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can access the edge application server through the IP address and the shunting path. However, the edge application service may correspond to multiple available IP addresses, and the IP address selected by the terminal device is random. Therefore, the SMF needs to configure a shunting rule for each IP address, and establish a shunting path for the I-UPF and all L-PSA (Local Protocol Data Unit Session Anchor) UPFs associated with the IP address. The shunting path corresponding to the IP address not selected by the terminal device will be idle, causing waste of network resources. SUMMARY

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a data processing method, a network element device and a readable storage medium, which can reduce waste of network resources.

[0006] In one aspect, the present application provides a data processing method, comprising:

[0007] The session management network element receives a domain name system message report sent by the edge application server discovery network element; the domain name system message report contains at least two edge application server addresses;

[0008] The target data network access identifier is selected, and an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier is selected from the at least two edge application server addresses as a split edge application server address.

[0009] A split rule of the intermediate user plane network element is generated according to the split edge application server address.

[0010] The application embodiment provides a data processing method, including:

[0011] The edge application server discovery network element receives a domain name system response message sent by a domain name system server; the domain name system response message contains at least two edge application server addresses.

[0012] The target data network access identifier is selected, and an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier is selected from the at least two edge application server addresses as a split edge application server address.

[0013] The split edge application server address and the target data network access identifier are sent to a session management network element, so that the session management network element generates a split rule of an intermediate user plane network element according to the split edge application server address, and establishes a split path between the intermediate user plane network element and an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier.

[0014] The application embodiment provides a data processing method, including:

[0015] The intermediate user plane network element receives a split rule issued by a session management network element.

[0016] The split rule is generated according to a split edge application server address; the split rule is used for forwarding a service access request of a terminal device accessing the split edge application server address to an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to a target data network access identifier; the target data network access identifier is selected by the session management network element after receiving a domain name system message report sent by an edge application server discovery network element; the domain name system message report contains at least two edge application server addresses, and the split edge application server address refers to an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier in the at least two edge application server addresses.

[0017] The application embodiment provides a network element device, including:

[0018] The report receiving module is configured to receive a domain name system message report sent by an edge application server discovery network element; the domain name system message report contains at least two edge application server addresses.

[0019] an identifier selection module configured to select a target data network access identifier;

[0020] an address selection module configured to select, from at least two edge application server addresses, an edge application server address that has a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier as a shunt edge application server address;

[0021] a rule generation module configured to generate a shunt rule of an intermediate user plane network element according to the shunt edge application server address.

[0022] The identifier selection module includes:

[0023] a first acquisition unit configured to acquire, from the at least two edge application server addresses, a target edge application server address;

[0024] a first determination unit configured to select, as the target data network access identifier, a data network access identifier that has a mapping relationship with the edge application server address.

[0025] The identifier selection module includes:

[0026] a second acquisition unit configured to acquire data network access identifiers that respectively have mapping relationships with the at least two edge application server addresses, to obtain one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers;

[0027] a query unit configured to query load conditions of edge anchor user plane network elements corresponding to the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers respectively;

[0028] a second determination unit configured to determine, according to the load conditions, the target data network access identifier from the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers.

[0029] The identifier selection module includes:

[0030] a third acquisition unit configured to acquire data network access identifiers that respectively have mapping relationships with the at least two edge application server addresses, to obtain one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers;

[0031] a prediction unit configured to acquire predicted load average conditions of edge anchor user plane network elements corresponding to the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers in a target time period;

[0032] a third determination unit configured to determine, according to the predicted load average conditions, the target data network access identifier from the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers.

[0033] The identifier selection module includes:

[0034] The polling unit is configured to obtain data network access identifiers respectively having mapping relationships with the addresses of the at least two edge application servers, to obtain one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers.

[0035] The polling unit is further configured to determine a target data network access identifier from the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers according to a polling mechanism.

[0036] The network element device further includes:

[0037] The path establishment module is configured to establish a split path between the intermediate user plane network element and an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier.

[0038] The rule issuing module is configured to issue a split rule to the intermediate user plane network element, so that the intermediate user plane network element forwards a service access request of a terminal device accessing the split edge application server address to the edge anchor user plane network element based on the split rule and the split path; and the edge anchor user plane network element is configured to forward the service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the split edge application server address.

[0039] The network element device further includes:

[0040] The address sending module is configured to send the split edge application server address to the edge application server discovery network element, so that the edge application server discovery network element sends the split edge application server address to the terminal device.

[0041] The network element device further includes:

[0042] The receiving module is configured to receive a domain name system response message sent by a domain name system server by the edge application server discovery network element; the domain name system response message contains at least two edge application server addresses.

[0043] The identifier selection module is configured to select a target data network access identifier.

[0044] The address selection module is configured to select, from the at least two edge application server addresses, an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier as a split edge application server address.

[0045] The sending module is configured to send the split edge application server address and the target data network access identifier to a session management network element, so that the session management network element generates a split rule of an intermediate user plane network element according to the split edge application server address, and establishes a split path between the intermediate user plane network element and an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier.

[0046] The network element device further includes:

[0047] The response sending module is configured to send a domain name system response message carrying the offloading edge application server address to the terminal device after the offloading rule is generated and the offloading path is established.

[0048] The network element device further includes:

[0049] The rule receiving module is configured to receive, by the intermediate user plane network element, the offloading rule issued by the session management network element; the offloading rule is generated according to the offloading edge application server address; and the offloading rule is used to forward a service access request of the terminal device accessing the offloading edge application server address to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier; the target data network access identifier is obtained by the session management network element after receiving a domain name system message report sent by the edge application server discovery network element; the domain name system message report contains at least two edge application server addresses; and the offloading edge application server address refers to an edge application server address of the at least two edge application server addresses that has a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier.

[0050] The network element device further includes:

[0051] The request forwarding module is configured to forward, based on the offloading rule and the offloading path, the service access request of the terminal device accessing the offloading edge application server address to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier, so that the edge anchor user plane network element forwards the service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the offloading edge application server address; and the offloading path is an offloading path between the intermediate user plane network element and the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier, which is established by the session management network element.

[0052] The request forwarding module includes:

[0053] The receiving unit is configured to receive a target service access request sent by the terminal device; and the target service access request carries a target edge application server address.

[0054] The forwarding unit is configured to, if an edge application server address identical to the target edge application server address is found in the offloading edge application server address, forward, based on the offloading rule and the offloading path, the target service access request to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier, so that the edge anchor user plane network element forwards the target service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the target edge application server address.

[0055] The edge application server corresponding to the shunted edge application server address provides edge application service for the terminal device; the number of the shunted edge application server addresses is at least two, and the at least two shunted edge application server addresses include a first shunted edge application server address and a second shunted edge application server address; the second shunted edge application server address is an edge application server address carried in a service access request initiated again by the terminal device after edge application service access fails through the first shunted edge application server address.

[0056] The embodiment of the present application provides a network element device, which comprises a processor, a memory and a network interface.

[0057] The processor is connected with the memory and the network interface, wherein the network interface is used for providing a data communication network element, the memory is used for storing a computer program, and the processor is used for calling the computer program to enable the network element device to execute the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0058] The embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is suitable for being loaded by a processor and executing the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0059] The embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product or a computer program, which comprises computer instructions stored in a computer readable storage medium, and a processor of a network element device reads the computer instructions from the computer readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions, so that the network element device executes the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0060] In the embodiment of the present application, at least two edge application server addresses are obtained, then a target data network access identifier can be further selected, and the edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier in the at least two edge application server addresses is taken as a shunt edge application server address, and then the session management network element generates a shunt rule of the intermediate user plane network element according to the shunt edge application server address. As can be seen, in the embodiment of the present application, the session management network element does not generate a shunt rule for all edge application server addresses, but determines the shunt edge application server address through a selection mechanism, and the subsequent intermediate user plane network element can forward the service access request of the terminal device accessing the shunt edge application server address to the corresponding shunt path according to the shunt rule, wherein the shunt path can be a shunt path between the intermediate user plane network element and the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier established by the session management network element. As can be seen, the session management network element does not need to establish a shunt path associated with all edge application server addresses, which can reduce the idle situation of the shunt path, thereby reducing the waste of network resources. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0061] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0062] Figure 1 is a system architecture schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figures 2a-2c is a data processing scenario schematic diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a data processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figures 4a-4c is a scenario schematic diagram of selecting a target data network access identifier provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a data processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a data processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] Figure 7is a kind of edge application server discovery interaction schematic diagram provided in the embodiment of the application;

[0069] Figure 8 is a kind of network architecture schematic diagram of shunt path provided in the embodiment of the application;

[0070] Figure 9 is a kind of network element device structure schematic diagram provided in the embodiment of the application;

[0071] Figure 10 is a kind of network element device structure schematic diagram provided in the embodiment of the application;

[0072] Figure 11 is a kind of network element device structure schematic diagram provided in the embodiment of the application;

[0073] Figure 12 is a kind of network element device structure schematic diagram provided in the embodiment of the application;

[0074] Figure 13 is a kind of network element device structure schematic diagram provided in the embodiment of the application;

[0075] Figure 14 is a kind of network element device structure schematic diagram provided in the embodiment of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0076] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the application will be described clearly and completely below with the drawings in the embodiments of the application. Apparently, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the application, not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the application.

[0077] Please refer to Figure 1 , a kind of system architecture schematic diagram provided in the embodiment of the application. The system architecture can be applied to the business scenario supporting edge computing.Edge computing refers to the network edge side near object or data source, fusion network, computing storage, application core capability platform, provides edge intelligent service in proximity, meets the key needs of industry digitization in agile connection, real-time business, data optimization, application intelligent security and privacy protection, etc.Edge computing enables operators and third-party services to be hosted close to the access point of terminal device, so as to realize efficient service capability by reducing end-to-end delay and load on transmission network.

[0078] The fifth generation mobile communication technology (5G) is a new generation of broadband mobile communication technology with high speed, low latency and large connection characteristics, and is the network infrastructure for realizing man-machine and interconnection. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) defines typical scenarios in 5G applications, including: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low latency communication (URLLC), ultra-reliable and low latency communication and massive machine type of communication (mMTC), vehicle to everything (V2X), etc. On the one hand, the eMBB scenario provides large flow mobile broadband services such as high-speed download, high-definition video, virtual reality (VR) / augmented reality (AR), etc. The peak rate of these services is usually more than 10 Gbps, and the bandwidth requirement is as high as tens of Gbps, so it will cause great pressure on wireless transmission and backhaul mobile networks. Therefore, these business requirements need to sink the business to the network edge as much as possible to realize the local shunting of the business. On the other hand, the URLLC scenario and the V2X scenario can provide ultra-high reliable and low latency communication, such as automatic driving, industrial control, remote medical treatment, etc., which requires 99.999% high reliability of end-to-end and ultra-low latency of less than 1 ms of end-to-end, so these business requirements also need to sink the business to the network edge to reduce the network delay caused by network transmission and multi-level business forwarding.

[0079] As can be seen from the above, the promotion of 5G increases the demand for edge computing, in addition, the use of edge computing in combination with 5G can help networks that encounter sudden and sustained traffic surges to solve bandwidth, speed and security problems.

[0080] As Figure 1As shown, the system architecture can include an edge data center 100 and a terminal cluster, the terminal cluster can include: terminal device 200a, terminal device 200b, terminal device 200c,..., terminal device 200n, the edge data center 100 can include a plurality of edge application servers (EAS), such as edge application server 100a, edge application server 100b,..., edge application server 100m. Wherein, there can be a communication connection between the terminal cluster, for example, there is a communication connection between terminal device 200a and terminal device 200b, and there is a communication connection between terminal device 200a and terminal device 200n. Wherein, there can be a communication connection between the edge application servers, for example, there is a communication connection between edge application server 100a and edge application server 100b. At the same time, any terminal device in the terminal cluster can have a communication connection with any edge application server in the edge data center 100, for example, there is a communication connection between terminal device 200a and edge application server 100a. Wherein, the above communication connection is not limited to the connection mode, which can be through 4G wireless access mode, or through 5G wireless access mode, etc., which is not limited herein.

[0081] It should be noted that in mobile communication, such as Figure 1 As shown, the system architecture can also include an access network, a bearer network (transmission network), and a core network. A plurality of base stations (such as 5G base stations gNB) can be deployed in the access network, mainly responsible for the access and management of terminal devices on the wireless side. The bearer network can be composed of a series of operator switching and routing devices, mainly used for transmitting control signaling and user data between base stations and core networks. The core network can deploy a series of core network elements ("network elements" can also be referred to as "network functions"), which cooperate to authenticate, charge, and manage the mobility of terminal devices. Here, the access network and the bearer network are not described in detail.

[0082] For the convenience of understanding and description of subsequent embodiments, the main core network elements involved in the embodiments of the present application are briefly introduced as follows:

[0083] (1) SMF (Session Management Function, Session Management Function): a functional unit based on the service architecture of 5G, in the embodiments of the present application, the SMF can also be referred to as a session management network element, its main functions are as follows:

[0084] (a) responsible for session establishment, deletion and update;

[0085] (b) user plane selection and control;

[0086] (c) UE IP (UE, User Equipment, i.e. terminal device or user equipment; IP, Internet Protocol) address allocation and management;

[0087] (d) Control and management of UPF (User Plane Function), various policy execution service flow processing can be issued to UPF.

[0088] (2) UPF (User Plane Function): UPF is the only module in the 5G core network that processes data, and in the embodiments of the present application, the UPF can also be referred to as a user plane network element, and its main functions are as follows:

[0089] (a) Responsible for data routing and forwarding of mobile core network user plane, and interconnection with external data network (Data Network, such as operator services, Internet or third party services, etc.);

[0090] (b) Support UE service data routing and forwarding;

[0091] (c) Accept SMF control and management, and perform service flow processing according to various policies issued by SMF.

[0092] (3) PCF (Policy Control Function): mainly responsible for managing network behavior using a unified policy framework, and cooperating with user information in UDR (Unified Data Repository) to execute related policies. In the embodiments of the present application, PCF can also be referred to as a policy control network element.

[0093] (4) EASDF (Edge Application Server Discovery Function): in the embodiments of the present application, EASDF can also be referred to as an edge application server discovery network element, and its main functions are as follows:

[0094] (a) Register with NRF (Network Repository Function) for discovery and selection of EASDF;

[0095] (b) Process DNS (Domain Name System) messages according to the instructions of SMF, including:

[0096] (b1) Receive DNS message processing rules from SMF;

[0097] (b2) exchange DNS messages from the UE;

[0098] (b3) forward the DNS messages to a C-DNS server (Central DNS server) or L-DNS server (Local DNS server) for DNS query;

[0099] (b4) add ECS (EDNS Client Subnet) option to the DNS query for one FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name);

[0100] (b5) inform the SMF of the EASDF related information;

[0101] (b6) if DoT (DNS over TLS), DoH (DNS over HTTPS) or DNS over DTLS (DNS over Datagram Transport Layer Security) is used, terminate DNS security.

[0102] It should be noted that the UPF can interact with the SMF through a data plane interface. The EASDF can be connected to the PSA (PDU Session Anchor) UPF through a data plane interface, and can be used to transmit DNS messages exchanged with the UE. In addition, multiple EASDF instances can be deployed within one PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network), and the interaction between the network functions of the 5G core network and the EASDF occurs within one PLMN.

[0103] In a 5G network, if a terminal device (such as any one of terminal devices 200a, 200b, 200c, and 200n) wants to access a data network (DN) outside the mobile communication network, such as the Internet, WAP, or an enterprise intranet, the terminal device can initiate an access request. The base station can forward the requested service flow to the core network element UPF in the 5G core network (5G Core, or 5GC). After being forwarded by the core network element UPF, it is sent to the external data network. Other core network elements in the 5G core network are responsible for processing signaling and controlling the entire process.

[0104] Furthermore, to achieve more efficient service delivery, edge computing can be used to meet diverse business needs. It's important to note that in an edge computing scenario, a single edge application service may consist of multiple edge application servers (e.g., [example servers not specified]) typically deployed at different sites. Figure 1 Edge application servers 100a, 100b, and 100m provide services. These multiple edge application servers, which host edge application services, may use a single IP address or different IP addresses. Typically, an application server for a particular application may be deployed in a central application server or in an edge application server. To route the application's traffic to an edge application service, the terminal device needs to know the IP address of the edge application server providing the service. The terminal device can perform discovery to obtain the IP address of a suitable edge application server (e.g., the nearest one) so that traffic can be locally routed to that edge application server, optimizing service latency, traffic routing paths, and user experience. Therefore, edge application server discovery is the process by which the terminal device uses the Domain Name System (DNS) to find the IP address of a suitable edge application server. The Domain Name System (DNS) is an internet service that acts as a distributed database mapping domain names to IP addresses, enabling users to access the internet more conveniently.

[0105] The 5G core network supports PDU connection services between terminal devices and the data network. These PDU connections are manifested through PDU sessions (Protocol Data Unit sessions). A PDU session refers to the communication process between a terminal device and the data network. In other words, once a PDU session is established, a data transmission channel is created between the terminal device and the data network. It's important to note that all core network data must be forwarded through the core network element I-UPF before flowing to the external network. In other words, the data transmission channel connection corresponding to a PDU session actually involves the terminal device connecting to the core network element I-UPF, which in turn connects to the data network. When multiple PDU sessions are established, data forwarding must be completed through the core network element I-UPF. To alleviate the data transmission pressure on the core network, when a new PDU session of a terminal device needs to access the data network, the core network elements SMF and EASDF can interact multiple times. This allows EASDF to correctly handle DNS request and response messages, and enables SMF to insert L-PSA UPF into I-UPF to establish a traffic splitting path and configure splitting rules, thereby achieving local traffic splitting. L-PSA UPF can be deployed at the network edge to reduce transmission latency, thereby alleviating the data transmission pressure on the core network and improving network data processing efficiency.

[0106] It's understandable that for ultra-high bandwidth services, mobile edge computing (such as...) can be used... Figure 1 The deployment of edge application servers (as shown) in close proximity enables the processing of ultra-high bandwidth traffic locally, which can greatly reduce the impact of high bandwidth on the backbone network. Typical scenarios include live broadcasts of stadium games, live broadcasts of concerts, and mobile content distribution.

[0107] It should be noted that the core network element SMF can configure different IP address split paths for different edge application servers, and the core network element I-UPF can insert multiple core network elements L-PSA UPF for a PDU session to perform local splitting. However, the terminal device only needs to occupy a split path corresponding to one IP address when accessing the edge application service, which causes waste of network resources. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, after obtaining at least two IP addresses of suitable edge application servers, a target data network access identifier (DNAI) can be selected by the core network element SMF or the core network element EASDF, and then an IP address of an edge application server having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier is selected from the at least two IP addresses of suitable edge application servers as an IP address of a split edge application server. The data network access identifier DNAI refers to an identifier of a user plane accessing one or more deployed application DNs. Then, the core network element SMF only needs to generate a splitting rule of the core network element I-UPF according to the IP address of the split edge application server, and establish a split path associated with the IP address of the split edge application server between the core network element L-PSA UPF corresponding to the target data network access identifier and the core network element I-UPF. It can be understood that the core network element EASDF also only needs to send the IP address of the split edge application server to the terminal device, and the terminal device can access the corresponding edge application server through the IP address of the split edge application server to obtain the edge application service.

[0108] It can be understood that the terminal device applicable to edge computing described above can include terminal application products in the fields of civil, commercial, industrial, military, etc., such as smart phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, palm computers, mobile internet devices (MID), wearable devices (such as smart watches, smart bracelets, etc.), smart computers, smart vehicles, smart homes, unmanned aerial vehicles, ATMs, cameras, traffic lights, generators, or various types of sensors, etc. The edge application server can be a standalone physical server, a server cluster or a distributed system composed of multiple physical servers, or a cloud server providing basic cloud computing services such as cloud database, cloud service, cloud computing, cloud function, cloud storage, network service, cloud communication, middleware service, domain name service, security service, CDN, and big data and artificial intelligence platform. The terminal device and the edge application server can be directly or indirectly connected through wired or wireless means, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0109] Please refer to Figures 2a-2cFig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a data processing scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. The implementation process of the data processing scenario is mainly performed in a 5G core network. The embodiment of the present application takes a terminal device initiating a protocol data unit session to obtain edge application services as an example for illustration. As shown in Fig. 1, it is assumed that a terminal device 301 (which can be any terminal device in the terminal cluster shown in Fig. 1) initiates a protocol data unit session establishment request 1001 (i.e., the PDU session establishment request in the embodiment corresponding to Fig. 1) to a core network 300. A session management network element 300a (i.e., the core network element SMF in the embodiment corresponding to Fig. 1) can respond to the protocol data unit session establishment request 1001, obtain edge application server deployment information through PDU session related policy information provided by a policy control network element (i.e., the core network element PCF in the embodiment corresponding to Fig. 1), and then select a corresponding edge application server discovery network element (i.e., the core network element EASDF in the embodiment corresponding to Fig. 1) according to relevant rules. It is assumed that the session management network element 300a selects an edge application server discovery network element 300b, and the session management network element 300a and the edge application server discovery network element 300b can establish a connection. After the session management network element 300a and the edge application server discovery network element 300b establish a connection and complete the relevant data interaction of the protocol data unit session establishment, the terminal device 301 can initiate a domain name system query request 1002, where the domain name system query request 1002 is used to query an edge application server address (i.e., the IP address of the edge application server in the embodiment corresponding to Fig. 1) that can obtain an edge application server providing a required edge application service of the terminal device 301. The edge application server discovery network element 300b will perform data interaction with a domain name system server 302 according to the domain name system query request 1002, and then receive a domain name system response message 1003 sent by the domain name system server 302. The domain name system response message 1003 contains a suitable edge application server address set 1004, where the edge application server address set 1004 can contain at least two edge application server addresses. Figure 2a Figure 1 Figure 1 Figure 1 Figure 1 Figure 1 Figure 1

[0110] Figure 2a ​​​​​​​​As shown, the edge application server address set 3004 can contain edge application server address Al, edge application server address A2, edge application server address Bl, edge application server address Cl, and edge application server address C2. The edge application servers corresponding to different edge application server addresses can be located in different edge computing platforms, and thus can be located in different data networks (i.e., corresponding data network access identifiers). For ease of understanding, it is assumed that the data network access identifier corresponding to edge application server address Al and edge application server address A2 is A, the data network access identifier corresponding to edge application server address Bl is B, and the data network access identifier corresponding to edge application server address Cl and edge application server address C2 is C.

[0111] Further, referring to Figure 2b , the edge application server discovery network element 300b sends a domain name system message report 3005 carrying the edge application server address set 3004 to the session management network element 300a. After receiving the domain name system message report 3005, the session management network element 300a needs to select edge application server addresses in the edge application server address set 3004 and obtain part of the edge application server addresses as offloading edge application server addresses. As shown in Figure 2b , the session management network element 300a can first select a target data network access identifier, and then the session management network element 300a selects, from at least two edge application server addresses, an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier as an offloading edge application server address. Assuming that the target data network access identifier is C, the offloading edge application server address set 3006 contains offloading edge application server address Cl and offloading edge application server address C2, and then the session management network element 300a generates an offloading rule according to the offloading edge application server addresses in the offloading edge application server address set 3006 and sends the offloading rule to the intermediate user plane network element 300c (i.e., the core network element I-UPF in the above-mentioned Figure 1 corresponding embodiment). At the same time, the session management network element 300a can insert the edge anchor user plane network element 300d (i.e., the core network element II-UPF in the above-mentioned Figure 1The core network element in the corresponding embodiment is L-PSA UPF, wherein the edge anchor user plane network element 300d is an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier, that is, the session management network element 300a can establish a split path between the intermediate user plane network element 300c and the edge anchor user plane network element 300d, and the split path is used for splitting traffic corresponding to the split edge application server address C1 and the split edge application server address C2, in other words, the terminal device accesses the edge application server corresponding to the split edge application server address C1 or the split edge application server address C2, and both can be implemented through the split path.

[0112] Further, please refer to Figure 2c After the split rule is issued and the split path is established, the edge application server discovery network element 300b issues the split edge application server address C1 and the split edge application server address C2 in the split edge application server address set 3006 to the terminal device 301, and the terminal device 301 can select any split edge application server address in the split edge application server address set 3006 as a service access address to access the edge application server corresponding to the split edge application server address to obtain edge application service. Assuming that the split edge application server address C1 corresponds to the edge application server 303, when the terminal device 301 carries the service access request of the split edge application server address C1 to the intermediate user plane network element 300c, the service access request is used to obtain edge application service, the intermediate user plane network element 300c identifies that the service access request carries the split edge application server address C1, and then forwards the service access request to the edge anchor user plane network element 300d according to the split rule and the split path, and finally sends the service access request to the edge application server 303 by the edge anchor user plane network element 300d. It can be understood that if the terminal device fails to access the edge application server 303, the terminal device can take the split edge application server address C2 as a service access address, reinitiate a service access request carrying the split edge application server address C2, and the service access request carrying the split edge application server address C2 reaches the intermediate user plane network element 300c. The service access request is also forwarded to the edge anchor user plane network element 300d by the intermediate user plane network element 300c, and then the service access request is forwarded to the edge application server corresponding to the split edge application server address C2 by the edge anchor user plane network element 300d.

[0113] It should be noted that Figures 2a-2cOnly the core network elements (including SMF, EASDF, I-UPF and L-PSA UPF) closely related to the embodiments of the present application are embodied in the data processing scenario shown, and other core network elements such as AMF (access and mobility management function), base station, PCF, etc. will be involved in actual business scenarios, which are not expanded in the embodiments of the present application.

[0114] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 is a flow diagram of a data processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The data processing method can be executed by a session management network element (SMF). As Figure 3 shown, the data processing method can at least include the following steps S101-S103:

[0115] Step S101, the session management network element receives a domain name system message report sent by an edge application server discovery network element; the domain name system message report contains at least two edge application server addresses.

[0116] Specifically, to start an edge application service EAS, the terminal device needs to know the edge application server address of the edge application server providing the edge application service. After the domain name system query request (DNSQuery) of the terminal device is sent to the edge application server discovery network element, the edge application server discovery network element can query the domain name system server for suitable edge application server addresses. After the domain name system query request of the edge application server discovery network element is responded to by the domain name system server, the edge application server discovery network element can be informed of at least two edge application server addresses. The edge application server address can be an Internet Protocol (IP) address and any other information that can be used to identify a node in the edge application server, such as an IP address. It can be understood that the edge application servers corresponding to the at least two edge application server addresses can separately provide the edge application service for the terminal device.

[0117] Step S102, selecting a target data network access identifier, and selecting, as a split edge application server address, an edge application server address in the at least two edge application server addresses that has a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier.

[0118] Specifically, the data network access identifiers corresponding to the edge application server addresses of the at least two edge application servers can be different. The data network access identifier (DNAI) refers to an identifier of a user plane accessing a data network DN in which one or more application programs are deployed. One data network access identifier can correspond to one or more edge anchor user plane network elements (L-PSA UPF), and the edge anchor user plane network elements corresponding to different data network access identifiers can be different. The distribution of the edge application server addresses corresponding to the same data network access identifier can be implemented through the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the data network access identifier. Therefore, only the edge application server address corresponding to the target data network access identifier can be selected as the distribution edge application server address from the at least two edge application server addresses.

[0119] Specifically, before the method of the embodiment of the present application is executed, the mapping relationship between the edge application server addresses and the data network access identifiers can be written into a pre-configuration information table. Then, when the session management network element receives the at least two edge application server addresses, the session management network element can find the data network access identifiers having the mapping relationship with each edge application server address in the pre-configuration information table as the to-be-selected data network access identifiers, and then obtain the target data network access identifier from the to-be-selected data network access identifiers according to the pre-set selection rule. The selection rule can be random selection, round-robin selection, load balancing, and the like.

[0120] In step S103, a distribution rule of an intermediate user plane network element is generated according to the distribution edge application server address.

[0121] Specifically, the distribution rule can also be called a distribution policy. The session management network element controls the intermediate user plane network element to execute the processing of the service flow by configuring various distribution policies.

[0122] Optionally, after the session management network element generates the offloading rule according to the offloading edge application server address, the session management network element can establish an offloading path between the intermediate user plane network element and the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier. Then, the session management network element can issue the offloading rule to the intermediate user plane network element, and the intermediate user plane network element forwards the service access request of the terminal device to the edge anchor user plane network element based on the offloading rule and the offloading path. Then, the edge anchor user plane network element can forward the service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the offloading edge application server address. It can be understood that one target data network access identifier can correspond to one or more edge anchor user plane network elements. The session management network element can configure a UL CL (Uplink classifier) corresponding to the edge anchor user plane network element on the intermediate user plane network element to provide a capability interface supporting the offloading rule. The offloading rule includes a traffic detection and traffic forwarding rule, and the offloading rule corresponding to the offloading edge application server address can be configured to offload the traffic with the offloading edge application server address as the destination address to the edge anchor user plane network element and finally to the edge application server. The UL CL can forward the service flow of the terminal device to the edge anchor user plane network element according to the traffic detection and traffic forwarding rule. After the UL CL is configured, the offloading path between the intermediate user plane network element and the edge anchor user plane network element is established.

[0123] Optionally, after the session management network element establishes the offloading path and successfully issues the offloading rule, the session management network element can send the offloading edge application server address to the edge application server discovery network element, and then the edge application server discovery network element sends the offloading edge application server address to the terminal device, so that the terminal device can select one of the offloading edge application server addresses as a service access address, and the terminal device sends the service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the service access address through the offloading path.

[0124] Further, for the convenience of understanding the selection process of the target data network access identifier in step S102, please refer to Figures 4a-4c , Figures 4a-4c is a scenario diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application for selecting a target data network access identifier. It is assumed that the edge application server address set 400 obtained by the session management network element includes edge application server address A1, edge application server address A2, edge application server address B1, edge application server address C1, and edge application server address C2.

[0125] In one possible implementation, the specific process of selecting the target data network access identifier can be: obtaining a target edge application server address from the at least two edge application server addresses; and then taking the data network access identifier having a mapping relationship with the edge application server address as the target data network access identifier. For example, Figure 4a As shown in FIG. 4, the session management network element can randomly select an edge application server address from the edge application server address set 400, for example, obtain the edge application server address A2 through a random function, and then determine that the data network access identifier having a mapping relationship with the edge application server address A2 is the data network access identifier A. Then, the session management network element can take the data network access identifier A as the target data network access identifier.

[0126] In one possible implementation, the specific process of selecting the target data network access identifier can be: obtaining the data network access identifiers respectively having mapping relationships with the at least two edge application server addresses to obtain one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers; querying the load conditions of the edge anchor user plane network elements respectively corresponding to the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers; and determining the target data network access identifier from the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers according to the load conditions. For example, Figure 4bAs shown, the session management network element queries the data network access identifiers having mapping relationship with each edge application server address in sequence, and obtains a set of to-be-selected data network access identifiers 401, which contains to-be-selected data network access identifier A, to-be-selected data network access identifier B and to-be-selected data network access identifier C. Then, the session management network element can find the edge anchor user plane network element 402a corresponding to the to-be-selected data network access identifier A, the edge anchor user plane network element 402b corresponding to the to-be-selected data network access identifier B and the edge anchor user plane network element 402c corresponding to the to-be-selected data network access identifier C, and then can determine the load condition of each edge anchor user plane network element by querying historical offloading rules and current offloading path connection state, etc., compare, and finally select the to-be-selected data network access identifier corresponding to the edge anchor user plane network element with the optimal load condition as the target data network access identifier. Optionally, the session management network element can obtain the predicted average load condition of the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers in a target time period; and then determine the target data network access identifier from the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers according to the predicted average load condition. That is, the session management network element can query the predicted average load condition of the edge anchor user plane network element, wherein the predicted average load condition refers to the average load condition of the edge anchor user plane network element in a target time period (i.e. in a future time period, such as the next ten minutes, the next hour, etc.), and then select the to-be-selected data network access identifier corresponding to the edge anchor user plane network element with the optimal predicted average load condition as the target data network access identifier.

[0127] In a feasible embodiment, the specific process of selecting the target data network access identifier can be: obtaining data network access identifiers having mapping relationship with at least two edge application server addresses, and obtaining one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers; and determining the target data network access identifier from the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers according to a round robin mechanism. For example, Figure 4c As shown, the session management network element can contain a round robin table set 403, which contains multiple round robin tables, such as round robin table 404. A round robin table contains to-be-selected data network access identifiers with a round robin sequence and a mark of the last selected target data network access identifier. For example, Figure 4cAs shown, the session management network element can query the polling table set 403 to obtain the polling table 404 corresponding to the to-be-selected data network access identifier set 401. The polling sequence in the polling table 404 is A→B→C→A…, at this time, the to-be-selected data network access identifier marked by the target data network access identifier mark 405 is the to-be-selected data network access identifier B, which indicates that the last selected target data network access identifier is the to-be-selected data network access identifier B. Therefore, the session management network element can select the next to-be-selected data network access identifier C of the to-be-selected data network access identifier B as the target data network access identifier according to the polling sequence. It can be understood that after the target data network access identifier is selected, the session management network element can update the target data network access identifier mark 405, that is, mark the to-be-selected data network access identifier C with the target data network access identifier mark 405.

[0128] Through the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, after the session management network element obtains the domain name system message report containing at least two edge application server addresses, the session management network element can select a target data network access identifier, and then select, from the received at least two edge application server addresses, an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier as a shunt edge application server address, and then generate a shunt rule of an intermediate user plane network element based on the shunt edge application server address. The session management network element only needs to create a shunt path for the shunt edge application server address on the intermediate user plane network element, and does not need to establish shunt paths corresponding to all edge application server addresses, which can reduce the waste of network resources and reduce the burden of the core network supporting multiple shunt paths at the same time.

[0129] Further, please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 is a flow diagram of a data processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The data processing method can be executed by an edge application server discovery network element (EASDF).

[0130] As shown in Figure 5 , the data processing method can at least include the following steps S201-S203:

[0131] Step S201, the edge application server discovery network element receives a domain name system response message sent by a domain name system server; the domain name system response message contains at least two edge application server addresses.

[0132] Specifically, the edge application server discovery element receives the domain name system response message sent by the domain name system server after interacting with the domain name system server after obtaining the domain name system query request sent by the terminal device. The domain name system query request is used to obtain the edge application server address of the edge application server that provides services for the edge application service to be started by the terminal device.

[0133] In step S202, a target data network access identifier is selected, and from the at least two edge application server addresses, an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier is selected as a split edge application server address.

[0134] Specifically, after receiving the domain name system response message, the edge application server discovery element selects a target data network access identifier, and then selects at least two edge application server addresses in the domain name system response message according to the target data network access identifier to determine the split edge application server address. It can be understood that the specific implementation process of the edge application server discovery element selecting the target data network access identifier, and from the at least two edge application server addresses, selecting an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier as the split edge application server address is the same as the above Figure 3 The specific implementation process of the session management element selecting the split edge application server address in the corresponding embodiment can be the same, in other words, the above Figures 4a-4c The selection of the target data network access identifier in the above

[0135] In step S203, the split edge application server address and the target data network access identifier are sent to the session management element, so that the session management element generates a split rule of the intermediate user plane element according to the split edge application server address, and establishes a split path between the intermediate user plane element and the edge anchor user plane element corresponding to the target data network access identifier.

[0136] Specifically, the edge application server discovery network element no longer sends all edge application server addresses contained in the domain name system response message to the session management network element, but only sends the split edge application server address and the target data network access identifier to the session management network element. The session management network element no longer needs to select the received split edge application server address, but directly generates a split rule of the intermediate user plane network element according to the target data network access identifier and the split edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the split edge application server address, and establishes a split path between the intermediate user plane network element and the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier. Then, after the split rule is generated and the split path is established, the split edge application server address is sent to the terminal device.

[0137] By adopting the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the selection process of the target data network access identifier can be implemented by the edge application server discovery network element. The edge application server discovery network element can directly select the split edge application server address from at least two edge application server addresses contained in the domain name system response message according to the target data network access identifier, and then send the split edge application server address and the target data network access identifier to the session management network element. The session management network element only generates a split rule according to the split edge application server address, and establishes a split path between the intermediate user plane network element and the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier. This can reduce the waste of network resources and alleviate the burden of the core network supporting multiple split paths at the same time.

[0138] Further, please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 is a flowchart of a data processing method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The data processing method can be executed by an intermediate user plane network element (I-UPF). As shown in Figure 3 , the data processing method can at least include the following steps S301-S303:

[0139] Step S301, the intermediate user plane network element receives a split rule issued by a session management network element.

[0140] Specifically, the offloading rule is generated according to the offloading edge application server address, and the offloading rule is used to forward a service access request of a terminal device accessing the offloading edge application server address to an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to a target data network access identifier. The target data network access identifier is selected by a session management network element after receiving a domain name system message report sent by an edge application server discovery network element. The domain name system message report contains at least two edge application server addresses. The offloading edge application server address refers to an edge application server address of the at least two edge application server addresses that has a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier.

[0141] In step S302, a service access request of a terminal device accessing the offloading edge application server address is forwarded to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier based on the offloading rule and the offloading path, so that the edge anchor user plane network element forwards the service access request to the edge server corresponding to the offloading edge application server address.

[0142] Specifically, the offloading path is an offloading path between an intermediate user plane network element and an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier, which is established by the session management network element.

[0143] Specifically, the process of forwarding the service access request of the terminal device accessing the offloading edge application server address to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier based on the offloading rule and the offloading path can be: receiving a target service access request sent by the terminal device, wherein the target service access request carries a target edge application server address. If the same edge application server address as the target edge application server address is found in the offloading edge application server address, the target service access request is forwarded to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier based on the offloading rule and the offloading path, so that the edge anchor user plane network element forwards the target service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the target edge application server address. In other words, after receiving the target service access request of the terminal device, the intermediate user plane network element uses flow filtering rules (such as checking the destination IP address / prefix of the target service access request sent by the terminal device) to determine whether to forward the target service access request to the corresponding edge anchor user plane network element. If it is determined that the target service access request is sent to the offloading edge application server address, the target service access request is forwarded to the edge anchor user plane network element.

[0144] Specifically, the edge application server corresponding to the shunted edge application server address is used to provide edge application service for the terminal device; the number of the shunted edge application server addresses is at least two, and the at least two shunted edge application server addresses include a first shunted edge application server address and a second shunted edge application server address. The second shunted edge application server address is an edge application server address carried in a service access request initiated by the terminal device again after the edge application service access through the first shunted edge application server address fails. For ease of understanding, it is assumed that the terminal device receives available shunted edge application server addresses including a shunted edge application server address E1, a shunted edge application server address E2 and a shunted edge application server address E3, the terminal device can randomly obtain a shunted edge application server address, such as the shunted edge application server address E1, as a target edge application server address, and initiate a service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the shunted edge application server address E1 to obtain edge application service, but the terminal device fails to access the edge application server corresponding to the shunted edge application server address E1 due to network problems and the like, and the terminal device can select a new target edge application server address, such as the shunted edge application server address E3, from the unselected shunted edge application server addresses received, and can initiate a service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the shunted edge application server address E3 to obtain edge application service.

[0145] In the embodiment of the application, the intermediate user plane network element no longer needs to insert multiple uplink classifiers to establish multiple shunted paths associated with the edge application server addresses, thereby reducing the waste of network resources.

[0146] Further, referring to Figure 7 , Figure 7 is an interaction schematic diagram of edge application server discovery provided by the embodiment of the application. As shown in Figure 7 , the whole interaction process mainly involves a terminal device UE, a session management network element SMF, an edge application server discovery network element EASDF, a domain name system DNS server, a user plane network element UPF (i.e., an intermediate user plane network element I-UPF) in which an uplink classifier UL CL can be inserted, and a local PDU session anchor point L-PSA user plane network element UPF (i.e., an edge anchor user plane network element L-PSA UPF). As shown in Figure 7 , the interaction process includes:

[0147] In step S401, the EASDF sends a DNS query request (DNS Query) to the DNS server.

[0148] Specifically, the DNS query request is a query request sent by the UE to the EASDF, and is a query request initiated by the UE to obtain an IP address of an edge application server capable of providing an edge application service. The EASDF can add an ECS option in the DNS Query message and send it to the DNS server.

[0149] In step S402, the DNS server sends a DNS response message (DNS Responses) to the EASDF.

[0150] Specifically, the EASDF can receive the DNS Responses from the DNS server and determine that the DNS Responses can be sent to the UE. The DNS Responses can include multiple IP addresses of edge application servers capable of providing the required edge application service for the UE, i.e., multiple EAS IP addresses.

[0151] In step S403, the EASDF sends a DNS message report to the SMF.

[0152] Specifically, if the EAS IP address or FQDN (fully qualified domain name) in the DNS response message matches the reporting condition provided by the SMF, the EASDF can send a DNS message report to the SMF by invoking the Neasdf_DNSContext_Notify (DNS context notification service of the EASDF) service containing EAS information. The DNS message report contains multiple EAS IP addresses received by the EASDF. It should be noted that according to the DNS message processing rule, the EASDF will not send the DNS response message to the UE at this time, but wait for the SMF instruction (in step S406), i.e., cache the DNS response message first. The name of the service provided by the EASDF in this document, such as Neasdf_DNSContext_Notify, is not limited unless otherwise specified.

[0153] In step S404, the SMF responds to the DNS message report.

[0154] Specifically, the SMF invokes the Neasdf_DNSContext_Notify response.

[0155] In step S405, the SMF determines a split address according to a target data network access identifier (DNAI) and generates a corresponding split rule.

[0156] Specifically, after obtaining the EAS IP address from the DNS message report, the SMF selects a DNAI as the target DNAI. Then, based on the mapping relationship between the target DNAI and the EAS IP address, it obtains the EAS IP address that is mapped to the target DNAI as the address of the traffic offloading edge application server (i.e., the one mentioned above). Figure 3 (The address of the offloading edge application server in the corresponding embodiment). The selection process for the target DNAI can be found above. Figure 3 The specific description of step S102 in the corresponding embodiment will not be repeated here. Optionally, the selection process of the target DNAI can also be performed in step S403. In this case, the DNS message report sent by EASDF to SMF will only contain the target DNAI and the EAS IP address that has a mapping relationship with the target DNAI. For specific implementation details, please refer to the above. Figure 5 Step S202 in the corresponding embodiment will not be described again here.

[0157] Then, SMF can generate traffic splitting rules based on the address of the traffic splitting edge application server, and then send them to I-UPF. The process of generating traffic splitting rules can be found above. Figure 3 The description of step S103 in the corresponding embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0158] A split path is established between S406, I-UPF, and L-PSA UPF.

[0159] Specifically, the SMF will determine the uplink classifier UL CL corresponding to the target DNAI that needs to be inserted into the I-UPF, and then configure the UL CL to establish a bypass path between the I-UPF and the L-PAS UPF. See the above for details. Figure 3 The description of step S103 in the corresponding embodiment will not be repeated here.

[0160] In step S407, SMF invokes the DNS message processing rule and sends the DNS message processing rule request to EASDF.

[0161] Specifically, the SMF calls the Neasdf_DNSContext_Update Request service request to send a DNS message processing rule request to the EASDF. The DNS message processing rule is used to instruct the EASDF to send the DNS response message cached in step S403 to the UE.

[0162] Step S408: EASDF executes the DNS message processing rule and sends the response message to SMF.

[0163] Specifically, the EASDF invokes the Neasdf_DNSContext_Update Response to respond to the SMF.

[0164] Step S409: The EASDF sends a DNS response message containing the address of the offloading edge application server to the UE.

[0165] Specifically, the EASDF sends a DNS response message containing the address of the offloading edge application server to the UE. The UE can access the offloading edge application server to obtain a responding edge application service. The process in which the UE obtains the edge application service can refer to the process in step S303 in the embodiment corresponding to the above. Figure 6

[0166] By using the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, the SMF can take the EAS IP address having a mapping relationship with the target DNAI as the address of the offloading edge application server, so as to generate the offloading rule only according to the address of the offloading edge application server, and no longer need to establish an offloading path for all available EAS IP addresses queried from the DNS server, so as to avoid the offloading path associated with the EAS IP address not selected by the terminal device from being idle, thereby reducing the waste of network resources.

[0167] Further, please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 is a network architecture diagram of an offloading path provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 8 , the network architecture involves a terminal device 801 (User Equipment, UE), an access network 802 (Access Network, AN), a plurality of functional network elements of a core network, a central data network 803 (Central DN), and an edge data network 804 (EAS DN). As shown in Figure 8 ​As shown, the multiple functional network elements of the core network can include: a user plane function 805 (i.e., the above-mentioned intermediate user plane network element I-UPF) which can be inserted with an uplink classifier (UL CL), a central protocol data unit session anchor user plane function (C-PSA UPF) 806, a local protocol data unit session anchor user plane function 807 (i.e., the above-mentioned edge anchor user plane network element L-PSA UPF), an access and mobility management function 808 (AMF), a session management function 809 (i.e., the above-mentioned session management network element), a network exposure function 810 (NEF), an edge application server discovery function 811 (i.e., the above-mentioned edge application server discovery network element), a network repository function 812 (NRF), a policy control function 813 (PCF), an application function 814 (AF), and a unified data management 815 (UDM).

[0168] The functional network elements of the core network can provide service-based interfaces, the naming rules of which are to add N in front of the name of the function body. Among them, the service-based interface is an interface exposed by the function body to realize the function of service registration and service discovery similar to the micro-service architecture. This interface is only for a single function body, and other function bodies interact with this function body through the interface exposed by the function body. In fact, such a mechanism provides a many-to-one access mechanism, and since service registration and service discovery are adopted, there is no need to know each other's addresses to access each other. For example, Figure 8 As shown, the access and mobility management function 808 provides a service-based interface 8080 (which can be referred to as Namf), the session management function 809 provides a service-based interface 8090 (which can be referred to as Nsmf), the network exposure function 810 provides a service-based interface 8100 (which can be referred to as Nnef), the edge application server discovery function 811 provides a service-based interface 8080 (which can be referred to as Neasdf), the network repository function 812 provides a service-based interface 8080 (which can be referred to as Nnrf), the policy control function 813 provides a service-based interface 8080 (which can be referred to as Npcf), the application function 814 provides a service-based interface 8080 (which can be referred to as Naf), and the unified data management 815 provides a service-based interface 8080 (which can be referred to as Nudm). The functional network elements interact with other functional network elements through the service-based interfaces.

[0169] The network architecture can also include reference points, which are similar to traditional interfaces, that is, mutual access interfaces agreed between two different functional bodies. The reference points between two functional bodies can generally be replaced by one or more service interfaces, thereby providing the same but more flexible and better scalability implementation of the communication between user functional blocks. As shown in Figure 8 The reference point N1 is the interface between the terminal device 801 and the access and mobility management function 808; the reference point N2 is the interface between the access network 802 and the access and mobility management function 808; the reference point N3 is the interface between the access network 802 and the user plane function 805 that can be inserted into the uplink classifier, and can use the GTP-U (a kind of tunnel transmission protocol) protocol for tunnel transmission of user data; the reference point N4 is the interface between the session management function 809 and the user plane function 805 that can be inserted into the uplink classifier, and is also the interface between the session management function 809 and the central protocol data unit session anchor user plane function 806; the N6 reference point is the interface between the central protocol data unit session anchor user plane function 806 and the central data network 803, and is also the interface between the local protocol data unit session anchor user plane function 807 and the edge data network 804, which can support a dedicated line or L2 / L3 layer tunnel, and can communicate with the DN network based on an IP address; the N9 reference point is the interface between the central protocol data unit session anchor user plane function 806 and the local protocol data unit session anchor user plane function 807 and the user plane function 805 that can be inserted into the uplink classifier.

[0170] It can be understood that the service interface and the reference point are two different modeling interaction methods between the network entities introduced by the 5G architecture, and through the flexible definition of the interfaces and connections between the network functional blocks and the network entities, the flexible processing method and the processing flow of the 5G network for various specific service types at various protocol layers are realized. According to the above network architecture, the terminal device 801 can access the edge data network 804 where the edge application server EAS is located.

[0171] In a feasible embodiment, as Figure 8As shown, the EASDF can query the IP address of the edge application server available to the UE from the DNS server, and when the EASDF receives multiple IP addresses, the EASDF sends the multiple IP addresses to the SMF first. When the SMF receives the multiple IP addresses, the SMF determines the mapping relationship between each IP address and the DNAI according to the preconfigured information, for example: DNAI#1: IP#1, IP#2; DNAI#2: IP#3, IP#4, IP#5, that is, DNAI#1 and IP#1, IP#2 have a mapping relationship, and DNAI#2 and IP#3, IP#4, IP#5 have a mapping relationship. The SMF can further determine the selected IP address according to the mapping relationship between the IP address and the DNAI. Because the DNAI affects the selection of the I-UPF and the L-PSA UPF. Different DNAIs usually correspond to different L-PSA UPFs, so when the SMF receives a service IP address corresponding to multiple DNAIs, the SMF selects a target DNAI, and then selects the IP address corresponding to the target DNAI as the split address, so that when the user plane split path is established, only the L-PSA UPF supporting the target DNAI is selected to establish the split path. The SMF can select all IP addresses corresponding to the target DNAI, and all the IP addresses will be used as the split address of the UE (that is, the above-mentioned split edge application server address, and all the IP addresses will be associated with the established split path), and then the SMF sends the split address to the EASDF, and then the EASDF sends the split address to the UE. The UE initiates a service access in the subsequent service access, and randomly selects one of the split addresses for service access, and when the split address access fails, the UE selects another split address from the other split addresses to initiate service access again. Optionally, the SMF can only select one IP address corresponding to the target DNAI to configure as the split address of the UE.

[0172] In one possible embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the SMF can send the IP address of the edge application server available to the UE to the EASDF, and the EASDF can send the IP address to the UE. Figure 8As shown, the EASDF queries the IP address of the edge application server available to the UE from the DNS system, and if the EASDF receives multiple IP addresses returned by the DNS system, the EASDF can determine the mapping relationship between the IP addresses and the DNAI according to preconfigured information. Then the EASDF can select a target DNAI, and then select the IP address corresponding to the target DNAI, so that when the user plane split path is established, the L-PSAUPF supporting the target DNAI is selected to establish the split path. The EASDF sends the IP address corresponding to the target DNAI to the SMF. The SMF takes all the IP addresses as the split addresses of the UE (i.e., the split edge application server addresses in the split rule on the I-UPF), and after the SMF completes the configuration, the EASDF sends the split addresses corresponding to the target DNAI to the UE. The UE randomly selects one of the split addresses to access the service when initiating the service access subsequently, and when the split address access fails, the UE selects another split address to initiate the service access again. Optionally, the EASDF can select only one IP address corresponding to the target DNAI as the split address of the UE.

[0173] By adopting the method provided in the embodiments of the present application, at least two IP addresses are acquired, and then a target DNAI can be further selected, and the IP address corresponding to the target DNAI in the at least two IP addresses is taken as a split address, and the session management network element generates the split rule of the intermediate user plane network element according to the split address. As can be seen, in the embodiments of the present application, the session management network element does not generate the split rule for all IP addresses, but determines the split address through the selection mechanism, so that only the split path associated with the split address needs to be established subsequently, and the split paths associated with all available IP addresses do not need to be established again, so as to avoid that the split path associated with the IP address not selected by the terminal device is idle, thereby reducing the waste of network resources.

[0174] Please refer to Figure 9 , Figure 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a network element device provided in the embodiments of the present application. The network element device can be a computer program (including program code) running on a network element device, for example, the network element device is an application software; the device can be used to execute the corresponding steps in the data processing method provided in the embodiments of the present application. As shown in the figure, Figure 9 the network element device 1 can include a report receiving module 11, an identifier selecting module 12, an address selecting module 13, and a rule generating module 14.

[0175] The report receiving module 11 is configured to enable the session management network element to receive the domain name system message report sent by the edge application server discovery network element; the domain name system message report includes at least two edge application server addresses;

[0176] identifier selection module 12, configured to select a target data network access identifier;

[0177] address selection module 13, configured to select, from at least two edge application server addresses, an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier as a distribution edge application server address;

[0178] rule generation module 14, configured to generate a distribution rule of an intermediate user plane network element according to the distribution edge application server address.

[0179] The specific function implementation manners of the report receiving module 11, the identifier selection module 12, the address selection module 13, and the rule generation module 14 can refer to the steps S101-S103 in the above-mentioned Figure 3 corresponding embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0180] Please refer to Figure 9 , the identifier selection module 12 can include a first acquisition unit 121 and a first determination unit 122.

[0181] The first acquisition unit 121 is configured to acquire, from at least two edge application server addresses, a target edge application server address;

[0182] The first determination unit 122 is configured to determine, as a target data network access identifier, a data network access identifier having a mapping relationship with the edge application server address.

[0183] The specific function implementation manners of the first acquisition unit 121 and the first determination unit 122 can refer to the descriptions of the corresponding embodiments in the above-mentioned Figure 4a , which will not be repeated here.

[0184] Please refer to Figure 9 , the identifier selection module 12 can include a second acquisition unit 123, a query unit 124, and a second determination unit 125.

[0185] The second acquisition unit 123 is configured to acquire data network access identifiers respectively having mapping relationships with at least two edge application server addresses, to obtain one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers;

[0186] The query unit 124 is configured to query load conditions of edge anchor user plane network elements respectively corresponding to the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers;

[0187] The second determination unit 125 is configured to determine, according to the load conditions, a target data network access identifier from the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers.

[0188] The specific function implementation manners of the second obtaining unit 123, the querying unit 124, and the second determining unit 125 can refer to the descriptions of the corresponding embodiments in the foregoing identifier selection module 12, and will not be repeated here. Figure 4b The specific function implementation manners of the second obtaining unit 123, the querying unit 124, and the second determining unit 125 can refer to the descriptions of the corresponding embodiments in the foregoing identifier selection module 12, and will not be repeated here.

[0189] Please refer to Figure 9 , the identifier selection module 12 can include: a third obtaining unit 126, a prediction unit 127, and a third determining unit 128.

[0190] The third obtaining unit 126 is configured to obtain data network access identifiers each having a mapping relationship with at least two edge application server addresses, to obtain one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers.

[0191] The prediction unit 127 is configured to obtain a predicted load average of an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers in a target time period.

[0192] The third determining unit 128 is configured to determine a target data network access identifier from the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers according to the predicted load average.

[0193] The specific function implementation manners of the third obtaining unit 126, the prediction unit 127, and the third determining unit 128 can refer to the descriptions of the corresponding embodiments in the foregoing identifier selection module 12, and will not be repeated here. Figure 4b The specific function implementation manners of the third obtaining unit 126, the prediction unit 127, and the third determining unit 128 can refer to the descriptions of the corresponding embodiments in the foregoing identifier selection module 12, and will not be repeated here.

[0194] Please refer to Figure 9 , the identifier selection module 12 can include: a polling unit 129.

[0195] The polling unit 129 is configured to obtain data network access identifiers each having a mapping relationship with at least two edge application server addresses, to obtain one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers.

[0196] The polling unit 129 is further configured to determine a target data network access identifier from the one or more to-be-selected data network access identifiers according to a polling mechanism.

[0197] The specific function implementation manner of the polling unit 129 can refer to the description of the corresponding embodiment in the foregoing identifier selection module 12, and will not be repeated here. Figure 4c The specific function implementation manner of the polling unit 129 can refer to the description of the corresponding embodiment in the foregoing identifier selection module 12, and will not be repeated here.

[0198] Please refer to Figure 9 , the network element device 1 can further include: a path establishment module 15 and a rule issuing module 16.

[0199] The path establishing module 15 is configured to establish a split path between the intermediate user plane network element and an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier.

[0200] The rule issuing module 16 is configured to issue a split rule to the intermediate user plane network element, so that the intermediate user plane network element forwards a service access request of the terminal device accessing the split edge application server address to the edge anchor user plane network element based on the split rule and the split path; and the edge anchor user plane network element is configured to forward the service access request to an edge application server corresponding to the split edge application server address.

[0201] The specific function implementation of the path establishing module 15 and the rule issuing module 16 can be referred to the description of step S103 in the above-mentioned Figure 3 corresponding embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0202] Please refer to Figure 9 The above-mentioned network element device 1 can further include an address sending module 17.

[0203] The address sending module 17 is configured to send the split edge application server address to the edge application server discovery network element, so that the edge application server discovery network element sends the split edge application server address to the terminal device.

[0204] The specific function implementation of the address sending module 17 can be referred to the description of step S103 in the above-mentioned Figure 3 corresponding embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0205] Please refer to Figure 10 , Figure 10 is a structural schematic diagram of a network element device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The network element device can be a computer program (including program code) running on a network element device, for example, the network element device is an application software; the device can be used to execute the corresponding steps in the data processing method provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 10 The network element device 2 can include a receiving module 21, an identifier selecting module 22, an address selecting module 23, and a sending module 24.

[0206] The receiving module 21 is configured to receive a domain name system response message sent by a domain name system server by the edge application server discovery network element; the domain name system response message contains at least two edge application server addresses.

[0207] The identifier selecting module 22 is configured to select a target data network access identifier.

[0208] The address selection module 23 is configured to select, from at least two edge application server addresses, an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier as the offloading edge application server address.

[0209] The sending module 24 is configured to send the offloading edge application server address and the target data network access identifier to the session management network element, so that the session management network element generates an offloading rule of the intermediate user plane network element according to the offloading edge application server address, and establishes an offloading path between the intermediate user plane network element and an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier.

[0210] The specific function implementation manners of the receiving module 21, the identifier selection module 22, the address selection module 23, and the sending module 24 can be refer to the descriptions of steps S201-S203 in the above Figure 5 corresponding embodiments, and will not be described here in detail.

[0211] Please refer to Figure 10 The network element device 2 can further include a response sending module 25.

[0212] The response sending module 25 is configured to send a domain name system response message carrying the offloading edge application server address to the terminal device after the offloading rule is generated and the offloading path is established.

[0213] The specific function implementation manner of the response sending module 25 can be refer to the description of step S203 in the above Figure 5 corresponding embodiments, and will not be described here in detail.

[0214] Please refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 is a structural schematic diagram of a network element device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The network element device can be a computer program (including program code) running on a network element device, for example, the network element device is an application software; the device can be used to execute corresponding steps in the data processing method provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 11 The network element device 3 can include a rule receiving module 31.

[0215] The rule receiving module 31 is configured to receive a split rule sent by the session management network element by the intermediate user plane network element; the split rule is generated according to a split edge application server address; the split rule is used to forward a service access request of a terminal device accessing the split edge application server address to an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to a target data network access identifier; the target data network access identifier is obtained by the session management network element after receiving a domain name system message report sent by the edge application server discovery network element; the domain name system message report contains at least two edge application server addresses, and the split edge application server address refers to an edge application server address of the at least two edge application server addresses that has a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier.

[0216] Please refer to Figure 11 The above-mentioned network element device 3 further comprises a request forwarding module 32.

[0217] The request forwarding module 32 is configured to forward the service access request of the terminal device accessing the split edge application server address to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier based on the split rule and a split path, so that the edge anchor user plane network element forwards the service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the split edge application server address; the split path is a split path between the intermediate user plane network element and the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier established by the session management network element.

[0218] The specific function implementation of the request forwarding module 32 can be referred to the description of step S302 in the above-mentioned Figure 6 corresponding embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0219] Please refer to Figure 11 The request forwarding module 32 can comprise a receiving unit 321 and a forwarding unit 322.

[0220] The receiving unit 321 is configured to receive a target service access request sent by a terminal device; the target service access request carries a target edge application server address;

[0221] The forwarding unit 322 is configured to, if an edge application server address identical to the target edge application server address is found in the split edge application server address, forward the target service access request to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier based on the split rule and the split path, so that the edge anchor user plane network element forwards the target service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the target edge application server address.

[0222] The shunting edge application server addresses correspond to edge application servers that are configured to provide edge application services for the terminal device.

[0223] The specific function implementation of the receiving unit 321 and the forwarding unit 322 can be referred to the description of step S302 in the above Figure 6 The specific function implementation of the receiving unit 321 and the forwarding unit 322 can be referred to the description of step S302 in the above

[0224] Please refer to Figure 12 , Figure 12 is a structural diagram of a network element device provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 12 , the network element device 1000 can include a processor 1001, a network interface 1003, and a memory 1004. In addition, the network element device 1000 can further include at least one communication bus 1002. The communication bus 1002 is configured to realize the connection and communication between the components. The network interface 1003 can optionally include a standard wired interface, a wireless interface (such as a WI-FI interface). The memory 1004 can be a high-speed RAM memory or a non-volatile memory (such as at least one disk memory). The memory 1004 can optionally be at least one storage device located away from the processor 1001. As shown in Figure 12 , the memory 1004 as a computer readable storage medium can include an operating system, a network communication module, and a device control application program. In the embodiment of the present application, the network element device 1000 can be a session management network element.

[0225] In the network element device 1000 as shown in Figure 12 , the network interface 1003 can provide a network communication network element; and the processor 1001 can be configured to invoke the device control application program stored in the memory 1004, so that the network element device 1000 performs the following steps:

[0226] receiving a domain name system message report sent by an edge application server discovery network element; the domain name system message report includes at least two edge application server addresses;

[0227] The target data network access identifier is selected, and an edge application server address, which has a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier, of the at least two edge application server addresses is selected as a shunt edge application server address.

[0228] A shunt rule of an intermediate user plane network element is generated according to the shunt edge application server address.

[0229] It should be understood that the network element device 1000 described in the embodiments of the present application can perform the foregoing Figure 3 The description of the data processing method in the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here. In addition, the beneficial effects of using the same method will not be repeated.

[0230] In addition, it should be noted that the present application also provides a computer readable storage medium, and the aforementioned computer readable storage medium stores the computer program executed by the network element device 1 mentioned above, and the aforementioned computer program includes program instructions, and when the aforementioned processor executes the aforementioned program instructions, the foregoing Figure 3 The description of the data processing method in the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here. In addition, the beneficial effects of using the same method will not be repeated. For technical details of the computer readable storage medium embodiments involved in the present application that have not been disclosed, please refer to the description of the method embodiments of the present application.

[0231] Please refer to Figure 13 , Figure 13 is a structural schematic diagram of a network element device provided by the embodiments of the present application. As Figure 13 shown, the network element device 2000 can include a processor 2001, a network interface 2003 and a memory 2004, and in addition, the aforementioned network element device 2000 can also include at least one communication bus 2002. Wherein, the communication bus 2002 is used to realize the connection communication between these components. Wherein, the network interface 2003 can optionally include a standard wired interface, a wireless interface (such as a WI-FI interface). The memory 2004 can be a high-speed RAM memory, or a non-volatile memory, for example, at least one disk memory. The memory 2004 can optionally be at least one storage device located away from the aforementioned processor 2001. As Figure 13 shown, the memory 2004 as a computer readable storage medium can include an operating system, a network communication module and a device control application program. In the embodiments of the present application, the network element device 2000 can be an edge application server discovery network element.

[0232] As Figure 13In the shown network element device 2000, the network interface 2003 can provide network communication for the network element device 2000; and the processor 2001 can be used to invoke the device control application stored in the memory 2004, so that the network element device 2000 performs the following steps:

[0233] receiving a domain name system response message sent by the domain name system server; the domain name system response message contains at least two edge application server addresses;

[0234] selecting a target data network access identifier, from the at least two edge application server addresses, an edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier as a shunt edge application server address;

[0235] sending the shunt edge application server address and the target data network access identifier to the session management network element, so that the session management network element generates a shunt rule of an intermediate user plane network element according to the shunt edge application server address, and establishes a shunt path between the intermediate user plane network element and an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier.

[0236] It should be understood that the network element device 2000 described in the embodiments of the present application can perform the foregoing Figure 5 The description of the data processing method in the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here. In addition, the beneficial effects of using the same method will not be described again.

[0237] In addition, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer readable storage medium, and the aforementioned computer readable storage medium stores the computer program executed by the aforementioned network element device 2, and the aforementioned computer program includes program instructions, and when the aforementioned processor executes the aforementioned program instructions, the aforementioned network element device 2 can perform the foregoing Figure 5 The description of the data processing method in the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here. In addition, the beneficial effects of using the same method will not be described again. For technical details of the computer readable storage medium embodiments involved in the present application that have not been disclosed, please refer to the description of the method embodiments of the present application.

[0238] Please refer to Figure 14 , Figure 14 is a structural schematic diagram of a network element device provided by the embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 14As shown, the network element device 3000 may include: a processor 3001, a network interface 3003, and a memory 3004. Furthermore, the network element device 3000 may also include: at least one communication bus 3002. The communication bus 3002 is used to implement communication between these components. The network interface 3003 may optionally include a standard wired interface or a wireless interface (such as a Wi-Fi interface). The memory 3004 may be high-speed RAM or non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Optionally, the memory 3004 may also be at least one storage device located remotely from the aforementioned processor 3001. Figure 14 As shown, the memory 3004, which serves as a computer-readable storage medium, may include an operating system, a network communication module, and a device control application. In this embodiment, the network element device 3000 may be an intermediate user plane network element.

[0239] In such Figure 14 In the network element device 3000 shown, the network interface 3003 can provide network communication network elements; while the processor 3001 can be used to call the device control application stored in the memory 3004 to make the network element device 3000 execute:

[0240] Receive traffic distribution rules issued by the session management network element;

[0241] The traffic splitting rules are generated based on the address of the splitting edge application server. The traffic splitting rules are used to forward the service access requests of the terminal device to the splitting edge application server address to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier. The target data network access identifier is selected by the session management network element after receiving the Domain Name System (DNS) message report sent by the edge application server discovery network element. The DNS message report contains at least two edge application server addresses, and the splitting edge application server address refers to the edge application server address that has a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier among the at least two edge application server addresses.

[0242] It should be understood that the network element device 3000 described in the embodiments of this application can perform the foregoing... Figure 6 The description of the data processing method in the corresponding embodiments will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of using the same method will also not be repeated.

[0243] Furthermore, it should be noted that this application embodiment also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program executed by the aforementioned network element device 3. The computer program includes program instructions, and when the processor executes the program instructions, it can execute the aforementioned...Figure 6 The above data processing method is described in the corresponding embodiments, and thus will not be described here again. In addition, the beneficial effects of using the same method will not be described again. For technical details not disclosed in the computer-readable storage medium embodiments involved in the present application, please refer to the description of the method embodiments of the present application.

[0244] The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the network element device provided by any of the preceding embodiments or the network element device described above, such as a hard disk or a memory of the network element device. The computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the network element device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart media card (SMC), a secure digital (SD) card, a flash card, etc. equipped on the network element device. Further, the computer-readable storage medium can include both the internal storage unit and the external storage device of the network element device. The computer-readable storage medium is used to store the computer program and other programs and data required by the network element device. The computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0245] In addition, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product or a computer program, which includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The processor of the network element device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor executes the computer instructions to enable the network element device to perform the above Figure 3 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 method provided by any of the corresponding embodiments.

[0246] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the description and claims of the embodiments of the present application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to describe a specific order. In addition, the term "comprise" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, device, product or equipment that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but can optionally include steps or units that are not listed, or can optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, device, product or equipment.

[0247] Those skilled in the art can understand that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in electronic hardware, computer software or a combination of both. In order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the components and steps of each example have been described in the above description in a general manner. Whether the components and steps are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described components for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0248] The method and related apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram provided by the embodiments of the present application. Each flow and / or block in the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram, and the combination of the flows and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be realized by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate a device implemented in the flow Figure 1 The method and related apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram provided by the embodiments of the present application. Each flow and / or block in the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram, and the combination of the flows and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be realized by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate a device implemented in the flow Figure 1 The method and related apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram provided by the embodiments of the present application. Each flow and / or block in the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram, and the combination of the flows and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be realized by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate a device implemented in the flow Figure 1 The method and related apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram provided by the embodiments of the present application. Each flow and / or block in the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram, and the combination of the flows and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be realized by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate a device implemented in the flow Figure 1 The method and related apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram provided by the embodiments of the present application. Each flow and / or block in the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram, and the combination of the flows and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be realized by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate a device implemented in the flow Figure 1 The method and related apparatus provided by the embodiments of the present application are described with reference to the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram provided by the embodiments of the present application. Each flow and / or block in the method flowchart and / or structural schematic diagram, and the combination of the flows and / or blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagram can be realized by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, an embedded processor or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate a device implemented in the flow

[0249] The above disclosure is only the preferred embodiments of the present application, and of course cannot limit the scope of the present application. Therefore, equivalent changes made in accordance with the claims of the present application are still within the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A data processing method, characterized by, Comprising: The session management network element receives the domain name system message report sent by the edge application server discovery network element; The domain name system message report contains at least two edge application server addresses; Among the at least two edge application server addresses, the edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier is taken as a split edge application server address; The target data network access identifier is selected from the data network access identifiers respectively having a mapping relationship with the at least two edge application server addresses; According to the split edge application server address, a split rule of an intermediate user plane network element is generated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: From the at least two edge application server addresses, a target edge application server address is obtained; The data network access identifier having a mapping relationship with the edge application server address is taken as a target data network access identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: A split path between the intermediate user plane network element and the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier is established; The split rule is issued to the intermediate user plane network element, so that the intermediate user plane network element forwards a service access request of a terminal device accessing the split edge application server address to the edge anchor user plane network element based on the split rule and the split path; The edge anchor user plane network element is used to forward the service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the split edge application server address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: The split edge application server address is sent to the edge application server discovery network element, so that the edge application server discovery network element sends the split edge application server address to the terminal device.

5. A data processing method, characterized by, Comprising: The edge application server discovery network element receives the domain name system response message sent by the domain name system server; The domain name system response message contains at least two edge application server addresses; From the at least two edge application server addresses, the edge application server address having a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier is taken as a split edge application server address; The target data network access identifier is selected from the data network access identifiers respectively having a mapping relationship with the at least two edge application server addresses; The split edge application server address and the target data network access identifier are sent to the session management network element, so that the session management network element generates a split rule of an intermediate user plane network element according to the split edge application server address, and establishes a split path between the intermediate user plane network element and the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, Further comprising: After the split rule is generated and the split path is established, the split edge application server address is sent to the terminal device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, Further comprising: The edge application server discovery network element obtains the data network access identifiers respectively having a mapping relationship with the at least two edge application server addresses; From the data network access identifiers respectively having a mapping relationship with the at least two edge application server addresses, a target data network access identifier is selected.

8. A data processing method, characterized by, Comprising: The intermediate user plane network element receives a split rule sent by the session management network element; the split rule is generated according to a split edge application server address; The split rule is used for forwarding a service access request of a terminal device accessing the split edge application server address to an edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to a target data network access identifier; the split edge application server address refers to an edge application server address in the at least two edge application server addresses that has a mapping relationship with the target data network access identifier; and the target data network access identifier is selected from data network access identifiers respectively having mapping relationships with the at least two edge application server addresses.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, Further comprising: Based on the split rule and a split path, the terminal device accesses the split edge application server address to forward a service access request of the terminal device to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier, so that the edge anchor user plane network element forwards the service access request to the edge server corresponding to the split edge application server address; and the split path is a split path between the intermediate user plane network element and the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier established by the session management network element.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, The method comprises: Receiving a target service access request sent by the terminal device; the target service access request carries a target edge application server address; If an edge application server address identical to the target edge application server address is found in the split edge application server address, the target service access request is forwarded to the edge anchor user plane network element corresponding to the target data network access identifier through the split rule and the split path, so that the edge anchor user plane network element forwards the target service access request to the edge application server corresponding to the target edge application server address.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, The edge application server corresponding to the split edge application server address is used to provide edge application services for the terminal device; The number of the split edge application server addresses is at least two, and the at least two split edge application server addresses include a first split edge application server address and a second split edge application server address; the second split edge application server address is an edge application server address carried in a service access request initiated again by the terminal device after the edge application service is accessed through the first split edge application server address fails.

12. A network element device, comprising: Comprise: A processor, a memory and a network interface; The processor is connected with the memory and the network interface, wherein the network interface is used for providing data communication function, the memory is used for storing program code, and the processor is used for calling the program code to execute the method in any one of claims 1-11.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium has stored therein a computer program adapted to be loaded by the processor and to execute the method of any one of claims 1-11.

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