Data transmission method and device, electronic equipment and computer program product

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and particularly provides a data transmission method and device, electronic equipment and a computer program product. The method comprises: sending a first message to a second network function, the first message comprising capability related information of a first network function; and / or sending a second message to a third network function based on the first interface, the second message comprising capability related information of the first network function. According to the method and the device, the VN group information of the 5G virtual network supported by the first network function is registered to a unified network function, so that the query path and the query process are shortened, and the efficiency is improved; and a mode of 5G VN group information reported based on the first network function and / or protocol information capable of being used for data collection is provided, so that the problem that a mechanism for selecting the first network function by the third network function is too single is solved, and more requirements are met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a data transmission method, device, electronic device and computer program product. Background Art

[0002] The simplified 5G LAN solution supports the creation of multiple simplified 5G VN groups under one slice + DNN (Deep Neural Network). Among them, the 5G VN group (Virtual Network Group) is a virtual network group, which is a collection of virtual networks created in the 5G network to meet the needs of specific user groups or business needs.

[0003] However, there are currently the following problems in the simplified 5G LAN solution:

[0004] 1. When other network functions collect 5G VN group information, the existing path and process are long;

[0005] 2. The mechanism for SMF to select UPF is too simple. Currently, it only supports selection based on information such as the slices + DNN and service scope that UPF can provide services. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present disclosure is proposed in view of the above problems. The present disclosure provides a data transmission method, device, electronic device and computer program product.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a data transmission method is provided, which is applied to a first network function, and the method includes: sending a first message to a second network function, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function; and / or, sending a second message to a third network function based on a first interface, wherein the second message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0008] In addition, according to a data transmission method in one aspect of the present disclosure, the first message is used to indicate the registration and / or update of capability-related information of the first network function; the second message is used to indicate the establishment and / or update of capability-related information of the first network function. In addition, according to a data transmission method in one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a ninth message sent by a third network function based on the first interface and / or the second interface, wherein the ninth message is used to subscribe to an event, and the ninth message includes: a target event and target protocol information.

[0009] In addition, according to an aspect of the data transmission method of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a tenth message sent by a fourth network function, wherein the tenth message includes: a target event and protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

[0010] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: determining target protocol information based on the tenth message and capability-related information.

[0011] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: sending an eleventh message to the fourth network function, wherein the eleventh message includes target protocol information.

[0012] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: when a target event occurs, transmitting data to a fourth network function based on target protocol information.

[0013] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the capability-related information includes at least one of the following: 5G virtual network 5G VN group information or a 5GVN group information list supported by the first network function; 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; data network authentication, authorization and accounting DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a data transmission method is provided, which is applied to a second network function, and the method includes: receiving a first message sent by a first network function, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0015] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the first message is used to indicate registration and / or update of capability-related information of the first network function.

[0016] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: storing and / or updating an information profile of the first network function based on capability-related information.

[0017] In addition, according to one aspect of the data transmission method of the present disclosure, the method also includes: receiving a third message sent by a fourth network function, wherein the third message is used to indicate the discovery of an alternative first network function; based on the third message and the information file of the first network function, determining the alternative first network function corresponding to the target 5G VN group.

[0018] In addition, according to an aspect of the data transmission method of the present disclosure, the method further includes: sending a fourth message to a fourth network function, wherein the fourth message includes: an alternative first network function and an information profile of the alternative first network function.

[0019] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the third message includes at least one of the following: an identifier of a target 5G VN group, target DN-AAA server information, and target protocol information.

[0020] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a fifth message sent by a fourth network function, wherein the fifth message is used to subscribe to status information of the first network function.

[0021] In addition, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, a data transmission method, wherein the method further includes: when the status information changes, that is, when the information archive of the first network function is stored and / or updated, sending a sixth message to the fourth network function, wherein the sixth message is used to respond to the fifth message, and the sixth message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0022] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the capability-related information includes at least one of the following: 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5GVN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a data transmission method is provided, which is applied to a third network function, and the method includes: receiving a second message sent by a first network function based on a first interface, wherein the second message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0024] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the second message is used to indicate establishing and / or updating capability-related information of the first network function.

[0025] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: determining the target first network function corresponding to the target 5G VN group based at least on the capability-related information of the first network function.

[0026] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: based on the correspondence between the target 5G VN group and the target first network function, preferentially determining that the target first network function provides services for other terminal devices in the target 5G VN group.

[0027] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a seventh message sent by a fourth network function, wherein the seventh message includes: protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

[0028] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: determining target protocol information based on the seventh message and based on capability-related information received by the first interface.

[0029] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: sending an eighth message to the fourth network function, wherein the eighth message includes target protocol information.

[0030] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method also includes: sending a ninth message to the first network function based on the first interface and / or the second interface, wherein the ninth message is used to subscribe to events, and the ninth message includes: target events and target protocol information.

[0031] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the capability-related information includes at least one of the following: 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5GVN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

[0032] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a data transmission method is provided, which is applied to a fourth network function, and the method includes: receiving a fourth message sent by a second network function, wherein the fourth message includes: an alternative first network function and an information profile of the alternative first network function; and / or; determining the alternative first network function based on the received sixth message.

[0033] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: sending a third message to the second network function, wherein the third message is used to indicate the discovery of an alternative first network function.

[0034] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the third message includes at least one of the following: target 5G VN group identifier, target DN-AAA server information, and target protocol information.

[0035] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: sending a fifth message to the second network function, wherein the fifth message is used to subscribe to status information of the first network function.

[0036] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving a sixth message sent by the second network function, wherein the sixth message is used to respond to the fifth message, and the sixth message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0037] In addition, according to an aspect of the data transmission method of the present disclosure, the method further includes: sending a seventh message to the third network function, wherein the seventh message includes: protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

[0038] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving an eighth message sent by a third network function, wherein the eighth message includes target protocol information.

[0039] In addition, according to an aspect of the data transmission method of the present disclosure, the method further includes: sending a tenth message to the first network function, wherein the tenth message includes: the target event and protocol information of the fourth network function preference.

[0040] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving an eleventh message sent by the first network function, wherein the eleventh message includes target protocol information.

[0041] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the method further includes: receiving data transmitted by the first network function based on target protocol information.

[0042] In addition, according to a data transmission method according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the capability-related information includes at least one of the following: 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5GVN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

[0043] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a data transmission device is provided, the device including: a first sending module, used to send a first message to a second network function, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function; and / or, a second sending module, used to send a second message to a third network function based on a first interface, wherein the second message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0044] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a data transmission device is provided, the device comprising: a receiving module, configured to receive a first message sent by a first network function, wherein the first message comprises capability-related information of the first network function.

[0045] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a data transmission device is provided, the device comprising: receiving a second message sent by a first network function based on a first interface, wherein the second message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0046] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a data transmission device is provided, the device comprising: a receiving module, used to receive a fourth message sent by a second network function, wherein the fourth message comprises: an alternative first network function and an information profile of the alternative first network function; and / or; a determining module, used to determine the alternative first network function based on the received sixth message.

[0047] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including: a memory for storing computer-readable instructions; and a processor for executing the computer-readable instructions so that the electronic device executes the data transmission method as described above.

[0048] According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the data transmission method as described above is implemented.

[0049] As will be described in detail below, according to the data transmission method of an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention shortens the query path and query process and improves efficiency by registering the 5G virtual network VN group information supported by the first network function to a unified network function; and proposes a method based on the 5G VN group information reported by the first network function and / or protocol information that can be used for data collection to improve the problem of the overly single mechanism for the third network function to select the first network function, so as to meet more needs.

[0050] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the technology as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] The above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent by describing the embodiments of the present disclosure in more detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the specification. Together with the embodiments of the present disclosure, they are used to explain the present disclosure and do not constitute a limitation of the present disclosure. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals generally represent the same components or steps.

[0052] Figure 1 It is a diagram illustrating the fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) network architecture.

[0053] Figure 2 is a method flow chart illustrating a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0054] Figure 3 It is a diagram illustrating the process of UPF performing capability registration / update according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Figure 4is a method flow chart further illustrating the data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0056] Figure 5 is a method flow chart further illustrating the data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0057] Figure 6 It is a second diagram illustrating the process of UPF performing capability registration / update according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0058] Figure 7 is a method flow chart further illustrating the data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0059] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating NF service discovery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0060] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating available UPF status subscriptions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0061] Fig.10 is a 5G VN group PDU session flow chart illustrating an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0062] Fig.11 It is a diagram illustrating the UPF event subscription process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0063] Fig.12 It is a second diagram illustrating the UPF event subscription process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0064] Fig.13 is a device schematic diagram illustrating a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] Fig.14 is a device schematic diagram further illustrating a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0066] Fig.15 is a device schematic diagram further illustrating a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0067] Fig.16 is a device schematic diagram further illustrating a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0068] Fig.17 is a hardware block diagram illustrating an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] Fig.18 is a schematic diagram illustrating a computer program product according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present disclosure more obvious, the exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments of the present disclosure, and it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described here.

[0071] The technology described herein is not limited to NR systems and Long Time Evolution (LTE) / LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, and can also be used for various wireless communication systems, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system can implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc. UTRA includes Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) and other CDMA variants. TDMA systems can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). OFDMA systems can implement radio technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolution-UTRA (EUTRA), IEEE 802.21 (Wi-Fi), IEEE802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are parts of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and more advanced LTE (such as LTE-A) are new UMTS versions that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization called "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization called "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2).The techniques described herein may be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above as well as for other systems and radio technologies. However, the following description describes an NR system for example purposes and uses NR terminology in much of the following description, although the techniques may also be applicable to applications other than NR system applications.

[0072] Some terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are explained below to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0073] 1) User equipment, also known as terminal equipment, is a device with wireless transceiver functions, which can communicate with one or more core network (CN) devices (or core devices) via access network equipment (or access equipment) in the radio access network (RAN).

[0074] User equipment may also be referred to as access terminal, terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, user agent or user device, etc. User equipment may be deployed on land, including indoor or outdoor, handheld or vehicle-mounted; it may also be deployed on the water (such as ships, etc.); it may also be deployed in the air (such as airplanes, balloons and satellites, etc.). User equipment may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), etc. Alternatively, the user equipment may also be a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a drone device or a terminal in the Internet of Things, the Internet of Vehicles, the fifth-generation mobile communication (5th-generation, 5G) network and any form of terminal in future networks, a relay user device or a terminal in a future evolved PLMN, etc. The relay user equipment may be, for example, a 5G residential gateway (RG). For example, the user equipment may be a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, etc. The disclosed embodiments do not limit the type or category of terminal equipment.

[0075] The user equipment may also include end-side equipment, such as a local switch (LSW) and / or customer premise equipment (CPE), etc. Alternatively, the user equipment may access the network via an LSE or a CPE.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, a user equipment (UE) registered with the network can be understood as a user. One UE can correspond to a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, that is, when a terminal device is installed with one SIM card, the terminal device corresponds to one user UE, and when a terminal device is installed with multiple SIM cards, the terminal device corresponds to multiple user UEs.

[0077] 2) Network equipment refers to equipment that can provide wireless access functions for terminals. The network equipment can support at least one wireless communication technology, such as long term evolution (LTE), new radio (NR), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), etc.

[0078] For example, the network equipment may include access network equipment. For example, the network equipment includes, but is not limited to: a next generation base station or a next generation node B (generation node B, gNB), an evolved node B (evolved node B, eNB), a radio network controller (radio network controller, RNC), a node B (node ​​B, NB), a base station controller (base station controller, BSC), a base transceiver station (base transceiver station, BTS), a home base station (e.g., home evolved node B, or home node B, HNB), a baseband unit (baseband unit, BBU), a transmitting and receiving point (transmitting and receiving point, TRP), a transmitting point (transmitting point, TP), a mobile switching center, a small station, a micro station or a 5G gateway, etc. The 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, or the network device may be a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a terminal, a wearable device, a network device in future mobile communications, or a network device in a future evolving public mobile land network (PLMN), etc.

[0079] For example, the network equipment may include core network (CN) equipment, and the core network equipment may include AMF, etc.

[0080] Figure 1 : is a diagram showing the fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) network architecture. Figure 1 (A) is a schematic diagram of the 5G network architecture under a non-service architecture. Figure 1 (B) in the figure is a schematic diagram of the 5G network architecture under the service-based architecture (SBA). Figure 1 (A) and Figure 1 The 5G network architecture shown in (B) may include three parts, namely, the terminal, the data network (DN) and the operator network. The functions of some of the network elements are briefly introduced below.

[0081] The operator network may include but is not limited to 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, session management function (SMF) network element, (radio) access network ((R)AN) equipment and user plane function (UPF) network element, network slice selection function (NSSF) network element (not shown in the figure), network data analysis function (network data analysis function, NWDAF) (not shown in the figure), etc. In the above operator network, network elements or devices other than radio access network equipment may be referred to as core network elements or core network equipment.

[0082] The wireless access network device may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a next generation base station in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, etc.; it may also be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of a base station, for example, a centralized unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU). The wireless access network device may be a macro base station, a micro base station or an indoor station, a relay node or a donor node, etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the wireless access network device. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, a base station is used as an example of a wireless access network device for description.

[0083] The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, for example, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal, and any of the above implementation methods may be adopted.

[0084] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or movable. Base stations and terminals can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on the water surface; they can also be deployed on airplanes, balloons, and artificial satellites in the air. The embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0085] Below Figure 1 (A) and Figure 1 The following describes some of the network elements shown in (B):

[0086] AF network element, which may be referred to as AF in the present disclosure, mainly conveys the requirements of the application side (such as enterprises in toB scenarios) to the network side. The requirements here include quality of service (QoS) requirements, user status event subscriptions, or planning requirements for 5G LAN groups. AF can be a third-party functional entity or an application service deployed by an operator, such as Internet Protocol (IP) multimedia subsystem (IMS) voice call service. For the application functional entity of a third-party application, it can also be authorized through NEF when interacting with the core network. For example, the third-party application function directly sends a request to NEF, and NEF determines whether the AF is allowed to send the request. If the verification is successful, the request will be forwarded to the corresponding PCF or UDM.

[0087] NWDAF network element, which may be referred to as NWDAF in this disclosure, is mainly responsible for collecting and analyzing network data and providing support for network optimization, management, and strategy formulation.

[0088] The UDM network element, which may be referred to as UDM in this disclosure, is mainly responsible for managing functions such as contract data and user access authorization.

[0089] The UDR network element, which may be referred to as UDR in this disclosure, is mainly responsible for the access functions of types of data such as contract data, policy data, and application data. In this disclosure, the UDR can be addressed by a combination of S-NSSAI and DNN. Among them, the information of the 5G LAN group corresponding to the S-NSSAI and DNN is stored in the UDR.

[0090] The PCF network element, which may be referred to as PCF in the present disclosure, is mainly responsible for policy control functions such as session and service flow level billing, QoS bandwidth guarantee and mobility management, and UE policy decision-making.

[0091] The AMF network element, which may be referred to as AMF in this disclosure, mainly performs functions such as mobility management and access authentication / authorization for UE. In addition, it is also responsible for transmitting user policies between UE and PCF.

[0092] The SMF network element, which may be referred to as SMF in this disclosure, mainly performs packet data unit (PDU) session management for the UE, execution of the control policy issued by the PCF, selection of the UPF, and allocation of the UE IP address when the PDU Type is the IP type.

[0093] The UPF network element, which may be referred to as UPF in the present disclosure, serves as an interface with the data network. The UPF completes functions such as user plane data forwarding, session / flow-level billing statistics, and bandwidth limitation.

[0094] also, Figure 1 The communication interface shown in (A) includes:

[0095] The N1 interface is the signaling plane interface between the AMF and the UE, and is used to exchange signaling messages between the core network and the UE, such as UE registration, UE establishment of PDU session, and network side configuration of UE policies.

[0096] The N2 interface is the interface between the AMF and the RAN and is used to transmit radio bearer control information from the core network to the RAN.

[0097] The N3 interface is the interface between (R)AN and UPF and is used to transfer UE service data between RAN and UPF.

[0098] The N4 interface is the interface between SMF and UPF, and is used to transmit information between the control plane and the user plane, including the control plane terminal equipment completing the network access operation according to the contract information with the operator.

[0099] The N6 interface is the interface between UPF and DN and is used to transfer UE service data between UPF and DN.

[0100] The N7 interface is the interface between PCF and SMF, and is used to send PDU session granularity and service data flow granularity control strategy.

[0101] The N8 interface is the interface between AMF and UDM, which is used by AMF to obtain access and mobility management-related subscription data and authentication data from UDM, and AMF to register UE's current mobility management-related information with UDM.

[0102] The N10 interface is the interface between SMF and UDM, which is used by SMF to obtain session management-related contract data from UDM, and SMF to register UE current session-related information with UDM.

[0103] The N11 interface is the interface between SMF and AMF, and is used to transmit PDU session tunnel information between RAN and UPF, transmit control messages sent to UE, transmit radio resource control information sent to RAN, etc.

[0104] DN is a network outside the operator network. The operator network can access multiple DNs. Multiple services can be deployed on DN, which can provide data and / or voice services to terminals. For example, DN is the private network of a smart factory. The sensors installed in the workshop of the smart factory can be terminals. The control server of the sensors is deployed in DN, and the control server can provide services for the sensors. The sensors can communicate with the control server, obtain instructions from the control server, and transmit the collected sensor data to the control server according to the instructions. For another example, DN is the internal office network of a company. The mobile phones or computers of the company's employees can be terminals. The employees' mobile phones or computers can access information, data resources, etc. on the company's internal office network.

[0105] It is understandable that the above network element or function can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). Optionally, the above network element or function can be implemented by one device, or by multiple devices together, or can be a functional module in one device, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0106] The session management network element, user plane network element, and mobility management network element in the present disclosure may be Figure 1 The SMF, UPF, and AMF in (A) may also be network elements having the functions of the above SMF, UPF, and AMF in future communications such as the sixth generation (6G) network, and the present disclosure is not limited to this. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, SMF, UPF, and AMF are described as examples of session management network elements, user plane network elements, and mobility management network elements, respectively.

[0107] In addition, service-based architecture (SBA) is the basic architecture of 5G networks. Service-based architecture is mainly reflected in the control plane. The essence of SBA is to define network functions as several "service" modules that can be flexibly called according to the three principles of "self-contained, reusable, and independently managed". Based on this, operators can flexibly customize the network according to business needs. The interaction between network functions is realized by service calls. Each network function presents a general service interface to the outside world, which can be called by authorized network functions or services. Figure 1 (B) in the figure shows an exemplary service-oriented architecture diagram of a 5G network, in which core network elements can communicate with other core network elements through service-oriented interfaces. For example, the service-oriented interface corresponding to AMF is called the Namf interface.

[0108] 3) Secondary authentication

[0109] Secondary authentication is an optional process for the terminal to establish a PDU session. Its function is to interact between the 3GPP network and the DN-AAA server to authenticate and authorize the user's identity when establishing a PDU session. The DN-AAA server is referred to as DN-AAA below. The DN-AAA can be located in the data network (DN) or outside the data network.

[0110] 4) Group conversation

[0111] The group session is also called the group-level N4 session. In the 5G LAN scenario, the network side adds a 5G virtual network (VN internal) interface inside the UPF, adds a group-level N4 Session based on the PDU UE session, and adds an N19 interface between UPFs. Depending on the destination address of the user service data packet received by the UPF, the message may be sent to the destination UE managed by the UPF through local interaction in the UPF, may be sent to the DN network side device through the N6 interface, or may be sent to the DN network side device through the N19 ( Figure 1 The N9 interface is used for communication between an intermediate UPF (I-UPF) and a PDU session anchor (PSA) UPF, and the N19 interface is used for communication between two PSA UPFs.

[0112] The process of matching and forwarding data packets within the same group of 5G LAN is as follows:

[0113] For multiple UEs belonging to the same 5G virtual network group (5G VN group), if these multiple UEs are all under the same PSA UPF, in this scenario, UPF uses local switching to complete data exchange between UEs in the group. The detailed process is: UPF can receive the data message sent from the source UE to the destination UE through the N3 port, and after matching the packet detection rule (PDR) (matching based on the general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol (GTP)-user plane (GTP-U) message header of the message (first round of matching), the source UE N4 session is obtained, and the corresponding forwarding action rule (FAR) indicates that the message is forwarded to 5G VN internal, thereby entering the second round of PDR matching (matching based on the destination IP in the message), and the destination UE N4 session is obtained. The corresponding FAR indicates that the message is forwarded to the destination UE through the N3 port.

[0114] If two UEs in the same group that communicate with each other are not under the same PSA UPF, data interaction needs to be completed through the N19 interface. SMF creates a corresponding group-level N4 session for the group on the PSA UPF involved to enable N9 forwarding and N6 forwarding capabilities. After the message is forwarded to the 5G VN internal of the UPF after the first match, it may eventually match the group N4 session after PDR rule matching (based on the destination IP or the default rule with the condition of matching all (match-all), etc.), and the corresponding FAR indication message is sent to the DN network side device through N6 or to the UPF where the destination UE is located through N19.

[0115] In the scenario where there are multiple 5G VN Groups in the 5G network, for 5G VN internal messages, the matching and forwarding rule attribute field network instance in the N4 session is assigned a 5G VN Group unique identifier (also known as a group ID), such as an internal group ID, to indicate that the message belongs to the specified 5G VN Group. For example:

[0116] For a FAR whose destination interface is set to 5G VN internal, its network instance should also be set to the specified 5G VN Group accordingly.

[0117] For a PDR whose source interface is set to a 5G VN group, its network instance should also be set to the specified 5GVN group.

[0118] 5) Local Area Network and 5G LAN

[0119] A local area network is a computer communication network that is deployed in a local geographical area (such as a school, factory, or office) and consists of various computers, external devices, and databases interconnected. It can be connected to a remote local area network, database, or processing center through a data communication network or a dedicated data circuit to form a large-scale information processing system.

[0120] With the emergence of emerging enterprise office models and smart home models, wired LANs and wireless LANs (WLANs) have shown their shortcomings in deployment complexity, flexibility, mobility, and coverage, which has prompted the further development of LAN technology to adapt to the application needs of future applications. Utilizing the wide coverage characteristics of the 5G mobile network itself, LAN services are directly provided, which is called 5G LAN. 5G LAN can be used within a wider range of mobile network coverage, that is, regardless of whether users are in the same region, as long as they join the same 5G LAN, LAN-based data exchange and communication can be achieved. Utilizing the already widely covered mobile network, the creation of 5G LAN services and their scaling, migration and adjustment can be automatically completed by the mobile network without manual intervention. In addition, 5G LAN can be customized on demand, and different 5G LANs are securely isolated from each other.

[0121] The terminal solves the data exchange problem between the terminal and the data network by establishing a traditional PDU connection. On the basis of the traditional PDU connection, 5GLAN adds the concept of group, that is, the terminals belonging to the same 5G LAN group can complete data exchange with the data network corresponding to the group, and can also complete data exchange with other terminals in the group directly through UPF. Terminals belonging to different groups are isolated from each other. Virtual private network communication can be realized through 5G LAN.

[0122] 6) Slicing and DNN

[0123] Slicing: Slicing is a technology that virtualizes network resources to meet different service requirements. Each slice can have different performance characteristics, such as low latency or high data rate.

[0124] DNN: A DNN is a network name that identifies a specific data service that a user wants to access. User devices connect to different network services, such as the Internet or an enterprise intranet, by selecting a DNN.

[0125] In the current existing process, if network functions such as NWDAF, AF / NEF want to collect 5GVN group information, they need to first obtain the VN group member list through UDM, then obtain the SMF that provides services to each UE in the group through UDM, and then obtain the UPF currently serving the UE through SMF. The query path and query process are very long. In addition, the simplified 5G LAN solution supports the creation of multiple simplified 5G VN groups under one slice and DNN. This solution may have a deployment mode where the coverage of the slice and DNN is large, and the UPF used by the simplified 5G VN group is a specific partial UPF. Therefore, when the SMF selects the UPF based only on the slice + DNN, the capabilities of the selected UPF cannot fully meet the operator's deployment requirements.

[0126] Based on this, the first problem to be solved by this disclosure is: when other network functions (also called: NF service consumers, such as: NWDAF, AF, NEF, etc.) collect 5G VN group information, the query path and process are long. To solve this problem, this disclosure proposes to register the 5G VN group information supported by UPF to a unified network function, so that other network functions can directly query the 5G VN group information from there when needed, shortening the query path and query process and improving efficiency. For a detailed description, please refer to Figure 2-Figure 9 .

[0127] In addition, the second problem to be solved by the present disclosure is that the mechanism for SMF to select UPF is too single. To solve this problem, the present disclosure proposes a mechanism for SMF to select UPF based on 5G VN group information reported by UPF; and a mechanism for SMF to select UPF based on protocol information reported by UPF that can be used for data collection. For a detailed description, please refer to Figure 10-12 .

[0128] Figure 2 is a method flow chart illustrating a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 As shown, the data transmission method applied to the first network function (eg, UPF) may include at least the following steps.

[0129] In step S201, a first message is sent to a second network function, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function; and / or a second message is sent to a third network function based on a first interface, wherein the second message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0130] Further, the first message may be used to indicate registration and / or updating of capability-related information of the first network function; and the second message may be used to indicate establishment and / or updating of capability-related information of the first network function.

[0131] Among them, the second network function may be NRF; the third network function may be SMF; the first interface may be N4 interface; the capability-related information includes at least one of the following: 5G virtual network 5G VN group information or 5GVN group information list supported by the first network function; 5G VN group information or 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; data network authentication, authorization and accounting DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

[0132] Specifically, the unified network function may be a second network function (eg, NRF) or a third network function (eg, SMF). That is, the registration process may be that UPF sends a first message to NRF to register / update the capability (for details, see Figure 3 It can also be that UPF sends a second message to SMF based on N4 interface to register / update the capability (for details, see Figure 6 for description).

[0133] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a process of UPF performing capability registration / update according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, this registration / update may include at least the following execution entities: a first network function (eg, UPF) and a second network function (eg, NRF).

[0134] Figure 3 (A) in the figure shows the NF service registration process. Figure 3 As shown in (A), the NF service registration process may include at least the following steps.

[0135] Step a3-1: UPF sends a first message to NRF.

[0136] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first message may be a NF service registration request Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister_request, wherein the request message may carry capability-related information of the UPF. The capability-related information may include one or more of the 5G VN group information or 5G VN group information list in the 5G LAN supported by the UPF, the connectable DN-AAA server information, and the protocol information for data collection.

[0137] Step b3-1, NRF stores the information file of UPF registered by UPF.

[0138] Step c3-1, NRF sends a response to the first message to UPF, namely, NF service registration request response.

[0139] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the response to the first message may be Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister_response.

[0140] Figure 3 (B) in the figure shows the NF service update process. Figure 3 As shown in (B), the NF service update process may include at least the following steps.

[0141] Step a3-2: UPF sends a first message to NRF.

[0142] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first message may be a NF service update request Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate_request, wherein the request message may carry capability-related information of the UPF. The capability-related information may include one or more of the 5G VN group information or 5G VN group information list in the 5GLAN supported by the UPF, the 5G VN group information or 5G VN group information list in the 5GLAN being served by the UPF, the connectable DN-AAA server information, and the protocol information for data collection.

[0143] Step b3-2: NRF stores the updated UPF information file reported by UPF.

[0144] Step c3-2: NRF sends a response to the first message to UPF, namely, NF service update request response.

[0145] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the response to the first message may be Nnrf_NFManagement_NFUpdate_response.

[0146] Figure 4 is a method flow chart further illustrating a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 As shown, the data transmission method applied to the second network function (eg, NRF) may include at least the following steps.

[0147] In step S401, a first message sent by a first network function is received, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function. Further, the first message may be used to indicate registration and / or update of capability-related information of the first network function. As described above, this step may be understood as the counterpart of step S201 in the scenario where the UPF registers / updates capabilities with the NRF, and will not be described in detail here.

[0148] Figure 5 is a method flow chart further illustrating a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5As shown, the data transmission method applied to the third network function (such as SMF) may include at least the following steps.

[0149] In step S501, a second message sent by a first network function is received based on a first interface, wherein the second message includes capability-related information of the first network function. Further, the second message may be used to indicate the establishment and / or update of capability-related information of the first network function. As described above, this step may be understood as the opposite side authority of step S201 in the scenario where the UPF performs capability registration / update with the SMF based on the N4 interface.

[0150] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first interface may be an existing N4 interface. The second message may be a signaling message based on the Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP).

[0151] Specifically, the PFCP protocol is usually based on the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) protocol stack for message transmission. For example, when the control plane entity (such as SMF) sends a PFCP message to the user plane entity (such as UPF), the PFCP message can be transmitted as the data part of UDP. The advantage of this is that compared with the SBI service-oriented interface, the connectionless, simple and efficient characteristics of UDP are used to achieve fast communication between the control plane and the user plane, thereby reducing energy consumption. For details, please refer to Figure 6 A further detailed description is given.

[0152] Figure 6 FIG2 is a flowchart illustrating the process of UPF performing capability registration / update according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 As shown, this registration / update may include at least the following execution entities: a user plane entity (UP)—a first network function (eg, UPF), a control plane entity (CP)—a third network function (eg, SMF).

[0153] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second message may be a PFCP association setup request (PFCP Association Setup Request), may be a PFCP association setup response (PFCP Association Setup Response), or may be a PFCP association update request (PFCP Association Update Request).

[0154] Specifically, during the process of establishing the coupling between CP and UP, UP can carry information related to UPF capabilities:

[0155] exist Figure 6In (A), it may be a PFCP association establishment request initiated by the CP, as follows:

[0156] Step a6-1: The CP sends a PFCP Association Setup Request to the UP, which may include: PFCP version (PFCP Version), CP node identifier (CP Node ID), optional CP feature list (Optional CP featurelist), optional session retention information ((O)Session Retention Information IE) and other information.

[0157] Step b6-1, UP sends a second message (i.e., PFCP Association Setup Response) to CP, where the second message may include: Successful cause, UP node ID, optional user plane resources, IP or F-TEID range ((O)User plane resources (IP or F-TEID range)), optional UE IP pool identifier per network instance ((O)UE IP Pool Identities per Network Instance), optional PFCP session retention indication ((O)PFCP Session Retained Indication = 1), optional UPF capability related information ((O)UPF capability), etc. Among them, the (O)UPF capability may include: one or more of the 5GVN group information that the UPF can support, the DN-AAA server information connected to the UPF, and the protocol information for data collection.

[0158] It should be noted that this process is mandatory because CP plays a leading role in the management and control of the entire network.

[0159] exist Figure 6 In (B), it can also be a PFCP association establishment request initiated by UP. As follows:

[0160] Step a6-2, UP sends a second message (i.e., PFCP Association Setup Request) to CP, which may include: PFCP Version, UP node identifier (UP Node ID), optional UP feature list (Optional UPfeature list), (O) User plane resources (IP or F-TEID range), (O) UE IP PoolIdentities per Network Instance, optional UPF capability related information ((O) UPF capability), etc. Among them, the (O) UPF capability may include: one or more of: 5G VN group information supported by the UPF, DN-AAA server information connected to the UPF, and protocol information for data collection.

[0161] Step b6-2: The CP sends a PFCP Association Setup Response to the UP, which may include: Successful cause and CP Node ID.

[0162] It should be noted that this process is optional, because the association establishment initiated by UP is not a regular step for normal network operation. Only in some special network scenarios or during network recovery, UPF may actively initiate association establishment.

[0163] exist Figure 6 In (C), it can also be a PFCP association update request initiated by UP. As follows:

[0164] Step a6-3, UP sends a second message (i.e., PFCP Association Update Request) to CP, which may include: an optional updated UP feature list ((O) Updated optional UP feature list), updated user plane resources, such as IP address or F-TEID (full tunnel endpoint identifier) ​​range ((O) Updated user plane resources (IP or F-TEID range)), updated user equipment (UE) IP pool identifier ((O) Updated UE IPPool Identifies), PFCP association release request, and SARR (Session-Associated Release Request, session-related release request) is set to 1 ((C) PFCP Association Release Request, SARR = 1), graceful release period ((C) Graceful Release Period), UPF capability related information ((C) UPF capability), etc. Among them, the (C) UPF capability may include: 5G VN group information that the UPF is serving.

[0165] Step b6-3: The CP sends a PFCP Association Update Response to the UP, which may include: Successful / error cause.

[0166] So far, the process of UPF capability registration / update has been introduced. As mentioned above, the purpose of UPF capability registration / update is to facilitate other network functions (i.e., NF service consumers) to collect 5G VN group information from a unified network function. The following will describe how to find a suitable UPF through NRF when NF service consumers have needs. This process can also be called NF service discovery process. For details, see Figure 7-Figure 8 Provide a detailed introduction.

[0167] Figure 7 is a method flow chart further illustrating a data transmission method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7 As shown, the data transmission method applied to the fourth network function (e.g., NF service consumer) may include at least the following steps.

[0168] In step S701, a fourth message sent by the second network function is received, wherein the fourth message includes: an alternative first network function and an information profile of the alternative first network function; and / or; based on the received sixth message, an alternative first network function is determined. As described above, the NF service discovery process usually occurs after the UPF performs capability registration / update process, and is initiated when the NF service consumer has a need. At this time, the second network function (e.g., NRF) has stored the information profile of the UPF registered / updated by the UPF. This step is for the NF service consumer to receive the fourth message (i.e., the discovery result) sent by the NRF, which includes an alternative UPF and an information profile of the alternative UPF. For details, please refer to Figure 8 Further description is given.

[0169] In addition, in this step, based on the received sixth message, it is determined that the candidate first network function involves the 5G VN group PDU session process, which will be Fig.10 is further described in.

[0170] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating NF service discovery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 As shown, the discovery process may include at least the following execution entities: a fourth network function (e.g., an NF service consumer), a second network function (e.g., an NRF). The NF service discovery process may include at least the following steps:

[0171] Step S8-1: The fourth network function sends a third message to the second network function, where the third message is used to indicate that an alternative first network function is found.

[0172] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the third message may be an NF discovery request Nnrf_NFDiscoveny_request of the NRF. Specifically, the NF service consumer sends Nnrf_NFDiscoveny_request to the NRF, which may include the required UPF capability-related information, such as one or more of the target 5G VN group identifier (ID), target DN-AAA server information, and target protocol information for data collection.

[0173] Step S8-2, the second network function determines the candidate first network function corresponding to the target 5GVN group based on the third message and the information file of the first network function. As described above, at this time, the NRF has stored the registered and / or updated UPF file information. This step is to collide the needs of the NF service consumer with the reserves in the NRF to screen out one or more UPFs that meet the NFservice consumer's capability requirements.

[0174] Step S8-3, the second network function sends a fourth message to the fourth network function, wherein the fourth message includes: an alternative first network function and an information file of the alternative first network function. As described above, one or more UPFs that meet the capability requirements of the NFservice consumer selected in step S2 can be called alternative UPFs. In this step, the NRF feeds back the alternative UPFs and the information files corresponding to the alternative UPFs to the NF service consumer. For example, the UPF or UPF list related to the target 5G VN group identifier (ID) and their respective corresponding UPF information files are fed back to the NF service consumer.

[0175] So far, the NF service discovery process has been introduced. In order to better manage and utilize UPF resources, NFservice consumer can also subscribe to the status information of available UPFs from NRF, so that when one or more UPFs update the above capabilities related to this UPF, or when a new UPF is deployed and registers the above capabilities related to this UPF, NFservice consumer can obtain the capability information of the UPF in time. For details, please refer to Fig. 9 A further detailed description is given.

[0176] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating available UPF status subscriptions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 As shown, the available UPF status subscription process may include at least the following subjects: a fourth network function (e.g., NF service consumer (such as SMF)), a second network function (e.g., NRF), operations, management and maintenance (Operations, Administration, and Maintenance, OAM), an existing first network function (e.g., an existing UPF) and / or a new first network function (e.g., a new UPF). The process may include the following steps.

[0177] In step S9-1, the fourth network function sends a fifth message to the second network function, wherein the fifth message is used to subscribe to the status information of the first network function. As described above, this figure describes the process of NF service consumer subscribing to NRF for the status information of available UPF. Because this step generally occurs after the NF service discovery process and subscription is performed according to demand, the subscription here is generally to the available UPF.

[0178] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the fifth message may be a network function status subscription Nnrf_NFManagement_NFStatusSubscribe in NF management of NRF.

[0179] It should be noted that when the state change occurs in an existing UPF, steps S9-2 to S9-3 are executed, and when the state change occurs in a new UPF, steps S9-4 to S9-8 are executed.

[0180] In step S9-2, the existing first network function and the second network function execute Figure 3 The NF service update process shown in (B) in FIG. 1 shows that the existing UPF updates the capability-related information of the current UPF.

[0181] In step S9-3, the second network function sends a sixth message to the fourth network function, where the sixth message is used to respond to the fifth message, and the sixth message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0182] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sixth message may be a network function status notification Nnrf_NFManagement_NFStatusNotify in the NF management of the NRF. Specifically, the NRF sends an available UPF status update message to the NF service consumer.

[0183] In step S9-4 to step S9-5, a new UPF is deployed or a new UPF instance is configured.

[0184] In steps S9-6 to S9-7, the new available UPF information is registered to the NRF through the service-based registration of UPF (for example: Nnrf_NFManagement_NFRegister) or OAM configuration (OAM configuration of NRF), which carries information related to UPF capabilities (for example: supported / serving 5G VN group ID or 5G VN group ID list, connectable DN-AAA server information, etc.).

[0185] In step S9-8, the second network function sends a sixth message to the fourth network function, where the sixth message is used to respond to the fifth message, and the sixth message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0186] So far, the available UPF status subscription process has been introduced.

[0187] As mentioned above, the present disclosure also needs to solve the problem that the current mechanism of SMF selecting UPF is too single. Therefore, a mechanism for SMF to select UPF based on 5G VN group information reported by UPF is proposed; and a mechanism for SMF to select UPF based on protocol information reported by UPF that can be used for data collection is proposed.

[0188] Specifically, the mechanism of SMF selecting UPF can be applied to scenarios such as protocol data unit (PDU) session management, UPF event subscription and notification, etc. The following will take the above two scenarios as examples for detailed description. For details, please refer to Figure 10-12 .

[0189] Fig.10 5G VN group PDU session flow chart according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As described above, Fig.10 The figure shows a specific process for optimizing the 5G VN group PDU session management based on the 5G VN group information reported by the UPF. The 5G VN group session management process may include at least the following subjects: terminal equipment (e.g., UE1, UE2), a third network function and / or a fourth network function (e.g., SMF1, SMF2), a first network function (e.g., UPF1), a second network function (e.g., NRF), and UDM. This process may include at least the following steps.

[0190] In steps S10-1 to S10-3, UE1 initiates the PDU session establishment process, SMF1 obtains UE1's 5G VN group subscription information, and SMF1 finds that UE1 is the first member of this VN group served by this SMF.

[0191] Specifically, UE1, as the initiator of session establishment, starts the entire PDU session establishment process by sending a request to the network. In this step, SMF1, as the third network function, is responsible for managing user sessions. SMF1 provides corresponding network services for UE1 by obtaining its 5G VN group subscription information. When SMF1 finds that UE1 is the first member of this specific VN group it serves, it means that service initialization work for this VN group needs to be carried out within its management scope.

[0192] In step S10-4a, based on the received sixth message, an alternative first network function is determined. Specifically, based on the above-mentioned available UPF status subscription mechanism, SMF1 has obtained all information of available UPFs, including 5G VN group information that the UPF can support. These available UPFs can be used as alternative first network functions.

[0193] It should be noted that SMF1 here can be used as the fourth network function (or SMF1 can be understood as a special fourth network function, which also has the function of the third network function) to perform the above Fig. 9 Available UPF status in the subscription process.

[0194] In step S10-4b, a third message is sent to the second network function, wherein the third message is used to indicate the discovery of an alternative first network function. Specifically, SMF1 finds the UPF information supporting the 5G VN group through the NF service discovery process. Similarly, the UPF here is also a backup first network function.

[0195] It should be noted that SMF1 here can also be used as the fourth network function (similarly, SMF1 can be understood as a special fourth network function, which also has the function of the third network function) to perform the above Figure 8 NF service discovery process in .

[0196] It should be noted that step S10-4a and step S10-4b can be replaced with each other, and only one of them needs to be executed.

[0197] In step S10-5, the target first network function corresponding to the target 5G VN group is determined based at least on the capability-related information of the first network function. Specifically, SMF1 selects UPF1 to provide services for the 5G VN group member (e.g., UE1) based on the slice + DNN and the 5G VN group information that can be supported by the UPF obtained in step 10-4a and / or step S10-4b.

[0198] In steps S10-6 to S10-7, the subsequent UE1 PDU session establishment process.

[0199] In step S10-8, if the UPF1 provides services for this 5G VN group for the first time, UPF1 triggers the NF service update process to NRF (such as Figure 3 As shown in (B) in the figure), the 5G VN group ID it is serving is reported to the NRF.

[0200] In step S10-9, NRF notifies SMF1 and SMF2 that have subscribed to the UPF1 status information of the UPF1 status update information. As described above, in step S10-8, UPF1 updates its capability related information based on Fig. 9 The available UPF status subscription process introduced, when the UPF1 status is updated, the fourth network function (ie, SMF1 and SMF2) that has subscribed to its status can obtain the capability-related information of the UPF1 in a timely manner.

[0201] In step S10-10, similar to the above steps S10-1 to S10-3, UE2 initiates the PDU session establishment process, SMF2 obtains UE2's 5G VN group subscription information, and SMF2 finds that UE2 is also the first member of this VN group served by this SMF.

[0202] It should be noted that UE2 and UE1 belong to the same 5G VN group.

[0203] In step S10-11, based on the correspondence between the target 5G VN group and the target first network function, it is determined that the target first network function provides services for other terminal devices in the target 5G VN group. Specifically, based on the message received based on the available UPF status subscription process in step S10-9, SMF2 knows that UPF1 is already providing services for the 5G VN group, so SMF2 can give priority to UPF1 to provide services for UE2.

[0204] In steps S10-12 to S10-13, the subsequent UE2 PDU session establishment process.

[0205] So far, the process of optimizing the PDU session management of the 5G VN group based on the 5G VN group information reported by the UPF has been introduced. This process solves the problem in the prior art that when the SMF selects the UPF for a 5G VN group for the first time, it can only select based on the slice + DNN, service scope and other information that the UPF can provide services. By registering the 5G VN group information that the UPF has / is serving to the NRF in a timely manner, when other SMFs select the UPF for the first time, they can give priority to the same UPF to provide services for the 5G VN group, so as to optimize the network structure of the 5G VN group.

[0206] The following will introduce the specific process of UPF event subscription and notification based on the protocol information reported by UPF for data collection. As mentioned above, the process of UPF capability registration / update can be UPF registering / updating with NRF, or UPF registering / updating with SMF based on the interface. Correspondingly, the UPF event subscription process can also be subdivided, see Fig.11 and Fig.12 .

[0207] Fig.11 FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a UPF event subscription process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.11 As shown, the UPF event subscription process of the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least the following entities: a fourth network function (e.g., NF serviceconsumer), a third network function (e.g., SMF), and a first network function (e.g., UPF).

[0208] In step S11 - 1 , the fourth network function sends a seventh message to the third network function, wherein the seventh message includes: protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

[0209] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the seventh message may be a session management event exposure request Nsmf_EventExposure_request message, through which the NF service consumer subscribes to UPF events from the SMF so as to receive notifications and take corresponding actions when these events occur. Specifically, the seventh message may include a list of protocols preferred by the NF serviceconsumer and their related protocol information. Among them, the related protocol information can be used to establish a data transmission channel link, including but not limited to: protocol type, protocol name, protocol version, protocol port number, protocol IP address for data collection, fully qualified domain name (Fully Qualified Domain Name, FQDN), etc. At the same time, the usage priority corresponding to the above protocols can also be carried, for example: protocol 1, priority 1; protocol 2, priority 2.

[0210] In step S11-2, the third network function determines the target protocol information based on the seventh message and the capability-related information received based on the first interface. Specifically, the SMF obtains the event subscription message of the NF service consumer and obtains the list of data collection protocols preferred by the NF service consumer; the SMF searches for the UPF corresponding to the event subscription and obtains the data collection protocol information supported by the UPF based on the UPF capability-related information reported by the previous N4 interface; the SMF selects the optimal data collection protocol, such as protocol 1, based on the above two pieces of information.

[0211] In step S11 - 3 , the third network function sends an eighth message to the fourth network function, wherein the eighth message includes target protocol information.

[0212] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the eighth message may be a session management event exposure response Nsmf_EventExposure_Response message, through which SMF returns a subscription response message to SMF, which carries the data collection protocol type selected by SMF and its protocol information (i.e., the target protocol information, such as the above-mentioned protocol 1).

[0213] In step S11 - 4a , the third network function sends a ninth message to the first network function based on the first interface, wherein the ninth message is used to subscribe to an event, and the ninth message includes: a target event and target protocol information.

[0214] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first interface may be an N4 interface, and the ninth message may be an N4 PFCP session modification message of the N4 interface. Specifically, the SMF sends the N4 PFCP session modification to the UPF through a PFCP message, which carries information such as event subscription content (i.e., target event), the data collection protocol type and protocol information to be adopted (i.e., target protocol information, such as the above-mentioned protocol 1).

[0215] In step S11 - 4b, the third network function sends a ninth message to the first network function based on the second interface, wherein the ninth message is used to subscribe to an event, and the ninth message includes: a target event and target protocol information.

[0216] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second interface may be a service-based interface (Service-BasedInterface, SBI) interface, and the ninth message may be an event exposure request / response Nupf_EventExposure_Request / Response message of a user plane function. Specifically, the SMF sends a Nupf_EventExposure_Request / Response message to the UPF to subscribe to relevant events from the UPF, which carries information such as event subscription content (i.e., target event), the type of data collection protocol to be adopted, and protocol information (i.e., target protocol information, such as the above-mentioned protocol 1).

[0217] It should be noted that step S11 - 4a and step S11 - 4b are optional steps to each other, that is, the two steps have the same purpose but different implementation methods.

[0218] In step S11-5, when the target event occurs, the first network function transmits data to the fourth network function based on the target protocol information. Specifically, when the event subscribed by the NF service consumer (i.e., the target event) occurs, or when data transmission is required based on the periodic subscription event, the UPF uses the selected protocol (i.e., the target protocol information, such as the above-mentioned protocol 1) to transmit data to the NF service consumer.

[0219] So far, the UPF event subscription process 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure has been introduced. The UPF event subscription in the subscription process 1 can be understood as indirect subscription, that is, the fourth network function subscribes to the event of the first network function through the third network function profile, wherein the target protocol (or the optimal data collection protocol) is determined by the third network function. Fig.12 This section describes the specific process of UPF event subscription process 2.

[0220] Fig.12 FIG2 is a diagram illustrating a UPF event subscription process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.12 As shown, the UPF event subscription process of the embodiment of the present disclosure may include at least the following entities: a fourth network function (e.g., NF serviceconsumer), a second network function (e.g., NRF), and a first network function (e.g., UPF).

[0221] In step S12-0, the fourth network function obtains the data collection protocol information supported by the first network function based on the NF service discovery process, and forms a protocol list preferred by the fourth network function based on the data collection protocol applicable to the network function in this subscription event. Figure 8 The NF service discovery process obtains the protocol information for data collection supported by UPF, and based on the data collection protocol applicable to the NF service consumer, the two collide to form a list of protocols that it prefers.

[0222] In step S12 - 1 , the fourth network function sends a tenth message to the first network function, wherein the tenth message includes: a target event and protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

[0223] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the tenth message may be an event exposure request subscription Nupf_EventExposure Request message of the UPF, which may include the step event subscription content (i.e., the target event), the protocol list of the fourth network function tendency generated in S12-0, and its related protocol information. Among them, the related protocol information is used to establish a data transmission channel link, including but not limited to: protocol type, protocol name, protocol version, protocol port number, protocol IP address and FQDN for data collection, etc. At the same time, it carries the usage priority of the protocol. For example, protocol 1, priority 1; protocol 2, priority 2.

[0224] In step S12-2, the first network function determines the target protocol information based on the tenth message and capability-related information. Specifically, UPF obtains the event exposure request subscription message of the NF service consumer and obtains the list of its preferred data collection protocols; UPF returns the preferred data collection protocol (i.e., target protocol information), such as protocol 1, based on the data collection protocols supported by this node.

[0225] In step S12 - 3 , the first network function sends an eleventh message to the fourth network function, wherein the eleventh message includes target protocol information.

[0226] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the eleventh message may be an event exposure response message of the UPF. Specifically, the UPF sends a Nupf_EventExposure Response message to the NF service consumer, which carries the data collection protocol information (ie, target protocol information, such as protocol 1) selected by the UPF.

[0227] In step S12-4, the first network function transmits data to the fourth network function based on the target protocol information when the target event occurs. Specifically, when an event subscribed by the subscriber occurs, or when data transmission is required based on an event subscribed periodically, the UPF uses the selected protocol (e.g., protocol 1) for data transmission.

[0228] The UPF event subscription process 2 of the disclosed embodiment has been introduced. Different from the above-mentioned subscription process 1, the UPF event subscription in the subscription process 2 can be understood as direct subscription, that is, the fourth network function directly subscribes to the event to the first network function, wherein the target protocol (or the optimal data collection protocol) is determined by the first network function.

[0229] It should be noted that in the above subscription process 1 and subscription process 2, the protocol negotiation adopted for UPF data collection can be based on node granularity, event type granularity, or event trigger type granularity.

[0230] Based on the protocol negotiation at the node granularity, the preferred protocol list of the NF service consumer is used to clarify the data collection protocol that the network function prefers when collecting event information; the UPF data collection protocol capability registered by the UPF to the NRF or reported through the N4 interface is used to clarify the data transmission protocol that the network function can support when the subscription event occurs.

[0231] Based on the protocol negotiation at the event type granularity, the preferred protocol list of the NF service consumer is used to clarify the data collection protocol that the network function prefers when collecting the event information of this subscription. Other event collections not for this subscription are still carried out through the SBI service interface for data transmission and collection; the UPF data collection protocol capability registered by the UPF to the NRF or reported through the N4 interface is used to clarify the data transmission protocol that the network function can support during the subscription process of a specific event.

[0232] Based on the protocol negotiation at the granularity of event trigger type, the preferred protocol list of NF service consumer is used to clarify the data collection protocol that the network function prefers when collecting the event information of this subscription when a specific event trigger type is used. For example, the preferred data collection protocol needs to be introduced only when periodic data is reported, while event-triggered or other event collection not for this subscription still uses the SBI service-based interface for data transmission and collection; the UPF data collection protocol capability registered by UPF to NRF or reported through the N4 interface is used to clarify the data transmission protocol that the network function can support when a specific event trigger type is used during a specific event subscription process.

[0233] Fig.13 2 is a schematic diagram of a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.13 As shown, the data transmission device 1300 may include at least the following modules.

[0234] The first sending module 1301 is used to send a first message to a second network function, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function; and / or send a second message to a third network function based on the first interface, wherein the second message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0235] Further, the first message may be used to indicate the registration and / or update of the capability-related information of the first network function; the second message may be used to indicate the establishment and / or update of the capability-related information of the first network function. In addition, the data transmission device 1300 may further include:

[0236] The first receiving module 1302 is used to receive a ninth message sent by the third network function based on the first interface and / or the second interface, wherein the ninth message is used to subscribe to an event, and the ninth message includes: a target event and target protocol information.

[0237] The second receiving module 1303 is configured to receive a tenth message sent by the fourth network function, wherein the tenth message includes: a target event and protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

[0238] The determination module 1304 is configured to determine target protocol information based on the tenth message and capability related information.

[0239] The second sending module 1305 is configured to send an eleventh message to the fourth network function, wherein the eleventh message includes target protocol information.

[0240] The third sending module 1306 is used to transmit data to the fourth network function based on the target protocol information when the target event occurs.

[0241] The capability-related information above includes at least one of the following: 5G virtual network 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5GVN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; data network authentication, authorization and accounting DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

[0242] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram further illustrating a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.14 As shown, the data transmission device 1400 may include at least the following modules.

[0243] The first receiving module 1401 is configured to receive a first message sent by a first network function, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function. Further, the first message may be used to indicate registration and / or update of capability-related information of the first network function. In addition, the data transmission device 1400 may further include:

[0244] The storage module 1402 is used to store and / or update the information file of the first network function based on the capability related information.

[0245] The second receiving module 1403 is used to receive a third message sent by the fourth network function, wherein the third message is used to indicate the discovery of an alternative first network function; based on the third message and the information file of the first network function, determine the alternative first network function corresponding to the target 5G VN group.

[0246] The first sending module 1404 is configured to send a fourth message to a fourth network function, wherein the fourth message includes: an alternative first network function and an information file of the alternative first network function.

[0247] In the above, the third message includes at least one of the following: the identifier of the target 5G VN group, the target DN-AAA server information, and the target protocol information.

[0248] The third receiving module 1405 is configured to receive a fifth message sent by a fourth network function, wherein the fifth message is used to subscribe to the status information of the first network function.

[0249] The second sending module 1406 is used to send a sixth message to the fourth network function when the state information changes, that is, when the information archive of the first network function is stored and / or updated, wherein the sixth message is used to respond to the fifth message, and the sixth message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0250] The capability-related information above includes at least one of the following: 5G virtual network 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5GVN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; data network authentication, authorization and accounting DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

[0251] Fig.15 is a schematic diagram further illustrating a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.15 As shown, the data transmission device 1500 may include at least the following modules.

[0252] The first receiving module 1501 is configured to receive a second message sent by the first network function based on the first interface, wherein the second message includes capability-related information of the first network function. Further, the second message may be used to indicate the establishment and / or update of capability-related information of the first network function. In addition, the data transmission device 1500 may further include:

[0253] The first determination module 1502 is used to determine the target first network function corresponding to the target 5G VN group based on at least the capability-related information of the first network function.

[0254] The second determination module 1503 is used to preferentially determine that the target first network function provides services for other terminal devices in the target 5G VN group based on the correspondence between the target 5G VN group and the target first network function.

[0255] The second receiving module 1504 is configured to receive a seventh message sent by the fourth network function, wherein the seventh message includes: protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

[0256] The third receiving module 1505 is configured to determine target protocol information based on the seventh message and the capability related information received by the first interface.

[0257] The first sending module 1506 is configured to send an eighth message to the fourth network function, wherein the eighth message includes target protocol information.

[0258] The second sending module 1507 is used to send a ninth message to the first network function based on the first interface and / or the second interface, wherein the ninth message is used to subscribe to an event, and the ninth message includes: event information and target protocol information.

[0259] The capability-related information above includes at least one of the following: 5G virtual network 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5GVN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; data network authentication, authorization and accounting DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

[0260] Fig.16 is a schematic diagram further illustrating a data transmission device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.16 As shown, the data transmission device 1600 may include at least the following modules.

[0261] The first receiving module 1601 is used to receive a fourth message sent by the second network function, wherein the fourth message includes: an alternative first network function and an information profile of the alternative first network function; and / or; determine the alternative first network function based on the received sixth message.

[0262] The first sending module 1602 is configured to send a third message to the second network function, wherein the third message is used to indicate that an alternative first network function is found.

[0263] Among them, the third message includes at least one of the following: target 5G VN group identifier, target DN-AAA server information, and target protocol information.

[0264] The second sending module 1603 is configured to send a fifth message to the second network function, wherein the fifth message is used to subscribe to the status information of the first network function.

[0265] The second receiving module 1604 is configured to receive a sixth message sent by the second network function, wherein the sixth message is used to respond to the fifth message and includes capability-related information of the first network function.

[0266] The third sending module 1605 is configured to send a seventh message to the third network function, wherein the seventh message includes: protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

[0267] The third receiving module 1606 is configured to receive an eighth message sent by the third network function, wherein the eighth message includes target protocol information.

[0268] The fourth sending module 1607 is configured to send a tenth message to the first network function, wherein the tenth message includes: a target event and protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

[0269] The fourth receiving module 1608 is configured to receive an eleventh message sent by the first network function, wherein the eleventh message includes target protocol information.

[0270] The fifth receiving module 1609 is used to receive data transmitted by the first network function based on the target protocol information.

[0271] The capability-related information above includes at least one of the following: 5G virtual network 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5GVN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; data network authentication, authorization and accounting DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

[0272] Fig.17 1 is a hardware block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes at least a processor; and a memory for storing computer-readable instructions. When the computer-readable instructions are loaded and executed by the processor, the processor executes the data transmission method as described above.

[0273] Fig.17 The electronic device 1700 shown specifically includes: a central processing unit (CPU) 1701, a graphics processing unit (GPU) 1702 and a memory 1703. These units are connected to each other via a bus 1704. The central processing unit (CPU) 1701 and / or the graphics processing unit (GPU) 1702 can be used as the above-mentioned processor, and the memory 1703 can be used as the above-mentioned memory for storing computer-readable instructions. In addition, the electronic device 1700 may also include a communication unit 1705, a storage unit 1706, an output unit 1707, an input unit 1708 and an external device 1709, which are also connected to the bus 1704.

[0274] Fig.18 is a schematic diagram illustrating a computer program product according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.18 As shown, a computer program product 1800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has a computer program 1801 stored thereon. When the computer program 1801 is executed by a processor, the data transmission method described with reference to the above figures is executed. The computer program product includes, but is not limited to, for example, a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may, for example, include a random access memory (RAM) and / or a cache memory (cache), etc. The non-volatile memory may, for example, include a read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a flash memory, an optical disk, a magnetic disk, etc.

[0275] In the above, the data transmission method, device, electronic device and computer program product according to the embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. According to the data transmission method of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure registers the 5G virtual network VN group information supported by the first network function (UPF) to a unified network function to shorten the query path and query process and improve efficiency; and proposes a method based on the 5G VN group information reported by the first network function (UPF) and / or the protocol information that can be used for data collection to improve the problem of the overly single mechanism of the third network function (SMF) selecting the first network function (UPF) to meet more needs.

[0276] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this disclosure.

[0277] The basic principles of the present disclosure are described above in conjunction with specific embodiments. However, it should be noted that the advantages, strengths, effects, etc. mentioned in the present disclosure are only examples and not limitations, and it cannot be considered that these advantages, strengths, effects, etc. are required by each embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, the specific details disclosed above are only for the purpose of illustration and ease of understanding, and are not limitations. The above details do not limit the present disclosure to the necessity of adopting the above specific details to be implemented.

[0278] The block diagrams of the devices, apparatuses, equipment, and systems involved in this disclosure are only illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that they must be connected, arranged, and configured in the manner shown in the block diagrams. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these devices, apparatuses, equipment, and systems can be connected, arranged, and configured in any manner. Words such as "including," "comprising," "having," and the like are open words, referring to "including but not limited to," and can be used interchangeably therewith. The words "or" and "and" used herein refer to the words "and / or," and can be used interchangeably therewith, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The word "such as" used herein refers to the phrase "such as but not limited to," and can be used interchangeably therewith.

[0279] Additionally, as used herein, "or" used in a list of items beginning with "at least one" indicates a separate list, so that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C, or AB or AC or BC, or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, the word "exemplary" does not mean that the example described is preferred or better than other examples.

[0280] It should also be noted that in the system and method of the present disclosure, each component or each step can be decomposed and / or recombined. Such decomposition and / or recombination should be regarded as equivalent solutions of the present disclosure.

[0281] Various changes, substitutions, and modifications of the techniques described herein may be made without departing from the teachings defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the scope of the claims of the present disclosure is not limited to the specific aspects of the processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of events, means, methods, and actions described above. Currently existing or later to be developed processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of events, means, methods, or actions that perform substantially the same functions or achieve substantially the same results as the corresponding aspects described herein may be utilized. Thus, the appended claims include such processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of events, means, methods, or actions within their scope.

[0282] The above description of the disclosed aspects is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0283] The above description has been given for the purpose of illustration and description. In addition, this description is not intended to limit the embodiments of the present disclosure to the forms disclosed herein. Although multiple example aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those skilled in the art will recognize certain variations, modifications, changes, additions and sub-combinations thereof.

Claims

1. A data transmission method, characterized in that: Applied to a first network function, the method comprises: Sending a first message to the second network function, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function; and / or, A second message is sent to a third network function based on the first interface, wherein the second message includes the capability-related information of the first network function.

2. The data transmission method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first message is used to indicate registering and / or updating the capability related information of the first network function; The second message is used to instruct establishment and / or updating of the capability-related information of the first network function.

3. The data transmission method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A ninth message is received, which is sent by the third network function based on the first interface and / or the second interface, wherein the ninth message is used to subscribe to an event, and the ninth message includes: a target event and target protocol information.

4. The data transmission method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A tenth message sent by a fourth network function is received, wherein the tenth message includes: a target event and protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

5. The data transmission method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Based on the tenth message and the capability-related information, target protocol information is determined.

6. The data transmission method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: An eleventh message is sent to the fourth network function, wherein the eleventh message includes the target protocol information.

7. The data transmission method according to claim 6, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the target event occurs, data is transmitted to the fourth network function based on the target protocol information.

8. The data transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The capability-related information shall include at least one of the following: 5G virtual network 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; Data network authentication, authorization and accounting DN-AAA server information of the first network function connection; The protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

9. A data transmission method, characterized in that: Applied to the second network function, the method comprises: A first message sent by a first network function is received, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

10. The data transmission method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The first message is used to indicate registering and / or updating the capability-related information of the first network function.

11. The data transmission method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Based on the capability-related information, an information profile of the first network function is stored and / or updated.

12. The data transmission method according to claim 11, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving a third message sent by a fourth network function, wherein the third message is used to indicate discovery of an alternative first network function; Based on the third message and the information file of the first network function, determine the alternative first network function corresponding to the target 5G VN group.

13. The data transmission method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A fourth message is sent to the fourth network function, wherein the fourth message includes: the candidate first network function and an information profile of the candidate first network function.

14. The data transmission method according to claim 12, characterized in that: The third message includes at least one of the following: The identifier of the target 5G VN group, the target DN-AAA server information, and the target protocol information.

15. The data transmission method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A fifth message sent by a fourth network function is received, wherein the fifth message is used to subscribe to the status information of the first network function.

16. The data transmission method according to claim 15, characterized in that: The method further comprises: When the state information changes, that is, when the information archive of the first network function is stored and / or updated, a sixth message is sent to the fourth network function, wherein the sixth message is used to respond to the fifth message, and the sixth message includes the capability-related information of the first network function.

17. The data transmission method according to any one of claims 9 to 16, characterized in that: The capability-related information shall include at least one of the following: 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; The protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

18. A data transmission method, characterized in that: Applied to a third network function, the method comprises: A second message sent by a first network function is received based on the first interface, wherein the second message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

19. The data transmission method according to claim 18, characterized in that: The second message is used to instruct establishment and / or updating of the capability-related information of the first network function.

20. The data transmission method according to claim 18, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Determine the target first network function corresponding to the target 5G VN group based at least on the capability-related information of the first network function.

21. The data transmission method according to claim 20, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Based on the correspondence between the target 5G VN group and the target first network function, it is preferentially determined that the target first network function provides services for other terminal devices in the target 5G VN group.

22. The data transmission method according to claim 18, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A seventh message sent by a fourth network function is received, wherein the seventh message includes: protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

23. The data transmission method according to claim 22, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Target protocol information is determined based on the seventh message and the capability-related information received by the first interface.

24. The data transmission method according to claim 23, characterized in that: The method further comprises: An eighth message is sent to the fourth network function, wherein the eighth message includes the target protocol information.

25. The data transmission method according to claim 24, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A ninth message is sent to the first network function based on the first interface and / or the second interface, wherein the ninth message is used to subscribe to an event, and the ninth message includes: a target event and the target protocol information.

26. The data transmission method according to any one of claims 18 to 25, characterized in that: The capability-related information shall include at least one of the following: 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; The protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

27. A data transmission method, characterized in that: Applied to a fourth network function, the method comprises: receiving a fourth message sent by the second network function, wherein the fourth message includes: an alternative first network function and an information profile of the alternative first network function; and / or; The candidate first network function is determined based on the received sixth message.

28. The data transmission method according to claim 27, characterized in that: The method also includes: A third message is sent to the second network function, wherein the third message is used to indicate that an alternative first network function is discovered.

29. The data transmission method according to claim 28, characterized in that: The third message includes at least one of the following: Target 5G VN group identifier, target DN-AAA server information, target protocol information.

30. The data transmission method according to claim 27, characterized in that: The method also includes: Send a fifth message to the second network function, wherein the fifth message is used to subscribe to the status information of the first network function.

31. The data transmission method according to claim 30, characterized in that: The method further comprises: receiving a sixth message sent by the second network function, wherein the sixth message is used to respond to the fifth message, and the sixth message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

32. The data transmission method according to claim 27, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A seventh message is sent to the third network function, wherein the seventh message includes: protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

33. The data transmission method according to claim 32, characterized in that: The method further comprises: An eighth message sent by the third network function is received, wherein the eighth message includes target protocol information.

34. The data transmission method according to claim 27, characterized in that: The method further comprises: A tenth message is sent to the first network function, wherein the tenth message includes: a target event and protocol information preferred by the fourth network function.

35. The data transmission method according to claim 34, characterized in that: The method further comprises: An eleventh message sent by the first network function is received, wherein the eleventh message includes target protocol information.

36. The data transmission method according to claim 33 or 35, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive data transmitted by the first network function based on the target protocol information.

37. The data transmission method according to claim 31, characterized in that: The capability-related information shall include at least one of the following: 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list supported by the first network function; 5G VN group information or a 5G VN group information list being served by the first network function; DN-AAA server information connected to the first network function; The protocol information for data collection supported by the first network function.

38. A data transmission device, characterized in that: The device comprises: A first sending module, configured to send a first message to a second network function, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function; and / or, The second sending module is configured to send a second message to a third network function based on the first interface, wherein the second message includes the capability-related information of the first network function.

39. A data transmission device, characterized in that: The device comprises: A receiving module is used to receive a first message sent by a first network function, wherein the first message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

40. A data transmission device, characterized in that: The device comprises: A second message sent by a first network function is received based on the first interface, wherein the second message includes capability-related information of the first network function.

41. A data transmission device, characterized in that: The device comprises: A receiving module, configured to receive a fourth message sent by the second network function, wherein the fourth message includes: an alternative first network function and an information file of the alternative first network function; and / or; The determination module is configured to determine the candidate first network function based on the received sixth message.

42. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: a memory for storing computer readable instructions; as well as A processor, configured to execute the computer-readable instructions so that the electronic device executes the data transmission method as described in any one of claims 1 to 37.

43. A computer program product comprising a computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the data transmission method according to any one of claims 1 to 37 is implemented.

Images