Interface address allocation method and device

Abstract

The invention provides an interface address allocation method and device, belongs to the technical field of communication, and is used for configuring each network function NF interface in a distributed network. In the method, a service address allocation proxy function entity can request a network management function entity to allocate an address for an interface through a first message, and the network management function entity can allocate the address for the interface according to the first message and send address information to the service address allocation proxy function entity. And after the service address allocation proxy function entity sends address information to the service interface automation system, the service interface automation system can automatically generate interface configuration of the first network function according to the received address information. Therefore, the interface address can be automatically acquired and configured, and manual planning and configuration of the address of each interface in the NF deployment stage can be avoided, so that the efficiency of configuring the interface address can be improved, and the NF interface can be configured in the distributed network.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for interface address allocation. Background Art

[0002] The 6th generation mobile networks (6G) are evolving from a centralized network to a distributed network, such that the entire network will consist of a vast number of distributed networks. The application scenarios of these distributed networks are gradually expanding from industrial application scenarios to life, sports, and entertainment scenarios. The new scenarios require that the distributed network have the ability to be rapidly deployed, that is, the deployment time of the distributed network needs to be shortened from the previous monthly level to the daily level, hourly level, or minute level.

[0003] The deployment of a distributed network involves operations such as network function (NF) deployment and NF interface configuration. Currently, NF interface configuration needs to be planned by an operator or a third party, but this method may not be very applicable in each distributed network. Therefore, how to configure each NF interface in a distributed network is a hot issue currently under discussion. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a method and apparatus for interface address allocation to implement the configuration of NF interfaces in a distributed network.

[0005] To achieve the above object, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] In a first aspect, an interface address allocation is provided. The method includes: a service address allocation proxy function entity sends a first message to a network management function entity, where the first message is used to request the allocation of addresses for at least one interface type of a first network function; the service address allocation proxy function entity receives a second message from the network management function entity, where the second message is used to indicate the address information of at least one interface type of the interface; and the service address allocation proxy function entity sends the address information to a service interface automation system.

[0007] Based on the method of the first aspect, it can be known that the service address allocation proxy function entity can request the network management function entity to allocate an address for the interface through the first message, and the network management function entity can allocate an address for the interface according to the first message and send the address information to the service address allocation proxy function entity. After the service address allocation proxy function entity sends the address information to the service interface automation system, the service interface automation system can automatically generate the interface configuration of the first network function according to the received address information. In this way, it is possible to automatically obtain and configure the interface address, avoid manually planning and configuring the addresses of each interface during the NF deployment phase, thereby improving the efficiency of configuring the interface address and realizing the configuration of the NF interface in the distributed network.

[0008] In a possible design, the method described in the first aspect further includes: the service address allocation proxy function entity receives a third message from the service interface automation system, where the third message is used to request to allocate an address for an interface of at least one interface type; the service address allocation proxy function entity sends a first message to the network management function entity, including: the service address allocation proxy function entity sends the first message to the network management function entity according to the third message. It can be understood that the service interface automation system can, according to the actual situation, such as after deploying the NF, trigger the service address allocation proxy function entity to send the first message to the network management function entity through the third message. In this way, it is possible to automatically trigger the service address allocation proxy function entity to obtain the addresses of the interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function.

[0009] In a possible design, the first message is specifically used to request to allocate a preset number of addresses for the interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function, and the address information is used to indicate the preset number of addresses. In this way, it is possible to flexibly set the number of addresses required for each interface in the interfaces of at least one interface type according to the actual situation, and allocate the required number of addresses for each interface in the interfaces of at least one interface type, realizing on-demand allocation.

[0010] Optionally, the first message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating the first network function, information for indicating at least one interface type, or information for indicating the preset number.

[0011] Optionally, the second message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating the first network function, information for indicating at least one interface type, or address information.

[0012] In a possible design solution, the second message is further used to indicate the valid duration, which is the duration during which the address indicated by the address information can be allowed to be used. The service address allocation proxy function entity sends the address information to the service interface automation system, including: the service address allocation proxy function entity sends the address information and the valid duration to the service interface automation system. In this way, the first function entity can determine the expiration time of the address indicated by the address information according to the valid duration, which is convenient for processing before the address expires, such as requesting to continue using the address, etc., so as to avoid situations such as service errors after the address expires.

[0013] In a possible design solution, the address information includes at least one interface address and the first network planning information, and the first network planning information is used to indicate the information of the network where at least one interface address is located. It can be understood that there is a corresponding relationship between at least one interface address and the first network planning information, that is, the at least one interface address is the address in the network indicated by the first network planning information. In this way, it can be ensured that when there are the same interface addresses in multiple networks, a unique interface address can be determined through the first network planning information.

[0014] Optionally, the first network planning information is any one of the following: Internet Protocol (IP) domain name, or Virtual Private Network (VPN). It can be understood that in other network planning, the first network planning information can also be other information used to indicate the network, and can be specifically set flexibly according to the actual situation.

[0015] In a design solution, the service address allocation proxy function entity sends the address information to the service interface automation system, including: the service address allocation proxy function entity sends the address information to the service interface automation system when it determines that the address information can be used. In this way, it can avoid situations such as the address being unavailable after configuring the address according to the address information, so as to avoid service errors and the additional overhead caused by the service address allocation proxy function entity and the service interface automation system re-obtaining the address information.

[0016] In a possible design solution, the method described in the first aspect further includes: when the address indicated by the address information expires, the service address allocation proxy function entity sends a fourth message to the network management function entity, and the fourth message is used to request to continue to allocate the address indicated by the address information for at least one interface type of the first network function. It can be understood that the expiration of the above address refers to when the address is about to expire, such as when the usage duration of the address indicated by the address information is about to reach the valid duration of the address. In this way, it can be ensured that at least one interface type of the first network function has an available address, and avoid situations such as service errors caused by the address configured for the interface.

[0017] Optionally, the fourth message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating a first network function, information for indicating an interface of at least one interface type, or address information.

[0018] In a second aspect, an interface address allocation method is provided. The method includes: a network management function entity receives a first message from a service address allocation proxy function entity, where the first message is used to request an address allocation for an interface of at least one interface type of a first network function; the network management function entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message, where the second message is used to indicate the address information of the interface of at least one interface type.

[0019] In a possible design, the first message is specifically used to request an allocation of a preset number of addresses for an interface of at least one interface type of a first network function, and the address information is used to indicate the preset number of addresses.

[0020] Optionally, the first message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating a first network function, information for indicating at least one interface type, or information for indicating a preset number.

[0021] Optionally, the second message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating a first network function, information for indicating at least one interface type, or address information.

[0022] In a possible design, before the network management function entity receives the first message from the service address allocation proxy function entity, the method described in the second aspect further includes: the network management function entity sends a fifth message to a service network management center, where the fifth message is used to obtain an address network segment corresponding to an interface of a first interface type, the first interface type includes the interface type of the determined deployed interface, and at least one interface type of the first network function belongs to the first interface type; the network management function entity receives a sixth message from the service network management center, where the sixth message is used to indicate the address network segment information corresponding to the interface of the first interface type; the network management function entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message, including: the network management function entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message and the sixth message. That is to say, the network management function entity can pre-obtain the address network segment corresponding to the interface of the first interface type, so as to ensure that there are enough addresses to allocate addresses for each interface.

[0023] In a possible design solution, before the network management function entity receives the first message from the service address allocation proxy function entity, the method described in the second aspect further includes: The network management function entity receives a seventh message from the topology orchestrator. The seventh message is used to indicate the address network segment information corresponding to the interfaces of the second interface type. The second interface type includes all interface types corresponding to the planned network, and at least one interface type of the first network function belongs to the second interface type. The network management function entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message, including: The network management function entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message and the seventh message. It can be understood that when the address scale required for deployment to the edge network or the distributed network has been determined, the topology orchestrator can send the relevant information of each planned interface (such as interface type, the address network segment corresponding to the interfaces of each interface type, etc.) to the network management function entity, so that when the network management function entity allocates addresses to the interfaces subsequently, it can directly use this relevant information without the network management function entity having to request the address network segment corresponding to the interfaces of each interface type from the service network management center, thereby reducing the communication overhead of the network management function entity.

[0024] Optionally, the method described in the second aspect further includes: The network management function entity sends an eighth message to the edge gateway according to the sixth message or the seventh message. The eighth message is used to request the configuration of the network segment route corresponding to the address network segment information. That is to say, after the network management function entity receives the address network segment corresponding to the interfaces of each interface type, it can configure the corresponding network segment route according to this address network segment. In this way, it can realize the automatic configuration of the network route, avoid manual configuration of the network segment route, and thus improve the efficiency of configuring the network segment route.

[0025] Optionally, the address network segment information includes at least one interface address network segment and second network planning information. The second network planning information is used to indicate the information of the network where at least one interface address network segment is located. It can be understood that there is a corresponding relationship between at least one interface address network segment and the second network planning information, that is, the interface address network segment is the address network segment in the second network planning information. In this way, the network can be determined through the second network planning information, and each address in this network can be determined through the address network segment.

[0026] In a possible design solution, the address information includes at least one interface address and first network planning information. The first network planning information is used to indicate the information of the network where the interface address is located.

[0027] Optionally, the first network planning information is any one of the following: Internet Protocol IP domain name, or Virtual Private Network VPN.

[0028] In addition, for the technical effects of the method described in the second aspect, reference may also be made to the technical effects of the method described in the first aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0029] In a third aspect, an interface address allocation method is provided. The method includes: a service interface automation system receives address information from a service address allocation proxy functional entity, where the address information is used to indicate the addresses allocated for at least one interface type of a first network function; the service interface automation system generates an interface configuration for the first network function according to the address information.

[0030] In a possible design, before the service interface automation system receives the address information from the service address allocation proxy functional entity, the method described in the third aspect further includes: the service interface automation system sends a third message to the service address allocation proxy functional entity, where the third message is used to request the allocation of addresses for at least one interface type of the first network function.

[0031] Optionally, the third message is specifically used to request the allocation of a preset number of addresses for at least one interface type of interfaces, and the address information is used to indicate the preset number of addresses. In this way, the number of addresses required for each interface in at least one interface type of interfaces can be flexibly set according to the actual situation, and the number of addresses required for each interface in at least one interface type of interfaces can be allocated, realizing on-demand allocation.

[0032] In a possible design, the address information includes at least one interface address and first network planning information, where the first network planning information is used to indicate information about the network where the interface address is located.

[0033] Optionally, the first network planning information is any one of the following: Internet Protocol (IP) domain name, or Virtual Private Network (VPN).

[0034] In addition, for the technical effects of the method described in the third aspect, reference may also be made to the technical effects of the method described in the first aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, an interface address allocation method is provided. The method includes: a service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a first message to a network management functional entity, where the first message is used to request to continue using a first address allocated for a first interface type of a first network function; the service address allocation proxy functional entity receives a second message from the network management functional entity, where the second message is used to allocate a second address for the first interface type of interface.

[0036] Based on the method of the fourth aspect, it can be known that the service address allocation proxy functional entity can request the network management functional entity to allocate the first address when the first address is about to expire. After receiving this request, the network management functional entity can allocate a second address to the service address allocation proxy functional entity. In this way, it can be avoided that after the first address expires, the interface of the first interface type of the first network function can no longer use the first address and there is no available address, thus avoiding situations such as service errors caused by the lack of available addresses for the interface.

[0037] In a possible design solution, the first message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating the first network function, information for indicating the first interface type, or information for indicating the first address.

[0038] In a possible design solution, the second message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating the first network function, information for indicating the first interface type, or information for indicating the second address.

[0039] In a possible design solution, the second message is further used to indicate the valid duration, where the valid duration is the duration for which the second address can be allowed to be used. In this way, the first functional entity can determine the expiration time of the address indicated by the address information according to the valid duration, which is convenient for processing before the address expires, such as continuing to request the use of the address, etc., thus avoiding situations such as service errors after the address expires.

[0040] In a possible design solution, the method described in the fourth aspect further includes: the service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a third message to the service interface automation system, and the third message is used to request to update the first address to the second address. That is to say, when the second address is different from the first address, the service address allocation proxy function can request the service interface automation system to perform address update, that is, reconfigure the address for the interface of the first interface type of the first network function. In this way, the normal operation of the service can be guaranteed.

[0041] Optionally, the third message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating the first interface type, information for indicating the first address, or information for indicating the second address.

[0042] In a possible design solution, before the service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a first message to the network management functional entity, the method described in the fourth aspect further includes: the service address allocation proxy functional entity receives a fourth message from the service interface automation system, where the fourth message is used to request the allocation of a first address; the service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a first message to the network management functional entity, including: the service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a first message to the network management functional entity according to the fourth message. It can be understood that after the first network function restarts, the interface address needs to remain unchanged. In this case, after reading the configuration data, the service interface automation system can trigger the service address allocation proxy functional entity to request the allocation of a first address through the fourth message to ensure that the first address is available.

[0043] Optionally, the fourth message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating a first interface type, or information for indicating a first address.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, an interface address allocation method is provided, and the method includes: the network management functional entity receives a first message from the service address allocation proxy functional entity, where the first message is used to request to continue using the first address allocated to the interface of the first interface type of the first network function; the network management functional entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy functional entity according to the first message, where the second message is used to allocate a second address to the interface of the first interface type.

[0045] In a possible design solution, the first message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating a first network function, information for indicating a first interface type, or information for indicating a first address.

[0046] In a possible design solution, the second message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating a first network function, information for indicating a first interface type, or information for indicating a second address.

[0047] In a possible design solution, the second message is further used to indicate a valid duration, and the valid duration is the duration for which the second address can be allowed to be used. In this way, the first functional entity can determine the expiration time of the address indicated by the address information according to the valid duration, which is convenient for processing before the address expires, such as continuing to request the use of the address, etc., so as to avoid situations such as service errors after the address expires.

[0048] In addition, the technical effects of the method described in the fifth aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the method described in the fourth aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0049] Sixth aspect, there is provided an interface address allocation method, which includes: a service interface automation system receives a third message from a service address allocation proxy functional entity, where the third message is used to request to update a first address corresponding to a first interface type of a first network function to a second address; the service interface automation system updates the first address to the second address according to the third message.

[0050] In a possible design, the third message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating the first interface type, information for indicating the first address, or information for indicating the second address.

[0051] In a possible design, before the service interface automation system receives the third message from the service address allocation proxy functional entity, the method according to the sixth aspect further includes: the service interface automation system sends a fourth message to the service address allocation proxy functional entity, where the fourth message is used to request to allocate the first address.

[0052] Optionally, the fourth message includes at least one of the following: information for indicating the first interface type, or information for indicating the first address.

[0053] In addition, the technical effects of the method according to the sixth aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the method according to the fourth aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0054] Seventh aspect, there is provided an interface address allocation method, which includes: the service address allocation proxy functional entity executes the method according to the first aspect, and the network management functional entity executes the method according to the second aspect; or, the service address allocation proxy functional entity executes the method according to the first aspect, the network management functional entity executes the method according to the second aspect, and the service interface automation system executes the method according to the third aspect.

[0055] In addition, the technical effects of the method according to the seventh aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the methods according to the first aspect to the third aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0056] Eighth aspect, there is provided an interface address allocation method, which includes: the service address allocation proxy functional entity executes the method according to the fourth aspect, and the network management functional entity executes the method according to the fifth aspect; or, the service address allocation proxy functional entity executes the method according to the fourth aspect, the network management functional entity executes the method according to the fifth aspect, and the service interface automation system executes the method according to the sixth aspect.

[0057] In addition, the technical effects of the method according to the eighth aspect can also refer to the technical effects of the methods according to the fourth aspect to the sixth aspect, which will not be elaborated here.

[0058] In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a module for performing the method described in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, such as a transceiver module and a processing module. For example, the transceiver module is used to indicate the transceiver function of the communication device, and the processing module is used to perform functions other than the transceiver function of the communication device.

[0059] Optionally, the transceiver module may include a transmitting module and a receiving module. Among them, the transmitting module is used to implement the transmitting function of the communication device described in the ninth aspect, and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device described in the ninth aspect.

[0060] Optionally, the communication device described in the ninth aspect may further include a storage module that stores programs or instructions. When the processing module executes the programs or instructions, the communication device can perform the method described in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0061] It can be understood that the communication device described in the ninth aspect may be a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be set in the network device, or a device including the network device. The present application does not make any limitations in this regard.

[0062] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device described in the ninth aspect can refer to the technical effects of the method described in any one of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0063] In a tenth aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a processor, when the processor executes computer instructions, the communication device is caused to perform the method described in any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0064] In a possible design, the communication device described in the tenth aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in the tenth aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0065] In a possible design, the communication device described in the tenth aspect may further include a memory. The memory may be integrated with the processor or may be separately provided. The memory may be used to store computer programs and / or data related to the method described in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0066] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device described in the tenth aspect may be the network device described in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be set in the network device, or a device including the network device.

[0067] In addition, for the technical effects of the communication device described in the tenth aspect, reference may be made to the technical effects of the methods described in any one of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0068] In the eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes: a processor coupled to a memory, and the processor is configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory to cause the communication device to execute the method described in any one of the possible implementation manners of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0069] In a possible design, the communication device described in the eleventh aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in the eleventh aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0070] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device described in the eleventh aspect may be the network device described in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be disposed in the network device, or a device including the network device.

[0071] In addition, for the technical effects of the communication device described in the eleventh aspect, reference may be made to the technical effects of the methods described in any one of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0072] In the twelfth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a processor and a memory; the memory is configured to store a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the communication device is caused to execute the method described in any one of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0073] In a possible design, the communication device described in the twelfth aspect may further include a transceiver. The transceiver may be a transceiver circuit or an interface circuit. The transceiver may be used for the communication device described in the twelfth aspect to communicate with other communication devices.

[0074] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device described in the twelfth aspect may be the network device described in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be disposed in the network device, or a device including the network device.

[0075] In addition, for the technical effects of the communication device described in the twelfth aspect, reference may be made to the technical effects of the methods described in any one of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the sixth aspect, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0076] In the thirteenth aspect, a communication chip is provided, in which instructions are stored, and when the chip runs on a communication device, the method described in any one of the implementation manners of the first aspect to the sixth aspect is implemented.

[0077] In a fourteenth aspect, a communication chip is provided, including: a logic circuit and a communication interface. The logic circuit is used to execute computer instructions, and the communication interface is used for the communication chip to communicate with other devices or chips. When the logic circuit executes the computer instructions, the method described in any one of the first aspect to the sixth aspect is implemented.

[0078] In a fifteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes at least one of the following: a service address allocation proxy functional entity for executing the method described in the first aspect, a network management functional entity for executing the method described in the second aspect, or a service interface automation system for executing the method described in the third aspect.

[0079] In a sixteenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes at least one of the following: a service address allocation proxy functional entity for executing the method described in the fourth aspect, a network management functional entity for executing the method described in the fifth aspect, or a service interface automation system for executing the method described in the sixth aspect.

[0080] In a seventeenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, including: a computer program or instruction; when the computer program or instruction runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method described in any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect to the sixth aspect.

[0081] In an eighteenth aspect, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program or instruction, and when the computer program or instruction runs on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method described in any one of the possible implementations of the first aspect to the sixth aspect. Description of the Drawings

[0082] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the deployment process of the network function NF provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0083] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of interface docking provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0084] Figure 3 It is a schematic architecture diagram of the communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0085] Figure 4 It is a schematic architecture diagram of the communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0086] Figure 5 It is a schematic architecture diagram of the communication system provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0087] Figure 6 Flow schematic of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0088] Figure 7 Flow schematic of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 ;

[0089] Figure 8 Flow schematic of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0090] Figure 9 Flow schematic of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 4 ;

[0091] Figure 10 Flow schematic of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 5 ;

[0092] Figure 11 Flow schematic of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 6 ;

[0093] Figure 12 Structure schematic of the communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0094] Figure 13 Structure schematic of the communication device provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 2 。 Detailed implementation manners

[0095] For easy understanding, the technical terms involved in the embodiment of the present application are introduced first below.

[0096] 1. Deployment process of NF

[0097] Such as Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1 , the NF deployment process mainly includes: network planning and design, transmission network configuration, automated network configuration, NF deployment, NF interface configuration and docking, and business function configuration. Among them, network planning and design is the planning and design of the entire network, such as the planning and design of the interface types included in the network, the interface address segments corresponding to different interface types, etc. In the future, network planning and design automation can be achieved through intention or artificial intelligence (AI) self-intelligence. Transmission network configuration automation can be achieved by software-defined networking (SDN) technology, that is, the automation of the transmission network is achieved by issuing network configuration commands to the SDN controller. Automated network configuration and NF deployment can be achieved by management and orchestration (MANO), network function virtualization infrastructure (NFVI) and other technologies. NF interface configuration and docking can also be called business interface configuration and docking, which involves NF interface (such as N2 interface, N4 interface, etc.) address planning, address configuration, and completion of peer NF docking. Business function configuration involves starting different NF functions according to different scenarios, and this business function configuration requires manual planning.

[0098] 2.NF interface configuration and connection

[0099] In the process of NF interface configuration and docking, it is necessary to manually plan the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the service interface. At the same time, based on the planning of the virtual private network (VPN) of the entire network, the interface IP address and the corresponding VPN configuration are manually issued on the NF. Then, according to the interface docking mode, docking is completed by configuring the peer IP address locally, or using the service-based architecture (SBA) to automatically discover the peer interface IP, or acting as a server to wait for the peer device to initiate the link establishment process to complete the docking.

[0100] like Figure 2 As shown, the following takes the N4 interface connection between the session management function (SMF) and the user plane function (UPF) as an example for explanation. The entire configuration process that needs to be completed on the SMF is as follows:

[0101] S201. Obtain the VPN plan for the N4 interface from the operator's overall network plan, i.e., VPN-N4 (denoted as VPN#1).

[0102] S202. Allocate an IP address (denoted as IP address#1) for the SMF from the IP address segment reserved by the operator for the N4 interface, i.e., this IP address#1 serves as the local address of the N4 interface of the SMF.

[0103] The SMF is generally deployed in the data center or the provincial network center. After allocating the IP address, it is necessary to configure the route of the IP address segment where the IP address is located on the edge gateway of the data center or the provincial network center.

[0104] S203. Configure the IP address#1 and VPN#1 of the N4 interface on the SMF.

[0105] After configuring the IP address#1 and VPN#1 of the N4 interface, the information of the application layer of the N4 interface can also be configured.

[0106] S204. The SMF actively publishes the N4 interface address route.

[0107] After the edge gateway receives the IP packet sent to IP address#1, it can directly forward it to the SMF for processing.

[0108] S205. The SMF receives the N4 interface link establishment request message initiated by the UPF and completes the establishment of the N4 interface link.

[0109] The above content introduces the configuration process of the current NF interface. It can be understood that the 6G network evolves from a centralized network to a distributed network, making the entire network composed of a large number of distributed networks. The application scenarios of these distributed networks gradually expand from industrial application scenarios to life, sports, and entertainment scenarios. The new scenarios require that the distributed network needs to have the ability of rapid deployment, that is, the deployment time of the distributed network needs to be shortened from the previous monthly level to the daily level, hourly level, or minute level.

[0110] The deployment of the distributed network involves the configuration of the NF interface. Since the configuration of the current NF interface needs to be planned by the operator or a third party, that is, it needs to be configured manually, this will result in low efficiency of the NF interface configuration, thus being inapplicable to the distributed network. Therefore, how to configure each NF interface in the distributed network is a hot issue currently under discussion.

[0111] In view of the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application propose the following technical solutions to implement the configuration of the NF interface in the distributed network.

[0112] Next, the technical solutions in the present application will be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0113] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as the 4th generation (4G) mobile communication system, such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, the 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, such as the New Radio (NR) system, and the communication systems evolved after 5G, such as the 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system. It can also be applied to wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, device-to-device (D2D) communication systems, vehicle networking communication systems, etc.

[0114] The present application will present various aspects, embodiments or features around a system that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that each system may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the drawings. In addition, combinations of these solutions can also be used.

[0115] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "exemplary" and "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design solution described as "exemplary" in the present application should not be construed as being more preferred or having more advantages than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a specific manner.

[0116] In the embodiments of the present application, "information", "signal", "message", "channel", and "signaling" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the difference is not emphasized, their intended meanings are the same. "of", "corresponding", and "corresponding" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when the difference is not emphasized, their intended meanings are the same. In addition, " / " mentioned in the present application can be used to represent an "or" relationship.

[0117] The network architecture and service scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are for more clearly explaining the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those of ordinary skill in the art know that with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new service scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0118] For ease of understanding the embodiments of the present application, first, a communication system shown in Figure 3 will be used as an example to describe in detail the communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application. Exemplarily, Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic architecture diagram of a communication system applicable to the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0119] As Figure 3 shown, the communication system includes: a service address allocation proxy functional entity and a network management functional entity.

[0120] Optionally, the communication system may further include a service interface automation system.

[0121] The above communication system can be used in different communication system architectures. Under different architectures, the above network management functional entity can be different functional entities. They will be introduced separately below.

[0122] As Figure 4 shown, Figure 4 the system architecture shown includes: a topology orchestrator, a service network management center, a service network edge proxy functional entity, a service address allocation proxy functional entity, a service interface automation system, an NF deployment proxy functional entity, an edge gateway, a topology management system, and a cloud infrastructure.

[0123] The topology orchestrator can be used to manage network topology (such as interface subnet planning, service interface IP network segment planning, etc.) planning information and trigger the automatic deployment of NFs in the edge network.

[0124] The service network management center can be used to provide a whole-network interface address management function, maintain the whole-network service IP subnet division, IP network segment division, and maintain the interface address information allocated to each edge network.

[0125] The service network edge proxy functional entity can be used to provide functions of allocating addresses based on interface types and obtaining VPNs for NFs, and providing an address lease function based on the identity (ID) of the NF. In the scenarios of network slices or subnets (core networks) of a distributed network, the service network edge proxy functional entity has two deployment methods, namely: Method 1 is shared deployment, that is, all slices or subnets share a service network edge proxy functional entity. In this case, the message interface provided by the service network edge proxy functional entity needs to carry the ID of the network slice or the ID of the subnet. Method 2 is independent deployment, that is, each network slice or subnet has an independent service network edge proxy. In this case, the message interface provided by the service network edge proxy functional entity does not need to carry the ID of the network slice or the ID of the subnet.

[0126] The service address allocation agent can be used to, when the NF is deployed and initially configured, proxy the NF to apply for an interface address from the service network edge proxy function entity, renew the address with the service network edge proxy function entity regularly, and release the interface address to the service network edge proxy function entity when the NF goes offline.

[0127] The service interface automation system can be used to generate the NF interface configuration based on the obtained interface address, store the configuration in a persistent medium such as a file / data, and publish the service interface IP route. It can be understood that the IP route publishing method can adopt the dynamic route publishing method, such as publishing the host route through the border gateway protocol (BGP).

[0128] The NF deployment proxy function entity can be used to receive the NF deployment information, such as NF function pre-configuration, NF supported interface information, etc., and notify the service network edge proxy function entity to apply for the interface address segment required by the NF from the service network management center.

[0129] The edge gateway can be used to provide the interface address routing function.

[0130] The topology management system can be used to provide the network internal NF topology information management function. The NF can automatically discover the interface address of the target NF through the topology management system, so as to realize the link-level docking between NFs. It can be understood that in the 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G) network, the topology management system can be equivalent to the network repository function (NRF).

[0131] The cloud infrastructure can be used to provide basic computing, storage, network resources, etc.

[0132] It can be understood that the topology orchestrator and the service network management center can be deployed in the cloud service (region) area. This cloud service area can be the operator data center, which can be used for end-to-end service network orchestration and management. The service network edge proxy function entity, the service address allocation agent function entity, the service interface automation system, the NF deployment proxy function entity, the edge gateway, the topology management system, and the cloud infrastructure can be deployed in the edge area. This edge area is usually the edge network. The service address allocation agent function entity and the service address allocation agent function entity can be set in the NF, that is, different NFs can all include the service address allocation agent function entity and the service address allocation agent function entity. In addition, in Figure 4In the system architecture shown, the network management function entity in the embodiments of the present application may be the above-mentioned service network edge proxy function entity.

[0133] As Figure 5 shown, Figure 5 the system architecture shown includes: a service interface automation system, a service address allocation proxy function entity, and a DCHP server. The service interface automation system and the service address allocation proxy function entity may refer to the above relevant introductions and will not be elaborated here. The DCHP server may be a DCHPv4 server or a DCHPv6 server, and specific reference may be made to the prior art and will not be elaborated here. In Figure 5 the system architecture shown, the network management function entity in the embodiments of the present application may be the above-mentioned DCHP server.

[0134] It can be understood that the "function entity" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application is only an exemplary expression, and the "function entity" may also be replaced by any possible expression, such as "module" or "logical function module", etc., without limitation. In addition, the "NF" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may also be replaced by "network element".

[0135] In a communication system, the service address allocation proxy function entity may request the network management function entity to allocate an address for an interface, and after receiving the address information allocated by the network management function entity for the interface, the service address allocation proxy function entity may send the address information to the service interface automation system so that the service interface automation system can generate corresponding configurations according to the address information. In this way, the address information can be automatically obtained and configured, avoiding manual acquisition of address information, thereby improving the efficiency of obtaining address information and realizing the configuration of NF interfaces in a distributed network.

[0136] It can be understood that Figure 3 for the sake of easy understanding, a simplified schematic diagram is exemplified, and the communication system may further include other network devices and / or other terminal devices Figure 3 which are not drawn.

[0137] For the sake of easy understanding, the interface address allocation method provided in the embodiments of the present application will be specifically elaborated below in conjunction with Figures 6 - 11 this.

[0138] Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of the interface address allocation method provided in the embodiments of the present application. This method may be applicable to the interaction between the service address allocation proxy function entity and the network management function entity in the above communication system.

[0139] As Figure 6 shown, the process of this interface address allocation method is as follows:

[0140] S601, the service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a first message to the network management functional entity. Correspondingly, the network management functional entity receives the first message from the service address allocation proxy functional entity.

[0141] The first message can be used to request an address allocation for an interface of at least one interface type of a first network function.

[0142] The first network function can be the functional entity where the service address allocation proxy functional entity is located. That is, the service address allocation proxy functional entity can be deployed in the first network function.

[0143] The above interface types can include interface types in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP), such as N2 interface, N4 interface, service-based interface (SBI), N3 interface, N9 interface, S11 interface, S5 interface, S8 interface, etc. Each interface can refer to the prior art and will not be elaborated here. It can be understood that the interface types can also include interface types in future communication systems. The interfaces of at least one interface type can be the interfaces that need to be configured with addresses in the first network function.

[0144] The above address can be used to indicate each interface in the interfaces of at least one interface type. That is, each interface in the interfaces of at least one interface type can be determined through the address. The address can be an interface address, such as an IP address, or an interface address and network planning information (denoted as network planning information #1) for indicating the network where the interface address is located. The network planning information #1 can be an IP domain name, or a VPN, or other information used to indicate a network in network planning. Exemplarily, the above address can be an IP address, or an IP address and an IP domain name, or an IP address and a VPN, and can be specifically determined according to the actual situation. For example, when the IP addresses included in each network are different, the above address can be an IP address, that is, a unique interface can be determined through the IP address; or, when there are the same IP addresses included in different networks, the above address can be an IP address and an IP domain name, that is, the network can be indicated through the IP domain name, and the IP address is in this network; or, the above address can be an IP address and a VPN, that is, the network can be indicated through the VPN, and the IP address is in this network.

[0145] The first message may include at least one of the following: information for indicating a first network function, or information for indicating at least one interface type. The information for indicating the first network function may be the ID of the first network function, such as the globally unique identifier (UUID) corresponding to the first network function, or the fully qualified domain name (FQDN), etc., and may also be information preset or predefined by the protocol for representing the first network function. The information for indicating at least one interface type may be the at least one interface type, such as the N2 interface, the N4 interface, etc. The interface type may be in integer type or string type and requires global addressing. The information for indicating at least one interface type may also be information preset or predefined by the protocol for representing each interface type in the at least one interface type. By carrying the information for indicating the first network function and the information for indicating at least one interface type in the first message, an address can be requested to be allocated for at least one interface type of the first network function.

[0146] It can be understood that when there are multiple interfaces in the first network function that need to be configured with addresses, the service address allocation proxy function entity may send the first message once or multiple times. That is to say, the service address allocation proxy function entity may send the first message once, and this first message requests addresses to be allocated for multiple interfaces; or, the service address allocation proxy function entity may send the first message multiple times, and each first message in the multiple first messages requests addresses to be allocated for at least some of the multiple interfaces.

[0147] In addition, each interface in the above at least one interface type of interfaces may request to allocate at least one address. There are various ways to request to allocate at least one address, such as the number of addresses allocated for each interface preset or predefined by the protocol, or the number of addresses allocated for each interface indicated by the first message. The following will be described separately.

[0148] Case 1.1: The number of addresses allocated for each interface preset or predefined by the protocol.

[0149] The number of addresses requested by each interface may be predefined by the protocol or preset in the network management function entity. In other words, the number of addresses corresponding to each interface may be preset or predefined by the protocol, so that after the network management function entity receives the first message, it can allocate addresses corresponding to the number of addresses for each interface in the at least one interface type of interfaces. It can be understood that the number of addresses corresponding to each interface can be determined according to the actual situation, that is, the same or different number of addresses can be set for each interface according to the actual situation.

[0150] For example, each interface preset to request address allocation in the network management function entity is allocated one address. At this time, after receiving the first message, the network management function entity can allocate one address to each interface indicated by the first message.

[0151] For another example, among the interfaces preset to request address allocation in the network management function entity, the first N interfaces are allocated n addresses, and the other interfaces except the first N interfaces are allocated s addresses. At this time, after receiving the first message, the network management function entity can allocate n addresses to the first N interfaces among the interfaces indicated by the first message, and allocate s addresses to the other interfaces except the first N interfaces among the interfaces indicated by the first message. N is an integer greater than or equal to 1, and both n and s are positive integers, and n and s are different.

[0152] Case 1.2: The number of addresses allocated to each interface indicated by the first message.

[0153] The first message can be specifically used to request to allocate a preset number of addresses to the interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function. That is to say, the first message can indicate the number of addresses that each interface in at least one interface type of interface needs to be allocated. It can be understood that the number of addresses that each of these interfaces needs to be allocated can be the same or different, and can be specifically set flexibly according to the actual situation.

[0154] For example, the first message requests to allocate 2 addresses to both the N4 interface and the N2 interface. At this time, after receiving the first message, the network management function entity can allocate 2 addresses to each interface indicated by the first message. Or, the first message requests to allocate 2 addresses to the N4 interface and 4 addresses to the N2 interface. At this time, after receiving the first message, the network management function entity can allocate 2 addresses to the N4 interface indicated by the first message and 4 addresses to the N2 interface.

[0155] In this case, the first message may include at least one of the following: information for indicating the first network function, information for indicating at least one interface type, or information for indicating a preset number. The information for indicating the first network function and the information for indicating at least one interface type can specifically refer to the foregoing related introduction and will not be elaborated here. The information for indicating the preset number can be the number of addresses corresponding to each interface in at least one interface type of interface, or can be information preset or predefined by the protocol for indicating the number of addresses corresponding to each of these interfaces, and can be specifically set according to the actual situation.

[0156] The above content introduces the first message. It can be understood that when the network management function entity is a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) v4 server, the first message can reuse the DHCP DISCOVER message; when the network management function entity is a DHCPv6 server, the first message can reuse the DCHP SOLICIT message. In this case, new DHCP option definitions can be added, such as the interface type address allocation option and the NF ID option. The interface type address allocation option can be used to represent each interface type, and it can include cells such as option-code, option-len, and interface type. The specific information of each cell can be referred to Table 1 below. The NF ID option can be used to indicate the NF, and it can include cells such as option-code, option-len, and ID. The specific information of each cell can be referred to Table 2 below.

[0157] Table 1

[0158]

[0159]

[0160] Table 2

[0161]

[0162] It can be understood that after adding the interface type address allocation option and the NF ID option, the at least one interface type above can be indicated by the newly added interface type address allocation option, and the first network function above can be indicated by the NF ID option. That is, the DHCP DISCOVER message can include the interface type address allocation option and / or the NF ID option. The DCHP SOLICIT message can include the interface type address allocation option and / or the NF ID option. In addition, if an interface needs to be configured with multiple addresses, the DHCP DISCOVER message or the DCHP SOLICIT message can be sent multiple times, that is, each time the DHCP DISCOVER message or the DCHP SOLICIT message is sent to request an address for this interface.

[0163] S602. The network management function entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy function entity receives the second message from the network management function entity.

[0164] The second message can be used to indicate the address information of the interfaces of at least one interface type.

[0165] Address information can be used to indicate the addresses assigned to interfaces of at least one interface type. The address information may include at least one interface address, such as at least one IP address, and may also include at least one interface address and first network planning information, which can be used to indicate information about the network where the at least one interface address is located. It can be understood that the first network planning information may include the network planning information corresponding to each interface address among the at least one interface addresses, and the network planning information corresponding to each interface address among the at least one interface addresses may be the same or different, and can be specifically set according to the actual situation. For example, if the at least one interface address includes interface address #a1, interface address #a2, and interface address #a3, the first network planning information may include the network planning information #a1 corresponding to interface address #a1, the network planning information #a2 corresponding to interface address #a2, and the network planning information #a3 corresponding to interface address #a3. The first network planning information may be an IP domain name or a VPN, and in other different network plans, such as in a network not planned using an IP domain name or a VPN, the above IP domain name and VPN can also be replaced with the information used to indicate the network in this network plan. In addition, the information included in the address information is related to network planning. For example, when the interface addresses in each network are not repeated, the address information may be at least one interface address, that is, a unique interface can be determined based on the interface address. Another example is that when the interface addresses in each network are repeated, the address information may include at least one interface address and first network planning information, that is, a unique interface can be determined based on the interface address and the first network planning information. It can be understood that an IP domain name or a VPN can be represented by a string.

[0166] The second message may include at least one of the following: information indicating a first network function, information indicating at least one interface type, or address information. The information indicating the first network function and the information indicating at least one interface type can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S601", which will not be elaborated here. The address information may include the interface addresses corresponding to each interface in the interfaces of at least one interface type. The interface address may be one or more. When there are multiple interface addresses, each address can be sent in the form of a list.

[0167] For example, as shown in Table 3, the at least one interface type includes N2 interface, N3 interface, and N4 interface. The address assigned to the N2 interface is interface address #1 in VPN#1, the addresses assigned to the N3 interface are interface address #2 in VPN#2 and interface address #3 in VPN#3, and the addresses assigned to the N4 interface are interface address #4 in VPN#4 and interface address #5 in VPN#2.

[0168] Table 3

[0169]

[0170]

[0171] After receiving the first message, the network management function entity can allocate addresses to each interface in at least one type of interface, and after the addresses are allocated, it can indicate, through a second message, the addresses allocated to each interface in the at least one type of interface, that is, the above address information.

[0172] It can be understood that the network management function entity can allocate a preset number of addresses to each interface in at least one type of interface. The number of addresses allocated to each interface in at least one type of interface is related to the preset number of addresses, the number of addresses predefined by the protocol, or the number of addresses indicated in the first message. The following will be described separately.

[0173] Regarding the above situation 1.1: If the number of addresses allocated to each interface has been preset or predefined by the protocol, the network management function entity can allocate corresponding addresses to each interface according to this number of addresses.

[0174] Regarding the above situation 1.2: If the number of addresses allocated to each interface is indicated by the first message, the network management function entity can allocate corresponding addresses to each interface according to the preset number indicated by the first message. In this case, the address information is used to indicate the above preset number of addresses.

[0175] The above content describes that the network management function entity allocates a preset number of addresses to each interface in at least one type of interface under different circumstances. It can be understood that the second message can also be used to indicate the effective duration. The effective duration can be the duration for which the addresses indicated by the address information are allowed to be used, that is, the effective duration can be the duration for which each interface in at least one type of interface can use the allocated addresses. The effective duration can be at the level of hours, minutes, seconds, etc., and can be specifically set according to the actual situation. In addition, each address allocated by the network management function entity to each interface in at least one type of interface corresponds to an effective duration to indicate the duration for which the address is allowed to be used. The effective durations corresponding to each address can be the same, such as all being 20 hours (h), or different, and can be specifically set according to the actual situation.

[0176] The second message can also include information for indicating the effective duration, such as the specific value of the effective duration. At this time, the effective duration can be represented by an integer, or the preset information for indicating the effective duration, etc. It can be understood that the "effective duration" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application is only an exemplary expression, and the "effective duration" can also be replaced by any possible expression, such as "lease duration" or "usage duration", etc., without limitation.

[0177] The above content introduces the second message. It can be understood that when the network management function entity is a DHCPv4 server, the second message can reuse the DHCP offer message; when the network management function entity is a DHCPv6 server, the second message can reuse the DCHP advertise message. In this case, new DHCP option definitions can be added, such as the interface type address allocation option, the IP domain name option for the IP address, the VPN option for the IP address, and the NF ID option. The interface type address allocation option and the NF ID option can refer to the relevant introduction of the foregoing "S601", which will not be elaborated here. The IP domain name option for the IP address can include cells such as option code, option length, and IP domain name, and the specific information of each cell can refer to Table 4 below. The VPN option for the IP address can include cells such as option code, option length, and VPN, and the specific information of each cell can refer to Table 5 below.

[0178] Table 4

[0179]

[0180] Table 5

[0181]

[0182]

[0183] After adding the interface type address allocation option, the IP domain name option for the IP address, the VPN option for the IP address, the NF ID option, etc., the new interface type address allocation option can be used to indicate at least one of the above interface types, the NF ID option can be used to indicate the above first network function, and the IP domain name option or VPN option for the IP address can be used to indicate the network where the IP address is located. That is, the DHCP offer message can include at least one of the following: the interface type address allocation option, the IP domain name option for the IP address (or the VPN option for the IP address), the NF ID option, or the IP address. The DCHP advertise message can include at least one of the following: the interface type address allocation option, the IP domain name option for the IP address (or the VPN option for the IP address), the NF ID option, or the IP address. It can be understood that the above address information can be represented by the IP domain name option for the IP address (or the VPN option for the IP address) and the IP address.

[0184] S603. The service address allocation proxy function entity sends address information to the service interface automation system. Correspondingly, the service interface automation system receives the address information from the service address allocation proxy function entity.

[0185] The address information can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S602", which will not be elaborated here.

[0186] In the case where the second message is also used to indicate the valid duration, the above-mentioned service address allocation proxy function entity sending the address information to the service interface automation system can specifically include: the service address allocation proxy function entity sending the address information and the valid duration to the service interface automation system. Correspondingly, the service interface automation system receives the address information and the valid duration from the service address allocation proxy function entity. That is to say, at this time, the valid duration can be sent to the service interface automation system, so that the service interface automation system can determine corresponding processing, such as requesting to continue allocating the address for this interface, etc., when the address at the interface is about to expire according to the valid duration.

[0187] It can be understood that the service address allocation proxy function entity can also send information indicating at least one interface type to the service interface automation system, and correspond each address indicated by the address information to each interface, so as to ensure that after receiving the address information, the service interface automation system can accurately determine which addresses are allocated to which interfaces, and avoid situations such as address configuration errors.

[0188] S604. The service interface automation system generates an interface configuration for the first network function according to the address information.

[0189] That is to say, the service interface automation system can generate an interface address configuration for the first network function and save this interface configuration, such as saving the configuration to a persistent medium.

[0190] In addition, after the service interface automation system generates the interface address configuration, it can also publish the interface address host route to the network through the dynamic routing publication method, such as publishing the interface address host route through the BGP publication method. It can be understood that the physical network interface adopted by the service interface of the first network function is usually a physical network. When the first network function starts, the IP address of the physical network interface can be dynamically obtained through automation mechanisms such as NFVI. And after the first network function starts, it can obtain the peer NF address through the topology management system to complete the service interface docking.

[0191] In summary, in the embodiments of the present application, when it is necessary to obtain the addresses of each interface, the service address allocation proxy entity may request the network management function entity to allocate addresses for the interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function. The network management function entity may perform address allocation according to this request and send the allocated address information to the service address allocation proxy entity, so that the service address allocation proxy entity can send the address information to the service interface automation system, enabling the service interface automation system to perform address configuration based on this address information. In this way, when the NF is deployed, the addresses of the interfaces can be automatically obtained and configured, thereby avoiding manual address acquisition and configuration, improving the efficiency of configuring address information, and realizing the configuration of NF interfaces in a distributed network.

[0192] Optionally, in combination with the above embodiments, before the service address allocation proxy function entity sends the first message to the network management function entity, the above interface address allocation method may further include: the service interface automation system sends a third message to the service address allocation proxy function entity. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy function entity receives the third message from the service interface automation system. The third message is used to request the allocation of addresses for the interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function. The above service address allocation proxy function entity sending the first message to the network management function entity may specifically include: the service address allocation proxy function entity sends the first message to the network management function entity according to the third message. That is to say, the service interface automation system may send a request to the service address allocation proxy to allocate addresses for the interfaces of at least one interface type, so as to trigger the service address allocation proxy function entity to obtain a request from the network management function entity for the interfaces of at least one interface type.

[0193] The third message may include information for indicating at least one interface type. For specific reference, please refer to the relevant introduction above and will not be elaborated here. It can be understood that the service interface automation system and the service address allocation proxy function entity may be set in the first network function. In this case, the third message sent by the service interface automation system to the service address allocation proxy function entity may not carry information for indicating the first network function. It can also be understood that when there are multiple interface types of interfaces that need to be allocated addresses, the service interface automation system may request to allocate addresses for one interface type each time, that is, it may send the third message multiple times; or the service interface automation system may request to allocate addresses for multiple interface types of interfaces, that is, it may send the third message once.

[0194] In addition, for the above-mentioned situation 1.2: The third message can be specifically used to request the allocation of a preset number of addresses for interfaces of at least one interface type. That is to say, the third message can indicate the number of addresses to be allocated for each interface in the interfaces of at least one interface type. For specific details, reference can be made to the relevant introduction above, which will not be elaborated here. In this case, the third message can include at least one of the following: information for indicating at least one interface type, or information for indicating a preset number. For specific details, reference can be made to the relevant introduction above, which will not be elaborated here. That is to say, when the third message includes information for indicating at least one interface type and information for indicating a preset number, a request can be sent to the service address allocation proxy function entity to allocate a preset number of addresses for interfaces of at least one interface type.

[0195] Optionally, in combination with the above embodiments, after the service interface automation system receives the address information from the service address allocation proxy function entity, the above interface address allocation method may further include: when the address indicated by the address information becomes invalid, the service address allocation proxy function entity sends a fourth message to the network management function entity. Correspondingly, the network management function entity receives the fourth message from the service address allocation proxy function entity. The fourth message is used to request to continue allocating the address indicated by the address information for interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function; the network management function entity allocates the address indicated by the address information for interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function according to the fourth message.

[0196] The fourth message can include at least one of the following: information for indicating the first network function, information for indicating interfaces of at least one interface type, or address information. For specific details, reference can be made to the relevant introductions in the foregoing "S601" and "S602", which will not be elaborated here.

[0197] When the address indicated by the address information is about to become invalid, such as when the usage duration of the address indicated by the address information is about to reach the valid duration of the address, the service address allocation proxy function entity can request the network management function entity to continue allocating the address indicated by the address information for interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function. In this way, the request to continue using the address can be made before the address becomes invalid, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the service.

[0198] It can be understood that after the network management function entity assigns the address indicated by the address information to the interface of at least one interface type of the first network function according to the fourth message, the network management function entity may also send a message to the service address allocation proxy function entity to indicate that the address indicated by the address information has been assigned, so that the service address allocation proxy function entity can perform subsequent operations according to this message, such as updating the valid duration of the address indicated by the address information and other operations. In addition, if the address indicated by the address information assigned to the interface of at least one interface type of the first network function has been assigned to other interfaces, the network management function entity may assign other addresses to this interface, such as address #a1, and send the specific information of the address #a1 to the service address allocation proxy function entity, so that after the address indicated by the address information becomes invalid, this interface can use address #a1. The specific information may include at least one of the following information of address #a1: IP address, IP domain name, VPN, or valid duration. Each piece of information can refer to the relevant introduction above and will not be elaborated here.

[0199] It can also be understood that when the network management function entity is a DHCPv4 server, the fourth message can reuse the DHCP request (REQUEST) message. In this case, DHCP option definitions can be added, such as interface type address allocation option, IP domain name option of the IP address, VPN option of the IP address, NF ID option. Specifically, it can refer to the relevant introduction of the foregoing "S602" and will not be elaborated here. After adding the DHCP option definitions, the DHCP request message may include at least one of the following: interface type address allocation option, IP domain name option of the IP address (or VPN option of the IP address), NF ID option, or IP address. That is, the first function entity can be indicated by the NF ID option, and the address information can be indicated by the IP address and the IP domain name option of the IP address (or VPN option of the IP address).

[0200] When the network management function entity is a DHCPv6 server, the fourth message can reuse the DHCPv6 renewal (RENEW) message. In this case, DHCP option definitions can be added, such as interface type address allocation option, IP domain name option of the IP address, VPN option of the IP address, NF ID option. Specifically, it can refer to the relevant introduction of the foregoing "S602" and will not be elaborated here. After adding the DHCP option definitions, the DHCPv6 renewal message may include at least one of the following: interface type address allocation option, IP domain name option of the IP address (or VPN option of the IP address), NF ID option, or IP address. That is, the first function entity can be indicated by the NF ID option, and the address information can be indicated by the IP address and the IP domain name option of the IP address (or VPN option of the IP address).

[0201] Optionally, in combination with the above embodiments, before the network management function entity receives the first message from the service address allocation proxy function entity, the network management function entity may configure the address network segments corresponding to the respective interface types in the above at least one interface type. The address network segment may be an interface address network segment, or an interface address network segment and network planning information (denoted as network planning information #2) for indicating the network where the interface address network segment is located. The network planning information #2 may be an IP domain name, or a VPN, or information for indicating a network in other network planning. Exemplarily, the above address network segment may be an IP address network segment, or an IP address network segment and an IP domain name, or an IP address network segment and a VPN. For example, when the IP addresses included in each network are different, the above address network segment may be an IP address network segment; or, when there are the same IP addresses included in different networks, the above address may be an IP address network segment and an IP domain name; or, the above address may be an IP address network segment and a VPN.

[0202] The manner in which the network management function entity configures the address network segment may be set according to the actual situation. For example, when the address scale of the deployed network is uncertain, the network management function entity may request the address network segments corresponding to the respective interface types in the above at least one interface type from the NF deployment proxy function entity when it is determined that the address network segments corresponding to the respective interface types in the above at least one interface type need to be used subsequently; when the address scale of the deployed network is determined, the topology orchestrator may send all the interface types of the network planning and the address network segments corresponding to the interface types to the network management function entity for the network management function entity to use subsequently. The following will be described in different cases.

[0203] Case 2.1: The address scale of the deployed network is uncertain.

[0204] In this case, the topology orchestrator may send the content of the network address plan, such as the address network segments corresponding to the respective interfaces in the plan, to the service network management center. That is, the message sent by the topology orchestrator to the service network management center at this time may include at least one of the following: information for indicating the interface type of the interface for which the plan is completed, or the address network segment information of the interface for which the plan is completed. In this way, the various planned information can be configured in the service network management center so that the subsequent network management function can obtain the address network segments of the required interfaces from the service network management center.

[0205] The topology orchestrator can deploy at least one NF at a specified edge site or data center, and the at least one NF includes a first network function. That is to say, the topology orchestrator can send at least one of the following information to the NF deployment proxy function entity: information indicating the NF type of the at least one NF, a software image, or an initial configuration. Among them, the NF type can be the NF type in 3GPP, such as SMF, UPF, etc., and the NF type includes the type corresponding to the first network function. It can be understood that in future communication systems, other NF types can also be used, without limitation. The software image can be software running on the cloud infrastructure of the edge network, and specific references can be made to the prior art, which will not be elaborated here. The initial configuration can be service function configuration data determined according to different application scenarios, and specific references can be made to the prior art, which will not be elaborated here.

[0206] After deploying the NF at the specified edge site or data center, the NF deployment proxy function entity can send a message indicating the first interface type to the network management function entity according to the at least one NF deployed by the topology orchestrator, so as to indicate which interfaces of the NF the network management function entity needs to support. That is to say, the first interface type is the interface type of each interface that needs to be deployed in the deployed NF, and the first interface type belongs to the interface type of the planned and completed interfaces mentioned above. After receiving the message indicating the first interface type information, if the network management function entity does not have enough addresses to allocate addresses for the interfaces of the first interface type, it can send a fifth message to the service network management center to request to obtain the address network segment corresponding to the interfaces of the first interface type.

[0207] Specifically, before the network management function entity receives the first message from the service address allocation proxy function entity, the above interface address allocation method can further include: the network management function entity sends a fifth message to the service network management center. Correspondingly, the service network management center receives the fifth message from the network management function entity. The fifth message is used to obtain the address network segment corresponding to the interfaces of the first interface type. The first interface type includes the interface type of the determined deployed interfaces, and at least one interface type of the first network function belongs to the first interface type; the service network management center sends a sixth message to the network management function entity. Correspondingly, the network management function entity receives the sixth message from the service network management center. The sixth message is used to indicate the address network segment information corresponding to the interfaces of the first interface type; the above network management function entity sending the second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message can specifically include: the network management function entity sends the second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message and the sixth message.

[0208] The address network segment information may include at least one interface address network segment, or at least one interface address network segment and second network planning information. The second network planning information may be used to indicate the network where each interface address network segment in the at least one interface address network segment is located. It can be understood that the second network planning information may include the network planning information of each interface address network segment in the at least one interface address network segment, and the network planning information of each interface address network segment in the at least one interface address network segment may be the same or different, and can be specifically set according to the actual situation. For example, it is indicated that one interface address network segment includes interface address network segments #b1, #b2, and #b3, and the second network planning information may include network home information #b1 corresponding to address network segment #b1, network home information #b2 corresponding to address network segment #b2, and network home information #b3 corresponding to address network segment #b3. The second network planning information may be an IP domain name or a VPN, and in other different network plans, such as in a network not planned using an IP domain name or a VPN, the above IP domain name and VPN can also be replaced with the information used to indicate the network in this network plan. In addition, the information included in the address network segment can be set according to the actual situation. For example, when the interface addresses in each network are not repeated, the address network segment information may be at least one interface address network segment; or for another example, when there are repeated interface addresses in each network, the address network segment information may include at least one interface address network segment and second network planning information.

[0209] The fifth message may include information for indicating the first interface type. The information for indicating the first interface type may be each interface type in the first interface type, or may be pre-set or protocol-predefined information for representing each interface type in the first interface type.

[0210] The sixth message may include at least one of the following: information for indicating the first interface type, or address network segment information. For specific reference, please refer to the above relevant introduction and will not be elaborated here. It can be understood that each interface of each interface type in the first interface type corresponds to an address network segment.

[0211] The network management function entity may obtain the address network segment information corresponding to the interface of the first interface type from the service network management center. When the service address allocation proxy function entity requests to allocate addresses for the interfaces of at least one interface type, it may allocate addresses for the interfaces of the at least one interface type according to the address network segment information corresponding to the interface of the first interface type and the first message.

[0212] It can be understood that if there are sufficient addresses in the network management function entity for the NF to be deployed, there is no need to perform the above step of obtaining the address network segment information corresponding to the first interface type. That is to say, in this case, the network management function entity may use the local addresses to allocate addresses for each interface.

[0213] After the network management function entity receives the sixth message from the service network management center, the above interface address allocation method may further include: the network management function entity sends an eighth message to the edge gateway according to the sixth message. Correspondingly, the edge gateway receives the eighth message from the network management function entity, and the eighth message is used to request the network segment route corresponding to the configured address network segment information.

[0214] The eighth message may include address network segment information. The edge gateway configures the network segment route according to the address network segment information, which can refer to the prior art and will not be elaborated here.

[0215] Case 2.2: The address scale of the deployed network is determined.

[0216] In this case, the topology orchestrator may send the relevant information of all interface types corresponding to the planned network to the network management function entity. Specifically, before the network management function entity receives the first message from the service address allocation proxy function entity, the above interface address allocation method may further include: the topology orchestrator sends a seventh message to the network management function entity. Correspondingly, the network management function entity receives the seventh message from the topology orchestrator, and the seventh message is used to indicate the address network segment information corresponding to the interfaces of the second interface type. The second interface type includes all interface types corresponding to the planned network, and at least one interface type of the first network function belongs to the second interface type. The above network management function entity sending the second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message may specifically include: the network management function entity sends the second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message and the seventh message.

[0217] The second interface type may include at least one interface type, and it can be sent to the network management function entity by the topology orchestrator.

[0218] The seventh message may include at least one of the following: information for indicating the second interface type, or the address network segments corresponding to the respective interface types in the second interface type.

[0219] The address network segment information can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "Case 2.1" and will not be elaborated here.

[0220] In Case 2.2, the topology orchestrator may pre - send the relevant information of all interfaces of the network plan to the network management function entity, so as to facilitate the network management function entity to allocate addresses for each interface according to the relevant information.

[0221] After the network management function entity receives the seventh message from the topology orchestrator, the above interface address allocation method may further include: the network management function entity sends an eighth message to the edge gateway according to the seventh message. Correspondingly, the edge gateway receives the eighth message from the network management function entity, and the eighth message is used to request to configure the network segment route corresponding to the address network segment information.

[0222] The eighth message may include address network segment information. The edge gateway configures the network segment route according to the address network segment information, which can refer to the prior art and will not be elaborated here.

[0223] Optionally, in combination with the above embodiments, the business address allocation proxy function entity sending address information to the service interface automation system may specifically include: the business address allocation proxy function entity sends address information to the service interface automation system when it determines that the address information can be used. In this way, it can ensure that the addresses configured for each interface in at least one type of interface can be used, so as to ensure the normal operation of the service.

[0224] The business address allocation proxy function entity can confirm whether the address information can be used by sending a request message to the network management function entity to confirm whether the address information can be used. Specifically, after the business address allocation proxy function entity receives the second message from the network management function entity, the above interface address allocation method may further include: the business address allocation proxy function entity sends a ninth message to the network management function entity. Correspondingly, the network management function entity receives the ninth message from the business address allocation proxy function entity, and the ninth message is used to request to determine whether the address information can be used; the network management function entity sends a tenth message to the business address allocation proxy function entity according to the ninth message. Correspondingly, the business address allocation proxy function entity receives the tenth message from the network management function entity, and the tenth message is used to indicate that the address information can be used.

[0225] The ninth message may include at least one of the following: information indicating the first function entity, or address information, which can specifically refer to the relevant introduction above. The tenth message may be an acknowledgement message, which may include information such as ACK characters for indicating acknowledgement. That is to say, after receiving the second message, the business address allocation proxy function entity can confirm whether the address information is available to the network management function entity.

[0226] It can be understood that when the network management function entity is a DHCPv4 server, the ninth message can reuse the DHCP request message, and the tenth message can reuse the DHCP ACK message. In this case, DHCP option definitions can be added, such as the interface type address allocation option, the IP domain name option for the IP address, the VPN option for the IP address, and the NF ID option. For specific details, reference can be made to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S602", which will not be elaborated here. After adding the DHCP option definitions, the DHCP request message can include at least one of the following: the interface type address allocation option, the IP domain name option for the IP address (or the VPN option for the IP address), the NF ID option, or the IP address. That is, the first function entity can be indicated by the NF ID option, and the address information can be indicated by the IP address and the IP domain name option for the IP address (or the VPN option for the IP address).

[0227] When the network management function entity is a DHCPv6 server, the ninth message can reuse the DHCPv6 request message, and the tenth message can reuse the DHCPv6 confirmation (REPLY) message. In this case, DHCP option definitions can be added, such as the interface type address allocation option, the IP domain name option for the IP address, the VPN option for the IP address, and the NF ID option. For specific details, reference can be made to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S602", which will not be elaborated here. After adding the DHCP option definitions, the DHCPv6 request message can include at least one of the following: the interface type address allocation option, the IP domain name option for the IP address (or the VPN option for the IP address), the NF ID option, or the IP address. That is, the first function entity can be indicated by the NF ID option, and the address information can be indicated by the IP address and the IP domain name option for the IP address (or the VPN option for the IP address).

[0228] Scenario 1:

[0229] Figure 7 Schematic flow of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiments of this application Figure 2 This method is applicable to the above communication system and mainly involves the interaction between the service address allocation proxy function entity and the service network edge proxy function entity. In Scenario 1, when the address scale of the network where the service address allocation proxy function entity can be deployed is uncertain, the service address allocation proxy function entity requests the network management function entity to allocate addresses for at least one interface type of the first network function, and the network management function entity can allocate addresses for at least one interface type of the first network function.

[0230] As Figure 7 shown, the flow of this interface address allocation method is as follows:

[0231] S701, The topology orchestrator sends Message #1 to the business network management center. Correspondingly, the network management center receives Message #1 from the topology orchestrator.

[0232] Message #1 can be used to indicate the address network segment of the interfaces of the first interface type, and the first interface type includes the interface types of the interfaces determined for deployment. Message #1 can include at least one of the following: information for indicating the first interface type, or the address network segment of the first interface type. For details, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the foregoing Figure 6 illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0233] S702, The business network management center sends a first confirmation message to the topology orchestrator according to Message #1. Correspondingly, the topology orchestrator receives the first confirmation message from the business network management center.

[0234] After receiving Message #1, the business network management center can save the relevant information of the network address plan, that is, the address network segment of the interfaces of the first interface type mentioned above, and can return a first confirmation message.

[0235] S703, The topology orchestrator sends Message #2 to the NF deployment proxy function entity. Correspondingly, the NF deployment proxy function entity receives Message #2 from the topology orchestrator.

[0236] Message #2 is used to indicate the deployment of at least one NF, and the at least one NF includes the first network function. Message #2 can include at least one of the following: information for indicating the NF type of the at least one NF, software image, or initial configuration. For details, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the foregoing Figure 6 illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0237] S704, The NF deployment proxy function entity sends Message #3 to the business network edge proxy function entity. Correspondingly, the business network edge proxy function entity receives Message #3 from the NF deployment proxy function entity.

[0238] Message #3 is used to indicate the interface types of the interfaces of the at least one NF to be deployed. That is, after deploying the at least one NF, it is also necessary to allocate addresses for the interfaces of the at least one NF. In this way, after receiving Message #3, the business network edge proxy function entity can confirm whether it has enough addresses for allocation. When there are enough addresses for allocation, it does not need to request the address network segments of the interfaces of each interface type from the business network center, that is, it can directly use the local addresses for allocation; when there are not enough addresses for allocation, it can request the address network segments of the interfaces of each interface type from the business network center and allocate addresses with this address network segment.

[0239] In S705, the service network edge proxy function entity sends a second confirmation message to the NF deployment proxy function entity according to Message #3. Correspondingly, the service network edge proxy function entity receives the second confirmation message from the NF deployment proxy function entity.

[0240] That is, the service network edge proxy function entity can notify the NF deployment proxy function entity that Message #3 has been received through the second confirmation message.

[0241] In S706, the service network edge proxy function entity sends Message #4 to the service network management center. Correspondingly, the service network management center receives Message #4 from the service network edge proxy function entity.

[0242] Message #4 can be Figure 6 the fifth message in the embodiment shown. The specific implementation of S706 can refer to the relevant introduction in the embodiment shown above Figure 6 and will not be elaborated here.

[0243] In S707, the service network management center sends Message #5 to the service network edge proxy function entity according to Message #4. Correspondingly, the service network edge proxy function entity receives Message #5 from the service network management center.

[0244] Message #5 can be Figure 6 the sixth message in the embodiment shown. The specific implementation of S707 can refer to the relevant introduction in the embodiment shown above Figure 6 and will not be elaborated here.

[0245] In S708, the service network edge proxy function entity sends Message #6 to the edge gateway according to Message #5. Correspondingly, the edge gateway receives Message #6 from the service network edge proxy function entity.

[0246] Message #6 can be Figure 6 the eighth message in the embodiment shown. The specific implementation of S708 can refer to the relevant introduction in the embodiment shown above Figure 6 and will not be elaborated here.

[0247] In S709, the NF deployment proxy function entity deploys at least one NF.

[0248] That is, the NF deployment proxy function entity can complete operations such as deploying relevant resources (such as virtual machines, central processing unit (CPU), memory, disks, network bandwidth, etc.) of at least one NF, loading software images, and starting the NF software. For details, reference can be made to the prior art and will not be elaborated here.

[0249] S710, The service interface automation system sends Message #6 to the service address allocation proxy function entity. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy function entity receives Message #6 from the service interface automation system.

[0250] Message #6 can be Figure 6 the third message in the illustrated embodiment. The specific implementation of S710 can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing Figure 6 illustrated embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0251] S711, The service address allocation proxy function entity sends Message #7 to the service network edge proxy function entity according to Message #6. Correspondingly, the service network edge proxy function entity receives Message #7 from the service address allocation proxy function entity.

[0252] Message #7 can Figure 6 be the first message in the illustrated embodiment. The specific implementation of S711 can refer to the relevant introduction of the foregoing "S601", which will not be elaborated here.

[0253] S712, The service network edge proxy function entity sends Message #8 to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to Message #7. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy function entity receives Message #8 from the service network edge proxy function entity.

[0254] Message #8 can Figure 6 be the second message in the illustrated embodiment. The specific implementation of S712 can refer to the relevant introduction of the foregoing "S602", which will not be elaborated here.

[0255] S713, The service address allocation proxy function entity sends Message #9 to the service interface automation system according to Message #8. Correspondingly, the service interface automation system receives Message #9 from the service address allocation proxy function entity.

[0256] Message #9 can be used to indicate the address information of the interfaces of at least one interface type. The specific implementation of S713 can refer to the relevant introduction of the foregoing "S603", which will not be elaborated here.

[0257] S714, The service interface automation system generates the interface configuration of the first network function according to Message #9.

[0258] The specific implementation of S714 can refer to the relevant introduction of the foregoing "S604", which will not be elaborated here.

[0259] S715, The service interface automation system publishes the interface host address route.

[0260] The specific implementation of S715 can refer to the foregoing Figure 6The relevant introductions in the illustrated embodiments will not be elaborated here.

[0261] It can be understood that the specific implementation of S701 - S715 can refer to the relevant introductions in the foregoing Figure 6 illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated here. In this case, the service network edge proxy function entity in Scenario 1 can be Figure 6 the network management function entity in the illustrated embodiments.

[0262] Scenario 2:

[0263] Figure 8 is a flowchart of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiments of this application. Figure 3 This method is applicable to the above - mentioned communication system, mainly involving the interaction between the service address allocation proxy function entity and the service network edge proxy function entity. In Scenario 2, when the address scale of the network where the service address allocation proxy function entity can be deployed is determined, it requests the network management function entity to allocate addresses for at least one interface type of the first network function, and the network management function entity can allocate addresses for at least one interface type of the first network function.

[0264] As Figure 8 shown, the process of this interface address allocation method is as follows:

[0265] S801, the topology orchestrator sends Message #1 to the NF deployment proxy function entity. Correspondingly, the NF deployment proxy function entity receives Message #1 from the topology orchestrator.

[0266] Message #1 is used to indicate the deployment of at least one NF, and the at least one NF includes the first network function. Message #1 can include at least one of the following: information indicating the NF type of the at least one NF, software image, or initial configuration. Specifically, it can refer to the relevant introductions in the foregoing Figure 6 illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0267] S802, the topology orchestrator sends Message #2 to the service network edge proxy function entity. Correspondingly, the service network edge proxy function entity receives Message #2 from the topology orchestrator.

[0268] Message #2 can be Figure 6 the seventh message in the illustrated embodiments. The specific implementation of S7802 can refer to the relevant introductions in the foregoing Figure 6 illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated here.

[0269] S803, the service network edge proxy function entity sends Message #3 to the edge gateway according to Message #2. Correspondingly, the edge gateway receives Message #3 from the service network edge proxy function entity.

[0270] Message #3 can be Figure 6 the eighth message in the illustrated embodiment. The specific implementation of S803 can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing Figure 6 illustrated embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0271] S804, the NF deployment proxy function entity deploys at least one NF.

[0272] S804 can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S709", which will not be elaborated here.

[0273] S805, the service interface automation system sends Message #4 to the service address allocation proxy function entity. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy function entity receives Message #4 from the service interface automation system.

[0274] Message #4 can be Figure 6 the third message in the illustrated embodiment. The specific implementation of S805 can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing Figure 6 illustrated embodiment, which will not be elaborated here.

[0275] S806, the service address allocation proxy function entity sends Message #5 to the service network edge proxy function entity according to Message #4. Correspondingly, the service network edge proxy function entity receives Message #5 from the service address allocation proxy function entity.

[0276] Message #5 can Figure 6 the first message in the illustrated embodiment. The specific implementation of S806 can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S601", which will not be elaborated here.

[0277] S807, the service network edge proxy function entity sends Message #6 to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to Message #5. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy function entity receives Message #6 from the service network edge proxy function entity.

[0278] Message #6 can Figure 6 the second message in the illustrated embodiment. The specific implementation of S807 can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S602", which will not be elaborated here.

[0279] S808, the service address allocation proxy function entity sends Message #7 to the service interface automation system according to Message #6. Correspondingly, the service interface automation system receives Message #7 from the service address allocation proxy function entity.

[0280] Message #7 can be used to indicate the address information of the interfaces of at least one interface type. The specific implementation of S808 can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S603", which will not be elaborated here.

[0281] S809. The service interface automation system generates the interface configuration of the first network function according to Message #7.

[0282] For the specific implementation of S809, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the foregoing "S604", which will not be elaborated here.

[0283] S810. The service interface automation system publishes the interface host address route.

[0284] For the specific implementation of S810, reference can be made to Figure 6 the relevant introduction in the foregoing embodiments shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0285] It can be understood that for the specific implementation of S801 - S810, reference can be made to Figure 6 the relevant introduction in the foregoing embodiments shown, which will not be elaborated here. In this case, the service network edge proxy function entity in Scenario 2 is Figure 6 the network management function entity in the foregoing embodiments shown.

[0286] Scenario 3:

[0287] Figure 9 is a flowchart of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 4 . This method is applicable to the above - mentioned communication system, and mainly involves the interaction between the service address allocation proxy function entity and the DHCPv4 server. In Scenario 3, the service address allocation proxy function entity can request the DHCPv4 server to allocate addresses for at least one interface type of the first network function, and the DHCPv4 server can allocate addresses for at least one interface type of the first network function according to this request.

[0288] As Figure 9 shown, the process of this interface address allocation method is as follows:

[0289] S901. The service interface automation system sends an interface address allocation request message to the service address allocation proxy function entity. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy function entity receives the interface address allocation request message from the service interface automation system.

[0290] The interface address allocation request message can be Figure 6 the third message in the foregoing embodiments shown. For the specific implementation of S901, reference can be made to Figure 6 the relevant introduction in the foregoing embodiments shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0291] S902, the service address allocation proxy function entity sends a DHCP discovery message to the DHCPv4 server according to the interface address allocation request message. Correspondingly, the DHCPv4 server receives the DHCP discovery message from the service address allocation proxy function entity.

[0292] S903, the DHCPv4 server sends a DHCP offer message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the DHCP discovery message. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy function entity receives the DHCP offer message from the DHCPv4 server.

[0293] S904, the service address allocation proxy function entity sends a DHCP request message to the DHCPv4 server according to the DHCP offer message. Correspondingly, the DHCPv4 server receives the DHCP request message from the service address allocation proxy function entity.

[0294] S905, the DHCPv4 server sends a DHCP acknowledgment message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the DHCP request message. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy function entity receives the DHCP acknowledgment message from the DHCPv4 server.

[0295] S906, the service address allocation proxy function entity sends an interface address allocation result message to the service interface automation system according to the DHCP offer message and the DHCP acknowledgment message. Correspondingly, the service interface automation system receives the interface address allocation result message from the service address allocation proxy function entity.

[0296] The interface address allocation result message can be used to indicate the address information of interfaces of at least one interface type. The specific implementation of S906 can refer to the relevant introduction of the foregoing "S603", which will not be elaborated here.

[0297] It can be understood that the specific implementation of S901 - S906 can refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing Figure 6 illustrated embodiments, which will not be elaborated here. In this case, the DHCPv4 server in Scenario 3 is Figure 6 the network management function entity in the illustrated embodiment.

[0298] Scenario 4:

[0299] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 5This method is applicable to the above-mentioned communication system and mainly involves the interaction between the service address allocation proxy functional entity and the DHCPv6 server. In Scenario 4, the service address allocation proxy functional entity can request the DHCPv6 server to allocate addresses for at least one interface type of the first network function, and the DHCPv6 server can allocate addresses for at least one interface type of the first network function according to this request.

[0300] As Figure 10 shown, the process of this interface address allocation method is as follows:

[0301] S1001. The service interface automation system sends an interface address allocation request message to the service address allocation proxy functional entity. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy functional entity receives the interface address allocation request message from the service interface automation system.

[0302] The interface address allocation request message can be the Figure 6 third message in the embodiment shown. The specific implementation of S901 can refer to the relevant introduction in the Figure 6 embodiment shown above and will not be elaborated here.

[0303] S1002. The service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a DHCPv6 Solicit message to the DHCPv6 server according to the interface address allocation request message. Correspondingly, the DHCPv6 server receives the DHCPv6 Solicit message from the service address allocation proxy functional entity.

[0304] S1003. The DHCPv6 server sends a DHCPv6 Advertise message to the service address allocation proxy functional entity according to the DHCPv6 Solicit message. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy functional entity receives the DHCPv6 Advertise message from the DHCPv6 server.

[0305] S1004. The service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a DHCPv6 Request message to the DHCPv6 server according to the DHCPv6 Advertise message. Correspondingly, the DHCPv6 server receives the DHCPv6 Request message from the service address allocation proxy functional entity.

[0306] S1005. The DHCPv6 server sends a DHCPv6 Reply message to the service address allocation proxy functional entity according to the DHCPv6 Request message. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy functional entity receives the DHCPv6 Reply message from the DHCPv6 server.

[0307] S1006. The service address allocation proxy functional entity sends an interface address allocation result message to the service interface automation system according to the DHCPv6 reply message and the DHCPv6 advertisement message. Correspondingly, the service interface automation system receives the interface address allocation result message from the service address allocation proxy functional entity.

[0308] The interface address allocation result message can be used to indicate the address information of an interface of at least one interface type. For the specific implementation of S1006, reference can be made to the relevant introduction of the foregoing "S603", which will not be elaborated here.

[0309] It can be understood that for the specific implementation of S1001 - S1006, reference can be made to the Figure 6 relevant introduction in the foregoing embodiments shown. Details will not be repeated here. In this case, the DHCPv6 server in Scenario 4 is Figure 6 the network management functional entity in the foregoing embodiments shown.

[0310] Figure 11 Flow schematic of the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiments of this application Figure 6 This method can be applicable to the interaction between the service address allocation proxy functional entity and the network management functional entity in the above - mentioned communication system.

[0311] As Figure 11 shown, the flow of this interface address allocation method is as follows:

[0312] S1101. The service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a first message to the network management functional entity. Correspondingly, the network management functional entity receives the first message from the service address allocation proxy functional entity.

[0313] The first message can be used to request to continue using the first address allocated to the interface of the first interface type for the first network function. And the first message can be called a renewal message.

[0314] The first interface type can include at least one interface type, which can be at least one interface type in 3GPP, such as at least one of the N2 interface, N4 interface, SBI interface, N3 interface, N9 interface, S11 interface, S5 interface, S8 interface, and can also be at least one interface type in future communication systems.

[0315] The first address may be an address assigned to an interface of the first interface type, that is, the interface of the first interface type can be determined through the first address. The first address may include at least one interface address, such as at least one IP address, or may include at least one interface address and first network planning information for indicating the network where the at least one interface address is located. It can be understood that the first network planning information may include the network planning information corresponding to each interface address in the at least one interface address, and the network planning information corresponding to each interface address in the at least one interface address may be the same or different, and can be specifically set according to the actual situation. For example, the at least one interface address includes interface address #c1 and interface address #c2, and the first network planning information may include network planning information #c1 corresponding to interface address #c1 and network planning information #c2 corresponding to interface address #c2. The first network planning information may be an IP domain name, or a VPN, or information used to indicate a network in other network planning. Exemplarily, the first address may be at least one IP address, or at least one IP address and an IP domain name, or at least one IP address and a VPN, and can be specifically determined according to the actual situation. For example, when the IP addresses included in each network are different, the first address may be at least one IP address; or for another example, when there are the same IP addresses included in different networks, the first address may be at least one IP address and an IP domain name; or the first address may be at least one IP address and a VPN.

[0316] The first message may include at least one of the following: information for indicating the first network function, information for indicating the first interface type, or information for indicating the first address. The information for indicating the first network function may refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S601" and will not be elaborated here. The information for indicating the first interface type may be each interface type included in the first interface type, such as N2 interface, N4 interface, etc.; it may also be information preset or predefined by the protocol for representing each interface type in the first interface type. The information for indicating the first address may include the above-mentioned at least one interface address and / or first network planning information, and may also be information preset or predefined by the protocol for representing the first address.

[0317] The service address allocation proxy functional entity sends the first message to the network management functional entity, and may request the network management functional entity to allocate a first address for the interface of the first interface type of the first network function, that is, to continue to renew the first address.

[0318] S1102. The network management functional entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy functional entity according to the first message. Correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy functional entity receives the second message from the network management functional entity.

[0319] The second message is used to allocate a second address for an interface of a first interface type. The second address may be the same as or different from the first address. For example, when the first address is available, the network management function entity may allocate the first address for an interface of the first interface type of the first network function. Or when the first address has been allocated to other interfaces, the network management function entity may allocate a second address, that is, an address other than the first address, for an interface of the first interface type of the first network function. It can be understood that the second address may include at least one interface address, and the number of interface addresses included therein is the same as the number of interface addresses included in the first address.

[0320] The second message may include at least one of the following: information for indicating the first network function, information for indicating the first interface type, or information for indicating the second address. The information for indicating the first network function and the information for indicating the first interface type may refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S1101", which will not be elaborated here. The information for indicating the second address may be a second interface address and / or second network planning information. The second interface address is similar to the first interface address, and the two may be the same or different. The second interface address may refer to the relevant introduction of the first interface address, which will not be elaborated here; the second network planning information is similar to the first network planning information, and the two may be the same or different. The second network planning information may refer to the relevant introduction of the first network planning information, which will not be elaborated here. The information for indicating the second address may also be information preset or predefined by the protocol for representing the second address.

[0321] After receiving the first message, the network management function entity may determine whether the first address is available, that is, the first address has not been allocated to other interfaces. If the first address is available, the network management function entity may continue to allocate the first address for an interface of the first interface type of the first network function, that is, the lease renewal is successful at this time. If the first address is not available, the network management function entity may allocate other addresses, such as the second address, for an interface of the first interface type of the first network function, that is, the lease renewal fails at this time.

[0322] The second message may also be used to indicate a valid duration, which is the duration for which the second address can be permitted to be used. That is, the valid duration may be the duration for which an interface of the first interface type of the first network function can use the second address. The valid duration may refer to the relevant introduction in the foregoing "S602", which will not be elaborated here. In this case, the second message may further include information for indicating the valid duration, such as the specific value of the valid duration, or preset information for indicating the valid duration, etc. It can be understood that the "valid duration" mentioned in the embodiments of the present application is only an exemplary expression, and the "valid duration" may also be replaced by any possible expression, such as "lease duration" or "usage duration", etc., without limitation.

[0323] In summary, in the embodiments of the present application, when the first address is about to expire, the service address allocation proxy function entity can send a message to the network management function entity requesting to continue using the first address allocated for the interface of the first interface type of the first network function, and allocate a second address for the interface, so as to avoid the situation that after the first address expires, the first network function cannot use the first address, resulting in service errors.

[0324] It can be understood that if the network management function entity does not receive the above first message after the usage duration of the first address reaches the valid duration of the first address, the network management function entity can release the first address.

[0325] Optionally, in combination with the above embodiments, after receiving the second message from the network management function entity, the service address allocation proxy entity can determine whether the second address indicated by the second message is the same as the first address. If the second address is different from the first address, it can be considered that the network management function entity has re-allocated an address for the interface of the first interface type of the first network function. In this case, the service address allocation proxy entity can notify the service interface automation system to update the interface address, that is, update the address of the interface of the first interface type of the first network function to the second address.

[0326] Specifically, after the service address allocation proxy function entity receives the second message from the network management function entity, the above interface address allocation method may further include: the service address allocation proxy function entity sends a third message to the service interface automation system. Correspondingly, the service interface automation system receives the third message from the service address allocation proxy function entity ( Figure 11 in S1103), and the third message is used to request to update the first address corresponding to the interface of the first interface type of the first network function to the second address; the service interface automation system updates the first address to the second address according to the third message ( Figure 11 in S1104).

[0327] The third message may include at least one of the following: information for indicating the first interface type, information for indicating the first address, or information for indicating the second address. For specific reference, please refer to the relevant introduction above and will not be elaborated here.

[0328] It can be understood that the service interface automation system can reconfigure the address (i.e., the second address) of the interface of the first interface type of the first network function after the address of the interface changes, and can also trigger the link establishment process with the peer device, that is, re-establish the interface link with the peer device.

[0329] Optionally, in combination with the above embodiments, when the first address fails, the service address allocation proxy functional entity may send a first message to the network management functional entity. The failure of the first address can be understood as when the first address is about to fail, for example, when the usage duration of the first address is about to reach the valid duration of the first address. There are various ways for the service address allocation proxy functional entity to determine the time point for sending the first message. For example, the service address allocation proxy functional entity may start a timer when the first address starts to be used, and when the time of the timer is about to reach the valid time of the first address, send the first message to the network management functional entity. Another example is that the time point when the first address is about to fail can be calculated based on the valid time of the first address, and at this time point, send the first message to the network management functional entity. The way for the service address allocation proxy functional entity to determine the time point for sending the first message can be determined according to the actual situation, and the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0330] Optionally, in combination with the above embodiments, when the service address allocation proxy functional entity receives a message requesting to obtain the first address sent by the service interface automation system, it may send a first message to the network management functional entity.

[0331] Specifically, before the service address allocation proxy functional entity sends the first message to the network management functional entity, the above interface address allocation method may further include: the service interface automation system sends a fourth message to the service address allocation proxy functional entity, and correspondingly, the service address allocation proxy functional entity receives the fourth message from the service interface automation system ( Figure 11 in S1100), and the fourth message is used to request the allocation of the first address; the above service address allocation proxy functional entity sending the first message to the network management functional entity includes: the service address allocation proxy functional entity sending the first message to the network management functional entity according to the fourth message.

[0332] The fourth message may include at least one of the following: information indicating the first interface type, or information indicating the first address. For specific reference, please refer to the foregoing related introduction, and details are not described herein again.

[0333] It can be understood that after the first network function is restarted, such as after a failure restart of the first network function, the interface address needs to remain unchanged. At this time, the service interface automation system can read the configuration information from a location where the configuration data is stored (such as a persistent medium), and the configuration information can include information such as the address of the interface of the first interface type being the first address; and send a fourth message to the service address allocation proxy function entity to request the allocation of the first address. After receiving the fourth message, the service address allocation proxy function entity can, according to the fourth message, request the network management function entity to continue allocating the first address for the interface of the first interface type of the first network function. In this way, after the first network function is restarted, an available address can be provided for the interface of the first interface type in the first network function, avoiding the situation where the address is unavailable and causing service errors.

[0334] In addition, Figure 6 the embodiments shown and Figure 11 the embodiments shown can be combined and used. For example, first allocate an address for the interface of at least one interface type, and when the address is about to expire, request to continue using the address, which can be specifically set according to the actual situation without limitation.

[0335] The above Figures 6 - 11 has described in detail the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiments of the present application. The following Figures 12 - 13 will describe in detail the communication device for executing the interface address allocation method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0336] Figure 12 is a schematic structural diagram of the communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application Figure 1 . Exemplarily, as Figure 12 shown, the communication device 1200 includes: a transceiver module 1201 and a processing module 1202. For the sake of convenience of description, Figure 12 only the main components of the communication device are shown.

[0337] Among them, the transceiver module 1201 is used to execute the transceiver function of the method shown above Figures 6 - 11 , and the processing module 1202 is used to execute other functions of the method shown above Figures 6 - 11 except for the transceiver function.

[0338] Optionally, the transceiver module 1201 may include a sending module ( Figure 12 , not shown) and a receiving module ( Figure 12 , not shown). Among them, the sending module is used to implement the sending function of the communication device 1200, and the receiving module is used to implement the receiving function of the communication device 1200.

[0339] Optionally, the communication device 1200 may further include a storage module ( Figure 12(not shown in the figure), the storage module stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 1202 executes the programs or instructions, the communication device 1200 can perform the functions of the network device (such as the service address allocation proxy function entity or the network management function entity) in the method shown above. Figures 6 - 11 The functions of the network device (such as the service address allocation proxy function entity or the network management function entity) in the method shown in

[0340] It can be understood that the communication device 1200 can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be set in the network device, or a device including the network device. This application does not make any limitations in this regard.

[0341] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 1200 can refer to Figures 6 - 11 the technical effects of the interface address allocation method shown in, which will not be elaborated here.

[0342] Figure 13 The structure diagram of the communication device provided by the embodiments of this application Figure 2 is shown. Exemplarily, the communication device can be a network device, or a chip (system) or other components or assemblies that can be set in the network device. As Figure 13 shown, the communication device 1300 can include a processor 1301. Optionally, the communication device 1300 can also include a memory 1302 and / or a transceiver 1303. Among them, the processor 1301 is coupled to the memory 1302 and the transceiver 1303, and can be connected through a communication bus, for example.

[0343] Next, specific introductions to the various components of the communication device 1300 will be given in conjunction with Figure 13 :

[0344] Among them, the processor 1301 is the control center of the communication device 1300, and can be a single processor or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, the processor 1301 is one or more CPUs, or can be an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the embodiments of this application. For example: one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

[0345] Optionally, the processor 1301 can execute various functions of the communication device 1300 by running or executing software programs stored in the memory 1302 and calling data stored in the memory 1302, such as executing the Figures 6 - 11 interface address allocation method shown above.

[0346] In a specific implementation, as an example, the processor 1301 may include one or more CPUs, such as Figure 13 CPU0 and CPU1 shown in

[0347] In a specific implementation, as an example, the communication device 1300 may also include multiple processors, such as Figure 13 the processor 1301 and the processor 1304 shown in. Each of these processors may be a single-core processor (single-CPU) or a multi-core processor (multi-CPU). The processor here may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores for processing data (such as computer program instructions).

[0348] Among them, the memory 1302 is used to store the software program for executing the solution of this application and is controlled by the processor 1301 to execute. The specific implementation method can refer to the above method embodiment and will not be elaborated here.

[0349] Optionally, the memory 1302 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or other optical disc storage (including compressed optical 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 not limited thereto. The memory 1302 may be integrated with the processor 1301 or exist independently and be coupled to the processor 1301 through the interface circuit of the communication device 1300 ( Figure 13 not shown in) and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0350] The transceiver 1303 is used for communication with other communication devices. For example, when the communication device 1300 is a terminal, the transceiver 1303 can be used for communication with a network device or with another terminal device. Another example is that when the communication device 1300 is a network device, the transceiver 1303 can be used for communication with a terminal or with another network device.

[0351] Optionally, the transceiver 1303 may include a receiver and a transmitter ( Figure 13 not shown separately). Among them, the receiver is used to implement the receiving function, and the transmitter is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0352] Optionally, the transceiver 1303 may be integrated with the processor 1301, or may exist independently, and is coupled to the processor 1301 through the interface circuit of the communication device 1300 ( Figure 13 not shown), and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0353] It can be understood that Figure 13 the structure of the communication device 1300 shown does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. The actual communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0354] In addition, the technical effects of the communication device 1300 can refer to the technical effects of the method described in the above method embodiments, and will not be elaborated here.

[0355] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), and the processor may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may also be any conventional processor, etc.

[0356] It should also be understood that the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example but not limitation, many forms of random access memory (RAM) are available, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0357] The above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware (such as circuits), firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, the above embodiments can be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions or computer programs. When the computer instructions or computer programs are loaded or executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable devices. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by wired (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or a data center that contains one or more collections of available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (such as a DVD), or a semiconductor medium. The semiconductor medium can be a solid-state drive.

[0358] It should be understood that the term "and / or" in this document is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Here, A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, the character " / " in this document generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after, but it may also represent an "and / or" relationship, which can be specifically understood by referring to the context before and after.

[0359] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality" means two or more. "At least one of the following" or a similar expression means any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, a - b, a - c, b - c, or a - b - c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0360] It should be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the magnitudes of the sequence numbers of the above processes do not mean the order of execution. The order of execution of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0361] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are executed in a hardware or software manner depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of this application.

[0362] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and conciseness of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments and will not be elaborated herein.

[0363] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the 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 system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the displayed or discussed couplings or direct couplings or communication connections to each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect couplings or communication connections of the devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0364] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0365] In addition, the functional units in the various embodiments of this 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.

[0366] When the above-mentioned functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art or a part of this technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of this application. The foregoing storage medium includes: various media such as USB flash drives, mobile hard disks, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical discs that can store program codes.

[0367] The above is only the specific implementation manner of this application, but the protection scope of this application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered by the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for allocating interface addresses, characterized in that, The method includes: A service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a first message to a network management functional entity, where the first message is used to request to allocate addresses for interfaces of at least one interface type of a first network function; The service address allocation proxy functional entity receives a second message from the network management functional entity, where the second message is used to indicate address information of the interfaces of the at least one interface type; The service address allocation proxy functional entity sends the address information to a service interface automation system.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The method further includes: The service address allocation proxy functional entity receives a third message from the service interface automation system, where the third message is used to request to allocate addresses for the interfaces of the at least one interface type; The service address allocation proxy functional entity sending the first message to the network management functional entity includes: The service address allocation proxy functional entity sends the first message to the network management functional entity according to the third message.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first message is specifically used to request to allocate a preset number of addresses for interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function, and the address information is used to indicate the preset number of addresses.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The second message is further used to indicate a valid duration, where the valid duration is the duration for which the addresses indicated by the address information can be allowed to be used. The service address allocation proxy functional entity sending the address information to the service interface automation system includes: The service address allocation proxy functional entity sends the address information and the valid duration to the service interface automation system.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The address information includes at least one interface address and first network planning information, where the first network planning information is used to indicate information about the network where the at least one interface address is located.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The service address allocation proxy functional entity sending the address information to the service interface automation system includes; The service address allocation proxy functional entity sends the address information to the service interface automation system when determining that the address information can be used.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the addresses indicated by the address information become invalid, the service address allocation proxy functional entity sends a fourth message to the network management functional entity, where the fourth message is used to request to continue to allocate the addresses indicated by the address information for interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function.

8. A method for allocating interface addresses, characterized in that, The method includes: A network management functional entity receives a first message from a service address allocation proxy functional entity, where the first message is used to request to allocate addresses for interfaces of at least one interface type of a first network function; The network management functional entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy functional entity according to the first message, where the second message is used to indicate address information of the interfaces of the at least one interface type.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first message is specifically used to request to allocate a preset number of addresses for interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function, and the address information is used to indicate the preset number of addresses.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, Before the network management functional entity receives the first message from the service address allocation proxy functional entity, the method further includes: The network management function entity sends a fifth message to the service network management center. The fifth message is used to obtain the address network segment corresponding to the interface of the first interface type. The first interface type includes the interface types of the interfaces determined to be deployed, and at least one interface type of the first network function belongs to the first interface type; The network management function entity receives a sixth message from the service network management center. The sixth message is used to indicate the address network segment information corresponding to the interface of the first interface type; The network management function entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message, including: The network management function entity sends the second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message and the sixth message.

11. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that Before the network management function entity receives the first message from the service address allocation proxy function entity, the method further includes: The network management function entity receives a seventh message from the topology orchestrator. The seventh message is used to indicate the address network segment information corresponding to the interface of the second interface type. The second interface type includes all interface types corresponding to the planned network, and at least one interface type of the first network function belongs to the second interface type; The network management function entity sends a second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message, including: The network management function entity sends the second message to the service address allocation proxy function entity according to the first message and the seventh message.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The method further includes: The network management function entity sends an eighth message to the edge gateway according to the sixth message or the seventh message. The eighth message is used to request to configure the network segment route corresponding to the address network segment information.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8-12, characterized in that, The address information includes at least one interface address and first network planning information. The first network planning information is used to indicate the information of the network where the at least one interface address is located.

14. A method for allocating interface addresses, characterized in that, The method includes: The service interface automation system receives address information from the service address allocation proxy function entity. The address information is used to indicate the addresses allocated to the interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function; The service interface automation system generates the interface configuration of the first network function according to the address information.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein Before the service interface automation system receives the address information from the service address allocation proxy function entity, the method further includes: The service interface automation system sends a third message to the service address allocation proxy function entity. The third message is used to request to allocate addresses to the interfaces of at least one interface type of the first network function.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The third message is specifically used to request to allocate a preset number of addresses to the interfaces of the at least one interface type, and the address information is used to indicate the preset number of addresses.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 - 16, characterized in that, The address information includes at least one interface address and first network planning information. The first network planning information is used to indicate the information of the network where the at least one interface address is located.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes: a module for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-17.

19. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes: a processor and a memory; the memory is used for storing computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-17.

20. A communication system, characterized in that, It includes at least one of the following: a service address allocation agent functional entity for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-7, a network management functional entity for performing the method according to any one of claims 8-13, or a service interface automation system for performing the method according to any one of claims 14-17.

21. A communication chip, characterized in that, Instructions are stored therein, and the communication chip includes: a logic circuit and a communication interface, the logic circuit is used for executing computer instructions, the communication interface is used for the communication chip to communicate with other devices or chips, and when the logic circuit executes the computer instructions, the method according to any one of claims 1-17 is implemented.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-17.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are run by a communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1-17 is executed.

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