Disaster recovery processing method and device for core network, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a disaster recovery processing method and device for a core network, equipment and a storage medium, relates to the technical field of communication, and is used for solving the problem of how to carry out disaster recovery processing on the core network after the core network is abnormal. The method comprises: an access and mobility management function network element of a first core network of a creator operator receives access information of user equipment of a participant operator, the user equipment being located in a service range of a main core network of the participant operator, and the main core network comprising: a first network element that does not have an abnormality and / or a second network element that has an abnormality. And then, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator forms a second core network of the participant operator based on the first network element and / or a third network element in a standby core network of the participant operator, and the third network element is a network element executing the same function as the second network element. Then, the first core network of the contractor operator cooperates to establish a connection between the user equipment and the second core network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a disaster recovery processing method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for a core network. Background Art

[0002] With the development of communication technologies, when an anomaly occurs in a certain geographical area, causing some or all network elements of the 5G core network of a certain operator in that area to malfunction, the operator can use network disaster recovery technologies to ensure the network services of users.

[0003] Traditional network disaster recovery technologies can use the "disaster roaming" technology to switch the users of the affected operator to the network of other non-affected operators (operators providing disaster roaming services) within the area during a disaster, so as to ensure that users can perform 5G services as much as possible.

[0004] However, since the above technical solution only considers the scenario where 5G base stations malfunction and cannot guarantee network operation when the 5G core network malfunctions. Therefore, how to perform disaster recovery processing on the core network after an anomaly occurs in the core network has become an urgent technical problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a disaster recovery processing method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for a core network, which is used to solve the problem of how to perform disaster recovery processing on the core network after an anomaly occurs in the core network.

[0006] To achieve the above object, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] In a first aspect, this application provides a disaster recovery processing method for a core network. This method is applied to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator. The method includes: The access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator receives the access information of the user equipment of the participating operator. The user equipment is located within the service scope of the main core network of the participating operator. The main core network includes: the first network element that has not experienced an anomaly and / or the second network element that has experienced an anomaly. The access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator forms the second core network of the participating operator based on the first network element and / or the third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator. The third network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element. The access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator establishes a connection between the user equipment and the second core network.

[0008] The technical solution provided by this application brings at least the following beneficial effects: When a disaster occurs in a certain geographical area, causing some or all network elements of the home core network of the participating operator in that area to malfunction, the core network of the contractor operator can determine the home core network of the user equipment through the access information of the user equipment. When a network element in the home core network malfunctions, the contractor operator can indirectly select a network element in the standby core network that can perform the same function for use and establish a connection between these core networks. In this way, the indirect network sharing technology can be used to connect the users of the operator in the disaster-stricken area to the home operator core network through the network of the shared operator, enabling the users to normally enjoy the 5G services of the home network with the same service experience as the original core network until the core network of the home operator network in that area resumes normal operation. During this process, the network elements in the standby core network can quickly take over the functions of the home core network when the home core network has problems and continue to provide services without affecting the user experience, ensuring the continuity of data transmission and services. Users will not experience obvious interruptions or delays due to core network failures, thereby improving the overall service quality and enhancing user satisfaction and trust.

[0009] Optionally, the method of "forming the second core network of the participating operator based on the first network element and / or the third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator" includes: sending a network element discovery request message to the network function storage function network element of the participating operator, where the network element discovery request message is used to request the address information of the network elements in the core network of the participating operator that have not malfunctioned. Receiving the network element address information sent by the network function storage function network element of the participating operator, where the network element address information includes: the address information of the first network element and / or the address information of the third network element. Determining the second core network according to the network element address information, where the second core network includes the first network element and the third network element.

[0010] Optionally, the method of "determining the second core network according to the network element address information" includes: when the address information of the third network element exists in the network element address information and the address information of the first network element does not exist, using the standby core network as the second core network, and the first network element does not exist in the second core network. Or, when the address information of the first network element exists in the network element address information and the address information of the third network element does not exist, using the home core network as the second core network, and the third network element does not exist in the second core network. Or, when the address information of the first network element and the address information of the third network element exist in the network element address information at the same time, forming the second core network by combining the first network element in the home core network and the third network element in the standby core network.

[0011] Second aspect, the present application provides a disaster recovery processing method for a core network. This method is applied to a network function storage function network element of a participating operator. The method includes: The network function storage function network element of the participating operator receives a network element discovery request message sent by an access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator. The network element discovery request message is used to request address information of network elements that have not experienced anomalies in the core network of the participating operator. The network function storage function network element of the participating operator obtains the network element address information. The network element address information includes: address information of a first network element that has not experienced anomalies in the primary core network of the participating operator, and / or address information of a third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator. The third network element is a network element that performs the same function as a second network element that has experienced anomalies in the primary core network. The network function storage function network element of the participating operator sends the network element address information to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network.

[0012] The technical solution provided by the present application at least brings the following beneficial effects: After receiving the network element discovery request message sent by the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator, the pre-stored network element address information is queried, thereby providing support for subsequent connections of the core network. In this way, core network address query and response can be achieved, ensuring that services can operate continuously and stably in the event of network failures or disasters.

[0013] Optionally, before the method of "receiving the network element discovery request message sent by the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator", it includes: receiving registration information of multiple fourth network elements in the standby core network. The registration information includes the address information and disaster recovery information of the fourth network elements. The multiple fourth network elements are all network elements in the standby core network. The disaster recovery information is used to indicate whether the backup requirements of the second network element can be borne.

[0014] Optionally, the multiple fourth network elements include multiple fifth network elements. The fifth network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element. After the method of "receiving the network element discovery request message sent by the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator", it includes: in the case where a second network element that has experienced anomalies exists in the primary core network, obtaining the disaster recovery information of multiple fifth network elements in the standby core network. Based on the disaster recovery information of the multiple fifth network elements, a third network element is determined from the multiple fifth network elements. The disaster recovery information of the third network element indicates that the backup requirements of the second network element can be borne.

[0015] Optionally, the method further includes: obtaining the heartbeat information of each network element in the primary core network. Based on the heartbeat information of each network element, the network element status of each network element is determined. The network element status is used to indicate whether the network element has experienced anomalies.

[0016] In a third aspect, the present application provides a disaster recovery processing apparatus for a core network, which is applied to an access and mobility management function network element of a first core network of a contractor operator. The apparatus includes: an acquisition module and a processing module.

[0017] The acquisition module is configured to receive access information of a user equipment of a participating operator, where the user equipment is within the service scope of a primary core network of the participating operator, and the primary core network includes: a first network element without an exception and / or a second network element with an exception. The processing module is configured to form a second core network of the participating operator based on the first network element and / or a third network element in a standby core network of the participating operator, where the third network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element. The processing module is further configured to establish a connection between the user equipment and the second core network.

[0018] Optionally, the processing module is specifically configured to send a network element discovery request message to a network function storage function network element of the participating operator, where the network element discovery request message is used to request address information of network elements without an exception in the core network of the participating operator. The acquisition module is configured to receive the network element address information sent by the network function storage function network element of the participating operator, where the network element address information includes: address information of the first network element and / or address information of the third network element. The processing module is further configured to determine the second core network according to the network element address information, and the second core network includes the first network element and the third network element.

[0019] Optionally, the processing module is specifically configured to use the standby core network as the second core network when the address information of the third network element exists in the network element address information and the address information of the first network element does not exist, and the first network element does not exist in the second core network. The processing module is further configured to use the primary core network as the second core network when the address information of the first network element exists in the network element address information and the address information of the third network element does not exist, and the third network element does not exist in the second core network. The processing module is further configured to form the second core network by combining the first network element in the primary core network and the third network element in the standby core network when the address information of the first network element and the address information of the third network element exist in the network element address information at the same time.

[0020] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a disaster recovery processing apparatus for a core network, which is applied to a network function storage function network element of a participating operator. The apparatus includes: an acquisition module and a processing module.

[0021] An obtaining module, configured to receive a network element discovery request message sent by an access and mobility management function network element of a first core network of a contractor operator, where the network element discovery request message is used to request address information of network elements that are normal in the core network of a participating operator. The obtaining module is configured to obtain network element address information, where the network element address information includes: address information of a first network element that is normal in the primary core network of the participating operator, and / or address information of a third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator, and the third network element is a network element that performs the same function as a second network element that is abnormal in the primary core network. A processing module is configured to send the network element address information to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network.

[0022] Optionally, the obtaining module is configured to receive registration information of multiple fourth network elements in the standby core network, where the registration information includes address information and disaster recovery information of the fourth network elements, the multiple fourth network elements are all network elements in the standby core network, and the disaster recovery information is used to indicate whether the backup requirements of the second network element can be borne.

[0023] Optionally, the multiple fourth network elements include multiple fifth network elements, and the fifth network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element. The obtaining module is configured to obtain the disaster recovery information of the multiple fifth network elements in the standby core network when there is a second network element that is abnormal in the primary core network. The processing module is specifically configured to determine a third network element from the multiple fifth network elements based on the disaster recovery information of the multiple fifth network elements, and the disaster recovery information of the third network element indicates that the backup requirements of the second network element can be borne.

[0024] Optionally, the obtaining module is configured to obtain heartbeat information of each network element in the primary core network. The processing module is specifically configured to determine the network element status of each network element based on the heartbeat information of each network element, and the network element status is used to indicate whether the network element is abnormal.

[0025] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a device for disaster recovery processing of a core network. The device includes: a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory are coupled, the memory is configured to store one or more programs, and the one or more programs include computer execution instructions. When the device for disaster recovery processing of the core network runs, the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to implement the method for disaster recovery processing of the core network described in the first aspect or any optional one of the first aspect.

[0026] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium. Instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium. When the instructions run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method for disaster recovery processing of the core network described in the first aspect or any optional one of the first aspect.

[0027] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, which is applied to a server. The computer program product includes computer instructions. When the computer instructions run on the server, the server implements the method for disaster recovery processing of the core network described in the above first aspect or any optional one of the first aspects.

[0028] In the above solution, for the technical problems that can be solved and the technical effects achieved by the disaster recovery processing device, equipment, computer storage medium or computer program product of the core network, reference can be made to the technical problems solved and technical effects in the above first aspect, which will not be elaborated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of an example in the first stage of a "disaster roaming technology" provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of an example in the second stage of a "disaster roaming technology" provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of an indirect network sharing scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a 5G indirect network sharing architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of an example of a disaster recovery processing device for the core network provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of an example of another disaster recovery processing device for the core network provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 7 It is a schematic flowchart of a method for disaster recovery processing of the core network provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 8 It is a flowchart of a contractor operator AMF of the NSSF selecting a participating operator network element provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 9 It is a flowchart of a contractor operator AMF that does not involve the NSSF selecting a participating operator network element provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 10 It is a schematic flowchart of another method for disaster recovery processing of the core network provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 11A schematic diagram of the process for a participating operator to back up the registration of 5G core network elements provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0040] Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the structure of a disaster recovery processing device for a core network provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0041] Figure 13 A schematic diagram of the structure of another disaster recovery processing device for a core network provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0042] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of the structure of a disaster recovery processing device for a core network provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0043] Figure 15 A conceptual partial view of a computer program product provided by an embodiment of this application. Detailed implementation manners

[0044] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0045] In this text, the character " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after. For example, A / B can be understood as A or B.

[0046] The terms "first" and "second" in the description and claims of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order of the objects.

[0047] In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof mentioned in the description of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or modules is not limited to the listed steps or modules, but optionally further includes other steps or modules not listed, or optionally further includes other steps or modules inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0048] In addition, in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this 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 concepts in a specific manner.

[0049] Before introducing the method for disaster recovery handling of the core network provided in the embodiments of the present application in detail, first introduce the implementation environment and application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application.

[0050] First, introduce the application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application.

[0051] With the development of communication technology, when a disaster occurs in a certain geographical area, causing the 5G network of a certain operator in that area to be unable to work properly, the operator can use network disaster recovery technology to ensure the network needs of users.

[0052] The international communication standard organization, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), defined the "Disaster Roaming to Minimize Service Disruptions" technology in the Release-17 version of the 5G Core Network (5GC) to address the issue of how to maximize the protection of the 5G services of the users of a certain operator in a region when a disaster occurs in that region, causing the 5G base stations of that operator in that region to be unable to work properly.

[0053] This "disaster roaming technology" can be divided into two stages, namely before the disaster occurs and after the disaster occurs in that area. In a certain region, there are the networks of Operator A and Operator B respectively. The network of Operator A is unable to work properly after the disaster occurs.

[0054] In the first stage, as Figure 1 shown. If the same area is covered by the networks of both Operator A and Operator B at the same time, the prohibited public land mobile network (PLMN) list of the user equipment (UE) of Operator A will store the public land mobile network identifier (PLMN ID) of Operator B. In this way, the UE of Operator A will not access the network of Operator B and cannot select the PLMN ID of Operator B. Similarly, the prohibited PLMN list of the UE of Operator B will store the PLMN ID of Operator A, with the same function. Therefore, under normal circumstances, when the UE of Operator A makes a PLMN selection, it can only select the PLMN ID of Operator A.

[0055] Moreover, the home operator A of the UE will send a "Disaster Roaming Enable Indication" and a list of "PLMNs (Public Land Mobile Networks) that can be accessed under disaster conditions" to the UEs of operator A, to indicate that the UEs can use the disaster roaming service and the selectable PLMN IDs in the event of a disaster.

[0056] In the second stage, as Figure 2 shown, a disaster occurs in this area, causing the 5G base stations of operator A (i.e., the next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) of operator A) to malfunction. Therefore, the UEs of operator A cannot connect to the network through the 5G base stations of operator A. At this time, based on the disaster roaming agreement between operator A and operator B, after operator B learns that the 5G base stations of operator A cannot work properly in this area, the 5G base stations of operator B (i.e., the NG-RAN of operator B) start to broadcast a "Disaster Roaming Service Accessible Indication" and a "Disaster-Affected PLMN Indication" in this area. When the UEs of operator A receive the "Disaster Roaming Service Accessible Indication" and the "Disaster-Affected PLMN Indication" and have received the "Disaster Roaming Enable Indication" and the list of "PLMNs that can be accessed under disaster conditions" in the first stage, they will ignore the prohibited PLMN list stored by themselves and perform PLMN selection according to the list of "PLMNs that can be accessed under disaster conditions", and this list will include the PLMN ID of operator B. Therefore, the UEs of operator A will select the PLMN ID of operator B and then register with the operator B network. After that, the UEs of operator A will access the unaffected operator network through disaster roaming to enjoy basic 5G services.

[0057] Moreover, in the second stage, the indirect network sharing technology is used. 3GPP defined new network sharing scenarios (i.e., indirect network sharing scenarios) and requirements in the requirements stage of Release-19 of 5GC. In this network sharing scenario, the core network of the participating operator and the radio access nodes of the contracting operator are not directly connected, but are connected through the core network of the contracting operator. As Figure 3 shown, Figure 3It includes the user equipment of Operator A. Operator A is the participating operator, and Operator B is the contracting operator providing indirect network sharing. The shared 5G base stations of Operator B will broadcast the PLMN ID representing Operator A in the shared area, such as a dedicated network number or the PLMN ID of Operator A. When the UE moves to a shared area where there is no 5G base station of Operator A but there is a 5G base station of Operator B, the indirect network sharing technology can be used to access the shared network of Operator B by selecting the PLMN ID representing Operator A broadcast by the shared base station and continue to enjoy 5G services. At this time, the core network of Operator A can control and provide services to the UE through the core network of Operator B and the shared NG-RAN. Through the indirect network sharing technology, for some user equipment that cannot use the network of its own operator in the area, it can indirectly use the network services of its own operator by sharing the network resources of other operators.

[0058] The specific 5G indirect network sharing architecture, such as Figure 4As shown, it demonstrates the interaction processes between network elements such as the access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), unified data management (UDM), network repository function (NRF), authentication server function (AUSF) for user authentication and key management, network slice selection function (NSSF), etc., and the UE and the network in the 5G network architecture. It particularly involves the contracting operator B and the participating operator A. This process shows how different functional entities are coordinated in the 5G network to provide services to users and ensure cross-operator service continuity and security. During this process, the UE of the contracting operator B connects to the AMF through the radio access network (RAN). The AMF interacts with the V-SMF (a virtual SMF) through the N11 interface for session management. The V-SMF indirectly interacts with the UDM of the participating operator A through the N8 interface to obtain user subscription information. Then, the V-SMF interacts with the H-SMF (a home SMF) through the N16 interface to perform policy control. The H-SMF interacts with the H-PCF (a home PCF) through the N7 interface to obtain policy information. The V-SMF interacts with the V-UPF (a virtual UPF) through the N4 interface for routing and forwarding of user plane data. Subsequently, the V-UPF interacts with the H-UPF (a home UPF) through the N9 interface to ensure the correct routing of user data between different networks. The V-NSSF interacts with the H-NSSF (a home NSSF) through the N31 interface for network slice selection. The AUSF interacts with the V-NSSF (a virtual NSSF) through the N12 interface for user authentication. This process also involves the V-NRF (a virtual NRF) and the home network registration function H-NRF (a home NRF) through the N27 interface to ensure service continuity and optimize the user experience through the interfaces between different entities.

[0059] In this architecture, the core network of the participating operator is connected to the core network of the contractor. In the 5G system, the contractor operator B shares NG-RAN and 5GC at the same time, and requires the participating operator network to provide corresponding services to their respective users. In the indirect network sharing scenario, since the indirect network sharing needs to cross the core networks of two operators, compared with the UE accessing the local network, the UE accessed through the indirect network sharing may face the problem of reduced service quality due to the long control plane and user plane.

[0060] The existing "disaster roaming" technology can guide users of the affected operator to the network of non-affected operators in the area when a disaster occurs, ensuring that users can use 5G services as much as possible.

[0061] However, this "disaster roaming" technology only considers the scenario of 5G base station failure, and fails to realize "disaster roaming" when the 5G core network fails. In addition, this technology requires close cooperation from the UE, that is, the UE needs to support the identification of disaster roaming related instructions such as "disaster roaming enable indication", "PLMN list accessible under disaster conditions", "disaster roaming service access indication" and "affected PLMN indication", and needs to dynamically ignore the PLMN ID in the prohibited PLMN list stored by itself according to these indications. After actual investigation, most terminals are currently unable to support the above enhanced capabilities, making this technology unable to be truly implemented.

[0062] In summary, how to perform disaster recovery on the core network after an abnormality occurs in the core network has become a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently.

[0063] To solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides a disaster recovery processing method for a core network. The disaster recovery processing method for the core network provided by the embodiment of the present application is applied to a scenario where the core network has an anomaly and disaster recovery is performed on the core network. In the embodiment of the present application, when a disaster occurs in a certain geographical area, causing some or all network elements of the participating operator's primary core network in that area to malfunction, the core network of the contracting operator can determine the primary core network of the device through the access information of the user equipment. When a network element in the primary core network has an anomaly, the core network can indirectly select a network element in the standby core network that can perform the same function for use and establish a connection between these core networks. In this way, the indirect network sharing technology can be used to connect the users of the operator in the disaster-stricken area to the home operator's core network through the network of the sharing operator, enabling the users to normally enjoy the 5G services of the home network that are consistent with the original core network until the core network of the home operator's network in that area resumes normal operation. During this process, the network elements in the standby core network can quickly take over the functions of the primary core network when the primary core network has problems and continue to provide services without affecting the user experience, ensuring the continuity of data transmission and services. Users will not experience obvious interruptions or delays due to core network failures, thereby improving the overall service quality and enhancing the user's satisfaction and trust.

[0064] The implementation environment of the embodiment of the present application will be introduced below.

[0065] As Figure 5 shown, it is a schematic diagram of a processing device for core network disaster recovery provided by an embodiment of the present application. The processing device for core network disaster recovery may include: the primary core network 501 of the participating operator, the core network 502 of the contracting operator, the standby core network 503 of the participating operator, the base station 504 of the participating operator, the base station 505 of the contracting operator, the user equipment 506 of the participating operator, and the user equipment 507 of the contracting operator. Among them, the primary core network 501 of the participating operator can be wirelessly connected to the core network 502 of the contracting operator; the core network 502 of the contracting operator can be wirelessly connected to the standby core network 503 of the participating operator; the primary core network 501 of the participating operator can be wirelessly connected to the base station 504 of the participating operator; the base station 504 of the participating operator can be wirelessly connected to the user equipment 506 of the participating operator; the core network 502 of the contracting operator can be wirelessly connected to the base station 505 of the contracting operator; the base station 505 of the contracting operator can be wirelessly connected to the user equipment 506 of the participating operator and the user equipment 507 of the contracting operator.

[0066] Specifically, the main core network 501 of the participating operator can be connected to the base station 504 of the participating operator to provide services for the user equipment 506 of the participating operator. Moreover, the main core network 501 of the participating operator can also be used to store the network function profile (NF profile) of the standby core network 503 of the participating operator.

[0067] The core network 502 of the contractor operator can be connected to the base station 505 of the contractor operator to provide services for the user equipment 506 of the participating operator and the user equipment 507 of the contractor operator.

[0068] The standby core network 503 of the participating operator can be used to register with the main core network 501 of the participating operator and store the NF profile of the standby core network 503 of the participating operator in the NRF of the main core network 501 of the participating operator. In addition, the standby core network 503 of the participating operator can also be connected to the main core network 501 of the participating operator and the core network 502 of the contractor operator to replace the network element that has an abnormality in the main core network 501 of the participating operator and provide services for the user equipment 506 of the participating operator accessed in the core network 502 of the contractor operator.

[0069] Optionally, before a disaster occurs, in this area, the user equipment 506 of the participating operator selects the PLMN ID of the home network broadcast by the base station 504 of the participating operator and normally accesses the 5G network of the participating operator. The user equipment 507 of the contractor operator in the same area selects the PLMN ID of the home network broadcast by the base station 505 of the contractor operator and normally accesses the 5G network of the contractor operator. As mentioned above, if there is coverage of the networks of both the participating operator and the contractor operator in the same area, the PLMN ID of the contractor operator will be stored in the prohibited PLMN list of the user equipment 506 of the participating operator. In this way, the user equipment 506 of the participating operator will not access the network of the contractor operator, that is, the user equipment 506 of the participating operator cannot select the PLMN ID of the contractor operator. Similarly, the PLMN ID of the participating operator will be stored in the prohibited PLMN list of the user equipment 507 of the contractor operator.

[0070] When a disaster occurs, some network elements of the main core network 501 of the participating operator in this area cannot work properly, and the 5G network of the user equipment 506 of the participating operator is disconnected. At this time, after some network elements of the main core network 501 of the participating operator in this area cannot work properly, the network awareness of the contracting operator can send instructions to the base station 505 of the contracting operator in this geographical area through the network element of the core network 502 of the contracting operator or the network management platform of the contracting operator. For example, send the list of affected PLMNs, instructing the base station 505 of the contracting operator to broadcast the PLMN ID of the contracting operator representing its own network while broadcasting the PLMN ID representing the participating operator. This network number is not in the prohibited PLMN list of the user equipment 506 of the participating operator. Therefore, the user equipment 506 of the participating operator will select this network number and initiate a registration process to the contracting operator, that is, access the 5GC of the contracting operator through the indirect network sharing technology and then connect back to the 5GC of the participating operator, and then enjoy the 5G service of this network.

[0071] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the PLMN ID representing the participating operator can be a PLMN ID equivalent to the PLMN ID of the participating operator, or the PLMN ID of the participating operator itself.

[0072] It should be noted that in the above scenario, the NRF of the participating operator will return the SMF of the backup 5G core network to the AMF of the contracting operator. Normally, the NRF of the participating operator will match the NF profiles of all SMFs saved in the NRF according to all the parameters included in the request message (i.e., Nnrf_NFDiscovery_Request), find all the SMFs that match successfully, and return their addresses and the corresponding NF profiles to the AMF of operator B.

[0073] In the embodiments of this application, the NRF of the participating operator preferentially searches for the SMF based on all the standard parameters included in the request message. If it is found that all the matching SMFs are unavailable, the NRF of the participating operator will give priority to considering the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication", that is, it does not need to match other standard parameters, and only needs to check which SMF's NF profile contains the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication". When the NF profiles of multiple SMFs contain this parameter, the NRF of the participating operator can continue to match other standard parameters, and finally return the corresponding SMF to the AMF of the contracting operator.

[0074] It should be noted that the type of the standby core network 503 of the participating operator in the embodiments of the present application is not limited. The standby core network 503 of the participating operator may be the 5G core network of the participating operator in other regions responsible for bearing the backup responsibility, or the standby core network 503 of the participating operator may be a set of backup 5G core networks specially deployed in the affected area for core network disaster recovery.

[0075] In some embodiments, as Figure 6 shown, it is a schematic diagram of another core network disaster recovery processing device provided by the embodiments of the present application. The core network disaster recovery processing device may include: the main core network 601 of the participating operator, the core network 602 of the contracting operator, the standby core network 603 of the participating operator, the base station 604 of the participating operator, the base station 605 of the contracting operator, the user equipment 606 of the participating operator, and the user equipment 607 of the contracting operator. Among them, the main core network 601 of the participating operator may be wirelessly connected to the core network 602 of the contracting operator; the core network 602 of the contracting operator may be wirelessly connected to the standby core network 603 of the participating operator; the main core network 601 of the participating operator may be wirelessly connected to the base station 604 of the participating operator; the base station 604 of the participating operator may be wirelessly connected to the user equipment 606 of the participating operator; the core network 602 of the contracting operator may be wirelessly connected to the base station 605 of the contracting operator; the base station 605 of the contracting operator may be wirelessly connected to the user equipment 606 of the participating operator and the user equipment 607 of the contracting operator.

[0076] When a disaster occurs and all network elements of the main core network 601 of the participating operator in this area cannot work properly, that is, network elements such as AUSF, UDM, SMF, and UPF cannot work properly. At this time, the relevant network elements of the core network 602 of the contracting operator need to discover the 5G core network of the participating operator that can operate in other regions, that is, discover each network element of the standby core network 603 of the participating operator according to the above process. When the 5G network of the participating operator returns to normal, the user equipment 606 of the participating operator returns to the network of the participating operator.

[0077] It should be noted that the present application requires that before a disaster occurs, the participating operator and the contracting operator sign a network disaster recovery agreement to ensure that the 5GC of the participating operator and the 5GC of the contracting operator can communicate with each other in the event of a disaster, and ensure that the base station 605 of the contracting operator broadcasts the PLMNID representing the participating operator after receiving the disaster instruction.

[0078] Among them, the terminal can be devices such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a handheld computer, a notebook computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a netbook, etc. with transceiver functions. This application does not impose special restrictions on the specific form of the terminal. It can perform human-computer interaction with the user in one or more ways such as a keyboard, a touchpad, a touch screen, a remote control, voice interaction, or a handwriting device.

[0079] The base station can include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small stations), relay stations, access points, etc. Specifically, it can be: an access point (AP) in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a base transceiver station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a Node B (NB) in a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) in LTE, or a relay station or an access point, as well as a base station in a future 6th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (6G) network or a base station in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) network, etc.

[0080] The core network element can include various network functions, such as access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), user plane function (UPF), policy control function (PCF), unified data management (UDM), location management function (LMF), user authentication and key management (authentication server function, AUSF), network repository function (NRF), network slice selection function (NSSF), etc.

[0081] After introducing the application scenario and implementation environment of the embodiments of the present application, the disaster recovery processing method of the core network provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in combination with the above implementation environment.

[0082] The methods in the following embodiments can all be implemented in the above application scenario and implementation environment. The embodiments of the present application will be specifically described below in combination with the accompanying drawings of the specification.

[0083] Figure 7 It is a schematic flowchart of a disaster recovery processing method for a core network provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 7 shown, the method may include: S701 - S703.

[0084] S701. The access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator receives the access information of the user equipment of the participating operator.

[0085] Among them, the user equipment is located in the service scope of the main core network of the participating operator. The main core network is the core network to which the user equipment is connected, and the main core network includes a first network element without abnormality and / or a second network element with abnormality.

[0086] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the reason for the abnormality of the second network element. For example, the reason for the abnormality of the second network element is that a natural disaster occurs in the service scope of the main core network. Another example is that the reason for the abnormality of the second network element is human damage. Another example is that the reason for the abnormality of the second network element is a power outage in the service scope of the main core network.

[0087] As a possible implementation, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator can determine the primary core network of the participating operator based on the access information of the user equipment of the participating operator, and determine the network elements without anomalies and / or the network elements with anomalies in the primary core network.

[0088] It should be noted that in the embodiments of the present application, the number of the first network element and the second network element can be one, or the number of the first network element and the second network element can be multiple.

[0089] S702. The access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator forms the second core network of the participating operator based on the first network element and / or the third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator.

[0090] Among them, the third network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element.

[0091] Exemplarily, the primary core network includes multiple network elements: AUSF, UDM, SMF, UPF. Among them, the SMF and UPF in the primary core network have anomalies. Then, the AUSF and UDM in the primary core network are the first network elements, the SMF and UPF in the primary core network are the second network elements, the second core network includes the AUSF and UDM in the primary core network and the SMF and UPF in the standby core network, and the SMF and UPF in the standby core network are the third network elements.

[0092] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the standby core network of the participating operator. The standby core network of the participating operator can be a core network outside the service scope of the primary core network, or the standby core network of the participating operator can be the total core network composed of core networks outside the service scope of the primary core network, and this core network has the basic characteristics and functions of the core network to ensure that users can temporarily perform basic services.

[0093] As a possible implementation, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator can combine the first network element without anomalies in the primary core network with the third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator that can replace the second network element with anomalies to form a complete new core network that can provide the original functions.

[0094] S703. The access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator establishes a connection between the user equipment and the second core network.

[0095] As a possible implementation, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator can connect the primary core network and / or the standby core network to the first core network based on the network element address information in the network elements included in the second core network. Then, since the user equipment accesses the first core network, the connection between the user equipment and the second core network is indirectly realized.

[0096] The technical solutions provided by the above embodiments at least bring the following beneficial effects: When a disaster occurs in a certain geographical area, causing some or all of the network elements of the primary core network of the participating operator in that area to malfunction, the core network of the contractor operator can determine the primary core network of the device based on the access information of the user equipment, and when the network elements in the primary core network malfunction, indirectly select the network elements in the standby core network that can perform the same functions for use and establish connections between these core networks. In this way, the indirect network sharing technology can be used to connect the users of the operator in the disaster-stricken area to the core network of the home operator through the network of the sharing operator, so that the users can normally enjoy the 5G services of the home network with the same service experience as the original core network until the core network of the home operator network in that area resumes normal operation. During this process, the network elements in the standby core network can quickly take over the functions of the primary core network when problems occur in the primary core network and continue to provide services without affecting the user experience, ensuring the continuity of data transmission and services. Users will not experience obvious interruptions or delays due to core network failures, thus improving the overall service quality and enhancing user satisfaction and trust.

[0097] It should be noted that for the process of forming the second core network (i.e., S702) of the participating operator based on the first network element and / or the third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator can request the network element address information of the second core network from the network function storage function network element of the participating operator's network.

[0098] In some embodiments, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator can send a network element discovery request message to the network function storage function network element of the participating operator, and request the address information of the network elements in the core network of the participating operator that have not malfunctioned through the network element discovery request message. Then, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator can receive the network element address information sent by the network function storage function network element of the participating operator and determine the second core network according to the network element address information.

[0099] Among them, the network element address information includes: the address information of the first network element and / or the address information of the third network element, and the second core network includes the first network element and the third network element.

[0100] It should be noted that the process in which the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator sends a network element discovery request message to the network function storage function network element of the participating operator and receives the network element address information sent by the network function storage function network element of the participating operator can refer to part of the process of international roaming in the existing 3GPP standard.

[0101] In the embodiment of the present application, referring to the SMF discovery process of home routed roaming in section 4.3.2.2.3.3 (a process for handling network slice selection) of the latest version of 3GPP TS 23.502, which includes two flowcharts, namely the flowchart involving NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function) and the flowchart not involving NSSF. The present invention enhances these two processes respectively. Among them, the enhanced process in which the AMF of the contracting operator involving NSSF selects the network element of the participating operator is as Figure 8 shown, and the enhanced process in which the AMF of the contracting operator not involving NSSF selects the network element of the participating operator is as Figure 9 shown. Among them, the process in which the AMF of the contracting operator selects the AUSF or UDM of the participating operator may include the following steps 1 - 7:

[0102] Step 1: The access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator sends a discovery request (i.e., a network element discovery request message) to the network function storage function network element (i.e., vNRF) of the contracting operator to discover the AUSF or UDM of the participating operator (i.e., the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator sends a network element discovery request message to the network function storage function network element of the participating operator). Since the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator can identify that the UE is a UE of the participating operator (disaster - affected operator) accessing through indirect network sharing during the registration process, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator includes a new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" (i.e., disaster recovery information) and other standard parameters (i.e., Figure 8 step 5 of Figure 9 step 1).

[0103] Step 2: The network function storage function network element of the contracting operator forwards the discovery request information to the network function storage function network element (i.e., hNRF) of the participating operator (i.e., Figure 8 step 6 of Figure 9 step 2), or indirectly forwards the discovery request information to the network function storage function network element of the participating operator through the local NRF ( Figure 9 step 2 and Figure 9 step 3a and step 3b in 3B of

[0104] Step 3: The network function storage function network element of the participating operator will check and find the parameters included in the request. When the network function storage function network element of the participating operator finds that the request includes the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication", the network function storage function network element of the participating operator will first select the AUSF or UDM according to other standard parameters. Under normal circumstances, the AUSF or UDM in the 5G core network of the participating operator in this region will be selected. However, if the network function storage function network element of the participating operator finds that the AUSF or UDM is unavailable, the network function storage function network element of the participating operator will give priority to considering the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" and select the operable AUSF or UDM deployed in other regions (i.e., the third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator) in combination with other standard parameters (i.e., Figure 8 Step 8 of Figure 9 Step 3b in 3A of Figure 9 Step 3c and Step 3d in 3B of

[0105] Step 4: The network function storage function network element of the participating operator will return the AUSF and UDM of the 5G core network of the participating operator in this region to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator (i.e., send the network element address information to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network) (i.e., Figure 8 Step 8 of Figure 9 Step 3b in 3A of Figure 9 Step 3c and Step 3d in 3B of

[0106] Step 5: After the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator discovers the corresponding AUSF and UDM, the subsequent registration process is completed. At this time, the UE of the participating operator has been registered to the network of the contracting operator through the indirect network sharing technology (i.e., establish a connection between the user equipment and the second core network).

[0107] It should be noted that after the above Step 5, the UE of the participating operator will trigger the PDU session establishment process. The specific PDU session establishment process follows Section 4.3.2.2.2 of 3GPP TS23.502 (a process for handling network slice selection).

[0108] Similarly, in this process, the contracting operator AMF needs to discover and select the participating operator SMF. It can include the following steps A - E:

[0109] Step A: The access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator sends a discovery request to the network function storage function network element (i.e., vNRF) of the contractor operator to discover the SMF of the participating operator (i.e., the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator sends a network element discovery request message to the network function storage function network element of the participating operator). Since the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator can identify that the UE is a UE of the affected operator participating operator accessing through indirect network sharing during the registration process, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator includes the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" (i.e., disaster recovery information) and other standard parameters in the discovery request. (i.e., Figure 8 Step 5 of Figure 9 Step 1).

[0110] Step B: The network function storage function network element of the contractor operator forwards the discovery request information to the network function storage function network element (i.e., hNRF) of the participating operator (i.e., Figure 8 Step 6 of Figure 9 Step 2), or indirectly forwards the discovery request information to the network function storage function network element of the participating operator through the local NRF ( Figure 9 Step 2 and Figure 9 Steps 3a and 3b in 3B of

[0111] Step C: The network function storage function network element of the participating operator checks the parameters included in the discovery request. When the network function storage function network element of the participating operator discovers that the request includes the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication", the network function storage function network element of the participating operator first selects the SMF according to other standard parameters. Under normal circumstances, it will select the SMF in the 5G core network of the participating operator in this area. However, if the network function storage function network element of the participating operator discovers that the SMF in this area is unavailable, then the network function storage function network element of the participating operator will give priority to considering the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" (i.e., disaster recovery information) and combine other standard parameters to select a runnable SMF deployed in other areas. The network function storage function network element of the participating operator will select the SMF of the 5G core network of the participating operator responsible for taking backup responsibilities (i.e., the third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator) (i.e., Figure 8 Step 8 of Figure 9 Step 3b in 3A of Figure 9 Steps 3c and 3d in 3B of

[0112] Step D. The network function storage function network element of the participating operator returns the selected SMF address to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator (i.e., sends network element address information to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network) (i.e., Figure 8 Step 8 of Figure 9 Step 3b in 3A of Figure 9 Step 3c and Step 3d in 3B of

[0113] Step E. After the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator discovers the corresponding SMF of the participating operator, it completes the subsequent PDU session establishment process (i.e., establishes a connection between the user equipment and the second core network).

[0114] It should be noted that before the process of the contracting operator's AMF selecting the participating operator's AUSF, UDM, or SMF (i.e., Step 1 and Step A), as Figure 8 shown, if the contracting operator's AMF does not know the NRF information of the participating operator, the AMF will send a network slice selection message to the contracting operator's NSSF (i.e., vNSSF). If the contracting operator's NSSF does not have cached information, the contracting operator's NSSF will call the network slice selection message service operation to the participating operator's NSSF (i.e., hNSSF) and return a network slice selection message response to the contracting operator's NSSF. Then, the contracting operator's NSSF returns the network slice selection message response to the contracting operator's AMF.

[0115] Similarly, as Figure 9 shown, the contracting operator's AMF needs to send a discovery request to the contracting operator's NRF (i.e., vNRF).

[0116] It can be understood that by obtaining the network element address information pre-stored by the network function storage function network element of the participating operator before a disaster occurs, the source of the network elements in the second core network can be determined to achieve network connection. This can ensure that in the event of a network failure or disaster, the appropriate network elements can be quickly located and enabled, thus achieving rapid network connection and recovery.

[0117] In some embodiments, based on the network element address information, there are also two ways to determine the network elements included in the second core network.

[0118] As a possible implementation, when there is the address information of the third network element in the network element address information and there is no address information of the first network element, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator can use the standby core network as the second core network, and the first network element does not exist in the second core network.

[0119] As another possible implementation, when the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator has the address information of the first network element in the network element address information and does not have the address information of the third network element, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator may use the primary core network as the second core network, and the third network element does not exist in the second core network.

[0120] As another possible implementation, when the address information of the first network element and the address information of the third network element exist simultaneously in the network element address information, the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator may form the second core network by combining the first network element in the primary core network and the third network element in the standby core network.

[0121] It should be noted that the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator may obtain the address information of the first network element and the address information of the third network element simultaneously through a single network element discovery request message, or the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator may obtain the address information of the first network element and the address information of the third network element respectively through multiple network element discovery request messages.

[0122] It can be understood that when the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator obtains the address information of the first network element and the address information of the third network element simultaneously through a single network element discovery request message, the number of network element discovery request messages in the network can be reduced, the communication overhead and the latency of obtaining the address information can be decreased, and the efficiency of obtaining the address information of the network element can be improved.

[0123] Or, when the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator obtains the address information of the first network element and the address information of the third network element respectively through multiple network element discovery request messages, the situation where the entire operation fails due to the failure of a single network element discovery request message can be avoided, and the stability of the process of obtaining the address information of the network element can be improved.

[0124] In summary, by describing the situation of the network elements included in the second core network under three conditions: all network elements in the primary core network are abnormal, some network elements in the primary core network are abnormal, and all network elements in the primary core network are normal. This method can dynamically select appropriate network elements and core networks, and can flexibly select the network elements that make up the second core network when the primary core network fails. In this way, not only can it quickly switch to the standby core network, but it can also continue to rely on the unaffected part of the primary core network when the standby resources are insufficient. It ensures that when a network failure or disaster occurs, appropriate network elements can be quickly enabled to achieve the rapid connection and recovery of the network.

[0125] Figure 10 It is a schematic flowchart of a disaster recovery processing method for a core network provided by an embodiment of this application. AsFigure 10 As shown, the method may include: S1001 - S1003.

[0126] S1001. The network function storage function network element of the participating operator receives a network element discovery request message sent by the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator.

[0127] Among them, the network element discovery request message is used to request the address information of the network elements that have not had anomalies in the core network of the participating operator.

[0128] S1002. The network function storage function network element of the participating operator obtains the network element address information.

[0129] Among them, the network element address information includes: the address information of the first network element that has not had anomalies in the primary core network of the participating operator, and / or the address information of the third network element in the backup core network of the participating operator, where the third network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element that has had an anomaly in the primary core network.

[0130] As a possible implementation, the network function storage function network element of the participating operator may pre - store the network element address information. Then, after the network function storage function network element of the participating operator obtains the status (i.e., heartbeat information) of each network element in the primary core network, it can determine the first network element and / or the third network element that needs to be obtained, and query the pre - stored network element address information of the first network element and / or the third network element to obtain the network element address information.

[0131] In some embodiments, the network function storage function network element of the participating operator may pre - store the network element address information.

[0132] As a possible implementation, the network function storage function network element of the participating operator may receive the registration information of multiple fourth network elements in the backup core network. Among them, the multiple fourth network elements are all the network elements in the backup core network, and the registration information includes the address information of the fourth network element and the disaster recovery information, and the disaster recovery information is used to indicate whether it can undertake the backup requirements of the second network element.

[0133] Optionally, as Figure 11 shown, before a disaster occurs, all the network elements of the backup core network of the participating operator can perform network element registration with the network function storage function network element of the participating operator through the following steps 1 - step 3.

[0134] Step 1: All network elements (i.e., network function service consumers) of the standby core network of the participating operator register their respective NF profiles carried with the network function storage function network element of the participating operator. The NF profile contains the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" (i.e., disaster recovery information) and the parameters defined in the existing standards.

[0135] Step 2: The network function storage function network element of the participating operator stores the corresponding NF profile (i.e., stores the network function configuration file). Moreover, the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" introduced in this application is also saved in the NF profile, which is used to discover the network elements of the standby core network of the participating operator in case of a disaster.

[0136] Step 3: In response to the network element registration request, the network element registration is successful.

[0137] It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, the NF profile contains network element address information.

[0138] In some embodiments, the network function storage function network element of the participating operator can obtain the heartbeat information of each network element in the primary core network. Then, based on the heartbeat information of each network element, it is determined whether the network element has an abnormality to determine the network element status of each network element in the primary core network.

[0139] It should be noted that the embodiments of this application do not limit the type of the heartbeat information. The heartbeat information can be command - type heartbeat information, or the heartbeat information can be content - type heartbeat information, which contains confirmation information, as well as detailed operating status, performance indicators, and other relevant information.

[0140] Exemplarily, if the heartbeat information is 1, it means the network element has no abnormality; if the heartbeat information is 0, it means the network element has an abnormality. The primary core network includes multiple network elements: AUSF, UDM, SMF, UPF. Among them, the heartbeat information corresponding to AUSF is 1, the heartbeat information corresponding to UDM is 1, the heartbeat information corresponding to SMF is 0, and the heartbeat information corresponding to UPF is 0. Then, the AUSF network element and the UDM network element have no abnormality, while the SMF network element and the UPF network element have an abnormality.

[0141] It can be understood that the network function storage function network element of the participating operator can determine the network element status of each network element in the primary core network according to the heartbeat information, determine whether the network element has an abnormality, and further determine whether it is necessary to find the network elements of the standby core network. This can achieve real - time status monitoring of network elements and rapid fault response, enhancing the disaster recovery ability.

[0142] S1003. The network function storage function network element of the participating operator sends network element address information to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network.

[0143] The technical solution provided by the above embodiment has at least the following beneficial effects: After receiving the network element discovery request message sent by the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator, the pre-stored network element address information is queried, thereby providing support for the subsequent connection of the core network. In this way, the core network address query and response can be realized, ensuring that the service can run continuously and stably in case of network failure or disaster.

[0144] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned multiple fourth network elements include multiple fifth network elements, and the fifth network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element. After the network function storage function network element of the participating operator receives the network element discovery request message (i.e., S1001) sent by the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator, if there is an abnormal second network element in the main core network, the network function storage function network element of the participating operator can obtain the disaster recovery information of multiple fifth network elements of the standby core network. Then, the network function storage function network element of the participating operator can determine whether the network element can undertake the backup requirement of the second network element according to the disaster recovery information, that is, determine whether the network element can be shared to provide services for users instead of the second network element. Then, the network function storage function network element of the participating operator can select a fifth network element that can undertake the backup requirement of the second network element from multiple fifth network elements as the third network element based on the disaster recovery information of the multiple fifth network elements.

[0145] That is to say, after the network function storage function network element of the participating operator receives the network element discovery request message sent by the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contracting operator, the network function storage function network element of the participating operator first selects relevant network elements of its own network according to standard parameters. Under normal circumstances, relevant network elements in the main core network of the participating operator will be selected. However, if the network function storage function network element of the participating operator finds that the relevant network elements in the main core network of the participating operator in this area are unavailable, the network function storage function network element of the participating operator will give priority to considering the standby core network of the participating operator containing the "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" parameter (i.e., disaster recovery information), and select relevant network elements in the standby core network of the participating operator in combination with other standard parameters.

[0146] Exemplarily, if the primary core network is located in Region A, the second network element in the primary core network is an SMF network element, and the multiple fifth network elements include: the SMF network element in the core network of Region B and the SMF network element in the core network of Region C. If the disaster recovery information of the SMF network element in the core network of Region B can meet the backup requirements of the second network element, then the SMF network element in the core network of Region B is the third network element.

[0147] It can be understood that in the case where the second network element in the primary core network fails, the network element with a disaster recovery indication is preferentially selected through the disaster recovery information of the standby core network. This method ensures that in the event of a network failure or disaster, a suitable network element can be quickly enabled, thus guaranteeing the continuity and stability of services.

[0148] In summary, the present application designs a network disaster recovery method based on network sharing. When a disaster occurs in a certain geographical area, causing some or all of the network elements of a 5G core network of an operator in that area to be unable to work properly, it can enable the users of this operator to normally enjoy the 5G services of the home network until the 5G core network of the home operator in this area resumes normal operation.

[0149] The present application can enhance the network element registration. All network elements of the 5G core network responsible for backup carry their respective NF profiles to register with the NRF. The NF profile contains a new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication". The NRF stores the corresponding NF profiles. In particular, the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" (i.e., disaster recovery information) is also saved in the NF profile for the discovery of the backup 5G core network elements during a disaster.

[0150] Moreover, this application can enhance the NF discovery across operators. In the network disaster recovery method based on network sharing, the AMF of the contractor operator sends a request message to the NRF of the contractor operator to discover the relevant network elements that can be operated by the participating operator. Since the AMF of the contractor operator can identify that the UE is a UE of the affected operator accessing through indirect network sharing during the registration process, the AMF of the contractor operator includes a new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" and other standard parameters in the request message. The NRF of the participating operator will check the parameters included in the request message. When the NRF of the participating operator discovers that the request includes the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication", the NRF of the participating operator first selects the relevant network elements in the 5G core network of the participating operator in this region according to other standard parameters. Under normal circumstances, the relevant network elements in the 5G core network of the participating operator in this region can be selected. However, if the NRF discovers that the relevant network elements in the 5G core network of the participating operator in this region are unavailable, the NRF will give priority to the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" and combine other standard parameters to select the relevant network elements in the 5G core network of the participating operator that can be operated and deployed in other regions.

[0151] It should be noted that the NRF of the participating operator will give priority to the new parameter "indirect network sharing disaster recovery indication" and combine other standard parameters to select the relevant network elements in the backup core network of the participating operator that can be operated.

[0152] The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the embodiments of this application from the perspective of computer devices. It can be understood that in order for a computer device to implement the above functions, it includes the corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the method steps of the disaster recovery processing of the core network in each example described in the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in the way of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described function for each specific application, but this implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0153] The embodiments of this application also provide a disaster recovery processing device for the core network. The disaster recovery processing device for the core network can be a computer device, or the CPU in the above computer device, or the processing module in the above computer device for performing disaster recovery on the core network when an exception occurs in the core network, or the client in the above computer device for performing disaster recovery on the core network when an exception occurs in the core network.

[0154] The embodiments of the present application can divide the disaster recovery processing device of the core network into functional modules or functional units according to the above method examples. For example, each functional module or functional unit can be corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware, or in the form of a software functional module or functional unit. Among them, the division of modules or units in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, only a logical function division, and there can be other division methods in actual implementation.

[0155] As Figure 12 shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of a disaster recovery processing device of a core network provided by an embodiment of the present application. The disaster recovery processing device of the core network is used to execute Figure 7 、 Figure 10 the disaster recovery processing method of the core network shown. The disaster recovery processing device 1200 of the core network may include: an acquisition module 1201 and a processing module 1202.

[0156] The acquisition module 1201 is configured to receive access information of a user device of a participating operator. The user device is located within the service scope of the main core network of the participating operator. The main core network includes: a first network element without an exception and / or a second network element with an exception. The processing module 1202 is configured to form a second core network of the participating operator based on the first network element and / or a third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator. The third network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element. The processing module 1202 is further configured to establish a connection between the user device and the second core network.

[0157] Optionally, the processing module 1202 is specifically configured to send a network element discovery request message to the network function storage function network element of the participating operator. The network element discovery request message is used to request the address information of the network elements without exceptions in the core network of the participating operator. The acquisition module 1201 is configured to receive the network element address information sent by the network function storage function network element of the participating operator. The network element address information includes: the address information of the first network element and / or the address information of the third network element. The processing module 1202 is further configured to determine the second core network according to the network element address information. The second core network includes the first network element and the third network element.

[0158] Optionally, the processing module 1202 is specifically configured to use the standby core network as the second core network when the address information of the third network element exists in the network element address information and the address information of the first network element does not exist, and the first network element does not exist in the second core network. The processing module 1202 is further configured to use the primary core network as the second core network when the address information of the first network element exists in the network element address information and the address information of the third network element does not exist, and the third network element does not exist in the second core network. The processing module 1202 is further configured to form the second core network by combining the first network element in the primary core network and the third network element in the standby core network when the address information of the first network element and the address information of the third network element exist in the network element address information at the same time.

[0159] As Figure 13 shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of another core network disaster recovery processing device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The core network disaster recovery processing device is used to execute Figure 7 、 Figure 10 the core network disaster recovery processing method shown. The core network disaster recovery processing device 1300 may include: an acquisition module 1301 and a processing module 1302.

[0160] The acquisition module 1301 is configured to receive a network element discovery request message sent by the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the contractor operator. The network element discovery request message is used to request the address information of the network elements that are normal in the core network of the participating operator. The acquisition module 1301 is configured to acquire network element address information, where the network element address information includes: the address information of the first network element that is normal in the primary core network of the participating operator, and / or, the address information of the third network element in the standby core network of the participating operator. The third network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element that is abnormal in the primary core network. The processing module 1302 is configured to send the network element address information to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network.

[0161] Optionally, the acquisition module 1301 is configured to receive the registration information of multiple fourth network elements in the standby core network. The registration information includes the address information of the fourth network elements and disaster recovery information. The multiple fourth network elements are all the network elements in the standby core network. The disaster recovery information is used to indicate whether the backup requirements of the second network element can be borne.

[0162] Optionally, the multiple fourth network elements include multiple fifth network elements. The fifth network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element. The acquisition module 1301 is configured to acquire the disaster recovery information of the multiple fifth network elements in the standby core network when there is an abnormal second network element in the primary core network. The processing module 1302 is specifically configured to determine the third network element from the multiple fifth network elements based on the disaster recovery information of the multiple fifth network elements. The disaster recovery information of the third network element indicates that the backup requirements of the second network element can be borne.

[0163] Optionally, an obtaining module 1301 is configured to obtain the heartbeat information of each network element in the main core network. A processing module 1302 is specifically configured to determine the network element status of each network element based on the heartbeat information of each network element, and the network element status is used to indicate whether the network element has an abnormality.

[0164] Figure 14 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a disaster recovery processing device for a core network according to an exemplary embodiment. The device may include a processor 1402, and the processor 1402 is configured to execute application program code to implement the disaster recovery processing method for the core network in the present application.

[0165] The processor 1402 may be a CPU, a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of the program of the solution of the present application.

[0166] As Figure 14 shown, the disaster recovery processing device for the core network may further include a memory 1403. The memory 1403 is configured to store the application program code for executing the solution of the present application and is controlled by the processor 1402 to execute.

[0167] The memory 1403 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions, or may also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory 1403 may exist independently and be connected to the processor 1402 through a bus 1404. The memory 1403 may also be integrated with the processor 1402.

[0168] As Figure 14As shown, the disaster recovery processing device of the core network may further include a communication interface 1401. Among them, the communication interface 1401, the processor 1402, and the memory 1403 may be coupled to each other. For example, they may be coupled to each other through a bus 1404. The communication interface 1401 is used for information interaction with other devices. For example, it supports information interaction between the disaster recovery processing device of the core network and other devices.

[0169] It should be noted that Figure 14 the device structure shown in Figure 14 does not constitute a limitation on the disaster recovery processing device of the core network. In addition to

[0170] the components shown, the disaster recovery processing device of the core network may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements. Figure 14 In actual implementation, the functions implemented by the processing module 1202 and the processing module 1302 can both be implemented by

[0171] the processor 1402 shown calling the program code in the memory 1403.

[0172] Figure 15 Exemplarily shown is a conceptual partial view of a computer program product provided by an embodiment of the present application. The computer program product includes a computer program for executing a computer process on a computing device.

[0173] In one embodiment, the computer program product is provided using a signal-bearing medium 1500. The signal-bearing medium 1500 may include one or more program instructions, which when run by one or more processors can provide the functions or partial functions described above for Figure 7 、 Figure 10 Therefore, for example, referring to Figure 7 the embodiment shown in Figure 15 one or more features of S701 - S703 may be borne by one or more instructions associated with the signal-bearing medium 1500. In addition,

[0174] In some examples, the signal-bearing medium 1500 may include a computer-readable medium 1501, such as but not limited to, a hard disk drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), a digital tape, a memory, a read-only memory (ROM), or a random access memory (RAM), and so on.

[0175] In some embodiments, the signal-bearing medium 1500 may include a computer-recordable medium 1502, such as but not limited to, a memory, a read / write (R / W) CD, an R / W DVD, and so on.

[0176] In some embodiments, the signal-bearing medium 1500 may include a communication medium 1503, such as but not limited to, a digital and / or analog communication medium (e.g., an optical fiber cable, a waveguide, a wired communication link, a wireless communication link, and so on).

[0177] The signal-bearing medium 1500 may be conveyed by a communication medium 1503 in a wireless form. One or more program instructions may be, for example, computer-executable instructions or logic-implemented instructions.

[0178] In some examples, such as for Figure 12 、 Figure 13 the disaster recovery processing device of the core network described can be configured to provide various operations, functions, or actions in response to one or more program instructions in the computer-readable medium 1501, the computer-recordable medium 1502, and / or the communication medium 1503.

[0179] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and conciseness of description, only the above division of each functional module is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be allocated to different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0180] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only illustrative. For example, the division of modules or units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect coupling or communication connection of the device or unit can be in an electrical, mechanical, or other form.

[0181] The unit described as a separating component may or may not be physically separated. The component shown as a unit may be a single physical unit or multiple physical units, that is, it may be in one place or distributed to multiple different places. Some or all of the classification units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0182] In addition, each functional unit in various embodiments of the present application can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0183] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the classification of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a device (which can be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, etc.) or a processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes various media such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disc that can store program codes.

[0184] The above is only the specific implementation manner of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any change or replacement within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A core network disaster recovery processing method, characterized in that: The method is applied to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the operator of the construction party, and comprises: Receiving access information of a user equipment of a participating operator, where the user equipment is located in a service range of a primary core network of the participating operator, where the primary core network includes: a first network element in which no abnormality occurs and / or a second network element in which an abnormality occurs; Based on the first network element and / or a third network element in the backup core network of the participating operator, a second core network of the participating operator is formed, wherein the third network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element; A connection is established between the user equipment and the second core network.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The third network element in the backup core network of the participating operator based on the first network element and / or the participating operator constitutes the second core network of the participating operator, including: Sending a network element discovery request message to the network function storage function network element of the participating operator, wherein the network element discovery request message is used to request address information of network elements in the core network of the participating operator that have no abnormalities; Receiving network element address information sent by the network function storage function network element of the participating operator, the network element address information including: address information of the first network element and / or address information of the third network element; The second core network is determined according to the network element address information, where the second core network includes a first network element and a third network element.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The determining the second core network according to the network element address information includes: In a case where the network element address information contains the address information of the third network element and does not contain the address information of the first network element, the standby core network is used as the second core network, and the first network element does not exist in the second core network; or, In a case where the address information of the first network element exists in the network element address information and the address information of the third network element does not exist, the primary core network is used as the second core network, and the third network element does not exist in the second core network; or, When the network element address information contains both the address information of the first network element and the address information of the third network element, the first network element in the primary core network and the third network element in the backup core network form the second core network.

4. A core network disaster recovery processing method, characterized in that: A network function storage function network element applied to a participating operator, the method comprising: Receiving a network element discovery request message sent by an access and mobility management function network element of a first core network of a construction operator, wherein the network element discovery request message is used to request address information of a network element in the core network of the participating operator that has no abnormality; Acquire network element address information, the network element address information including: address information of a first network element in a primary core network of the participating operator where no abnormality occurs, and / or address information of a third network element in a backup core network of the participating operator, the third network element being a network element that performs the same function as the second network element in the primary core network where an abnormality occurs; The network element address information is sent to an access and mobility management function network element of the first core network.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that Before receiving the network element discovery request message sent by the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the construction operator, the method further includes: Receive registration information of multiple fourth network elements in the backup core network, the registration information includes address information and disaster recovery information of the fourth network elements, the multiple fourth network elements are all network elements in the backup core network, and the disaster recovery information is used to indicate whether the backup requirements of the second network element can be assumed.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The plurality of fourth network elements include a plurality of fifth network elements, and the fifth network elements are network elements that perform the same function as the second network element; After receiving the network element discovery request message sent by the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the construction operator, the method further includes: In the case where an abnormal second network element exists in the primary core network, obtaining disaster recovery information of multiple fifth network elements of the backup core network; Based on the disaster recovery information of the multiple fifth network elements, the third network element is determined from the multiple fifth network elements, and the disaster recovery information of the third network element indicates that it can bear the backup demand of the second network element.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: Obtaining heartbeat information of each network element in the primary core network; Based on the heartbeat information of each network element, a network element status of each network element is determined, where the network element status is used to indicate whether an abnormality occurs in the network element.

8. A core network disaster recovery processing device, characterized in that: The device is applied to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network of the operator of the construction party, and comprises: An acquisition module, configured to receive access information of a user equipment of a participating operator, wherein the user equipment is located in a service range of a primary core network of the participating operator, wherein the primary core network includes: a first network element in which no abnormality occurs and / or a second network element in which an abnormality occurs; a processing module, configured to form a second core network of the participating operator based on the first network element and / or a third network element in the backup core network of the participating operator, wherein the third network element is a network element that performs the same function as the second network element; The processing module is further used to establish a connection between the user equipment and the second core network.

9. A core network disaster recovery processing device, characterized in that: A network function storage function network element applied to a participating operator, the device comprising: An acquisition module is used to receive a network element discovery request message sent by an access and mobility management function network element of a first core network of a construction party operator, wherein the network element discovery request message is used to request address information of a network element in the core network of the participating party operator that has no abnormality; An acquisition module, used to acquire network element address information, the network element address information including: address information of a first network element in a primary core network of the participating operator where no abnormality occurs, and / or address information of a third network element in a backup core network of the participating operator, the third network element being a network element that performs the same function as the second network element in the primary core network where an abnormality occurs; The processing module is further used to send the network element address information to the access and mobility management function network element of the first core network.

10. A disaster recovery processing device for a core network, characterized in that: include: Processor and memory; The processor is coupled to the memory; The memory is used to store one or more programs, and the one or more programs include computer execution instructions. When the disaster recovery processing device of the core network is running, the processor executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory to enable the disaster recovery processing device of the core network to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1-7.

11. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein instructions are stored in the computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: When a computer executes the instructions, the computer performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

12. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises computer program instructions, which implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 when the computer program instructions are executed.

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