Communication method and communication device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and a communication device, which can be applied to the field of communication. In the technical scheme provided by the invention, a producer entity in a telecommunication cloud architecture can determine a basic information model required by the NFV object to change from the actual state to the expected state based on the expected state and the actual state of the NFV object, and determine an LCM operation instruction based on the required basic information model; and the low efficiency of the LCM operation instruction determining process caused by determining the LCM operation instruction based on the total information of the expected state is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0002] In the process of the evolution of the network function virtualization (NFV) architecture towards the new architecture of future telecom clouds, the new architecture adopts a declarative system design, which will greatly simplify the interface functions in the original NFV management and orchestration architecture. A life cycle management (LCM) operation is introduced in the communication system to ensure that NFV services can flexibly and efficiently respond to changing network requirements and business challenges. In the method for determining LCM operation instructions, an NFV descriptor is used in combination with a declarative interface to implement the translation process of the "desired state" of NFV objects. However, the existing method for determining LCM operation instructions has the problem of low efficiency. Therefore, how to improve the efficiency of determining LCM operation instructions remains an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] For the communication method and communication device provided in this application, a producer entity can determine LCM operation instructions according to a set of basic information models indicating the change of an NFV object from an actual state to a desired state, which helps to improve the efficiency of determining LCM operation instructions.

[0004] In a first aspect, this application provides a communication method, which can be implemented by a producer entity.

[0005] This communication method includes: receiving first information, where the first information is used to indicate the desired state of a network function virtualization (NFV) object, determining a first set of basic information models of the NFV object according to the first information, the first set of basic information models being used to indicate the change of the NFV object from an actual state to a desired state, and sending a first message based on the first set of basic information models, the first message being used to indicate a life cycle management (LCM) operation on the NFV object.

[0006] Exemplarily, the NFV object can be a network service (NS), a virtualized network function (VNF), a container infrastructure service cluster (CISC), a managed container infrastructure service object (MCIO), a managed container cluster object (MCCO), etc.

[0007] Those skilled in the art can understand that the desired state is the state that the consumer entity hopes the NFV object will reach after the producer entity performs the LCM operation.

[0008] Those skilled in the art can understand that the actual state is the current state of the NFV object monitored by the producer entity.

[0009] In this design, the producer entity determines the first basic information model set based on the desired state of the NFV object, and determines the instruction of the LCM operation according to the first basic information model set, which improves the efficiency of determining the LCM operation instruction by reducing the number of information units that need to be loaded for determining the LCM operation instruction.

[0010] In a possible design, determining the first basic information model set of the NFV object according to the first information includes determining an information unit set, the information unit set contains at least one information unit of the NFV object, the information in the information unit set corresponding to the desired state is different from the information in the information unit set corresponding to the actual state, and determining the first basic information model set based on the information in the information unit set and the information in the information unit set corresponding to the desired state.

[0011] It can be understood that the desired state and the actual state of the NFV object are sets of information units, and the information units included in the desired state and the actual state of the NFV object correspond one by one, that is: the desired state of the NFV object and the actual state of the NFV object are represented by information units with a set of the same names but different values.

[0012] In this design, the first basic information model is determined based on the different information units in the desired state and the actual state of the NFV object. These different information units are the information units required for the NFV object to change from the actual state to the desired state. The LCM operation instruction is determined based on these required information units, which improves the efficiency of determining the LCM operation instruction by reducing the number of information units that need to be loaded for determining the LCM operation instruction.

[0013] In a possible design, this communication method further includes: receiving second information, where the second information is used to indicate a second set of basic information models, the first set of basic information models is a subset of the second set of basic information models, and the second set of basic information models includes all or partial information units in the NFV descriptor.

[0014] Exemplarily, the second information includes the basic information model of the telecommunications cloud infrastructure resources.

[0015] In this design, the producer entity will receive the second set of basic information models to determine the first set of basic information models, and select the required basic information models from the second set of basic information models to form the first set of basic information models, which can realize the determination of the first set of basic information models.

[0016] In a possible design, this communication method further includes: there are no identical information units among the basic information models in the second set of basic information models.

[0017] By limiting that the basic information models do not intersect with each other, this design ensures that there are no identical information units among the basic information models, guarantees that the same information units will not be transmitted multiple times, and improves the efficiency of the basic information models in transmitting information units.

[0018] In a possible design, this communication method further includes: obtaining third information, where the third information is used to indicate the actual status of the NFV object.

[0019] In this design, the producer entity determines the actual status of the NFV object by obtaining the third information.

[0020] Exemplarily, obtaining the third information can be that the producer entity obtains the third information from the VIM by means of subscribing to notifications (push) or querying (pull).

[0021] Exemplarily, the third information can be the status of the infrastructure resource object. For example, the occupancy status of computing node resources, storage resources, or network resources in the current telecommunications cloud infrastructure.

[0022] In a possible design, the producer entity includes telco cloud infrastructure management (TCIM).

[0023] In a possible design, the producer entity is TCIM or container cluster management or container infrastructure service cluster management (CCM).

[0024] This design uses TCIM as the producer entity, realizing the application of this method in the telecom cloud architecture.

[0025] In a possible design, the NFV object includes a container cluster.

[0026] In this design, the container cluster is selected as the NFV object, realizing the LCM operation when the NFV object is a container cluster.

[0027] In a possible design, the desired state of the container cluster includes one or more of the following information units: container cluster category, container cluster node architecture, container cluster deployment sample, container cluster version, or container cluster access control information.

[0028] In this design, when the NFV object is a container cluster, the content of the information units included in the desired state ensures a comprehensive description of the desired state of the container cluster.

[0029] In a possible design, the set of basic information models of the container cluster includes one or more of the following basic information models: metadata description of the container cluster, container cluster node description required for member instances constituting the container cluster, container cluster storage resource description, and / or container cluster network resource description.

[0030] In this design, when the NFV object is a container cluster, it is defined which basic information models the set of basic information models can include, realizing the description of the container cluster at the basic information model level.

[0031] In a possible design, this communication method further includes: the first information is carried in an application operation request message.

[0032] This design realizes the transmission of the first information by sending the first information through an apply operation request, thereby achieving the consistency of multiple operation results through the modeling of the desired state of the NFV object.

[0033] In a second aspect, this application provides a communication method, which can be implemented by a consumer entity.

[0034] This communication method includes: determining second information, where the second information is used to indicate a second set of basic information models, and the second set of basic information models includes all or partial information units in the NFV descriptor, and sending the second information to the producer entity.

[0035] The producer entity will receive the second set of basic information models to determine the first set of basic information models, and select the required basic information models from the second set of basic information models to form the first set of basic information models, which can realize the determination of the first set of basic information models.

[0036] In a possible design, the basic information models in the second set of basic information models do not contain the same information units.

[0037] Exemplarily, the second set of basic information models may include the following basic information models:

[0038] Metadata of the infrastructure resource object information model, including information units such as the name, identifier, design manufacturer, version, etc. of the information model;

[0039] Resource requirements information of the infrastructure resource object, including information units such as the resource specifications (deployment template flavor) of the container cluster nodes and the identifier information of other associated infrastructure resource objects;

[0040] Information of the container cluster nodes, including information units such as the CPU specifications, Memory size, identifier of the associated storage resource object, software image, etc. of the cluster nodes;

[0041] Information of the container cluster storage resources, including information units such as the type and size of the storage resource object and the identifier of the associated container cluster node;

[0042] Information of the container cluster network resources, including information units such as the type, protocol, and quality of service (QoS) of the network connection object.

[0043] In a possible design, the consumer entity includes a telco cloud application management (TCAM), or a network functions virtualization orchestrator (NFVO), or an operation support systems (OSS) / business support system (BSS), telco cloud platform (TCP) component.

[0044] In a possible design, the consumer entity is a TCAM, NFVO, or OSS / BSS.

[0045] This design uses TCIM as the producer entity, realizing the application of this method in the telco cloud architecture.

[0046] In a third aspect, the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may execute modules corresponding one by one to the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect. The modules may be hardware circuits, software, or a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0047] In one design, the device may include a processing module and a communication module. Among them, the communication module is used to execute the sending and receiving actions in the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect above, and the processing module is used to execute the actions related to processing in the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect above.

[0048] In one design, the device of the present application may be a producer entity, or a device, module, circuit, or chip configured to be disposed in the producer entity, or a device that can be used in matching with the producer entity.

[0049] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may include modules corresponding one by one to the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0050] In one design, the device may include a processing module and a communication module. Among them, the communication module is used to execute the sending and receiving actions in the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect above, and the processing module is used to execute the actions related to processing in the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect above.

[0051] In one design, the device may be a consumer entity, or a device, module, circuit, or chip configured to be disposed in the consumer entity, or a device that can be used in matching with the consumer entity.

[0052] In a fifth aspect, a device is provided, including a processor. When the instructions are run by the processor, the methods in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect are implemented.

[0053] Optionally, the device may further include a storage medium that stores the instructions for the processor to execute.

[0054] In a sixth aspect, a device is provided, including a processor. When the instructions are run by the processor, the methods in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect are implemented.

[0055] Optionally, the device may further include a storage medium that stores the instructions for the processor to execute.

[0056] In a seventh aspect, a chip is provided, including a processing circuit configured to run a program or instructions to implement the method as in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0057] Optionally, the chip may further include a memory configured to store the program or instructions.

[0058] Optionally, the chip may further include the transceiver circuit or an input / output interface.

[0059] In an eighth aspect, a chip is provided, including a processing circuit configured to run a program or instructions to implement the method as in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0060] Optionally, the chip may further include a memory configured to store the program or instructions.

[0061] Optionally, the chip may further include the transceiver circuit or an input / output interface.

[0062] In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, including instructions that, when run by a processor, implement the method as in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0063] In a tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, including instructions that, when run by a processor, implement the method as in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0064] In an eleventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, including computer program code or instructions that, when run, implement the method as in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0065] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program product is provided, including computer program code or instructions that, when run, implement the method as in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0066] In a thirteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, including: a device that executes the method as in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, and a device that executes the method as in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0067] It can be understood that the technical effects of any aspect from the second aspect to the thirteenth aspect of the present application can refer to the relevant content in the first aspect, and will not be elaborated here. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0068] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the principle of an NFV descriptor according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0071] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a communication method for a specific NFV object according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0072] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another communication method for a specific NFV object according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0073] Figure 6 This is a flowchart of yet another communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0074] Figure 7 This is a relationship diagram between an NFV service and an NFV object according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0075] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0076] Figure 9 This is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. Detailed Embodiments

[0077] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0078] For the convenience of clearly describing the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, terms such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with basically the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art can understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different.

[0079] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to represent examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0080] In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists alone, where A and B may be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item)" or a similar expression thereof refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or multiple items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, and (or) c may represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, and c may be single or multiple.

[0081] The existing NFV technology framework is based on the NFV Management and Orchestration (MANO) architecture developed by the NFV Industry Standards Group under the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) since 2013. After more than a decade of development, there are more and more functional components in the NFV - MANO architecture, and the interoperability between the layered and decoupled components is becoming increasingly complex, making system integration difficult. Therefore, since 2023, the ETSI NFV organization has started to study the future evolution architecture of the NFV telecom cloud. In the new architecture, the principle of "architecture simplification" is primarily followed, and declarative APIs are increasingly applied to the interfaces accordingly to reduce the complexity of interface interoperability.

[0082] The basic idea of adopting declarative APIs in the new architecture of the NFV telecom cloud is as follows: First, determine the managed objects in the NFV telecom cloud management domain, such as network services NS, container clusters, VNFs, etc. The attribute associated with the managed object is the "desired state" of the object; then submit a description of the "desired state" of the managed object in the declarative API, and then "apply" the update to achieve the desired state of the managed object.

[0083] Those skilled in the art can understand that in the industry's declarative API practice, for example, in the open-source container orchestration system (Kubernetes) of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), users declare the "desired state" of resource objects by writing manifest files in two formats, YAML or JSON, for Kubernetes resources. These files are submitted by users to the Kubernetes API service (server), and through the controller and scheduler in the API server, corresponding operating procedures are executed according to the resource definitions, such as creating, updating, or deleting the corresponding Kubernetes resources, to ensure that the actual state of the Kubernetes cluster matches the "desired state" of the resource objects in the manifest file.

[0084] An important feature of existing NFV technologies is to perform LCM on the managed objects based on the information in the NFV Descriptor. For example, in the lifecycle management process of a Virtual Network Function (VNF), the Network Function Virtualisation Orchestrator (NFVO) or the VNF Manager (VNFM) calls the virtual resource management function from the Virtualised Infrastructure Manager (VIM) by accessing the description information of the VNF's computing resource requirements and the description information of the requirements for special hardware resources (such as acceleration) in the VNF Descriptor (VNFD), determines the virtual machine resources used by the VNF instance, and authorizes the virtual machine resources used for LCM operations through the permission process of the VNF lifecycle management by the NFVO. In short, the NFV Descriptor is a deployment template for NFV objects (such as network service NS, VNF), and the template is usually formulated in the design state of the NFV object and contains the requirement descriptions during the runtime activities of the NFV object (such as the deployment and operation of object instances).

[0085] The working principle of the NFV Descriptor is as Figure 1As shown below. First, the NFV descriptor is created by the NFV descriptor designer, which includes defining information such as the resource requirements and configuration parameters of the virtual network function (VNF). The designed NFV descriptor is delivered to the operations support system (OSS) / business support system (BSS), which is the system used by telecom operators to manage network services and customer orders. Then, the OSS / BSS loads the NFV descriptor into the NFV-MANO system. This step imports the descriptor information into the MANO system for subsequent use.

[0086] The NFV-MANO system uses the information in the NFV descriptor to create local NFV object instances. During the process of creating NFV object instances, the MANO system creates an Info image of the NFV object. The Info image refers to an instance information formed after the instantiation of the NFV object, and this instance information contains the information model required by the NFV object instance in the running state.

[0087] When the new NFV architecture adopts a declarative system design, the original NFV-MANO interface functions will be greatly simplified, and no longer define interface operations sticky to specific NFV object API endpoints (API endpoints), such as: instantiation of object A, resource scaling of object B, creation of object C, update of object D, etc. Correspondingly, the declarative API design adopts a unified operation form: the API consumer entity defines the "desired state" of the object, and then hands over the desired state of the object to the API producer entity. Through the operation execution sequence inside the API Producer, the state of the system is made to reach the "desired state" of the object.

[0088] The translation process of the "desired state" of the NFV object between the translation entity and the execution entity can use the existing NFV-MANO interface functions. The execution entity creates an NFV object instance identifier according to the full description information of the NFV object in the NFV descriptor. Each LCM operation of the NFV object needs to update the configuration information and store it in accordance with the full object description in the NFV descriptor.

[0089] As Figure 2 Shown is a flowchart of a method according to an embodiment of the present application, which includes S201, S202, S203, and S204. The execution subjects are the consumer entity and the producer entity. The producer entity includes a translation entity and an execution entity. The translation entity is responsible for converting the high-level desired state into specific operation instructions, and these instructions will be used by the execution entity to manage the NFV object; the execution entity actually executes the LCM operation according to the instructions provided by the translation entity.

[0090] In S201, the consumer entity sends an application operation request (the desired state of the NFV object), and the corresponding producer entity receives the application operation request.

[0091] Exemplarily, the consumer entity (such as Telecom Cloud Application Management TCAM) first defines the desired state of the NFV object, which typically involves the configuration and deployment requirements of network services or virtual network functions (VNFs). Then, it sends a request to the producer entity to apply this desired state.

[0092] In S202, the translation entity loads the NFV object descriptor into the execution entity.

[0093] Exemplarily, after receiving the request, the producer entity (such as Telecom Cloud Infrastructure Management TCIM) loads the corresponding NFV object descriptor. These descriptors contain detailed information about the NFV object, such as resource requirements, configuration parameters, etc.

[0094] In S203, the translation entity creates an NFV object instance identifier and loads the NFV object instance identifier into the execution entity.

[0095] Exemplarily, based on the loaded descriptor, the producer entity creates an identifier for the NFV object instance. This identifier is used to uniquely identify and manage the NFV object instance, facilitating effective management and tracking in the management system of TCIM.

[0096] In S204, the translation entity determines the LCM operation for the NFV object instance and loads the LCM operation into the execution entity.

[0097] Exemplarily, the producer entity performs the LCM operation on the NFV object instance. Exemplarily, these operations may include instantiating, configuring, starting, monitoring, updating, scaling in or out, or terminating the NFV object instance.

[0098] It can be understood that after the translation entity loads the instruction into the execution entity, the execution entity will reply with a response to indicate that the operation instruction has been successfully received.

[0099] However, due to the structural complexity and full completeness of the information of the NFV descriptor itself, the process efficiency of the TCIM to determine the LCM operation instruction according to the NFV descriptor of the expected state each time is very low, which further leads to an increase in the cost of maintaining the NFV descriptor during the declarative API operation. Therefore, this application proposes a method. When the consumer entity sends a declarative management operation request for the NFV object to the producer entity, the producer entity combines the basic information model of the telecommunications cloud infrastructure resource object according to the "expected state" description of the NFV object in the request message to form an NFV descriptor that supports the state migration of the NFV object, and further interacts with the management entity to execute the management operation of the NFV object, and finally achieves the expected state of the NFV object in the request message.

[0100] As Figure 3 shown, a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application includes S303, S304, and S305. This method is executed by a consumer entity, a producer entity, and a management entity.

[0101] S303, the consumer entity sends the first information, and the first information is used to indicate the expected state of the NFV object. Correspondingly, the producer entity receives the first information.

[0102] In some implementation manners, the first information is carried in an apply operation request message.

[0103] Exemplarily, the consumer entity may be the sender with TCAM as the interface, and the producer entity may be the receiver with TCIM as the interface.

[0104] Exemplarily, the NFV object may be a container cluster or a managed container cluster object (MCCO).

[0105] Taking the NFV object as a container cluster as an example, the expected state or the actual state may include the following information units:

[0106] The metadata of the container cluster, such as: the name, ID, display name alias, label, creation time, etc. of the cluster;

[0107] The specifications of the container cluster, including: the category of the cluster, providing a multi-scenario and highly stable container running environment based on a high-performance network model, such as: virtual machine deployment cluster, bare metal server deployment cluster, hybrid deployment cluster, CPU node deployment cluster (general computing), GPU / NPU node deployment cluster (intelligent computing), CPU / GPU / NPU heterogeneous node hybrid deployment cluster;

[0108] The architecture of the cluster Master node, and the values can be X86, ARM, etc.;

[0109] Deployment specifications (flavors) of the cluster, such as: single control node cluster, multi-control point (high availability) cluster, small (50 nodes), medium (200 nodes), large (1000 nodes), extra-large scale (2000 nodes);

[0110] Cluster version, cluster platform version information; host network information, container network information, including network type and network segment address information; access control information for the cluster API.

[0111] S304, the producer entity determines a first set of basic information models of the NFV object according to the first information, and the first set of basic information models is used to indicate the change of the NFV object from the actual state to the desired state.

[0112] In some implementation manners, the producer entity obtains third information, and the third information is used to indicate the actual state of the NFV object.

[0113] Exemplarily, obtaining the third information may be that the producer entity periodically detects the actual state of the NFV object, or subscribes to notifications (push) / queries (pull) the actual state of the NFV object.

[0114] Exemplarily, the third information may be the state of the infrastructure resource object. For example, the occupancy state of computing node resources, storage resources, or network resources in the current telecommunications cloud infrastructure.

[0115] An exemplary first set of basic information models may include the following basic information models:

[0116] Metadata of the infrastructure resource object information model, and the information units included are: name, identifier, design manufacturer, version, etc. of the information model;

[0117] Resource requirement information of the infrastructure resource object, and the information units included are: resource specifications (deployment template flavor) of container cluster nodes, identifier information of other associated infrastructure resource objects;

[0118] Information of container cluster nodes, and the information units included are: CPU specifications of cluster nodes, Memory size, identifier of the associated storage resource object, software image, etc.;

[0119] Information of container cluster storage resources, and the information units included are: type and size of the storage resource object, identifier of the associated container cluster node;

[0120] Information of container cluster network resources, and the information units included are: type, protocol, and QoS of the network connection object.

[0121] In some implementations, the producer entity determines a set of information units, where the set of information units includes at least one information unit of the NFV object. The information in the set of information units corresponding to the desired state is different from the information in the set of information units corresponding to the actual state. Based on the information unit and the information in the set of information units corresponding to the desired state, a first set of basic information models is determined.

[0122] Exemplarily, the set of information units includes the cluster scale. The information about the cluster scale corresponding to the desired state is a medium scale of 200 nodes, and the information about the cluster scale corresponding to the actual state is a small scale of 50 nodes. It can be determined that this information is different. The cluster scale is a subset of the basic information model of the container cluster specification. Therefore, the required set of basic information models includes the container cluster specification.

[0123] S305, send a first message based on the first set of basic information models. The first message is used to indicate to perform an LCM operation on the NFV object. Accordingly, the corresponding management entity receives the first message.

[0124] Exemplarily, sending the first message based on the first set of basic information models can be that the first message includes the first set of basic information models.

[0125] Exemplarily, determine the parameters in the first message based on the information units in the first set of basic information models.

[0126] Exemplarily, the management entity can be an entity such as container cluster management (CCM) or container infrastructure service management (CISM) that is used to maintain and manage the NFV object.

[0127] Exemplarily, taking the NFV object as a container cluster, the container cluster category included in the "desired state" of the container cluster object is a cluster with a hybrid deployment of virtual machines and bare metal servers. The information unit in the first set of basic information indicates that a medium-scale multi-control point cluster is deployed. Then, TCIM looks up the virtual machine nodes and bare metal server nodes in the VIM resource pool that match the resource requirements of the multi-control point (high availability) cluster, and checks the available status of the resources of these nodes:

[0128] If the found available virtual machine nodes and bare metal server nodes meet the resource requirements of the target container cluster and the number of nodes meets the medium scale, then TCIM sends a container cluster lifecycle management operation request to CCM as the first message, and the identification information of the found available virtual machine nodes and bare metal server nodes is carried in the request message;

[0129] If the available virtual machine nodes and bare metal server nodes found meet the resource requirements of the target container cluster, but the number of nodes is lower than medium scale, TCIM combines the basic information models of the virtual machine nodes and bare metal server nodes to be newly created to form a container cluster description information model CCD that meets the current scenario, and sends a container cluster lifecycle management operation request to the CCM as the first message. The request message carries the identification information of the available virtual machine nodes and bare metal server nodes found, as well as the identification information of the combined CCD.

[0130] If no available virtual machine nodes and bare metal server nodes found meet the resource requirements of the target container cluster, TCIM combines the basic information models of the virtual machine nodes and bare metal server nodes to be newly created, as well as the basic information models of the associated storage and network resources, to form a container cluster description information model CCD that meets the current scenario, and sends a container cluster lifecycle management operation request to the CCM as the first message. The request message carries the identification information of the combined CCD.

[0131] Optionally, this communication method may further include S301.

[0132] S301. The consumer entity determines second information, which is used to indicate a second set of basic information models. The first set of basic information models is a subset of the second set of basic information models, and the second set of basic information models includes all or part of the information units in the NFV descriptor.

[0133] Regarding the basic information models included in the second set of basic information models, reference may be made to the description of the first set of basic information models in S304.

[0134] Exemplarily, determining the second set of basic information models may be to divide the full descriptor of the NFV object into different basic information models according to the division of the basic information models in S304.

[0135] In some implementation manners, the basic information models in the second set of basic information models do not include the same information units.

[0136] It can be understood that in order to avoid repeated loading of the same information units, it is specified that different basic information models do not include the same basic information models.

[0137] Optionally, this communication method may further include S302.

[0138] S302. The consumer entity sends the second information. Correspondingly, the producer entity receives the second information.

[0139] Exemplarily, the second information includes the basic information model of the telecom cloud infrastructure resources.

[0140] Exemplarily, the consumer entity sending the second message may be that the consumer entity loads the basic information model of the telecommunications cloud infrastructure resources into the producer entity.

[0141] Next, the specific process of the embodiments of the present application will be introduced in combination with specific NFV objects.

[0142] As Figure 4 shown is a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, where the NFV object is a container cluster, including S401 to S407. This method is executed by TCAM, TCIM, CCM, and VIM.

[0143] S401, TCAM sends an application operation request message (the "desired state" of the container cluster object, including the specifications and / or capacity of the infrastructure resources of the container cluster object and deployment constraint requirements). Correspondingly, TCIM receives the application request operation message.

[0144] This step can refer to the description of the desired state in S303 and will not be elaborated here.

[0145] S402, VIM sends the status of the infrastructure resource object, and correspondingly, TCIM receives the status of the infrastructure resource object.

[0146] This step can refer to the description of obtaining the desired state in S304 and will not be elaborated here.

[0147] S403, TCIM determines the infrastructure resource object for the state migration of the container cluster object in the declarative operation according to the status of the infrastructure resources, and combines the basic information models of the infrastructure resource objects to form a container cluster descriptor CCD.

[0148] This step can refer to the determination method of the first message in S305 and will not be elaborated here.

[0149] S404, TCIM sends a container cluster LCM operation, which includes the CCD identifier. Correspondingly, CCM receives the container cluster LCM operation.

[0150] S405, CCM performs corresponding container cluster management operations according to the CCD identifier.

[0151] Exemplarily, these operations may include instantiating, configuring, starting, monitoring, updating, scaling in / out, or terminating the NFV container cluster object.

[0152] S406, CCM sends a container cluster LCM operation response. Correspondingly, TCIM receives the container cluster LCM operation response.

[0153] S407, after receiving the response, TCIM confirms that the desired state of the container cluster object is achieved.

[0154] As shown Figure 5 in the figure is a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, where the NFV object is a managed container cluster object (MCCO), including S501 to S507. This method is executed by TCAM, TCIM, CISM, and VIM.

[0155] S501, TCAM sends an application operation request message (specification and / or capacity of the infrastructure resources of the MCCO object, deployment constraint message). Correspondingly, TCIM receives the application request operation message.

[0156] This step can refer to the description of the desired state in S303 and will not be elaborated here.

[0157] S502, VIM sends the status of the infrastructure resource object, and correspondingly, TCIM receives the status of the infrastructure resource object.

[0158] This step can refer to the description of obtaining the desired state in S304 and will not be elaborated here.

[0159] S503, TCIM determines the infrastructure resource object for the state migration of the MCCO object in the declarative operation according to the status of the infrastructure resources, combines the basic information models of the infrastructure resource objects to form MCCO description information.

[0160] This step can refer to the determination method of the first message in S305 and will not be elaborated here.

[0161] S504, TCIM sends an MCCO management operation request, which includes the identification information of the MCCO description information. Correspondingly, CCM receives the MCCO management operation request.

[0162] S505, CISM performs corresponding MCCO management operations according to the MCCO description information.

[0163] Exemplarily, these operations may include instantiating, configuring, starting, monitoring, updating, scaling in or out, or terminating the MCCO object.

[0164] S506, CCM sends an MCCO management operation reply. Correspondingly, TCIM receives the MCCO management operation reply.

[0165] S507, after receiving the reply, TCIM confirms that the desired state of the MCCO is achieved.

[0166] As Figure 6The following shows a communication method according to an embodiment of the present application, where the execution entities are a consumer entity and a producer entity, including S601 to S604.

[0167] S601, the consumer entity analyzes the operation requirements of the management service, selects atomized NFV descriptors from the NFV descriptor set according to the operations, and matches the operation requirements of the management service with the combined NFV descriptors.

[0168] Exemplarily, the consumer entity can be an OSS / BSS, and the producer entity can be a TCAM.

[0169] This step refers to the process of selecting the basic information model in S304, which will not be elaborated here.

[0170] S602, the consumer entity loads the combined NFV descriptors. Correspondingly, the producer entity receives the NFV descriptors.

[0171] S603, the consumer entity invokes the management service.

[0172] S604, the producer entity performs the operations corresponding to the management service according to the combined NFV descriptor information model.

[0173] This step can refer to the process of determining the first message in S305, which will not be elaborated here.

[0174] Figure 7 This is the relationship between the NFV service and the NFV object under the NFV-MANO service-oriented architecture according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0175] It includes NFV services such as NFV descriptor loading, lifecycle management, performance management, and fault management under the service-oriented architecture, as well as NFV objects such as VNFD, NSD, VNF package, network service (NS), and VNF under the service-oriented architecture. In this method, the NFV service and the NFV object can be combined according to the requirements of management operations. For example, perform LCM operations on the VNF, or perform loading operations on the VNF package. When performing the same NFV service operation on different NFV objects, the operation method of the NFV service is standardized, and the same NFV service for different NFV objects does not need to be defined repeatedly.

[0176] Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 8 shown, the communication device 800 may include a processing module 810 and a communication module 820.

[0177] As a first example, the device 800 can be used to implement Figures 3 to 6The communication method implemented by the producer entity in the embodiment shown. For example, the processing module 810 is used to implement Figures 3 to 6 the processing-related steps executed by the producer entity in the embodiment shown, and the communication module 820 is used to implement Figures 3 to 6 the steps such as sending and / or receiving executed by the producer entity in the embodiment shown.

[0178] Exemplarily, the processing module 810 can determine the first basic information model set of the NFV object according to the first information.

[0179] Exemplarily, the communication module 820 can receive the first information, send the first message, or receive the second information.

[0180] As a second example, the device 800 can be used to implement Figures 3 to 6 the communication method implemented by the consumer entity in the embodiment shown. For example, the processing module 810 is used to implement Figures 3 to 6 the processing-related steps executed by the consumer entity in the embodiment shown, and the communication module 820 is used to implement Figures 3 to 6 the steps such as sending and / or receiving executed by the consumer entity in the embodiment shown.

[0181] Exemplarily, the processing module 810 can determine the second information.

[0182] Exemplarily, the communication module 820 can send the first information or send the second information to the producer entity.

[0183] Figure 9 The structural schematic diagram of the communication device provided by another embodiment of the present application can implement the communication method of the present application Figures 3 to 6 shown. As Figure 9 shown, the communication device 900 includes a processor 910 and a communication circuit 920. The processor 910 and the communication circuit 920 are coupled to each other. It can be understood that the communication circuit 920 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0184] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a memory 930, which is used to store the instructions executed by the processor 910 or store the input data required for the processor 910 to run the instructions or store the data generated after the processor 910 runs the instructions. It can be understood that the memory 930 can be located outside the processor 910, or inside the processor 910.

[0185] As an example, the processor 910 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing module 810, and the communication circuit 920 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned communication module 820.

[0186] The communication device 900 can be a producer entity or a chip applied to the producer entity.

[0187] It can be understood that when the communication device 900 is a producer entity, the communication circuit 920 can be a transceiver. When the communication device 900 is a chip, the communication circuit 920 can be an input / output interface.

[0188] The communication device 900 can be a consumer entity or a chip applied to a consumer entity.

[0189] It can be understood that when the communication device 900 is a consumer entity, the communication circuit 920 can be a transceiver. When the communication device 900 is a chip, the communication circuit 920 can be an input / output interface.

[0190] In some embodiments of the present application, there is also provided a computer program product. When the computer program product runs on a processor, it can implement the method implemented by the producer entity in any of the above embodiments, or can implement the method implemented by the consumer entity in any of the above method embodiments.

[0191] In some embodiments of the present application, there is also provided a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium contains computer instructions. When the computer instructions run on a processor, they can implement the method implemented by the producer entity in any of the above embodiments, or can implement the method implemented by the consumer entity in any of the above method embodiments.

[0192] In some embodiments of the present application, there is also provided a communication system. The system can implement the methods implemented by the producer entity and the consumer entity in any of the above embodiments.

[0193] It can be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be the following devices or all or part of the circuits for processing functions in the following devices: a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0194] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in a hardware manner or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a removable hard disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well-known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC can be located in a network device or a terminal device. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in a consumer entity or a terminal device.

[0195] In the above embodiments, it can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are executed in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable devices. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center in a wired or wireless manner. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or a data center integrating one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive.

[0196] In various embodiments of the present application, if there is no special indication and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0197] It should be understood that the various numerical numbers involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The magnitude of the serial numbers of the above processes does not mean the sequence of execution, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined according to its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a producer entity, the method comprises: Receiving first information, where the first information is used to indicate a desired state of a network function virtualization (NFV) object; Determine a first basic information model set of the NFV object according to the first information, where the first basic information model set is used to indicate a change of the NFV object from an actual state to the expected state; A first message is sent based on the first basic information model set, where the first message is used to instruct a lifecycle management (LCM) operation to be performed on the NFV object.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The determining, according to the first information, a first basic information model set of the NFV object includes: Determine an information unit set, the information unit set including at least one information unit of the NFV object, information in the information unit set corresponding to the expected state is different from information in the information unit set corresponding to the actual state; The first basic information model set is determined based on the information unit and the information in the information unit set corresponding to the expected state.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive second information, where the second information is used to indicate a second basic information model set, where the first basic information model set is a subset of the second basic information model set, and where the second basic information model set includes all or part of the information units in the NFV descriptor.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The basic information models in the second basic information model set do not contain the same information units.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: Acquire third information, where the third information is used to indicate an actual state of the NFV object.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The producer entity includes a telecommunications cloud infrastructure manager TCIM or a container cluster manager CCM.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The NFV object includes a container cluster.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The desired state of the container cluster includes one or more of the following information units: container cluster category, container cluster node architecture, container cluster deployment sample, container cluster version or container cluster access control information.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that: The basic information model set of the container cluster includes one or more of the following basic information models: a metadata description of the container cluster, a description of the container cluster nodes required for the member instances constituting the container cluster, a description of the container cluster storage resources, and / or a description of the container cluster network resources.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that The first information is carried in an application operation request message.

11. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a consumer entity, the method comprises: Determine second information, where the second information is used to indicate a second basic information model set, where the second basic information model set includes all or part of the information units in the NFV descriptor; The second information is sent.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The basic information models in the second basic information model set do not contain the same information units.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that: The consumer entity includes a telecommunications cloud application manager TCAM, NFVO or OSS / BSS.

14. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

15. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises a processor; the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 1-10, or so that the communication device executes the method according to any one of claims 11-13.

16. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises a first communication device and a second communication device; The first communication device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, and the second communication device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13.

17. A chip or a chip system, characterized in that: The chip or chip system includes a processor, which is coupled to a memory, and the memory is used to store programs or instructions. When the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 11 to 13 is executed.

18. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs. When the computer instructions or programs are executed on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13 is executed.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 11 to 13 is executed.

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