Cross-carrier service discovery methods, devices, computer equipment and storage media

Abstract

This invention discloses a cross-carrier service discovery method, apparatus, computer device, and storage medium, relating to the field of communication technology. The cross-carrier service discovery method is applied to a first edge computing MEC alliance, where the first MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of a first carrier. The service discovery method includes: receiving a first application request from a first user terminal; obtaining a list of application instances and a list of application instance deployment information for the first application; and, based on the list of application instances and the list of application instance deployment information, returning the application instance deployment information of the first application to the first user terminal, so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application. This invention is not only compatible with the current ETSI MEC architecture but also supports the shared deployment of edge applications across different carriers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a cross-carrier service discovery method, apparatus, computer equipment, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In the development of 5G technology, the co-construction and sharing of mobile communication networks has become a trend, as it helps to efficiently build 5G networks, reduce network construction and maintenance costs, improve network efficiency and asset operation efficiency, and quickly form 5G service capabilities.

[0003] 5G network co-construction and sharing can be achieved through inter-network roaming and access network (base station) sharing. In the inter-network roaming method, the shared base station only connects to the core network of the contractor, and shared users access the 5G network through roaming. For example... Figure 1 As shown, in the access network (base station) sharing method, the co-constructed and shared base stations (physical base stations) are logically divided into two independent logical base stations. The bearer networks are interconnected, while the core network and IT systems of the telecom operator remain unchanged. Mobile communication users access their respective telecom operator's core network through the logical base stations. Currently, the access network (base station) sharing method is the mainstream approach for co-constructing and sharing 5G Stand-Along (SA) networks. For example, China Unicom and China Telecom use this method to co-construct and share their 5G networks.

[0004] Sharing Mobile Edge Computing (MEC) resources can effectively utilize 5G co-construction and sharing networks, promoting further openness and sharing of communication and computing infrastructure. On the other hand, it can avoid redundant investment in edge computing system construction, reduce the deployment cost of edge computing nodes, and enable operators' edge computing resources to move towards public edge infrastructure.

[0005] If 5G network co-construction and sharing adopts the access network (base station) sharing method, then only one operator's 5G base station will exist in a certain area. In order to simultaneously support both parties in 5G network co-construction and sharing to carry out 5G services (such as campus private network services, vertical industry edge platform services, etc.) in the area, a more agile, open and flexible approach needs to be adopted in the design, deployment and operation of 5G MEC, as well as in providing end-to-end services to industry customers. This includes offloading local services from different operators and realizing MEC system sharing between different operators.

[0006] Currently, there are two main issues with the technology for sharing MEC systems among different operators: First, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) standard ETSI GS MEC 003V3.1.1 (2022-03) introduces the MEC Federation (MECFederation) feature in 5G MEC systems. While the MEC Federation can be applied to MEC sharing in 5G network co-construction and sharing scenarios, it has not yet provided a specific implementation method for cross-operator service discovery. Second, most MEC system vendors' MEC platforms do not yet support cross-operator deployment. For scenarios where multiple MEC platforms may exist within the same operator—for example, Verizon, a US operator, not only collaborates with the Open Networking Foundation (ONF) on the development of a cloud-native edge computing platform based on AETHER, but also partners with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deploy edge computing products (such as AWS Wavelength) within its 5G network—no MEC sharing solution has yet been implemented.

[0007] In summary, in the scenario of 5G network co-construction and sharing, not only does the MEC network need to be connected to the core networks of different operators at the same time, but it also needs to realize the sharing of the same MEC system among the business systems of different operators, or realize the interconnection between different MEC systems, so as to support MEC applications deployed in different operator networks to simultaneously meet the service needs of users of different operators. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The technical problem to be solved by this invention is that, in the prior art, there is currently no implementation scheme for MEC sharing, and no specific implementation method has been given for cross-carrier service discovery.

[0009] To address the aforementioned shortcomings of existing technologies, the following solutions are provided:

[0010] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a cross-carrier service discovery method applied to a first edge computing (MEC) alliance, wherein the first MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of a first carrier. The service discovery method includes: receiving first application request information from a first user terminal; obtaining an application instance list and an application instance deployment information list of the first application; and, based on the application instance list and the application instance deployment information list of the first application, returning the application instance deployment information of the first application to the first user terminal, so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application. Wherein, the first user terminal is the user terminal of a first carrier; the first application request information is the request information from the first user terminal to a second carrier requesting the sharing of the first application.

[0011] Specifically, obtaining the application instance list and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes: determining whether the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol of the first operator and the second operator. If not, sending the application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the first edge computing platform (MEC Platform) MEP. Also, receiving the first application instance list and the first application instance deployment information list of the first application from the first MEP. The application instance list of the first application includes the first list of application instances of the first application, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes the first list of application instance deployment information of the first application. The first MEP is the MEP of the first operator.

[0012] Specifically, obtaining the application instance list and the application instance deployment information list of the first application further includes: if the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol, sending application instance list request information and application instance deployment information request information of the first application to the second MEC alliance. This causes the second MEC alliance to forward the application instance list request information and application instance deployment information request information of the first application to the second MEP, and to receive a second application instance list and a second application instance deployment information list of the first application from the second MEP. Additionally, it receives the second application instance list and the second application instance deployment information list of the first application from the second MEC alliance. Wherein, the second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator. The second MEP is the MEP of the second operator. The application instance list of the first application includes the second application instance list of the first application, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes the second application instance deployment information list of the first application.

[0013] Specifically, determining whether the first application is an application within the first shared application protocol includes: sending a request message for the first shared application protocol to the second MEC alliance; receiving the first shared application protocol from the second MEC alliance; and determining whether the first application belongs to the application within the first shared application protocol. Here, the second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator.

[0014] Specifically, based on the application instance list and the application instance deployment information list of the first application, the application instance deployment information of the first application is returned to the first user terminal so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application. This includes: selecting the optimal application instance from the application instance list of the first application according to a preset application instance optimization selection algorithm; obtaining the deployment information of the optimal application instance from the application instance deployment information list of the first application; and returning the deployment information of the optimal application instance to the first user terminal so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application based on the deployment information of the optimal application instance.

[0015] Specifically, the preset application instance optimization selection algorithms include the distance-optimal method, and / or the comprehensive evaluation-optimal method, and / or the most resource-efficient method.

[0016] Specifically, it also includes: receiving request information from the first operator and the second operator of the second MEC alliance regarding the second shared application protocol; the second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator; the request information of the second shared application protocol is sent by the second MEC alliance in response to receiving the second application request information from the second user terminal; the second user terminal is the user terminal of the second operator; the second application request information is the request information of the second user terminal to the first operator requesting to share the second application;

[0017] Send the second shared application protocol to the second MEC alliance so that the second MEC alliance can determine whether the second application is an application in the second shared application protocol based on the second shared application protocol;

[0018] The system receives a request for a list of application instances and a request for a list of application instance deployment information for the second application from the second MEC alliance. It forwards the request for the list of application instances and the request for the list of application instance deployment information for the second application from the second MEC alliance to the first MEP. It also receives a list of application instances and a list of application instance deployment information for the second application from the first MEP. Furthermore, it sends the list of application instances and the list of application instance deployment information for the second application to the second MEC alliance, so that the second MEC alliance returns application instance deployment information for the second application to the second user terminal based on the list of application instances and the list of application instance deployment information. The request for the list of application instances and the request for the list of application instance deployment information for the second application received by the first MEC alliance are issued by the second MEC alliance after determining that the second application is an application in the second shared application protocol. The first MEP is the MEP of the first operator.

[0019] Secondly, the present invention provides a cross-carrier service discovery device, including a first MEC alliance. The first MEC alliance includes a receiving module, an acquiring module, and a sending module. The receiving module is configured to receive first application request information from a first user terminal. The first user terminal is a user terminal of a first carrier. The acquiring module is configured to acquire a list of application instances of the first application and a list of application instance deployment information of the first application. The sending module is configured to return the application instance deployment information of the first application to the first user terminal based on the list of application instances and the list of application instance deployment information of the first application, so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application. The first application request information is a request from the first user terminal to a second carrier requesting the sharing of the first application.

[0020] Specifically, the acquisition module includes a judgment unit. The judgment unit is configured to determine whether the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol of the first operator and the second operator. If the judgment unit determines that the first application is not an application in the first shared application protocol, the sending module is further configured to send application instance list request information and application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the first edge computing platform MEP; the first MEP is the MEP of the first operator; and receive the first application instance first list and the first application instance deployment information first list from the first MEP; the application instance list of the first application includes the first application instance first list, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes the first application instance deployment information first list.

[0021] Specifically, if the judgment unit determines that the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol, the sending module is further configured to send application instance list request information and application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the second MEC alliance, so that the second MEC alliance forwards the application instance list request information and application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the second MEP, and receives the second application instance second list and application instance deployment information second list of the first application from the second MEP. The second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator. The second MEP is the MEP of the second operator. The receiving module is further configured to receive the second application instance second list and application instance deployment information second list of the first application from the second MEC alliance. The application instance list of the first application includes the second application instance second list, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes the second application instance deployment information second list.

[0022] Specifically, the sending module is further configured to send a request for the first shared application protocol to the second MEC alliance. The second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator. The receiving module is further configured to receive the first shared application protocol from the second MEC alliance. The judging unit is configured to judge whether the first application belongs to the application in the first shared application protocol.

[0023] Specifically, the sending module further includes a selection unit. The selection unit is configured to select the optimal application instance from the application instance list of the first application based on a preset application instance optimization selection algorithm. The obtaining module is further configured to obtain the deployment information of the optimal application instance from the application instance deployment information list of the first application. The sending module is configured to return the deployment information of the optimal application instance to the first MEC system, so that the first MEC system can deploy the first application based on the deployment information of the optimal application instance.

[0024] Specifically, the selection unit is set to select the optimal application instance from the list of application instances of the first application based on the distance optimization method, and / or the comprehensive evaluation optimization method, and / or the most resource-saving method.

[0025] Specifically, the receiving module is further configured to receive request information from the first and second operators of the second MEC alliance regarding the second shared application protocol. The second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator. The request information for the second shared application protocol is sent by the second MEC alliance in response to receiving a second application request information from a second user terminal. The second user terminal is the user terminal of the second operator. The second application request information is the request information from the second user terminal to the first operator requesting the sharing of the second application. The sending module is further configured to send the second shared application protocol to the second MEC alliance, so that the second MEC alliance can determine whether the second application is an application within the second shared application protocol. The receiving module is further configured to receive request information from the second MEC alliance regarding the application instance list of the second application and the application instance deployment information list of the second application. The request information for the application instance list of the second application and the request information for the application instance deployment information list of the second application received by the first MEC alliance are sent by the second MEC alliance after determining that the second application is an application within the second shared application protocol. The sending module is further configured to forward the request information for the application instance list of the second application and the request information for the application instance deployment information list of the second application from the second MEC alliance to the first MEP. The first MEP is the MEP of the first operator. The receiving module is further configured to receive a list of application instances and a list of application instance deployment information of the second application from the first MEP. The sending module is further configured to send the list of application instances and the list of application instance deployment information of the second application to the second MEC alliance, so that the second MEC alliance can return the application instance deployment information of the second application to the second user terminal based on the list of application instances and the list of application instance deployment information of the second application.

[0026] Thirdly, the present invention provides a computer device including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor runs the computer program stored in the memory, the processor executes the above-described cross-carrier service discovery method.

[0027] Fourthly, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor performs the aforementioned cross-carrier service discovery method.

[0028] This invention provides a cross-carrier service discovery method, apparatus, computer equipment, and storage medium that supports the shared deployment of edge applications across different carriers. It achieves edge computing node sharing based on network resource sharing, and is compatible with the current ETSI MEC architecture. Furthermore, it supports the shared deployment of edge applications across different carriers (cross-carrier deployment) and the sharing of edge computing nodes between different MEC systems in 5G co-construction and sharing network scenarios. Moreover, the cross-carrier service discovery method provided by the embodiments of this invention only requires functional extensions to the MEC alliance, without requiring functional modifications to other network elements and application clients in the ETSI MEC architecture, maintaining maximum consistency with the original ETSI MEC defined service discovery process. Attached Figure Description

[0029] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating the access network (base station) sharing method in the co-construction and sharing of 5G networks;

[0030] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall system architecture of ETSI MEC;

[0031] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the logical layering of a cross-carrier MEC system;

[0032] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a cross-carrier service discovery method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of another cross-carrier service discovery method in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of another cross-carrier service discovery method in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of another cross-carrier service discovery method in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of another cross-carrier service discovery method in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of another cross-carrier service discovery method in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 10 This is a structural block diagram of another cross-carrier service discovery device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 11 This is a structural block diagram of another cross-carrier service discovery device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 12 This is a structural block diagram of another cross-carrier service discovery device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 13 This is a structural block diagram of a computer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0042] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0043] It is understood that the specific embodiments and accompanying drawings described herein are merely for explaining the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0044] It is understood that, without conflict, the various embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0045] It is understood that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, while the parts unrelated to the present invention are not shown in the drawings.

[0046] It is understood that each unit or module involved in the embodiments of the present invention may correspond to only one entity structure, or may be composed of multiple entity structures, or multiple units or modules may be integrated into one entity structure.

[0047] It is understood that, without conflict, the functions and steps marked in the flowcharts and block diagrams of this invention may occur in a different order than that marked in the accompanying drawings.

[0048] It is understood that the flowcharts and block diagrams of this invention illustrate the possible architecture, functions, and operations of systems, apparatuses, devices, and methods according to various embodiments of this invention. Each block in the flowchart or block diagram may represent a unit, module, program segment, or code, containing executable instructions for implementing the specified function. Furthermore, each block or combination of blocks in the block diagram and flowchart can be implemented using a hardware-based system to achieve the specified function, or using a combination of hardware and computer instructions.

[0049] It is understood that the units and modules involved in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by software or by hardware. For example, the units and modules can be located in a processor.

[0050] like Figure 2As shown in the latest MEC architecture specification, the ETSI MEC overall system architecture comprises three layers: MEC system level, MEC host level, and MEC network level. The MEC host level mainly consists of the MEC Platform (MEP) and the MEC Platform Manager (MEPM). The MEC network level comprises external network units such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) mobile network, local network, and other networks, ensuring connectivity between the MEC host and external networks. The MEC system level uses the MEC Orchestrator (MEO) as its core component, responsible for managing the entire MEC system resources and receiving service requests from terminals or third-party service / content service providers, including service requests from the operator's OSS. Simultaneously, the MEC system level introduces a new MEC Consortium (MECFederator) functional module, aiming to achieve interoperability between different MEC systems.

[0051] like Figure 3 As shown, we divide the cross-carrier MEC system into three layers from bottom to top according to logical functions: the first layer is the interconnection and interoperability of edge computing networks, the second layer is the sharing of edge computing nodes, and the third layer is the MEC co-construction and sharing management plane. The logical function division of the MEC system not only conforms to the existing ETSI and 3GPP relevant specifications for the functional definitions of MEC and User Profile Function (UPF), but also facilitates the decoupling of network interconnection and business system interconnection.

[0052] like Figure 3 As shown, the first layer is the interconnection of edge computing networks, which forms the network foundation for MEC co-construction and sharing. Problems with edge networks include: single cluster nodes operating across geographical regions, nodes located within Network Address Translation (NAT) networks preventing bidirectional direct connections, and unreliability of cloud-edge networks. Current industry solutions utilize cloud-native technologies to create cloud-native edge computing networks, supporting east-west interconnection of edge networks and enabling dynamic sharing of network, computing, and storage resources.

[0053] like Figure 3 As shown, the second layer is edge computing node sharing. According to the system type to which the edge computing node belongs, edge computing node sharing can be divided into three categories: the first category is edge computing node sharing within the same telecom operator's MEC system; the second category is edge computing node sharing between different telecom operator's MEC systems; and the third category is edge computing node sharing between a telecom operator's MEC system and a cloud computing vendor's edge cloud.

[0054] like Figure 3 As shown, the third layer is the MEC co-construction and sharing management plane. In the 5G network co-construction and sharing scenario, not only does the MEC network (user plane function) need to be connected to the core networks of different telecom operators simultaneously, but it also needs to achieve sharing of the same MEC system among the business systems of different telecom operators, or interconnection and interoperability between MEC systems, so as to support MEC applications deployed in different telecom operator networks to simultaneously meet the service needs of users of different telecom operators.

[0055] To achieve the second type of sharing in the aforementioned second-layer edge computing node sharing, namely, edge computing node sharing between MEC systems of different telecom operators, embodiments of the present invention provide a cross-operator service discovery method, applied to a first MEC alliance, wherein the first MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of a first operator.

[0056] like Figure 4 As shown, the method may include steps 401 to 403.

[0057] Step 401: Receive the first application request information from the first user terminal.

[0058] Understandably, in step 401, the first user terminal refers to the user terminal of the first operator. The first application request information is the request information from the first user terminal to the second operator requesting the sharing of the first application.

[0059] Step 402: Obtain the list of application instances of the first application and the list of application instance deployment information of the first application.

[0060] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, the implementation method of step 402 may include steps 501 to 505.

[0061] Step 501: Determine whether the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol of the first operator and the second operator.

[0062] Understandably, when the first operator is the sharing party and the second operator is the construction party, the cooperation agreement on shared applications jointly signed by the first operator and the second operator is the first shared application agreement.

[0063] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the implementation method of step 501 includes steps 5011 and 5013.

[0064] Step 5011: Send a request for the first shared application protocol to the second MEC consortium.

[0065] Step 5012: Receive the first shared application protocol from the second MEC consortium.

[0066] Understandably, the first shared application protocol can stipulate that the second operator, as the construction operator, can share applications with the first operator. Since the second operator is the construction operator and the first operator is the sharing operator, the first shared application protocol can be pre-stored in the second MEC alliance for direct invocation when needed.

[0067] Step 5013: Determine whether the first application belongs to the application in the first shared application protocol.

[0068] Understandably, the first shared application agreement includes a list of applications that the second operator, as the construction contractor, can share with the first operator. By traversing or searching this list, it can be determined whether the first application belongs to the applications in the first shared application agreement.

[0069] If, based on the determination in step 501, the first application is not an application in the first shared application protocol, then proceed to step 502. If, based on the determination in step 501, the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol, then proceed to step 504.

[0070] Step 502: Send the application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the first MEP.

[0071] Understandably, in step 502, the first MEP is the MEP of the first operator. If the first application is not an application in the first shared application protocol, service discovery in this case belongs to service discovery within the same operator, rather than cross-operator service discovery. The first MEC alliance can directly request the first MEP to obtain the application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list of the first application.

[0072] Step 503: Receive the first list of application instances of the first application and the first list of application instance deployment information of the first application from the first MEP.

[0073] Understandably, the application instance list of the first application includes the first list of application instances of the first application, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes the first list of application instance deployment information of the first application.

[0074] Step 504: Send the application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the second MEC alliance.

[0075] Understandably, in step 504, the second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator. The second MEP is the MEP of the second operator. After receiving the application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list request information of the first application from the first MEC alliance, the second MEC alliance can forward the application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the second MEP, and receive the second application instance list and the second application instance deployment information list of the first application from the second MEP. The communication between the second MEC alliance and the second MEP can be the same as the communication between the first MEC alliance and the first MEP, that is, the step of the second MEC alliance obtaining the second application instance list and the second application instance deployment information list of the first application from the second MEP can refer to steps 502 to 503.

[0076] Step 505: Receive the second list of application instances of the first application and the second list of application instance deployment information of the first application from the second MEC Alliance.

[0077] Understandably, the application instance list of the first application includes a second list of application instances of the first application, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes a second list of application instance deployment information of the first application.

[0078] Step 403: Based on the application instance list and the application instance deployment information list of the first application, return the application instance deployment information of the first application to the first user terminal so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application.

[0079] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the implementation method of step 403 includes steps 701 to 703.

[0080] Step 701: Select the optimal application instance from the application instance list of the first application based on the preset application instance optimization selection algorithm.

[0081] In some embodiments, the preset application instance optimization selection algorithm includes the distance-optimal method, and / or the comprehensive evaluation-optimal method, and / or the resource-saving method. One or more application instance optimization selection algorithms can be selected according to specific circumstances to select the optimal application instance.

[0082] Step 702: Obtain the deployment information of the optimal application instance from the application instance deployment information list of the first application.

[0083] Understandably, once the optimal application instance is obtained, its deployment information can be retrieved from the list of application instance deployment information for the first application by searching.

[0084] Step 703: Return the deployment information of the optimal application instance to the first user terminal so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application according to the deployment information of the optimal application instance.

[0085] Understandably, once the deployment information of the optimal application instance is obtained on the first user's end, the first application can be deployed based on that optimal application instance deployment information.

[0086] Using the service discovery method described above, clients of the first operator can directly access the application instance of the first application without needing to further determine or differentiate whether clients of the first operator can directly access the application instance of the second operator. This is because cross-operator shared applications have already been verified during the deployment phase; that is, the first MEC alliance has already determined whether the first application is an application within the shared agreement signed by the first and second operators. If the first application is an application within the shared agreement signed by the first and second operators, then clients of the first operator can directly access the application instance of the second operator through the service discovery method described above. Otherwise, the application instance of the first application belongs to the first operator, and obviously, clients of the first operator can directly access the application instance of the first operator.

[0087] In some embodiments, where the first operator is the construction operator and the second operator is the sharing operator, such as Figure 8 As shown, the method may further include steps 801 to 806.

[0088] Step 801: Receive request information from the first and second operators of the second MEC alliance regarding the second shared application protocol.

[0089] Understandably, when the first operator is the construction operator and the second operator is the sharing operator, the cooperation agreement on shared applications jointly signed by the second operator and the first operator is the second shared application agreement. The second shared application agreement can stipulate the applications that the first operator, as the construction operator, can share with the second operator. The second shared application agreement can be pre-stored in the first MEC alliance for direct invocation when needed.

[0090] Understandably, the applications that the second operator, as the contractor operator, can share with the first operator as stipulated in the first shared application agreement may be the same as or different from the applications that the first operator, as the contractor operator, can share with the second operator as stipulated in the second shared application agreement.

[0091] Understandably, the request information for the second shared application protocol is sent by the second MEC alliance in response to receiving a second application request information from a second user terminal. The second user terminal is a user of the second operator. The second application request information is a request from the second user terminal to the first operator requesting the sharing of the second application.

[0092] Step 802: Send the second shared application protocol to the second MEC consortium.

[0093] Understandably, since the second shared application protocol is pre-stored in the first MEC consortium, after receiving the second shared application protocol from the first MEC consortium, the second MEC consortium can determine whether the second application is an application within the second shared application protocol based on the second shared application protocol.

[0094] Step 803: Receive the application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list request information of the second application from the second MEC Alliance.

[0095] Understandably, the request information for the application instance list of the second application and the request information for the application instance deployment information list of the second application received by the first MEC Alliance are issued by the second MEC Alliance after determining that the second application is an application in the second shared application protocol.

[0096] Step 804: Forward the request information for the application instance list of the second application and the request information for the application instance deployment information list of the second application from the second MEC Alliance to the first MEP.

[0097] Step 805: Receive the application instance list of the second application and the application instance deployment information list of the second application from the first MEP.

[0098] Step 806: Send the application instance list and application instance deployment information list of the second application to the second MEC Alliance.

[0099] Understandably, after receiving the list of application instances and the deployment information list of the second application, the second MEC alliance can return the application instance deployment information of the second application to the second user client based on the list of application instances and the deployment information list. Upon receiving the deployment information of the application instances, the second user client can then deploy the second application.

[0100] For example, the second MEC alliance can return the deployment information of the optimal application instance of the second application to the second user client through steps 701 to 703. The second user client can also deploy the second application based on the deployment information of the optimal application instance.

[0101] The cross-carrier service discovery method provided in this invention supports the shared deployment of edge applications across different carriers. It achieves edge computing node sharing based on network resource sharing, and is not only compatible with the current ETSI MEC architecture, but also supports the shared deployment of edge applications across different carriers (cross-carrier deployment). It also supports the sharing of edge computing nodes between different MEC systems in 5G co-construction and sharing network scenarios. Furthermore, the cross-carrier service discovery method provided in this invention only requires functional extensions to the MEC alliance, without requiring functional modifications to other network elements and application clients in the ETSI MEC architecture, maintaining maximum consistency with the original ETSI MEC defined service discovery process.

[0102] In one example of an embodiment of the present invention, where the first operator is a sharing operator and the second operator is a construction operator, the service discovery process can be as follows: Figure 9 As shown.

[0103] Step 901: The user of the first operator sends the first application request information to the user client (UC) through the application client (App Client).

[0104] Step 902: UC forwards the first application request information to the first MEC alliance.

[0105] Step 903: Obtain the list of application instances of the first application and the list of application instance deployment information of the first application.

[0106] Understandably, step 903 may include steps 9031 to 9035.

[0107] Step 9031: The first MEC alliance determines whether the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol of the first operator and the second operator.

[0108] If the first application is not an application in the first shared application protocol, proceed to step 9032; otherwise, proceed to step 9034.

[0109] Step 9032: Send the application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the first MEP.

[0110] Step 9033: Receive the first list of application instances of the first application and the first list of application instance deployment information of the first application from the first MEP.

[0111] Step 9034: Send the application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the second MEC alliance.

[0112] Step 9035: Receive the second list of application instances of the first application and the second list of application instance deployment information of the first application from the second MEC Alliance.

[0113] Step 904: The first MEC alliance selects the optimal application instance from the application instance list of the first application based on the preset application instance optimization selection algorithm.

[0114] Step 905: The first MEC alliance obtains the deployment information of the optimal application instance from the application instance deployment information list of the first application.

[0115] Step 906: Return the deployment information of the optimal application instance to UC.

[0116] Step 907: UC returns the deployment information of the optimal application instance to the application client.

[0117] Understandably, once the application client obtains the deployment information of the optimal application instance, it can directly access the application.

[0118] Embodiments of the present invention provide a cross-carrier service discovery apparatus, including a first MEC alliance, such as Figure 10 As shown, the first MEC alliance 1000 includes a receiving module 1001, an acquiring module 1002, and a sending module 1003. The receiving module 1001 is configured to receive a first application request message from a first user terminal; the first user terminal is the user terminal of a first operator. The acquiring module 1002 is configured to acquire a list of application instances and a list of application instance deployment information for the first application. The sending module 1003 is configured to return the application instance deployment information of the first application to the first user terminal based on the application instance list and the application instance deployment information list, so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application. The first application request message is the request message from the first user terminal to the second operator requesting the sharing of the first application.

[0119] In some embodiments, such as Figure 11As shown, the acquisition module 1002 includes a judgment unit 1021. The judgment unit 1021 is configured to determine whether the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol of the first operator and the second operator. If the judgment unit 1021 determines that the first application is not an application in the first shared application protocol, the sending module 1003 is further configured to send application instance list request information and application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the first edge computing platform MEP; the first MEP is the MEP of the first operator; and receive the first application instance first list and the first application instance deployment information first list from the first MEP; the application instance list of the first application includes the first application instance first list, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes the first application instance deployment information first list.

[0120] In some embodiments, if the determining unit 1021 determines that the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol, the sending module 1003 is further configured to send application instance list request information and application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the second MEC alliance, so that the second MEC alliance forwards the application instance list request information and application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the second MEP, and receives the second application instance second list and application instance deployment information second list of the first application from the second MEP. The second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator. The second MEP is the MEP of the second operator. The receiving module 1001 is further configured to receive the second application instance second list and application instance deployment information second list of the first application from the second MEC alliance. The application instance list of the first application includes the second application instance list of the first application, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes the second application instance deployment information second list of the first application.

[0121] In some embodiments, the sending module 1003 is further configured to send a request for the first shared application protocol to a second MEC alliance. The second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of a second operator. The receiving module 1001 is further configured to receive the first shared application protocol from the second MEC alliance. The judging unit 1021 is configured to judge whether the first application belongs to the application in the first shared application protocol.

[0122] In some embodiments, such as Figure 12As shown, the sending module 1003 further includes a selection unit 1031. The selection unit 1031 is configured to select the optimal application instance from the application instance list of the first application according to a preset application instance optimization selection algorithm. The obtaining module 1002 is further configured to obtain the deployment information of the optimal application instance from the application instance deployment information list of the first application. The sending module 1003 is configured to return the deployment information of the optimal application instance to the first MEC system, so that the first MEC system can deploy the first application according to the deployment information of the optimal application instance.

[0123] In some embodiments, the selection unit 1031 is configured to select the optimal application instance from the application instance list of the first application based on the distance optimization method, and / or the comprehensive evaluation optimization method, and / or the resource-saving method.

[0124] In some embodiments, the receiving module 1001 is further configured to receive request information for a second shared application protocol from a first operator and a second operator of a second MEC alliance. The second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator. The request information for the second shared application protocol is sent by the second MEC alliance in response to receiving a second application request information from a second user terminal. The second user terminal is the user terminal of the second operator. The second application request information is a request from the second user terminal to the first operator requesting the sharing of a second application. The sending module 1003 is further configured to send the second shared application protocol to the second MEC alliance, so that the second MEC alliance determines whether the second application is an application within the second shared application protocol. The receiving module 1001 is further configured to receive application instance list request information and application instance deployment information list request information for the second application from the second MEC alliance. The application instance list request information and application instance deployment information list request information received by the first MEC alliance 1000 are sent by the second MEC alliance after determining that the second application is an application within the second shared application protocol. The sending module 1003 is further configured to forward to the first MEP a request for a list of application instances of the second application and a request for a list of application instance deployment information of the second application from the second MEC alliance. The first MEP is the MEP of the first operator. The receiving module 1001 is further configured to receive the list of application instances of the second application and the list of application instance deployment information of the second application from the first MEP. The sending module 1003 is further configured to send the list of application instances of the second application and the list of application instance deployment information of the second application to the second MEC alliance, so that the second MEC alliance returns the application instance deployment information of the second application to the second user terminal based on the list of application instances of the second application and the list of application instance deployment information of the second application.

[0125] The specific scheme and beneficial effects of the cross-carrier service discovery device provided by the embodiments of the present invention can be found in the relevant description of the cross-carrier service discovery method provided by the embodiments of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0126] Embodiments of the present invention provide a computer device, such as... Figure 13 As shown, the computer device 1300 includes a memory 1301 and a processor 1302. The memory 1301 stores a computer program. When the processor 1302 runs the computer program stored in the memory 1301, the processor 1302 executes the above-described cross-carrier service discovery method.

[0127] The specific solution and beneficial effects of the computer device provided by the embodiments of the present invention can be found in the relevant description of the cross-carrier service discovery method provided by the embodiments of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0128] The present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor performs the above-described cross-carrier service discovery method.

[0129] The specific scheme and beneficial effects of a computationally readable storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present invention can be found in the relevant description of a cross-carrier service discovery method provided by the embodiments of the present invention, which will not be repeated here.

[0130] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary implementations used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cross-carrier service discovery method, characterized in that, It is applied to the first edge computing MEC alliance, where the first MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the first operator; The service discovery method includes: Receive a first application request message from a first user terminal; the first user terminal is a user terminal of a first operator; the first application request message is a request message from the first user terminal to a second operator requesting to share the first application; Obtain the list of application instances of the first application and the list of application instance deployment information of the first application; and Based on the application instance list and the application instance deployment information list of the first application, the application instance deployment information of the first application is returned to the first user terminal so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application. Wherein, obtaining the application instance list of the first application and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes: Determine whether the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol of the first operator and the second operator; If not, then send a request for a list of application instances of the first application and a request for a list of application instance deployment information of the first application to the first edge computing platform (MEP); the first MEP is the MEP of the first operator; and Receive a first list of application instances of the first application and a first list of application instance deployment information of the first application from the first MEP; the application instance list of the first application includes the first list of application instances of the first application, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes the first list of application instance deployment information of the first application.

2. The cross-carrier service discovery method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the application instance list of the first application and the application instance deployment information list of the first application further includes: If the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol, it sends an application instance list request message and an application instance deployment information list request message for the first application to the second MEC alliance, so that the second MEC alliance forwards the application instance list request message and the application instance deployment information list request message for the first application to the second MEP, and receives a second list of application instances and a second list of application instance deployment information for the first application from the second MEP; the second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator; the second MEP is the MEP of the second operator; and Receive a second list of application instances of the first application and a second list of application instance deployment information of the first application from the second MEC alliance; the application instance list of the first application includes the second list of application instances of the first application, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes the second list of application instance deployment information of the first application.

3. The cross-carrier service discovery method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining whether the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol includes: Send the request information for the first shared application protocol to the second MEC alliance; the second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator; Receive the first shared application protocol from the second MEC alliance; and Determine whether the first application belongs to the applications in the first shared application protocol.

4. The cross-carrier service discovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Based on the application instance list and the application instance deployment information list of the first application, the application instance deployment information of the first application is returned to the first user terminal so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application, including: The optimal application instance is selected from the list of application instances of the first application based on a preset application instance optimization selection algorithm. Retrieve the deployment information of the optimal application instance from the application instance deployment information list of the first application; and The deployment information of the optimal application instance is returned to the first user terminal so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application according to the deployment information of the optimal application instance.

5. The cross-carrier service discovery method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The preset application instance optimization selection algorithm includes the distance-optimal method, and / or the comprehensive evaluation-optimal method, and / or the resource-saving method.

6. The cross-carrier service discovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, Also includes: Receive request information from the first and second operators of the second MEC alliance regarding the second shared application protocol; The second MEC alliance is the MEC alliance of the second operator; The request information for the second shared application protocol is sent by the second MEC Alliance in response to receiving the second application request information from the second user terminal; the second user terminal is the user terminal of the second operator; the second application request information is the request information from the second user terminal to the first operator requesting to share the second application; Send the second shared application protocol to the second MEC alliance so that the second MEC alliance can determine whether the second application is an application in the second shared application protocol based on the second shared application protocol; Receive a request for a list of application instances of the second application and a request for a list of application instance deployment information of the second application from the second MEC alliance; The request information for the application instance list of the second application and the request information for the application instance deployment information list of the second application received by the first MEC Alliance are sent by the second MEC Alliance after determining that the second application is an application in the second shared application protocol; The application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list request information of the second application from the second MEC alliance are forwarded to the first MEP; the first MEP is the MEP of the first operator; Receive a list of application instances of the second application and a list of application instance deployment information of the second application from the first MEP; as well as The second MEC Alliance sends a list of application instances of the second application and a list of application instance deployment information of the second application to the second MEC Alliance, so that the second MEC Alliance returns the application instance deployment information of the second application to the second client based on the list of application instances of the second application and the list of application instance deployment information of the second application.

7. A cross-carrier service discovery device, characterized in that, Including the first MEC alliance, which includes: The receiving module is configured to receive a first application request information from a first user terminal; the first user terminal is a user terminal of a first operator; the first application request information is a request information from the first user terminal to a second operator requesting the sharing of a first application; The acquisition module is configured to acquire a list of application instances of the first application and a list of deployment information for the application instances of the first application; and The sending module is configured to return the application instance deployment information of the first application to the first user terminal based on the application instance list and the application instance deployment information list of the first application, so that the first user terminal can deploy the first application; wherein, the obtaining module is specifically configured to: determine whether the first application is an application in the first shared application protocol of the first operator and the second operator; if not, send the application instance list request information and the application instance deployment information list request information of the first application to the first edge computing platform MEP; the first MEP is the MEP of the first operator; and receive the first application instance first list and the first application instance deployment information first list of the first application from the first MEP; the application instance list of the first application includes the first application instance first list, and the application instance deployment information list of the first application includes the first application instance deployment information first list.

8. A computer device, characterized in that, It includes a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor runs the computer program stored in the memory, the processor performs the cross-carrier service discovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, the processor performs the cross-carrier service discovery method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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