Electronic device and method for network management, and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an electronic device, method and computer readable storage medium for network management, the electronic device comprising: a processing circuit configured to control operation of a network slice admission control function (NSACF) of a network slice in a mobile network based on a blockchain, where the NSACF has a blockchain function.

Description

Electronic device and method for network management, and computer-readable storage medium

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on April 6, 2022, with application number 202210355984.X and invention name “Electronic device and method for network management, computer-readable storage medium”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of wireless communications, and specifically relate to admission control of network slices of mobile networks, and more specifically, to an electronic device and method, and a computer-readable storage medium for network management. Background Art

[0003] In TS 23.501 V17.3.0 Section 5.15.11, the Network Slice Admission Control Function (NSACF) is defined to monitor and control the number of registered users and PDU sessions in a slice. The NSACF configures the maximum number of registered users and PDU sessions allowed for each slice that requires admission control (NSAC), as well as indication information of the available access types (3GPP access, non-3GPP access). The NSACF also provides event-based slice status notification and reporting to other consumer network functions. The existing standard only configures a global maximum allowed value for admission control for a slice, but a slice can be associated with multiple service areas, and each service area is admitted by a separate NSACF. In this scenario, how to coordinate admission control of a slice between multiple NSACFs has not been resolved.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] A brief overview of the present disclosure is provided below to provide a basic understanding of certain aspects of the present disclosure. It should be understood that this overview is not an exhaustive overview of the present disclosure. It is not intended to identify key or important aspects of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Its purpose is simply to present certain concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description discussed later.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present application, an electronic device for network management is provided, including: a processing circuit configured to: control the operation of an NSACF of a network slice in a mobile network based on a blockchain, wherein the NSACF has a blockchain function.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present application, a method for network management is provided, including: controlling the operation of an NSACF of a network slice in a mobile network based on a blockchain, wherein the NSACF has a blockchain function.

[0008] The electronic device and method according to the above aspects of the present application utilize blockchain technology to achieve coordination of admission control between different NSACFs of the same network slice and share the admission quota of the network slice.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present application, an electronic device for network management is provided, including: a processing circuit configured to: obtain spectrum sensing information from a wireless access network side; and dynamically update the slice admission quota of each network slice in a mobile network based on the spectrum sensing information.

[0010] According to another aspect of the present application, a method for network management is provided, including: obtaining spectrum sensing information from a wireless access network side; and dynamically updating a slice admission quota of each network slice in a mobile network based on the spectrum sensing information.

[0011] The electronic device and method according to the above aspects of the present application can effectively optimize the spectrum utilization efficiency of the wireless network by dynamically updating the slice admission quota of each network slice based on spectrum sensing information.

[0012] According to other aspects of the present disclosure, a computer program code and a computer program product for implementing the above-mentioned method for network management, as well as a computer-readable storage medium having the computer program code for implementing the above-mentioned method for network management recorded thereon, are also provided.

[0013] These and other advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent through the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to further illustrate the above and other advantages and features of the present disclosure, the following is a further detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings, together with the detailed description below, are included in this specification and form a part of this specification. Elements with the same function and structure are represented by the same reference numerals. It should be understood that these drawings only depict typical examples of the present disclosure and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0015] FIG1 shows a functional module block diagram of an electronic device for network management according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] FIG2 shows an example of a system scenario in which the technology of this embodiment is applied;

[0017] FIG3 shows an example of the flow of information related to slice user admission control;

[0018] FIG4 shows an example of a flow of information related to protocol data unit session number admission control;

[0019] FIG5 shows a functional module block diagram of an electronic device for network management according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0020] FIG6 shows an example of an information flow for updating a slice admission quota;

[0021] FIG7 shows another example of an information flow for updating a slice admission quota;

[0022] FIG8 shows a flowchart of a method for network management according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] FIG9 shows a flowchart of a method for network management according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0024] FIG10 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a server; and

[0025] FIG11 is a block diagram of an exemplary structure of a general-purpose personal computer in which the method and / or apparatus and / or system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the sake of clarity and conciseness, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. However, it should be understood that in the process of developing any such actual implementation, many implementation-specific decisions must be made in order to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system and business-related constraints, which may vary from implementation to implementation. In addition, it should be understood that although the development work may be very complex and time-consuming, it is a routine task for those skilled in the art who benefit from the contents of this disclosure.

[0027] It should also be noted here that in order to avoid obscuring the present disclosure due to unnecessary details, the drawings only show the device structures and / or processing steps closely related to the solutions according to the present disclosure, while other details that are not closely related to the present disclosure are omitted.

[0028] <First embodiment>

[0029] Figure 1 shows a functional module block diagram of an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the electronic device 100 includes: a control unit 101, which is configured to control the operation of the NSACF of the network slice in the mobile network based on the blockchain, wherein the NSACF has a blockchain function.

[0030] The control unit 101 may be implemented by one or more processing circuits, such as chips or processors. Furthermore, it should be understood that the various functional units in the electronic device shown in FIG1 are merely logical modules divided according to the specific functions they implement, and are not intended to limit specific implementations.

[0031] The electronic device 100 may be provided on a core network side of a mobile network, specifically on a server on the core network side, and more specifically as part of an NSACF. Examples of mobile networks include, for example, a public land mobile network (PLMN).

[0032] Here, it should also be noted that the electronic device 100 can be implemented at the chip level, or it can also be implemented at the device level. For example, the electronic device 100 can work as a server itself, and can also include external devices such as memory, transceiver (not shown in the figure), etc. The memory can be used to store programs and related data information that need to be executed by the electronic device to implement various functions. The transceiver may include one or more communication interfaces to support communication with different devices (for example, other servers, base stations, etc.), and the implementation form of the transceiver is not specifically limited here.

[0033] Figure 2 shows an example of a system scenario in which the technology of this embodiment is applied. In this example, the mobile network is a PLMN, and a PLMN includes multiple network slices. The 5G core network of the network slice can deploy NSACF according to the admission control needs to monitor and control the number of registered users and the number of protocol data unit (PDU) sessions in the network slice. In the case where a network slice serves multiple service areas, such as network slice 1 in Figure 2 (indicated by S-NSSAI 1), each service area corresponds to an NSACF, so one network slice corresponds to multiple NSACFs. In this case, it is expected that multiple NSACFs share the registered user quota and PDU session quota of network slice 1. The quota here can be understood as the maximum number allowed or configured.

[0034] In addition, each network slice can have independent Session Management Function (SMF), User Plane Function (UPF), NSACF and Sensing Plane Function (SPF). Each network slice can have independent Access and Mobility Function (AMF), or multiple network slices can share AMF.

[0035] To coordinate admission control among multiple NSACFs within a network slice, this embodiment proposes a blockchain-based solution. This allows for real-time recording of slice admission control and resource management information from each NSACF via blockchain technology, enabling coordination among multiple NSACFs.

[0036] The NSACFs of each network slice form a blockchain. For example, each NSACF possesses blockchain functionality, maintains a local ledger, and can interact with each other via, for example, a peer-to-peer network. A schematic example is shown in Figure 2. This blockchain can record admission control information for each NSACF in each network slice. The following discussion focuses on two admission control examples: slice user availability check and update processing, and PDU session availability check and update processing. However, it should be understood that this is not limiting, and other types of admission control and associated admission control information are also within the scope of this disclosure.

[0037] For example, the control unit 101 is configured to, in response to a predetermined trigger event for the first NSACF, perform admission control of the current network slice corresponding to the first NSACF based on the blockchain. Here, the term first is only for the convenience of distinction and does not have any meaning such as order.

[0038] For example, the electronic device 100 or the control unit 101 may be arranged on the NSACF or as part of the NSACF. Taking FIG2 as an example, if the NSACF 1 of the network slice S-NSSAI 1 receives a predetermined trigger event, the electronic device 100 or the control unit 101 on the NSACF 1 or the NSACF 1 performs admission control of the network slice S-NSSAI 1 based on the blockchain. In the following description of the processing procedure, the electronic device 100 or the control unit 101 and the NSACF 1 will not be specifically distinguished.

[0039] For example, the control unit 101 can query the admission control information of other NSACFs (e.g., NSACF 2 and NSACF 3) corresponding to the current network slice (e.g., S-NSSAI 1) on the blockchain, and perform admission control of the current network slice based on the admission control information of the first NSACF and the admission control information of other NSACFs.

[0040] As an example, admission control includes slice user availability check and update processing, i.e., slice user admission control. One purpose of this control is, for example, to ensure that the number of registered users of all NSACFs in a network slice does not exceed its registered user quota. For ease of understanding, Figure 3 shows an example of the relevant information flow for slice user admission control. It should be noted that this is merely illustrative and not restrictive.

[0041] At S0, the NSACFs of the network slice are organized into a blockchain, and the admission control information of each NSACF is recorded on the blockchain. Figure 3 only shows an example of NSACFs. It should be understood that the number of NSACFs is not limited to that shown in the figure, but can be any natural number.

[0042] At S1, the occurrence of a predetermined trigger event causes the AMF to perform a slice user number availability check and update process. The predetermined trigger event may, for example, include one of the following: user registration, user deregistration, and user equipment configuration update. User registration refers to a new user equipment (UE) that wants to register with the current network slice, which may cause an increase in the number of users; user deregistration refers to an existing UE in the current network slice that wants to cancel its registration, which may cause a decrease in the number of users; user equipment configuration update may be caused by, for example, Network Slice-specific Authentication and Authorization (NSSAA) or a change in the contracted slice. The AMF only performs slice user number availability check and update processing for network slices that require NSAC, and the AMF can configure which network slices require NSAC.

[0043] Then, at S2, the AMF selects NSACF 1, for example, based on the area where the relevant UE is located, and sends a user number update request message, such as Nnsacf_NSAC_NumOfUEsUpdate_Request message, to NSACF 1. NSACF 1 performs a slice user number availability check and update process in response to the message. The message may include one or more of the following information: user equipment identifier (UE ID), access type (Access Type), current network slice number (S-NSSAI), network function identifier (NF ID), and update flag. Specifically, the access type can indicate whether it is 3GPP access or non-3GPP access; the current network slice number indicates which is the current network slice, which can be the S-NSSAI (single network slice selection auxiliary information) of the network slice. Referring to the example of Figure 2, the current network slice number is, for example, S-NSSAI 1; the NF ID indicates the network function that initiates the message, which refers to AMF here; the update flag depends on the triggering event. For example, when a user registers, the update flag indicates to increase the number of registered users, and when the user deregisters, the update flag indicates to decrease the number of registered users. In addition, the update flag can also indicate that the UE status in the current network slice is not updated.

[0044] Optionally, NSACF 1 can determine whether to perform admission control of the current network slice based on the access type or based on the access type and its own configuration information. If it is determined that admission control of the current network slice is to be performed, the admission control information of NSACF 1 and / or other NSACFs is updated according to the update flag.

[0045] For example, at S3, NSACF 1 queries the blockchain for the relevant admission control information of the NSACFs (such as NSACF 2 and NSACF 3) corresponding to S-NSSAI 1, and in S4 performs a slice user availability check and update process based on the relevant admission control information of NSACF 1 to NSACF 3. In this example, the relevant admission control information of the NSACF may include one or more of the following: the number of registered users of the NSACF, and the user list of the NSACF.

[0046] The processing in S4 is described in detail below. When the update flag indicates an increase, it means that the user equipment corresponding to the user equipment identifier requests registration. NSACF 1 checks whether the user equipment identifier is in the user list of NSACF 1 or other NSACFs. If the user equipment identifier is in the user list of NSACF 1 or other NSACFs, a new entry is created for the registration of the user equipment, but the number of registered users of the current network slice is not changed, that is, the number of registered users of NSACF 1 is not increased, wherein the new entry may include a network function identifier, so that multiple entries of the same user equipment identifier can be distinguished according to the NF ID that initiated the request. On the other hand, if the user equipment identifier is not in the user list of NSACF 1 or other NSACFs, NSACF 1 can calculate the total number of registered users recorded by all NSACFs (such as NSACF 1 to NSACF 3) in the current network slice. If the total number of users does not reach the registered user quota of the current network slice, NSACF 1 adds the user equipment identifier to the user list of NSACF 1, and accordingly, the number of registered users of NSACF 1 increases by 1; if the above total number of users has reached the registered user quota of the current network slice, which means that the current network slice can no longer accept new users, NSACF 1 returns information indicating that the current network slice has reached the registered user quota as a user number update response message, as shown in Nnsacf_NSAC_NumOfUEsUpdate_Response in S6 of Figure 3.

[0047] If the update flag indicates a decrease, it means that the user equipment corresponding to the user equipment identifier is requesting to deregister. If there is only one entry associated with the user equipment identifier in NSACF 1 and other NSACFs, the entry is deleted and the number of registered users in the corresponding NSACF is reduced. If there are multiple entries associated with the user equipment identifier in NSACF 1 and other NSACFs, only the entry associated with the NF ID (i.e., AMF) is deleted and the user equipment identifier is retained in the user list.

[0048] Next, in S5, NSACF 1 updates the relevant admission control information of NSACF 1 and / or other NSACFs on the blockchain, i.e., the number of registered users and user lists of the corresponding NSACFs. For example, Proof of Stake (PoS) or Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS) can be used to achieve consensus among blockchain nodes to improve processing efficiency, but this is not restrictive. By updating the admission control information on the blockchain, all NSACFs can obtain consistent information on the admission control of the same network slice, thereby achieving coordinated operations and sharing of slice admission quotas for the network slices.

[0049] In S6, NSACF 1 sends a user number update response such as Nnsacf_NSAC_NumOfUEsUpdate_Response to AMF to indicate whether the registered user number quota of the current network slice has been reached.

[0050] As another example, admission control includes checking the availability of the PDU session number and updating it. One purpose of this control is, for example, to ensure that the total number of PDU sessions in a network slice does not exceed its PDU session number quota. For ease of understanding, Figure 4 shows an example of the related information flow for PDU session number admission control. It should be noted that this is merely illustrative and not restrictive.

[0051] Similar to S0 in Figure 3 , at S0, the NSACFs of the network slice are organized into a blockchain, and the admission control information of each NSACF is recorded on the blockchain. It is understood that the blockchain here can be the same blockchain as the one described with reference to Figure 3 , and the admission control information in both examples is recorded together. During use, the NSACF queries the corresponding admission control information as needed.

[0052] At S1, the occurrence of a predetermined trigger event causes the SMF to perform a slice PDU session number availability check and update process. The predetermined trigger event may include, for example, one of the following: start of establishing a new PDU session, PDU session release completion, PDU session establishment failure, and inter-access mobility. Among them, start of establishing a new PDU session indicates that the number of PDU sessions of the network slice increases, PDU session release completion and PDU session establishment failure indicate that the number of PDU sessions of the network slice decreases, and inter-access mobility indicates that the access type of the existing PDU session is changed to a new access type.

[0053] Then, at S2, the SMF selects NSACF 1, for example, based on the area where the relevant UE is located, and sends a PDU session number update request message, such as the Nnsacf_NSAC_NumOfPDUsUpdate_Request message, to NSACF 1. In response to the message, NSACF 1 performs a slice PDU session number availability check and update process. The message may include one or more of the following information: user equipment identifier, access type, current network slice number, PDU session identifier, and update flag. Specifically, the access type may indicate whether it is 3GPP access or non-3GPP access; the current network slice number indicates which network slice the current is, which may be the S-NSSAI of the network slice, such as S-NSSAI 1 in Figure 2; the update flag varies depending on the triggering event. For example, when a new PDU session is started, the update flag indicates an increase in the PDU session number; when the PDU session release is completed or the PDU session establishment fails, the update flag indicates a decrease in the PDU session number; in the case of movement between access types, the update flag indicates a change in the access type of the existing PDU session.

[0054] At S3, NSACF 1 queries the blockchain for the relevant admission control information of the NSACFs corresponding to S-NSSAI 1 (e.g., NSACF 2 and NSACF 3), and at S4, performs a PDU session number availability check and update process based on the relevant admission control information of NSACFs 1 to 3. In this example, the relevant admission control information of the NSACFs may include one or more of the following: the PDU session number of the NSACF, and a list of PDU session identifiers (IDs) of the NSACF.

[0055] In S4, NSACF 1 may update the admission control information of NSACF 1 and / or other NSACFs according to the update flag. The processing in S4 is described in detail below.

[0056] In the case where the update flag indicates an increase, the predetermined trigger event is, for example, the start of establishing a new PDU session. NSACF 1 calculates the total number of PDU sessions recorded by all NSACFs (such as NSACF 1 to NSACF 3) of the current network slice. If the total number of sessions has reached the PDU session quota of the current network slice, NSACF 1 returns information indicating that the PDU session quota of the current network slice has been reached. If the total number of sessions does not reach the PDU session quota of the current network slice, NSACF 1 increases the PDU session number of NSACF 1. In addition, if the user equipment identifier already exists in the PDU session ID list of NSACF 1 or other NSACFs, NSACF 1 also stores the PDU session identifier and access type; if the user equipment identifier does not exist in the PDU session ID list of NSACF 1 or other NSACFs, NSACF 1 also creates a new entry to record the user equipment identifier, PDU session identifier and access type in an associated manner.

[0057] If the update flag indicates a decrease, and the predetermined trigger event is a PDU session release completion or a PDU session establishment failure, NSACF 1 reduces the number of PDU sessions in NSACF 1 and deletes the PDU session identifier. In addition, NSACF 1 searches other NSACFs for PDU sessions associated with the user equipment identifier. If no PDU session associated with the user equipment identifier exists, NSACF 1 deletes the entry for the user equipment identifier.

[0058] If the update flag indicates an update, NSACF 1 updates the access type in the record associated with the PDU session identifier. In this case, the same user equipment identifier may be associated with entries with different access types. NSACF may save a record for each access type and return the corresponding indication separately.

[0059] Next, in S5, NSACF 1 updates the relevant admission control information of NSACF 1 and / or other NSACFs on the blockchain, namely, the number of PDU sessions and / or the list of PDU session identifiers of the corresponding NSACFs. For example, PoS or DPoS can be used to achieve consensus among blockchain nodes to improve processing efficiency, but this is not restrictive.

[0060] In S6, NSACF 1 sends a response PDU session number update response, such as Nnsacf_NSAC_NumOfPDUsUpdate_Response, to SMF to indicate the update result. For example, if a response indicating that the current network slice has reached the PDU session number quota is returned, SMF rejects the new PDU session establishment request.

[0061] In addition, even if the SMF agrees to the new PDU session establishment request based on the PDU session number update response such as Nnsacf_NSAC_NumOfPDUsUpdate_Response, there is a situation where the PDU session establishment fails. In this case, the SMF will trigger a new slice PDU session number availability check and update process, where the update flag indicates to reduce the PDU session number, thereby reducing the already increased PDU session number of the NSACF.

[0062] To sum up, according to this embodiment, the electronic device 100 forms a blockchain with NSACF, and can use blockchain technology to coordinate the admission control between different NSACFs of the same network slice and share the quota of the network slice.

[0063] Furthermore, the control circuit 101 may also be configured to dynamically update the slice admission quota of each network slice on the blockchain. In other words, the slice admission quota of each network slice may also be stored on the blockchain so that it can be dynamically updated.

[0064] For example, the slice admission quota may include a registered user quota and / or a PDU session quota. The control circuit 101 may be dynamically updated based on, for example, an instruction or spectrum sensing information provided by a radio access network (RAN). A detailed description of the latter will be given in the second embodiment.

[0065] The electronic device 100 configured in this way can dynamically update the slice admission quota of each network slice according to actual conditions, thereby effectively optimizing the spectrum utilization efficiency of the wireless network.

[0066] <Second embodiment>

[0067] Figure 5 shows a functional module block diagram of an electronic device 200 according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5, the electronic device 200 includes: a communication unit 201, configured to obtain spectrum sensing information from the RAN side; and an update unit 202, configured to dynamically update the slice admission quota of each network slice in the mobile network based on the spectrum sensing information.

[0068] The communication unit 201 and the update unit 202 may be implemented by one or more processing circuits, such as chips or processors. Furthermore, it should be understood that the various functional units in the electronic device shown in FIG5 are merely logical modules divided according to the specific functions they implement, and are not intended to limit specific implementations.

[0069] The electronic device 200 may be set, for example, on the core network side of a mobile network, specifically, on a server on the core network side. Examples of mobile networks include, for example, PLMN.

[0070] Here, it should also be noted that the electronic device 200 can be implemented at the chip level, or it can also be implemented at the device level. For example, the electronic device 200 can work as a server itself, and can also include external devices such as memory, transceiver (not shown in the figure), etc. The memory can be used to store programs and related data information that need to be executed by the electronic device to implement various functions. The transceiver may include one or more communication interfaces to support communication with different devices (for example, other servers, base stations, etc.), and the implementation form of the transceiver is not specifically limited here.

[0071] Referring back to Figure 2, the present disclosure proposes adding a perception plane function (SPF) to the core network. The SPF can be used to process and report perception information, provide perception capabilities and information to third-party entities (e.g., spectrum management devices), and combine with the Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) to trade slice spectrum resources and update slice admission quotas. The electronic device 200 of this embodiment can be implemented on the SPF or as part of the SPF. In the following description of the processing procedure, the electronic device 200 or its functional units will not be specifically distinguished from the SPF.

[0072] For ease of understanding, Figure 6 shows an example of an information flow for updating a slice admission quota. It should be noted that this information flow is exemplary rather than restrictive.

[0073] First, in S1, the RAN sends spectrum sensing information to the SPF. For example, the RAN can send this information periodically or in response to a specific trigger event. Spectrum sensing information can include one or more of the following: wireless measurement information, non-3GPP information, and spectrum transaction information. Wireless measurement information includes, for example, the frequency band used, bandwidth, power, and channel status. Non-3GPP information includes, for example, location information.

[0074] In S2, SPF may send a subscription analysis message (such as Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSuscription_Subscribe message) to NWDAF, which subscription analysis message may include an analysis identifier and / or an analysis filter. Various analysis functions may be performed in NWDAF, such as slice load statistics and / or prediction, spectrum trading analysis, spectrum and load level analysis, etc. The analysis identifier may be used to indicate which analysis to subscribe to (or which analysis function of NWDAF to call). The analysis filter is used to determine the object to which the analysis function is to be applied. The analysis filter may include, for example, one or more of the following: S-NSSAI, network slice instance identifier (NSI ID), and area of ​​interest. Therefore, SPF may call the corresponding analysis function of NWDAF to analyze the desired object data by sending a subscription analysis message to NWDAF.

[0075] In S3, NWDAF subscribes to the perception information service from SPF, such as sending Nspf_EventExposure_Subscribe message, to obtain spectrum perception information.

[0076] In S4, the SPF aggregates the received spectrum sensing information into a predetermined format and packages it according to a predetermined period. For example, the SPF may aggregate the spectrum sensing information into a unified format according to slices, base stations, and spectrums.

[0077] In S5, the SPF periodically provides the packaged spectrum sensing information to the NWDAF in response to the subscription to the sensing information service in S3, for example, via an Nspf_EventExposure_Notify message.

[0078] In S6, the NWDAF analyzes the spectrum sensing information, such as performing spectrum and slice load analysis. In S7, the NWDAF provides the analysis results to the SPF in response to the subscription analysis message in S2, for example, via the Nnwdaf_AnalyticsSuscription_Notify message. Exemplarily, the analysis results may include one or more of the following: load statistics of each network slice, future load prediction of each network slice, load statistics of the service area of ​​the network slice, future load prediction of the service area of ​​the network slice, the number of registered users and / or the number of PDU sessions that each network slice can carry. The specific content of the analysis results depends, for example, at least in part on the subscription analysis message in S2.

[0079] In S8, the SPF determines the slice admission quota of each network slice based on the received analysis results. As mentioned above, the slice admission quota may include a registered user quota and / or a PDU session quota.

[0080] In S9, the SPF sends a slice admission quota update indication (e.g., an NS Quota Update message) to each NSACF. Note that if the slice admission quota of a certain network slice has not been updated in a certain processing cycle, the SPF may not send a slice admission quota update indication to its NSACF. FIG6 shows only an example of NSACFs, and it should be understood that the number of NSACFs is not limited to that shown in the figure, but can be any natural number.

[0081] Figure 7 shows another example of the information flow for updating slice admission quotas. Steps S1-S9 in Figure 7 are identical to S1-S9 in Figure 6 and are not repeated here. In S10 of the figure, the slice admission quotas of each network slice are dynamically updated on the blockchain, where the NSACFs of each network slice constitute the blockchain.

[0082] To sum up, the electronic device 200 according to this embodiment can effectively optimize the spectrum utilization efficiency of the wireless network by dynamically updating the slice admission quota of each network slice based on spectrum sensing information.

[0083] <Third embodiment>

[0084] In the process of describing the electronic device for network management in the above embodiments, it is obvious that some processes or methods are also disclosed. Below, an overview of these methods is given without repeating some of the details already discussed above, but it should be noted that although these methods are disclosed in the process of describing the electronic device for network management, these methods do not necessarily employ the components described or are not necessarily performed by those components. For example, the embodiments of the electronic device for network management can be partially or completely implemented using hardware and / or firmware, while the methods for network management discussed below can be completely implemented by computer-executable programs, although these methods can also employ the hardware and / or firmware of the electronic device for network management.

[0085] Figure 8 shows a flow chart of a method for network management according to an embodiment of the present application. The method includes: controlling the operation of a NSACF of a network slice in a mobile network based on a blockchain, wherein the NSACF has a blockchain function (S11). The method can be performed, for example, on the core network side.

[0086] For example, a network slice corresponds to one or more NSACFs. The blockchain records the admission control information of each NSACF in each network slice.

[0087] As an example, in step S11, in response to a predetermined trigger event for the first NSACF, admission control of the current network slice corresponding to the first NSACF is performed based on the blockchain.

[0088] For example, the admission control information of other NSACFs corresponding to the current network slice can be queried on the blockchain, and admission control of the current network slice can be performed based on the admission control information of the first NSACF and the admission control information of other NSACFs.

[0089] Admission control includes, for example, slice user availability check and update processing, and predetermined trigger events include one of the following: user registration, user deregistration, and user equipment configuration update. The admission control information of the NSACF may include one or more of the following: the number of registered users of the NSACF and the user list of the NSACF.

[0090] Step S11 includes: receiving a user number update request message for the first NSACF from the AMF, such as the Nnsacf_NSAC_NumOfUEsUpdate_Request message, and performing a slice user number availability check and update processing in response to the message. The message may include one or more of the following information: user equipment identifier, access type, current network slice number, network function identifier, and update flag.

[0091] Step S11 may also include: determining whether to perform admission control of the current network slice based on the access type, and if it is determined that admission control of the current network slice is to be performed, updating the admission control information of the first NSACF and / or other NSACFs according to the update flag.

[0092] For example, when the update flag indicates an increase, the user equipment corresponding to the user equipment identifier requests registration, and checks whether the user equipment identifier is in the user list of the first NSACF or other NSACF; if the user equipment identifier is in the user list of the first NSACF or other NSACF, a new entry is created for the registration of the user equipment, but the number of registered users of the current network slice is not changed, and the new entry includes the network function identifier; if the user equipment identifier is not in the user list of the first NSACF or other NSACF, and the total number of users recorded by the first NSACF and other NSACFs does not reach the registered user number quota of the current network slice, the user equipment identifier is added to the user list of the first NSACF; and if the user equipment identifier is not in the user list of the first NSACF or other NSACF, and the total number of users recorded by the first NSACF and other NSACFs has reached the registered user number quota of the current network slice, information indicating that the registered user number quota of the current network slice has been reached is returned.

[0093] In the case where the update flag indicates a decrease, if there is only one entry associated with the user equipment identifier in the first NSACF and the other NSACFs, the entry is deleted and the number of registered users of the corresponding NSACF is reduced; and if there are multiple entries associated with the user equipment identifier in the first NSACF and the other NSACFs, only the entry associated with the network function identifier is deleted and the user equipment identifier is retained in the user list.

[0094] On the other hand, admission control includes, for example, checking the availability and updating of the number of PDU sessions. Predetermined triggering events include one of the following: starting to establish a new PDU session, completion of PDU session release, failure of PDU session establishment, and inter-access type mobility. The admission control information of the NSACF includes one or more of the following: the number of PDU sessions of the NSACF and the list of PDU session identifiers of the NSACF.

[0095] Step S11 includes: receiving a PDU session update request message for the first NSACF from the SMF, such as the Nnsacf_NSAC_NumOfPDUsUpdate_Request message, and performing a slice PDU session number availability check and update processing in response to the message. The message includes one or more of the following information: user equipment identifier, access type, current network slice number, PDU session identifier, and update flag.

[0096] Step S11 further includes updating the admission control information of the first NSACF and / or other NSACFs according to the update flag.

[0097] For example, when the update flag indicates an increase, the predetermined trigger event is to start establishing a new PDU session. If the total number of sessions recorded by the first NSACF and other NSACFs has reached the PDU session number quota of the current network slice, information indicating that the current network slice has reached the PDU session number quota is returned; if the total number of sessions recorded by the first NSACF and other NSACFs does not reach the PDU session number quota of the current network slice, the PDU session number of the first NSACF is increased, and if the user equipment identifier already exists in the PDU session ID list of the first NSACF or the NSACF, the PDU session identifier and access type are also stored. If the user equipment identifier does not exist in the PDU session ID list of the first NSACF or other NSACFs, a new entry is also created to record the user equipment identifier, PDU session identifier and access type in an associated manner.

[0098] When the update flag indicates a decrease, the predetermined trigger event is the completion of the PDU session release or the failure of the PDU session establishment. At this time, the number of PDU sessions of the first NSACF is reduced, the PDU session identifier is deleted, and a search is performed in other NSACFs to determine whether there is a PDU session associated with the user equipment identifier. If there is no PDU session associated with the user equipment identifier, the entry of the user equipment identifier is deleted.

[0099] When the update flag indicates an update, the access type in the record associated with the PDU session identifier is updated.

[0100] The above method also includes: updating the admission control information of the first NSACF and / or other NSACFs on the blockchain.

[0101] As another example, in step S11, the slice admission quota of each network slice is dynamically updated on the blockchain. For example, the slice admission quota includes a quota for the number of registered users and / or a quota for the number of PDU sessions. This dynamic update can be performed based on spectrum sensing information provided by the radio access network.

[0102] The above method corresponds to the electronic device 100 in the first embodiment. The specific details can be referred to the first embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0103] Figure 9 shows a flow chart of a method for network management according to one embodiment of the present application. The method includes: obtaining spectrum sensing information from a radio access network (S21); and dynamically updating a slice admission quota for each network slice in a mobile network based on the spectrum sensing information (S22). This method can be performed, for example, on a core network.

[0104] For example, the slice admission quota includes a registered user quota and / or a PDU session quota. The spectrum sensing information may include one or more of the following: wireless measurement information, non-3GPP type information, and spectrum transaction information.

[0105] In step S22, the spectrum sensing information may be aggregated into a predetermined format, packaged according to a predetermined period, and provided to the network data analysis function NWDAF. The analysis results are obtained from the NWDAF and dynamically updated based on the analysis results. The analysis results may include, for example, one or more of the following: load statistics for each network slice, future load predictions for each network slice, load statistics for the service area of ​​the network slice, future load predictions for the service area of ​​the network slice, and the number of registered users and / or PDU sessions that each network slice can carry.

[0106] Step S22 further includes: sending a subscription analysis message to the NWDAF, where the subscription analysis message includes an analysis identifier and / or an analysis filter.

[0107] The above method may also include: performing dynamic updates on the blockchain, wherein the NSACFs of each network slice in the mobile network constitute the blockchain.

[0108] The above method corresponds to the electronic device 200 in the second embodiment. The specific details can be referred to the second embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0109] Note that the above methods can be used in combination or individually.

[0110] The technology of the present disclosure can be applied to various products. For example, the electronic device 100 or 200 can be implemented as any type of server, such as a tower server, a rack server, and a blade server. The electronic device 100 or 200 can be a control module installed on the server (such as an integrated circuit module including a single chip, and a card or blade inserted into a slot of a blade server).

[0111] [Application examples for servers]

[0112] 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a server 700 to which the technology of the present disclosure may be applied. The server 700 includes a processor 701 , a memory 702 , a storage device 703 , a network interface 704 , and a bus 706 .

[0113] The processor 701 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) or a digital signal processor (DSP), and controls the functions of the server 700. The memory 702 includes a random access memory (RAM) and a read-only memory (ROM), and stores data and programs executed by the processor 701. The storage device 703 may include a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory and a hard disk.

[0114] The network interface 704 is a wired communication interface for connecting the server 700 to a wired communication network 705. The wired communication network 705 may be a core network such as an evolved packet core (EPC) or a packet data network (PDN) such as the Internet.

[0115] The bus 706 connects the processor 701, the memory 702, the storage device 703, and the network interface 704 to each other. The bus 706 may include two or more buses each having a different speed (such as a high-speed bus and a low-speed bus).

[0116] In the server 700 shown in FIG10 , the control unit 101 described with reference to FIG1 and the communication unit 201 and the update unit 202 described with reference to FIG5 may be implemented by a processor 701. For example, the processor 701 may implement blockchain-based slice admission control by executing the functions of the control unit 101, and may implement dynamic update of slice admission quota based on spectrum sensing information by executing the functions of the communication unit 201 and the update unit 202.

[0117] The basic principles of the present invention are described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be pointed out that those skilled in the art will understand that all or any steps or components of the methods and devices of the present invention can be implemented in any computing device (including a processor, storage medium, etc.) or a network of computing devices in the form of hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. This can be achieved by those skilled in the art using their basic circuit design knowledge or basic programming skills after reading the description of the present invention.

[0118] Furthermore, the present invention also provides a program product storing machine-readable instruction codes, which, when read and executed by a machine, can execute the method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0119] Accordingly, the storage medium for carrying the program product storing the machine-readable instruction code is also included in the disclosure of the present invention, including but not limited to a floppy disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a memory card, a memory stick, and the like.

[0120] When the present invention is implemented through software or firmware, the programs constituting the software are installed from a storage medium or a network to a computer with a dedicated hardware structure (such as the general-purpose computer 1100 shown in Figure 11). When various programs are installed on the computer, it can perform various functions, etc.

[0121] In FIG11 , a central processing unit (CPU) 1101 executes various processes according to a program stored in a read-only memory (ROM) 1102 or a program loaded from a storage section 1108 to a random access memory (RAM) 1103. In the RAM 1103, data required when the CPU 1101 executes various processes, etc., is also stored as needed. The CPU 1101, the ROM 1102, and the RAM 1103 are connected to each other via a bus 1104. An input / output interface 1105 is also connected to the bus 1104.

[0122] The following components are connected to the input / output interface 1105: an input section 1106 (including a keyboard, a mouse, etc.), an output section 1107 (including a display such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), etc., and a speaker, etc.), a storage section 1108 (including a hard disk, etc.), and a communication section 1109 (including a network interface card such as a LAN card, a modem, etc.). The communication section 1109 performs communication processing via a network such as the Internet. A drive 1110 may also be connected to the input / output interface 1105 as needed. A removable medium 1111 such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a semiconductor memory, etc. is installed in the drive 1110 as needed, so that a computer program read therefrom is installed in the storage section 1108 as needed.

[0123] In the case where the above-described series of processing is realized by software, a program constituting the software is installed from a network such as the Internet or a storage medium such as the removable medium 1111 .

[0124] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that such storage media is not limited to the removable medium 1111 shown in FIG11 , which stores the program therein and is distributed separately from the device to provide the program to the user. Examples of the removable medium 1111 include magnetic disks (including floppy disks (registered trademark)), optical disks (including compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROMs) and digital versatile disks (DVDs)), magneto-optical disks (including minidiscs (MDs) (registered trademark)), and semiconductor memories. Alternatively, the storage medium may be the ROM 1102, a hard disk included in the storage section 1108, or the like, in which the program is stored and distributed to the user together with the device containing them.

[0125] It should also be noted that in the apparatus, method, and system of the present invention, each component or step can be decomposed and / or recombined. Such decomposition and / or recombination should be considered equivalent solutions of the present invention. Furthermore, the steps of performing the above series of processes can naturally be performed in chronological order according to the order described, but do not necessarily need to be performed in chronological order. Certain steps can be performed in parallel or independently of each other.

[0126] Finally, it should be noted that the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Furthermore, in the absence of further limitations, the phrase "comprising a..." does not preclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the elements.

[0127] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations may be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is limited solely by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An electronic device for network management, comprising: The processing circuit is configured to: Control the operation of the Network Slice Admission Control Function (NSACF) in mobile networks based on blockchain. Among them, the NSACF has blockchain function.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein A network slice corresponds to one or more NSACFs.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein The blockchain records the admission control information of each NSACF of each network slice.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein The processing circuit is configured to, in response to a predetermined trigger event for the first NSACF, perform admission control of a current network slice corresponding to the first NSACF based on the blockchain.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein The processing circuit is configured to query the admission control information of other NSACFs corresponding to the current network slice on the blockchain, and perform admission control of the current network slice based on the admission control information of the first NSACF and the admission control information of the other NSACFs. The electronic device according to claim 4 , wherein: The admission control includes slice user number availability check and update processing, and the predetermined trigger event includes one of the following: user registration, user deregistration, and user equipment configuration update.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, wherein: The admission control information of the NSACF includes one or more of the following: the number of registered users of the NSACF, and the user list of the NSACF.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein: The processing circuit is configured to receive a user number update request message for the first NSACF from the access and mobility function AMF, and perform the slice user number availability check and update processing in response to the user number update request message, wherein the user number update request message includes one or more of the following information: user equipment identifier, access type, current network slice number, network function identifier, and update flag.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein: The processing circuit is also configured to determine whether to perform admission control of the current network slice based on the access type, and if it is determined that admission control of the current network slice is to be performed, update the admission control information of the first NSACF and / or the other NSACF according to the update flag.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein In a case where the update flag indicates an increase, the user equipment corresponding to the user equipment identifier requests registration, and the processing circuit is configured to: Checking whether the user equipment identifier is in a user list of the first NSACF or the other NSACF; If the user equipment identifier is in the user list of the first NSACF or the other NSACF, creating a new entry for the registration of the user equipment without changing the number of registered users of the current network slice, the new entry including the network function identifier; If the user equipment identifier is not in the user list of the first NSACF or the other NSACF, and the total number of users recorded by the first NSACF and the other NSACF does not reach the registered user number quota of the current network slice, the user equipment identifier is added to the user list of the first NSACF; as well as If the user equipment identifier is not in the user list of the first NSACF or the other NSACF, and the total number of users recorded by the first NSACF and the other NSACF has reached the registered user number quota of the current network slice, information indicating that the current network slice has reached the registered user number quota is returned.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein In the event that the update flag indicates a decrease, the processing circuit is configured to: If there is only one entry associated with the user equipment identifier in the first NSACF and the other NSACF, delete the entry and reduce the number of registered users of the corresponding NSACF; as well as If there are multiple entries associated with the user equipment identifier in the first NSACF and the other NSACFs, only the entry associated with the network function identifier is deleted and the user equipment identifier is retained in the user list.

12. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein The admission control includes the availability check and update processing of the slice protocol data unit PDU session number, and the predetermined trigger event includes one of the following: starting to establish a new PDU session, PDU session release completion, PDU session establishment failure, and movement between access types.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12, wherein: The admission control information of the NSACF includes one or more of the following: the number of PDU sessions of the NSACF, and the PDU session identifier list of the NSACF.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein: The processing circuit is configured to receive a PDU session number update request message for the first NSACF from the session management function SMF, and perform the slice PDU session number availability check and update processing in response to the message. The PDU session number update request message includes one or more of the following information: user equipment identifier, access type, current network slice number, PDU session identifier, and update flag.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein The processing circuit is configured to update the admission control information of the first NSACF and / or the other NSACF according to the update flag.

16. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein In a case where the update flag indicates an increase, the predetermined triggering event is starting to establish a new PDU session, and the processing circuit is configured to: If the total number of sessions recorded by the first NSACF and the other NSACFs has reached the PDU session number quota of the current network slice, return information indicating that the current network slice has reached the PDU session number quota; If the total number of sessions recorded by the first NSACF and the other NSACFs does not reach the PDU session number quota of the current network slice, the PDU session number of the first NSACF is increased, and if the user equipment identifier already exists in the PDU session ID list of the first NSACF or the other NSACF, the PDU session identifier and the access type are also stored. If the user equipment identifier does not exist in the PDU session ID list of the first NSACF or the other NSACF, a new entry is also created to record the user equipment identifier, the PDU session identifier and the access type in an associated manner.

17. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein: In the case where the update flag indicates a decrease, the predetermined trigger event is a PDU session release completion or a PDU session establishment failure, the processing circuit is configured to reduce the number of PDU sessions of the first NSACF, delete the PDU session identifier, The processing circuit is further configured to search the other NSACF for a PDU session associated with the user equipment identity, and delete an entry of the user equipment identity if no PDU session associated with the user equipment identity exists.

18. The electronic device according to claim 15, wherein In a case where the update flag indicates an update, the processing circuit is configured to update the access type in the record associated with the PDU session identifier.

19. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein The processing circuit is configured to update admission control information of the first NSACF and / or the other NSACFs on the blockchain.

20. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein The processing circuit is also configured to dynamically update the slice admission quota of each network slice on the blockchain.

21. The electronic device according to claim 20, wherein The slice admission quota includes a registered user quota and / or a PDU session quota.

22. The electronic device according to claim 20, wherein The processing circuit is configured to perform the dynamic update based on spectrum sensing information provided by a radio access network side.

23. An electronic device for network management, comprising: The processing circuit is configured to: Acquire spectrum sensing information from the wireless access network side; as well as The slice admission quota of each network slice in the mobile network is dynamically updated based on the spectrum sensing information.

24. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein The slice admission quota includes a registered user quota and / or a PDU session quota.

25. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein The spectrum sensing information includes one or more of the following: wireless measurement information, non-3GPP type information, and spectrum transaction information.

26. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein The processing circuit is configured to aggregate the spectrum sensing information into a predetermined format, package it according to a predetermined period to provide it to a network data analysis function NWDAF, obtain analysis results from the NWDAF, and perform the dynamic update based on the analysis results.

27. The electronic device according to claim 26, wherein The processing circuit is further configured to send a subscribe analysis message to the NWDAF, where the subscribe analysis message includes an analysis identifier and / or an analysis filter.

28. The electronic device according to claim 26, wherein The analysis results include one or more of the following: load statistics of each network slice, future load prediction of each network slice, load statistics of the service area of ​​the network slice, future load prediction of the service area of ​​the network slice, and the number of registered users and / or PDU sessions that each network slice can carry.

29. The electronic device according to claim 23, wherein The processing circuit is further configured to perform the dynamic update on a blockchain, wherein the network slice admission control function NSACF of each network slice in the mobile network constitutes the blockchain.

30. A method for network management, comprising: Control the operation of the Network Slice Admission Control Function (NSACF) in mobile networks based on blockchain. Among them, the NSACF has blockchain function.

31. A method for network management, comprising: Acquire spectrum sensing information from the wireless access network side; as well as The slice admission quota of each network slice in the mobile network is dynamically updated based on the spectrum sensing information.

32. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to execute the method for network management according to claim 30 or claim 31.

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