Message transmission method, device, system, apparatus and storage medium

Abstract

The application relates to a message transmission method, device, system, equipment and storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: receiving an initial PFCP protocol message sent by a session management function entity, and identifying the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is a target message type; in the case that the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type, determining whether the network element fusion mode of the session management function entity and the network element fusion mode of a user plane function entity are matched with each other, wherein the network element fusion mode is used for indicating the mode of fusing the network element functions of an SGW and a PGW; in the case of non-matching, reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message to obtain a target PFCP protocol message, and sending the target PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity. The method can ensure the normal transmission of the PFCP protocol message between the session management function entity and the user plane function entity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a message transmission method, apparatus, system, device, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] In the scenario of 4G and 5G network convergence, the SGW entity and PGW entity in the 4G network are merged with the Session Management Function (SMF) entity and User Plane Function (UPF) entity in the 5G network, respectively. There are two types of convergence logic: separate logic for SGW and PGW and combined logic for SGW and PGW.

[0003] However, when the integration logic of SMF and UPF for SGW and PGW is different, it will cause SMF and UPF to be unable to interface, making it impossible to decouple the PFCP protocol interface between SMF and UPF, and creating obstacles to the transmission of PFCP protocol messages between SMF and UPF. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a message transmission method, apparatus, system, device, and storage medium that can ensure the normal transmission of PFCP protocol messages between the session management functional entity and the user plane functional entity, in order to address the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a message transmission method, the method comprising:

[0006] The system receives the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the session management function entity and identifies the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether it is the target message type. If the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type, it determines whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity match each other. The network element fusion method is used to indicate the method of fusion of network element functions of SGW and PGW. If they do not match, the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed to obtain the target PFCP protocol message, and the target PFCP protocol message is sent to the user plane function entity.

[0007] In one embodiment, the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed to obtain a target PFCP protocol message, including: determining a reconstruction forwarding rule based on the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity; and reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message according to the reconstruction forwarding rule to obtain the target PFCP protocol message.

[0008] In one embodiment, the reconfiguration forwarding rule is determined based on the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity, including: when the network element fusion method of the session management function entity is to separate the function of the SGW and the function logic of the PGW, the first forwarding rule is used as the reconfiguration forwarding rule, and the first forwarding rule includes outputting data from the first interface from the second interface.

[0009] In one embodiment, the initial PFCP protocol message includes a first parameter group and a second parameter group. The first parameter group corresponds to one of the SGW and the PGW, and the second parameter group corresponds to the other of the SGW and the PGW. The initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed according to the reconstruction forwarding rule to obtain a target PFCP protocol message, including: deleting the first PDR data and the first FAR data in the first parameter group; identifying the second PDR data in the second parameter group using the interface name of the first interface according to the first forwarding rule; binding the identified second PDR data, the second FAR data in the second parameter group, and other parameters in the second parameter group to a newly created PFCP protocol message to obtain the target PFCP protocol message; wherein the second FAR data in the second parameter group includes the interface name identifier of the second interface.

[0010] In one embodiment, if the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data, then the first interface is the S1-U interface and the second interface is the SGI interface; if the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data, then the first interface is the SGI interface and the second interface is the S1-U interface.

[0011] In one embodiment, the reconfiguration forwarding rule is determined based on the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity, including: when the network element fusion method of the session management function entity is to logically combine the functions of the SGW and the PGW, the second forwarding rule is used as the reconfiguration forwarding rule, and the second forwarding rule includes forwarding data from the first interface to the intermediate interface and outputting data from the intermediate interface from the second interface.

[0012] In one embodiment, the initial PFCP protocol message includes a third parameter group, which includes third PDR data and third FAR data. The initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed according to the reconstruction and forwarding rules to obtain a target PFCP protocol message, including: replacing the original FAR identifier included in the third PDR data with the FAR identifier of the newly added FAR data to obtain modified third PDR data; and obtaining a fourth parameter group based on the modified third PDR data and the newly added FAR data; wherein the modified third PDR data includes the interface name identifier of the first interface, and the newly added FAR data includes the interface name of the intermediate interface; replacing the interface name of the first interface included in the third PDR data with the interface name of the intermediate interface to obtain replaced third PDR data; and obtaining a fifth parameter group based on the replaced third PDR data and the third FAR data; wherein the third FAR data includes the interface name of the second interface; and obtaining the target PFCP protocol message based on the fourth and fifth parameter groups.

[0013] In one embodiment, if the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data, then the first interface is the S1-U interface, the intermediate interface is the S5 / S8 interface, and the second interface is the SGI interface; if the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data, then the first interface is the SGI interface, the intermediate interface is the S5 / S8 interface, and the second interface is the S1-U interface.

[0014] In one embodiment, determining whether the initial PFCP protocol message is a target message type includes: determining whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type based on multiple target interface fields in the PFCP protocol message; the multiple target interface fields include at least a source interface field, a destination interface field, and a 3GPP interface type field.

[0015] In one embodiment, the target message type is a 4G session establishment message.

[0016] In one embodiment, the method further includes: if the initial PFCP protocol message is not a 4G session establishment message, then directly sending the initial PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity.

[0017] Secondly, this application provides a message transmission device, the device comprising:

[0018] The first determining module is used to receive the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the session management function entity, and to identify the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type.

[0019] The second determining module is used to determine whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity match each other when the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type. The network element fusion method is used to indicate the way the network element functions of SGW and PGW are fused.

[0020] The reconstruction module is used to reconstruct the initial PFCP protocol message in the event of a mismatch, obtain the target PFCP protocol message, and send the target PFCP protocol message to the user plane functional entity.

[0021] In one embodiment, the reconstruction module is specifically used to: determine the reconstruction forwarding rule based on the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity; and reconstruct the initial PFCP protocol message according to the reconstruction forwarding rule to obtain the target PFCP protocol message.

[0022] In one embodiment, the reconstructing module is specifically used to: when the network element fusion method of the session management function entity is to separate the function of the SGW and the function logic of the PGW, use the first forwarding rule as the reconstructed forwarding rule, the first forwarding rule including outputting data from the first interface from the second interface.

[0023] In one embodiment, the initial PFCP protocol message includes a first parameter group and a second parameter group, the first parameter group corresponding to one of the SGW and the PGW, and the second parameter group corresponding to the other of the SGW and the PGW; the reconstruction module is specifically used to: delete the first PDR data and the first FAR data in the first parameter group; identify the second PDR data in the second parameter group using the interface name of the first interface according to the first forwarding rule; bind the identified second PDR data, the second FAR data in the second parameter group, and other parameters in the second parameter group to the newly created PFCP protocol message to obtain the target PFCP protocol message; wherein the second FAR data in the second parameter group includes the interface name identifier of the second interface.

[0024] In one embodiment, if the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data, the first interface is the S1-U interface and the second interface is the SGI interface; if the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data, the first interface is the SGI interface and the second interface is the S1-U interface.

[0025] In one embodiment, the reconfiguration module is specifically used to: when the network element fusion mode of the session management function entity is to combine the functions of the SGW and the PGW, use the second forwarding rule as the reconfigured forwarding rule, the second forwarding rule including forwarding data from the first interface to the intermediate interface and outputting data from the intermediate interface from the second interface.

[0026] In one embodiment, the initial PFCP protocol message includes a third parameter group, which includes third PDR data and third FAR data. The reconstruction module is specifically used to: replace the original FAR identifier included in the third PDR data with the FAR identifier of the newly added FAR data to obtain modified third PDR data, and obtain a fourth parameter group based on the modified third PDR data and the newly added FAR data; wherein the modified third PDR data includes the interface name identifier of the first interface, and the newly added FAR data includes the interface name of the intermediate interface; replace the interface name of the first interface included in the third PDR data with the interface name of the intermediate interface to obtain replaced third PDR data, and obtain a fifth parameter group based on the replaced third PDR data and the third FAR data; wherein the third FAR data includes the interface name of the second interface; and obtain the target PFCP protocol message based on the fourth and fifth parameter groups.

[0027] In one embodiment, if the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data, the first interface is the S1-U interface, the intermediate interface is the S5 / S8 interface, and the second interface is the SGI interface; if the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data, the first interface is the SGI interface, the intermediate interface is the S5 / S8 interface, and the second interface is the S1-U interface.

[0028] In one embodiment, the first determining module is configured to: determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type based on multiple target interface fields in the PFCP protocol message; the multiple target interface fields include at least a source interface field, a destination interface field, and a 3GPP interface type field.

[0029] In one embodiment, the target message type is a 4G session establishment message.

[0030] In one embodiment, the device further includes:

[0031] The sending module is used to directly send the initial PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity if the initial PFCP protocol message is not a 4G session establishment message.

[0032] Thirdly, this application provides a communication system, which includes a session management function entity, a user plane function entity, and a communication device that performs the method as described in any of the first aspects above.

[0033] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device, including: a receiver, a transmitter, a processor, and a memory, the memory storing a computer program;

[0034] This receiver is used to receive the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the session management function entity;

[0035] The processor executes the computer program to identify the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type; if the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type, it determines whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity match each other, the network element fusion method is used to indicate the method of fusion of network element functions of SGW and PGW; if they do not match, the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed to obtain the target PFCP protocol message.

[0036] This transmitter is used to send the target PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity.

[0037] Fifthly, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the message transmission method described in any of the first aspects above.

[0038] Sixthly, this application also provides a chip. The chip includes programmable logic circuitry and / or program instructions, which, when the chip is running, implement the message transmission method described in any of the first aspects above.

[0039] In a seventh aspect, this application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the message transmission method described in any of the first aspects above.

[0040] The aforementioned message transmission method, apparatus, system, device, and storage medium include: a communication device receiving an initial PFCP protocol message sent by a session management function entity and identifying the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether it is a target message type; if the initial PFCP protocol message is a target message type, determining whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity matches the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity, wherein the network element fusion method is used to indicate the method of merging the network element functions of the SGW and PGW; if they do not match, reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message to obtain the target PFCP protocol message and sending the target PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity. In this way, since the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed when the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the user plane function entity are not compatible, the target PFCP protocol message after reconstruction can be normally received by the user plane function entity when it is sent to the user plane function entity. The PFCP protocol interface between the session management function entity and the user plane function entity can be normally decoupled, ensuring that the session management function entity and the user plane function entity can be normally connected, which helps to realize the converged deployment of 4G and 5G networks between heterogeneous SMF and UPF. Attached Figure Description

[0041] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating the application environment of a message transmission method in one embodiment.

[0042] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a message transmission method in one embodiment;

[0043] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture in one embodiment;

[0044] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure in another embodiment;

[0045] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture in another embodiment;

[0046] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture in another embodiment;

[0047] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of determining the target PFCP protocol message in one embodiment;

[0048] Figure 8 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of determining the target PFCP protocol message in another embodiment;

[0049] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the reconstruction process in one embodiment;

[0050] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of determining the target PFCP protocol message in another embodiment;

[0051] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the reconstruction process in another embodiment;

[0052] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the application environment of a method for achieving 4G and 5G network convergence by using C-IWF for heterogeneous SMF and UPF collaborative networking in one embodiment.

[0053] Figure 13 This is a structural block diagram of a message transmission device in one embodiment;

[0054] Figure 14 This is an internal structure diagram of a communication device in one embodiment;

[0055] Figure 15 This is a diagram of the internal structure of a chip in one embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0056] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0057] Although the PFCP protocol for the interface between the Session Management Function Entity (SMF) and the User Plane Function Entity (UPF) has been standardized and defined in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), there are two architectures when 5G functions are integrated with 4G network elements (SGW and PGW): logical separation and co-location. For SMF and UPF, which have different integration logic architectures of 4G network elements, they cannot be interoperated, making it difficult to decouple the PFCP protocol interface and preventing the normal transmission of PFCP protocol messages between UPF and SMF.

[0058] In view of this, in the embodiments of this application, a customized signaling interoperability gateway can be set up between the user plane function entity and the session management entity. This gateway can identify the type of the initial PFCP protocol message issued by the SMF, and if the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type, determine whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity are compatible. If they are not compatible, the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed, and the reconstructed target PFCP protocol message is sent to the UPF. This ensures the normal transmission of PFCP protocol messages in heterogeneous scenarios of SMF and UPF, and realizes the converged deployment of 4G and 5G networks between heterogeneous SMF and UPF.

[0059] The message transmission method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to, for example... Figure 1 In the application environment shown, communication device 101 is communicatively connected to session management function entity 102 and user plane function entity 103. Communication device 101 can receive the initial PFCP protocol message sent by session management function entity 102 and send the target PFCP protocol message obtained from the reconstruction process to user plane function entity 103.

[0060] Among them, communication equipment 101 can be a gateway device, such as a C-IWF (Customized-InterWorking Function). The session management function entity can be an SMF (Session Management Function) in a 5G network, and the SMF can integrate the network element functions of PGW-C (Packet Data Network Gateway Control Plane) and / or SGW-C (Serving Dataway Control Plane) in a 4G network. The user plane function entity can be a UPF (User Plane Function) in a 5G network, and the UPF integrates the network element functions of PGW-U (Packet Gateway User Plane) and / or SGW-U (Serving Gateway User Plane) in a 4G network.

[0061] It should be noted that the beneficial effects or technical problems solved by the embodiments of this application are not limited to this one, but may also be other implicit or related problems. For details, please refer to the description of the embodiments below.

[0062] The technical solution of this application and how the technical solution of this application solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific embodiments. These specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments. The embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, a message transmission method is provided, which is applied to... Figure 1 Taking communication device 101 as an example, the following steps are included:

[0064] Step 201: Receive the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the session management function entity, and identify the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type.

[0065] The initial PFCP protocol message can be the PFCP protocol message that the session management function entity needs to send to the user plane function entity. In related technologies, the session management function entity and the user plane function entity interface through a PFCP protocol interface, which is mainly responsible for establishing and managing characteristic session items. In this embodiment, a communication device is positioned between the two entities. For example, the communication device interfaces with both entities through the PFCP protocol interface to obtain the initial PFCP protocol message, thereby determining whether the initial PFCP protocol message needs to be reconstructed, ensuring the smooth transmission of PFCP protocol messages between the session management function entity and the user plane function entity.

[0066] After the communication equipment obtains the initial PFCP protocol message, it can identify whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type. The target message type refers to the PFCP protocol message related to the SGW network element and the PGW network element, or in other words, the target message type is the PFCP protocol message related to 4G session services.

[0067] Step 202: If the initial PFCP protocol message is of the target message type, determine whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity are compatible.

[0068] If the initial PFCP protocol message is of the target message type, then the sending and receiving identification of the initial PFCP protocol message is related to the SGW and PGW. This involves whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity are compatible. That is, if the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity are not compatible, the user plane function entity cannot correctly identify the initial PFCP protocol message, and the communication equipment needs to reconstruct the initial PFCP protocol message. If the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity are compatible, the user plane function entity can correctly identify the initial PFCP protocol message, and the communication equipment does not need to process the initial PFCP protocol message.

[0069] Specifically, the network element convergence method indicates the way network element functions of SGW and PGW are converged. In 4G and 5G network convergence scenarios, SGW network element functions are divided into SGW-C and SGW-U, and PGW network element functions are divided into PGW-C and PGW-U. Typically, the convergence architecture of 4G and 5G networks falls into two categories: standard-defined architecture and enterprise standard architecture. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 3 As shown, under the standard defined architecture, the SGW is an independent network element. The SGW-C in the control plane is not co-located with the SMF, and the SGW-U in the user plane is not co-located with the UPF. However, the PGW-C in the control plane is co-located with the SMF, and the PGW-U in the user plane is co-located with the UPF. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 4 As shown, under the enterprise standard architecture, considering the actual application situation of the existing network, in order to avoid large-scale expansion of the existing network SGW, the SGW-C and PGW-C of the control plane are both co-located with the SMF, and the SGW-U and PGW-U of the user plane are both co-located with the UPF.

[0070] Specifically, under the existing standard definition architecture for the convergence of 4G and 5G networks, there is no specified implementation architecture within a single network element when 4G and 5G functions are integrated. Current implementation schemes include both logically co-located SGW and PGW and logically separate SGW and PGW. Please refer to... Figure 5 The diagram illustrates an architecture where the SGW and PGW are logically co-located in the SMF and UPF, according to an embodiment of this application. Please refer to... Figure 6 The diagram illustrates an architecture where the SGW and PGW are logically separated in the SMF and UPF, according to an embodiment of this application. The UPF can only receive PFCP protocol messages from the SMF if the logical structure of the signaling issued by the SMF corresponds to the logical structure of the signaling received by the UPF. Heterogeneous SMF and UPF cannot interface; that is, if one of the SMF and UPF uses a network element fusion method where the SGW and PGW are logically co-located, while the other uses a network element fusion method where the SGW and PGW are logically separated, they cannot interface, making it difficult to decouple the PFCP protocol interface.

[0071] In this embodiment of the application, when the initial PFCP protocol message is of the target message type, it is determined whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity are compatible, so as to determine whether the user plane function entity can directly receive the initial PFCP protocol message, so as to ensure that the session management function entity and the user plane function entity can connect normally.

[0072] Optionally, the communication equipment can pre-configure whether the session management function entity and the user plane function entity are logically heterogeneous or logically homogeneous. If they are logically heterogeneous, their network element fusion methods are opposite; if they are logically homogeneous, their network element fusion methods are the same. Alternatively, the communication equipment can determine the network element fusion method of the session management function entity based on the received initial PFCP protocol message, and determine the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity based on the historically received PFCP protocol messages sent by the user plane function entity.

[0073] In this way, the communication device can determine the network element fusion mode of the session management function entity by identifying the initial PFCP protocol message, and if it is clear from reading the pre-configured content that the session management function entity and the user plane function entity are logically heterogeneous, it can determine that the two are mismatched and reconstruct the target initial PFCP protocol message.

[0074] Step 203: In the case of mismatch, reconstruct the initial PFCP protocol message to obtain the target PFCP protocol message, and send the target PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity.

[0075] It is understandable that the internal forwarding rules of the initial PFCP protocol message issued by the session management function entity correspond to the network element integration method of the session management function entity, while the internal forwarding rules of the PFCP protocol messages that the user plane function entity can receive correspond to the network element integration method of the user plane function entity.

[0076] If it is determined that the network element fusion method of the session management function entity does not match the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity, the communication device reconstructs the initial PFCP protocol message to obtain the target PFCP protocol message. The internal forwarding rules of this target PFCP protocol message correspond to the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity. Then, the target PFCP protocol message is directly sent to the user plane function entity, which can then correctly identify the target PFCP protocol message, achieving decoupling of the PFCP protocol interface. It is also understood that the transmitted data included in the initial PFCP protocol message and the target PFCP protocol message are identical.

[0077] In the above message transmission method, the communication device receives the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the session management function entity and identifies the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type; if the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type, it determines whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity match each other, and the network element fusion method is used to indicate the method of fusion of network element functions of SGW and PGW; if they do not match, the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed to obtain the target PFCP protocol message, and the target PFCP protocol message is sent to the user plane function entity. In this way, since the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed when the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the user plane function entity are not compatible, the target PFCP protocol message after reconstruction can be normally received by the user plane function entity when it is sent to the user plane function entity. The PFCP protocol interface between the session management function entity and the user plane function entity can be normally decoupled, ensuring that the session management function entity and the user plane function entity can be normally connected, which helps to realize the converged deployment of 4G and 5G networks between heterogeneous SMF and UPF.

[0078] The following explains how to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type.

[0079] In one embodiment, the target message type is a 4G session establishment message.

[0080] Since both SGW and PGW are 4G network elements, when the initial PFCP protocol message is a 4G session establishment message, the initial PFCP protocol message is related to the network element integration method of SGW and PGW, and thus it is necessary to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message needs to be reconstructed.

[0081] In one embodiment, determining whether an initial PFCP protocol message is a target message type includes: determining whether the initial PFCP protocol message is a target message type based on multiple target interface fields in the PFCP protocol message. These multiple target interface fields include at least a source interface field, a destination interface field, and a 3GPP interface type field.

[0082] Specifically, the initial PFCP protocol message includes PDR (Packet Detection Rule) data and FAR (Forwarding Action Rules) data. The PDR data includes a Source Interface field and a 3GPP Interface Type field, which the communication device can identify whether these fields are related to a 4G session. Similarly, the FAR data includes a Destination Interface field and a 3GPP Interface Type field, which the communication device can also identify whether these fields are related to a 4G session.

[0083] If multiple target interface fields are related to a 4G session, the initial PFCP protocol message is of the target message type; that is, the initial PFCP protocol message is a 4G session establishment message. For example, if the 3GPP interface is determined to be a 4G interface such as an S1-U interface or an SGI interface, then it is a 4G session establishment message.

[0084] In one embodiment, the method further includes: if the initial PFCP protocol message is not a 4G session establishment message, then directly sending the initial PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity.

[0085] If the initial PFCP protocol message is not a 4G session establishment message, for example, if it is a 5G session establishment message, it means that the initial PFCP protocol message is sent by the 5G network element SMF itself, regardless of the 4G network element's network element convergence method. The receiving 5G network element UPF can directly identify the initial PFCP protocol message. Therefore, the communication equipment can directly send the initial PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity. For example, if the 3GPP interface is determined to be a 5G interface such as the N3 or N6 interface, then it is a 5G session establishment message.

[0086] In addition, in this embodiment of the application, if the initial PFCP protocol message is a 4G session establishment message, but the communication device determines that the SMF and UPF are logically isomorphic, then the communication device can also directly pass the initial PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity.

[0087] In this embodiment, the communication device can quickly determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is a 4G session establishment message based on the source interface field, destination interface field, and 3GPP interface type field in the PFCP protocol message, ensuring both accuracy and efficiency in identification. Furthermore, if the initial PFCP protocol message is not a 4G session establishment message, or if the session management function entity and the user plane function entity are logically isomorphic, the communication device directly sends the initial PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity, avoiding unnecessary reconstruction processes. It also forwards the initial PFCP protocol message specifically according to its message type, further ensuring transmission efficiency.

[0088] The following describes the process of reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message to obtain the target PFCP protocol message.

[0089] In one embodiment, such as Figure 7 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of a method for determining a target PFCP protocol message according to an embodiment of this application. The initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed to obtain the target PFCP protocol message, including:

[0090] Step 701: Determine the reconfiguration forwarding rules based on the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity.

[0091] Specifically, when the network element fusion mode of the session management function entity is logically separate while the network element fusion mode of the user plane function entity is logically combined, the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed according to the data forwarding rules of the SGW and PGW under logically combined configuration. Conversely, when the network element fusion mode of the session management function entity is logically combined while the network element fusion mode of the user plane function entity is logically separate, the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed according to the data forwarding rules of the SGW and PGW under logically separate configuration.

[0092] In an optional embodiment, the reconstructed forwarding rule is determined according to the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity, including: when the network element fusion method of the session management function entity is to separate the functions of the SGW and the PGW, the first forwarding rule is used as the reconstructed forwarding rule, and the first forwarding rule includes outputting data from the first interface from the second interface.

[0093] Please refer to the above text. Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, when the SMF's network element integration method separates the functions of the SGW and the PGW, the data forwarding rules in the issued PFCP protocol messages are: forwarded from the S1-U interface to the S5 / S8 interface, and then forwarded from the S5 / S8 interface to the SGI interface, or forwarded from the SGI interface to the S5 / S8 interface, and then forwarded from the S5 / S8 interface to the S1-U interface.

[0094] When the SMF's network element integration method is to combine the functions of the SGW and the PGW, the data forwarding rules in the issued PFCP protocol messages are: forwarded from the S1-U interface to the SGI interface, or forwarded from the SGI interface to the S1-U interface.

[0095] Therefore, when the network element convergence method of the session management function entity is to separate the functions of the SGW and the PGW, the corresponding first forwarding rule when the functions of the SGW and the PGW are combined should be used as the reconfiguration forwarding rule. Here, the first interface is one of the S1-U interface and the SGI interface, and the second interface is the other of the S1-U interface and the SGI interface.

[0096] In this embodiment of the application, if the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data, the first interface is the S1-U interface and the second interface is the SGI interface; if the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data, the first interface is the SGI interface and the second interface is the S1-U interface.

[0097] In other words, if the SGW and PGW functional logics are separated in the session management functional entity, due to their heterogeneity, the forwarding rules in the target PFCP protocol messages that the user plane functional entity can identify are either forwarding from the S1-U interface to the SGI interface, or forwarding from the SGI interface to the S1-U interface.

[0098] Specifically, if the initial PFCP protocol message is data sent from the base station to the UPF, then the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data. Correspondingly, in this case, the first interface is the S1-U interface, and the second interface is the SGI interface. If the initial PFCP protocol message is data sent from the UPF to the base station, then the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data. Correspondingly, in this case, the first interface is the SGI interface, and the second interface is the S1-U interface.

[0099] The S1-U interface is the interconnection interface between the eNodeB (Evolved Node B) and the SGW, used for data packet transmission. The SGI interface is the interface between the PGW and the packet data network.

[0100] In another optional embodiment, the reconfiguration forwarding rule is determined according to the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity, including: when the network element fusion method of the session management function entity is to combine the functions of the SGW and the PGW, the second forwarding rule is used as the reconfiguration forwarding rule. The second forwarding rule includes forwarding data from the first interface to the intermediate interface and outputting data from the intermediate interface from the second interface.

[0101] Please refer to the above text. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown in the above explanation, when the network element fusion method of the Session Management Function (SGW) entity is to co-locate the functional logic of the SGW and the PGW, correspondingly, since the SGW entity and the User Plane Function (PWG) entity are heterogeneous, the second forwarding rule when the functional logic of the SGW and the PGW are separate should be used as the reconfiguration forwarding rule. Here, the first interface is one of the S1-U interface and the SGI interface, and the second interface is the other of the S1-U interface and the SGI interface.

[0102] Continue to refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown in the embodiments of this application, if the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data, then the first interface is the S1-U interface, the intermediate interface is the S5 / S8 interface, and the second interface is the SGI interface; if the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data, then the first interface is the SGI interface, the intermediate interface is the S5 / S8 interface, and the second interface is the S1-U interface.

[0103] In other words, if the Session Management Functional Entity shares the functional logic for the SGW and PGW, due to their heterogeneity, the forwarding rule in the target PFCP protocol message that the User Plane Functional Entity can recognize is either forwarding from the S1-U interface to the S5 / S8 interface, and then from the S5 / S8 interface to the SGI interface; or forwarding from the SGI interface to the S5 / S8 interface, and then from the S5 / S8 interface to the S1-U interface. Here, the S5 interface is used when the local SGW connects to the local PGW, and the S8 interface is used when connecting to a remote PGW.

[0104] Step 702: Reconstruct the initial PFCP protocol message according to the reconstruction and forwarding rules to obtain the target PFCP protocol message.

[0105] The following section first explains the process of reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message by using the first forwarding rule as the reconstruction forwarding rule.

[0106] In one embodiment, such as Figure 8The diagram illustrates another flowchart for determining a target PFCP protocol message according to an embodiment of this application. The initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed according to the reconstruction and forwarding rules to obtain the target PFCP protocol message, including:

[0107] Step 801: Delete the first PDR data and the first FAR data in the first parameter group.

[0108] Step 802: According to the first forwarding rule, the interface name of the first interface is used to identify the second PDR data in the second parameter group.

[0109] The initial PFCP protocol message includes a first parameter group and a second parameter group. The first parameter group corresponds to one of the SGW and PGW, and the second parameter group corresponds to the other of the SGW and PGW.

[0110] The first parameter group includes first PDR data and first FAR data. Furthermore, the first PDR data includes a set of data such as FARID, QER ID, URR ID, and the interface name of the first interface; the first FAR data contains the interface name of the intermediate interface.

[0111] The second parameter group includes the second PDR data and the second FAR data. Furthermore, the second PDR data also includes another set of data such as FAR ID, QERID, URR ID, and the interface name of the intermediate interface; the second FAR data contains the interface name of the second interface. Here, ID stands for identifier or name; QER is short for QoS Enforcement Rules, referring to QoS enforcement rules, where QoS stands for Quality of Service; and URR is short for Usage Reporting Rules.

[0112] Since the first forwarding rule is used as the reconstructed forwarding rule, and the first forwarding rule only needs to retain the relevant data forwarded from the first interface to the second interface, it is necessary to delete some data in the first parameter group and the second parameter group, and reconstruct each data to obtain the target PFCP protocol message.

[0113] Specifically, the first PDR data and the first FAR data in the first parameter group can be deleted. For example, the FAR ID, QER ID and URR ID in the first PDR data can be deleted, and the interface name of the intermediate interface in the first FAR data can be deleted.

[0114] Furthermore, the interface name of the intermediate interface included in the second PDR data is replaced by the interface name of the remaining first interface in the first PDR data. This is equivalent to using the interface name of the first interface to identify the second PDR data in the second parameter group. Thus, the identified second PDR data includes the interface name of the first interface, FAR ID, QER ID, and URR ID.

[0115] In addition, since the second FAR data contains the interface name of the second interface, the second FAR data is identified by the interface name of the second interface.

[0116] Step 803: Bind the identified second PDR data, the second FAR data in the second parameter group, and other parameters in the second parameter group to the newly created PFCP protocol message to obtain the target PFCP protocol message. The second FAR data in the second parameter group includes the interface name identifier of the second interface.

[0117] The communication device can generate a new PFCP protocol message and bind the identified second PDR data and the identified second FAR data to the new PFCP protocol message. Other parameters in the second parameter group are also synchronously bound to the new PFCP protocol message, resulting in the target PFCP protocol message. It can be understood that, due to the deletion process, the resulting target PFCP protocol message only includes one set of PDR and FAR data, identified by the interface names of the first and second interfaces respectively. Therefore, the target PFCP protocol message can be recognized by the user plane functional entity.

[0118] For ease of understanding, the following will be used as an example. Figure 9 The session management function entity shown is the PFCP protocol message structure when logically separated, which further explains the reconstruction process.

[0119] like Figure 9 The diagram illustrates the process of reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the SMF. When the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the SMF to the UPF is uplink data, the first parameter group corresponds to SGW-U, and the first PDR data includes the interface name of the S1-U interface, used to identify the source interface of the data; the first PDR data also includes FAR ID1, QERID1, and URR ID1. Furthermore, based on FAR ID1, the first FAR data bound to the first PDR data can be determined, and the first FAR data includes the interface name of the S5 / S8 interface, used to identify the destination interface of the data.

[0120] The second parameter group corresponds to PGW-U. The second PDR data includes the interface name of the S5 / S8 interface, used to identify the source interface of the data; the second PDR data also includes FAR ID2, QER ID2, and URR ID2. Furthermore, the second FAR data bound to the second PDR data can be determined based on FAR ID2, and the second FAR data includes the interface name of the SGI interface, used to identify the destination interface of the data. Deletion operations are performed on the first PDR data and the first FAR data, that is, deletion... Figure 9 The content within the dashed box is then processed, and the interface name of the S1-U interface is added to the second PDR data to obtain the target PFCP protocol message corresponding to the reconstructed forwarding rule.

[0121] Continue to refer to Figure 9 As shown, when the SMF sends the initial PFCP protocol message to the UPF as downlink data, the first parameter group corresponds to the PGW-U. The first PDR data includes the interface name of the SGI interface, used to identify the source interface of the data; the first PDR data also includes FAR ID3, QER ID3, and URR ID3. Furthermore, the first FAR data bound to the first PDR data can be determined based on FAR ID3, and the first FAR data includes the interface name of the S5 / S8 interface, used to identify the destination interface of the data.

[0122] The second parameter group corresponds to SGW-U. The second PDR data includes the interface name of the S5 / S8 interface, used to identify the source interface of the data; the second PDR data also includes FAR ID4, QER ID4, and URR ID4. Furthermore, based on FAR ID4, the second FAR data bound to the second PDR data can be determined, and the second FAR data includes the interface name of the S1-U interface, used to identify the destination interface of the data. Deletion operations are performed on the first PDR data and the first FAR data, that is, deletion... Figure 9 The content within the dashed box, and the interface name of the SGI interface is used to identify the second PDR data, thereby obtaining the target PFCP protocol message corresponding to the reconstructed forwarding rule.

[0123] The following section continues to explain the process of reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message by using the second forwarding rule as the reconstruction forwarding rule.

[0124] In one embodiment, such as Figure 10 The diagram illustrates another flowchart for determining a target PFCP protocol message according to an embodiment of this application. The initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed according to the reconstruction and forwarding rules to obtain the target PFCP protocol message, including:

[0125] Step 1001: Replace the original FAR identifier in the third PDR data with the FAR identifier from the newly added FAR data to obtain the modified third PDR data. Then, obtain the fourth parameter group based on the modified third PDR data and the newly added FAR data. The modified third PDR data includes the interface name identifier of the first interface, and the newly added FAR data includes the interface name of the intermediate interface.

[0126] The initial PFCP protocol message includes a third parameter group, which includes third PDR data and third FAR data.

[0127] Step 1002: Replace the interface name of the first interface included in the third PDR data with the interface name of the intermediate interface to obtain the replaced third PDR data, and obtain the fifth parameter group based on the replaced third PDR data and the third FAR data. The third FAR data includes the interface name of the second interface.

[0128] Step 1003: Obtain the target PFCP protocol message based on the fourth and fifth parameter groups.

[0129] For ease of understanding, the following will be used as an example. Figure 11 The session management function entity shown is the PFCP protocol message structure when logically combined, which further explains the reconstruction process.

[0130] like Figure 11 The diagram illustrates the process of reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the SMF. When the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the SMF to the UPF is uplink data, the third parameter group includes third PDR data and third FAR data. The third PDR data includes the interface name of the S1-U interface, used to identify the source interface of the data; the third PDR data also includes FAR ID0, QER ID0, and URR ID0. Furthermore, the third FAR data bound to the third PDR data can be determined based on FAR ID0, and the third FAR data includes the interface name of the SGI interface.

[0131] During the reconstruction process, the third PDR data is bound to the newly added FAR data. In this binding process, the original FAR identifier FAR ID0 is replaced with the FAR identifier FAR ID0' of the newly added FAR data. Furthermore, the modified third PDR data includes the interface name identifier of the first interface; that is, the interface name of the first interface is used to identify the third PDR data. The interface name of the intermediate interface is used to identify the newly added FAR data. Based on the modified third PDR data and the newly added FAR data, a fourth parameter group is obtained. Specifically, the modified third PDR data included in the fourth parameter group contains the interface name of the S1-U interface, FAR ID0', QER ID0, and URR ID0; the identified third FAR data included in the fourth parameter group contains the interface name of the S5 / S8 interface, used to characterize the destination interface of the data.

[0132] Additionally, a fifth parameter group is generated. This fifth parameter group includes the replaced third PDR data, which is obtained by replacing the interface name of the first interface included in the third PDR data with the interface name of the intermediate interface. That is, the replaced third PDR data included in the fifth parameter group contains the interface name of the S5 / S8 interface, FAR ID0, QER ID0, and URR ID0. The fifth parameter group also includes third FAR data bound to the replaced third PDR data and identified by the interface name of the second interface; that is, the third FAR data included in the fifth parameter group includes the interface name of the SGI interface. It can be understood that the fourth parameter group corresponds to SGW-U, and the fifth parameter group corresponds to PGW-U.

[0133] By migrating the obtained fourth and fifth parameter groups, along with other data and parameters from the initial PFCP protocol message, to the newly created PFCP protocol message, the target PFCP protocol message can be obtained. In this way, the target PFCP protocol message conforms to the logically separate forwarding rules and can be recognized by the logically separate UPF, thus achieving decoupling of the PFCP protocol interface.

[0134] Continue to refer to Figure 11 As shown, when the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the SMF to the UPF is downlink data, the third parameter group includes third PDR data and third FAR data. The third PDR data includes the interface name of the SGI interface, used to characterize the source interface of the data; the third PDR data also includes FAR ID1, QER ID1, and URR ID1. Furthermore, the third FAR data bound to the third PDR data can be determined based on FAR ID1, and the third FAR data includes the interface name of the S1-U interface.

[0135] During the reconstruction process, the third PDR data is bound to the newly added FAR data. In this binding process, the original FAR ID1 is replaced with the FAR identifier FAR ID1' of the newly added FAR data. Additionally, the interface name of the first interface is used to identify the third PDR data, and the interface name of the intermediate interface is used to identify the newly added FAR data, resulting in the fourth parameter group. That is, the modified third PDR data included in the fourth parameter group contains the interface name of the SGI interface, FAR ID1', QER ID1, and URR ID1; the third FAR data included in the fourth parameter group contains the interface name of the S5 / S8 interface, used to characterize the destination interface of the data.

[0136] Additionally, a fifth parameter group is generated. This fifth parameter group includes the replaced third PDR data containing the interface name, FAR ID1, QER ID1, and URR ID1 of the S5 / S8 interface. It also includes third FAR data bound to the replaced third PDR data and identified by the interface name of the second interface; that is, the third FAR data included in the fifth parameter group includes the interface name of the S1-U interface. It can be understood that the fourth parameter group corresponds to PGW-C, and the fifth parameter group corresponds to SGW-C.

[0137] By migrating the obtained fourth and fifth parameter groups, along with other data and parameters from the initial PFCP protocol message, to the newly created PFCP protocol message, the target PFCP protocol message can be obtained. In this way, the target PFCP protocol message conforms to the logically separate forwarding rules and can be recognized by the logically separate UPF, thus achieving decoupling of the PFCP protocol interface.

[0138] In this embodiment, the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed according to the reconstruction and forwarding rules to obtain the target PFCP protocol message, which is then sent to the user plane function entity. This achieves the converged deployment of 4G and 5G networks between heterogeneous SMF and UPF. By adding the function of the communication device C-IWF to identify, analyze, and reconstruct PFCP protocol messages, the problem of incompatibility between heterogeneous SMF and UPF is solved. Furthermore, corresponding PFCP protocol message reconstruction schemes are proposed for the two heterogeneous scenarios. Based on this, the communication device reconstructs the PFCP protocol interface message. In scenarios with heterogeneous SMF and UPF deployment requirements, PFCP protocol interface decoupling can be achieved without complex modifications to the existing network, improving the flexibility of customized network deployment and the diversity of equipment selection, thereby promoting the development of the overall 5G ToB industry ecosystem.

[0139] The method proposed in this application embodiment will be specifically described below using a specific communication scenario. This application embodiment provides a method for achieving 4G and 5G network convergence through heterogeneous SMF and UPF collaborative networking using C-IWF. This method can be applied to, for example... Figure 12 The application environment shown. It should be noted that... Figure 12 This is merely an illustrative application environment diagram, which also shows other network elements that interface with SMF and UPF. The method includes the following:

[0140] When forwarding the initial PFCP protocol message, the C-IWF identifies the initial PFCP protocol message. This identification includes: determining whether the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the SMF is a 4G session establishment message based on fields such as Source Interface, Network Instance, and 3GPP Interface Type in the PDR, and Destination Interface and 3GPP Interface Type in the FAR. Additionally, it identifies whether the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the SMF corresponds to a logically co-located or logically separate SGW and PGW; that is, determining whether the SMF and UPF are homogeneous or heterogeneous.

[0141] Specifically, when the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the SMF is a 5G session establishment message, the C-IWF directly transmits this initial PFCP protocol message to the UPF. When the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the SMF is a 4G session establishment message and the SMF and UPF are homogeneous, the C-IWF directly transmits this initial PFCP protocol message to the UPF. When the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the SMF is a 4G session establishment message and the SMF and UPF are heterogeneous, the C-IWF reconstructs the initial PFCP protocol message. The reconstruction process is as follows:

[0142] (1) In SMF, SGW-U and PGW-U are logically separate, while in UPF, SGW-C and PGW-C are logically combined:

[0143] The message sent from the logically separate SMF to the logically co-located UPF contains forwarding rules: S1-U—S5 / S8, S5 / S8—SGI. When interfacing with the logically co-located UPF, the C-IWF merges the rules in the message into S1-U—SGI, removes redundant FAR and PDR from the message, and rebinds the original QER and URR binding relationships of S5 / S8—SGI (in uplink data) or S5 / S8—S1-U (in downlink data) to the PDR data corresponding to the S1-U—SGI rule.

[0144] (2) In SMF, SGW-U and PGW-U are logically combined, while in UPF, SGW-C and PGW-C are logically separate:

[0145] The message sent from the logically co-located SMF to the logically separate UPF contains the forwarding rule S1-U-SGI. ​​When interfacing with the logically separate UPF, C-IWF decomposes the S1-U-SGI in the message into S1-U-S5 / S8 and S5 / S8-SGI. ​​It creates new FAR (S5 / S8 destination direction) and PDR (S5 / S8 source direction) and rebinds the QER and URR bindings corresponding to the original S1-U-SGI rule to the PDR data corresponding to the new S1-U-S5 / S8 and S5 / S8-SGI rules.

[0146] In this embodiment, PFCP protocol messages are forwarded between the heterogeneous SMF and UPF via C-IWF. During the forwarding process, the PFCP protocol messages sent by the SMF are identified, and the data flow and information are determined according to PDR data and FAR data. Based on the determination results and the implementation logic of the UPF receiver, the PFCP protocol messages are reconstructed, so that the UPF can correctly identify and receive the reconstructed PFCP protocol messages. This ensures the decoupling of the PFCP protocol interface and enables the integration of 4G and 5G networks under heterogeneous SMF and UPF without complex modifications to the existing network.

[0147] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowcharts of the embodiments described above are shown sequentially according to the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless explicitly stated herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and they can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least some steps in the flowcharts of the embodiments described above may include multiple steps or multiple stages. These steps or stages are not necessarily completed at the same time, but can be executed at different times. The execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be performed alternately or in turn with other steps or at least some of the steps or stages of other steps.

[0148] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides a message transmission apparatus for implementing the message transmission method described above. The solution provided by this apparatus is similar to the implementation described in the above method; therefore, the specific limitations in one or more message transmission apparatus embodiments provided below can be found in the limitations of the message transmission method described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0149] In one embodiment, such as Figure 13As shown, a message transmission device 1300 is provided, comprising: a first determining module 1301, a second determining module 1302, and a reconstructing module 1303, wherein:

[0150] The first determining module 1301 is used to receive the initial PFCP protocol message sent by the session management function entity, and to identify the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is a target message type.

[0151] The second determining module 1302 is used to determine whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity match each other when the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type. The network element fusion method is used to indicate the way to fuse the network element functions of SGW and PGW.

[0152] The reconstruction module 1303 is used to reconstruct the initial PFCP protocol message in the case of mismatch, obtain the target PFCP protocol message, and send the target PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity.

[0153] In one embodiment, the reconstruction module 1303 is specifically used to: determine the reconstruction forwarding rule according to the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity; and reconstruct the initial PFCP protocol message according to the reconstruction forwarding rule to obtain the target PFCP protocol message.

[0154] In one embodiment, the reconstructing module 1303 is specifically used to: when the network element fusion method of the session management function entity is to separate the function of the SGW and the function logic of the PGW, use the first forwarding rule as the reconstructed forwarding rule, the first forwarding rule including outputting data from the first interface from the second interface.

[0155] In one embodiment, the initial PFCP protocol message includes a first parameter group and a second parameter group, the first parameter group corresponding to one of the SGW and the PGW, and the second parameter group corresponding to the other of the SGW and the PGW; the reconstruction module 1303 is specifically used to: delete the first PDR data and the first FAR data in the first parameter group; identify the second PDR data in the second parameter group using the interface name of the first interface according to the first forwarding rule; bind the identified second PDR data, the second FAR data in the second parameter group, and other parameters in the second parameter group to the newly created PFCP protocol message to obtain the target PFCP protocol message; wherein, the second FAR data in the second parameter group includes the interface name identifier of the second interface.

[0156] In one embodiment, if the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data, the first interface is the S1-U interface and the second interface is the SGI interface; if the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data, the first interface is the SGI interface and the second interface is the S1-U interface.

[0157] In one embodiment, the reconfiguration module 1303 is specifically used to: when the network element fusion mode of the session management function entity is to combine the functions of the SGW and the PGW, use the second forwarding rule as the reconfigured forwarding rule, the second forwarding rule including forwarding data from the first interface to the intermediate interface and outputting data from the intermediate interface from the second interface.

[0158] In one embodiment, the initial PFCP protocol message includes a third parameter group, which includes third PDR data and third FAR data. The reconstruction module 1303 is specifically used to: replace the original FAR identifier included in the third PDR data with the FAR identifier of the newly added FAR data to obtain modified third PDR data, and obtain a fourth parameter group based on the modified third PDR data and the newly added FAR data; wherein the modified third PDR data includes the interface name identifier of the first interface, and the newly added FAR data includes the interface name of the intermediate interface; replace the interface name of the first interface included in the third PDR data with the interface name of the intermediate interface to obtain replaced third PDR data, and obtain a fifth parameter group based on the replaced third PDR data and the third FAR data; wherein the third FAR data includes the interface name of the second interface; and obtain the target PFCP protocol message based on the fourth and fifth parameter groups.

[0159] In one embodiment, if the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data, then the first interface is the S1-U interface, the intermediate interface is the S5 / S8 interface, and the second interface is the SGI interface; if the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data, then the first interface is the SGI interface, the intermediate interface is the S5 / S8 interface, and the second interface is the S1-U interface.

[0160] In one embodiment, the first determining module 1301 is configured to: determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type based on multiple target interface fields in the PFCP protocol message; the multiple target interface fields include at least a source interface field, a destination interface field, and a 3GPP interface type field.

[0161] In one embodiment, the target message type is a 4G session establishment message.

[0162] In one embodiment, the device further includes:

[0163] The sending module is used to directly send the initial PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity if the initial PFCP protocol message is not a 4G session establishment message.

[0164] Each module in the aforementioned message transmission device can be implemented entirely or partially through software, hardware, or a combination thereof. These modules can be embedded in or independent of the processor in a computer device, or stored in the memory of a computer device as software, so that the processor can call and execute the operations corresponding to each module.

[0165] In one embodiment, this application provides a communication system including a session management function entity, a user plane function entity, and a communication device for performing the message transmission method as described in the above embodiments.

[0166] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 14 The communication device 1400 shown includes at least one processor 1401, a memory 1402, and at least one network interface 1404. The various components in the communication device 1400 are coupled together via a bus system 1405. It is understood that the bus system 1405 is used to implement communication between these components. In addition to a data bus, the bus system 1405 also includes a power bus, a control bus, and a status signal bus. However, for clarity, ... Figure 14 Various buses are designated as bus system 1405. Additionally, embodiments of this application also include a transceiver 1406, which may consist of multiple elements, including a transmitter and a receiver, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium.

[0167] It is understood that the memory 1402 in the embodiments of the present invention can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM). The memory 1402 of the systems and methods described in this embodiment is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0168] In some implementations, memory 1402 stores elements such as executable modules or data structures, or subsets thereof, or extended sets thereof, including operating system 1421. Operating system 1421 contains various system programs, such as a framework layer, core library layer, and driver layer, used to implement various basic business functions and handle hardware-based tasks.

[0169] In this embodiment, by calling the program or instructions stored in memory 1402, the receiver is configured to receive an initial PFCP protocol message sent by the session management function entity; the processor is configured to identify the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is a target message type; if the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type, it is configured to determine whether the network element fusion method of the session management function entity matches the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity, the network element fusion method being used to indicate the method of fusion of network element functions of SGW and PGW; if they do not match, the initial PFCP protocol message is reconstructed to obtain a target PFCP protocol message; and the transmitter is configured to send the target PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity.

[0170] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present invention, in part or in all of them, can also be applied to processor 1401, implemented by processor 1401, or implemented by processor 1401 in conjunction with other components (e.g., transceivers). Processor 1401 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above methods can be completed by the integrated logic circuit of the hardware in processor 1401 or by instructions in the form of software. The processor 1401 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present invention can be directly embodied in the execution of a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory 1402. Processor 1401 reads the information in memory 1402 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0171] It is understood that the embodiments described in this invention can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, or a combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the processing unit can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units for performing the functions described in this application, or combinations thereof.

[0172] For software implementation, the techniques described in the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described in the embodiments of the present invention. The software code can be stored in memory and executed by processor 1401. The memory can be implemented in processor 1401 or external to processor 1401.

[0173] In one embodiment, the processor executes a computer program specifically for determining a reconstructed forwarding rule based on the network element fusion method of the session management function entity and the network element fusion method of the user plane function entity; and reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message according to the reconstructed forwarding rule to obtain the target PFCP protocol message.

[0174] In one embodiment, the processor executes a computer program specifically configured to, when the network element convergence method of the session management function entity is to separate the functions of the SGW and the PGW, use a first forwarding rule as the reconstructed forwarding rule, the first forwarding rule including outputting data from the first interface from the second interface.

[0175] In one embodiment, the processor executes a computer program specifically for deleting the first PDR data and the first FAR data in the first parameter group; identifying the second PDR data in the second parameter group using the interface name of the first interface according to the first forwarding rule; binding the identified second PDR data, the second FAR data in the second parameter group, and other parameters in the second parameter group to a newly created PFCP protocol message to obtain a target PFCP protocol message; wherein the second FAR data in the second parameter group includes the interface name identifier of the second interface.

[0176] In one embodiment, the processor executes a computer program specifically configured to, when the network element convergence method of the session management function entity is to logically combine the functions of the SGW and the PGW, use the second forwarding rule as the reconfigured forwarding rule, the second forwarding rule including forwarding data from the first interface to the intermediate interface and outputting data from the intermediate interface from the second interface.

[0177] In one embodiment, the processor executes a computer program specifically configured to replace the original FAR identifier included in the third PDR data with the FAR identifier of the newly added FAR data to obtain modified third PDR data, and obtain a fourth parameter group based on the modified third PDR data and the newly added FAR data; wherein the modified third PDR data includes the interface name identifier of the first interface, and the newly added FAR data includes the interface name of the intermediate interface; replace the interface name of the first interface included in the third PDR data with the interface name of the intermediate interface to obtain replaced third PDR data, and obtain a fifth parameter group based on the replaced third PDR data and the third FAR data; wherein the third FAR data includes the interface name of the second interface; and obtain the target PFCP protocol message based on the fourth parameter group and the fifth parameter group.

[0178] In one embodiment, the processor executes a computer program specifically configured to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type based on a plurality of target interface fields in the PFCP protocol message; the plurality of target interface fields include at least a source interface field, a destination interface field, and a 3GPP interface type field.

[0179] In one embodiment, the transmitter is configured to directly send the initial PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity if the initial PFCP protocol message is not a 4G session establishment message.

[0180] Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 14 The structure shown is merely a block diagram of a portion of the structure related to the present application and does not constitute a limitation on the communication device to which the present application is applied. Specific communication devices may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0181] In one embodiment, a chip is provided. Figure 15 This is a schematic structural diagram of the chip according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 15 The chip 1500 shown includes a processor 1510, which can call and run computer programs from memory to implement the methods in the embodiments of this application.

[0182] Optionally, such as Figure 15As shown, chip 1500 may further include memory 1520. Processor 1510 can retrieve and run computer programs from memory 1520 to implement the methods described in this embodiment. Memory 1520 may be a separate device independent of processor 1510, or it may be integrated into processor 1510.

[0183] Optionally, the chip 1500 may further include an input interface 1530. The processor 1510 can control the input interface 1530 to communicate with other devices or chips; specifically, it can acquire information or data sent by other devices or chips. Optionally, the chip 1500 may further include an output interface 1540. The processor 1510 can control the output interface 1540 to communicate with other devices or chips; specifically, it can output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0184] Optionally, the chip 1500 can be applied to the communication device in the embodiments of this application, and the chip 1500 can implement the corresponding processes implemented by the communication device in the various methods of the embodiments of this application. For the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail here.

[0185] It should be understood that the chip 1500 mentioned in the embodiments of this application can also be called a system-on-a-chip, system-on-a-chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip, etc. It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiments can be completed by the integrated logic circuit in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software form. The processor mentioned above can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the field, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor reads information from the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0186] In one embodiment, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the method embodiments described above.

[0187] In one embodiment, this application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product includes a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps in the method embodiments described above.

[0188] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. The computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Any references to memory, databases, or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application can include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, optical memory, high-density embedded non-volatile memory, resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), phase change memory (PCM), graphene memory, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory, etc. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM can take many forms, such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) or Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM). The databases involved in the embodiments provided in this application may include at least one type of relational database and non-relational database. Non-relational databases may include, but are not limited to, blockchain-based distributed databases. The processors involved in the embodiments provided in this application may be general-purpose processors, central processing units, graphics processing units, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, quantum computing-based data processing logic devices, etc., and are not limited to these.

[0189] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0190] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of this patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A message transmission method, characterized by, The method comprises: receiving an initial PFCP protocol message sent by a session management function entity, and identifying the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is a target message type; in the case where the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type, determining whether a network element fusion manner of the session management function entity and a network element fusion manner of a user plane function entity match each other, the network element fusion manner being used to indicate a manner of fusing network element functions of an SGW and a PGW; in the case of mismatch, reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message to obtain a target PFCP protocol message, and sending the target PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity; the reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message to obtain a target PFCP protocol message comprises: determining a reconstruction forwarding rule according to the network element fusion manner of the session management function entity and the network element fusion manner of the user plane function entity; and reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message according to the reconstruction forwarding rule to obtain a target PFCP protocol message; the determining a reconstruction forwarding rule according to the network element fusion manner of the session management function entity and the network element fusion manner of the user plane function entity comprises: in the case where the network element fusion manner of the session management function entity is to logically combine functions of the SGW and the PGW, taking a second forwarding rule as the reconstruction forwarding rule, the second forwarding rule comprising forwarding data originating from a first interface to an intermediate interface, and outputting data originating from the intermediate interface from a second interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the determining a reconstruction forwarding rule according to the network element fusion manner of the session management function entity and the network element fusion manner of the user plane function entity comprises: in the case where the network element fusion manner of the session management function entity is to logically separate the functions of the SGW and the PGW, taking a first forwarding rule as the reconstruction forwarding rule, the first forwarding rule comprising outputting data originating from a first interface from a second interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, the initial PFCP protocol message comprises a first parameter group and a second parameter group, the first parameter group corresponding to one of the SGW and the PGW, and the second parameter group corresponding to the other of the SGW and the PGW; the reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message according to the reconstruction forwarding rule to obtain a target PFCP protocol message comprises: performing deletion processing on first PDR data and first FAR data in the first parameter group; identifying second PDR data in the second parameter group by using an interface name of the first interface according to the first forwarding rule; binding the identified second PDR data, second FAR data in the second parameter group, and other parameters in the second parameter group to a newly created PFCP protocol message to obtain the target PFCP protocol message; wherein the second FAR data in the second parameter group comprises an interface name identification of the second interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, if the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data, the first interface is an S1-U interface, and the second interface is an SGI interface; if the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data, the first interface is an SGI interface, and the second interface is an S1-U interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, the initial PFCP protocol message comprises a third parameter group, the third parameter group comprising third PDR data and third FAR data; and reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message according to the reconstructed forwarding rule to obtain a target PFCP protocol message comprises: replacing an original FAR identifier included in the third PDR data with an FAR identifier of the newly added FAR data to obtain modified third PDR data, and obtaining a fourth parameter group according to the modified third PDR data and the newly added FAR data; wherein the modified third PDR data comprises an interface name identifier of the first interface, and the newly added FAR data comprises an interface name of the intermediate interface; replacing an interface name of the first interface included in the third PDR data with an interface name of the intermediate interface to obtain replaced third PDR data, and obtaining a fifth parameter group according to the replaced third PDR data and the third FAR data; wherein the third FAR data comprises an interface name of the second interface; obtaining the target PFCP protocol message according to the fourth parameter group and the fifth parameter group.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, if the initial PFCP protocol message is uplink data, the first interface is an S1-U interface, the intermediate interface is an S5 / S8 interface, and the second interface is an SGI interface; if the initial PFCP protocol message is downlink data, the first interface is an SGI interface, the intermediate interface is an S5 / S8 interface, and the second interface is an S1-U interface.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the determining whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type comprises: determining whether the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type according to a plurality of target interface fields in the PFCP protocol message; the plurality of target interface fields at least comprising a source interface field, a destination interface field, and a 3GPP interface type field.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, the target message type is a 4G session establishment message.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, the method further comprises: if the initial PFCP protocol message is not the 4G session establishment message, directly sending the initial PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity.

10. A message transmission apparatus characterized by comprising: the apparatus comprises: a first determining module configured to receive an initial PFCP protocol message sent by a session management function entity, and identify the initial PFCP protocol message to determine whether the initial PFCP protocol message is a target message type; The second determining module is configured to determine whether the network element fusion manners of the session management function entity and the user plane function entity match each other in the case that the initial PFCP protocol message is the target message type, the network element fusion manner being used to indicate a manner of fusing network element functions of an SGW and a PGW. The reconstructing module is configured to reconstruct the initial PFCP protocol message to obtain a target PFCP protocol message in the case of mismatch, and send the target PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity. The reconstructing module is specifically configured to determine a reconstruction forwarding rule according to the network element fusion manner of the session management function entity and the network element fusion manner of the user plane function entity, reconstruct the initial PFCP protocol message according to the reconstruction forwarding rule to obtain the target PFCP protocol message. The reconstructing module is specifically configured to, in the case that the network element fusion manner of the session management function entity is to logically combine the functions of the SGW and the PGW, take a second forwarding rule as the reconstruction forwarding rule, the second forwarding rule comprising forwarding data from a first interface to an intermediate interface and outputting data from the intermediate interface from a second interface.

11. A communication system, characterized by The system comprises a session management function entity, a user plane function entity, and a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

12. A communication device, characterized by The system comprises a session management function entity, a user plane function entity, and a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The system comprises a session management function entity, a user plane function entity, and a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The system comprises a session management function entity, a user plane function entity, and a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The system comprises a session management function entity, a user plane function entity, and a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The system comprises a session management function entity, a user plane function entity, and a communication device for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9. ​ The reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message to obtain a target PFCP protocol message comprises: determining a reconstruction forwarding rule according to the network element fusion manner of the session management function entity and the network element fusion manner of the user plane function entity; and reconstructing the initial PFCP protocol message according to the reconstruction forwarding rule to obtain the target PFCP protocol message; the determining the reconstruction forwarding rule according to the network element fusion manner of the session management function entity and the network element fusion manner of the user plane function entity comprises: in a case where the network element fusion manner of the session management function entity is to logically combine the functions of the SGW and the PGW, taking a second forwarding rule as the reconstruction forwarding rule, the second forwarding rule comprising forwarding data from a first interface to an intermediate interface and outputting data from the intermediate interface from a second interface. The sender is configured to send the target PFCP protocol message to the user plane function entity.

13. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that The computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 9.

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