Cross-domain network element selection method and device, equipment, storage medium and program product

Abstract

The invention provides a cross-domain network element selection method, device and equipment, a computer readable storage medium and a computer program product, and relates to the technical field of wireless communication. The method comprises the following steps: a consumption side cross-domain relay gateway sends a service provider network element discovery request carrying an identifier that the consumption side cross-domain relay gateway supports entrusted service provider network element selection to a service side in a cross-domain manner, a target service provider network element is determined according to a service provider network element information list which meets conditions and is returned through a service side cross-domain relay gateway of the service side and at least one of identifiers for selecting service provider network elements on the service side; according to the embodiment of the invention, the risk of cross-domain information exposure can be avoided, the method is coordinated with the existing principle and step of selecting a solution by a cross-domain network element, and efficient resource selection and communication in the whole network service are ensured.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of wireless communication, and particularly relates to a cross-domain network element selection method, device, equipment, computer readable storage medium and computer program product. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the current 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) protocol, when discovering and selecting NF (Network Function) across domains such as PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network), NPN (Non-Public Network), PLMN and NPN, information of an NF provider (NFp) needs to be provided to an NF consumer (NFc) across domains, which brings the risk of cross-domain information exposure; and network element selection by a target side device will cause conflicts with original cross-domain network element selection solutions in logic and process.

[0003] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the above background section is only used to strengthen the understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore can include information that does not constitute prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art. SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure provides a cross-domain network element selection method, device, equipment, computer readable storage medium and computer program product, which at least partially overcomes the problem of low cross-domain network element selection efficiency in the related art.

[0005] Other characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or will be learned by practice of the present disclosure.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a cross-domain network element selection method is provided, applied to a consumer side cross-domain relay gateway, comprising: sending a service provider network element discovery request across domains to a service side; receiving at least one of a list of qualified service provider network element information returned by the service side, and an identifier of service provider network element selection performed at the service side; and determining a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection performed at the service side.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the service provider network element discovery request carries an identifier of the consumer side cross-domain relay gateway supporting commissioned service provider network element selection.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining the target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information, and the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side comprises:

[0009] If the service side returns the list of qualified service provider network element information, the consumption side cross-domain relay gateway determines the target service provider network element according to the list of qualified service provider network element information and sends a service request to the target service provider network element.

[0010] If the service side returns the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side, the target service provider network element is determined through the service side cross-domain relay gateway and the service request is sent to the target service provider network element.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sending the service provider network element discovery request to the service side across domains; and receiving at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information returned by the service side, and the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side comprises: sending the service provider network element discovery request to the service side across domains through a consumption side network storage function; and receiving at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information returned by the service side, and the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side through the consumption side network storage function.

[0012] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sending the service provider network element discovery request to the service side across domains through the consumption side network storage function; and receiving at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information returned by the service side, and the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side through the consumption side network storage function comprises: sending the service provider network element discovery request to a service side network storage function through a service side cross-domain relay gateway on the service side through the consumption side network storage function; sending at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information generated according to the service provider network element discovery request, and the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side to the consumption side network storage function through the service side cross-domain relay gateway by the service side network storage function; and receiving at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information returned by the service side, and the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side through the consumption side network storage function.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sending the service provider network element discovery request to the service side across the domain comprises: receiving a network element discovery request sent by a consumer network element; and sending the service provider network element discovery request corresponding to the network element discovery request to the service side across the domain if the consumer side cross-domain relay gateway supports commissioning the service provider network element selection.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the consumer side cross-domain relay gateway comprises at least one of a service communication agent, a signaling interworking gateway, and a security edge protection agent.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a cross-domain network element selection method applied to a service side cross-domain relay gateway is also provided, comprising: receiving a service provider network element discovery request sent by a consumer side; and returning at least one of a list of qualified service provider network element information and an identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side to the consumer side, so that the consumer side determines a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the service provider network element discovery request carries an identifier of the consumer side cross-domain relay gateway supporting commissioning the service provider network element selection.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the returning at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side to the consumer side, so that the consumer side determines the target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side comprises: sending the service provider network element discovery request to a service side network repository function, the service side network repository function generating at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side according to the service provider network element discovery request; and receiving at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side sent by the service side network repository function.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, it further comprises: determining the target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side, and sending a service request to the target service provider network element.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the service-side cross-domain relay gateway includes at least one of a service communication agent, a signaling interworking gateway, and a security edge protection agent.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a cross-domain network element selection apparatus is also provided, comprising:

[0021] A request sending module sends a service provider network element discovery request to a service side across domains;

[0022] An information receiving module receives at least one of a list of qualified service provider network element information returned by the service side and an identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side;

[0023] A network element selection module determines a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a cross-domain network element selection apparatus is also provided, comprising:

[0025] A request receiving module receives a service provider network element discovery request sent by a consumption side;

[0026] A network element determination module returns at least one of a list of qualified service provider network element information and an identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side to the consumption side, so that the consumption side determines a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection at the service side.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is also provided, comprising: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the cross-domain network element selection method described above via execution of the executable instructions.

[0028] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon is also provided, wherein the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the cross-domain network element selection method described above.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is also provided, comprising a computer program, wherein the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the cross-domain network element selection method described above.

[0030] The method, device, equipment, computer readable storage medium and computer program product for cross-domain network element selection provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can send a service provider network element discovery request carrying the identification of the service provider network element supporting the service provider network element selection by the consumer side cross-domain relay gateway to the service side, and determine the target service provider network element according to at least one of the identification of the service provider network element selection and the list of qualified service provider network element information returned by the service side cross-domain relay gateway and the like on the service side. The reply to whether the cross-domain network element discovery and selection scenario can support the selection by other network elements can be used to select whether the service provider network element selection is performed by the consumer side cross-domain relay gateway, the risk of cross-domain information exposure can be avoided, the principle and steps of the existing cross-domain network element selection solution can be coordinated, no conflict or resistance can be caused, consistency and compatibility can be maintained, and efficient resource selection and communication in the whole network service can be ensured.

[0031] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and are not limiting to the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated into and form part of the specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor on the basis of these drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 A flow chart of a cross-domain network element selection method in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0034] Figure 2 A flow chart of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0035] Figure 3 A flow chart of another cross-domain network element selection method in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0036] Figure 4 A flow chart of a cross-domain non-directly connected network element discovery and selection method in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0037] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a cross-domain network element selection device in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0038] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of another cross-domain network element selection device in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0039] Figure 7A schematic diagram showing an exemplary system architecture of a cross-domain network element selection method or a cross-domain network element selection apparatus that can be applied to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0040] Figure 8 A structural block diagram of an electronic device in embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] Example implementations will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Example implementations can be implemented in any

[0042] In addition, the accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. The same reference numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements.

[0043] For the convenience of understanding, the following first explains several terms related to the present disclosure as follows:

[0044] C-IWF (Control Plane Interworking Function) is a device for signaling interworking between the Internet and the telecommunications network. It can convert signaling messages to ensure that devices in different networks can understand each other's instructions.

[0045] SCP (Service Communication Proxy) in the 5G or NFV (Network Function Virtualization) environment, SCP can act as a proxy for service requests, coordinating communication between different service nodes.

[0046] SEPP (Security Edge Protection Proxy) is located at the edge of the network, and its main responsibility is to ensure the security of user plane data transmitted across networks (such as different PLMN or national borders). SEPP implements end-to-end security policies, such as packet filtering, encryption and integrity protection, to prevent unauthorized access or data tampering.

[0047] NF (Network Function) refers to an entity or software component that performs a specific task or provides a specific service in a communication network.

[0048] NFp (NF Provider) in the context of Network Function Virtualization (NFV), refers to an entity that provides network function services, which can be virtualized or non-virtualized network functions, providing services to other components in the network.

[0049] NFc (NF Consumer) in the context of Network Function Virtualization (NFV), refers to an entity that needs to use the network function services provided by NFp, which can be another network function, or other components in the network or terminal devices.

[0050] NRFp (Network Repository Function Provider) receives the delegation to provide service discovery and NF instance registration management services for NRF.

[0051] NRFc (Network Repository Function Consumer) in the context of Network Function Virtualization (NFV) architecture, is responsible for handling NF consumer service discovery requests and NF service instance selection functions.

[0052] 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) is an international standardization organization composed of multiple global telecommunications standard organizations, focusing on developing and maintaining global standards for mobile communication systems.

[0053] PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network) is a mobile communication network that provides services to the public, usually operated by a mobile network operator (MNO), such as the commonly seen GSM, UMTS, LTE, 5G, etc. networks.

[0054] NPN (Non-Public Network) refers to a dedicated mobile communication network set up for enterprises, organizations or specific groups, which is different from the public-oriented PLMN. Non-public networks usually provide services within a limited area, providing more customized services and stronger security guarantees.

[0055] The present example embodiment will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples.

[0056] First, the cross-domain network element selection method provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be executed by any electronic device with computing processing capability.

[0057] Figure 1 A flowchart of the cross-domain network element selection method in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1, the cross-domain network element selection method provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, applied to a consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway, includes the following steps.

[0058] S102, sending a service provider network element discovery request across domains to a service side.

[0059] The consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway includes, but is not limited to, at least one of a service communication proxy (SCP), a signaling interworking gateway (C-IWF), a security edge protection proxy (SEPP), and the like.

[0060] In one embodiment, the service provider network element discovery request carries an identifier of the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supporting the commission of the service provider network element selection, and the NRFp corresponding to the target domain and the cross-domain relay gateway are used for the NFp selection identifier, i.e., the NRFp of the target domain supports the NFp selection identifier in the target domain.

[0061] In one embodiment, the service provider network element discovery request is sent across domains to the service side by the consumer-side network repository function; specifically, receiving a network element discovery request sent by a consumer network element; if the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supports the commission of the service provider network element selection, sending a service provider network element discovery request corresponding to the network element discovery request across domains to the service side.

[0062] S104, receiving at least one of the following: a list of service provider network element information meeting the conditions returned by the service side, and an identifier of the service provider network element selection in the service side.

[0063] At least one of the following is received by the consumer-side network repository function: a list of service provider network element information meeting the conditions returned by the service side, and an identifier of the service provider network element selection in the service side; specifically, the service provider network element discovery request is sent to the service-side network repository function through the service-side cross-domain relay gateway of the service side by the consumer-side network repository function; at least one of the following is sent to the consumer-side network repository function by the service-side network repository function: a list of service provider network element information meeting the conditions generated according to the service provider network element discovery request, and an identifier of the service provider network element selection in the service side; and the consumer-side network repository function sends at least one of the following to the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway: a list of service provider network element information meeting the conditions, and an identifier of the service provider network element selection in the service side.

[0064] S106, determining the target service provider network element according to at least one of the following: the list of qualified service provider network element information, and the identification of the service side for performing the selection of the service provider network element.

[0065] If the service side returns the list of qualified service provider network element information, the consumer side cross-domain relay gateway and / or the consumer side network storage function determines the target service provider network element according to the list of qualified service provider network element information and sends a service request to the target service provider network element.

[0066] If the service side returns the identification of the service side for performing the selection of the service provider network element, the target service provider network element is determined by the service side cross-domain relay gateway and / or the service side network storage function and a service request is sent to the target service provider network element.

[0067] It should be noted that the consumer side network storage function and the service side network storage function can respond to the service provider network element discovery request and filter the registered service provider network element information according to the conditions in the service provider network element discovery request; the consumer side cross-domain relay gateway and the service side cross-domain relay gateway can further determine which service provider network element is more suitable for the current service demand based on the list or according to their own routing strategy, QoS requirement and other local strategies and initiate a service request.

[0068] In the above embodiment, when the consumer network element (NFc) performs cross-domain discovery of the provider network element (NFp), it can be determined whether the selection of the service provider network element (NFp) is performed by the consumer network element side, i.e., the consumer side cross-domain service relay gateway (such as the service communication proxy SCP, the security edge protection proxy SEPP, the signaling interworking gateway C-IWF, etc.), according to the reply of the consumer side network storage function corresponding to the consumer network element and the service side network storage function corresponding to the service provider network element on whether the selection can be delegated to other network elements in the cross-domain network element discovery and selection scenario; the risk of cross-domain information exposure can be avoided, the principles and steps of the existing cross-domain network element selection solution can be coordinated, no conflict or resistance can be caused, consistency and compatibility can be maintained, and efficient resource selection and communication in the entire network service can be ensured.

[0069] Figure 2 A flowchart of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method in the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown as follows. Figure 2 The cross-domain network element discovery and selection method provided in the embodiment of the present disclosure, applied to a consumer side cross-domain relay gateway, includes the following steps:

[0070] S202, receiving a network element discovery request sent by a consumer network element.

[0071] In an embodiment, the network element discovery request includes, but is not limited to, service type identification, service capability parameters, geographical location information, network slice information, subscriber or service user identity information, service instance or NF instance identification, version requirement, etc. It should be noted that the network element discovery request does not require carrying the identification of whether the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supports the commissioned service provider network element selection.

[0072] In S204, if the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supports the commissioned service provider network element selection, the service provider network element discovery request corresponding to the network element discovery request is sent to the service side through the consumer-side network repository function.

[0073] In an embodiment, whether the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supports the commissioned service provider network element selection is determined by checking whether the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway has an interface for NF discovery and NF selection, whether it can accept and execute the NFp selection indication from the network management layer, or whether it can automatically respond to the discovery result of the network function registry (NRF).

[0074] In an embodiment, if the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supports the commissioned service provider network element selection, the identification of whether the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supports the commissioned service provider network element selection is added in the network element discovery request to generate the service provider network element discovery request and send it to the service-side cross-domain relay gateway of the service side.

[0075] In an embodiment, the service-side cross-domain relay gateway of the service side sends the service provider network element discovery request to the service-side network repository function; the service-side network repository function sends at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the conditions generated according to the service provider network element discovery request, the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side, to the consumer-side network repository function and the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway through the service-side cross-domain relay gateway.

[0076] In an embodiment, the service-side network repository function screens the registered service provider network element information according to the conditions in the service provider network element discovery request to generate a list of service provider network element information meeting the conditions, which contains all NF instances capable of providing the requested service and meeting the preset conditions, and sends it to the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway through each network element. The consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway performs service provider network element selection according to the list, for example, based on the list, or according to its routing strategy, QoS requirement and other local strategies to further determine which service provider network element is more suitable for the current service requirement.

[0077] In an embodiment, the consumer-side network repository function filters the registered service provider network element information according to the conditions in the service provider network element discovery request, generates a list of service provider network element information meeting the conditions, which contains all NF instances capable of providing the requested service and meeting the preset conditions, and directly or indirectly sends the list to the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway, which selects service provider network elements according to the list.

[0078] The identification of service provider network element selection on the service side is to support the service-side cross-domain relay gateway and / or the service-side network repository function to select service provider network elements on the corresponding service side.

[0079] In S206, at least one of the following is received by the consumer-side network repository function: the list of service provider network element information meeting the conditions returned by the service side, and the identification of service provider network element selection on the service side.

[0080] In an embodiment, if the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway receives the list of service provider network element information meeting the conditions returned by the service side through the consumer-side network repository function, the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway further decides which service provider network element is more suitable for the current service requirement based on the list or according to its own routing strategy, QoS requirement and other local strategies.

[0081] In an embodiment, if the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway receives the identification of service provider network element selection on the service side through the consumer-side network repository function, the service-side network repository function and / or the service-side cross-domain relay gateway can respond to the service provider network element discovery request; for example, the service-side network repository function filters the registered service provider network element information according to the conditions in the service provider network element discovery request, and the service-side cross-domain relay gateway further decides which service provider network element is more suitable for the current service requirement based on the list or according to its own routing strategy, QoS requirement and other local strategies.

[0082] In the above embodiments, the cross-domain relay gateway on the consumer side and the service side is additionally provided with the function of commissioning cross-domain network element discovery and the corresponding identification, and is additionally provided with the function of selecting cross-domain network elements according to the NRF reply (NF list or identification of network element selection by the target domain); the network repository function on the consumer side and the service side is additionally provided with the function of commissioning cross-domain network element discovery, which can avoid the risk of exposure of cross-domain information, coordinate with the principles and steps of the existing cross-domain network element selection solution, and ensure efficient resource selection and communication in the entire network service.

[0083] Figure 3 Another flowchart of a cross-domain network element selection method in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 6. Figure 3As shown, the cross-domain network element selection method provided in the embodiments of the disclosure is applied to a service-side cross-domain relay gateway, and includes the following steps:

[0084] S302, receiving a service provider network element discovery request sent by a consumption side.

[0085] In one embodiment, the service-side cross-domain relay gateway includes at least one of the following: a service communication agent, a signaling interworking gateway, a security edge protection agent, and the like.

[0086] In one embodiment, the service provider network element discovery request carries an identifier of the consumption-side cross-domain relay gateway supporting the selection of a service provider network element by delegation, i.e., an identifier of a target domain NRFp supporting the selection of an NFp in the target domain.

[0087] S304, returning at least one of the following to the consumption side: a list of service provider network element information meeting a condition, and an identifier of the service-side selection of a service provider network element, so that the consumption side determines a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition and the identifier of the service-side selection of a service provider network element.

[0088] In one embodiment, the service provider network element discovery request is sent to a service-side network repository function, and the service-side network repository function generates at least one of the following according to the service provider network element discovery request: a list of service provider network element information meeting a condition, and an identifier of the service-side selection of a service provider network element; and the service-side cross-domain relay gateway receives at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition and the identifier of the service-side selection of a service provider network element sent by the service-side network repository function.

[0089] In one embodiment, the target service provider network element is determined according to at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition and the identifier of the service-side selection of a service provider network element, and a service request is sent to the target service provider network element.

[0090] If the service-side network repository function generates the identifier of the service-side selection of a service provider network element according to the service provider network element discovery request, the service-side cross-domain relay gateway can determine the target service provider network element according to the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition generated by the service-side network repository function according to the service provider network element discovery request, and send a service request to the target service provider network element.

[0091] In the above embodiments, when the consumer network element (NFc) performs cross-domain to provide a network element (NFp) discovery, the selection of the service provider network element (NFp) by the consumer network element side, i.e., the consumer side cross-domain service relay gateway (for example, a service communication proxy SCP, a security edge protection proxy SEPP, a signaling interworking gateway C-IWF, etc.) can be selected according to the reply of the consumer side network storage function corresponding to the consumer network element and the service side network storage function corresponding to the service provider network element to whether the cross-domain network element discovery and selection scene can support the selection by other network elements. The risk of cross-domain information exposure can be avoided, the principles and steps of the existing cross-domain network element selection solution are coordinated, no conflict or contradiction is caused, consistency and compatibility are maintained, and efficient resource selection and communication in the entire network service are ensured.

[0092] Figure 4 A flowchart of a cross-domain non-directly connected network element discovery and selection method in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown as follows. Figure 4 As shown in the flowchart, the cross-domain non-directly connected network element discovery and selection method provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure includes the following steps:

[0093] S402, the NFc sends a discovery request of the NFp to the cross-domain relay gateway 1 (SCP / SEPP / C-IWF, etc.).

[0094] It should be noted that the NFc is a consumer network element, the cross-domain relay gateway 1 is a consumer side cross-domain relay gateway, the discovery request of the NFp is a service provider network element discovery request, and the discovery request of the NFp sent by the NFc to the cross-domain relay gateway 1 can not carry an identifier indicating that the cross-domain relay gateway 1 supports the delegated selection of the NFp.

[0095] S404, the cross-domain relay gateway 1 forwards the discovery request of the NFp to the NRFc, and if the cross-domain relay gateway 1 supports the delegated selection of the NFp, an identifier indicating that the cross-domain relay gateway 1 supports the delegated selection of the NFp should be carried in the request.

[0096] It should be noted that the NRFc is a consumer side network storage function.

[0097] S406, the NRFc sends the discovery request of the NFp to the NRFp via the cross-domain service relay gateway 2, and an identifier indicating that the cross-domain relay gateway 1 supports the delegated selection of the NFp should be carried in the request.

[0098] It should be noted that the NRFp is a service side network storage function, and the cross-domain service relay gateway 2 is a service side cross-domain relay gateway.

[0099] S408, the NRFp returns to the NRFc a list of eligible NFps and NFp Profiles according to the request, or an identification of target domain (i.e. domain 2) NRFp support NFp selection in target domain, i.e. identification of service provider network element selection in service side.

[0100] S410, the NRFc returns the message received in S408 to the cross-domain relay gateway 1.

[0101] S412, the cross-domain relay gateway 1 determines the cross-domain service relay gateway that initiates the service request according to the received information.

[0102] In one embodiment, if the list of eligible NFps and NFp Profiles is received, the cross-domain relay gateway 1 performs the selection of NFp.

[0103] In one embodiment, if the identification of target domain (i.e. domain 2) NRFp support NFp selection in target domain is received, the cross-domain relay gateway 1 does not perform the selection of NFp, and the cross-domain service relay gateway 2 initiates the service request to the NFp without jumping to S414.

[0104] S414, the cross-domain service relay gateway 1 or the cross-domain service relay gateway 2 initiates the service request to the NFp.

[0105] In the above embodiment, the cross-domain relay gateway on the consumer side and the service side is added with the support of the delegated cross-domain network element discovery function and the corresponding identification, and the cross-domain network element selection function according to the NRF reply (NF list or identification of network element selection in target domain) is added; the network repository function on the consumer side and the service side is added with the support of the delegated cross-domain network element discovery function; the risk of cross-domain information exposure can be avoided, the principle and steps of the existing cross-domain network element selection solution are coordinated, and efficient resource selection and communication in the whole network service are ensured.

[0106] Based on the same inventive concept, the disclosure embodiments also provide a cross-domain network element selection device, as follows. Since the principle of solving problems of the device embodiment is similar to the above-mentioned method embodiments, the implementation of the device embodiment can be referred to the implementation of the above-mentioned method embodiments, and the repeated parts will not be described herein.

[0107] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a cross-domain network element selection device in the disclosure embodiments is shown, as shown in the figure, the cross-domain network element selection device 5 includes a request sending module 501, an information receiving module 502 and a network element selection module 503. Figure 5

[0108] The request sending module 501 sends the service provider network element discovery request cross-domain to the service side.

[0109] ​The information receiving module 502 receives at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition returned by the service side and the identifier of the service provider network element selection performed at the service side.

[0110] The network element selection module 503 determines the target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition and the identifier of the service provider network element selection performed at the service side.

[0111] In one embodiment, the request sending module 501 is further configured to receive the network element discovery request sent by the consumer network element, and if the consumer side cross-domain relay gateway supports the commissioned service provider network element selection, send the service provider network element discovery request corresponding to the network element discovery request to the service side cross-domain.

[0112] In one embodiment, the information receiving module 502 is further configured to send the service provider network element discovery request to the service side network storage function through the service side cross-domain relay gateway of the service side network storage function, and send at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition and the identifier of the service provider network element selection performed at the service side generated according to the service provider network element discovery request to the service side network storage function through the service side cross-domain relay gateway, and receive at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition returned by the service side and the identifier of the service provider network element selection performed at the service side through the service side network storage function.

[0113] In one embodiment, the network element selection module 503 is further configured to determine the target service provider network element according to the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition returned by the service side, and send a service request to the target service provider network element, or determine the target service provider network element through the service side cross-domain relay gateway and send a service request to the target service provider network element if the service side returns the identifier of the service provider network element selection performed at the service side.

[0114] In the above embodiments, the risk of cross-domain information exposure can be avoided, the principles and steps of the existing cross-domain network element selection solution are coordinated, no conflict or resistance is caused, consistency and compatibility are maintained, and efficient resource selection and communication in the entire network service are ensured.

[0115] Figure 6 Another cross-domain network element selection device in the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in a schematic diagram, as shown in the figure, the cross-domain network element selection device 6 includes a request receiving module 601, a network element determining module 602, and a network element selection module 603. Figure 6

[0116] The request receiving module 601 receives the service provider network element discovery request sent by the consumer side. ​

[0117] The network element determination module 602 returns at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition and the identifier of the service provider network element selection on the service side to the consumption side, so that the consumption side determines the target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition and the identifier of the service provider network element selection on the service side.

[0118] The network element determination module 602 is further configured to send a service provider network element discovery request to a service side network repository function, and the service side network repository function generates at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition and the identifier of the service provider network element selection on the service side according to the service provider network element discovery request; and receives at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition and the identifier of the service provider network element selection on the service side sent by the service side network repository function.

[0119] The cross-domain network element selection apparatus 6 further includes a service request module configured to determine the target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of service provider network element information meeting the condition and the identifier of the service provider network element selection on the service side, and send a service request to the target service provider network element.

[0120] In the above embodiments, the risk of cross-domain information exposure can be avoided, the principles and steps of the existing cross-domain network element selection solution are coordinated, no conflicts or contradictions are caused, consistency and compatibility are maintained, and efficient resource selection and communication in the entire network service are ensured.

[0121] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an exemplary system architecture of a cross-domain network element selection method or a cross-domain network element selection apparatus that can be applied to the embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In the diagram, domain 1 (here, taking PLMN as an example) sends an NF discovery request to domain 2 (here, taking NPN as an example), and domain 1 corresponds to the consumption side and domain 2 corresponds to the service side.

[0122] Domain 1, PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network), is a wide-area network providing cellular mobile communication services, which is operated and managed by a mobile network operator and covers multiple technologies such as 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G, and includes the following network function (NF) entities, each of which is responsible for a different network function component:

[0123] NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function), responsible for the selection and management of network slices.

[0124] NRF(Network Repository Function, network function registration function): serves as the service registration and discovery center, stores network function (NF) instance information, and provides NF consumers (NFc) for querying and discovering services.

[0125] AUSF(Authentication Server Function, authentication server function): responsible for user identity authentication.

[0126] UDM(Unified Data Management, unified data management function): stores and manages user subscription data.

[0127] AMF(Access and Mobility Management Function): access and mobility management function, responsible for handling UE access control and mobility management.

[0128] PCF(Policy Control Function, policy control function): formulates and executes network policies.

[0129] In the NFV environment, Nnssf, Nnrf, Nausf, Nudm, Namf, Npcf represent that these network functions exist in the form of virtualized instances, which are convenient for rapid deployment, expansion and flexible adjustment to adapt to the changing business needs.

[0130] Domain 2 NPN(Non-Public Network, non-public network): refers to a private 5G network built and managed for a specific organization or enterprise, which has higher customization, security and controllability compared to public land mobile network (PLMN); including the following network function (NF, Network Function) entities, each of which is responsible for different network function components:

[0131] PCF(Policy Control Function, policy control function): responsible for formulating and executing network policies, including QoS (quality of service), usage limits, charging policies, etc., to guide network resource allocation and data processing.

[0132] NRF(Network Repository Function, network function registration library function): as the center of service registration and discovery, stores the metadata of network function services (NF), and helps NF consumers (such as AMF, SMF, etc.) to discover and select appropriate service providers.

[0133] AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function): responsible for access control, mobility management, paging, and NAS signaling processing of UE (User Equipment).

[0134] SMF (Session Management Function): responsible for establishing, modifying, and releasing data sessions of UE, as well as managing network connections, UPF selection, and policy implementation of UE.

[0135] UE (User Equipment): terminal equipment in 5G network, such as mobile phones, Internet of Things devices, etc.

[0136] UPF (User Plane Function): handles user data flow, performs data packet forwarding, QoS policy implementation, and charging data collection.

[0137] 5G AN (5G Access Network): includes wireless access nodes such as gNB (Next Generation NodeB), responsible for wireless side connection and data transmission.

[0138] Business network refers to the Internet, enterprise internal network or other service provider network connected to the 5G network, and UE accesses DN through the 5G network to obtain various services and content.

[0139] Nsmf, Nnrf, Namf, Npcf, n2, n4, n3, n6 represent the abbreviations of different functional modules or interfaces of these network functions.

[0140] For example, AMF, SMF, etc. in domain 1 are NFc when they need to obtain other NF services, and NRF itself provides service discovery and NF registration management functions; the NF in the PLMN initiates an NF discovery request to the NPN, and the cross-domain service relay gateway 1 selects whether to select NFp by the cross-domain service relay gateway 1 according to the support of the PLMN and the NPN NRF for the discovery of the delegated network element.

[0141] In domain 2, PCF, AMF, etc. are NFp when they provide network function services, and NRF itself provides service discovery and NF registration management functions, and the cross-domain service relay gateway 1 selects whether to select NFp by the cross-domain service relay gateway 1 according to the support of the PLMN and the NPN NRF for the discovery of the delegated network element.

[0142] In the above embodiments, the risk of cross-domain information exposure can be avoided, the principles and steps of the existing cross-domain network element selection solution are coordinated, and efficient resource selection and communication are ensured in the entire network service.

[0143] Those skilled in the art can understand that various aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented as a system, a method or a program product. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure can be embodied as a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or an embodiment combining hardware and software aspects, which can be collectively referred to as "circuitry", "module" or "system" here.

[0144] The electronic device 800 according to this embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figure 8 Figure 8 The electronic device 800 shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitation on the functions and use range of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0145] As Figure 8 shown, the electronic device 800 is in the form of a general computing device. The components of the electronic device 800 can include, but are not limited to, the at least one processing unit 810, the at least one storage unit 820, and a bus 830 connecting different system components, including the storage unit 820 and the processing unit 810.

[0146] The storage unit stores program code that can be executed by the processing unit 810, so that the processing unit 810 performs the steps described in the above "Exemplary Method" section according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the processing unit 810 can perform the following steps of the above method embodiments: the NFc sends a discovery request for the NFp to the cross-domain relay gateway 1 (SCP / SEPP / C-IWF, etc.); the cross-domain relay gateway 1 forwards the discovery request for the NFp to the NRFc, and if the cross-domain relay gateway 1 supports the delegated selection of the NFp, the identification of the cross-domain relay gateway 1 supporting the delegated selection of the NFp should be carried in the request; the NRFc sends the discovery request for the NFp to the NRFp via the cross-domain service relay gateway 2, and the identification of the cross-domain relay gateway 1 supporting the delegated selection of the NFp should be carried in the request; the NRFp returns the list of the NFp Profile and the NRFp that meet the conditions to the NRFc according to the request, or the identification of the target domain (i.e., domain 2) NRFp supporting the selection of the NFp in the target domain, i.e., the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side; the NRFc returns the received message to the cross-domain relay gateway 1; and the cross-domain relay gateway 1 determines the cross-domain service relay gateway initiating the service request according to the received information.

[0147] ​For example, the processing unit 810 can perform the following steps of the above-mentioned method embodiments: The consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway sends a service provider network element discovery request carrying an identity of a service provider network element supported by the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway to the service side across domains, and determines a target service provider network element according to at least one of the following: the identity of the service provider network element selected by the service side, and a list of qualified service provider network element information returned by the service-side cross-domain relay gateway or the like of the service side.

[0148] The storage unit 820 can include a readable medium in the form of volatile storage such as random access memory (RAM) 8201 and / or cache memory 8202, and also can include a non-volatile storage such as read-only memory (ROM) 8203.

[0149] The storage unit 820 can further include a program / utility 8204 having a set of program modules 8205 such as an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each of which can give the electronic device 800 its functionality, at least in part. The program modules 8205 can include, but are not limited to, the following:

[0150] The bus 830 can represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a storage bus or bus controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration bus, a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures, and the like.

[0151] The electronic device 800 also can communicate with one or more external devices 840 such as a keyboard or pointing device, using one or more communication ports 850. Communication can occur over the communication port 850 with one or more devices using any one of a number of communication protocols, such as the TCP / IP protocol. One or more communication ports 850 can enable the electronic device 800 to communicate with one or more devices or networks using other communication protocols. The electronic device 800 can communicate with one or more networks, such as one or more local area networks (LANs), one or more wide area networks (WANs), such as the Internet, or any combination thereof. The electronic device 800 can include a network adapter 860 capable of communicating with one or more networks. The network adapter 860 can include, for example, an Ethernet adapter, a Bluetooth adapter, an 802.11 adapter, or the like. The network adapter 860 can be connected to the one or more buses 830 through the communication port 850 and / or another port. The network adapter 860 can communicate with the one or more buses 830 through the communication port 850 and / or another port.

[0152] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can easily understand that the example embodiments described herein can be implemented by software, or by software in combination with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a U disk, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or a network, and includes a number of instructions to make a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a terminal device, or a network device, etc.) execute the method according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0153] In the example embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer readable storage medium is also provided, which can be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. A program product capable of implementing the above method of the present disclosure is stored thereon. In some possible embodiments, various aspects of the present disclosure can also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes program codes for causing the terminal device to execute the steps according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure described in the above "example method" section of the specification when the program product is run on the terminal device.

[0154] For example, the program product in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when executed by a processor, implements a method including the following steps: the NFc sends a discovery request of the NFp to the cross-domain relay gateway 1 (SCP / SEPP / C-IWF, etc.); the cross-domain relay gateway 1 forwards the discovery request of the NFp to the NRFc, and if the cross-domain relay gateway 1 supports the delegated selection of the NFp, the identification of the cross-domain relay gateway 1 supporting the delegated selection of the NFp should be carried in the request; the NRFc sends the discovery request of the NFp to the NRFp via the cross-domain service relay gateway 2, and the identification of the cross-domain relay gateway 1 supporting the delegated selection of the NFp should be carried in the request; the NRFp returns the list of the NFp Profile and the NFp that meet the conditions to the NRFc according to the request, or the identification of the target domain (i.e. domain 2) NRFp supporting the selection of the NFp in the target domain, i.e. the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side; the NRFc returns the received message to the cross-domain relay gateway 1; and the cross-domain relay gateway 1 determines the cross-domain service relay gateway initiating the service request according to the received information.

[0155] For example, the program product in the embodiments of the present disclosure, when executed by a processor, implements a method including the following steps: the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway sends a service provider network element discovery request carrying the identification of the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supporting the delegated selection of the service provider network element to the service side, and determines the target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of the service provider network element information meeting the conditions returned by the service-side cross-domain relay gateway of the service side, and the identification of the service provider network element selection on the service side.

[0156] More specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium in the present disclosure can include but are not limited to an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any appropriate combination of the foregoing.

[0157] In the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium can include a data signal carrying the readable program code in a baseband or propagated as a carrier wave in a propagation medium. Such a propagated signal can take a wide variety of forms, including but not limited to electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable medium can also be any medium that can be read by a computer or device or combination of devices. The computer-readable medium can be any medium that can be read by a computer or device or combination of devices.

[0158] Optionally, program code included in a computer-readable storage medium can be transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0159] In an implementation, the program code for carrying out operations of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, C++, etc., or conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partly on the user's device, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computing device and partly on a remote computing device or entirely on the remote computing device or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection can be made to an external computing device, such as through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider.

[0160] It should be noted that although several modules or units for a device to perform an action are mentioned in the foregoing detailed description, such a division into modules or units is not mandatory. In fact, features and functionalities of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Conversely, features and functionalities of one module or unit described above can be further divided into several modules or units.

[0161] Moreover, although individual steps of the methods in the present disclosure are described in a particular order in the drawings, this is not required or implied, nor is it necessary to perform all of the steps shown to achieve the desired result. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps can be omitted, combined into a single step, performed in a different order, broken down into multiple steps, and / or the like.

[0162] Those skilled in the art will readily understand that the example embodiments described herein can be implemented by software and / or by hardware coupled with software, as described above. Thus, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product. The software product can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash disk, a mobile hard disk, or the like) or on a network, and includes a number of instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, a mobile terminal, or a network device, etc.) to perform the methods according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0163] Other embodiments of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the application disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present disclosure following the general principles thereof and including such departures from the present disclosure that come within known use or custom in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. The specification and examples are to be regarded as illustrative only, and the true scope and spirit of the present disclosure are indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cross-domain network element selection method, characterized in that, The application is applied to a consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway, comprising: sending a service provider network element discovery request to a service side across domains; receiving at least one of a list of qualified service provider network element information returned by the service side and an identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side; determining a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side.

2. The cross-domain network element selection method of claim 1, wherein, The service provider network element discovery request carries an identifier of the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supporting commissioned service provider network element selection.

3. The cross-domain network element selection method of claim 1, wherein, The determining of the target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side comprises: if the service side returns the list of qualified service provider network element information, the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway determines the target service provider network element according to the list of qualified service provider network element information and sends a service request to the target service provider network element; if the service side returns the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side, the target service provider network element is determined through a service-side cross-domain relay gateway and the service request is sent to the target service provider network element.

4. The cross-domain network element selection method of claim 1, wherein, The sending of the service provider network element discovery request to the service side across domains; receiving at least one of a list of qualified service provider network element information returned by the service side and an identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side comprises: sending the service provider network element discovery request to the service side across domains through a consumer-side network storage function; receiving at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side returned by the service side through the consumer-side network storage function.

5. The cross-domain network element selection method of claim 4, wherein, The sending of the service provider network element discovery request to the service side across domains through the consumer-side network storage function and the receiving of at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side returned by the service side through the consumer-side network storage function comprises: sending the service provider network element discovery request to a service-side network storage function through a service-side cross-domain relay gateway of the service side through the consumer-side network storage function; the service-side network storage function sends at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side generated according to the service provider network element discovery request to the consumer-side network storage function through the service-side cross-domain relay gateway; receiving at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side returned by the service side through the consumer-side network storage function.

6. The cross-domain network element selection method of claim 1, wherein, The sending of the service provider network element discovery request to the service side across domains comprises: receiving a network element discovery request sent by a consumer network element; If the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supports entrusting the service provider network element selection, the service provider network element discovery request corresponding to the network element discovery request is sent to the service side in a cross-domain manner.

7. The cross-domain network element selection method of any of claims 1-6, wherein, The consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway includes, but is not limited to, at least one of a service communication agent, a signaling interworking gateway, and a security edge protection agent.

8. A cross-domain network element selection method, characterized in that, The application is applied to a service-side cross-domain relay gateway, and includes: receiving a service provider network element discovery request sent by a consumer side; returning at least one of a list of qualified service provider network element information and an identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side to the consumer side, so that the consumer side determines a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side.

9. The cross-domain network element selection method of claim 8, wherein, The service provider network element discovery request carries an identifier of the consumer-side cross-domain relay gateway supporting entrusting the service provider network element selection.

10. The cross-domain network element selection method of claim 8, wherein, The returning at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side to the consumer side, so that the consumer side determines a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side includes: sending the service provider network element discovery request to a service-side network repository function, and the service-side network repository function will generate at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side according to the service provider network element discovery request; receiving at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side sent by the service-side network repository function.

11. The cross-domain network element selection method of claim 8, wherein, Further includes: determining a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side and sending a service request to the target service provider network element.

12. The cross-domain network element selection method of any of claims 8-11, wherein, The service-side cross-domain relay gateway includes, but is not limited to, at least one of a service communication agent, a signaling interworking gateway, and a security edge protection agent.

13. A cross-domain network element selection apparatus, characterized by: includes: a request sending module that sends a service provider network element discovery request to a service side in a cross-domain manner; an information receiving module that receives at least one of a list of qualified service provider network element information and an identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side returned by the service side; a network element selection module that determines a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service provider network element selection on the service side.

14. A cross-domain network element selection apparatus, characterized by: includes: a request receiving module that receives a service provider network element discovery request sent by a consumer side; The network element determining module returns at least one of a list of qualified service provider network element information and an identifier of service-side service provider network element selection to the consumption side, so that the consumption side determines a target service provider network element according to at least one of the list of qualified service provider network element information and the identifier of service-side service provider network element selection.

15. An electronic device, comprising: Comprise: a processor; and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor; wherein the processor is configured to execute the cross-domain network element selection method of any one of claims 1-12 via execution of the executable instructions.

16. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the cross-domain network element selection method of any one of claims 1-12.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer program, wherein, The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the cross-domain network element selection method of any one of claims 1-12. The computer program is executed by the processor to implement the cross-domain network element selection method of any one of claims 1-12.

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