Network element selection method and device, communication equipment, storage medium and program product

Abstract

The invention relates to a network element selection method and device, communication equipment, a storage medium and a program product. The method comprises the following steps: a roaming place NRF network element sends a first service discovery request to an attribution place SEPP network element through a roaming place SEPP network element; wherein the first service discovery request carries first identification information of the faulty network element and second identification information of a first attribution NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the attribution SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to a second attribution NRF network element except the first attribution NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second attribution NRF network element to select NF network elements except the fault network element to perform service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request; and the roaming place NRF network element receives a first service discovery response fed back by the second attribution place NRF network element. By adopting the method, the NF network element can be accurately selected again in the roaming service for service discovery, and the method has higher flexibility.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a network element selection method, apparatus, communication equipment, storage medium and program product. Background Art

[0002] 5G SA (5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology Standalone) networks and services have been used on a large scale. In order to ensure the consistency and continuity of users' service perception at home and abroad, it is necessary to enable 5G SA roaming in a timely manner.

[0003] At present, the common deployment method of 5G SA roaming international bureau is the deployment of dual manufacturers and dual DCs (Data Centers) in different locations, that is, after selecting NRF (Network Repository Function) in the cross-network network to complete the service discovery between PLMNs (Public Land Mobile Networks), all services are located to a single manufacturer and single DC in the home network. Although this routing method can achieve network backup through DC, if the DC equipment fails, it cannot be rolled back and reselected. It can only achieve disaster recovery with the same manufacturer through the manufacturer's own data backup and disaster recovery technology in the DC, which lacks the flexibility of network element selection in roaming service discovery. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a network element selection method, apparatus, communication equipment, storage medium and program product that can realize accurate re-selection of network elements in roaming services in response to the above technical problems.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a network element selection method, which is applied to a roaming NRF network element, including:

[0006] Sending a first service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming SEPP network element;

[0007] The first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first attribution NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the attribution SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second attribution NRF network element other than the first attribution NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second attribution NRF network element to select the NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request;

[0008] Receive the first service discovery response fed back by the NRF network element in the second home location.

[0009] In one of the embodiments, before sending the first service discovery request to the home SEPP network element through the roaming security edge protection proxy SEPP network element, the method further includes:

[0010] Sending a second service discovery request to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element;

[0011] Receiving a second service discovery response fed back by the first home location NRF network element when the service discovery fails;

[0012] The second service discovery response carries the first identification information and the second identification information.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, after receiving a second service discovery response fed back by the first home NRF network element when the service discovery fails, the method further includes:

[0014] The first identification information and the second identification information are associated and stored in a local fault information list.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, before sending the second service discovery request to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element, the method further includes:

[0016] Receive the second service discovery request sent by the roaming AMF network element.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, after receiving the first service discovery response fed back by the second home location NRF network element, the method further includes:

[0018] When the service discovery of the NRF network element in the second home location is successful, the first service discovery response is fed back to the AMF network element in the roaming location.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present application provides a network element selection method, which is applied to a second home location NRF network element, including:

[0020] Receiving a first service discovery request forwarded by a home SEPP network element;

[0021] The first service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; the first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element;

[0022] According to the first identification information, select NF network elements other than the faulty network element for service discovery;

[0023] Feedback the first service discovery response to the NRF network element in the roaming location.

[0024] In one of the embodiments, the first identification information and the second identification information are carried in the second service discovery response of the second service discovery request by the first home location NRF network element and fed back to the roaming location NRF network element when service discovery fails. The second service discovery request is sent by the roaming location NRF network element to the home location SEPP network element via the roaming location SEPP network element.

[0025] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a network element selection device, which is configured in a roaming NRF network element, including:

[0026] A request sending module, used for sending a first service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming SEPP network element;

[0027] The first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first attribution NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the attribution SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second attribution NRF network element other than the first attribution NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second attribution NRF network element to select the NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request;

[0028] The response receiving module is used to receive the first service discovery response fed back by the second home location NRF network element.

[0029] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a network element selection device, which is configured in the second home location NRF network element, including:

[0030] A request receiving module, used for receiving a first service discovery request forwarded by a home SEPP network element;

[0031] The first service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; the first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element;

[0032] A service discovery module, configured to select, according to the first identification information, NF network elements other than the faulty network element for service discovery;

[0033] The response sending module is used to feed back the first service discovery response to the NRF network element in the roaming location.

[0034] In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, comprising: a transmitter, a receiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program;

[0035] The transmitter is used to send a first service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming SEPP network element;

[0036] The first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first attribution NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the attribution SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second attribution NRF network element other than the first attribution NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second attribution NRF network element to select the NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request;

[0037] The receiver is used to receive a first service discovery response fed back by the second home location NRF network element.

[0038] In a sixth aspect, the present application further provides a communication device, comprising: a transmitter, a receiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program;

[0039] The receiver is used to receive the first service discovery request forwarded by the home SEPP network element;

[0040] The first service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; the first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element;

[0041] The processor is used to execute a computer program to select a NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery according to the first identification information;

[0042] The transmitter is used to feed back a first service discovery response to the NRF network element in the roaming location.

[0043] In a seventh aspect, the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which implements the steps of the method of the first aspect or the second aspect when the computer program is executed by a processor.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program, which implements the steps of the method of the first aspect or the second aspect when executed by a processor.

[0045] The above-mentioned network element selection method, apparatus, communication equipment, storage medium and program product, the roaming NRF network element sends a first service discovery request to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; wherein the first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second home NRF network element to select NF network elements other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request; the roaming NRF network element receives the first service discovery response fed back by the second home NRF network element. The present application carries the first identification information and the second identification information in the first service discovery request, and sends it from the NRF network element in the roaming location to the NRF network element in the second location through each node, so that each node reasonably forwards the first service discovery request based on the second identification information, and the NRF network element in the second location accurately performs service discovery based on the first identification information. Compared with the existing technology, the present application can accurately re-select NF network elements for service discovery in roaming services, and has higher flexibility. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or related technologies, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application or related technical descriptions will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0047] FIG1 is an application environment diagram of a network element selection method in one embodiment;

[0048] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a network element selection method in an embodiment;

[0049] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a process of initiating a second service discovery in one embodiment;

[0050] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a network element selection method in another embodiment;

[0051] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a network element selection method in yet another embodiment;

[0052] FIG6 is a structural block diagram of a network element selection device in one embodiment;

[0053] FIG. 7 is a structural block diagram of a network element selection device in another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0054] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0055] The network element selection method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to the application environment shown in Figure 1. Among them, after the roaming NFR network element (i.e., vi-NRF) receives the service discovery request sent by the roaming AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) network element (i.e., vAMF), the service discovery request can be forwarded to the first home NRF network element (i.e., hi-NRF-1) through the roaming SEPP (Security Edge Protection Proxy) network element (i.e., vSEPP) and the home SEPP network element (i.e., hSEPP-1) in sequence, so that the first home NRF network element selects NF (Network Function) network element for service discovery; NF network elements include but are not limited to SMF (Session Management function) network elements (such as hSMF-1 and hSMF-2). If the failure of the NF network element selected by the first home NRF network element causes the service discovery to fail, a service discovery response is fed back to the roaming NRF network element, and the service discovery response carries the first identification information of the selected faulty NF network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element. Further, the roaming NRF network element can send a service discovery request again through the roaming SEPP network element and the home SEPP network element, and carry the first identification information and the second identification information in the re-sent service request, so that the home SEPP network element forwards the service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element, and the second home NRF network element selects a NF network element other than the faulty NF network element for service discovery. If the service discovery of the second home NRF network element is successful, a service discovery response is fed back to the roaming NRF network element, so that the roaming NRF network element sends a service discovery response indicating the success of the service discovery to the roaming AMF network element.

[0056] The home location may include multiple international bureaus (such as international bureau 1 and international bureau 2), and the home location SEPP network element may be the hSEPP-1 network element of international bureau 1 or the hSEPP-2 of international bureau 2. Exemplarily, the hSEPP-1 network element may forward the service discovery request to the hi-NRF-1 network element or the hi-NRF-2 network element, and the hSMF-1 network element and the hSMF-2 network element are both registered with the hi-NRF-1 network element and the hi-NRF-2 network element; the hSEPP-2 network element may forward the service discovery request to the hi-NRF-3 network element or the hi-NRF-4 network element, and the hSMF-3 network element and the hSMF-4 network element are both registered with the hi-NRF-3 network element and the hi-NRF-4 network element.

[0057] Since the service discovery request sent again by the roaming NRF network element carries the first identification information and the second identification information, each node forwarding the service discovery request can select a suitable next node for forwarding until the home NRF network element selects a suitable NF network element for service discovery.

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG2 , a network element selection method is provided, which is described by taking the method applied to the roaming NRF network element in FIG1 as an example, including:

[0059] S201, sending a first service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming SEPP network element.

[0060] The roaming NRF network element sends a first service discovery request to the roaming SEPP network element, so that the roaming SEPP network element selects the home SEPP network element and then forwards the first service discovery request. In the 5G inter-network roaming scenario, the home SEPP network element selected by the roaming SEPP network element can be a SEPP network element in any international bureau of the home.

[0061] The first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element at the home location, and the second identification information of the first home location NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs. The faulty network element at the home location refers to the faulty NF network element registered by the first home location NRF network element, including but not limited to the SMF network element. The first home location NRF network element cannot select the faulty network element at the home location in the cross-network service discovery process.

[0062] The second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element. Specifically, after receiving the forwarded first service discovery request, the home SEPP network element identifies the second identification information carried therein. In order to avoid service discovery failure as much as possible, the home SEPP network element no longer forwards the first service discovery request to the first home NRF network element indicated by the second identification information, but selects the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element, and forwards the first service discovery request to the selected second home NRF network element. The second home NRF network element can be any other home NRF network element in the same or different international bureau as the home SEPP network element.

[0063] S202, receiving a first service discovery response fed back by the NRF network element in the second home location.

[0064] The first identification information is used for the second-home NRF network element to select NF network elements other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request. Specifically, after receiving the forwarded first service discovery request, the second-home NRF network element identifies the first identification information carried therein. Since the first-home NRF network element and the second-home NRF network element may register the same faulty NF network element, in order to avoid service discovery failure, the second-home NRF network element no longer selects the faulty network element indicated by the first identification information for service discovery, but selects NF network elements other than the faulty network element indicated by the first identification information for service discovery.

[0065] Further, the second home location NRF network element feeds back a first service discovery response of the first service discovery request to the roaming location NRF network element.

[0066] Specifically, the second home NRF network element feeds back the first service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element through the original path, that is, the second home NRF network element feeds back the first service discovery response to the home SEPP network element, and then the home SEPP network element feeds back the first service discovery response to the roaming SEPP network element, until the roaming SEPP network element feeds back the first service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element.

[0067] Optionally, when service discovery is successful, the NRF network element in the second location directly feeds back a first service discovery response to the NRF network element in the roaming location; when service discovery fails, the NRF network element in the second location feeds back a first service discovery response carrying the identification information of the NRF network element in the second location and the identification information of the faulty network element selected by the NRF network element in the second location in this cross-network service discovery process to the NRF network element in the roaming location.

[0068] In the above network element selection method, the roaming NRF network element sends a first service discovery request to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; wherein the first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second home NRF network element to select the NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request; the roaming NRF network element receives the first service discovery response fed back by the second home NRF network element. In this embodiment, by carrying the first identification information and the second identification information in the first service discovery request, the roaming NRF network element sends the first service discovery request from the roaming NRF network element through each node to the second home NRF network element, so that each node reasonably forwards the first service discovery request based on the second identification information, and the second home NRF network element accurately performs service discovery based on the first identification information, and can accurately re-select the NF network element for service discovery in the roaming service, with higher flexibility.

[0069] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG3 , before the above S201, the network element selection method further includes:

[0070] S301, sending a second service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming SEPP network element.

[0071] It can be understood that the first identification information and the second identification information carried in the first service discovery request sent by the roaming NRF network element to the second home NRF network element may be fed back to the roaming NRF network element by other home NRF network elements in the last cross-network service discovery process.

[0072] Specifically, in the last cross-network service discovery process, the roaming NRF network element also sends a second service discovery request to the first home NRF network element through the roaming SEPP network element and the home SEPP network element.

[0073] S302, receiving a second service discovery response fed back by the first home location NRF network element when service discovery fails.

[0074] After the first home location NRF network element receives the second service discovery request, the service discovery fails because the registered faulty network element cannot be selected, and the second service discovery response is fed back to the roaming location NRF network element.

[0075] Specifically, the first home NRF network element feeds back the second service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element through the original path, that is, the first home NRF network element feeds back the second service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element through the home SEPP network element and the roaming SEPP network element.

[0076] The second service discovery response carries the first identification information and the second identification information.

[0077] Optionally, the second service discovery response also carries an error code errorcode, which is used to indicate that the cross-network service discovery has failed. The NRF network element in the roaming location can send a service discovery request again to reselect the service.

[0078] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first identification information and the second identification information can be carried in the second service discovery response, and sent from the first home NRF network element to the roaming NRF network element through each node, notifying each node of the failed NF network element and the first home NRF network element to which the failed NF network element belongs, thereby providing a service fallback mechanism for extending the network element selection function node. When the network element selection fails, multi-level fallback to the roaming network is performed for network reselection. In this way, when each node receives the first service discovery request from the roaming NRF network element again, it can combine the second service discovery response and the identification information carried in the first service discovery request to reasonably select the next node for forwarding, thereby realizing multi-point backup of the home network roaming node.

[0079] In an exemplary embodiment, after the above S302, the network element selection method further includes:

[0080] The first identification information and the second identification information are associated and stored in a local fault information list.

[0081] The NRF network element in the roaming location may generate and maintain a fault information list locally, in which the fault information list stores the identification information of the faulty network element in the home location and the identification information of the NRF network element in the home location to which the faulty network element belongs in association.

[0082] Specifically, after the roaming NRF network element receives the second service discovery response carrying the first identification information and the second identification information, it updates the fault information list according to the first identification information and the second identification information, that is, stores the first identification information and the second identification information in association in the fault information list.

[0083] Optionally, when the roaming NRF network element sends a service discovery request again for service reselection, such as when sending the first service discovery request, the identification information of all relevant faulty network elements in the fault information list and the identification information of the NRF network element in the home area to which the relevant faulty network element belongs are carried in the first service discovery request.

[0084] Optionally, after the roaming NRF network element determines that the faulty network element has been restored, it deletes the identification information of the faulty recovery network element stored in association with the fault information list, as well as the identification information of the home NRF network element to which the faulty recovery network element belongs.

[0085] Therefore, in this embodiment, the identification information of the faulty network element determined in the cross-network service discovery process and the identification information of the NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs can be recorded to ensure the accuracy of the identification information carried in the service discovery request when the roaming NRF network element sends the service discovery request again for service reselection, thereby completing the cross-network service discovery process as efficiently as possible.

[0086] In an exemplary embodiment, before the above S301, the network element selection method further includes:

[0087] Receive the second service discovery request sent by the roaming AMF network element.

[0088] In the case where the second service discovery request is the first time that the roaming NRF network element sends a service discovery request for the current network service, the second service discovery request is sent by the roaming AMF network element to the roaming NRF network element, that is, after the roaming NRF network element receives the second service discovery request sent by the roaming AMF network element, it triggers the sending of the second service discovery request to the home NRF network element.

[0089] Optionally, if the identification information of the relevant faulty network element and the identification information of the NRF network element in the home location to which the relevant faulty network element belongs do not exist in the local fault information list, the roaming NRF network element directly sends a second service discovery request; if the identification information of the relevant faulty network element and the identification information of the NRF network element in the home location to which the relevant faulty network element belongs exist in the local fault information list, the roaming NRF network element can update the second service discovery request, carrying therein the identification information of the relevant faulty network element and the identification information of the NRF network element in the home location to which the relevant faulty network element belongs.

[0090] In an exemplary embodiment, after the above S202, the network element selection method further includes:

[0091] When the service discovery of the NRF network element in the second home location is successful, the first service discovery response is fed back to the AMF network element in the roaming location.

[0092] It is understandable that the first service discovery response may be a response indicating a successful service discovery or a response indicating a failed service discovery.

[0093] If the service discovery of the second NRF network element in the home location also fails, the NRF network element in the roaming location identifies the new identification information carried in the first service discovery response, and combines the first identification information and the second identification information to send the service discovery request again for service reselection, until receiving the service discovery response fed back from the NRF network element in the home location if the service discovery is successful.

[0094] If the service discovery of the second-home NRF network element is successful, the roaming NRF network element will feedback the first service discovery response to the roaming AMF network element to notify the roaming AMF network element of the success of the service discovery.

[0095] Optionally, the roaming location NRF network element can determine that the service discovery of the second home location NRF network element is successful when it identifies that the first service discovery response does not carry the error code errorcode.

[0096] In this embodiment, a complete cross-network service discovery process is provided. After the roaming NRF network element receives the service discovery request sent by the roaming AMF network element, it triggers the sending of a service discovery request to the home NRF network element. Then, after the roaming NRF network element receives the service discovery response of successful service discovery fed back by the home NRF network element, it triggers the feedback of the service discovery response to the roaming AMF network element.

[0097] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG4 , a network element selection method is provided, which is described by taking the method applied to the second home location NRF network element in FIG1 as an example, including:

[0098] S401, receiving a first service discovery request forwarded by a home SEPP network element.

[0099] The first service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element. The roaming NRF network element sends the first service discovery request to the roaming SEPP network element, so that the roaming SEPP network element selects the home SEPP network element and forwards the first service discovery request. Correspondingly, the second home NRF network element receives the first service discovery request. Among them, in the 5G inter-network roaming scenario, the home SEPP network element selected by the roaming SEPP network element can be a SEPP network element in any international bureau of the home. In this embodiment, it is a SEPP network element in the same or different international bureau as the second home NRF network element.

[0100] The first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element at the home location, and the second identification information of the first home location NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs. The faulty network element at the home location refers to the faulty NF network element registered by the first home location NRF network element, including but not limited to the SMF network element. The first home location NRF network element cannot select the faulty network element at the home location in the cross-network service discovery process.

[0101] The second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element. Specifically, after receiving the forwarded first service discovery request, the home SEPP network element identifies the second identification information carried therein. In order to avoid service discovery failure as much as possible, the home SEPP network element no longer forwards the first service discovery request to the first home NRF network element indicated by the second identification information, but selects the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element, and forwards the first service discovery request to the selected second home NRF network element. The second home NRF network element can be any other home NRF network element in the same or different international bureau as the home SEPP network element.

[0102] S402: According to the first identification information, select NF network elements other than the faulty network element for service discovery.

[0103] The first identification information is used for the second-home NRF network element to select NF network elements other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request. Specifically, after receiving the forwarded first service discovery request, the second-home NRF network element identifies the first identification information carried therein. Since the first-home NRF network element and the second-home NRF network element may register the same faulty NF network element, in order to avoid service discovery failure, the second-home NRF network element no longer selects the faulty network element indicated by the first identification information for service discovery, but selects NF network elements other than the faulty network element indicated by the first identification information for service discovery.

[0104] S403: Feedback a first service discovery response to the NRF network element in the roaming location.

[0105] Further, the second home location NRF network element feeds back a first service discovery response of the first service discovery request to the roaming location NRF network element.

[0106] Specifically, the second home NRF network element feeds back the first service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element through the original path, that is, the second home NRF network element feeds back the first service discovery response to the home SEPP network element, and then the home SEPP network element feeds back the first service discovery response to the roaming SEPP network element, until the roaming SEPP network element feeds back the first service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element.

[0107] Optionally, when service discovery is successful, the NRF network element in the second location directly feeds back a first service discovery response to the NRF network element in the roaming location; when service discovery fails, the NRF network element in the second location feeds back a first service discovery response carrying the identification information of the NRF network element in the second location and the identification information of the faulty network element selected by the NRF network element in the second location in this cross-network service discovery process to the NRF network element in the roaming location.

[0108] In the above network element selection method, the second home NRF network element receives the first service discovery request forwarded by the home SEPP network element; wherein, the first service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; the first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element; the second home NRF network element selects the NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery based on the first identification information, and feeds back the first service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element. This embodiment carries the first identification information and the second identification information in the first service discovery request, and sends it from the NRF network element in the roaming location through each node to the NRF network element in the second home location, so that each node can reasonably forward the first service discovery request based on the second identification information, and the NRF network element in the second home location can accurately perform service discovery based on the first identification information. This embodiment can accurately re-select NF network elements for service discovery in roaming services, and has higher flexibility.

[0109] In an exemplary embodiment, the first identification information and the second identification information are carried in the second service discovery response of the second service discovery request by the first home NRF network element and fed back to the roaming NRF network element when service discovery fails. The second service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element via the roaming SEPP network element.

[0110] It can be understood that the first identification information and the second identification information carried in the first service discovery request sent by the roaming NRF network element to the second home NRF network element may be fed back to the roaming NRF network element by other home NRF network elements in the last cross-network service discovery process.

[0111] Specifically, in the last cross-network service discovery process, the roaming NRF network element also sends a second service discovery request to the first home NRF network element through the roaming SEPP network element and the home SEPP network element.

[0112] After the first home location NRF network element receives the second service discovery request, the service discovery fails because the registered faulty network element cannot be selected, and the second service discovery response is fed back to the roaming location NRF network element.

[0113] Specifically, the first home NRF network element feeds back the second service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element through the original path, that is, the first home NRF network element feeds back the second service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element through the home SEPP network element and the roaming SEPP network element.

[0114] The second service discovery response carries the first identification information and the second identification information.

[0115] Optionally, the second service discovery response also carries an error code errorcode, which is used to indicate that the cross-network service discovery has failed. The NRF network element in the roaming location can send a service discovery request again to reselect the service.

[0116] Therefore, in this embodiment, the first identification information and the second identification information can be carried in the second service discovery response, and sent from the first home NRF network element to the roaming NRF network element through each node, notifying each node of the failed NF network element and the first home NRF network element to which the failed NF network element belongs, thereby providing a service fallback mechanism for extending the network element selection function node. When the network element selection fails, multi-level fallback to the roaming network is performed for network reselection. In this way, when each node receives the first service discovery request from the roaming NRF network element again, it can combine the second service discovery response and the identification information carried in the first service discovery request to reasonably select the next node for forwarding, thereby realizing multi-point backup of the home network roaming node.

[0117] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG5 , a network element selection method is provided, including:

[0118] The roaming AMF network element sends a second service discovery request to the roaming NRF network element.

[0119] The NRF network element in the roaming location sends a second service discovery request to the SEPP network element in the roaming location.

[0120] The roaming SEPP network element selects the home SEPP network element and sends a second service discovery request to it.

[0121] The home SEPP network element selects the first home NRF network element and sends a second service discovery request to it.

[0122] The first home NRF network element fails to select the faulty network element for service discovery, and feeds back a second service discovery response carrying the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to the roaming NRF network element through the home SEPP network element and the roaming SEPP network element.

[0123] The NRF network element in the roaming location associates the first identification information with the second identification information and stores them in a local fault information list.

[0124] The NRF network element in the roaming location sends a first service discovery request carrying the first identification information and the second identification information to the SEPP network element in the roaming location.

[0125] The roaming SEPP network element selects a home SEPP network element and sends a first service discovery request to it.

[0126] The home SEPP network element selects a second home NRF network element based on the second identification information and sends a first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element.

[0127] The second home NRF network element selects the NF network element for successful service discovery based on the first identification information, and feeds back the first service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element through the home SEPP network element and the roaming SEPP network element.

[0128] The roaming NRF network element feeds back the first service discovery response to the roaming AMF network element.

[0129] It should be understood that, although the various steps in the flowcharts involved in the above-mentioned embodiments are displayed in sequence according to the indication of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in sequence according to the order indicated by the arrows. Unless there is a clear explanation in this article, the execution of these steps does not have a strict order restriction, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a part of the steps in the flowcharts involved in the above-mentioned embodiments can include multiple steps or multiple stages, and these steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily to be carried out in sequence, but can be executed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a part of the steps or stages in other steps.

[0130] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present application also provides a network element selection device for implementing the network element selection method involved above. The implementation scheme for solving the problem provided by the device is similar to the implementation scheme recorded in the above method, so the specific limitations in one or more network element selection device embodiments provided below can refer to the limitations on the network element selection method above, and will not be repeated here.

[0131] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG6 , a network element selection device 1 is provided, which is configured in a roaming NRF network element, and includes:

[0132] A request sending module 10, configured to send a first service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming SEPP network element;

[0133] The first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first attribution NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the attribution SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second attribution NRF network element other than the first attribution NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second attribution NRF network element to select the NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request;

[0134] The response receiving module 20 is used to receive the first service discovery response fed back by the second home location NRF network element.

[0135] In an exemplary embodiment, the request sending module 10 is further configured to send a second service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming SEPP network element;

[0136] The response receiving module 20 is further configured to receive a second service discovery response fed back by the first home location NRF network element when the service discovery fails;

[0137] The second service discovery response carries the first identification information and the second identification information.

[0138] In an exemplary embodiment, the network element selection device 1 further includes:

[0139] The information storage module is used to associate and store the first identification information and the second identification information in a local fault information list.

[0140] In an exemplary embodiment, the network element selection device 1 further includes:

[0141] The request receiving module is used to receive the second service discovery request sent by the AMF network element in the roaming area.

[0142] In an exemplary embodiment, the network element selection device 1 further includes:

[0143] The response sending module is used to feedback the first service discovery response to the AMF network element in the roaming location when the service discovery of the NRF network element in the second home location is successful.

[0144] In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7 , a network element selection device 2 is provided, which is configured in the second home location NRF network element, and includes:

[0145] A request receiving module 30, configured to receive a first service discovery request forwarded by a home SEPP network element;

[0146] The first service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; the first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element;

[0147] A service discovery module 40, configured to select NF network elements other than the faulty network element for service discovery according to the first identification information;

[0148] The response sending module 50 is used to feed back a first service discovery response to the NRF network element in the roaming location.

[0149] In an exemplary embodiment, the first identification information and the second identification information are carried in the second service discovery response of the second service discovery request by the first home NRF network element and fed back to the roaming NRF network element when service discovery fails. The second service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element via the roaming SEPP network element.

[0150] Each module in the above network element selection device can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Each module can be embedded in or independent of a processor in a computer device in the form of hardware, or can be stored in a memory in a computer device in the form of software, so that the processor can call and execute operations corresponding to each module.

[0151] In an exemplary embodiment, a communication device is provided, including: a transmitter, a receiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program; the transmitter is used to send a first service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming SEPP network element; wherein the first service discovery request carries first identification information of a faulty network element and second identification information of a first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to a second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second home NRF network element to select a NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request; and the receiver is used to receive a first service discovery response fed back by the second home NRF network element.

[0152] In an exemplary embodiment, a communication device is provided, including: a transmitter, a receiver, a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program; the receiver is used to receive a first service discovery request forwarded by a home SEPP network element; wherein the first service discovery request is sent by a roaming NRF network element to a home SEPP network element via a roaming SEPP network element; the first service discovery request carries first identification information of a faulty network element and second identification information of a first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to a second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element; the processor is used to execute the computer program to select, according to the first identification information, a NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery; and the transmitter is used to feed back a first service discovery response to the roaming NRF network element.

[0153] In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the above-mentioned network element selection method are implemented.

[0154] In one embodiment, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, which implements the steps of the above-mentioned network element selection method when executed by a processor.

[0155] A person of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment method can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to the memory, database or other medium used in the embodiments provided in the present application can include at least one of non-volatile memory and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, optical memory, high-density embedded non-volatile memory, resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), phase change memory (PCM), graphene memory, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory, etc. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The database involved in each embodiment provided in this application may include at least one of a relational database and a non-relational database. Non-relational databases may include distributed databases based on blockchains, etc., but are not limited to this. The processor involved in each embodiment provided in this application may be a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit, a graphics processor, a digital signal processor, a programmable logic device, a data processing logic device based on quantum computing, an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, etc., but are not limited to this.

[0156] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this application.

[0157] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A network element selection method, characterized in that: Applied to a roaming network storage function NRF network element, the method includes: Sending a first service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming location security edge protection proxy SEPP network element; The first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first attribution NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the attribution SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second attribution NRF network element other than the first attribution NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second attribution NRF network element to select a network function NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request; Receive the first service discovery response fed back by the second home location NRF network element.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before sending the first service discovery request to the home SEPP network element through the roaming location security edge protection proxy SEPP network element, the method further includes: Sending a second service discovery request to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; receiving a second service discovery response fed back by the first home location NRF network element when service discovery fails; The second service discovery response carries the first identification information and the second identification information.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that After receiving the second service discovery response fed back by the first home NRF network element when the service discovery fails, the method further includes: The first identification information and the second identification information are associated and stored in a local fault information list.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Before sending the second service discovery request to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element, the method further includes: Receive a second service discovery request sent by the roaming access and mobility management function AMF network element.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that After receiving the first service discovery response fed back by the second home location NRF network element, the method further includes: When the service discovery of the second home location NRF network element is successful, the first service discovery response is fed back to the roaming location AMF network element.

6. A network element selection method, characterized in that: Applied to the second home location NRF network element, the method includes: Receiving a first service discovery request forwarded by a home SEPP network element; The first service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; the first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element; According to the first identification information, select an NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery; Feedback a first service discovery response to the NRF network element in the roaming location.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The first identification information and the second identification information are fed back to the roaming NRF network element by the first home NRF network element in the second service discovery response of the second service discovery request when service discovery fails. The second service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element.

8. A network element selection device, characterized in that: The device is configured in a NRF network element in a roaming location, and includes: A request sending module, used for sending a first service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming SEPP network element; The first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second home NRF network element to select a NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request; The response receiving module is used to receive the first service discovery response fed back by the second home location NRF network element.

9. A network element selection device, characterized in that: The device is configured in the second home location NRF network element, and includes: A request receiving module, used for receiving a first service discovery request forwarded by a home SEPP network element; The first service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; the first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element; A service discovery module, configured to select, according to the first identification information, a NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery; The response sending module is used to feed back a first service discovery response to the NRF network element in the roaming location.

10. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a transmitter, a receiver, a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program; The transmitter is used to send a first service discovery request to a home SEPP network element through a roaming SEPP network element; The first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; the second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element; the first identification information is used for the second home NRF network element to select a NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery after receiving the first service discovery request; The receiver is used to receive a first service discovery response fed back by the second home location NRF network element.

11. A communication device, characterized in that: include: a transmitter, a receiver, a processor and a memory, the memory storing a computer program; The receiver is used to receive a first service discovery request forwarded by a home SEPP network element; The first service discovery request is sent by the roaming NRF network element to the home SEPP network element through the roaming SEPP network element; the first service discovery request carries the first identification information of the faulty network element and the second identification information of the first home NRF network element to which the faulty network element belongs; The second identification information is used for the home SEPP network element to forward the first service discovery request to the second home NRF network element other than the first home NRF network element; The processor is configured to execute the computer program to select, according to the first identification information, a NF network element other than the faulty network element for service discovery; The transmitter is used to feed back a first service discovery response to the NRF network element in the roaming location.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

13. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

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