Methods, entities, and computer-readable media for error handling

Abstract

The present disclosure provides methods, entities and computer readable storage media for error handling. A method at a first entity comprises determining an error in at least one of the following: a session rule and / or a reference of a policy decision by a second entity to a policy control, PCC, or an attribute in the policy decision, based on the policy decision provided by the second entity; and sending a notification of the error to the second entity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of communication technology, and more specifically to methods, entities, and computer-readable media for error handling. Background Technology

[0002] This section is intended to provide background for various embodiments of the technology described in this disclosure. The descriptions in this section may include protectable concepts, but are not necessarily previously conceived or protectable concepts. Therefore, unless otherwise stated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the specification and / or claims of this disclosure, and should not be considered prior art simply because it is included in this section.

[0003] 3GPP TS 29.512v17.0.0 (which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) contains several sections on error reporting to the Policy Control Function (PCF), in which

[0004] Chapter 4.2.3.16 describes the policy and charging control (PCC) rule error reporting used for the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify service operation;

[0005] Chapter 4.2.3.20 describes session rule error reporting for the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify service operation;

[0006] Chapter 4.2.3.26 describes the policy decisions and conditional data error handling for the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify service operation;

[0007] Chapter 4.2.4.15 describes the PCC rule error reporting for the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update and Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create service operations;

[0008] Chapter 4.2.4.21 describes session rule error reporting for the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update and Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create service operations.

[0009] Chapter 4.2.4.26 describes the policy decisions and conditional data error handling for the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update and Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create service operations.

[0010] These sections describe errors that can occur in rule or policy decisions. However, because policy decisions and condition data are referenced by rules, the PCF may incorrectly provide or update references. Alternatively, errors may occur in attributes of SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds (e.g., attributes reflectiveQoSTimer, policyCtrlReqTriggers, lastReqUsageData, praInfos, etc.).

[0011] The current 3GPP specification does not allow the Session Management Function (SMF) to report policy decisions and condition data with incorrect session rule / PCC rule references, as well as errors in attributes of SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds.

[0012] There are generally three types of error situations:

[0013] - Case 1: Session rules and / or PCC rules reference one or more empty policy decisions and / or condition data, for example, dynamic PCC rules with refUmData pointing to non-existent umData;

[0014] - Scenario 2: SM policy decisions and session rules / PCC rules are provided inconsistently. For example, the UsageMonitoringData instance is referenced by both session rules and PCC rules.

[0015] - Scenario 3: Errors in the SmPolicyDecision of Table 5.6.2.4-1 in 3GPP TS 29.512v17.0.0, excluding sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds (e.g., reflectiveQoSTimer, policyCtrlReqTriggers, lastReqUsageData, praInfos, etc.). SmPolicyDecision is excerpted below as Table 1. For example, an error in praInfos could be a praInfos verification / execution error, and an error in policyCtrlReqTriggers could be, for example, the removal of a "US_RE" policy control request trigger by the PCF while monitoring remains active in the SMF.

[0016] Table 1: Definition of SmPolicyDecision type

[0017]

[0018]

[0019]

[0020]

[0021]

[0022] When this error occurs, there is no description of how to handle it.

[0023] For cases 1 and 2, currently, if the error information is provided from an UpdateNotify message (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request message), SMF can reject messages with error status codes. It can also use rule error reporting if the error applies to one or more PCC / session rules. However, the current specification lacks an appropriate FailureCode / SessionRuleFailureCode. Using an incorrect failure code could lead to incorrect decisions on the PCF for existing sessions; and

[0024] For cases 1 and 2, if the error information is provided from a create / update response message (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create / UpdateResponse message), there is no mechanism to report the error back to the PCF. The SMF can ignore errors that lead to unspecified behavior and inconsistent interaction between the SMF and PCF. The SMF can terminate the user session, resulting in a poor end-user experience.

[0025] For scenario 3, if the error occurs in an attribute of SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds, such as a praInfos verification / execution error, or the PCF removing the “US_RE” policy control request trigger while monitoring is still active in SMF, the current 3GPP specification does not provide an option for SMF to report such errors.

[0026] Given the above, in the current 3GPP specification, if the error information is provided from an UpdateNotify message (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request message), the SMF can reject messages with error status codes; and if the error information is provided from a Create / Update Response message (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create / UpdateResponse message), there is no mechanism for the SMF to report errors to the PCF. Furthermore, if the error occurs in an attribute of SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds, such as praInfos (validation / execution errors) or policyCtrlReqTriggers, there is also no mechanism for the SMF to report the error.

[0027] Therefore, an efficient error handling mechanism is desired. Summary of the Invention

[0028] To at least achieve the above objectives, this disclosure introduces the option for the SMF to notify the PCF of the following:

[0029] 1) Errors in the reference of session rules and / or PCC rules to policy decisions, including at least one of the following:

[0030] -Session rules and / or PCC rules refer to empty policy decisions, or

[0031] - Inconsistencies between policy decisions and session rules and / or PCC rules, including at least one of the following:

[0032] --Inconsistency between the policy decision provided by the second entity and the session rules and PCC rules in the same policy decision, or

[0033] --Inconsistency between the policy decision provided by the second entity and the session rules and PCC rules in the updated policy decision; or

[0034] 2) An error in at least one of the attributes in SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecsandconds, and conds (e.g., reflectiveQoSTimer, policyCtrlReqTriggers, lastReqUsageData, praInfos, etc.).

[0035] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided at a first entity. The method includes: determining an error in at least one of the following based on a policy decision provided by a second entity: a reference to the policy decision by session rules and / or policy and charging control (PCC) rules, or an attribute in the policy decision; and sending an error notification to the second entity.

[0036] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes receiving an updated policy decision from a second entity.

[0037] In an exemplary embodiment, errors in the reference of the session rules and / or PCC rules to the policy decision also include at least one of the following: the session rules and / or PCC rules refer to an empty policy decision, or the policy decision is inconsistent with the session rules and / or PCC rules.

[0038] In an exemplary embodiment, the inconsistency between the policy decision and the session rules and / or PCC rules further includes at least one of the following: inconsistency between the policy decision provided by the second entity and both the session rules and PCC rules in the same policy decision, or inconsistency between the policy decision provided by the second entity and both the session rules and PCC rules in the updated policy decision.

[0039] In an exemplary embodiment, the error notification is carried in a first request message for policy control updates.

[0040] In an exemplary embodiment, the updated policy decision is carried in a first response message corresponding to a first request message for policy control updates.

[0041] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes: sending a second request message for policy control creation / update to a second entity; and receiving a second response message from the second entity corresponding to the second request message for policy control creation / update, the second response message including a policy decision provided by the second entity.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, the error notification is carried in a first response message for policy control update notification.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes: receiving from a second entity a first request message corresponding to a first response message for policy control update notification, the first request message including a policy decision provided by the second entity.

[0044] In an exemplary embodiment, the updated policy decision is carried in a second request message for policy control update notification.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment, the first entity is an SMF entity and the second entity is a PCF entity.

[0046] In an exemplary embodiment, the policy decision includes a session management (SM) policy decision represented by SmPolicyDecision.

[0047] In an exemplary embodiment, errors in the attributes of the policy decision include errors in at least one attribute of SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds.

[0048] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided at a second entity. The method includes: receiving from a first entity a notification of an error of at least one of the following: a reference to a policy decision by session rules and / or PCC rules, or an attribute in the policy decision; and updating the policy decision.

[0049] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes sending an updated policy decision to a first entity.

[0050] In an exemplary embodiment, errors in the reference of the session rules and / or PCC rules to the policy decision also include at least one of the following: the session rules and / or PCC rules refer to an empty policy decision, or the policy decision is inconsistent with the session rules and / or PCC rules.

[0051] In an exemplary embodiment, the inconsistency between the policy decision and the session rules and / or PCC rules further includes at least one of the following: inconsistency between the policy decision provided by the second entity and both the session rules and PCC rules in the same policy decision, or inconsistency between the policy decision provided by the second entity and both the session rules and PCC rules in the updated policy decision.

[0052] In an exemplary embodiment, the error notification is carried in a first request message for policy control updates.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, the updated policy decision is carried in a first response message corresponding to a first request message for policy control updates.

[0054] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes: receiving a second request message from a first entity for creating / updating policy controls; and sending a second response message to the first entity corresponding to the second request message for creating / updating policy controls, the second response message including a policy decision provided by the second entity.

[0055] In an exemplary embodiment, the error notification is carried in a first response message for policy control update notification.

[0056] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes sending a first request message to a first entity corresponding to a first response message for policy control update notification, the first request message including a policy decision provided by a second entity.

[0057] In an exemplary embodiment, the updated policy decision is carried in a second request message for policy control update notification.

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment, the first entity is an SMF entity and the second entity is a PCF entity.

[0059] In an exemplary embodiment, the policy decision includes the SM policy decision represented by SmPolicyDecision.

[0060] In an exemplary embodiment, errors in the attributes of the policy decision include errors in at least one attribute of SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds.

[0061] According to a third aspect of this disclosure, a first entity is provided. The first entity includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed on the at least one processor, cause the first entity to perform any of the methods according to the first aspect of this disclosure.

[0062] According to a fourth aspect of this disclosure, a second entity is provided. The second entity includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed on the at least one processor, cause the second entity to perform any of the methods according to the second aspect of this disclosure.

[0063] According to a fifth aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable storage medium stores computer program instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause at least one processor to perform a method according to either the first or second aspect of this disclosure.

[0064] According to the above technical solution of this disclosure, for the following scenarios: a policy decision with a session rule / PCC rule reference error occurs; or an error occurs in at least one attribute of SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds, for example, an existence reporting area (PRA) information verification / execution error occurs, the SMF can notify the PCF of the error so that the provided PCF decision can be updated based on valid information. Otherwise, the SMF can ignore errors that may lead to inconsistencies between the SMF and the PCF, or the SMF can terminate the PDU session, which may degrade the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0065] The objects, advantages, and features of this disclosure will become more apparent from the description of preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0066] Figure 1 A method for error handling at a first entity is illustrated schematically according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0067] Figure 2 A method for error handling at a second entity is illustrated schematically according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0068] Figure 3A and Figure 3B Exemplary signaling sequence diagrams of error handling in different scenarios according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are schematically illustrated;

[0069] Figure 4 A structural block diagram of a first entity according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically;

[0070] Figure 5 A structural block diagram of a first entity according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown;

[0071] Figure 6 A structural block diagram of a second entity according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown; and

[0072] Figure 7 A structural block diagram of a second entity according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically.

[0073] It should be noted that in all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar elements; the various parts in the drawings are not drawn to scale and are for illustrative purposes only, and therefore should not be construed as any limitation or constraint on the scope of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0074] In the following description, the principles and spirit of this disclosure will be described with reference to illustrative embodiments. Some embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, other embodiments are included within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, and the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example only to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0075] Those skilled in the art will understand that the term "exemplary" is used herein to mean "illustrative" or "serves as an example" and is not intended to imply that a particular embodiment is superior to another embodiment or that a particular feature is essential. Similarly, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the terms "first," "second," "third," and similar terms are used only to distinguish one particular instance of an item or feature from another particular instance, and do not indicate a particular order or arrangement. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "step" is intended to be synonymous with "operation" or "action." Unless the context or details of the described operations clearly indicate otherwise, any description of a sequence of steps herein does not imply that these operations must be performed in a particular order, or even in any arbitrary order.

[0076] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., in the specification indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment needs to include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it should be assumed that implementing such a feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether explicitly described or not) is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0077] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” as used herein are intended to also include the plural forms. It will also be further understood that, when used herein, the terms “comprises,” “has,” and / or “includes” indicate the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0078] As used in this article, the word “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed words.

[0079] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0080] As used herein, the term "network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable (wireless or wired) communication standard. For example, wireless communication standards can include New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA), and other wireless networks. CDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA). UTRA includes other variants of WCDMA and CDMA. TDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). OFDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, Ad-hoc networks, wireless sensor networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "network" and "system" are used interchangeably.

[0081] Furthermore, communication between two devices in the network can be performed according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to wireless communication protocols or wired communication protocols defined by standards organizations such as 3GPP. For example, wireless communication protocols may include first-generation (1G), 2G, 3G, 4G, 4.5G, 5G communication protocols, and / or any other currently known or future-developed protocols.

[0082] As used herein, the term "entity" or "network entity" refers to a network device, network node, or network function in a communication network, and may also refer to a virtualized entity that can be implemented in the cloud. For example, in a wireless communication network such as a 3GPP-type cellular network, a core network device can provide a variety of services to customers interconnected through access network devices. Each access network device can be connected to the core network device via a wired or wireless connection.

[0083] The basic idea of ​​this disclosure is that: an NRF can obtain aggregated routing information based on the registration of domain information and / or updates from SCPs to the NRF and possibly other NRFs; and an SCP requesting route discovery can obtain aggregated routing information from the NRF and subscribe to changes in aggregated routing information from the NRF. Therefore, an SCP can find a routing path based on the obtained aggregated routing information without having to find interconnected SCP domains and intermediate SCPs hop-by-hop from the NRFs.

[0084] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 1A method 100 for error handling at a first entity is described according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0085] In an exemplary embodiment, the first entity may be an SMF entity, also referred to as SMF for simplicity, and the second entity may be a PCF entity, also referred to as PCF for simplicity. However, it should be understood that the first entity may be any node that can be configured to perform the method 100 described below, including virtualized entities that can be implemented in the cloud. It should also be understood that method 100 may be appropriately applied to 5GS or other future developments.

[0086] In step S101, the first entity may determine an error in at least one of the following based on the policy decision provided by the second entity: the reference of session rules and / or PCC rules to the policy decision, or the attributes in the policy decision.

[0087] In an exemplary embodiment, errors in the reference of the session rules and / or PCC rules to the policy decision may include at least one of the following: the session rules and / or PCC rules refer to an empty policy decision, or the policy decision is inconsistent with the session rules and / or PCC rules.

[0088] In an exemplary embodiment, inconsistency between the policy decision and the session rules and / or PCC rules may include at least one of the following: inconsistency between the policy decision provided by the second entity and both the session rules and PCC rules in the same policy decision, or inconsistency between the policy decision provided by the second entity and both the session rules and PCC rules in the updated policy decision.

[0089] In an exemplary embodiment, policy decisions may include SM policy decisions represented by SmPolicyDecision.

[0090] Preferably, errors in the attributes of the policy decision can include errors in at least one attribute of SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds (e.g., attributes reflectiveQoSTimer, policyCtrlReqTriggers, lastReqUsageData, praInfos, etc.). For example, an error in praInfos could be a praInfos validation / execution error, and an error in policyCtrlReqTriggers could be, for example, a PCF removing a "US_RE" policy control request trigger while monitoring is still active in SMF.

[0091] In step S103, the first entity may send an error notification to the second entity.

[0092] In an exemplary embodiment, the error notification may be carried in a first request message for policy control updates (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update request message including ruleReports / sessRuleReports / policyDecFailureReports).

[0093] In an exemplary embodiment, for policy decisions with session rule / PCC rule reference errors, the FailureCode used for PCC rule error reporting can be extended:

[0094] In Chapter 5.6.3.9 of 3GPP TS 29.512v17.0.0, the data types in Table 5.6.3.9-1 (as shown in Table 2 below) can include the enumeration FailureCode.

[0095] Table 2

[0096]

[0097] In an exemplary embodiment, for policy decisions with session rule reference errors, the SessionRuleFailureCode used for session rule error reporting can be extended:

[0098] In Chapter 5.6.3.17 of 3GPP TS 29.512v17.0.0, the data types in Table 5.6.3.17-1 (as shown in Table 3 below) can include the enumeration SessionRuleFailureCode.

[0099] Table 3

[0100]

[0101]

[0102] In an exemplary embodiment, for errors such as praInfos and policyCtrlReqTriggers, the PolicyDecisionFailureCode used for PolicyDecisionErrorHandling can be extended.

[0103] The following content can be added to Tables 5.6.2.19-1 and 5.6.2.33-1 (as shown in Table 4 below):

[0104] Table 4

[0105]

[0106] In Chapter 5.6.3.28 of 3GPP TS 29.512v17.0.0, the data types in Table 5.6.3.28-1 (as shown in Table 5 below) can include PolicyDecisionFailureCode.

[0107] Table 5

[0108]

[0109] After receiving the error notification, the second entity updates its policy decision and sends the updated policy decision to the first entity.

[0110] Therefore, method 100 further includes: the first entity receiving an updated policy decision from the second entity.

[0111] In an exemplary embodiment, the updated policy decision is carried in a first response message (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update response message) corresponding to a first request message for policy control updates.

[0112] In an exemplary embodiment, the method may further include: a first entity sending a second request message for policy control creation / update, such as an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create / Update request message, to a second entity; and receiving from the second entity a second response message (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create / Update response message) corresponding to the second request message for policy control creation / update, the second response message including a policy decision provided by the second entity.

[0113] In another exemplary embodiment, the error notification may be carried in the first response message for policy control update notification (e.g., including the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response message for ruleReports / sessRuleReports / policyDecFailureReports).

[0114] In this exemplary embodiment, method 100 may further include: receiving from a second entity a first request message (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request message) corresponding to a first response message for policy control update notification, the first request message including a policy decision provided by the second entity.

[0115] In this exemplary embodiment, the updated policy decision is carried in a second request message for policy control update notification (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response message).

[0116] The first entity can be an SMF entity, and the second entity can be a PCF entity.

[0117] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 2 A method 200 for error handling at a second entity according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is described. It should be understood that method 200 at the second entity corresponds to method 100 at the first entity. Therefore, some descriptions of method 200 may be referenced to the description of method 100, and will be omitted for simplicity.

[0118] In an exemplary embodiment, the first entity may be an SMF entity, also referred to as SMF for simplicity, and the second entity may be a PCF entity, also referred to as PCF for simplicity. However, it should be understood that the second entity may be any node that can be configured to perform the method 200 described below, including virtualized entities that can be implemented in the cloud. It should also be understood that method 200 may be appropriately applied to 5GS or other future developments.

[0119] In step S201, the second entity may receive an error notification from the first entity of at least one of the following: a reference to the policy decision by the session rules and / or PCC rules, or an attribute in the policy decision.

[0120] In an exemplary embodiment, the error notification may be carried in a first request message for policy control updates (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update request message including ruleReports / sessRuleReports / policyDecFailureReports).

[0121] In step S203, the second entity may update its policy decision based on the received error notification.

[0122] The method also includes: the second entity sending the updated policy decision to the first entity.

[0123] In an exemplary embodiment, the updated policy decision is carried in a first response message (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update response message) corresponding to a first request message for policy control updates.

[0124] In an exemplary embodiment, method 200 may further include: a second entity receiving a second request message for policy control creation / update, such as an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create / Update request message, from a first entity; and sending a second response message (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create / Update response message) corresponding to the second request message for policy control creation / update to the first entity, the second response message including a policy decision provided by the second entity.

[0125] In another exemplary embodiment, the error notification may be carried in the first response message for policy control update notification (e.g., including the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response message for ruleReports / sessRuleReports / policyDecFailureReports).

[0126] In this exemplary embodiment, method 200 may further include sending a first request message (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request message) to a first entity corresponding to a first response message for policy control update notification, the first request message including a policy decision provided by a second entity.

[0127] In this exemplary embodiment, the updated policy decision is carried in a second request message for policy control update notification (e.g., an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response message).

[0128] In the following text, we will refer to the following: Figure 3A and Figure 3B This section describes an exemplary signaling sequence diagram related to error handling according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein an error handling method 100 at a first entity and an error handling method 200 at a second entity according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be applied.

[0129] exist Figure 3A and Figure 3B In the exemplary signaling sequence diagram, SMF is shown as an example of the first entity and PCF is shown as an example of the second entity.

[0130] It should be noted that the following description focuses primarily on the signaling related to methods 100 and 200, and does not describe some other signaling in detail to avoid obscuring the principles of this disclosure.

[0131] exist Figure 3AIn the scenario, the signaling shown in italics is novel, involving signaling S3A_3 to S3A_4.

[0132] In S3A_1, the SMF sends, for example, an SmPolicyControl_Create / Update request to the PCF;

[0133] In S3A_2, via, for example, the SmPolicyControl_Create / Update response, the PCF provides the SMF with new policy decisions and / or condition data, as well as session rules and PCC rules (if applicable) that reference the policy decisions and / or condition data;

[0134] SMF verifies the SM policy decision / condition data provided by PCF, as well as session and PCC rules, and identifies errors, as previously described. That is,

[0135] 1) Errors in the reference of session rules and / or PCC rules to policy decisions, including at least one of the following:

[0136] -Session rules and / or PCC rules refer to empty policy decisions, or

[0137] - Inconsistencies between policy decisions and session rules and / or PCC rules, including at least one of the following:

[0138] --Inconsistency between the policy decision provided by the second entity and the session rules and PCC rules in the same policy decision, or

[0139] --Inconsistency between the policy decision provided by the second entity and the session rules and PCC rules in the updated policy decision; or

[0140] 2) An error in at least one of the attributes in SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecsandconds, and conds (e.g., reflectiveQoSTimer, policyCtrlReqTriggers, lastReqUsageData, praInfos, etc.).

[0141] Then, in S3A_3, the SMF uses, for example, an SmPolicyControl_Update request that includes an error report to report the error to the PCF to indicate the error;

[0142] In S3A_4, the PCF provides the SMF with updated new decisions based on reported errors via, for example, the SmPolicyControl_Update response.

[0143] exist Figure 3B In the scenario, the signaling shown in italics is novel, involving signaling S3B_2 to S3B_4.

[0144] In S3B_1: PCF uses, for example, SmPolicyControl_UpdateNotify requests to provide policy decisions and / or conditional data, as well as session rules and PCC rules that reference policy decisions and / or conditional data;

[0145] SMF verifies the SM policy decision / condition data, session and PCC rules provided by PCF.

[0146] Then, in S3B_2, the SMF reports the error to the PCF using, for example, the SmPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response, which includes an error report, to indicate the error;

[0147] In S3B_3, the PCF provides the SMF with updated new decisions based on reported errors via, for example, a SmPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request.

[0148] In S3B_4, SMF responds using, for example, the SmPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response.

[0149] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 4 The structure of a first entity according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is described. Figure 4 A block diagram of a first entity 400 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically. Figure 4 The first entity 400 in the reference can perform as previously mentioned. Figure 1 Method 100 is described. Therefore, some detailed descriptions of the first entity 400 can be found as previously discussed. Figure 1 Method 100 and Figure 3A and Figure 3B The corresponding description of the signaling sequence diagram will be omitted here for simplicity.

[0150] like Figure 4 As shown, the first entity 400 may include a determining unit 401 and a sending unit 403.

[0151] The determining unit 401 can determine errors in at least one of the following based on the policy decision provided by the second entity: the reference of session rules and / or PCC rules to the policy decision, or the attributes in the policy decision.

[0152] The sending unit 403 can send an error notification to the second entity.

[0153] In an exemplary embodiment, the first entity 400 may further include a receiving unit (not shown) which may be configured to receive an updated policy decision from the second entity.

[0154] In an exemplary embodiment, the sending unit 403 may also be configured to send a second request message for policy control creation / update to the second entity.

[0155] In an exemplary embodiment, the receiving unit may also be configured to receive from the second entity a second response message corresponding to a second request message for policy control creation / update, the second response message including a policy decision provided by the second entity.

[0156] In an exemplary embodiment, the receiving unit may also be configured to receive from the second entity a first request message corresponding to a first response message for policy control update notification, the first request message including a policy decision provided by the second entity.

[0157] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 5 The structure of a first entity according to another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is described. Figure 5 A block diagram of a first entity 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically. Figure 5 The first entity 500 in the reference can perform as previously mentioned. Figure 1 Method 100 is described. Therefore, some detailed descriptions of the first entity 500 can be found as previously discussed. Figure 1 Method 100 and Figure 3A and Figure 3B The corresponding description of the signaling sequence diagram will be omitted here for simplicity.

[0158] like Figure 5As shown, the first entity 500 includes at least one processor 501 and at least one memory 503. The at least one processor 501 includes, for example, any suitable CPU (Central Processing Unit), microcontroller, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc., capable of executing computer program instructions. The at least one memory 503 can be any combination of RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read-Only Memory). The at least one processor memory 503 may also include persistent memory, which can be, for example, any single or combination of magnetic memory, optical memory, or solid-state memory, or even remotely mounted memory.

[0159] At least one memory 503 stores instructions executable by at least one processor 501. When loaded from at least one memory 503 and executed on at least one processor 501, the instructions can cause the first entity 500 to perform, for example, previously combined with... Figure 1 Refer to the previous discussion Figure 3A and Figure 3B The actions described in the signaling sequence diagram are therefore omitted here for simplicity.

[0160] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 6 The structure of a second entity according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is described. Figure 6 A block diagram of a second entity 600 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically. Figure 6 The second entity 600 in the reference can perform as previously mentioned. Figure 2 Method 200 is described. Therefore, some detailed descriptions of the second entity 600 can be found as previously discussed. Figure 2 Method 200 and Figure 3A and Figure 3B The corresponding description of the signaling sequence diagram will be omitted here for simplicity.

[0161] like Figure 6 As shown, the second entity 600 may include a receiving unit 601 and an updating unit 603.

[0162] The receiving unit 601 may receive an error notification from the first entity of at least one of the following: a reference to policy decisions by session rules and / or policy and charging control (PCC) rules, or an attribute in a policy decision.

[0163] The update unit 603 can update the policy decision based on the received error notification.

[0164] In an exemplary embodiment, the second entity 600 may further include a sending unit that can be configured to send an updated policy decision to the first entity.

[0165] In an exemplary embodiment, the receiving unit 601 may also be configured to receive a second request message for policy control creation / update from the first entity, and the sending unit may also be configured to send a second response message corresponding to the second request message for policy control creation / update to the second entity, the second response message including a policy decision provided by the second entity.

[0166] In an exemplary embodiment, the sending unit may also be configured to send a first request message to a first entity corresponding to a first response message for policy control update notification, the first request message including a policy decision provided by a second entity.

[0167] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 7 The structure of a second entity according to another exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is described. Figure 7 A block diagram of a second entity 700 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown schematically. Figure 7 The second entity 700 in the reference can perform as previously mentioned. Figure 2 Method 200 is described. Therefore, some detailed descriptions of the second entity 700 can be found as previously discussed. Figure 2 Method 200 and Figure 3A and Figure 3B The corresponding description of the signaling sequence diagram will be omitted here for simplicity.

[0168] like Figure 7 As shown, the second entity 700 includes at least one processor 701 and at least one memory 703. The at least one processor 701 includes, for example, any suitable CPU (Central Processing Unit), microcontroller, DSP (Digital Signal Processor), etc., capable of executing computer program instructions. The at least one memory 703 can be any combination of RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read-Only Memory). The at least one processor memory 703 may also include persistent memory, which can be, for example, any single or combination of magnetic memory, optical memory, or solid-state memory, or even remotely mounted memory.

[0169] At least one memory 703 stores instructions executable by at least one processor 701. When loaded from at least one memory 703 and executed on at least one processor 701, the instructions can cause execution entity 700 to perform, for example, previously combined with... Figure 1 Refer to the previous discussion Figure 3A and Figure 3B The signaling sequence diagram describes the actions of the process, and therefore will be omitted here for simplicity.

[0170] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product in the form of a non-volatile or volatile memory (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, and hard disk drive). The computer program product includes a computer program.

[0171] The computer program includes: code / computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor 501, cause the first entity 500 to perform, for example, previously combined... Figure 1 The described process of action. Or code / computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor 701, cause the second entity 700 to perform, for example, actions previously combined. Figure 2 The actions described in the process.

[0172] Computer program products can be configured as computer program code constructed from computer program modules. Computer program modules are essentially executable. Figures 1 to 3B The action of any of the processes shown in the diagram.

[0173] The processor may be a single CPU (Central Processing Unit), but may also include two or more processing units. For example, the processor may include a general-purpose microprocessor; an instruction set processor and / or an associated chipset and / or a special-purpose microprocessor, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor may also include onboard memory for caching purposes. The computer program may be carried by a computer program product associated with the processor. The computer program product may include a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program. For example, the computer program product may be flash memory, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), or EEPROM, and in alternative embodiments, the aforementioned computer program modules may be distributed across different computer program products in the form of memory.

[0174] The present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments thereof. It should be understood that various modifications, substitutions, and additions can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but is defined only by the appended claims.

[0175] This disclosure also includes the following embodiments based on 3GPP TS 29.512v17.0.0.

[0176] 5.6.3.9 Enumeration: FailureCode

[0177] Table 5.6.3.9-1: Enumeration of FailureCode

[0178]

[0179]

[0180]

[0181]

[0182] ***Next Change***

[0183] 5.6.3.17 Enumeration: SessionRuleFailureCode

[0184] Table 5.6.3.17-1: Enumeration of SessionRuleFailureCode

[0185]

[0186] ***Next Change***

[0187]

[0188]

[0189]

[0190]

[0191]

[0192]

[0193]

[0194]

[0195]

[0196]

[0197]

[0198]

[0199]

[0200]

[0201]

[0202]

[0203]

[0204]

[0205]

[0206]

[0207]

[0208]

[0209]

[0210]

[0211]

[0212]

[0213]

[0214]

[0215]

[0216]

[0217]

[0218]

[0219]

[0220]

[0221]

[0222]

[0223]

[0224]

[0225]

[0226]

[0227]

[0228]

[0229]

[0230]

[0231]

[0232]

[0233]

[0234]

[0235]

[0236]

[0237]

[0238]

[0239]

[0240]

[0241]

[0242]

[0243]

[0244]

[0245]

[0246]

[0247]

[0248]

[0249]

[0250]

[0251]

[0252]

[0253]

[0254]

[0255]

[0256]

[0257]

[0258]

[0259]

[0260]

[0261] 4.2.3.26 Handling Strategy Decision Errors

[0262] 4.2.3.26.x1 Error handling for strategy decision types and conditional data

[0263] If the "PolicyDecisionErrorHandling" feature is supported and if the SMF receives one or more policy decision types (as defined in Section 4.1.4.4) and / or condition data (as defined in Section 4.1.8) that are not referenced by any PCC rule or session rule as defined in Section 4.2.3.1, but the storage of the policy decision type and / or condition data fails (e.g., due to resource limitations at the SMF, the policy decision cannot be stored successfully), or due to semantic inconsistencies in the provided data, the SMF should behave as follows:

[0264] - If the “ExtPolicyDecisionErrorHandling” feature is not supported, and if the SMF does not need to report any other information (e.g., failure reports of PCC rules or session rules not required to be provided in the same message), include an HTTP “200 OK” status code and one or more PolicyDecisionFailureCode data types in the response message to indicate the type of failed policy decision and / or condition data.

[0265] - If the following occurs, include the HTTP "200 OK" status code and the "policyDecFailureReports" attribute within the PartialSuccessReport data structure in the response message to indicate the type of failed policy decision and / or condition data:

[0266] a. SMF needs to report partial success (e.g., some of the PCC rules and / or session rules provided by PCF in the same message were not successfully installed / activated); or

[0267] b. The “ExtPolicyDecisionErrorHandling” feature is not supported, and SMF does not need to report any additional information (e.g., failure reports for PCC rules or session rules provided in the same message are not required). In this case, SMF can also encode failed policy decisions within the “invalidPolicyDecs” attribute.

[0268] - If the SMF needs to reject the request (e.g., all PCC rules and / or session rules provided by the PCF in the same message were not successfully installed / activated), the response message includes the HTTP "400 Error Request" status code and the "policyDecFailureReports" attribute within the ErrorReport data structure to indicate the type of failed policy decision and / or condition data.

[0269] When the PCF receives the aforementioned report, the PCF should consider removing all instances of policy decision and / or condition data provided in the request message and indicated by the PolicyDecisionFailureCode data type from the SMF. When the PCF receives a response with an HTTP "400 Bad Request" status code but excluding the "policyDecFailureReports" attribute, the PCF should consider removing all instances of the provided policy decision and / or condition data from the SMF.

[0270] Removing strategy decision types and / or condition data will not fail.

[0271] 4.2.3.26.x2 Other Strategy Decision Data Error Handling

[0272] If the "ExtPolicyDecisionErrorHandling" feature is supported, and if the SMF receives an SM policy decision other than a PCC rule, session rule, policy decision type, or conditional data (e.g., the SMF receives a policy control request trigger and applicable additional information), and the SMF detects that the received policy decision cannot be executed (e.g., due to semantic inconsistencies in the provided data):

[0273] If the SMF does not need to reject the request (e.g., if only some, but not all, of the PCC rules and / or session rules provided by the PCF in the same message were not successfully installed / activated), the SMF should include an HTTP "200 OK" status code and the "policyDecFailureReports" attribute within the PartialSuccessReport data structure in the response message to indicate the failure of the provided policy decision parameter. The SMF can also encode the failed policy decision within the "invalidPolicyDecs" attribute.

[0274] - If the SMF needs to reject the request (e.g., all PCC rules and / or session rules provided by the PCF in the same message were not successfully installed / activated), the SMF should include the HTTP "400 Bad Request" status code and the "policyDecFailureReports" attribute in the response message to indicate the failure of the provided policy decision parameters.

[0275] When the PCF receives the above report, the PCF should consider:

[0276] a. All new failure policy decisions provided in the request message and indicated by the PolicyDecisionFailureCode data type are not installed in SMF.

[0277] b. All modified policy decisions provided in the request message and indicated by the PolicyDecisionFailureCode data type remain unchanged in SMF.

[0278] c. Remove all removal policy decisions provided in the request message from the SMF.

[0279] Note: Removal of policy decisions will not fail. Even if there are inconsistencies, such as the deletion of a policy control request trigger and the deletion of applicable additional information, the entire related policy decision will be removed.

[0280] ***Next Change***

[0281] 4.2.4.26 Handling Strategy Decision-Making Errors

[0282] 4.2.4.26.x1 Policy Decision Type and Conditional Data Error Handling

[0283] If the "PolicyDecisionErrorHandling" feature is supported, and the process defined in subsections 4.2.2.1, 4.2.3.1, or 4.2.4.1 is used to provide one or more policy decision types (as defined in subsection 4.1.4.4) and / or condition data (as defined in subsection 4.1.8) that are not referenced by any PCC rule or session rule, but storage fails (e.g., due to resource limitations at the SMF), or due to semantic inconsistencies in the provided data, the SMF should include the "policyDecFailureReports" attribute within the SmPolicyUpdateContextData data structure to indicate the type of failed policy decision and / or condition data. When the PCF receives such a report, the PCF should consider removing all instances of policy decisions and / or condition data that are not referenced by any PCC rule and / or session rule stored at the SMF and are indicated by the PolicyDecisionFailureCode data type from the SMF. If the "ExtPolicyDecisionErrorHandling" feature is supported, SMF can also encode failed policy decisions within the "invalidPolicyDecs" attribute.

[0284] 4.2.4.26.x2 Other Strategy Decision Data Error Handling

[0285] If the "ExtPolicyDecisionErrorHandling" feature is supported, and one or more SM policy decisions other than PCC rules, session rule policy decision types, or conditional data are provided using procedures as defined in subsections 4.2.2.1, 4.2.3.1, or 4.2.4.1, but the SMF detects that the received policy decision cannot be executed (e.g., due to semantic inconsistencies in the provided data), and the SMF determines that the PDU session can be preserved, the SMF should include the "policyDecFailureReports" attribute within the SmPolicyUpdateContextData data structure to indicate the failure of the provided policy decision parameters. The SMF may also encode the failed policy decision within the "invalidPolicyDecs" attribute.

[0286] When the PCF receives the above report, the PCF should consider:

[0287] a. All new failed strategy decisions provided are not installed in SMF.

[0288] b. All modified strategy decisions remain unchanged in the SMF.

[0289] c. Remove all removal policy decisions provided in the request message from the SMF.

[0290] Note: Removal of policy decisions will not fail. Even if there are inconsistencies, such as the deletion of a policy control request trigger and the deletion of applicable additional information, the entire related policy decision will be removed.

[0291] ***Next Change***

[0292] 5.6.1 Overview

[0293] This subsection specifies the application data model supported by the API.

[0294] The Npcf_SMPolicyControl API allows the SMF to obtain session management policies from the PCF, as defined in 3GPP TS23.503[6].

[0295] Table 5.6.1-1 specifies the data types defined for the interface protocol based on the Npcf_SMPolicyControl service.

[0296] Table 5.6.1-1: Specific Data Types of Npcf_SMPolicyControl

[0297]

[0298]

[0299]

[0300]

[0301]

[0302]

[0303] Table 5.6.1-2 specifies the data types reused by interface protocols based on the Npcf_SMPolicyControl service from other specifications, including references to their respective specifications, and, where necessary, brief descriptions of their use within the interface based on the Npcf_SMPolicyControl service.

[0304] Table 5.6.1-2: Reusable Data Types in Npcf_SMPolicyControl

[0305]

[0306]

[0307]

[0308]

[0309]

[0310]

[0311] ***Next Change***

[0312] 5.6.2.19 Type SmPolicyUpdateContextData

[0313] Table 5.6.2.19-1: Definition of type SmPolicyUpdateContextData

[0314]

[0315]

[0316]

[0317]

[0318]

[0319] ***Next Change***

[0320] 5.6.2.33 Type PartialSuccessReport

[0321] Table 5.6.2.33-1: Definition of type PartialSuccessReport

[0322]

[0323]

[0324] ***Next Change***

[0325] 5.6.3.28 Enumeration: PolicyDecisionFailureCode

[0326] Table 5.6.3.28-1: PolicyDecisionFailureCode

[0327]

[0328] ***Next Change***

[0329] 5.8 Feature Negotiation

[0330] The optional features in Table 5.8-1 are defined for the Npcf_SMPolicyControl API. They should be negotiated using the extensibility mechanism defined in subsection 6.6 of 3GPP TS 29.500[4].

[0331] Table 5.8-1: Supported Features

[0332]

[0333]

[0334]

[0335] ***Next Change***

[0336]

[0337]

[0338]

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[0340]

[0341]

[0342]

[0343]

[0344]

[0345]

[0346]

[0347]

[0348]

[0349]

[0350]

[0351]

[0352]

[0353]

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[0355]

[0356]

[0357]

[0358]

[0359]

[0360]

[0361]

[0362]

[0363]

[0364]

[0365]

[0366]

[0367]

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[0369]

[0370]

[0371]

[0372]

[0373]

[0374]

[0375]

[0376]

[0377]

[0378]

[0379]

[0380]

[0381]

[0382]

[0383]

[0384]

[0385]

[0386]

[0387]

[0388]

[0389]

[0390]

[0391]

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[0393]

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[0395]

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[0397]

[0398]

[0399]

[0400]

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[0402]

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[0404]

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[0407]

[0408]

[0409]

Claims

1. A method (100) at a first entity, comprising: Based on the strategy decision provided by the second entity, determine at least one of the following errors (S101): The session rules and / or policy and charging control (PCC) rules refer to the policy decisions, and errors in the session rules and / or the PCC rules refer to include at least one of the following: The session rules and / or the PCC rules refer to empty policy decisions, or The policy decision is inconsistent with the session rules and / or the PCC rules; Or the attributes in the aforementioned strategy decision; as well as Send the error notification (S103) to the second entity.

2. The method (100) according to claim 1, wherein, The inconsistency between the policy decision and the session rules and / or the PCC rules also includes at least one of the following: The policy decision provided by the second entity is inconsistent with both the session rule and the PCC rule in the same policy decision, or The policy decision provided by the second entity is inconsistent with the session rules and PCC rules in the updated policy decision.

3. The method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The error notification is carried in the first request message for policy control updates.

4. The method (100) according to claim 3, wherein, The first request message for policy control updates includes the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update request message.

5. The method (100) according to claim 3, comprising: The updated policy decision is received from the second entity, wherein the updated policy decision is carried in a first response message corresponding to the first request message for policy control update.

6. The method (100) according to claim 5, wherein, The first response message corresponding to the first request message for policy control updates includes the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update response message.

7. The method (100) according to claim 1, further comprising: Send a second request message for policy control creation / update to the second entity; as well as The second entity receives a second response message corresponding to the second request message for policy control creation / update, the second response message including the policy decision provided by the second entity.

8. The method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The error notification is carried in the first response message used for policy control update notification.

9. The method (100) according to claim 8, wherein, The first response message for policy control update notification includes the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response message.

10. The method (100) according to claim 8, further comprising: The second entity receives a first request message corresponding to the first response message for policy control update notification, the first request message including the policy decision provided by the second entity.

11. The method (100) according to claim 5, wherein, The updated policy decision is carried in a second request message for policy control update notification.

12. The method (100) according to claim 11, wherein, The second request message used for policy control update notification includes the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request message.

13. The method (100) according to claim 1, wherein, The first entity is the Session Management Function (SMF) entity, and the second entity is the Policy Control Function (PCF) entity.

14. The method (100) according to claim 1, wherein, The policy decision includes the session management (SM) policy decision represented by SmPolicyDecision.

15. The method (100) according to claim 14, wherein, Errors in the attributes of the policy decision include errors in at least one attribute of SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds.

16. A method (200) at a second entity, comprising: Receive an error notification from the first entity (S201) of at least one of the following: The session rules and / or policy and charging control (PCC) rules referencing policy decisions, wherein errors in the session rules and / or the PCC rules' reference to the policy decisions further include at least one of the following: The session rules and / or the PCC rules refer to empty policy decisions, or The policy decision is inconsistent with the session rules and / or the PCC rules; or Attributes in strategic decision-making; and Update the strategy decision described in (S203).

17. The method (200) according to claim 16, further comprising: Send the updated policy decision to the first entity.

18. The method (200) according to claim 16, wherein, The inconsistency between the policy decision and the session rules and / or the PCC rules also includes at least one of the following: The policy decision provided by the second entity is inconsistent with both the session rule and the PCC rule in the same policy decision, or The policy decision provided by the second entity is inconsistent with the session rules and PCC rules in the updated policy decision.

19. The method (200) according to any one of claims 17 to 18, wherein, The error notification is carried in the first request message for policy control updates.

20. The method (200) of claim 19, wherein the first request message for policy control update includes an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update request message.

21. The method (200) according to claim 19, wherein, The updated policy decision is carried in a first response message corresponding to the first request message used for policy control updates.

22. The method (200) according to claim 21, wherein, The first response message corresponding to the first request message for policy control updates includes the Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update response message.

23. The method (200) according to claim 16, further comprising: Receive a second request message from the first entity for policy control creation / update; as well as Send a second response message to the first entity corresponding to the second request message for policy control creation / update, the second response message including the policy decision provided by the second entity.

24. The method (200) according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein, The error notification is carried in the first response message used for policy control update notification.

25. The method (200) of claim 24, wherein the first response message for policy control update notification includes an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify response message.

26. The method (200) of claim 24, further comprising: Send a first request message to the first entity corresponding to the first response message for policy control update notification, the first request message including the policy decision provided by the second entity.

27. The method (200) according to any one of claims 17, 18 and 21, wherein, The updated policy decision is carried in a second request message for policy control update notification.

28. The method (200) of claim 27, wherein the second request message for policy control update notification includes an Npcf_SMPolicyControl_UpdateNotify request message.

29. The method (200) according to claim 16, wherein, The first entity is the Session Management Function (SMF) entity, and the second entity is the Policy Control Function (PCF) entity.

30. The method (200) according to claim 16, wherein, The policy decision includes the session management (SM) policy decision represented by SmPolicyDecision.

31. The method (200) according to claim 30, wherein, Errors in the attributes of the policy decision include errors in at least one attribute of SmPolicyDecision other than sessRules, pccRules, qosDecs, chgDecs, trafficContDecs, umDecs, qosMonDecs, and conds.

32. A first entity (500) comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions causing the first entity to: Based on the policy decision provided by the second entity, identify errors in at least one of the following: The session rules and / or policy and charging control (PCC) rules refer to the policy decisions, and errors in the session rules and / or the PCC rules refer to include at least one of the following: The session rules and / or the PCC rules refer to empty policy decisions, or The policy decision is inconsistent with the session rules and / or the PCC rules; or The attributes in the strategy decision; and Send the error notification to the second entity.

33. The first entity (500) according to claim 32, wherein, The at least one memory also stores instructions that, when executed on the at least one processor, cause the first entity to perform the method according to any one of claims 2 to 15.

34. A second entity (700) comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions causing the second entity to: Receive an error notification from the first entity for at least one of the following: Session rules and / or policies and charging control (PCC) rules are used as a reference for policy decisions, whereby... Errors in the reference of the session rules and / or the PCC rules to the policy decision also include at least one of the following: The session rules and / or the PCC rules refer to empty policy decisions, or The policy decision is inconsistent with the session rules and / or the PCC rules; or Attributes in strategic decision-making; and Update the aforementioned strategy decision.

35. The second entity (700) according to claim 34, wherein, The at least one memory also stores instructions that, when executed on the at least one processor, cause the second entity to perform the method according to any one of claims 17 to 31.

36. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

37. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 16 to 31.

Images