Policy group management method, device and system

Abstract

The invention provides a policy group management method, which is characterized in that the method is applied to a network function virtualization management orchestration NFV-MANO architecture, the method is executed by a first functional entity, and the method comprises the following steps: receiving a first request message, the first request message being used for requesting execution of a policy group management operation for a first policy group, the first request message comprises identification information of a second policy group; executing the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group; wherein the second strategy group is a member strategy group of the first strategy group, and the second strategy group comprises one or more member strategies. Based on the technical scheme, when the policy group management operation is carried out on the policy group, the policy group management operation can be carried out by taking the member policy group as a unit. Thus, strategies needing to be integrally and consistently executed can be flexibly arranged in an NFV-MANO complex automatic operation and maintenance scene, and the cost of strategy group updating operation is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, and system for managing a policy group. Background Art

[0002] Network functions virtualisation (NFV) is a technology that enables telecommunications network operators to decouple the implementation of some telecommunications network functions in software and hardware in general cloud servers, switches, and memories by borrowing virtualisation technologies from the field of information technology (IT). This allows for the rapid and efficient deployment of network services (NS), while achieving the operational goals of saving capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operating expense (OPEX). This technology requires telecommunications network functions to be implemented in software and run on general server hardware, and can be migrated, instantiated, and deployed at different physical locations in the network as needed, without the need to install new equipment.

[0003] NFV management and orchestration (NFV-MANO) is an architecture framework for managing and coordinating network services NS, virtual network functions (VNF), and other software components. In the function of the NFV-MANO management policy, it includes the management of policy groups, that is, performing management operations such as adding, deleting, modifying, and querying one or more policy groups. Among them, a policy group refers to an object structure that includes a set of policies that need to be executed as a whole (for example: activating a policy or deactivating a policy).

[0004] However, the above information model of the policy group has some limitations in the NFV-MANO policy management scenario. For example: in the automated operation and maintenance scenario of managing a large number of related policies in complex applications, the cost of updating the policy group is relatively high. On the one hand, each member policy needs to be independently verified for the feasibility of the operation of joining or leaving the policy group (that is: there is a correlation with other member policies in the group). On the other hand, the efficiency of the policy group update operation is relatively low, and the member policies of joining or leaving the policy group need to be processed one by one.

[0005] Therefore, how to flexibly orchestrate the policies that need to be executed as a whole, and reduce the cost of updating the policy group, has become an urgent problem to be solved in the current application of policy group management. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a method for managing a policy group, which can flexibly orchestrate policies that need to be executed as a whole and consistently in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, and reduce the cost of policy group update operations.

[0007] In a first aspect, a method for managing a policy group is provided, which is applied to a network function virtualization management and orchestration (NFV-MANO) architecture, and includes: receiving a first request message for requesting to perform a policy group management operation on a first policy group, where the first request message includes identification information of a second policy group; performing the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group; where the second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group, and the second policy group includes one or more member policies.

[0008] According to the technical solution of the present application, when performing a policy group management operation on a policy group, the policy group management operation can be performed in units of member policy groups. In this way, it is possible to flexibly orchestrate policies that need to be executed as a whole and consistently in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, and reduce the cost of policy group update operations.

[0009] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementation manners of the first aspect, the policy group management operation includes any one of the following: policy group creation, policy group update. According to the above technical solution, it is possible to flexibly orchestrate policies that need to be executed as a whole and consistently in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, and reduce the cost of policy group update operations.

[0010] In combination with the first aspect, in some implementation manners of the first aspect, when the policy group management operation is the policy group creation, the performing the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group includes: determining to add the member policies of the second policy group to the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group. According to the above technical solution, it is possible to flexibly orchestrate policies that need to be executed as a whole and consistently in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, and reduce the cost of policy group update operations.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the first request message further includes parameter information of the first policy group, and the method further includes: configuring the parameter information of the first policy group; wherein, the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least one of the following: the highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identifier of the policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group. According to the above technical solution, in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, policies that need to be executed as a whole can be flexibly orchestrated, and the cost of policy group update operations can be reduced.

[0012] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, when the policy group management operation is the policy group update, and the second policy group is the member policy group to be deleted from the first policy group, the performing the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group includes: deleting the second policy group from the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group. According to the above technical solution, in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, policies that need to be executed as a whole can be flexibly orchestrated, and the cost of policy group update operations can be reduced.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, when the policy group management operation is the policy group update, and the second policy group is the member policy group to be added to the first policy group, the performing the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group includes: adding the second policy group to the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group. According to the above technical solution, in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, policies that need to be executed as a whole can be flexibly orchestrated, and the cost of policy group update operations can be reduced.

[0014] In combination with the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: updating the parameter information of the first policy group, where the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least any one of the following: the highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identifier of the member policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group. According to the above technical solution, in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, policies that need to be executed as a whole can be flexibly orchestrated, and the cost of policy group update operations can be reduced.

[0015] In a second aspect, a method for policy group management is provided, which is applied to a Network Function Virtualization Management and Orchestration (NFV-MANO) architecture and includes: sending a first request message for requesting to perform a policy group management operation on a first policy group, where the first request message includes identification information of a second policy group, and the second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group and includes one or more member policies.

[0016] According to the technical solution of the present application, when performing a policy group management operation on a policy group, the policy group management operation can be carried out in units of member policy groups. In this way, in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, policies that need to be executed as a whole can be flexibly orchestrated, reducing the cost of policy group update operations.

[0017] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the policy group management operation includes any one of the following: policy group creation, policy group update. According to the above technical solution, in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, policies that need to be executed as a whole can be flexibly orchestrated, reducing the cost of policy group update operations.

[0018] In combination with the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the first request message further includes parameter information of the first policy group, and the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least one of the following: the highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the type of operation and maintenance scenario to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identification of a policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group. According to the above technical solution, in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, policies that need to be executed as a whole can be flexibly orchestrated, reducing the cost of policy group update operations.

[0019] In a third aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a transceiver unit for receiving a first request message for requesting to perform a policy group management operation on a first policy group, where the first request message includes identification information of a second policy group; and a processing unit for performing the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group, where the second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group and includes one or more member policies.

[0020] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, the policy group management operation includes any one of the following: policy group creation, policy group update.

[0021] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, when the policy group management operation creates the policy group, the processing unit is specifically configured to: determine to add the member policies of the second policy group to the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0022] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, the first request message further includes parameter information of the first policy group, and the processing unit is further configured to: configure the parameter information of the first policy group; wherein, the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least one of the following: the highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identification of the policy group having a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

[0023] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, when the policy group management operation is an update of the policy group, and the second policy group is a member policy group to be deleted from the first policy group, the processing unit is specifically configured to: delete the second policy group from the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0024] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, when the policy group management operation is an update of the policy group, and the second policy group is a member policy group to be added to the first policy group, the processing unit is specifically configured to: add the second policy group to the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0025] In combination with the third aspect, in some implementation manners of the third aspect, the processing unit is specifically configured to: update the parameter information of the first policy group, and the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least any one of the following: the highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identification of the member policy group having a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

[0026] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, including: a transceiver unit, configured to send a first request message for requesting to perform a policy group management operation on a first policy group, where the first request message includes identification information of a second policy group, and the second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group and includes one or more member policies.

[0027] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementation manners of the fourth aspect, the policy group management operation includes any one of the following: policy group creation, policy group update.

[0028] In combination with the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the first request message further includes parameter information of the first policy group, and the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least one of the following: the highest-level NFV object to which the member policy of the first policy group is applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policy of the first policy group is applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identifier of the policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

[0029] In a fifth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method as described in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the method as described in the second aspect and any possible implementation manner of the second aspect is executed.

[0030] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product including instructions is provided. When it runs on a computer, the method as described in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the method as described in the second aspect and any possible implementation manner of the second aspect is executed.

[0031] In a seventh aspect, a chip system is provided, including: a processor, configured to call and run a computer program or instruction from a memory, so that a communication device installed with the chip system implements the method as described in the first aspect and any possible implementation manner of the first aspect or the method as described in the second aspect and any possible implementation manner of the second aspect. Description of the Drawings

[0032] Figure 1 is an architecture diagram of the NFV-MANO system.

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic flowchart of a policy group management method provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a management method 300 for creating a policy group provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of a management method 400 for updating a policy group provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of a management method 500 for deleting a policy group provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0037] Figure 6 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 600 provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Figure 7Another communication device 700 is provided for the embodiments of the present application.

[0039] Figure 8 A chip system 800 is provided for the embodiments of the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0040] The technical solutions in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Figure 1 It is an architecture diagram of an NFV management and orchestration (network functions virtualisation management and orchestration, NFV-MANO) system. As Figure 1 shown, NFV-MANO consists of three main functional modules, namely NFV orchestrator (NFVO), VNF manager (VNFM), and virtualised infrastructure manager (VIM).

[0042] Among them, the NFV orchestrator orchestrates services and resources, manages network services and integrates VNFs into the NFV architecture. The NFV orchestrator can also verify and authorize resource requests for the NFV infrastructure (NFVI). The VNF manager manages the lifecycle of VNFs, and the VIM manages the NFV infrastructure, including computing resources, storage resources, and network resources, etc. The operator's operation support system (OSS) and business support system (BSS) interoperate with the NFV-MANO system. It should be noted that introducing the above management operations is a basic function for NFV-MANO to support automated operation and maintenance scenarios.

[0043] In the function of the NFV-MANO management policy, it includes the management of policy groups, that is, performing management operations such as adding, deleting, modifying, and querying one or more policy groups. Among them, a policy group refers to an object structure that includes a set of policies that need to perform operations as a whole (for example: activating a policy or deactivating a policy).

[0044] The gain of introducing policy group management operations is to find policies that need to be executed collaboratively in a large number of management policies running in the NFV-MANO system. These policies serve the scenario of automated operation and maintenance management of a high-level application management policy, such as NS scaling and NS healing. In the same policy group, the consistency of the startup timing and semantics of the collaborative execution of multiple different policies can be ensured, reducing the probability of policy execution conflicts caused by applying multiple different but related policies without a consistent execution policy plan.

[0045] Currently, the policy group information model used in policy group management operations is a flat information structure, that is: the policy group consists of multiple individual policies (referred to as member policies of the policy group), and these individual policies are identified in the policy group by their identification information, as follows: Policy group A: {Policy 1, Policy 2, Policy 3,... Policy n}. The above policy group information model has some limitations in the NFV-MANO policy group management scenario, such as:

[0046] In the scenario of automated operation and maintenance management of complex applications with a large number of related policies, the cost of policy group update operations is relatively high. On the one hand, each member policy needs to be independently verified for the feasibility of adding or removing it from the policy group (that is: there is a relevant relationship of consistent execution with other member policies in the group), and on the other hand, the efficiency of policy group update operations is relatively low, and the member policies added or removed from the policy group need to be processed one by one.

[0047] Based on this, the embodiments of the present application provide a method for managing a policy group, which can flexibly orchestrate policies that need to be executed as a whole in a consistent manner in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, and reduce the cost of policy group update operations.

[0048] Next, in combination with specific embodiments, the method for managing the policy group in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail.

[0049] First of all, it should be noted that the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the NFV-MANO system described above, and the applicable scenarios mainly include complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios in NFV-MANO that require the application of a large number of collaboratively running management policy groups. The following details several possible complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios applicable to the embodiments of the present application:

[0050] Scenario 1: There is a common policy p between policy group A and policy group B. If the applicable scenario of policy group A (for example: NS healing) is larger than the applicable scenario of policy group B (for example: VNF healing), then policy group B is incorporated into policy group A as a nested substructure.

[0051] Scenario 2: There are no common policies between Policy Group A and Policy Group B, but there is a dependency between policy p1 in Policy Group A and policy p2 in Policy Group B. For example, the dependency can be defined through context items in the information model of the policy, indicating that the execution of policy p1 depends on the execution of policy p2. Then, Policy Group A can be incorporated into Policy Group B; or, Policy Group B can be incorporated into Policy Group A.

[0052] Scenario 3: Policy Group A has been successfully applied in a prior automated operation and maintenance scenario, and then in another related extended prior automated operation and maintenance scenario, a larger Policy Group B needs to be formed, so Policy Group A is incorporated into Policy Group B.

[0053] It should be noted that the above-mentioned automated operation and maintenance scenarios are only for illustrative purposes. In addition to the above-listed automated operation and maintenance scenarios, the embodiments of the present application may also be applicable to other automated operation and maintenance scenarios. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit this.

[0054] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the noun "functional entity" represents a functional component in the NFV architecture. For example, the functional entity can be NFVO, OSS, VNF, VNFM, etc. The "functional entity" can also be referred to as a "functional component", a "device", or a "device", etc. The embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0055] Figure 2 FIG. 200 is a schematic flowchart of a method for managing a policy group provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method 200 for managing a policy group can be applied to the NFV-MANO architecture, such as Figure 2 shown, and the method at least includes the following steps.

[0056] It should be noted that the specific description of the NFV-MANO architecture can be referred to the foregoing, and will not be elaborated here.

[0057] S210, the second functional entity sends a first request message to the first functional entity. Correspondingly, the first functional entity receives the first request message.

[0058] Specifically, the first functional entity can be NFVO, and the second functional entity can be OSS / BSS. The first request message is used to request to perform a policy group management operation on the first policy group, and the first request message includes the identification information of the second policy group.

[0059] Among them, the second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group. The second policy group includes one or more member policies. It should be understood that the identification information of the second policy group is used to uniquely identify the second policy group that joins as a member the policy group to be created (such as the first policy group).

[0060] It should be noted that the identification information about the second policy group can refer to the prior art or protocol, which will not be elaborated here.

[0061] S220, the first functional entity performs a policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0062] Specifically, after receiving the identification information of the second policy group included in the first request message, the first functional entity performs a policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the policy group.

[0063] In the embodiment of the present application, the policy group management operation can be policy group creation, or it can also be policy group update.

[0064] Optionally, when the policy group management operation is policy group creation, the first functional entity performs a policy group creation management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0065] Specifically, the first functional entity receives a first request message for requesting to perform policy group creation for the first policy group. The first functional entity determines to add all member policies of the second policy group to the to-be-created first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group carried in the first request message.

[0066] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner, the method may further include: the first functional entity sends a first response message to the second functional entity, and the first response message carries the identification information of the first policy group.

[0067] Specifically, after creating the first policy group, the first functional entity assigns corresponding identification information to the first policy group and sends a first response message to the second functional entity, and the first response message carries the identification information of the first policy group.

[0068] It should be understood that the solution for the first functional entity to assign identification information to the first policy group is not within the protection scope of the present application and will not be elaborated here.

[0069] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner, the first request message may further include parameter information of the first policy group, and the method may further include: the first functional entity configures the parameter information of the first policy group.

[0070] Specifically, the parameter information of the first policy group may be at least one of the following: the highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identification of the policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

[0071] For ease of understanding, the parameter information of the first policy group involved in the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below.

[0072] 1. The highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied: It indicates the highest-level object among the NFV objects to which the member policies of the first policy group and / or the member policy groups of the first policy group are applied.

[0073] For example: If the member policies in the first policy group are respectively applied to NS, VNF, managed container infrastructure object (MCIO), and virtual machine (VM) objects, it indicates that NS is the highest-level object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied.

[0074] 2. The operation and maintenance scenario types to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied: For example, it may include operation and maintenance scenarios such as upgrade, scale, and heal.

[0075] 3. The priority of the first policy group: Determine the priority of the first policy group. When a conflict occurs during the execution of the member policies of the first policy group and the member policies of policy group B, the policy group with the lower priority (for example: the first policy group) is determined according to the relationship of the priorities of the policy groups to perform policy execution avoidance. That is: perform a deactivate policy operation on the member policies in the policy group with the lower priority.

[0076] For example, the scenario where a conflict occurs during the execution of two policy groups can be the policy groups respectively applied to two member VNF instances of an NS instance.

[0077] 4. The policy group identifier having a dependency relationship with the first policy group: It is used to indicate the policy group having a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

[0078] For example: The policy group applied to a composite NS instance and the policy group applied to the nested NS instance of this composite NS instance, or the policy groups applied to two member VNF instances having a connection relationship in the NS topology relationship.

[0079] Optionally, in the case where the policy group management operation is a policy group update, the first request message is used to request to perform a policy group update for the first policy group. The first functional entity performs a policy group management operation of policy group update on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group carried in the first request message.

[0080] Exemplarily, in the case where the second policy group is a member policy group to be deleted from the first policy group, the first functional entity deletes the second policy group from the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0081] Among them, deleting the second policy group from the first policy group can be understood as moving the second policy group out of the first policy group. That is, deletion can be understood as "moving out" or "removing", and there is no restriction here.

[0082] Exemplarily, in the case where the second policy group is a member policy group to be added to the first policy group, the first functional entity adds the second policy group to the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0083] Among them, adding the second policy group to the first policy group can be understood as adding all member policies in the second policy group to the first policy group. That is, adding can be understood as "joining" or "increasing", and there is no restriction here.

[0084] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner, in the case where the policy group management operation is policy group update, the first request message may also carry the identification information of the first member policy, where the first member policy belongs to the second policy group. That is to say, the first request message may not directly carry the identification information of the second policy group.

[0085] Exemplarily, in the case where the first member policy is a member policy of the policy group to be deleted in the policy group update, the first functional entity determines that the first member policy belongs to the second policy group according to the identification information of the first member policy carried in the first request message, and determines to delete the second policy group from the first policy group.

[0086] Exemplarily, in the case where the first member policy is a member policy of the policy group to be added in the policy group update, the first functional entity determines that the first member policy belongs to the second policy group according to the identification information of the first member policy carried in the first request message, and determines to add all member policies in the second policy group to the first policy group.

[0087] It should be noted that the foregoing statement that the first member policy belongs to the second policy group may also be described as the first member policy is associated with the second policy group, or the first member policy is related to the second policy group. It should be understood that this application does not limit this.

[0088] Optionally, after the first functional entity performs policy group update on the first policy group, the method may further include: the first functional entity updates the parameter information of the first policy group.

[0089] Specifically, the first functional entity further updates the parameter information of the first policy group after the policy group update is executed according to the member policies or the changes of the member policy groups in the first policy group. For example: the highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the type of operation and maintenance scenario to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, and / or the identifier of the policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group. The specific description of the parameter information of the first policy group can be referred to the foregoing, and will not be elaborated here.

[0090] Optionally, after the first functional entity performs a policy group update on the first policy group, the method may further include: the first functional entity sending a second response message to the second functional entity, where the second response message is used to indicate whether the result of the policy group update operation is successful or failed.

[0091] For example, the second response message carries indication information, and the indication information indicates whether the result of the policy group update operation is successful or failed.

[0092] The following Figures 3 to 5 describes in detail the specific embodiments involved in this application.

[0093] For ease of understanding, in the following embodiments, NFVO is uniformly used to replace the first functional entity, and OSS / BSS is used to replace the second functional entity for description.

[0094] Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic flowchart of a management method 300 for creating a policy group provided by an embodiment of this application. As Figure 3 shown, the method at least includes the following steps.

[0095] S310, the OSS / BSS sends a first request message to the NFVO. Correspondingly, the NFVO receives the first request message.

[0096] Specifically, the first request message is used to request to perform a policy group creation for the first policy group, and the first request message includes the identifier information of the second policy group. Wherein, the second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group, and the second policy group includes one or more member policies.

[0097] Exemplarily, the first request message may be a policy group creation request message.

[0098] It should be understood that the identifier information of the second policy group is used to uniquely identify the policy group that joins the policy group to be created (such as the first policy group) as a member.

[0099] Optionally, the first request message may further include the basic description information (Group Descriptor) of the first policy group to be created.

[0100] S320. The NFVO creates a policy group for the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0101] Specifically, the NFVO determines to add all the member policies of the second policy group to the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0102] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner, the first request message may further include parameter information of the first policy group, and the method may further include: the NFVO configures the parameter information of the first policy group, for example: the highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, and / or the identification of the policy group on which the first policy group depends.

[0103] It should be noted that the specific description of the parameter information of the first policy group can be referred to the foregoing, and for simplicity, it will not be elaborated here.

[0104] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner, the method may further include:

[0105] S330. The NFVO sends a first response message to the OSS / BSS. Correspondingly, the OSS / BSS receives the first response message.

[0106] Exemplarily, the first response message may be a policy group creation response message.

[0107] Specifically, the first response message carries the identification information of the first policy group. After creating the first policy group, the NFVO assigns corresponding identification information to the first policy group and sends the first response message to the OSS / BSS, and the first response message carries the identification information of the first policy group.

[0108] Figure 4 FIG. is a schematic flowchart of a management method 400 for updating a policy group provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 4 shown, the method at least includes the following steps.

[0109] S410. The OSS / BSS sends a first request message to the NFVO. Correspondingly, the NFVO receives the first request message.

[0110] Specifically, the first request message is used to request to perform a policy group update for the first policy group, and the first request message includes the identification information of the second policy group. The second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group, and the second policy group includes one or more member policies.

[0111] Exemplarily, the first request message may be an update policy group request message.

[0112] S420, the NFVO performs a policy group update on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0113] Optionally, when the second policy group is a member policy group to be deleted from the first policy group, the NFVO deletes the second policy group from the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0114] Among them, deleting the second policy group from the first policy group can be understood as removing the second policy group from the first policy group. That is, deletion can be understood as "removing" or "eliminating", and there is no limitation here.

[0115] Optionally, when the second policy group is a member policy group to be added to the first policy group, the NFVO adds the second policy group to the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

[0116] Among them, adding the second policy group to the first policy group can be understood as adding all the member policies in the second policy group to the first policy group. That is, adding can be understood as "joining" or "increasing", and there is no limitation here.

[0117] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner, the identification information of the first member policy may also be carried in the first request message, where the first member policy belongs to the second policy group. That is to say, the identification information of the second policy group may not be directly carried in the first request message.

[0118] Exemplarily, when the first member policy is a member policy of a policy group to be deleted in the policy group update, the NFVO determines that the first member policy belongs to the second policy group according to the identification information of the first member policy carried in the first request message, and determines to delete the second policy group from the first policy group.

[0119] Exemplarily, when the first member policy is a member policy of a policy group to be added in the policy group update, the NFVO determines that the first member policy belongs to the second policy group according to the identification information of the first member policy carried in the first request message, and determines to add all the member policies in the second policy group to the first policy group.

[0120] It should be noted that the foregoing statement that the first member policy belongs to the second policy group may also be described as the first member policy is associated with the second policy group, or the first member policy is related to the second policy group. It should be understood that this application does not limit this.

[0121] Optionally, after the NFVO performs a policy group update on the first policy group, the method may further include: the NFVO updates the parameter information of the first policy group, for example: the highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, and / or the identifier of the policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

[0122] Specifically, the NFVO further updates the parameter information of the first policy group after performing the policy group update according to the changes in the member policies or member policy groups in the first policy group. The specific description of the parameter information of the first policy group can be referred to the foregoing, and will not be elaborated here.

[0123] Optionally, after the NFVO performs a policy group update on the first policy group, the method may further include:

[0124] S430, the NFVO sends a second response message to the OSS / BSS, and the second response message is used to indicate whether the result of the policy group update operation is successful or failed.

[0125] Exemplarily, the second response message may be an updated policy group response message.

[0126] For example, the second response message may carry indication information, and the indication information indicates whether the result of the policy group update operation is successful or failed.

[0127] Figure 5 FIG. 500 is a schematic flowchart of a management method for deleting a policy group provided by an embodiment of the present application. As Figure 5 shown, the method at least includes the following steps.

[0128] S510, the OSS / BSS sends a first request message to the NFVO, and correspondingly, the NFVO receives the first request message.

[0129] Specifically, the first request message includes the identification information of the first policy group to be deleted.

[0130] Exemplarily, the first request message may be a delete policy group request message.

[0131] S520, the NFVO determines to delete the first policy group according to the identification information of the first policy group.

[0132] Specifically, the NFVO determines to delete the first policy group according to the identification information of the first policy group carried in the first request message, but the NFVO still retains the member policy groups in the first policy group so that other policy groups can reuse the member policy groups.

[0133] In S530, the NFVO sends a third response message to the OSS / BSS, and this third response message is used to indicate whether the operation result of deleting the policy group is successful or failed.

[0134] Exemplarily, the third response message may be a delete policy group response message.

[0135] For example, indication information may be carried in the third response message, and this indication information is used to indicate whether the operation result of deleting the policy group is successful or failed.

[0136] Optionally, in a possible implementation manner, first indication information may also be carried in the first request message, and this first indication information is used to indicate whether to delete all member policy groups of the first policy group.

[0137] Exemplarily, when the first indication information indicates to delete all member policy groups of the first policy group, when the NFVO deletes the first policy group, it synchronously deletes all member policy groups in the first policy group. That is to say, the NFVO no longer retains the member policy groups in the first policy group.

[0138] Exemplarily, when the first indication information indicates not to delete all member policy groups of the first policy group, when the NFVO deletes the first policy group, it does not delete all member policy groups in the first policy group. That is to say, the NFVO retains the member policy groups in the first policy group so that other policy groups can reuse this member policy group.

[0139] According to the technical solution provided by this application, when performing policy group management operations on a policy group, the policy group management operations can be carried out in units of member policy groups. In this way, in the face of complex automated operation and maintenance scenarios of NFV-MANO, policies that need to be executed as a whole can be flexibly orchestrated, and the cost of policy group update operations can be reduced.

[0140] It should be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of this application may not depend on other features in some scenarios, and may also be combined with other features in some scenarios, which is not limited.

[0141] It can also be understood that the solutions in the embodiments of this application can be reasonably combined and used, and the explanations or descriptions of each term that appears in the embodiments can be referred to or explained with each other in each embodiment, which is not limited.

[0142] It can also be understood that the magnitudes of various numerical serial numbers in the embodiments of this application do not mean the order of execution is prior or subsequent. They are only for the convenience of description for distinction and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiments of this application.

[0143] It can also be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, some message names are involved, such as the create policy group request message or the first response message, etc. It should be understood that their naming does not limit the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0144] It can also be understood that in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the methods and operations implemented by the first functional entity can also be implemented by the components (such as chips or circuits) of the first functional entity; in addition, the methods and operations implemented by the second functional entity can also be implemented by the components (such as chips or circuits) of the second functional entity, without limitation. Corresponding to the methods given in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also provide corresponding communication devices, and the devices include modules for executing the corresponding ones of the above-mentioned method embodiments. The module can be software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. It can be understood that the technical features described in the above-mentioned method embodiments also apply to the following device embodiments.

[0145] It should be understood that the first functional entity and the second functional entity can execute some or all of the steps in the above embodiments. These steps or operations are only examples, and the embodiments of the present application can also execute other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the various steps can be executed in different orders presented in the above embodiments, and it is possible not to execute all the operations in the above embodiments.

[0146] The above combines Figures 2 - 5 The management method of the policy group provided by the embodiments of the present application is introduced in detail. Below, in combination with Figures 6 - 8 The communication device provided by the embodiments of the present application is introduced in detail. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, the content not described in detail can be referred to the above method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, some content will not be repeated.

[0147] Figure 6 FIG. is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The device 600 includes a transceiver unit 610, and the transceiver unit 610 can be used to implement corresponding communication functions. The transceiver unit 610 can also be referred to as a communication interface or a communication unit.

[0148] Optionally, the device 600 may further include a processing unit 620, and the processing unit 620 can be used for data processing.

[0149] Optionally, the device 600 further includes a storage unit, and the storage unit can be used to store instructions and / or data. The processing unit 620 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage unit so that the device can implement the actions of different terminal devices in the foregoing method embodiments, for example, the actions of the first functional entity or the second functional entity.

[0150] The device 600 can be used to perform the actions executed by the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above method embodiments. At this time, the device 600 can be the first functional entity or the second functional entity, or a component of the first functional entity or the second functional entity. The transceiver unit 610 is used to perform the transceiver-related operations of the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above method embodiments, and the processing unit 620 is used to perform the processing-related operations of the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above method embodiments.

[0151] Exemplarily, the first functional entity can be an NFVO entity, and the second functional entity can be a policy decision entity (such as OSS / BSS).

[0152] It should also be understood that the device 600 here is embodied in the form of functional units. The term "unit" here can refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (such as a shared processor, a proprietary processor or a group of processors, etc.) for executing one or more software or firmware programs, and a memory, a combined logic circuit and / or other suitable components that support the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art can understand that the device 600 can specifically be the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above embodiments, and can be used to execute each process and / or step corresponding to the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above method embodiments. Or, the device 600 can specifically be the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above embodiments, and can be used to execute each process and / or step corresponding to the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above method embodiments. To avoid repetition, it will not be elaborated here.

[0153] The device 600 in the above various solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps executed by the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above method, or the device 600 in the above various solutions has the function of implementing the corresponding steps executed by the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above method. The function can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiver), and other units, such as the processing unit, can be replaced by a processor to respectively execute the transceiver operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

[0154] In addition, the above transceiver unit 610 can also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it can include a receiving circuit and a sending circuit), and the processing unit can be a processing circuit.

[0155] It should be noted that Figure 6 The device in can be a network element or device in the foregoing embodiments, or a chip or chip system, for example: a system on chip (SoC). Among them, the transceiver unit can be an input / output circuit, a communication interface; the processing unit is a processor, microprocessor or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. No limitation is made here.

[0156] As shown in Figure 7 Another communication device 700 is provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 700 includes a processor 710, and the processor 710 is coupled to a memory 720. The memory 720 is used to store computer programs or instructions and / or data. The processor 710 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 720, or read the data stored in the memory 720, so as to execute the methods in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0157] Optionally, the processor 710 is one or more.

[0158] Optionally, the memory 720 is one or more.

[0159] Optionally, the memory 720 is integrated with the processor 710 or is separately provided.

[0160] Optionally, as shown in Figure 7 The device 700 further includes a transceiver 730. The transceiver 730 is used for receiving and / or sending signals. For example, the processor 710 is used to control the transceiver 730 to receive and / or send signals.

[0161] As a solution, the device 700 is used to implement the operations performed by the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the foregoing method embodiments.

[0162] For example, the processor 710 is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 720 to implement the related operations of the first SMF in the foregoing method embodiments. For example, Figures 2 to 5 The first functional entity in any one of the embodiments shown in, or Figures 2 to 5 The method of the first functional entity in any one of the embodiments shown in.

[0163] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or 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.

[0164] It should also be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM). For example, the RAM may be used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, the RAM includes the following various forms: static random access memory (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).

[0165] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) may be integrated in the processor.

[0166] It should also be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0167] As Figure 8 , an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system 800. The chip system 800 (or can also be referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 810 and an input / output interface 820.

[0168] Among them, the logic circuit 810 can be a processing circuit in the chip system 800. The logic circuit 810 can be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit, so that the chip system 800 can implement the methods and functions of the embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 820 can be an input / output circuit in the chip system 800, output the information processed by the chip system 800, or input the data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 800 for processing.

[0169] As a solution, the chip system 800 is used to implement the operations performed by the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above method embodiments.

[0170] For example, the logic circuit 810 is used to implement the operations related to the processing of the first functional entity in the above method embodiments, such as Figures 2 to 5 the operations related to the processing of the first functional entity in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 2 to 5 ; the input / output interface 820 is used to implement the operations related to the sending and / or receiving of the first functional entity in the above method embodiments, such as

[0171] the operations related to the sending and / or receiving performed by the first functional entity in any of the embodiments shown in

[0172] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer can implement the methods performed by the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above method embodiments.

[0173] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which computer instructions for implementing the methods performed by the first functional entity or the second functional entity in the above method embodiments are stored.

[0174] The explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant content in any of the above-mentioned devices can refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0175] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed 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. In addition, the couplings, direct couplings, or communication connections shown or discussed among each other can be through some interfaces. The indirect couplings or communication connections of devices or units can be in electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0176] 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 by 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 the present application.

[0177] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity 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.

[0178] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated. The components shown 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.

[0179] In addition, in each embodiment of the present application, the functional units can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

[0180] When the above-mentioned functions are implemented in the form of software function 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 can 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 aforementioned 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.

[0181] As described above, the above are only specific implementation manners 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 by this application can easily think of changes or substitutions, which should all be covered within 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 managing a policy group, characterized in that, Applied to the Network Function Virtualization Management and Orchestration NFV-MANO architecture, including: Receiving a first request message for requesting to perform a policy group management operation on a first policy group, where the first request message includes identification information of a second policy group; Performing the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group; Wherein, the second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group, and the second policy group includes one or more member policies.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The policy group management operation includes any one of the following: Policy group creation, policy group update.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein When the policy group management operation is policy group creation, the performing the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group includes: Determining to add the member policies of the second policy group to the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein The first request message further includes parameter information of the first policy group, and the method further includes: Configuring the parameter information of the first policy group; Wherein, the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least one of the following: The highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the type of operation and maintenance scenario to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, the identification of the policy group having a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the policy group management operation is policy group update and the second policy group is a member policy group to be deleted from the first policy group, The performing the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group includes: Deleting the second policy group from the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein When the policy group management operation is policy group update and the second policy group is a member policy group to be added to the first policy group, The performing the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group includes: Adding the second policy group to the first policy group according to the identification information of the second policy group.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Updating the parameter information of the first policy group, where the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least any one of the following: The highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the type of operation and maintenance scenario to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, the identification of the member policy group having a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

8. A method for managing a policy group, characterized in that, Applied to the Network Function Virtualization Management and Orchestration NFV-MANO architecture, including: Sending a first request message for requesting to perform a policy group management operation on a first policy group, where the first request message includes identification information of a second policy group, Wherein, the second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group, and the second policy group includes one or more member policies.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The policy group management operation includes any one of the following: Policy group creation, policy group update.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The first request message further includes parameter information of the first policy group, and the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least one of the following: The highest-level NFV object to which the member policy of the first policy group is applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policy of the first policy group is applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identifier of the policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

11. A communication device, characterized in that, Including: A transceiver unit, configured to receive a first request message for requesting to perform a policy group management operation on a first policy group, where the first request message includes identifier information of a second policy group; A processing unit, configured to perform the policy group management operation on the first policy group according to the identifier information of the second policy group; Wherein, the second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group, and the second policy group includes one or more member policies.

12. The communication device according to claim 11, wherein The policy group management operation includes any one of the following: Policy group creation, policy group update.

13. The communication device according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the policy group management operation is policy group creation, the processing unit is specifically configured to: Determine, according to the identifier information of the second policy group, to add the member policies of the second policy group to the first policy group.

14. The communication device according to claim 13, characterized in that, The first request message further includes parameter information of the first policy group, and the processing unit is further configured to: Configure the parameter information of the first policy group; Wherein, the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least one of the following: The highest-level NFV object to which the member policy of the first policy group is applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policy of the first policy group is applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identifier of the policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

15. The communication device according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the policy group management operation is policy group update, and the second policy group is a member policy group to be deleted from the first policy group, The processing unit is specifically configured to: Delete the second policy group from the first policy group according to the identifier information of the second policy group.

16. The communication device according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the policy group management operation is policy group update, and the second policy group is a member policy group to be added to the first policy group, The processing unit is specifically configured to: Add the second policy group to the first policy group according to the identifier information of the second policy group.

17. The communication device according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that, The processing unit is specifically configured to: Update the parameter information of the first policy group, where the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least any one of the following: The highest-level NFV object to which the member policy of the first policy group is applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policy of the first policy group is applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identifier of the member policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

18. A communication device, characterized in that, Including: A transceiver unit, configured to send a first request message for requesting to perform a policy group management operation on a first policy group, where the first request message includes identifier information of a second policy group, Wherein, the second policy group is a member policy group of the first policy group, and the second policy group includes one or more member policies.

19. The communication device according to claim 18, wherein The policy group management operation includes any one of the following: Policy group creation and policy group update.

20. The communication device according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that, The first request message further includes parameter information of the first policy group, and the parameter information of the first policy group includes at least one of the following: The highest-level NFV object to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the operation and maintenance scenario type to which the member policies of the first policy group are applied, the priority of the first policy group, and the identifier of the policy group that has a dependency relationship with the first policy group.

21. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 10 is executed.

22. A computer program product containing instructions, which when running on a computer, causes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 10 to be executed.

23. A chip system, characterized in that, Including: A processor, configured to call and run a computer program or instruction from a memory, so that the communication device equipped with the chip system implements the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 or the method according to any one of claims 8 to 10.

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