Session processing method, apparatus and communication device

Abstract

The application provides a session processing method and device and communication equipment to solve the problem of how to process the PDU session belonging to a VN group in a SMF when the SMF cannot serve the terminal in the VN group. The method of the embodiment of the application comprises: a first session management function (SMF) acquires a first session migration request message, the first session migration request message being used to request migration of a PDU session of a first virtual network (VN) group in a second SMF to the first SMF; and the first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and a target user plane function (UPF) according to the first session migration request message, the N4 session connection being used to determine a user plane path, the user plane path being used to anchor the PDU session to a target UPF, the target UPF being a UPF other than a first UPF, and the first UPF being a UPF that has established an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a session processing method, apparatus and communication equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In the Generic Group Management, Exposure and Communication Enhancements (GMEC) scenario, multiple Session Management Functions (SMFs) communicate with terminals. When an SMF serving a Virtual Network (VN) group can no longer serve terminals in that VN group due to certain conditions, it triggers a change in the SMFs within that VN group. In this case, there is no solution for how to handle Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions belonging to the VN group within that SMF. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this application is to provide a session processing method, apparatus, and communication device to solve the problem of how to process PDU sessions belonging to the VN group in the SMF when the SMF cannot provide services to the terminals in the VN group.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a session processing method, including:

[0005] The first session management function (SMF) obtains a first session migration request message, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0006] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between itself and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message. The N4 session connection is used to determine the user plane path, and the user plane path is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. The target UPF is a UPF other than the first UPF, and the first UPF is a UPF that has already established an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0007] Optionally, the first session migration request message includes one or more of the following:

[0008] The identifier for the VN group;

[0009] The identifier of the second SMF;

[0010] Information related to the VN group in the first UPF;

[0011] The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group;

[0012] The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF;

[0013] Group-level N4 related parameters;

[0014] Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0015] Optionally, the target UPF includes a second UPF, which is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF.

[0016] Optionally, the target UPF includes a second UPF and a third UPF, wherein the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF, and the third UPF is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF;

[0017] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message, including:

[0018] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF based on the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF.

[0019] Based on the second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF; wherein, the third UPF is connected to the second UPF.

[0020] Optionally, the target UPF includes a fourth UPF, which is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF, and the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF;

[0021] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message, including:

[0022] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF based on the partial PDU session identifier of the first VN group in the first session migration request message. The fourth UPF is connected to the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF is used to establish a user plane path that anchors the partial PDU session to the second UPF through the fourth UPF.

[0023] Optionally, establishing an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF includes:

[0024] The first SMF sends a session reconstruction message to the second UPF, the session reconstruction message being used to instruct the second UPF to establish an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0025] Optionally, the session reconstruction message includes:

[0026] The identifier for the VN group;

[0027] N4 session information in the second UPF;

[0028] Session substitution identifier, which is used to indicate that the second UPF substitutes for the N4 endpoint information of the second SMF;

[0029] The N4 session information includes one or more of the following:

[0030] The second UPF is the tunnel endpoint identifier assigned to the group-level N4 session;

[0031] The endpoint IP address of the group-level N4 session;

[0032] Identifier for group-level N4 sessions;

[0033] List of UE IPs corresponding to group-level sessions;

[0034] A list of PDU sessions corresponding to group-level sessions;

[0035] The second SMF assigns N4 information to the second UPF.

[0036] Optionally, before the first SMF sends a session reconstruction message to the second UPF, the method further includes:

[0037] The first SMF sends an information retrieval request to the second SMF or UDM;

[0038] The first SMF obtains the session context information of the first VN group from the second SMF or UDM, and the session context information of the first VN group includes the N4 session information in the second UPF.

[0039] Optionally, if the N4 session information does not include the N4 information allocated by the second SMF to the second UPF, the session reconstruction message further includes:

[0040] Reuse indication information, which is used by the second UPF to reuse the N4 information allocated by the second SMF to the second UPF.

[0041] Optionally, establishing an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF includes:

[0042] The first SMF sends an N4 session establishment message to the third UPF, the N4 session establishment message being used to instruct the third UPF to establish an N4 session connection with the first SMF;

[0043] The first SMF obtains the tunnel information allocated by the third UPF for the group-level N4 session, the tunnel information including uplink tunnel endpoint information and downlink tunnel endpoint information;

[0044] The first SMF sends the uplink tunnel endpoint information to the radio access network device, and the uplink tunnel endpoint information is used to instruct the radio access network device to establish a user plane path with the third UPF;

[0045] The first SMF sends the downlink tunnel endpoint information to the second UPF, and the downlink tunnel information is used to instruct the second UPF to establish a user plane path with the third UPF.

[0046] This application also provides a session processing method, including:

[0047] The Network Function (NF) acquires a second Session Migration Request message sent by the second SMF. The second Session Migration Request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first Virtual Network (VN) group in the second SMF.

[0048] The NF sends a first session migration request message to the first SMF according to the second session migration request message. The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0049] Optionally, before the NF sends the first session migration request message to the first SMF based on the second session migration request message, it further includes:

[0050] An event notification message is sent to the target SMF serving the first VN group. The event notification message is used to notify the second SMF in the first VN group that it can no longer serve the sessions in the first VN group. The target SMF refers to the SMF serving the first VN group other than the second SMF.

[0051] Obtain the response message sent by the first SMF in the target SMF, the response message being used to indicate that the first SMF can establish an N4 connection with the second UPF;

[0052] Based on the response message, a first session migration request message is sent to the first SMF.

[0053] Optionally, after the network function NF obtains the second session migration request message sent by the second SMF, the method further includes:

[0054] The NF refuses to establish a new PDU session belonging to the first VN group to the second SMF.

[0055] Optionally, the first session migration request message includes one or more of the following:

[0056] The identifier for the VN group;

[0057] The identifier of the second SMF;

[0058] Information related to the VN group in the second UPF;

[0059] The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group;

[0060] The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF;

[0061] Group-level N4 related parameters;

[0062] Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0063] This application also provides a session processing method, including:

[0064] The second SMF sends a second session migration request message to the NF. The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF.

[0065] Optionally, before the second SMF sends the second session migration request message to the NF, it also includes:

[0066] Receive the information retrieval request sent by the first SMF;

[0067] According to the group information acquisition request, the N4 session information in the second UPF is sent to the first SMF. The second UPF is the UPF that establishes the N4 session connection for the second SMF.

[0068] This application also provides a session processing apparatus, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor;

[0069] A memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver for sending and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer programs from the memory and performing the following operations:

[0070] Obtain a first session migration request message, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF to the first SMF;

[0071] According to the first session migration request message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF. The N4 session connection is used to determine the user plane path. The user plane path is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. The target UPF is a UPF other than the first UPF. The first UPF is a UPF that has already established an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0072] Optionally, the first session migration request message includes one or more of the following:

[0073] The identifier for the VN group;

[0074] The identifier of the second SMF;

[0075] Information related to the VN group in the first UPF;

[0076] The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group;

[0077] The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF;

[0078] Group-level N4 related parameters;

[0079] Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0080] Optionally, the target UPF includes a second UPF, which is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF.

[0081] Optionally, the target UPF includes a second UPF and a third UPF, wherein the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF, and the third UPF is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF;

[0082] When the processor executes the program, it also performs the following steps:

[0083] Based on the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF.

[0084] Based on the second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF; wherein, the third UPF is connected to the second UPF.

[0085] Optionally, the target UPF includes a fourth UPF, which is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF, and the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF;

[0086] When the processor executes the program, it also performs the following steps:

[0087] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF based on the partial PDU session identifier of the first VN group in the first session migration request message. The fourth UPF is connected to the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF is used to establish a user plane path that anchors the partial PDU session to the second UPF through the fourth UPF.

[0088] This application also provides a session processing apparatus, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor;

[0089] A memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver for sending and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer programs from the memory and performing the following operations:

[0090] Obtain the second session migration request message sent by the second SMF, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF;

[0091] According to the second session migration request message, a first session migration request message is sent to the first SMF. The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0092] This application also provides a session processing apparatus, including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor;

[0093] A memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver for sending and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer programs from the memory and performing the following operations:

[0094] Send a second session migration request message to the NF. The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF.

[0095] This application also provides a session processing apparatus for a first SMF, comprising:

[0096] The first acquisition unit is used to acquire a first session migration request message, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0097] The first processing unit is configured to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message. The N4 session connection is used to determine the user plane path, and the user plane path is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. The target UPF is a UPF other than the first UPF, and the first UPF is a UPF that has already established an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0098] This application also provides a session processing apparatus for network functions, including:

[0099] The second acquisition unit is used to acquire a second session migration request message sent by the second SMF, the second session migration request message being used to request the migration of PDU sessions in the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF;

[0100] The first sending unit is configured to send a first session migration request message to the first SMF according to the second session migration request message. The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0101] This application also provides a session processing apparatus for a second SMF, comprising:

[0102] The second sending unit is used to send a second session migration request message to the NF. The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF.

[0103] This application also provides a processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program for causing the processor to perform the steps of the session processing method described above.

[0104] The above-mentioned technical solution of this application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0105] In this embodiment, the first session management function (SMF) obtains a first session migration request message, which requests the migration of PDU sessions of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF. Based on the first session migration request message, the first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function (UPF). The N4 session connection is used to establish a user plane path, which anchors the PDU sessions to the target UPF. Through this user plane path and N4 session connection, the purpose of migrating the PDU sessions of the first VN group (ses associated with the VN group) from the second SMF to the first SMF can be achieved. Compared to the existing method of deregistering, reregistering, and establishing sessions, this method effectively improves the processing efficiency of the VN group member sessions and reduces the number of signaling interactions and data interruptions. Attached Figure Description

[0106] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates the structure of a network system to which embodiments of this application can be applied.

[0107] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating one of the session processing methods according to an embodiment of this application;

[0108] Figure 3 This is one of the schematic diagrams illustrating the connection between SMF and UPF in the embodiments of this application;

[0109] Figure 4 One of the interactive schematic diagrams illustrating the session processing method of this application embodiment;

[0110] Figure 5 This diagram illustrates session migration in an embodiment of this application.

[0111] Figure 6 The second interactive schematic diagram illustrating the session processing method of this application embodiment;

[0112] Figure 7 This is the second schematic diagram illustrating the connection between SMF and UPF in the embodiments of this application.

[0113] Figure 8 This is the third schematic diagram illustrating the connection between the SMF and UPF in the embodiments of this application.

[0114] Figure 9A second flowchart illustrating the session processing method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0115] Figure 10 The third flowchart illustrating the session processing method of this application embodiment;

[0116] Figure 11 A structural block diagram illustrating the session processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application;

[0117] Figure 12 One of the schematic diagrams of a session processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application;

[0118] Figure 13 A second schematic diagram of the module of the session processing device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0119] Figure 14 The third schematic diagram of the module of the session processing device in an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0120] To make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, a detailed description will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0121] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication system to which this transmission embodiment can be applied. The wireless communication system includes a terminal device 11 and a network-side device 12. The terminal device 11 can also be referred to as a terminal or a user equipment (UE). It should be noted that this embodiment does not limit the specific type of the terminal 11. The network-side device 12 can be a base station or a core network. It should be noted that this embodiment only uses a base station in an NR system as an example, but does not limit the specific type of base station.

[0122] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the embodiments of this application, the following description will be provided first.

[0123] Group-level N4 Session in 5G VN group management:

[0124] When using N19-based forwarding, the following applies to PDU sessions associated with 5G VN groups (Data Network Name DNN, S-SSAI).

[0125] If a PDU session for the same 5G VN group is anchored to different UPFs, the SMF should create a group-level N4 session in each participating UPF through the N4 session establishment process in order to establish an N19 tunnel between the UPFs and install N4 rules.

[0126] The session processing method provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, through some embodiments and application scenarios.

[0127] like Figure 2 As shown, this application provides a session processing method, including:

[0128] Step 201: The first session management function (SMF) obtains a first session migration request message, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0129] Optionally, both the first SMF and the second SMF are terminal services in the first VN group.

[0130] The PDU sessions of the first Virtual Network (VN) group are PDU sessions in the PDU session list associated with the VN group in the second SMF.

[0131] In this embodiment, the second SMF (SMF2) sends a second session migration request message to the Network Function (NF). This second session migration request message requests the migration of PDU sessions in the first VN group within the second SMF. This second session migration request message is either a 5G VN group session management transfer request or a 5G VN group event notification message. Based on this second session migration request message, the Network Function sends the aforementioned first session migration request message to the first SMF (SMF1). This first session migration request message can specifically be a 5G VN group session management transfer request or a 5G VN group event notification message.

[0132] Optionally, the first session migration request message includes one or more of the following:

[0133] The identifier of a VN group, for example, 5G VN Group ID;

[0134] The identifier of the second SMF (SMF2 ID);

[0135] Information related to the VN group in the second UPF, such as tunnel info assigned by the second UPF to the sessions in the VN group;

[0136] The Protocol Data Unit (PDU) Session ID List associated with the VN group in the second SMF;

[0137] The UE IP list associated with the VN group in the second SMF;

[0138] Group-level N4 related parameters include: Packet Detection Rules (PDR), Forwarding Action Rules (FAR), Multi-Access Rules (MAR), and QoS Enforcement Rules (QER), etc.

[0139] Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0140] Step 202: The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message. The N4 session connection is used to determine the user plane path. The user plane path is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. The target UPF is a UPF other than the first UPF (UPF1). The first UPF is a UPF that has already established an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0141] Here, the N4 session connection described above can establish a user plane path that anchors at least a portion of the PDU sessions to the target UPF, thereby enabling the migration of at least a portion of the PDU sessions from the second SMF to the first SMF through the user plane path and the N4 session connection.

[0142] In this embodiment, the first session management function (SMF) obtains a first session migration request message, which requests the migration of PDU sessions of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF. Based on the first session migration request message, the first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function (UPF). The N4 session connection is used to establish a user plane path, which anchors the PDU sessions to the target UPF. Through this user plane path and N4 session connection, the purpose of migrating the PDU sessions of the first VN group (ses associated with the VN group) from the second SMF to the first SMF can be achieved. Compared to the existing method of deregistering, reregistering, and establishing sessions, this method effectively improves the processing efficiency of the VN group member sessions and reduces the number of signaling interactions and data interruptions.

[0143] Optionally, the target UPF includes a second UPF (UPF2), where the second UPF refers to the UPF that has established an N4 session connection with the second SMF;

[0144] Alternatively, the target UPF may include a second UPF and a third UPF, wherein the second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF, and the third UPF is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF.

[0145] Alternatively, the target UPF may include a fourth UPF, which is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF, and the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF.

[0146] Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message, including:

[0147] If it is determined that the first SMF can establish an N4 session connection with the target UPF, the first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message.

[0148] As a first optional implementation, the target UPF includes a second UPF, which is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF;

[0149] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message, including:

[0150] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF based on the first session migration request message.

[0151] Here, a PDU session can be all PDU sessions in the second SMF that are related to the first VN group (e.g., in a scenario where the second SMF cannot continue to serve members in the VN group), or it can be some PDU sessions in the second SMF that are related to the first VN group (e.g., SMF2 transfers some sessions for load balancing purposes, but can still continue to serve other sessions, or the first SMF1 can only accept the migration of some PDU sessions due to its own resource limitations).

[0152] In this first implementation, the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to establish a user plane path that anchors at least a portion of the PDU sessions in the first VN group to the second UPF. Through the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF and the user plane path that anchors the at least a portion of the PDU sessions to the second UPF, the purpose of migrating at least a portion of the PDU sessions in the first VN group of the second SMF to the first SMF is achieved.

[0153] As a second optional implementation, the target UPF includes a second UPF and a third UPF, wherein the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF, and the third UPF is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF;

[0154] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message, including:

[0155] Based on the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF.

[0156] Based on the second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF; wherein, the third UPF is connected to the second UPF.

[0157] In this second implementation, by using the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF and the user plane path that anchors the first part of the PDU sessions to the second UPF, the purpose of migrating the first part of the PDU sessions in the second SMF to the first SMF can be achieved. Similarly, by using the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF and the user plane path that anchors the second part of the PDU sessions to the second UPF through the third UPF, the purpose of migrating the second part of the PDU sessions in the second SMF to the first SMF can be achieved.

[0158] Optionally, in the first and second implementations described above, establishing an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF includes:

[0159] The first SMF sends a session reconstruction message (N4 session re-establishment message, or group-level N4 session re-establishment message) to the second UPF. The session reconstruction message is used to instruct the second UPF to establish an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0160] Optionally, the session reconstruction message includes:

[0161] The identifier of the VN group, namely the identifier of the first VN group mentioned above, specifically the 5G VN Group ID;

[0162] The N4 session information (group-level N4 session information) in the second UPF;

[0163] A session substitution identifier is used to indicate that the second UPF replaces the N4 endpoint information of the second SMF. Specifically, it is used to indicate that the second UPF replaces the N4 endpoint information of the second SMF stored in the group-level N4 session.

[0164] Optionally, the N4 session information includes one or more of the following:

[0165] The second UPF is the tunnel endpoint identifier assigned to the group-level N4 session;

[0166] The endpoint IP address of the group-level N4 session;

[0167] Identifier for group-level N4 sessions;

[0168] List of UE IPs corresponding to group-level sessions;

[0169] A list of PDU sessions corresponding to group-level sessions;

[0170] The second SMF allocates user plane information to the second UPF;

[0171] The second SMF assigns N4 information to the second UPF.

[0172] Optionally, in the first and second implementations described above, before the first SMF sends the session reconstruction message to the second UPF, the method further includes:

[0173] The first SMF sends an information retrieval request (or is described as a group information retrieval request) to the second SMF or the Unified Data Management (UDM);

[0174] The first SMF obtains the session context information of the first VN group from the second SMF or UDM, and the session context information of the first VN group includes the N4 session information in the second UPF.

[0175] Optionally, if the N4 session information does not include the N4 information allocated by the second SMF to the second UPF, the session reconstruction message further includes:

[0176] Reuse indication information, which is used by the first UPF to reuse the N4 information allocated by the second SMF to the first UPF.

[0177] The aforementioned N4 information includes the second SMF assigning packet detection rules (PDR), forwarding action rules (FAR), multi-access rules (MAR), and QoS enforcement rules (QER) to the child UPF in relation to the PDU sessions in the first VN group.

[0178] Optionally, in the second implementation described above, establishing an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF includes:

[0179] The first SMF sends an N4 session establishment message (or a group-level N4 session establishment message) to the third UPF. The N4 session establishment message is used to instruct the third UPF to establish an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0180] The first SMF obtains the tunnel information allocated by the third UPF for the group-level N4 session, the tunnel information including uplink tunnel endpoint information and downlink tunnel endpoint information;

[0181] The first SMF sends the uplink tunnel endpoint information to the radio access network device, and the uplink tunnel endpoint information is used to instruct the radio access network device to establish a user plane path with the third UPF;

[0182] The first SMF sends the downlink tunnel endpoint information to the second UPF, and the downlink tunnel information is used to instruct the second UPF to establish a user plane path with the third UPF.

[0183] Specifically, the aforementioned group-level N4 session establishment message includes the VN group identifier, the group-level N4 session information of the second UPF (e.g., the tunnel endpoint identifier assigned by the second UPF to the group-level N4 session), and the tunnel information of the NG Radio Access Network (NG-RAN). The group-level N4 session information of the second UPF has been described above and will not be repeated here.

[0184] As a third optional implementation, the target UPF includes a fourth UPF, which is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF, and the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF;

[0185] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message, including:

[0186] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF based on the partial PDU session identifier of the first VN group in the first session migration request message, and the fourth UPF connects with the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF is used to establish a user plane path that anchors the partial PDU session to the second UPF through the fourth UPF.

[0187] In this implementation, some PDU sessions related to the first VN group in the second SMF are migrated to the first SMF, and the first SMF establishes a new user plane path for them, namely RAN-fourth UPF-second UPF.

[0188] As a fourth optional implementation, the first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF based on the first session migration request message, including:

[0189] If it is determined that the first SMF cannot establish an N4 connection with the second UPF, the first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF according to the first session migration request message. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF is used to re-establish the user plane path that anchors at least some of the PDU sessions in the first VN group to the fourth UPF.

[0190] In this implementation, if it is determined that the first SMF cannot establish an N4 connection with the second UPF, the PDU sessions of the first VN group are migrated to the first SMF through the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF and by anchoring the PDU sessions of the first VN group to the user plane path of the fourth UPF.

[0191] The session processing method of this application will be described below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0192] In the first specific embodiment of this application (corresponding to the first optional implementation described above), as follows: Figure 3As shown, the UPF of the first SMF (SMF1) service is UPF1 (the aforementioned first UPF), and the UPF of the second SMF (SMF2) service is UPF2 (the aforementioned second UPF), as follows. Figure 4 As shown, the session processing method includes:

[0193] Step 401: SMF2 sends a second session migration request message to NF.

[0194] The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of at least a portion of the PDU sessions in the first VN group within the second SMF.

[0195] For example, when the second SMF cannot continue to serve the members in the first VN group, the above-mentioned PDU session is all PDU sessions associated with the first VN group of the SMF2 service. Or, for example, when SMF2 transfers some sessions for load balancing purposes, the above-mentioned PDU session is a portion of the PDU sessions associated with the first VN group of the SMF2 service.

[0196] Optionally, the aforementioned second session migration request message is a 5G VN group session management transfer request or a 5G VN group event notification message, which carries the 5G VN Group ID, information about the first VN group on UPF2 (such as the channel information tunnel info allocated to this VN group), the PDU session ID list (PDU Session ID List) and UE IP list (UE IP List) of this VN group on SMF2, QoS information, and Group N4 level related parameters.

[0197] Step 402: Upon receiving the second session migration request message, NF selects SMF1, which can serve the terminals in the VN group, and sends the first session migration request message to SMF1.

[0198] The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of at least some PDU sessions of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF (SMF1). The first session request message may be a 5G VN group session management transfer request or a 5G VN group event notification message. The first session request message carries the 5G VN Group ID, SMF2 ID, information about the VN group on UPF2, the PDU Session list of this VN group on SMF2, the UE IP List, and Group level N4 related parameters and QoS information.

[0199] Optionally, SMF2 or NF sends an event notification message to other SMFs serving the VN group (here, SMF1) that have subscribed to the SMF change, notifying SMF2, which is serving this VN group, that it can no longer provide service. This event notification message carries the Group ID, information about the VN group on UPF2, SMF2's PDU Session list for this VN group, QoS information, UE IP List, and Grouplevel N4 related parameters. Based on the response messages from other SMFs serving the VN group to the event notification, NF determines to select SMF1.

[0200] Optionally, NF selects an SMF capable of establishing an N4 connection with UPF2.

[0201] It should be noted that the NF in this application embodiment can be one of UDM, GSMF, NRF, or AMF. When these NFs receive a message that SMF2 can no longer serve the terminals in this VN group, if other UEs in the VN group subsequently establish sessions with the DNN and S-SNSSAI, these NFs will refuse to establish the session with the SMF, or the AMF will reselect the SMF.

[0202] Step 403: SMF1 sends a group information retrieval request to SMF2 or UDM based on the first session migration request message.

[0203] The first session migration request message carries information such as the Group ID and PDU Session List.

[0204] Optionally, before sending a group information retrieval request, SMF1 determines whether it can establish an N4 connection with UPF2. If it can establish an N4 connection with UPF2, it sends a group information retrieval request to SMF2.

[0205] This group information retrieval request is used to obtain VN group session context information.

[0206] Step 404: SMF2 or UDM sends VN group session context information to SMF1.

[0207] The VN group session context information includes group-level N4 session information in UPF2 (e.g., the tunnel endpoint identifier TEID and IP address of the group-level N4 session, the group-level N4 session identifier, the UE IP List, all N4 information such as FDR and FAR related to this PDU session sent by SMF2 to UPF2, the N4 information of multiple same-group sessions allocated by SMF2 to UPF2, and the N4 information allocated by UPF2 to these same-group sessions), NG-RAN tunnel information, etc.

[0208] It should be noted that steps 403 and 404 are optional. SMF1 can also obtain the above-mentioned VN group session context information from NF. If SMF1 has already obtained the N4 information of multiple same-group sessions allocated by SMF2 to UPF2 and the user plane information allocated by UPF2 to these same-group sessions from NF, then it is not necessary to obtain this N4 information through the above-mentioned steps 403 and 404.

[0209] In addition, all N4 information such as FDR and FAR related to this PDU session sent by SMF2 to UPF2 is optional. Since this information has already been sent by SMF2 to UPF2 and is stored in UPF2, step 405 can directly carry N4 information such as PDR and FAR, or SMF1 can send a reuse instruction to UPF2, which instructs UPF2 to reuse this N4 information.

[0210] Step 405: SMF1 sends a group-level N4 session re-establishment message to UPF2.

[0211] The group-level N4 session reselection establishment message carries the 5G VN Group ID, the group-level N4 session information of UPF2 established by SMF2 for UPF2 (see step 404), the session replacement identifier (used to indicate that the new session replaces the group-level N4 session established by SMF2), and the N4 information such as PDR and FAR allocated by SMF1 for UPF2 (optional parameters).

[0212] In this first specific embodiment, the changes to the N4 interface or N4 session are as follows: Figure 5 As shown, before the group-level session migration, the connection status between SMF2 and UPF2 is as follows: there are 3 ordinary N4s (1 to 3, i.e., 3 sessions) and one group-level N4 between SMF2 and UPF2; there are 3 ordinary N4s (4 to 6, i.e., 3 sessions) and one group-level N4 between SMF1 and UPF1.

[0213] It should be noted that, Figure 5 The dashed bounding box on the SMF is used to identify the endpoint information assigned by the SMF to the corresponding UPF session (corresponding to all PDU sessions assigned by the SMF to a group). For example, the endpoint information on SMF1 is A, which means that before the migration is triggered, SMF1 assigned the endpoint information to session 1, session 2, session 3 and group-level N4 session. A and C on UPF2 constitute the N4 connection of session 1 to 3 and group-level N4 session.

[0214] According to the steps described in the embodiments of this application, SMF1 replaces the C corresponding to A in UPF2 with C corresponding to E1. The replacement here includes information about each endpoint, such as port number, address, and information about the connection between SMF and UPF (such as the replacement of connection addresses and port information on the N4 protocol stack).

[0215] Additionally, when SMF2 has multiple UPFs associated with the VN group, the operation for each UPF is the same as that for UPF2.

[0216] The above scheme applies to scenarios where all group-related PDU session paths on SMF2 and UPF2 are the same. If there are other relay UPFs (I-UPFs) on this path, the migration process is the same as that of UPF2.

[0217] In the second specific embodiment of this application (corresponding to the second optional implementation described above), as follows: Figure 6 As shown, the above session processing method includes:

[0218] Step 601: SMF2 sends a second session migration request message to NF.

[0219] Step 602: Upon receiving the second session migration request message, NF selects SMF1, which can serve the terminals in the VN group, and sends the first session migration request message to SMF1.

[0220] Step 603: SMF1 sends a group information retrieval request to SMF2 or UDM based on the first session migration request message.

[0221] Step 604: SMF2 or UDM sends VN group session context information to SMF1.

[0222] Step 605: SMF1 sends a group-level N4 session re-establishment message to UPF2.

[0223] It should be noted that the difference between steps 601 to 605 and steps 401 to 404 above is that the VN group session context information includes information about the PDU session to be migrated from SMF2 to SMF1 (i.e., the first part of the PDU session), such as the PDU Session List, UE IP address, group-level N4 session information of UPF2, tunnel information of NG-RAN, etc., which will not be elaborated here.

[0224] Step 606: SMF1 selects a new UPF (here, UPF3, i.e., the third UPF mentioned above) as the intermediate UPF, and SMF1 sends a group-level N4 session establishment message to UPF3. See details in [link to documentation]. Figure 7 .

[0225] The N4 session establishment message carries the 5G VN Group ID, UPF2 group-level N4 session information (e.g., the tunnel endpoint identifier TEID and IP address of the group-level N4 session), NG-RAN tunnel information, etc. UPF3 allocates uplink and downlink tunnel endpoint information for the N4 session and provides this information to SMF1.

[0226] Step 607: SMF1 provides NG-RAN with the uplink tunnel endpoint information allocated by UPF3, and establishes a user plane path between NG-RAN and UPF3.

[0227] Step 608: SMF1 provides UPF2 with the downlink tunnel endpoint information of the group-level N4 session of UPF3, and establishes the user plane path from UPF3 to UPF2.

[0228] In the third specific embodiment of this application (corresponding to the third optional implementation described above), as follows: Figure 8 As shown, C1 is the tunnel endpoint used by sessions (session 1 & session 2) in the VN group on UPF2 that continue to be served by SMF2. C2 (for session 3) is the UPF2 tunnel endpoint for the session that migrates from SMF2 to SMF1.

[0229] For sessions migrating to SMF1, SMF1 establishes a new user plane path for them. Specifically, the tunnel between RAN-UPF3 (fourth UPF) and UPF2 on this path is newly created by SMF1 (see steps 607 to 608 above for details). (The tunnel information allocated to these sessions on UPF2 remains unchanged here (see...) Figure 8 (C1 and C2 in the original text, meaning all sessions originally on SMF2 are still anchored to UPF2)

[0230] In the embodiments of this application, GSMF may also be NRF, public NF such as public AMF or UDM of SMF, or direct interaction of SMF.

[0231] Additionally, if there are sessions in the second SMF that cannot be migrated to other SMFs in the group, a new SMF will be selected according to existing technology.

[0232] In this embodiment, the first session management function (SMF) obtains a first session migration request message, which requests the migration of PDU sessions of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF. Based on the first session migration request message, the first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function (UPF). The N4 session connection is used to establish a user plane path, which anchors the PDU sessions to the target UPF. Through this user plane path and N4 session connection, the purpose of migrating the PDU sessions of the first VN group (ses associated with the VN group) from the second SMF to the first SMF can be achieved. Compared to the existing method of deregistering, reregistering, and establishing sessions, this method effectively improves the processing efficiency of the VN group member sessions and reduces the number of signaling interactions and data interruptions.

[0233] like Figure 9 As shown in the embodiments of this application, a session processing method is also provided, including:

[0234] Step 901: The Network Function (NF) obtains the Second Session Migration Request Message sent by the Second SMF. The Second Session Migration Request Message is used to request the migration of the PDU sessions of the First Virtual Network (VN) group in the Second SMF.

[0235] Step 902: The NF sends a first session migration request message to the first SMF according to the second session migration request message. The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0236] The aforementioned network functions may include one of UDM, GSMF, NRF, or AMF.

[0237] In this embodiment, the Network Function (NF) obtains a second Session Migration Request message sent by the second SMF. Based on the second Session Migration Request message, the NF sends a first Session Migration Request message to the first SMF. Based on the first Session Migration Request message, the first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target User Plane Function (UPF). The N4 session connection is used to establish a user plane path, which is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. Through the user plane path and the N4 session connection, the purpose of migrating the PDU sessions (ses associated with the VN group) of the first VN group from the second SMF to the first SMF can be achieved. Compared with the existing method of deregistering, reregistering, and establishing sessions, this method effectively improves the processing efficiency of the VN group member sessions and reduces the number of signaling interactions and data interruptions.

[0238] Optionally, before the NF sends the first session migration request message to the first SMF based on the second session migration request message, it further includes:

[0239] An event notification message is sent to the target SMF serving the first VN group. The event notification message is used to notify the second SMF in the first VN group that it can no longer serve the sessions in the first VN group. The target SMF refers to the SMF serving the first VN group other than the second SMF.

[0240] Obtain the response message sent by the first SMF in the target SMF, the response message being used to indicate that the first SMF can establish an N4 connection with the second UPF;

[0241] Based on the response message, a first session migration request message is sent to the first SMF.

[0242] Optionally, after the network function NF obtains the second session migration request message sent by the second SMF, the method further includes:

[0243] The NF refuses to establish a new PDU session belonging to the first VN group to the second SMF.

[0244] Optionally, the first session migration request message includes one or more of the following:

[0245] The identifier for the VN group;

[0246] The identifier of the second SMF;

[0247] Information related to the VN group in the second UPF;

[0248] The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group;

[0249] The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF;

[0250] Group-level N4 related parameters;

[0251] Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0252] In this embodiment, the Network Function (NF) obtains a second Session Migration Request message sent by the second SMF. Based on the second Session Migration Request message, the NF sends a first Session Migration Request message to the first SMF. Based on the first Session Migration Request message, the first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target User Plane Function (UPF). The N4 session connection is used to establish a user plane path, which is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. Through the user plane path and the N4 session connection, the purpose of migrating the PDU sessions (ses associated with the VN group) of the first VN group from the second SMF to the first SMF can be achieved. Compared with the existing method of deregistering, reregistering, and establishing sessions, this method effectively improves the processing efficiency of the VN group member sessions and reduces the number of signaling interactions and data interruptions.

[0253] It should be noted that the session processing method executed by the network function NF is the same as the session processing method executed by the first SMF mentioned above. The specific interaction process has been described in detail in the method embodiment on the first SMF side, and will not be repeated here.

[0254] like Figure 10 As shown in the embodiments of this application, a session processing method is also provided, including:

[0255] Step 1001: The second SMF sends a second session migration request message to the NF. The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF.

[0256] Optionally, before the second SMF sends the second session migration request message to the NF, it also includes:

[0257] Receive the information retrieval request sent by the first SMF;

[0258] According to the information acquisition request, the N4 session information in the second UPF is sent to the first SMF. The second UPF is the UPF that establishes the N4 session connection for the second SMF.

[0259] It should be noted that the session processing method executed by the second SMF is the same as the session processing method executed by the first SMF. The specific interaction process has been described in detail in the method embodiment on the first SMF side, and will not be repeated here.

[0260] like Figure 11 As shown, this application embodiment also provides a session processing device, including a memory 1120, a transceiver 1100, and a processor 1110;

[0261] The memory 1120 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 1100 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor.

[0262] In one embodiment of this application, processor 1110 is configured to read a computer program from the memory and perform the following operations:

[0263] Obtain a first session migration request message, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF to the first SMF;

[0264] According to the first session migration request message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF. The N4 session connection is used to determine the user plane path. The user plane path is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. The target UPF is a UPF other than the first UPF. The first UPF is a UPF that has already established an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0265] Optionally, the first session migration request message includes one or more of the following:

[0266] The identifier for the VN group;

[0267] The identifier of the second SMF;

[0268] Information related to the VN group in the first UPF;

[0269] The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group;

[0270] The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF;

[0271] Group-level N4 related parameters;

[0272] Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0273] Optionally, the target UPF includes a second UPF, which is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF.

[0274] Optionally, the target UPF includes a second UPF and a third UPF, wherein the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF, and the third UPF is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF;

[0275] When the processor 1110 executes the program, it also performs the following steps:

[0276] Based on the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF.

[0277] Based on the second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF; wherein, the third UPF is connected to the second UPF.

[0278] Optionally, the target UPF includes a fourth UPF, which is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF, and the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF;

[0279] When the processor 1110 executes the program, it also performs the following steps:

[0280] The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF based on the partial PDU session identifier of the first VN group in the first session migration request message. The fourth UPF is connected to the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF is used to establish a user plane path that anchors the partial PDU session to the second UPF through the fourth UPF.

[0281] Optionally, when the processor 1110 executes the program, it further performs the following steps:

[0282] The first SMF sends a session reconstruction message to the second UPF, the session reconstruction message being used to instruct the second UPF to establish an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0283] Optionally, the session reconstruction message includes:

[0284] The identifier for the VN group;

[0285] N4 session information in the second UPF;

[0286] Session substitution identifier, which is used to indicate that the second UPF substitutes for the N4 endpoint information of the second SMF;

[0287] The N4 session information includes one or more of the following:

[0288] The second UPF is the tunnel endpoint identifier assigned to the group-level N4 session;

[0289] The endpoint IP address of the group-level N4 session;

[0290] Identifier for group-level N4 sessions;

[0291] List of UE IPs corresponding to group-level sessions;

[0292] A list of PDU sessions corresponding to group-level sessions;

[0293] The second SMF assigns N4 information to the second UPF.

[0294] Optionally, when the processor 1110 executes the program, it further performs the following steps:

[0295] Send an information retrieval request to the second SMF or UDM;

[0296] The session context information of the first VN group is obtained from the second SMF or UDM, and the session context information of the first VN group includes the N4 session information in the second UPF.

[0297] Optionally, the group-level N4 session information includes one or more of the following:

[0298] The first UPF is the tunnel endpoint identifier assigned to the group-level N4 session;

[0299] The endpoint IP address of the group-level N4 session;

[0300] Identifier for group-level N4 sessions;

[0301] List of UE IPs corresponding to group-level sessions;

[0302] A list of PDU sessions corresponding to group-level sessions;

[0303] The second SMF is the user plane information allocated by the first UPF.

[0304] Optionally, if the N4 session information does not include the N4 information allocated by the second SMF to the second UPF, the session reconstruction message further includes:

[0305] Reuse indication information, which is used by the second UPF to reuse the N4 information allocated by the second SMF to the second UPF.

[0306] Optionally, when the processor 1110 executes the program, it further performs the following steps:

[0307] Send an N4 session establishment message to the third UPF, the N4 session establishment message being used to instruct the third UPF to establish an N4 session connection with the first SMF;

[0308] Obtain the tunnel information allocated by the third UPF for the group-level N4 session, the tunnel information including uplink tunnel endpoint information and downlink tunnel endpoint information;

[0309] The uplink tunnel endpoint information is sent to the radio access network device, and the uplink tunnel endpoint information is used to instruct the radio access network device to establish a user plane path with the third UPF;

[0310] The first SMF sends the downlink tunnel endpoint information to the second UPF, and the downlink tunnel information is used to instruct the second UPF to establish a user plane path with the third UPF.

[0311] In another embodiment of this application, processor 1110 is configured to read a computer program from the memory and perform the following operations:

[0312] Obtain the second session migration request message sent by the second SMF, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF;

[0313] According to the second session migration request message, a first session migration request message is sent to the first SMF. The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0314] Optionally, when the processor 1110 executes the program, it further performs the following steps:

[0315] An event notification message is sent to the target SMF serving the first VN group. The event notification message is used to notify the second SMF in the first VN group that it can no longer serve the sessions in the first VN group. The target SMF refers to the SMF serving the first VN group other than the second SMF.

[0316] Obtain the response message sent by the first SMF in the target SMF, the response message being used to indicate that the first SMF can establish an N4 connection with the second UPF;

[0317] Based on the response message, a first session migration request message is sent to the first SMF.

[0318] Optionally, when the processor 1110 executes the program, it further performs the following steps:

[0319] The establishment of a new PDU session belonging to the first VN group to the second SMF is refused.

[0320] Optionally, the first session migration request message includes one or more of the following:

[0321] The identifier for the VN group;

[0322] The identifier of the second SMF;

[0323] Information related to the VN group in the second UPF;

[0324] The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group;

[0325] The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF;

[0326] Group-level N4 related parameters;

[0327] Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0328] In another embodiment of this application, processor 1110 is configured to read a computer program from the memory and perform the following operations:

[0329] Send a second session migration request message to the NF. The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF.

[0330] Optionally, when the processor 1110 executes the program, it further performs the following steps:

[0331] Receive the information retrieval request sent by the first SMF;

[0332] According to the group information acquisition request, the N4 session information in the second UPF is sent to the first SMF. The second UPF is the UPF that establishes the N4 session connection for the second SMF.

[0333] Among them, Figure 11In this context, the bus architecture can include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking various circuits together, represented by one or more processors (processor 1110) and memory (memory 1120). The bus architecture can also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1100 can be multiple elements, including transmitters and receivers, providing units for communicating with various other devices over transmission media, including wireless channels, wired channels, optical fibers, etc. The processor 1110 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1120 can store data used by the processor 1110 during operation.

[0334] The processor 1110 can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor can also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0335] It should be noted that the apparatus provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above session processing method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. Here, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiment and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail.

[0336] like Figure 12 As shown, this application embodiment also provides a session processing apparatus applied to a first SMF, including:

[0337] The first acquisition unit 1201 is used to acquire a first session migration request message, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0338] The first processing unit 1202 is configured to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message. The N4 session connection is used to determine the user plane path, and the user plane path is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. The target UPF is a UPF other than the first UPF, and the first UPF is a UPF that has already established an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0339] Optionally, the first session migration request message includes one or more of the following:

[0340] The identifier for the VN group;

[0341] The identifier of the second SMF;

[0342] Information related to the VN group in the first UPF;

[0343] The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group;

[0344] The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF;

[0345] Group-level N4 related parameters;

[0346] Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0347] Optionally, the target UPF includes a second UPF, which is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF.

[0348] Optionally, the target UPF includes a second UPF and a third UPF, wherein the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF, and the third UPF is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF;

[0349] The first processing unit is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF based on the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF.

[0350] Based on the second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF; wherein, the third UPF is connected to the second UPF.

[0351] Optionally, the target UPF includes a fourth UPF, which is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF, and the second UPF is a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF;

[0352] The first processing unit is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF based on the partial PDU session identifier of the first VN group in the first session migration request message. The fourth UPF is connected to the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF is used to establish a user plane path that anchors the partial PDU session to the second UPF through the fourth UPF.

[0353] Optionally, the first processing unit is configured to send a session reconstruction message to the second UPF, the session reconstruction message being used to instruct the second UPF to establish an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0354] Optionally, the session reconstruction message includes:

[0355] The identifier for the VN group;

[0356] N4 session information in the second UPF;

[0357] Session substitution identifier, which is used to indicate that the second UPF substitutes for the N4 endpoint information of the second SMF;

[0358] The N4 session information includes one or more of the following:

[0359] The second UPF is the tunnel endpoint identifier assigned to the group-level N4 session;

[0360] The endpoint IP address of the group-level N4 session;

[0361] Identifier for group-level N4 sessions;

[0362] List of UE IPs corresponding to group-level sessions;

[0363] A list of PDU sessions corresponding to group-level sessions;

[0364] The second SMF assigns N4 information to the second UPF.

[0365] Optionally, the apparatus in this application embodiment further includes:

[0366] The third sending unit is used to send an information acquisition request to the second SMF or UDM before the first processing unit sends a session reconstruction message to the second UPF.

[0367] The third acquisition unit is used to acquire the session context information of the first VN group from the second SMF or UDM, wherein the session context information of the first VN group includes the N4 session information in the second UPF.

[0368] Optionally, if the N4 session information does not include the N4 information allocated by the second SMF to the second UPF, the session reconstruction message further includes:

[0369] Reuse indication information, which is used by the second UPF to reuse the N4 information allocated by the second SMF to the second UPF.

[0370] Optionally, the first processing unit includes:

[0371] The first transmitting subunit is used to send an N4 session establishment message to the third UPF, the N4 session establishment message being used to instruct the third UPF to establish an N4 session connection with the first SMF;

[0372] The first acquisition subunit is used to acquire the tunnel information allocated by the third UPF for the group-level N4 session, the tunnel information including uplink tunnel endpoint information and downlink tunnel endpoint information;

[0373] The second transmitting subunit is used to send the uplink tunnel endpoint information to the radio access network device, the uplink tunnel endpoint information being used to instruct the radio access network device to establish a user plane path with the third UPF;

[0374] The third transmitting subunit is used to send the downlink tunnel endpoint information to the second UPF, the downlink tunnel information being used to instruct the second UPF to establish a user plane path with the third UPF.

[0375] It should be noted that the apparatus provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above session processing method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. Here, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiment and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail.

[0376] like Figure 13 As shown in the illustration, this application also provides a session processing apparatus for network functions, including:

[0377] The second acquisition unit 1301 is used to acquire a second session migration request message sent by the second SMF, the second session migration request message being used to request the migration of PDU sessions in the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF;

[0378] The first sending unit 1302 is configured to send a first session migration request message to the first SMF according to the second session migration request message. The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0379] Optionally, the apparatus in this application embodiment further includes:

[0380] The fourth sending unit is used to send an event notification message to the target SMF serving the first VN group before the first sending unit sends the first session migration request message to the first SMF according to the second session migration request message. The event notification message is used to notify the second SMF in the first VN group that it can no longer serve the sessions in the first VN group. The target SMF refers to the SMF serving the first VN group other than the second SMF.

[0381] The fourth acquisition unit is used to acquire a response message sent by the first SMF in the target SMF, the response message being used to indicate that the first SMF can establish an N4 connection with the second UPF;

[0382] The fifth sending unit is used to send a first session migration request message to the first SMF according to the response message.

[0383] Optionally, the apparatus in this application embodiment further includes:

[0384] The rejection unit is used by the NF to refuse the establishment of a new PDU session belonging to the first VN group to the second SMF.

[0385] Optionally, the first session migration request message includes one or more of the following:

[0386] The identifier for the VN group;

[0387] The identifier of the second SMF;

[0388] Information related to the VN group in the second UPF;

[0389] The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group;

[0390] The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF;

[0391] Group-level N4 related parameters;

[0392] Quality of Service (QoS) information.

[0393] It should be noted that the apparatus provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above session processing method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. Here, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiment and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail.

[0394] like Figure 14 As shown in the illustration, this application also provides a session processing apparatus for a second SMF, comprising:

[0395] The second sending unit 1401 is used to send a second session migration request message to the NF. The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF.

[0396] Optionally, the apparatus in this application embodiment further includes:

[0397] The second receiving unit is used to receive the group information acquisition request sent by the first SMF before the second sending unit sends the second session migration request message to the NF;

[0398] The sixth sending unit is used to send N4 session information from the second UPF to the first SMF according to the information acquisition request, wherein the second UPF is the UPF that establishes the N4 session connection for the second SMF.

[0399] It should be noted that the apparatus provided in this application embodiment can implement all the method steps implemented in the above session processing method embodiment and can achieve the same technical effect. Here, the parts that are the same as those in the method embodiment and the beneficial effects will not be described in detail.

[0400] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated units described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional units.

[0401] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0402] In some embodiments of this application, a processor-readable storage medium is also provided, the processor-readable storage medium storing program instructions for causing the processor to perform the following steps:

[0403] Obtain a first session migration request message, which is used to request the migration of PDU sessions in the first virtual network (VN) group of the second SMF to the first SMF; based on the first session migration request message, establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function (UPF), the N4 session connection is used to determine the user plane path, the user plane path is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF, the target UPF is a UPF other than the first UPF, and the first UPF is a UPF that has already established an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

[0404] Alternatively, the program instructions are used to cause the processor to perform the following steps:

[0405] Obtain the second session migration request message sent by the second SMF, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF;

[0406] According to the second session migration request message, a first session migration request message is sent to the first SMF. The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF.

[0407] Alternatively, the program instructions are used to cause the processor to perform the following steps:

[0408] Send a second session migration request message to the NF. The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF.

[0409] The terminal devices involved in the embodiments of this application can be devices that provide voice and / or data connectivity to users, handheld devices with wireless connectivity, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The names of the terminal devices may differ in different systems; for example, in a 5G system, a terminal device can be called User Equipment (UE). Wireless terminal devices can communicate with one or more core networks (CNs) via a Radio Access Network (RAN). Wireless terminal devices can be mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones (or "cellular" phones) and computers with mobile terminal devices, for example, portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices that exchange voice and / or data with the RAN. Examples include Personal Communication Service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Wireless terminal equipment can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, or user device, but is not limited to these terms in the embodiments of this application.

[0410] The network device involved in this application embodiment (i.e., the aforementioned network-side device) can be a base station, which may include multiple cells providing services to terminals. Depending on the specific application, a base station may also be called an access point, or a device in the access network that communicates with the wireless terminal device through one or more sectors on the air interface, or other names. The network device can be used to exchange received air frames with Internet Protocol (IP) packets, acting as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, where the rest of the access network may include an Internet Protocol (IP) communication network. The network device can also coordinate the attribute management of the air interface. For example, the network equipment involved in the embodiments of this application can be a base transceiver station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, a 5G base station (gNB) in a next-generation 5G network architecture, an evolved Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) in a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay node, a femto, a pico, etc., and is not limited in the embodiments of this application. In some network structures, the network equipment may include centralized unit (CU) nodes and distributed unit (DU) nodes, and the centralized unit and distributed unit may also be geographically separated.

[0411] Network devices and terminal devices can each use one or more antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission. MIMO transmission can be single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) or multiple-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). Depending on the configuration and number of antenna combinations, MIMO transmission can be 2D-MIMO, 3D-MIMO, FD-MIMO, or massive-MIMO, and can also be diversity transmission, precoding transmission, or beamforming transmission, etc.

[0412] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage and optical storage) containing computer-usable program code.

[0413] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable instructions. These computer-executable instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0414] These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0415] These processors can execute instructions that can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, causing a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable device for implementing the process. Figure 1One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0416] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A session processing method, characterized in that, include: The first session management function (SMF) obtains a first session migration request message, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF to the first SMF. The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message. The N4 session connection is used to determine the user plane path. The user plane path is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. The target UPF is a UPF other than the first UPF. The first UPF is a UPF that has already established an N4 session connection with the first SMF. The target UPF includes a second UPF and a third UPF. The second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF, and the third UPF is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF. The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message, including: The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF based on the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the first part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF. Based on the second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF; wherein, the third UPF is connected to the second UPF.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first session migration request message includes one or more of the following: The identifier for the VN group; The identifier of the second SMF; Information related to the VN group in the first UPF; The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group; The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF; Group-level N4 related parameters; Quality of Service (QoS) information.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target UPF includes a fourth UPF, which is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF. The second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF. The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message, including: The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF based on a portion of the PDU session identifier in the first VN group of the first session migration request message. The fourth UPF is connected to the second UPF, and the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the partial PDU sessions anchored to the second UPF through the fourth UPF.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Establishing an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF includes: The first SMF sends a session reconstruction message to the second UPF, the session reconstruction message being used to instruct the second UPF to establish an N4 session connection with the first SMF.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The session reconstruction message includes: The identifier for the VN group; N4 session information in the second UPF; Session substitution identifier, which is used to indicate that the second UPF substitutes for the N4 endpoint information of the second SMF; The N4 session information includes one or more of the following: The second UPF is the tunnel endpoint identifier assigned to the group-level N4 session; The endpoint IP address of the group-level N4 session; Identifier for group-level N4 sessions; List of UE IPs corresponding to group-level sessions; A list of PDU sessions corresponding to group-level sessions; The second SMF assigns N4 information to the second UPF.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Before the first SMF sends the session reconstruction message to the second UPF, it also includes: The first SMF sends an information retrieval request to the second SMF or UDM; The first SMF obtains the session context information of the first VN group from the second SMF or UDM, and the session context information of the first VN group includes the N4 session information in the second UPF.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, If the N4 session information does not include the N4 information allocated by the second SMF to the second UPF, the session reconstruction message further includes: Reuse indication information, which is used by the second UPF to reuse the N4 information allocated by the second SMF to the second UPF.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Establishing an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF includes: The first SMF sends an N4 session establishment message to the third UPF, the N4 session establishment message being used to instruct the third UPF to establish an N4 session connection with the first SMF; The first SMF obtains the tunnel information allocated by the third UPF for the group-level N4 session, the tunnel information including uplink tunnel endpoint information and downlink tunnel endpoint information; The first SMF sends the uplink tunnel endpoint information to the radio access network device, and the uplink tunnel endpoint information is used to instruct the radio access network device to establish a user plane path with the third UPF; The first SMF sends the downlink tunnel endpoint information to the second UPF, and the downlink tunnel endpoint information is used to instruct the second UPF to establish a user plane path with the third UPF.

9. A session processing method, characterized in that, include: The Network Function (NF) acquires a second Session Migration Request message sent by the second SMF. The second Session Migration Request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first Virtual Network (VN) group in the second SMF. The NF sends a first session migration request message to the first SMF according to the second session migration request message. The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF. Wherein, the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF, and the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the first part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF, and the second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF; The second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF. The third UPF is connected to the second UPF and is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, Before the NF sends the first session migration request message to the first SMF according to the second session migration request message, it also includes: An event notification message is sent to the target SMF serving the first VN group. The event notification message is used to notify the second SMF in the first VN group that it can no longer serve the sessions in the first VN group. The target SMF refers to the SMF serving the first VN group other than the second SMF. Obtain the response message sent by the first SMF in the target SMF, the response message being used to indicate that the first SMF can establish an N4 connection with the second UPF, the second UPF being a UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF; Based on the response message, a first session migration request message is sent to the first SMF.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, After the network function NF obtains the second session migration request message sent by the second SMF, the method further includes: The NF refuses to establish a new PDU session belonging to the first VN group to the second SMF.

12. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first session migration request message includes one or more of the following: The identifier for the VN group; The identifier of the second SMF; Information related to the VN group in the second UPF; The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group; The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF; Group-level N4 related parameters; Quality of Service (QoS) information.

13. A session processing method, characterized in that, include: The second SMF sends a second session migration request message to the NF. The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF, and the second session migration request message is used to trigger the NF to send a first session migration request message. Wherein, the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF, and the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path anchored to the second UPF by the first part of the PDU session, and the second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF. The second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF. The third UPF is connected to the second UPF and is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, Before the second SMF sends the second session migration request message to the NF, it also includes: Receive the information retrieval request sent by the first SMF; According to the information acquisition request, the N4 session information in the second UPF is sent to the first SMF. The second UPF is the UPF that establishes the N4 session connection for the second SMF.

15. A session processing apparatus, characterized in that, Includes memory, transceiver, and processor; A memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver for sending and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer programs from the memory and performing the following operations: Obtain a first session migration request message, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF to the first SMF; According to the first session migration request message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF. The N4 session connection is used to determine the user plane path. The user plane path is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. The target UPF is a UPF other than the first UPF. The first UPF is a UPF that has already established an N4 session connection with the first SMF. The target UPF includes a second UPF and a third UPF. The second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF, and the third UPF is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF. When the processor executes the program, it also performs the following steps: Based on the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the first part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF. Based on the second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF; wherein, the third UPF is connected to the second UPF.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that, The first session migration request message includes one or more of the following: The identifier for the VN group; The identifier of the second SMF; Information related to the VN group in the first UPF; The second SMF contains a list of Protocol Data Unit (PDU) sessions associated with the VN group; The list of UE IPs associated with the VN group in the second SMF; Group-level N4 related parameters; Quality of Service (QoS) information.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that, The target UPF includes a fourth UPF, which is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF. The second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF. When the processor executes the program, it also performs the following steps: The first SMF establishes an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF based on the partial PDU session identifier of the first VN group in the first session migration request message. The fourth UPF is connected to the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the fourth UPF is used to establish a user plane path that anchors the partial PDU session to the second UPF through the fourth UPF.

18. A session processing apparatus, characterized in that, Includes memory, transceiver, and processor; The memory is used to store computer programs; the transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor. Processor, configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Obtain the second session migration request message sent by the second SMF, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF; According to the second session migration request message, a first session migration request message is sent to the first SMF. The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF. Wherein, the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF, and the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the first part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF, and the second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF; The second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF. The third UPF is connected to the second UPF and is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF.

19. A session processing apparatus, characterized in that, Includes memory, transceiver, and processor; The memory is used to store computer programs; the transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor. Processor, configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Send a second session migration request message to the NF. The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF. The second session migration request message is also used to trigger the NF to send the first session migration request message. Wherein, the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF, and the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path anchored to the second UPF by the first part of the PDU session, and the second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF. The second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF. The third UPF is connected to the second UPF and is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF.

20. A session processing apparatus, applied to a first SMF, characterized in that, include: The first acquisition unit is used to acquire a first session migration request message, which is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF to the first SMF. The first processing unit is configured to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the target user plane function UPF according to the first session migration request message. The N4 session connection is used to determine the user plane path, and the user plane path is used to anchor the PDU session to the target UPF. The target UPF is a UPF other than the first UPF, and the first UPF is a UPF that has already established an N4 session connection with the first SMF. The target UPF includes a second UPF and a third UPF. The second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF, and the third UPF is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF. The first processing unit is used for: Based on the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the second UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the first part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF. Based on the second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration message, an N4 session connection is established between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF; wherein, the third UPF is connected to the second UPF.

21. A session processing apparatus, applied to network functions, characterized in that, include: The second acquisition unit is used to acquire a second session migration request message sent by the second SMF, the second session migration request message being used to request the migration of PDU sessions in the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF; The first sending unit is configured to send a first session migration request message to the first SMF according to the second session migration request message. The first session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first VN group in the second SMF to the first SMF. Wherein, the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF, and the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the first part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF, and the second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF; The second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF. The third UPF is connected to the second UPF and is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF.

22. A session processing apparatus, applied to a second SMF, characterized in that, include: The second sending unit is used to send a second session migration request message to the NF. The second session migration request message is used to request the migration of the PDU session of the first virtual network (VN) group in the second SMF, and the second session migration request message is used to trigger the NF to send a first session migration request message. Wherein, the first part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF, and the N4 session connection between the first SMF and the second UPF is used to determine the user plane path anchored to the second UPF by the first part of the PDU session, and the second UPF is the UPF that establishes an N4 session connection with the second SMF. The second part of the PDU session identifier in the first session migration request message is used to establish an N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF. The N4 session connection between the first SMF and the third UPF is used to determine the user plane path of the second part of the PDU session anchored to the second UPF through the third UPF. The third UPF is connected to the second UPF and is a UPF other than the second UPF and the first UPF.

23. A processor-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The processor-readable storage medium stores a computer program that causes the processor to perform the steps of the session processing method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, or to perform the steps of the session processing method as described in any one of claims 9 to 12, or to perform the steps of the session processing method as described in any one of claims 13 to 14.

Images