Communication method, device and system

Abstract

The invention relates to a communication method, device and system. A computing node obtains a code of a first function based on a session establishment request of a terminal device, wherein the session establishment request is used for requesting to establish a first session. And after the code of the first function is acquired, the computing node receives a first request for accessing the first function from the terminal equipment through the first session, and operates the code of the first function according to the first indication information to process the first request. According to the embodiment of the invention, the computing node can obtain the code of the first function before receiving the first request from the terminal equipment, so that the code downloading process does not need to be executed after the first request is received, the time delay of function computing is greatly reduced, and the efficiency of function computing is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, device and system. Background Art

[0002] Function computing, also known as serverless computing or serverless computing, is an emerging cloud computing programming model in recent years. Function computing is committed to greatly simplifying the cloud business development process, freeing application developers from the complicated server operation and maintenance work. With function computing, developers only need to upload the function code and perform simple resource configuration to quickly build and deploy services; cloud service providers charge according to the number of function service calls and actual resource usage, thereby helping users achieve rapid delivery and low-cost operation of their businesses.

[0003] Function Compute currently supports two types of functions: event functions and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) functions. HTTP functions are mainly suitable for scenarios such as quickly building web applications. HTTP functions can be regarded as a web server that can process HTTP requests and return the processing results to the caller of the HTTP function.

[0004] Since functions are usually released after executing a request, taking HTTP functions as an example, when an HTTP request arrives, if there is no available function instance, a new function instance needs to be started from scratch to handle the HTTP request, that is, a cold start is performed. A cold start includes code downloading, starting the function instance container, runtime initialization, and code initialization in the function call link. Please refer to Figure 1 When the cold start is complete, the function instance is ready, and the HTTP request can be executed. As you can see, during the cold start process, the code download must be completed first, and this process takes a long time, resulting in a longer delay in function calculation. Summary of the invention

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, device, and system for reducing the delay of function calculation.

[0006] In a first aspect, a first communication method is provided, which can be executed by a computing node or a chip system, and the chip system can realize the function of the computing node. The computing node is, for example, a UPF or a server. The method includes: obtaining a code of a first function based on a session establishment request of a terminal device, wherein the session establishment request is used to request to establish a first session; after obtaining the code of the first function, receiving a first request for accessing the first function from the terminal device through the first session; and running the code of the first function according to the first indication information to process the first request.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, the computing node may first obtain the code of the first function before receiving the first request from the terminal device, which is equivalent to obtaining the code of the first function before receiving the request for accessing the first function. Therefore, there is no need to execute the code download process after receiving the first request, such as executing the process after the code download included in the cold start, thereby greatly reducing the delay of function calculation and improving the efficiency of function calculation.

[0008] In an optional implementation, the first request includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to determine the code of the first function. The first indication information is, for example, an index of the code of the first function, or a URL corresponding to the code of the first function, and the code of the first function can be determined according to the first indication information.

[0009] In an optional implementation, the acquiring of the code of the first function based on the session establishment request of the terminal device includes: receiving second indication information from the first network element, the second indication information is used to determine the code of the first function, and the second indication information is received in the establishment process of the first session; sending a second request to the second network element, the second request includes the second indication information, the second request is used to request the code of the first function, and the second indication information is used for the second network element to determine the code of the first function; receiving the code of the first function from the second network element. The code of the first function may be stored in the second network element, and the computing node may obtain the code of the first function from the second network element according to the second indication information. The second network element is, for example, an application server, such as AF, and the computing node may request the code of the first function from AF; or the second network element is, for example, a database, and the database is, for example, located in the core network, and AF may store the code of the first function in the database in advance, and the computing node requests the code of the first function from the database, which can reduce the delay compared to requesting from AF.

[0010] In an optional implementation, the acquiring of the code of the first function based on the session establishment request of the terminal device includes: receiving second indication information and the code of the first function from the first network element, the second indication information is used to determine the code of the first function, and the second indication information and the code of the first function are sent by the first network element in the establishment process of the first session. In this implementation, the first network element can directly send the code of the first function to the computing node, so the computing node does not need to request the code of the first function from other network elements, which can reduce the interaction process between network elements.

[0011] In an optional implementation, the first network element includes CMF or UPF, and may also include other network elements, which is not limited.

[0012] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving a first release indication, the first release indication being used to indicate the release of the first session; deleting (or releasing) the code of the first function. The session of the terminal device may be released after it is established, so when the session of the terminal device is released, the code of the first function may also be released, thereby saving storage space of the computing node.

[0013] In an optional implementation, deleting the code of the first function includes: when there is no session for accessing the first function, deleting the code of the first function. There may be one or more sessions (corresponding to one or more terminal devices, one of which may correspond to at least one session) that request access to the first function, so as long as there is a session that is still requesting access to the first function, the code of the first function should not be deleted. Therefore, the computing node can delete the code of the first function when it is determined that there is no session for requesting access to the first function, thereby not affecting the access speed of the terminal device to the first function, and saving the storage space of the computing node.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, after obtaining the code of the first function based on the session establishment request of the terminal device, the method further includes: storing the correspondence between the information of the terminal device and the code of the first function, the correspondence being used to indicate the existence of a session for the terminal device to access the first function. The above describes that the computing node can delete the code of the first function when it is determined that there is no session for requesting access to the first function, and the computing node needs to determine whether there is a session for requesting access to the first function. One method includes that the computing node determines whether there is information of a terminal device corresponding to the code of the first function, and if there is information of a terminal device corresponding to the code of the first function, it is determined that there is a session for accessing the first function; if there is no information of a terminal device corresponding to the code of the first function, it is determined that there is no session for accessing the first function. In this way, the computing node can delete the code of the first function at an appropriate time.

[0015] In an optional implementation, the information of the terminal device includes one or more of an identifier of a session corresponding to the terminal device, an identifier of the terminal device, or address information of the terminal device. The session corresponding to the terminal device is, for example, an N4 session; and the address of the terminal device is, for example, an IP address.

[0016] In an optional implementation, the computing node includes a UPF or a server.

[0017] In a second aspect, a second communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first network element, or by a chip system, and the chip system can realize the function of the first network element. The first network element includes, for example, a CMF, or includes other network elements. The method includes: receiving a session establishment request from a terminal device, the session establishment request is used to request the establishment of a first session, and the first session is used for the terminal device to access a first function; determining a first DNAI corresponding to the location information of the terminal device; determining a first computing node corresponding to the first DNAI, wherein the first computing node supports the first function; sending a second indication information to the first computing node, wherein the second indication information is used to determine the code of the first function; sending a session establishment acceptance message to the terminal device, wherein the session establishment acceptance message is used to indicate that the first session is established, wherein the code of the first function is used to process a request from the terminal device for accessing the first function, and the request for accessing the first function is sent by the terminal device after receiving the session establishment acceptance message.

[0018] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving policy information from a PCF, the policy information including a correspondence between the first DNAI and the second indication information.

[0019] In an optional embodiment, the method further includes: when the terminal device moves from the first access network device to the second access network device, determining the second DNAI corresponding to the current location information of the terminal device; determining the second computing node corresponding to the second DNAI, wherein the second computing node supports the first function; and sending the second indication information to the second computing node, wherein the policy information also includes the correspondence between the second DNAI and the second indication information. If a cell handover occurs to the terminal device, the first network element may reselect a computing node for the terminal device, for example, if a second computing node is selected, the first network element may send the second indication information to the second computing node, and the second computing node may obtain the code of the first function before receiving a request from the terminal device for accessing the first function, thereby greatly reducing the delay of function calculation and improving the efficiency of function calculation.

[0020] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending a second release indication to the first computing node, the second release indication being used to indicate the release of the first session. Since the terminal device has moved and a new computing node has provided services for the terminal device, the first computing node no longer needs to maintain the session with the terminal device, but can release the session. In addition, after receiving the second release indication, the first computing node can also delete the code of the first function, or can delete the code of the first function when it is determined that no terminal device has accessed the first function, thereby saving storage space of the first computing node.

[0021] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending a first release indication to a second computing node, the first release indication being used to indicate the release of a session between the second computing node and the terminal device, the second computing node being a computing node that serves the terminal device after the terminal device performs path switching. Optionally, the second computing node may also delete the code of the first function after receiving the first release indication, or may delete the code of the first function when it is determined that no terminal device has accessed the first function, thereby saving storage space of the second computing node.

[0022] In an optional implementation, the first network element includes a CMF.

[0023] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the second aspect or some optional implementation methods, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the first aspect or corresponding implementation methods.

[0024] In a third aspect, a third communication method is provided, which can be executed by a first network element, or by a chip system, and the chip system can realize the function of the first network element. The first network element includes, for example, a CMF, or includes other network elements. The method includes: receiving a session establishment request from a terminal device, the session establishment request is used to request the establishment of a first session, and the first session is used for the terminal device to access a first function; determining a first DNAI corresponding to the location information of the terminal device; determining a first computing node corresponding to the first DNAI, wherein the first computing node supports the first function; sending a second indication information and a code of the first function to the first computing node, the second indication information is used to determine the code of the first function; sending a session establishment acceptance message to the terminal device, the session establishment acceptance message is used to indicate that the establishment of the first session with the terminal device is completed, wherein the code of the first function is used to process a request from the terminal device for accessing the first function, and the request for accessing the first function is received after sending the session establishment acceptance message.

[0025] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving policy information from the PCF, the policy information including a correspondence between the code of the first function, the first DNAI, and the second indication information.

[0026] In an optional embodiment, the method also includes: when the terminal device moves from the first access network device to the second access network device, determining the second DNAI corresponding to the current location information of the terminal device; determining the second computing node corresponding to the second DNAI, wherein the second computing node supports the first function; sending the second indication information and the code of the first function to the second computing node, wherein the policy information also includes the correspondence between the code of the first function, the second DNAI and the second indication information.

[0027] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending a second release indication to the first computing node, where the second release indication is used to indicate the release of the first session.

[0028] In an optional embodiment, the method also includes: sending a first release indication to a second computing node, the first release indication being used to indicate the release of a session between the second computing node and the terminal device, the second computing node being a computing node that serves the terminal device after the terminal device performs path switching.

[0029] In an optional implementation, the first network element includes a CMF.

[0030] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the third aspect or various optional implementations, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the first aspect or the corresponding implementations, and / or reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the second aspect or the corresponding implementations.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, a fourth communication method is provided, which can be executed by an application server or by a chip system that can implement the function of an application server. The application server is, for example, AF. The method includes: sending a third request to a second network element, the third request including a correspondence between a code of a first function and second indication information, the second indication information being used to determine the code of the first function, wherein the code of the first function is used by a computing node to process a request from a terminal device for accessing the first function, and the code of the first function is obtained by the computing node before receiving the request for accessing the first function.

[0032] In an optional implementation, the second network element includes a database, a PCF or a NEF.

[0033] In an optional implementation, when the second network element includes the database, the method further includes: sending a fourth request to the PCF or NEF, the fourth request including the correspondence between the first DNAI and the second indication information.

[0034] In an optional implementation, when the second network element includes the PCF or the NEF, the third request includes the correspondence between the code of the first function and the second indication information, including: the third request includes the code of the first function, the first DNAI and the correspondence between the second indication information.

[0035] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the fourth aspect or various optional implementations, reference may be made to one or more of the following: an introduction to the technical effects of the first aspect or the corresponding implementations, an introduction to the technical effects of the second aspect or the corresponding implementations, or an introduction to the technical effects of the third aspect or the corresponding implementations.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, a fifth communication method is provided, which can be executed by a computing node or by a chip system, and the chip system can realize the function of the computing node. The computing node is, for example, a UPF or a server. The method includes: obtaining a code of a first function based on an instruction from an NEF; receiving a first request from the terminal device for accessing the first function, the first request including first indication information, the first indication information including information for determining the code of the first function; running the code of the first function according to the first indication information, and processing the first request.

[0037] In an optional embodiment, obtaining the code of the first function based on an indication from the NEF includes: receiving second indication information from the NEF, the second indication information being used to determine the code of the first function; sending a second request to a second network element, the second request including the second indication information, the second request being used to request the code of the first function, the second indication information being used by the second network element to determine the code of the first function; and receiving the code of the first function from the second network element.

[0038] In an optional implementation, obtaining the code of the first function based on an indication from the NEF includes: receiving second indication information from the NEF and information about the code of the first function, wherein the second indication information is used to determine the code of the first function.

[0039] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the fifth aspect or various optional implementations, reference may be made to one or more of the following: an introduction to the technical effects of the first aspect or the corresponding implementations, an introduction to the technical effects of the second aspect or the corresponding implementations, or an introduction to the technical effects of the third aspect or the corresponding implementations.

[0040] In a sixth aspect, a sixth communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second network element, or by a chip system that can implement the function of the second network element. The second network element includes, for example, an NEF. The method includes: receiving a third request from an application server, the third request including the code of a first function, a correspondence between a first DNAI and second indication information, the second indication information being used to determine the code of the first function; sending a fifth request to at least one computing node, the fifth request including the code of the first function and the second indication information, the at least one computing node being a computing node corresponding to the first DNAI, wherein the code of the first function is used by the at least one computing node to process a request from a terminal device for accessing the first function, and the fifth request is sent before the at least one computing node receives the request for accessing the first function.

[0041] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending the first DNAI to the NRF, where the first DNAI is used by the NRF to determine a computing node corresponding to the first DNAI; and receiving information about the at least one computing node from the NRF.

[0042] In an optional implementation, the second network element includes a NEF.

[0043] In the sixth communication method, the computing node can obtain the code of the function before receiving a request for accessing the function, so that after receiving the request, it is not necessary to perform the code download process, for example, the process after the code download included in the cold start can be performed, thereby greatly reducing the delay of function calculation and improving the efficiency of function calculation. In addition, the embodiment of the present application decouples the process of obtaining the function code in advance from the behavior of the terminal device, so that the function code can be obtained earlier, which is conducive to reducing the signaling transmission process in the session establishment process of the terminal device and improving the efficiency of the terminal device in establishing the session.

[0044] In the seventh aspect, a seventh communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second network element, or by a chip system that can implement the function of the second network element. The second network element includes, for example, an NEF. The method includes: receiving a third request from an application server, the third request including a correspondence between a first DNAI and second indication information, the second indication information being used to determine the code of a first function; sending a fifth request to at least one computing node, the fifth request including the second indication information, the at least one computing node being a computing node corresponding to the first DNAI, wherein the code of the first function is used by the at least one computing node to process a request from a terminal device for accessing the first function, and the fifth request is sent before the at least one computing node receives the request for accessing the first function.

[0045] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending the first DNAI to the NRF, where the first DNAI is used by the NRF to determine a computing node corresponding to the first DNAI; and receiving information about the at least one computing node from the NRF.

[0046] In an optional implementation, the second network element includes a NEF.

[0047] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the seventh aspect or various optional implementations, reference may be made to the introduction to the technical effects of the sixth aspect or corresponding implementations.

[0048] In an eighth aspect, an eighth communication method is provided, which can be executed by a second network element, or by a chip system, and the chip system can implement the function of the second network element. The second network element includes, for example, a database. The method includes: receiving a second request from a computing node, the second request including second indication information, the second request being used to request a code of a first function, the second request being sent by the computing node in a process in which a terminal device requests to establish a session; determining the code of the first function according to the second indication information; and sending the code of the first function to the computing node.

[0049] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: receiving a third request from an application server, wherein the third request includes a correspondence between the code of the first function and the second indication information.

[0050] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: sending a response to the third request to the application server, wherein the response is used to indicate that the corresponding relationship has been received successfully.

[0051] Regarding the technical effects brought about by the eighth aspect or various optional implementations, reference may be made to one or more of the introductions to the technical effects of the first aspect or the corresponding implementations to the introductions to the technical effects of the seventh aspect or the corresponding implementations.

[0052] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device has the function of implementing the behavior in the method embodiment described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above. The beneficial effects can be found in the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0053] The communication device may implement the function of the computing node described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, for example, the communication device is the computing node described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, or is an electronic device (for example, a chip system) configured in the computing node, or is a larger device including the computing node. The computing node includes corresponding means (means) or modules for executing the above method. Alternatively, the communication device may implement the function of the first network element described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, for example, the communication device may be the first network element described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, or is an electronic device (for example, a chip system) configured in the first network element, or is a larger device including the first network element. The first network element includes corresponding means or modules for executing the above method. Alternatively, the communication device may implement the function of the second network element described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, for example, the communication device may be the second network element described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, or is an electronic device (for example, a chip system) configured in the second network element, or is a larger device including the second network element. The second network element includes corresponding means or modules for executing the above method. Alternatively, the communication device may implement the functions of the application server described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, and the communication device may be the application server described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, or an electronic device (e.g., a chip system) configured in the application server, or a larger device including the application server. The application server includes corresponding means or modules for executing the above method. For example, the communication device includes a processing unit (sometimes also referred to as a processing module) and a transceiver unit (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver module).

[0054] When the communication device is capable of implementing the functions of the computing node described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, in an example, the transceiver unit is used to obtain the code of the first function based on a session establishment request of the terminal device; the transceiver unit is also used to receive a first request for accessing the first function from the terminal device through a first session after obtaining the code of the first function; the processing unit is used to run the code of the first function according to the first indication information to process the first request.

[0055] Alternatively, when the communication device is capable of implementing the function of the computing node described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, in another example, the transceiver unit is used to obtain the code of the first function based on an indication from the NEF; the transceiver unit is also used to receive a first request from the terminal device for accessing the first function, the first request including first indication information, and the first indication information including information for determining the code of the first function; the processing unit is used to run the code of the first function according to the first indication information to process the first request.

[0056] When the communication device is capable of implementing the function of the first network element described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, in an example, the transceiver unit is used to receive a session establishment request from a terminal device, the session establishment request is used to request to establish a first session, and the first session is used for the terminal device to access a first function; the processing unit is used to determine a first DNAI corresponding to the location information of the terminal device; the processing unit is also used to determine a first computing node corresponding to the first DNAI, wherein the first computing node supports the first function; the transceiver unit is also used to send second indication information to the first computing node, and the second indication information is used to determine the code of the first function; the transceiver unit is also used to send a session establishment acceptance message to the terminal device, and the session establishment acceptance message is used to indicate that the establishment of the first session with the terminal device is completed, wherein the code of the first function is used to process a request from the terminal device for accessing the first function, and the request for accessing the first function is sent by the terminal device after receiving the session establishment acceptance message.

[0057] Alternatively, when the communication device is capable of implementing the function of the first network element described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, in another example, the transceiver unit is used to receive a session establishment request from a terminal device, the session establishment request is used to request to establish a first session, and the first session is used for the terminal device to access a first function; the processing unit is used to determine a first DNAI corresponding to the location information of the terminal device; the processing unit is also used to determine a first computing node corresponding to the first DNAI, wherein the first computing node supports the first function; the transceiver unit is also used to send second indication information and a code of the first function to the first computing node, and the second indication information is used to determine the code of the first function; the transceiver unit is also used to send a session establishment acceptance message to the terminal device, and the session establishment acceptance message is used to indicate that the establishment of the first session with the terminal device is completed, wherein the code of the first function is used to process a request from the terminal device for accessing the first function, and the request for accessing the first function is received after sending the session establishment acceptance message.

[0058] When the communication device is capable of implementing the function of the second network element described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, in an example, the transceiver unit is used to receive a second request from a computing node, the second request includes second indication information, the second request is used to request the code of a first function, and the second request is sent by the computing node based on a session establishment request of a terminal device; the processing unit is used to determine the code of the first function based on the second indication information; the transceiver unit is also used to send the code of the first function to the computing node.

[0059] Alternatively, when the communication device is capable of implementing the function of the second network element described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, in another example, the transceiver unit is used to receive a third request from an application server, the third request including the code of the first function, the correspondence between the first DNAI and the second indication information, the second indication information being used to determine the code of the first function; the transceiver unit is also used to send a fifth request to at least one computing node, the fifth request including the code of the first function and the second indication information, the at least one computing node being a computing node corresponding to the first DNAI, wherein the code of the first function is used by the at least one computing node to process a request from a terminal device for accessing the first function, and the fifth request is sent before the at least one computing node receives the request for accessing the first function.

[0060] Alternatively, when the communication device is capable of implementing the function of the second network element described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, in another example, the transceiver unit is used to receive a third request from an application server, the third request including a correspondence between a first DNAI and second indication information, the second indication information being used to determine the code of the first function; the transceiver unit is also used to send a fifth request to at least one computing node, the fifth request including the second indication information, the at least one computing node being a computing node corresponding to the first DNAI, wherein the code of the first function is used by the at least one computing node to process a request from a terminal device for accessing the first function, and the fifth request is sent before the at least one computing node receives the request for accessing the first function.

[0061] When the communication device is capable of implementing the functions of the application server described in any one of the first to eighth aspects above, in an example, the transceiver unit is used to send a third request to a second network element, and the third request includes a correspondence between a code of a first function and second indication information, and the second indication information is used to determine the code of the first function, wherein the code of the first function is used by a computing node to process a request from a terminal device for accessing the first function, and the code of the first function is obtained by the computing node before receiving the request for accessing the first function.

[0062] In an optional implementation, the communication device includes a storage unit, the processing unit can be coupled to the storage unit, and execute the program or instructions in the storage unit, so as to enable the communication device to perform the functions of the above-mentioned computing node, first network element, second network element or application server.

[0063] In an optional implementation, the communication device includes: a processor coupled to a memory, configured to execute instructions in the memory to implement the method performed by the computing node, the first network element, the second network element, or the application server described in any one of the first to eighth aspects. Optionally, the communication device also includes other components, such as an antenna, an input / output module, an interface, etc. These components may be hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0064] In the tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be a computing node, or a chip or chip system used in a computing node. Alternatively, the communication device may be a first network element, or a chip or chip system used in a first network element. Alternatively, the communication device may be a second network element, or a chip or chip system used in a second network element. Alternatively, the communication device may be an application server, or a chip or chip system used in an application server. The communication device includes a communication interface and a processor, and optionally, a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is coupled to the memory and the communication interface. When the processor reads the computer program or instruction, the communication device executes the method performed by the computing node, the first network element, the second network element or the application server in any one of the first to eighth aspects.

[0065] In the eleventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program, and when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes the method described in any one of the first aspect to the eighth aspect.

[0066] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product comprising a computer program, and when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method as described in any one of aspects 1 to 8.

[0067] In the thirteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, comprising a processor and an interface, wherein the processor is used to call and run instructions from the interface, and when the processor executes the instructions, the method described in any one of the first to eighth aspects is implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0068] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cold start process;

[0069] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Schematic diagram of two network architectures used in embodiments of the present application;

[0070] Figure 3A and Figure 3B A flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing that the same computing task can be deployed on multiple computing nodes in an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Fig. 7A , Figure 7B , Fig. 8A and Figure 8B Flowcharts of several communication methods provided in embodiments of the present application;

[0073] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of another device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, the number of nouns, unless otherwise specified, means "singular noun or plural noun", that is, "one or more". "At least one" means one or more, and "plural" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A or B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B means: A or B. "At least one of the following" or "one or more of them" and other similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c, or one or more of a, b, or c, means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c. Each of a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0077] The ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority or importance of multiple objects. In addition, the numbering of the steps in each embodiment introduced in the embodiments of the present application is only to distinguish different steps, and is not used to limit the order between the steps. For example, S501 may occur before S502, or may occur after S502, or may also occur at the same time as S502.

[0078] Below, some terms or concepts in the embodiments of the present application are explained to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0079] (1) In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device is a device with wireless transceiver function, which can be a fixed device, a mobile device, a handheld device (such as a mobile phone), a wearable device, a vehicle-mounted device, or a wireless device built into the above device (such as a communication module, a modem, or a chip system, etc.). The terminal device is used to connect people, objects, machines, etc., and can be widely used in various scenarios, such as but not limited to the following scenarios: cellular communication, device-to-device communication (device-to-device, D2D), V2X, machine-to-machine / machine-type communication (machine-to-machine / machine-typecommunications, M2M / MTC), Internet of Things (Internet of Things, IoT), virtual reality (virtual reality, VR), augmented reality (augmented reality, AR), industrial control (industrial control), self-driving, remote medical, smart grid (smart grid), smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city (smart city), drones, robots and other scenarios of terminal devices. The terminal device may sometimes be referred to as UE, terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, wireless communication device, or user equipment, etc.

[0080] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device for implementing the function of the terminal device may be a terminal device, or may be a device capable of supporting the terminal device to implement the function, such as a chip system, which may be installed in the terminal device. In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is described by taking the device for implementing the function of the terminal device as an example, which is a terminal device. In addition, for the convenience of description, the terminal device is described in the embodiment of the present application by taking UE as an example.

[0081] (2) The network equipment in the embodiments of the present application, for example, includes access network equipment and / or core network equipment. The access network equipment is a device with wireless transceiver function, which is used to communicate with the terminal device. The access network equipment includes but is not limited to base stations (base transceiver station (BTS), Node B, eNodeB / eNB, or gNodeB / gNB), transmission reception points (TRP), base stations subsequently evolved from the third generation partnership project (3GPP), access nodes in wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, wireless relay nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, etc. The base station can be: a macro base station, a micro base station, a pico base station, a small station, a relay station, etc. Multiple base stations can support networks with the same access technology, or they can support networks with different access technologies. A base station can include one or more co-sited or non-co-sited transmission receiving points. The access network device may also be a wireless controller, a centralized unit (CU), and / or a distributed unit (DU) in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. The access network device may also be a server, etc. For example, the network device in the vehicle to everything (V2X) technology may be a road side unit (RSU). The following describes the access network device using a base station as an example. The base station can communicate with a terminal device, or it can communicate with the terminal device through a relay station. The terminal device can communicate with multiple base stations in different access technologies. The core network device is used to implement functions such as mobility management, data processing, session management, policy and billing. The names of the devices that implement core network functions in systems with different access technologies may be different, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this. Taking the 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system as an example, the core network equipment includes: access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), policy control function (PCF) or user plane function (UPF), etc.

[0082] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device for realizing the function of the network device may be a network device, or may be a device capable of supporting the network device to realize the function, such as a chip system, which may be installed in the network device. In the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is described by taking the device for realizing the function of the network device as an example that the network device is used as the device.

[0083] Please refer to Figure 2A , is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture, which is also a network architecture applied in the embodiments of the present application. Figure 2A The 5G network architecture shown may include three parts, namely the UE part, the DN and the operator network part.

[0084] Among them, the operator network may include one or more of the following network elements: authentication server function (AUSF) network element, network exposure function (NEF) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, unified data management (UDM) network element, unified data repository (UDR), network storage function (NRF) network element, application function (AF) network element, access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, SMF network element, (radio) access network ((R)AN) or user plane function (UPF) network element, etc.

[0085] The above-mentioned operator network includes a radio access network and a core network. The UE accesses the core network through the (R)AN, and the core network includes user plane network elements and control plane network elements. Among them, the user plane network elements of the core network include UPF; the control plane network elements of the core network include at least one of AUSF, AMF, SMF, NSSF, NEF, NRF, UDM, PCF, or AF.

[0086] User plane network elements (such as UPF) are mainly responsible for packet forwarding, quality of service (QoS) control, billing information statistics, etc. Control plane network elements are mainly responsible for business process interaction, sending packet forwarding strategies and QoS control strategies to the user plane, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, it is considered that devices such as sensors can access the core network through devices such as UE and (R)AN, so that the controller connected to devices such as sensors in the industrial Ethernet can perform industrial data communication on the user plane through UPF.

[0087] The core network control plane can adopt a service-oriented architecture, that is, the interaction between control plane network elements adopts the service call method to replace the point-to-point communication method in the traditional architecture. In the service-oriented architecture, a control plane network element will open services to other control plane network elements for other control plane network elements to call; in point-to-point communication, there will be a set of specific messages on the communication interface between control plane network elements, which can only be used by the control plane network elements at both ends of the interface when communicating.

[0088] The functions of network elements in the core network are described as follows:

[0089] UPF supports all or part of the following functions: interconnecting protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with data networks, packet routing and forwarding (for example, supporting uplink classifier for forwarding traffic to the data network, supporting branching points to support multi-homed PDU sessions), or packet inspection.

[0090] AMF, UE access management and mobility management. Responsible for UE status maintenance, UE reachability management, non-mobility management (MM) non-access-stratum (NAS) message forwarding, session management (SM) N2 message forwarding.

[0091] SMF, UE session management, allocates resources for UE sessions and releases resources. The resources include session quality of service (QoS), session path, forwarding rules, etc. SMF is responsible for selecting or reselecting UPF, allocating Internet protocol (IP) addresses, and establishing, modifying, and releasing bearers.

[0092] NEF opens network functions to third parties in the form of northbound application programming interface (API).

[0093] NRF provides storage and selection functions for network function entity information for other network elements.

[0094] UDM, User Subscription Context Management, is responsible for managing the UE's subscription data and notifying the corresponding network element when the subscription data is modified.

[0095] UDR, a unified data repository function, is responsible for storing and retrieving contract data, policy data, and public architecture data, etc., which can be used by network elements such as UDM, PCF, or NEF to obtain relevant data. UDR can have different data access authentication mechanisms for different types of data (such as contract data, policy data, etc.) to ensure the security of data access. UDR should be able to return a failure response with an appropriate reason value for illegal service operations or data access requests.

[0096] PCF, user policy management, is used to generate and manage user, session, and QoS flow processing policies.

[0097] AF, application management, provides some application layer services to UE. When providing services to UE, AF has requirements for QoS (policy) and charging strategy, and needs to notify the network. In addition, AF also needs the core network to feedback application-related information.

[0098] The relevant interfaces between network element functions involved in the embodiments of the present application include:

[0099] N1: Interface between UE and core network control plane.

[0100] N2: Communication interface between (R)AN and core network control plane.

[0101] N3: Communication interface between (R)AN and UPF, used to transmit user plane data.

[0102] N4: Communication interface between SMF and UPF, used by SMF to configure policies for UPF, etc.

[0103] N6: Communication port between UPF and DN.

[0104] Please refer to Figure 2B , is a schematic diagram of a 5G network architecture based on a point-to-point interface, which is another network architecture used in the embodiments of the present application. Figure 2B For network elements within, please refer to Figure 2A Introduction to relevant network elements in. Figure 2B and Figure 2A The main difference is that Figure 2B The interfaces between network elements are point-to-point interfaces, not service-oriented interfaces.

[0105] The following describes the method provided by the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In each embodiment of this document, a computing task may correspond to one or more functions, or it can be understood that to execute the computing task, one or more functions corresponding to the computing task must be executed. A function may correspond to a set of codes, which may also be understood as a code package, and a set of codes corresponding to a function may be referred to as the code of the function. In each embodiment of this document, a computing management function (CMF) is, for example, a newly added network element ( Figure 2A and Figure 2B (not shown), responsible for selecting or reselecting UPF, etc.; alternatively, CMF may also be SMF or AMF with computing power added; alternatively, CMF may also be a module in SMF or AMF; alternatively, CMF may also have the functions of both SMF and AMF, which can be understood as CMF can be used to replace SMF and AMF.

[0106] The various embodiments of this article can be applied to Figure 2A or Figure 2B For example, the computing nodes described in the various embodiments of this document may be Figure 2A or Figure 2B The UPF in Figure 2A and Figure 2B The first network element described in each embodiment of this document may be a server not shown; Figure 2A or Figure 2B UPF or NEF, or it can be Figure 2A and Figure 2B The second network element described in each embodiment of this document may be Figure 2A or Figure 2B PCF or NEF in , or it can be Figure 2A and Figure 2B The database is not shown, and optionally, the database may also be called a computing function code hosting database or a function code database, etc., for example, a newly added network element in the core network, or may also be implemented through a UDR; the AF described in each embodiment of this document may be Figure 2A or Figure 2B In the drawings corresponding to the various embodiments of the present application, all steps indicated by dotted lines are optional steps.

[0107] The present application embodiment provides a first communication method, see Figure 3A or Figure 3B , are all flowcharts of this method. Figure 3A or Figure 3B In the illustrated embodiment, it is taken as an example that the computing node is a UPF, the second network element is a database or a PCF, and the first network element is a CMF.

[0108] S301. AF sends request 1 to the second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives request 1 from AF. Request 1 may also be referred to as a third request. For example, request 1 is an AF request, or request 1 is included in an AF request.

[0109] Request 1 may include a correspondence (or association) between the code of at least one function and at least one indication information, wherein the function (or the code of the function) and the indication information may correspond one to one, and one indication information may be used to determine the corresponding function code. For example, the indication information corresponding to the first function (or the code of the first function) is the second indication information, and request 1 may include a correspondence between the code of the first function and the second indication information (that is, the code of at least one function includes the code of the first function, and the at least one indication information includes the second indication information), then the second indication information may be used to determine the code of the first function. For example, if the code of the first function is to be queried, the second indication information may be used to query. Optionally, for example, if the function is an HTTP function, the indication information corresponding to the HTTP function (or the code of the function) may be a uniform resource locator (URL) for calling the function, and the indication information may also be referred to as a trigger, etc. Alternatively, the second network element may also obtain the correspondence between the code of at least one function and the at least one indication information in other ways, so S301 is an optional step.

[0110] Optionally, if the second network element is a database ( Figure 3A Taking this as an example), request 1 can be used to store the correspondence between the code of at least one function and at least one indication information in the database. After receiving request 1, the database can reply to AF with response information, such as response 1, which can also be called computing function hosting response information, which can be used to indicate that request 1 is received successfully, or that the correspondence is stored successfully, etc. Among them, AF can send request 1 directly to the database, or can also send request 1 to the database through NEF.

[0111] Alternatively, if the second network element is a PCF ( Figure 3BTaking this as an example), the corresponding relationship included in request 1 may specifically include the corresponding relationship between the code of at least one function, at least one indication information, and at least one location information. The location information may be the deployment location of the function corresponding to the code of at least one function. For example, one location information may be represented by a data network access identifier (DNAI), that is, the corresponding relationship may be the corresponding relationship between the code of at least one function, at least one indication information, and at least one DNAI. Among them, the code of at least one function includes the code of the first function, at least one indication information includes the second indication information, and at least one DNAI includes the code of the first function and one or more DNAIs corresponding to the second indication information. Among them, the code of a function corresponds to a DNAI, which means that the function (or the computing task to which the function belongs) is deployed on the DNAI, or on the computing node corresponding to the DNAI, or on the area (or network) indicated by the DNAI, or on the computing node within the area (or network) indicated by the DNAI. When the second network element is a PCF, the AF does not have to store the code of the function in the database, so that the database network element does not have to be used, which can reduce the interaction process between network elements.

[0112] Among them, for the future integration of computing and network, there are a large number of distributed computing nodes, and the number of future computing tasks is huge. The triggering of computing tasks by UE is random. In addition, considering the mobility of UE, when UEs requesting the same computing task are in different locations, the network may select different computing nodes, that is, the same computing task may be deployed in multiple computing nodes. For example, refer to Figure 4 , computing node 1 and computing node 2 are both deployed with computing task #1. When the UE is at position 1, the network can select computing node 1 for the UE; and when the UE moves from position 1 to position 2, the network may reselect computing node 2 for the UE. Therefore, in request 1, the number of DNAIs corresponding to the code of a function (or, the code of a function and an indication information) may be one or more, that is, a function (or, the computing task to which the function belongs) may be deployed in the computing nodes corresponding to the areas indicated by one or more DNAIs. For example, in this corresponding relationship, the DNAI corresponding to the code of the first function and the second indication information is the first DNAI, and the first DNAI may include one or more DNAIs. In various embodiments of the present application, "selecting" a computing node can also be replaced by "determining" a computing node.

[0113] Optionally, if the second network element is PCF, request 1 may also include data network name (data network name, DNN) or single network slice selection assistance information (single network slice selection assistance information, S-NSSAI), etc., without any restriction.

[0114] If the second network element is a database, then optionally, the method may further include: Figure 3A In S302 shown, the AF sends a request 2 to the PCF, and accordingly, the PCF receives the request 2 from the AF. The request 2 may also be referred to as a fourth request. The request 2 may include a correspondence between at least one indication information and at least one location information, wherein the at least one indication information includes the second indication information, and the at least one location information includes one or more DNAIs corresponding to the second indication information. For the correspondence, please refer to the above description.

[0115] Regardless of whether the second network element is a database or a PCF, optionally, the method may also include: Figure 3A or Figure 3B As shown in S303, S303 may occur after S301, or after S302. In S303, the UE initiates a session establishment process. One implementation method includes, the UE directly sends a session establishment request message to the CMF through the access network device, indicating that the UE initiates the session establishment process. Alternatively, another implementation method includes, the UE sends a session establishment request message to the SMF through the access network device, indicating that the UE initiates the session establishment process; the SMF determines that the first session requires CMF processing based on the information such as DNN or S-NSSAI included in the session establishment request message, and further, the SMF sends the session establishment request message to the CMF. Among them, the session requested to be established by the UE is, for example, called the first session, and the first session is, for example, a PDU session, or it may be another type of session. Optionally, the session establishment request message may carry the DNN or S-NSSAI associated with the PDU session, etc.

[0116] Optionally, the method may also include Figure 3A or Figure 3BIn S304 shown, CMF receives policy information from PCF. For example, S304 may include S304a and S304b. In S304a, CMF may send a request to PCF, such as request 3, which may be used to request policy information; after PCF receives request 3, it may send the policy information to CMF in S304b. For example, request 3 is a service message, such as Npcf_Session Management Policy Control (SMPolicyControl)_Create Request (createrequest); PCF may send the policy information to CMF via Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Create Response (Create response). If the second network element is a database, the policy information may include the correspondence between at least one indication information received by the PCF from the AF and at least one DNAI; or, if the second network element is a PCF, the policy information may include the correspondence between at least one function code received by the PCF from the AF, at least one indication information, and at least one DNAI.

[0117] Optionally, after receiving the policy information, CMF can execute Figure 3A or Figure 3B S305 shown. In S305, the CMF determines the UPF for the UE. For example, the CMF can determine the DNAI that the UE can access based on the current location information of the UE. According to the policy information, the CMF can determine whether the computing node corresponding to the area indicated by the DNAI has deployed the computing task, so that the CMF can select a suitable UPF for the UE accordingly. In the embodiment of the present application, the UPF is the computing node on which the computing task is deployed. For example, the CMF determines that the current location information of the UE corresponds to the first DNAI (or, the CMF determines that the UE can access the first DNAI in the current location information), and the CMF determines that the computing task is deployed in the area indicated by the first DNAI, then the CMF can select the computing node corresponding to the first DNAI on which the computing task is deployed, for example, the CMF determines the first computing node, for example, the first computing node supports the first function, or the first computing node deploys the computing task to which the first function belongs. In the embodiment of the present application, the first computing node is, for example, the first UPF.

[0118] If the policy information includes at least one indication information received by the PCF from the AF and a correspondence between at least one DNAI, the at least one indication information may include second indication information, and the at least one DNAI may include a first DNAI corresponding to the second indication information; or, if the policy information may include a code of at least one function received by the PCF from the AF, at least one indication information, and a correspondence between at least one DNAI, the at least one indication information may include second indication information, the at least one DNAI may include a first DNAI corresponding to the second indication information, and the code of the at least one function may include a code of the first function corresponding to the second indication information. After determining the first UPF, optionally, the method may also include Figure 3A or Figure 3B In S306, the CMF sends the second indication information to the first UPF, and correspondingly, the first UPF receives the second indication information from the CMF, such as Figure 3A Or in S306, the CMF sends the second indication information and the code of the first function to the first UPF, and correspondingly, the first UPF receives the second indication information and the code of the first function from the CMF, as shown. Figure 3B As shown, this method can be understood as that the first UPF obtains the code of the first function based on the UE's session establishment request message (or, based on the establishment process of the first session). Figure 3A or Figure 3B S306 in the above can be understood as being executed in the process of establishing the first session. The second indication information and the code of the first function are both obtained by the CMF from the policy information. Since the first UPF supports the first function, the CMF can send the second indication information corresponding to the code of the first function to the first UPF. If the policy information obtained by the CMF includes the correspondence between at least one indication information and at least one DNAI, then in S306, the CMF can send the second indication information to the first UPF without sending the code of the first function; or, if the policy information obtained by the CMF includes the code of at least one function, at least one indication information, and the correspondence between at least one DNAI, then in S306, the CMF can send the second indication information and the code of the first function to the first UPF. Optionally, the CMF can execute S306 in the process of establishing an N4 session with the first UPF. For example, in S306, the CMF can send a message to the first UPF for requesting to establish an N4 session, which may include the second indication information, or include the second indication information and the code of the first function.

[0119] If the CMF sends the second indication information and the code of the first function to the first UPF in S306, the first UPF has obtained the code of the first function, and the first UPF can store the second indication information and the code of the first function. Alternatively, if the CMF sends the second indication information to the first UPF in S306 but does not send the code of the first function, the first UPF can further obtain the code of the first function based on the second indication information. At this time, the second indication information from the CMF can be regarded as triggering the acquisition of the code of the first function. This method can also be understood as that the first UPF obtains the code of the first function based on the UE's session establishment request message (or, based on the establishment process of the first session). Among them, if the CMF sends the second indication information to the first UPF in S306 but does not send the code of the first function, the method can also include the following Figure 3A In S307 shown, the first UPF obtains the code of the first function from the database, wherein S307 is also executed in the process of the UE requesting to establish a session, or in the process of establishing the first session. After the first UPF receives the second indication information, if the first UPF has already stored the code of the first function (for example, the first UPF has already obtained the code of the first function during the session establishment process of other UEs), S307 does not need to be executed; or, if the first UPF has not yet stored the code of the first function, S307 can be executed. For example, in S307, the first UPF can send request 4 to the database, and correspondingly, the database receives request 4 from the first UPF, which can also be called a second request. The request 4 can be used to request the code of the first function, for example, the request 4 includes the second indication information, and the database can determine the code of the first function based on the second indication information. In addition, in S307, the database can send the code of the first function to the first UPF, so that the first UPF obtains the code of the first function.

[0120] Optionally, after obtaining the code of the first function through S306 or S307, the first UPF can store the correspondence (or association) between the code of the first function and the information of the UE. For example, for the first UPF, the code of the first function is obtained during the session establishment process of the UE. As long as the first UPF receives the second indication information during the session establishment process of a UE, the correspondence between the information of the UE and the code of the first function can be established. For example, the code of the first function can have a correspondence with the information of one or more UEs. Optionally, the information of a UE may include one or more of the following: the identifier of the UE (for example, the identity number (ID) of the UE), the address information of the UE (for example, the IP address of the UE), or the identifier of the session corresponding to the UE (for example, the ID of the N4 session corresponding to the UE). Among them, the correspondence between the code of a function and the information of a UE can indicate the existence of a session for the UE to access the function. Therefore, by establishing the correspondence between the UE information and the code of the first function, the first UPF can know how many UEs request to access the first function, or the first UPF can know whether there is a UE requesting to access the first function at present.

[0121] Optionally, the method may also include Figure 3A or Figure 3B In S308, the CMF sends a session establishment acceptance message to the UE. After the first session of the UE is established, the CMF may send a session establishment acceptance message to the UE.

[0122] After S308, the method may further include Figure 3A or Figure 3B In S309 shown, the UE sends a request 5 to the first UPF, and correspondingly, the first UPF receives the request 5 from the UE. Among them, the UE can send the request 5 to the first UPF through the established first session, and the first UPF can also receive the request 5 through the first session. For example, it is understood that the first UPF receives the request 5 through the first session after obtaining the code of the first function. In the embodiment of the present application, because the first UPF is a computing node, the request 5 can be sent to the first UPF. The request 5 can also be called a first request, and the request 5 can be used to access the first function, or to request the execution of the computing task to which the first function belongs. For example, the request 5 is an HTTP request. The request 5, for example, includes first indication information, and the first indication information can be used to determine the code of the first function. Optionally, the first indication information and the second indication information can be the same information, for example, both are URLs corresponding to the code of the first function, but the sources of the two indication information are different (the first indication information comes from the UE, and the second indication information comes from the AF), so they are named separately.

[0123] After receiving request 5, the first UPF can execute Figure 3A or Figure 3B In S310, the first function code is executed according to the first indication information to process request 5. After receiving request 5, the first UPF may call the first function code according to the first indication information to execute the first function or execute the computing task to which the first function belongs. For example, after receiving request 5, the first UPF may execute Figure 1 The cold start process shown in FIG. 1 includes the startup function instance container, runtime initialization, and code initialization. Figure 1 The code downloading process included in the cold start process shown has been completed). When the cold start is completed, the function instance is ready, and the first UPF can start executing request 5.

[0124] Optionally, the method may also include Figure 3A or Figure 3B In S311 shown, the first UPF sends a response message to the UE, for example, called response 2, and accordingly, the UE receives response 2 from the first UPF. Response 2 is, for example, HTTP response information, which can be a response to request 5, for example, response 2 includes the processing result of the first UPF for the first function (or, for the computing task to which the first function belongs).

[0125] Through the method described above, the first UPF stores the code of the first function. If no UE requests to access the first function, the first UPF may also release the code of the first function to save the storage space of the first UPF. Optionally, the method may also include Figure 3A or Figure 3B As shown in S312 and S313, in S312, the first session of the UE is released, for example, the release of the first session of the UE may be triggered by the UE or the network side. In S313, the CMF sends a first release indication to the first UPF, and accordingly, the first UPF receives the first release indication from the CMF. The first release indication may indicate the release of the first session of the UE.

[0126] Optionally, the method may also include Figure 3A or Figure 3BIn S314 shown, the first UPF releases the code of the first function. S314 occurs, for example, after S313. For example, after receiving the first release indication, the first UPF can determine whether there is still a session for accessing the first function. If there is still a session for accessing the first function, the first UPF does not have to release the code of the first function, but can continue to store the code of the first function; and if there is no session for accessing the first function, the first UPF can release the code of the first function. If a session for accessing the first function of a UE is not released, it indicates that the UE still wants to access the first function, or that there is still a session for accessing the first function; and if a session for accessing the first function of a UE is released, it indicates that the UE no longer accesses the first function, or that there is no session for accessing the first function of the UE. However, one or more UEs may have established sessions for accessing the first function. Therefore, only when the sessions for accessing the first function of these UEs are all released, it is considered that there is no session for accessing the first function.

[0127] For example, after receiving the first release indication, the first UPF may delete the correspondence between the code of the first function and the information of the UE from the correspondence between the code of the first function and the information of the UE. After the deletion, the first UPF may determine whether there is still UE information corresponding to the code of the first function. If there is still other UE information corresponding to the code of the first function, it indicates that there is still a session for accessing the first function, and the first UPF does not release the code of the first function; or, if there is no other UE information corresponding to the code of the first function, it indicates that there is no session for accessing the first function, and the first UPF may release the code of the first function. It can be seen that by establishing a correspondence between the code of the function and the information of the UE, the first UPF can clearly determine whether it is necessary to store the code of the first function, so that the code of the first function can be released at an appropriate time, which does not affect the UE's access to the first function, and can also release the information stored by the first UPF in time, saving the storage space of the first UPF. In various embodiments of the present application, the code of the "release" function can also be replaced by the code of the "delete" function. For example, it can be described as "releasing the code of the first function" or "deleting the code of the first function", and the two can be considered to be equivalent features and can be replaced with each other.

[0128] In an embodiment of the present application, the first UPF may obtain the code of the first function before receiving the first request from the UE, which is equivalent to obtaining the code of the first function before receiving the request for accessing the first function. Therefore, there is no need to execute the code download process after receiving the first request, such as executing the process after the code download included in the cold start, thereby greatly reducing the delay of function calculation and improving the efficiency of function calculation.

[0129] Figure 3A or Figure 3B The embodiment shown involves a scenario where the UE does not move. In addition, the UE may also move. When the UE moves from an original location to a new location, if the computing node corresponding to the new location does not store the code of the first function, the computing node still needs to download the code of the first function, which takes a lot of time. To this end, the embodiment of the present application provides a second communication method, through which the delay of function calculation can be reduced even if the UE moves. Please refer to Figure 5A or Figure 5B , which is a flow chart of this method. Figure 5A or Figure 5B In the illustrated embodiment, the computing node is a UPF, the second network element is a database or a PCF, and the first network element is a CMF. The first UPF represents a UPF that provides services to the UE before the UE moves, and the second UPF represents a UPF that provides services to the UE after the UE moves.

[0130] S501. The first network device sends a path switching request to the CMF, and accordingly, the CMF receives the path switching request from the first network device. The first network device is, for example, an access network device, referred to as the first access network device, and may be the target access network device after the UE moves. In addition, there is a second network device, which is a network device that serves the UE before the UE moves. For example, the second network device is an access network device, referred to as the second access network device. The path switching request may be used to request that the transmission path of the UE be switched to the first network device. That is, after the UE moves, the target access network device of the UE may send the path switching request to the CMF.

[0131] Before S501, you can execute Figure 3A or Figure 3B S301 to S311 in the illustrated embodiment are not described in detail.

[0132] S502, CMF determines a second UPF for the UE. For example, when the UE moves from the second network device to the first network device (for example, when the CMF receives a path switching request from the first network device), the CMF can determine the DNAI that the UE can access based on the current location information of the UE, such as the second DNAI. Based on the policy information, the CMF can determine whether the computing node corresponding to the area indicated by the second DNAI has deployed computing tasks, so that the CMF can select a suitable UPF for the UE accordingly, for example, the CMF selects the second UPF. In an embodiment of the present application, the second UPF is a new computing node that deploys the first function (or, the computing task to which the first function belongs). For the selection (or, determination) process of the second UPF, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S305 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0133] S503, CMF sends the second indication information to the second UPF, and accordingly, the second UPF receives the second indication information from the CMF. Please refer to Figure 5A Alternatively, S503 may be replaced by the CMF sending the second indication information and the code of the first function to the second UPF, and correspondingly, the second UPF receives the second indication information and the code of the first function from the CMF, please refer to Figure 5B .

[0134] Since the second UPF supports the first function, the CMF may send the second indication information corresponding to the code of the first function to the second UPF. Figure 3A In the illustrated embodiment, the policy information obtained by the CMF includes a correspondence between at least one indication information and at least one DNAI. For example, the at least one indication information includes second indication information, and the at least one DNAI includes a second DNAI corresponding to the second indication information. Then, in S503, the CMF can send the second indication information to the second UPF instead of sending the code of the first function.

[0135] Or, if the CMF executes Figure 3B In the embodiment shown, the policy information obtained by the CMF includes the code of at least one function, at least one indication information, and the correspondence between at least one DNAI. For example, the at least one indication information includes the second indication information, the at least one DNAI includes the second DNAI corresponding to the second indication information, and the code of the at least one function includes the code of the first function corresponding to the second indication information. In S503, the CMF may send the second indication information and the code of the first function to the second UPF. For the contents of these correspondences, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B Description of the illustrated embodiment.

[0136] Optionally, the CMF may execute S503 during the process of establishing the N4 session with the second UPF, for example, Figure 5A or Figure 5B In S503, the CMF may send a message to the second UPF for requesting to establish an N4 session, and the message may include the second indication information, or the second indication information and the code of the first function.

[0137] If the CMF sends the second indication information and the code of the first function to the second UPF in S503 (refer to Figure 5B), the second UPF has obtained the code of the first function, and the second UPF can store the second indication information and the code of the first function. Alternatively, if the CMF sends the second indication information to the second UPF in S503 but does not send the code of the first function (refer to Figure 5A ), the second UPF can further obtain the code of the first function according to the second indication information (for example, according to Figure 5A S504 in the code of the first function can be obtained. For more information about S504, please refer to Figure 3A In the embodiment shown in S307), the second indication information from the CMF can be regarded as a code for triggering the acquisition of the first function. For more information about this part, please refer to Figure 3A S306 and S307 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0138] Optionally, after obtaining the code of the first function through S503 or S504, the second UPF may store the correspondence (or association) between the code of the first function and the information of the UE. For more information, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B The embodiment shown.

[0139] In addition, when the CMF selects the second UPF as a new computing node for the UE, the CMF may further trigger the first UPF to migrate the context information of the UE to the second UPF. For example, the CMF sends a context migration request to the first UPF, and the context migration request may carry the IP address of the UE and the IP address of the second UPF. After receiving the context migration request, the first UPF may send the status information of the computing task of the UE to the second UPF. For example, the first UPF may send the context information of the UE to the second UPF, and the context information of the UE may include the status information of the computing task of the UE.

[0140] Optionally, the method may also include Figure 5A or Figure 5B In S505, the CMF sends a path switching response to the first network device, and correspondingly, the first network device receives the path switching response from the CMF. The path switching response may be used to indicate that the path switching is successful.

[0141] The method may also include Figure 5A or Figure 5BIn S506 shown, the UE sends a request 6 to the second UPF, and correspondingly, the second UPF receives the request 6 from the UE. In the embodiment of the present application, because the second UPF is a computing node, the request 6 can be sent to the second UPF. The request 6 can be used to access the first function, or to request the execution of a computing task to which the first function belongs. For example, the request 6 is an HTTP request. The request 6, for example, includes first indication information, and the first indication information can be used to determine the code of the first function. Optionally, the first indication information and the second indication information can be the same information, for example, both are URLs corresponding to the code of the first function.

[0142] After receiving request 6, the second UPF can execute Figure 5A or Figure 5B In S507, the code of the first function is executed according to the first indication information to process request 6. After receiving request 6, the second UPF may call the code of the first function according to the first indication information, thereby executing the first function or executing the computing task to which the first function belongs. For example, after receiving request 6, the second UPF may execute Figure 1 The cold start process shown in FIG. 1 includes the startup function instance container, runtime initialization, and code initialization. Figure 1 The code downloading process included in the cold start process shown has been completed). When the cold start is completed, the function instance is ready, and the second UPF can start executing request 6.

[0143] Optionally, the method may also include Figure 5A or Figure 5B In S508 shown, the second UPF sends a response message to the UE, for example, called response 3, and accordingly, the UE receives response 3 from the second UPF. Response 3 is, for example, HTTP response information, which can be a response to request 6. For example, response 3 includes the processing result of the second UPF for the first function (or, for the computing task to which the first function belongs).

[0144] Through the method described above, the second UPF stores the code of the first function. If no UE requests to access the first function, the first UPF may also release the code of the first function to save the storage space of the second UPF. Optionally, the method may also include Figure 5A or Figure 5B As shown in S509 and S510, in S509, the first session of the UE is released, for example, the release of the first session of the UE may be triggered by the UE or the network side. In S510, the CMF sends a first release indication to the first UPF, and correspondingly, the first UPF receives the first release indication from the CMF. The first release indication may indicate the release of the first session of the UE.

[0145] Optionally, the method may also include Figure 5A or Figure 5B In S511, the second UPF releases the code of the first function. S511 occurs after S510. For more information about S511, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S314 of the embodiment shown.

[0146] In addition, since the session of the UE has been switched to the second UPF, the first UPF no longer maintains the session of the UE, so optionally, the method may also include Figure 5A or Figure 5B In S512 shown, the CMF sends a second release indication to the first UPF, and accordingly, the first UPF receives the second release indication from the CMF. S512 occurs, for example, after S505. The second release indication may be used to indicate the release of the N4 session between the UE and the first UPF, for example, the second release indication carries the identifier of the N4 session. After receiving the second release indication, the first UPF may release the N4 session. In addition, optionally, the method may also include: Figure 5A or Figure 5B As shown in S513, the first UPF releases the code of the first function. For example, the first UPF may release the code of the first function when there is no session for accessing the first function. For details about this process, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S314 in the embodiment shown.

[0147] In an embodiment of the present application, even in the scenario where the UE is moving, the new UPF can first obtain the code of the first function before receiving the request for accessing the first function, so that there is no need to perform the code download process after receiving the request, such as executing the process after the code download included in the cold start, thereby greatly reducing the delay of function calculation and improving the efficiency of function calculation.

[0148] exist Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 5A or Figure 5B In the embodiment shown in any of the figures, the computing node is a UPF. In addition, the computing node may not be a UPF, but a server used for computing, for example, the computing node and the UPF are connected via an N6 interface. In this scenario, the computing node and the UPF are decoupled, or it can be understood that the computing node and the UPF are loosely coupled. For this reason, the embodiment of the present application provides a third communication method, in which the computing node is not a UPF, but it can also reduce the delay of function computing. Please refer to Fig. 6A or Figure 6B , which is a flow chart of this method. Fig. 6A or Figure 6B In the illustrated embodiment, it is taken as an example that the computing node is not a UPF, the second network element is a database or a PCF, and the first network element is a CMF.

[0149] S601. AF sends request 1 to the second network element, and correspondingly, the second network element receives request 1 from AF. Request 1 may also be referred to as a third request.

[0150] Request 1 may include a correspondence (or, association) between the code of at least one function and at least one indication information, wherein the function (or the code of the function) and the indication information may correspond one to one, and one indication information may be used to determine the corresponding function code. For example, the indication information corresponding to the first function (or the code of the first function) is the second indication information, and request 1 may include a correspondence between the code of the first function and the second indication information (that is, the code of at least one function includes the code of the first function, and the at least one indication information includes the second indication information), then the second indication information may be used to determine the code of the first function.

[0151] Optionally, if the second network element is a database (see Fig. 6A ), then request 1 can be used to store the correspondence between the code of at least one function and at least one indication information in the database. After receiving request 1, the database can reply response information to AF, for example, called response 1, which can be used to indicate that request 1 is received successfully, or that the correspondence is stored successfully, etc.

[0152] Alternatively, if the second network element is a PCF (see Figure 6B ), the correspondence included in request 1 may specifically include the correspondence between the code of at least one function, at least one indication information, and at least one location information. The location information may be the deployment location of the function corresponding to the code of at least one function. For example, one location information may be represented by a DNAI, that is, the correspondence may be the correspondence between the code of at least one function, at least one indication information, and at least one DNAI. Among them, the code of at least one function includes the code of the first function, the at least one indication information includes the second indication information, and the at least one DNAI includes the code of the first function and one or more DNAIs corresponding to the second indication information.

[0153] Optionally, if the second network element is PCF, request 1 may also include DNN or S-NSSAI, etc., without limitation.

[0154] For more information about S601, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S301 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0155] If the second network element is a database, then optionally, the method may also include Fig. 6AIn S602 shown, the AF sends a request 2 to the PCF, and accordingly, the PCF receives the request 2 from the AF. The request 2 may also be referred to as a fourth request. The request 2 may include a correspondence between at least one indication information and at least one location information, wherein the at least one indication information includes the second indication information, and the at least one location information includes one or more DNAIs corresponding to the second indication information. For the correspondence, please refer to the above description.

[0156] Regardless of whether the second network element is a database or a PCF, optionally, the method may also include: Fig. 6A or Figure 6B As shown in S603, S603 may occur after S601, or after S602. In S603, the UE initiates a session establishment process. For example, the UE sends a session establishment request message to the CMF, indicating that the UE initiates a session establishment process. The session is, for example, called a first session, and the first session is, for example, a PDU session, or may be another type of session. Optionally, the session establishment request message may carry a DNN or S-NSSAI corresponding to the location of the UE.

[0157] Optionally, the method may also include Fig. 6A or Figure 6B In S604, CMF receives policy information from PCF. For example, S604 may include S604a and S604b. In S604a, CMF may send a request to PCF, such as request 3, which may be used to request policy information. After receiving request 3, PCF may send the policy information to CMF in S604b. For more information about S604, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S304 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0158] After receiving the policy information, CMF can optionally execute Fig. 6A or Figure 6BS605 shown. In S605, the CMF determines the UPF for the UE. For example, the CMF determines that the current location information of the UE corresponds to the first DNAI (or, the CMF determines that the UE can access the first DNAI in the current location information), and the CMF determines that the computing task is deployed in the area indicated by the first DNAI, then the CMF can select the UPF corresponding to the first DNAI, such as the first UPF, and the first UPF is, for example, the UPF corresponding to the area indicated by the first DNAI. Or S605 can be replaced by the CMF determining a computing node for the UE. For example, the CMF determines that the current location information of the UE corresponds to the first DNAI (or, the CMF determines that the UE can access the first DNAI in the current location information), and the CMF determines that the computing task is deployed in the area indicated by the first DNAI, then the CMF can select the computing node corresponding to the first DNAI with the computing task deployed, for example, the CMF selects the first computing node. The first computing node, for example, supports the first function, or the first computing node deploys the computing task to which the first function belongs. Or S605 can be replaced by the CMF determining the UPF and computing node for the UE, for example, selecting the first UPF and the first computing node. For more information about S605, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S305 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0159] If the policy information includes at least one indication information received by the PCF from the AF and a correspondence between at least one DNAI, the at least one indication information may include second indication information, and the at least one DNAI may include a first DNAI corresponding to the second indication information; or, if the policy information may include a code of at least one function received by the PCF from the AF, at least one indication information, and a correspondence between at least one DNAI, the at least one indication information may include second indication information, the at least one DNAI may include a first DNAI corresponding to the second indication information, and the code of the at least one function may include a code of the first function corresponding to the second indication information. After determining the first UPF, optionally, the method may also include Fig. 6A or Figure 6B In S606, the CMF sends the second indication information to the first UPF, and accordingly, the first UPF receives the second indication information from the CMF. Fig. 6A Or in S606, the CMF sends the second indication information and the code of the first function to the first UPF, and correspondingly, the first UPF receives the second indication information and the code of the first function from the CMF, which can be referred to Figure 6B Alternatively, if the CMF selects the first computing node for the UE, then Fig. 6AS606 in the above may be replaced by the CMF sending the second indication information to the first computing node, and correspondingly, the first computing node receiving the second indication information from the CMF; or Figure 6B S606 in the above description can be replaced by CMF sending the second indication information and the code of the first function to the first computing node, and correspondingly, the first computing node receives the second indication information and the code of the first function from CMF. This method can be understood as that the first computing node obtains the code of the first function based on the session establishment request message of the UE (or, based on the establishment process of the first session). Fig. 6A or Figure 6B S606 in the above description can be understood as being executed in the process of establishing the first session.

[0160] If the CMF sends the second indication information to the first UPF, then optionally, the method may also include: Fig. 6A In S607, the first UPF sends the second indication information to the first computing node. Alternatively, if the CMF sends the second indication information and the code of the first function to the first UPF, the method may also include: Figure 6B As shown in S607, S607 at this time includes that the first UPF sends the second indication information and the code of the first function to the first computing node. This method can be understood as that the first computing node obtains the code of the first function based on the session establishment request message of the UE (or, based on the establishment process of the first session). Alternatively, if the CMF sends the second indication information to the first computing node, or sends the second indication information and the code of the first function, it is not necessary to execute S607.

[0161] Optionally, the first computing node may initiate a subscription process to the first UPF in advance, for example, the first computing node sends a subscription request to the first UPF, and the subscription request may be used to indicate that when a session establishment event and / or a release event for accessing the first computing task (or, the first function) occurs, the first UPF should notify the first computing node. The subscription process occurs, for example, before S607, and there is no limit on the specific time of occurrence, for example, it occurs before S601, etc. If the first computing node has subscribed, then in S607, the first UPF may send a subscription notification message to the first computing node, and the subscription notification message includes the second indication information, or includes the second indication information and the code of the first function. Alternatively, the first computing node does not need to subscribe, and the first UPF may actively execute S607.

[0162] If the CMF sends the second indication information and the code of the first function to the first computing node in S606, or if the first UPF sends the second indication information and the code of the first function to the first computing node in S607, the first computing node has obtained the code of the first function, and the first computing node can store the second indication information and the code of the first function. Alternatively, if the CMF sends the second indication information to the first computing node in S606 but does not send the code of the first function, or if the first UPF sends the second indication information to the first computing node in S607 but does not send the code of the first function, the first computing node can further obtain the code of the first function according to the second indication information, for example, by Fig. 6A The S608 shown obtains the code of the first function. At this time, the second indication information from the CMF can be regarded as a trigger for obtaining the code of the first function. This method can also be understood as that the first computing node obtains the code of the first function based on the session establishment request message of the UE (or based on the establishment process of the first session). For more information about S608, please refer to Figure 3A S307 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0163] Optionally, after obtaining the code of the first function through S606 or S607 or S608, the first computing node may store the corresponding relationship (or association relationship) between the code of the first function and the information of the UE. For more information about this step, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B In the illustrated embodiment, an introduction to the corresponding relationship is stored for the first UPF.

[0164] Optionally, the method may also include Fig. 6A or Figure 6B In S609, the CMF sends a session establishment acceptance message to the UE. After the first session of the UE is established, the CMF may send a session establishment acceptance message to the UE.

[0165] After S609, the method may further include: Fig. 6A or Figure 6BIn S610 shown, the UE sends a request 5 to the first computing node, and correspondingly, the first computing node receives the request 5 from the UE. The UE can send the request 5 to the first UPF through the established first session, and the first UPF can also receive the request 5 through the first session. For example, it is understood that after obtaining the code of the first function, the first computing node receives the request 5 through the first session. The request 5 can also be called a first request, and the request 5 can be used to access the first function, or to request the execution of the computing task to which the first function belongs. For example, the request 5 is an HTTP request. The request 5, for example, includes first indication information, and the first indication information can be used to determine the code of the first function. Optionally, the first indication information and the second indication information can be the same information, for example, both are URLs corresponding to the code of the first function.

[0166] After the first computing node receives request 5, it can execute Fig. 6A or Figure 6B In S611, the code of the first function is run according to the first indication information to process request 5. After receiving request 5, the first UPF may call the code of the first function according to the first indication information, thereby executing the first function or executing the computing task to which the first function belongs. For example, after receiving request 5, the first computing node may execute Figure 1 The cold start process shown in FIG. 1 includes the startup function instance container, runtime initialization, and code initialization. Figure 1 The code downloading process included in the cold start process shown has been completed). When the cold start is completed, the function instance is ready, and the first computing node can start executing request 5.

[0167] Optionally, the method may also include Fig. 6A or Figure 6B In S612, the first computing node sends a response message to the UE, for example, called response 2, and accordingly, the UE receives response 2 from the first computing node. Response 2 is, for example, HTTP response information, which may be a response to request 5, for example, response 2 includes the processing result of the first computing node for the first function (or, for the computing task to which the first function belongs).

[0168] Through the method described above, the first computing node stores the code of the first function. If no UE requests to access the first function, the first computing node may also release the code of the first function to save the storage space of the first computing node. Optionally, the method may also include Fig. 6A or Figure 6BAs shown in S613 and S614, in S613, the first session of the UE is released, for example, the release of the first session of the UE may be triggered by the UE or the network side. In S614, the CMF may directly send a first release indication to the first computing node, and accordingly, the first computing node receives the first release indication from the CMF. The first release indication may indicate the release of the first session of the UE. Alternatively, the CMF may also send a third release indication to the first UPF, and after receiving the third release indication, the first UPF may send the first release indication to the first computing node, and the third release indication may indicate the release of the first session of the UE.

[0169] Optionally, the method may also include Fig. 6A or Figure 6B In S615 shown, the first computing node releases the code of the first function. S615 occurs, for example, after S614. For example, after receiving the first release indication, the first computing node can determine whether there is still a session for accessing the first function. If there is still a session for accessing the first function, the first computing node does not have to release the code of the first function, but can continue to store the code of the first function; if there is no session for accessing the first function, the first computing node can release the code of the first function. For more information about this step, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S314 in the embodiment shown.

[0170] In an embodiment of the present application, the first computing node may first obtain the code of the first function before receiving the first request from the UE, which is equivalent to obtaining the code of the first function before receiving the request for accessing the first function. Therefore, there is no need to execute the code download process after receiving the first request, such as executing the process after the code download included in the cold start, thereby greatly reducing the delay of function calculation and improving the efficiency of function calculation.

[0171] Fig. 6A or Figure 6B The embodiment shown involves a scenario where the UE does not move. In addition, under the loosely coupled architecture of the UPF and the computing node, the UE may also move. When the UE moves from an original location to a new location, if the computing node corresponding to the new location does not store the code of the first function, the computing node still needs to download the code of the first function, which takes a lot of time. To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a fourth communication method, through which the delay of function calculation can be reduced even if the UE moves. Please refer to Fig. 7A or Figure 7B , which is a flow chart of this method. Fig. 7A or Figure 7BIn the illustrated embodiment, the computing node is not a UPF, the second network element is a database or a PCF, and the first network element is a CMF. The first UPF represents a UPF that provides services to the UE before the UE moves, and the second UPF represents a UPF that provides services to the UE after the UE moves.

[0172] S701. The first network device sends a path switching request to the CMF, and accordingly, the CMF receives the path switching request from the first network device. The first network device is, for example, an access network device, referred to as the first access network device, and may be the target access network device after the UE moves. In addition, there is a second network device, which is a network device that serves the UE before the UE moves. For example, the second network device is an access network device, referred to as the second access network device. The path switching request may be used to request that the transmission path of the UE be switched to the first network device. That is, after the UE moves, the target access network device of the UE may send the path switching request to the CMF.

[0173] Before S701, you can execute Fig. 6A or Figure 6B S601 to S612 in the illustrated embodiment are not described in detail.

[0174] S702, CMF determines a second UPF for the UE. For example, when the UE moves from the second network device to the first network device (for example, when the CMF receives a path switching request from the first network device), the CMF determines that the current location information of the UE corresponds to the second DNAI (or, the CMF determines that the UE can access the second DNAI in the current location information), and the CMF determines that the computing task is deployed in the area indicated by the second DNAI, then the CMF can select the UPF corresponding to the second DNAI, such as the second UPF, and the second UPF is, for example, the UPF corresponding to the area indicated by the second DNAI. Or S702 can be replaced by, the CMF determines a computing node for the UE. For example, the CMF determines that the current location information of the UE corresponds to the second DNAI (or, the CMF determines that the UE can access the second DNAI in the current location information), and the CMF determines that the computing task is deployed in the area indicated by the second DNAI, then the CMF can select the computing node corresponding to the second DNAI with the computing task deployed, for example, the second computing node. The second computing node, for example, supports the first function, or deploys the computing task to which the first function belongs. Or S702 can be replaced by, the CMF determines the second UPF and the second computing node for the UE. For more information about S702, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S305 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0175] S703, CMF sends second indication information to the second UPF, and accordingly, the second UPF receives the second indication information from the CMF, which can be referred to Fig. 7A Alternatively, S703 may be replaced by the CMF sending the second indication information and the code of the first function to the second UPF, and correspondingly, the second UPF receives the second indication information and the code of the first function from the CMF, which may be referred to Figure 7B Alternatively, if the CMF selects a second computing node for the UE, S703 may be replaced by the CMF sending second indication information to the second computing node, or sending the second indication information and the code of the first function.

[0176] If the CMF sends the second indication information to the second UPF (for example, the policy information obtained by the CMF includes a correspondence between at least one indication information and at least one DNAI, for example, the at least one indication information includes the second indication information, and the at least one DNAI includes a second DNAI corresponding to the second indication information), then optionally, the method may also include Fig. 7A In S704 shown, the second UPF sends the second indication information to the second computing node. Alternatively, if the CMF sends the second indication information and the code of the first function to the second UPF (for example, the policy information obtained by the CMF includes the code of at least one function, at least one indication information, and the correspondence between at least one DNAI, for example, the at least one indication information includes the second indication information, the at least one DNAI includes the second DNAI corresponding to the second indication information, and the code of the at least one function includes the code of the first function corresponding to the second indication information), then optionally, the method may also include Figure 7B In the S704 shown, the S704 at this time includes the second UPF sending the second indication information and the code of the first function to the second computing node. Alternatively, if the CMF sends the second indication information to the second computing node, or sends the second indication information and the code of the first function, it is not necessary to execute S704.

[0177] Optionally, the second computing node may initiate a subscription process to the second UPF in advance. Then, in S704, the second UPF may send a second indication message to the second computing node based on the subscription, or a code including the second indication message and the first function. For details about the process, please refer to Fig. 6A or Figure 6B Related introduction of the illustrated embodiment.

[0178] If the CMF sends the second instruction information and the code of the first function to the second computing node in S703 (refer to Figure 7B ), or if the second UPF sends the second indication information and the code of the first function to the second computing node in S704 (reference Figure 7B), the second computing node has obtained the code of the first function, and the second computing node can store the second indication information and the code of the first function. Alternatively, if the CMF sends the second indication information to the second computing node in S703 but does not send the code of the first function (refer to Fig. 7A ), or if the second UPF sends the second indication information to the second computing node in S704 but does not send the code of the first function (refer to Fig. 7A ), the second computing node can further obtain the code of the first function according to the second indication information, for example, by Fig. 7A S705 shown in the figure obtains the code of the first function. At this time, the second indication information from the CMF can be regarded as a trigger for obtaining the code of the first function. For more information about S705, please refer to Figure 3A S307 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0179] Optionally, after obtaining the code of the first function through S703 or S704 or S705, the second computing node may store the corresponding relationship (or association relationship) between the code of the first function and the information of the UE. For more information about this step, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B In the illustrated embodiment, an introduction to the corresponding relationship is stored for the first UPF.

[0180] Optionally, the method may also include Fig. 7A or Figure 7B In S706, the CMF sends a path switching response to the first network device, and correspondingly, the first network device receives the path switching response from the CMF. The path switching response may be used to indicate that the path switching is successful.

[0181] The method may also include Fig. 7A or Figure 7B In S707 shown, the UE sends a request 7 to the second computing node, and correspondingly, the second computing node receives the request 7 from the UE. The request 7 may also be referred to as a first request. The request 7 may be used to access the first function, or to request the execution of a computing task to which the first function belongs. For example, the request 7 is an HTTP request. The request 7 includes, for example, first indication information, and the first indication information may be used to determine the code of the first function, for example, the first indication information includes information for determining the code of the first function. Optionally, the first indication information and the second indication information may be the same information, for example, both may be URLs corresponding to the code of the first function.

[0182] After receiving request 7, the second computing node can execute Fig. 7A or Figure 7BS708 shown in FIG. 7 is to run the code of the first function according to the first indication information to process request 7. After receiving request 7, the first UPF may call the code of the first function according to the first indication information to execute the first function or execute the computing task to which the first function belongs. For example, after receiving request 7, the second computing node may execute Figure 1 The cold start process shown in FIG. 1 includes the startup function instance container, runtime initialization, and code initialization. Figure 1 The code downloading process included in the cold start process shown has been completed). When the cold start is completed, the function instance is ready, and the second computing node can start executing request 7.

[0183] Optionally, the method may also include Fig. 7A or Figure 7B In S709, the second computing node sends a response message to the UE, for example, called response 4, and accordingly, the UE receives the response 4 from the second computing node. Response 4 is, for example, HTTP response information, which may be a response to request 7, for example, response 4 includes the processing result of the second computing node for the first function (or, for the computing task to which the first function belongs).

[0184] Through the method described above, the second computing node stores the code of the first function. If no UE requests to access the first function, the second computing node may also release the code of the first function to save the storage space of the second computing node. Optionally, the method may also include Fig. 7A or Figure 7B As shown in S710 and S711, in S710, the first session of the UE is released, for example, the release of the first session of the UE may be triggered by the UE or the network side. In S711, the CMF may directly send a first release indication to the second computing node, and accordingly, the second computing node receives the first release indication from the CMF. The first release indication may indicate the release of the first session of the UE. Alternatively, the CMF may also send a third release indication to the second UPF, and after the second UPF receives the third release indication, it may send the first release indication to the second computing node. The third release indication may indicate the release of the first session.

[0185] Optionally, the method may also include Fig. 7A or Figure 7B In S712, the second computing node releases the code of the first function. S712 occurs after S711. For more information about S712, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S314 of the embodiment shown.

[0186] In addition, since the session of the UE has been switched to the second UPF, the first UPF no longer maintains the session of the UE, so optionally, the method may also include Fig. 7A or Figure 7B In S713 shown in FIG. 1 , the CMF sends a second release indication to the first UPF, and accordingly, the first UPF receives the second release indication from the CMF. The second release indication may be used to indicate the release of the N4 session between the UE and the CMF, for example, the second release indication carries the identifier of the N4 session. After receiving the second release indication, the first UPF may release the N4 session. In addition, optionally, after receiving the second release indication, the first UPF may also perform Fig. 7A or Figure 7B In S714, the first UPF sends an indication message to the first computing node, for example, indication message 1, which may indicate that the session used by the UE to access the first function has been released. The indication message 1 may be the second release indication, or may be an indication message generated according to the second release indication. After the first computing node receives the indication message 1, if it is determined that there is no session used to access the first function, it may execute Fig. 7A or Figure 7B S715 shown, the code of the first function is released. For details about this process, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S314 in the embodiment shown. Alternatively, S713 may be replaced by CMF sending a second release indication to the first computing node, or in S713, CMF sends a second release indication to the first computing node and the first UPF respectively, then S714 may not be executed, and after the first computing node receives the second release indication, if it is determined that there is no session for accessing the first function, S715 may be executed. Alternatively, S714 may be replaced by CMF sending indication information 1 to the first computing node, and after the first computing node receives the second release indication, if it is determined that there is no session for accessing the first function, S715 may be executed.

[0187] In an embodiment of the present application, under the loosely coupled architecture of the computing node and the UPF, even in the scenario where the UE moves, the new computing node can first obtain the code of the first function before receiving the request for accessing the first function, so that there is no need to execute the code download process after receiving the request, such as executing the process after the code download included in the cold start, thereby greatly reducing the delay of function calculation and improving the efficiency of function calculation.

[0188] In the aforementioned embodiments, the storage and release of the function code are all related to the UE, for example, the function code is stored in the computing node during the UE session establishment process, and the corresponding function code is released when the UE session is released. In addition, the present application embodiment provides a fifth communication method, in which the storage and release process of the function code is not related to the UE. Please refer to Fig. 8A or Figure 8B , which is a flow chart of this method. Fig. 8A or Figure 8B In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the second network element is a database or a NEF.

[0189] S801. AF sends request 1 to the second network element, and correspondingly, the second network element receives request 1 from AF. Request 1 may also be referred to as a third request.

[0190] Request 1 may include a correspondence (or, association) between the code of at least one function and at least one indication information, wherein the function (or the code of the function) and the indication information may correspond one to one, and one indication information may be used to determine the corresponding function code. For example, the indication information corresponding to the first function (or the code of the first function) is the second indication information, and request 1 includes a correspondence between the code of the first function and the second indication information (that is, the code of at least one function includes the code of the first function, and the at least one indication information includes the second indication information), then the second indication information may be used to determine the code of the first function.

[0191] Optionally, if the second network element is a database (see Fig. 8A ), then request 1 can be used to store the correspondence between the code of at least one function and at least one indication information in the database. After receiving request 1, the database can reply response information to AF, for example, called response 1, which can be used to indicate that request 1 is received successfully, or that the correspondence is stored successfully, etc.

[0192] Or, if the second network element is NEF (see Figure 8B ), the correspondence included in request 1 may specifically include the correspondence between the code of at least one function, at least one indication information, and at least one location information. The location information may be the deployment location of the function corresponding to the code of at least one function. For example, one location information may be represented by a DNAI, that is, the correspondence may be the correspondence between the code of at least one function, at least one indication information, and at least one DNAI. Among them, the code of at least one function includes the code of the first function, the at least one indication information includes the second indication information, and the at least one DNAI includes the code of the first function and one or more DNAIs corresponding to the second indication information.

[0193] For more information about S801, please refer to Figure 3A or Figure 3B S301 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0194] If the second network element is a database, then optionally, the method may also include Fig. 8AIn S802 shown, the AF sends a request 2 to the NEF, and accordingly, the NEF receives the request 2 from the AF. The request 2 may also be referred to as a fourth request. The request 2 may include a correspondence between at least one indication information and at least one location information, wherein the at least one indication information includes the second indication information, and the at least one location information includes one or more DNAIs corresponding to the second indication information. For the correspondence, please refer to the above description.

[0195] Regardless of whether the second network element is a NEF or a database, optionally, the method further includes: Fig. 8A or Figure 8B In S803 shown, NEF sends a discovery request to NRF. Accordingly, NRF receives the discovery request from NEF. The discovery request can be used to discover the computing node corresponding to the location information where the computing task is deployed. Optionally, the discovery request may include the location information where the computing task is deployed, and the location information is represented by DNAI, for example. Optionally, the discovery request may include DNN or S-NSSAI.

[0196] Optionally, the method further includes Fig. 8A or Figure 8B As shown in S804, NRF sends information of at least one computing node to NEF. Correspondingly, NEF receives information of the at least one computing node from NRF. For example, after receiving the discovery request, NRF can determine which computing nodes corresponding to DNAI have computing tasks deployed (which may include any computing tasks), and then NRF can send information of these computing nodes to NEF. Optionally, the information of a computing node includes, for example, an identifier of the computing node, and / or address information of the computing node. The at least one computing node includes, for example, computing nodes such as UPF and / or servers.

[0197] Optionally, the method may also include Fig. 8A or Figure 8BAs shown in S805, after receiving information of at least one computing node, NEF may send request 8 to some or all computing nodes in at least one computing node, and accordingly, each computing node in these some or all computing nodes receives request 8. Request 8 may also be referred to as a fifth request. Request 8 sent by NEF to a computing node may include indication information corresponding to all or part of the functions corresponding to the computing tasks deployed in the computing node, and the contents of requests 8 received by different computing nodes may be the same or different. For example, at least one computing node includes computing node 1, computing task 1 is deployed in computing node 1, and computing task 1 corresponds to a first function. Then, request 8 sent by NEF to computing node 1 may include second indication information corresponding to the code of the first function. For another example, at least one computing node includes computing node 2, computing task 1 is not deployed in computing node 2, and the functions corresponding to the computing tasks deployed in computing node 2 do not include the first function. Then, request 8 sent by NEF to computing node 2 may not include the second indication information corresponding to the code of the first function. If NEF obtains the correspondence between at least one indication information and at least one location information through S802 (refer to Fig. 8A ), the request 8 sent by the NEF may include the indication information but not the function code; or, if the NEF obtains the correspondence between at least one indication information, at least one function code and at least one location information through S801 (refer to Figure 8B ), the request 8 sent by the NEF may include the instruction information and the code of the function. For example, at least one computing node includes computing node 1, computing task 1 is deployed in computing node 1, and computing task 1 corresponds to the first function. Then, if the NEF passes Fig. 8A S802 shown in FIG. 1 obtains a correspondence between at least one indication information and at least one location information (at least one indication information includes second indication information), and the request 8 sent by the NEF to the computing node 1 may include the second indication information corresponding to the code of the first function; or, if the NEF passes Figure 8B The shown S801 obtains the correspondence between at least one indication information, at least one function code and at least one location information (at least one indication information includes the second indication information), then the request 8 sent by the NEF to the computing node 1 may include the second indication information and the code of the first function.

[0198] Optionally, after receiving the indication information from the NEF, or receiving the indication information and the code of the function, the computing node may send a response message to the NEF to indicate that the information is received successfully.

[0199] If the NEF sends the indication information and the function code to the computing node in S805, the corresponding computing node has obtained the function code corresponding to the computing task deployed by the computing node, and the computing node can store the indication information corresponding to the function code and the function code. Alternatively, if the NEF sends the indication information to the computing node in S805 but does not send the function code, the corresponding computing node can further obtain the function code according to the indication information (for example, according to Fig. 8A The code of the function can be obtained in S806. For more information about S806, please refer to Figure 3A In the embodiment shown in S307), the indication information from the NEF can be regarded as a code for triggering the acquisition function. For more information about this part, please refer to Figure 3A S306 and S307 in the illustrated embodiment.

[0200] After obtaining the code of the corresponding function, the computing node can store it. If the computing task or function deployed by the computing node is called, the code of the function can be directly called to execute the function or the computing task to which the function belongs. For example, after a computing node receives a request to access a function or a computing task, it can execute Figure 1 The cold start process shown in FIG. 1 includes the startup function instance container, runtime initialization, and code initialization. Figure 1 The code downloading process included in the cold start process shown has been completed). When the cold start is completed and the function instance is ready, the computing node can start executing the request.

[0201] In an embodiment of the present application, the computing node can obtain the code of the function before receiving a request for accessing the function, so that after receiving the request, it is not necessary to perform the code download process, for example, the process after the code download included in the cold start can be performed, thereby greatly reducing the delay of function calculation and improving the efficiency of function calculation. In addition, the embodiment of the present application decouples the process of obtaining the function code in advance from the behavior of the UE, so that the function code can be obtained earlier, which is conducive to reducing the signaling transmission process in the UE session establishment process and improving the efficiency of the UE in establishing the session.

[0202] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application is given. The communication device 900 may be Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 5A or Figure 5B The first UPF or the circuit system of the first UPF described in any of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings is used to implement the method corresponding to the first UPF in the above method embodiment. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may be Figure 5A or Figure 5B The second UPF or the circuit system of the second UPF described in any of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings is used to implement the method corresponding to the second UPF in the above method embodiment. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may be Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Fig. 7A or Figure 7B The first computing node or the circuit system of the first computing node described in any of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings is used to implement the method corresponding to the first computing node in the above method embodiment. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may be Fig. 7A or Figure 7B The second computing node or the circuit system of the second computing node described in any of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings is used to implement the method corresponding to the second computing node in the above method embodiment. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may be Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Fig. 7A or Figure 7B The CMF or the circuit system of the CMF described in any of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings is used to implement the method corresponding to the CMF in the above method embodiment. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may be Figure 3A , Figure 5A , Fig. 6A ,or Fig. 7A The database or the circuit system of the database described in any of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings is used to implement the method corresponding to the database in the above method embodiment. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may be Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Fig. 7A , Figure 7B , Fig. 8A or Figure 8B The AF or the circuit system of the AF described in any of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings is used to implement the method corresponding to the AF in the above method embodiment. Alternatively, the communication device 900 may be Fig. 8A or Figure 8B The NEF or the circuit system of the NEF described in any of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings is used to implement the method corresponding to the NEF in the above method embodiment. For example, one circuit system is a chip system.

[0203] The communication device 900 includes at least one processor 901. The processor 901 can be used for internal processing of the device to implement certain control processing functions. Optionally, the processor 901 includes instructions. Optionally, the processor 901 can store data. Optionally, different processors can be independent devices, can be located in different physical locations, and can be located on different integrated circuits. Optionally, different processors can be integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated on one or more integrated circuits.

[0204] Optionally, the communication device 900 includes one or more memories 903 for storing instructions. Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 903. The processor and the memory may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0205] Optionally, the communication device 900 includes a communication line 902 and at least one communication interface 904. Since the memory 903, the communication line 902 and the communication interface 904 are all optional, Fig. 9 Indicated by dotted lines.

[0206] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a transceiver and / or an antenna. The transceiver may be used to send information to other devices or receive information from other devices. The transceiver may be referred to as a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, an input / output interface, etc., and is used to implement the transceiver function of the communication device 900 through an antenna. Optionally, the transceiver includes a transmitter and a receiver. Exemplarily, the transmitter may be used to generate a radio frequency signal from a baseband signal, and the receiver may be used to convert the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal.

[0207] The processor 901 may include a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the present application.

[0208] The communication link 902 may include a pathway for transmitting information between the above-mentioned components.

[0209] The communication interface 904 uses any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area networks (WLAN), wired access networks, etc.

[0210] The memory 903 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 903 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 901 via the communication line 902. Alternatively, the memory 903 may also be integrated with the processor 901.

[0211] The memory 903 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 901. The processor 901 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 903, thereby realizing Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Fig. 7A , Figure 7B , Fig. 8A or Figure 8B The steps performed by the computing node, the first computing node, the second computing node, the CMF, the AF, the database, or the NEF described in the embodiments shown in any of the figures.

[0212] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0213] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 901 may include one or more CPUs, such as Fig. 9 CPU0 and CPU1 in.

[0214] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 900 may include multiple processors, such as Fig. 9901 and processor 905 in the embodiment of the present invention. Each of these processors may be a single-CPU processor or a multi-CPU processor. The processor herein may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0215] when Fig. 9 When the device shown is a chip, for example, a chip of a computing node, a chip of a first computing node, a chip of a second computing node, a chip of a CMF, a chip of an AF, a chip of a database, or a chip of an NEF, the chip includes a processor 901 (and may also include a processor 905), a communication line 902, and a communication interface 904, and optionally, may include a memory 903. Specifically, the communication interface 904 may be an input interface, a pin, or a circuit, etc. The memory 903 may be a register, a cache, etc. The processor 901 and the processor 905 may be a general-purpose CPU, a microprocessor, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of a program of the communication method of any of the above embodiments.

[0216] The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the device according to the above method example. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, in the case of dividing each functional module according to each function, Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a device is shown, the device 1000 may be a computing node, a first computing node, a second computing node, a CMF, an AF, a database, or a NEF involved in the above-mentioned various method embodiments, or the device 1000 may be a chip in a computing node, a chip in a first computing node, a chip in a second computing node, a chip in a CMF, a chip in an AF, a chip in a database, or a chip in a NEF involved in the above-mentioned various method embodiments. The device 1000 includes a sending unit 1001, a processing unit 1002, and a receiving unit 1003.

[0217] It should be understood that the device 1000 can be used to implement the steps performed by the computing node, the first computing node, the second computing node, the CMF, the AF, the database, or the NEF in the communication method of the embodiment of the present application, and the relevant features can refer to the above Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 5A , Figure 5B , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Fig. 7A , Figure 7B , Fig. 8A or Figure 8B The embodiments shown in any of the accompanying drawings will not be described in detail here.

[0218] Optional, Fig.10 The functions / implementation processes of the sending unit 1001, the receiving unit 1003 and the processing unit 1002 can be Fig. 9 The processor 901 in the embodiment calls the computer execution instruction stored in the memory 903 to implement. Or, Fig.10 The function / implementation process of the processing unit 1002 in Fig. 9 The processor 901 in the embodiment calls the computer execution instruction stored in the memory 903 to implement, Fig.10 The functions / implementation processes of the sending unit 1001 and the receiving unit 1003 can be Fig. 9 It is implemented by the communication interface 904 in.

[0219] Optionally, when the device 1000 is a chip or a circuit, the functions / implementation processes of the sending unit 1001 and the receiving unit 1003 can also be implemented through pins or circuits.

[0220] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the method performed by the computing node, the first computing node, the second computing node, the CMF, the AF, the database, or the NEF in the above method embodiment is implemented. In this way, the functions described in the above embodiments can be implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application can be essentially or in other words, the part that contributes or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium, including several instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0221] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes: computer program code, when the computer program code is run on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method performed by the computing node, the first computing node, the second computing node, the CMF, the AF, the database, or the NEF in any of the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0222] An embodiment of the present application also provides a processing device, including a processor and an interface; the processor is used to execute the method executed by the computing node, first computing node, second computing node, CMF, AF, database, or NEF involved in any of the above method embodiments.

[0223] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the process or function described in the embodiment of the present application is generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium, for example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from a website site, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) mode to another website site, computer, server or data center. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more available media integrated. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)), etc.

[0224] The various illustrative logic units and circuits described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or operated by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination of the above. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, and optionally, the general-purpose processor can also be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The processor can also be implemented by a combination of computing devices, such as a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a digital signal processor core, or any other similar configuration.

[0225] The steps of the method or algorithm described in the embodiments of the present application can be directly embedded in the hardware, the software unit executed by the processor, or the combination of the two. The software unit can be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable programmable read-only memory, EPROM), EEPROM, register, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM or other storage media of any form in the art. Exemplarily, the storage medium can be connected to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and can write information to the storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium can also be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be arranged in an ASIC, and the ASIC can be arranged in a terminal device. Optionally, the processor and the storage medium can also be arranged in different components in the terminal device.

[0226] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device so that a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions for implementing the process. Figure 1 A process or multiple processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps for the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0227] The contents of the various embodiments of the present application may refer to each other. If there is no special explanation and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their internal logical relationships.

[0228] It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, the computing node, the first computing node, the second computing node, the CMF, the AF, the database, or the NEF can perform some or all of the steps in the embodiment of the present application, and these steps or operations are only examples. In the embodiment of the present application, other operations or variations of various operations can also be performed. In addition, the various steps can be performed in different orders presented in the embodiment of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiment of the present application need to be performed.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a computing node, the method comprises: Acquire a code of a first function based on a session establishment request of a terminal device, wherein the session establishment request is used to request establishment of a first session; After acquiring the code of the first function, receiving a first request for accessing the first function from the terminal device through the first session; The code of the first function is run according to the first request to process the first request.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The first request includes first indication information, and the first indication information is used to determine the code of the first function.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The code for obtaining the first function based on the session establishment request of the terminal device includes: receiving second indication information from a first network element, where the second indication information is used to determine a code of the first function, and the second indication information is received during a process of establishing the first session; Sending a second request to a second network element, where the second request includes the second indication information, where the second request is used to request a code for the first function, and where the second indication information is used by the second network element to determine the code for the first function; Receive code of the first function from the second network element.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The code for obtaining the first function based on the session establishment request of the terminal device includes: Receive second indication information and the code of the first function from a first network element, where the second indication information is used to determine the code of the first function, and the second indication information and the code of the first function are sent by the first network element during the establishment process of the first session.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The first network element includes a computing power management function CMF or a user plane function UPF.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving a first release indication, where the first release indication is used to indicate the release of the first session; Delete the code of the first function.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that Delete the code of the first function, including: When there is no session for accessing the first function, the code of the first function is deleted.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: After obtaining the code of the first function based on the session establishment request of the terminal device, the method further includes: A correspondence between the information of the terminal device and the code of the first function is stored, wherein the correspondence is used to indicate that there is a session for the terminal device to access the first function.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The information of the terminal device includes one or more of an identifier of a session corresponding to the terminal device, an identifier of the terminal device, or address information of the terminal device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The computing node includes a UPF or a server.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first network element, the method includes: Receiving a session establishment request from a terminal device, wherein the session establishment request is used to request to establish a first session, and the first session is used for the terminal device to access a first function; Determine a first data network access identifier DNAI corresponding to the location information of the terminal device; Determining a first computing node corresponding to the first DNAI, wherein the first computing node supports the first function; Sending second indication information to the first computing node, where the second indication information is used to determine a code of the first function; A session establishment acceptance message is sent to the terminal device, wherein the session establishment acceptance message is used to indicate that the first session is established. The code of the first function is used to process a request from the terminal device for accessing the first function, and the request for accessing the first function is sent by the terminal device after receiving the session establishment acceptance message.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive policy information from a policy control function PCF, where the policy information includes a correspondence between the first DNAI and the second indication information.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the terminal device moves from the first access network device to the second access network device, determining a second DNAI corresponding to the current location information of the terminal device; Determining a second computing node corresponding to the second DNAI, wherein the second computing node supports the first function; The second indication information is sent to the second computing node, wherein the policy information also includes a correspondence between the second DNAI and the second indication information.

14. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Sending second indication information to the first computing node includes: Send the second indication information and the code of the first function to the first computing node.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive policy information from PCF, where the policy information includes a correspondence between the code of the first function, the first DNAI, and the second indication information.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: When the terminal device moves from the first access network device to the second access network device, determining a second DNAI corresponding to the current location information of the terminal device; Determining a second computing node corresponding to the second DNAI, wherein the second computing node supports the first function; Send the second indication information and the code of the first function to the second computing node, wherein the policy information also includes a correspondence between the code of the first function, the second DNAI and the second indication information.

17. The method according to claim 13 or 16, characterized in that The method further comprises: A second release indication is sent to the first computing node, where the second release indication is used to indicate the release of the first session.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A first release indication is sent to a second computing node, where the first release indication is used to indicate the release of a session between the second computing node and the terminal device, and the second computing node is a computing node that serves the terminal device after the terminal device moves.

19. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18, characterized in that: The first network element includes a CMF.

20. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises a processing unit and a transceiver unit, wherein the processing unit is coupled to the transceiver unit to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor and a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to execute the computer program stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 19.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program, and when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

24. A chip system, characterized in that: The chip system comprises: A processor and an interface, wherein the processor is used to call and run instructions from the interface, and when the processor executes the instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is implemented, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19 is implemented.

25. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises a computing node and a first network element, wherein: The computing node is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10; The first network element is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19.

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