Communication method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, relates to the technical field of communication, and is used for improving the utilization rate of computing resources in a communication network and improving the allocation efficiency of the computing resources. The method comprises: receiving a first message, the first message being used for requesting a computing resource, the first message being used for indicating a first computing service provider and a computing resource type; determining a target resource from the computing resources of the first computing service provider, wherein the type of the target resource is the computing resource type; and sending the address information corresponding to the target resource.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of communication technology, in order to meet the growing demand for computing resources from numerous applications, various operators, cloud service providers, and application service providers are currently deploying their own regional data centers or computing service nodes to perform data processing or artificial intelligence (AI) computing. For example, multi-access edge computing (MEC) networks can support edge application servers (EAS) to operate efficiently in multiple access networks. The core network of 5G mobile communication can interact with the MEC interface through the network exposure function (NEF) to access the computing resources in the MEC.

[0003] However, currently, the computing resources within 5G networks, MEC (Multi-access Edge Computing) systems, and those of application service providers or cloud service providers are typically pre-planned and deployed. Excessive resource deployment can lead to low utilization and waste; conversely, insufficient deployment may result in resource shortages and prolonged cycles of redundant resource construction as business grows. Therefore, a solution is needed to improve computing resource utilization and allocation efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus for improving the utilization rate of computing resources in a communication network and improving the efficiency of computing resource allocation.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] Firstly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a first network element or by a module (such as a chip or circuit) of the first network element. For example, the first network element can be an edge computing exposure function (ECEF) network element or other network elements capable of implementing the following functions. The method includes: receiving a first message, the first message being used to request computing resources, the first message being used to indicate a first computing service provider and a computing resource type; determining a target resource from the computing resources of the first computing service provider, the type of the target resource being the computing resource type; and sending address information corresponding to the target resource.

[0007] In the above implementation, the first network element can schedule computing resources outside the core network according to the request of the second network element, and feed back the address information of computing resources provided by the third-party computing service provider to the second network element. For example, the computing service nodes of the computing service provider outside the core network can provide the target resources, thereby realizing the sharing and scheduling of computing resources. This is not limited to the internal resources of operators, application providers, MEC networks, or cloud service providers. The computing resources of various computing service providers can be shared. Thus, the computing service of a certain operator or application can realize the computing service by scheduling the computing resources of the computing service provider, thereby improving the utilization rate of computing resources in the network, avoiding the waste of computing resources, and improving the efficiency of computing resource allocation.

[0008] In one implementation, the first message includes a first computing requirement indicator, and the target resource satisfies the first computing requirement indicator. In the above implementation, the first message received by the first network element may include the first computing requirement indicator, such as one or more indicators including computing task type, Service Level Agreement (SLA) parameter requirements, computing resource processing capacity requirements, or tariff requirements. This allows for the matching of suitable computing resources to the computing resource requester (e.g., a terminal device) based on the indicated computing requirement indicator, thereby improving the efficiency of computing resource allocation.

[0009] In one implementation, the first computing requirement indicator includes a computing task type, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the target resource supports executing computing tasks of the computing task type; or, the first computing requirement indicator includes Service Level Agreement (SLA) parameter requirements, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the SLA parameters of the target resource satisfy the SLA parameter requirements; or, the first computing requirement indicator includes computing resource processing capacity requirements, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the processing capacity of the target resource satisfies the computing resource processing capacity requirements; or, the first computing requirement indicator includes information indicating the location of a terminal device, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the deployment location of the target resource and the location of the terminal device satisfy preset conditions; or, the first computing requirement indicator includes tariff requirements, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the tariff of the target resource satisfies the tariff requirements.

[0010] In one implementation, the first message includes user subscription information, and the target resource meets the requirements of the user subscription information. In the above implementation, the first message may also carry user subscription information, such as information about the user's subscription to computing resource services. This allows the first network element to match suitable computing resources to the computing resource requester (e.g., a terminal device) based on the user subscription information, thereby improving the efficiency of computing resource allocation.

[0011] In one implementation, before sending the address information corresponding to the target resource, the method further includes: sending a second message to a first computing service node of the first computing service provider, the second message being used to request the deployment of the target resource on the first computing service node; and receiving the address information corresponding to the target resource from the first computing service node.

[0012] In the above implementation, the first network element sends a request message to the computing service node of a specific computing service provider to deploy and distribute target resources, thereby realizing the scheduling of computing resources provided by the third-party computing service provider and improving resource utilization and resource allocation efficiency.

[0013] In one implementation, sending the address information corresponding to the target resource includes: sending the address information corresponding to the target resource and the information of the target resource, wherein the information of the target resource includes at least one of the following: parameters of the computing resource type, resource size, or computing resource processing capability of the target resource.

[0014] In the above implementation, the first network element can determine the target resource information corresponding to the computing service provider based on the first message, such as the computing resource type, resource size, or parameters of computing resource processing capacity, and send the target resource information to the second network element, so that the second network element can determine the relevant information of the deployed target resource to match the resource needs of the computing resource requester and improve resource allocation efficiency.

[0015] In one implementation, before receiving the first message, the method further includes: receiving a third message from a first computing service node, the third message including information about computing resources deployed on the first computing service node.

[0016] In the above embodiments, before the allocation of computing resources, the first network element, as a network open function, can be used to implement the registration process of the computing resources provided by the computing service provider. For example, the first network element can receive information about the computing resources on the first computing service node of the computing service provider, such as computing resource indicators, and then send the information about the computing resources to the second network element to save the registration information of the shared computing resources for subsequent resource scheduling, thereby improving resource allocation efficiency and resource utilization.

[0017] In one implementation, the computing resource indicators of the target resource include at least one of the following: computing resource demand template, computing task type, computing resource type, and computing resource tariff or SLA parameters; wherein, the SLA parameters include at least one of the following: network bandwidth, network latency, network jitter, network service quality (QoS), and computing power level parameters.

[0018] In the above implementation, when a computing service provider registers information about computing resources, it can report relevant indicator parameters and other information of the computing resources to the first network element so that it can match computing resources that meet the needs of the computing resource requester according to the computing resource indicator requirements, thereby improving resource allocation efficiency and resource utilization.

[0019] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving a registration request message, the registration request message being used to request registration of computing resources of the first computing service provider, or the registration request message being used to request registration of computing resources of at least one computing service node that matches at least one of the following: endpoint information of the computing service node, regional information of the computing service node, location information, network topology information, computing resource demand template, computing task type, computing resource type, computing resource tariff, SLA parameters, or tenant authentication information used by the multi-access edge computing orchestrator (MEO).

[0020] In the above implementation, the first network element can receive registration request messages triggered by other network elements, and then send a registration request message to the corresponding computing service provider according to the information of the computing service provider carried in the message, or send a registration request message to the computing service provider that meets the conditions according to the resource configuration conditions. This facilitates the ubiquitous computing power of computing service providers to enter the network and provides a service experience similar to the computing power inside the mobile network. It can avoid the duplication of computing resources and save the cost of operators to build edge data centers in the early stage, and improve the efficiency of resource sharing.

[0021] In one implementation, the registration request message includes authentication information, and the method further includes: sending the authentication information to a first computing service node of the first computing service provider, wherein the authentication information is used to verify the computing resource requester.

[0022] In the above embodiments, during the network registration process of computing resources of computing service providers, the registration request message may also include authentication information, which is used by the first computing service node to perform security verification on the tenant requesting computing resources, thereby improving the security of computing resource sharing and scheduling.

[0023] In one implementation, the first message originates from a second network element, which is used to schedule computing resources within and / or outside the core network. For example, the second network element can be a computing power scheduling function network element or a multi-access edge computing orchestrator. The computing power scheduling function network element is used to schedule computing resources within the core network, while the multi-access edge computing orchestrator is used to request computing resources outside the core network.

[0024] Secondly, a communication method is provided. This method can be executed by a second network element or by a module (such as a chip or circuit) of the second network element. For example, the second network element can be a computing power scheduling function network element or a multi-access edge computing orchestrator, or other network elements capable of implementing the following functions. The method includes: receiving a computing resource request message, the computing resource request message being used to request computing resources, the computing resource request message including a second computing demand indicator corresponding to the computing resources; determining a first computing service provider and a computing resource type based on the second computing demand indicator; sending a first message to the first network element, the first message being used to request computing resources, the first message being used to indicate the first computing service provider and the computing resource type; receiving address information of a target resource from the first network element; and sending the address information of the target resource.

[0025] In the above implementation, the second network element receives a computing resource request message, determines the type of computing resource to be scheduled from the first computing service provider based on the indicated second computing demand index, and requests the first network element to schedule the computing resources, thereby realizing the sharing and scheduling of computing resources. This is not limited to the internal resources of operators, application providers, MEC networks, or cloud service providers. The computing resources of various computing service providers can be shared, so that the computing service of a certain operator or application can be realized by scheduling the computing resources of computing service providers, thereby improving the utilization rate of computing resources in the network, avoiding the waste of computing resources, and improving the efficiency of computing resource allocation.

[0026] In one embodiment, the second computing requirement indicator includes a computing task type, wherein at least some of the computing resources provided by the first computing service provider support the execution of computing tasks of the computing task type, and / or the computing resources of the computing resource type support the execution of computing tasks of the computing task type; or, the second computing requirement indicator includes a computing resource processing capacity requirement, wherein the processing capacity of at least some of the computing resources provided by the first computing service provider meets the computing resource processing capacity requirement, and / or the computing resources of the computing resource type meet the computing resource processing capacity requirement; or, the second computing requirement indicator includes information for indicating the location of the terminal device, wherein the deployment location of at least some of the computing resources provided by the first computing service provider and the location of the terminal device meet preset conditions.

[0027] In the above embodiments, the second network element can determine that the computing resources provided by the first computing service provider can support the second computing demand indicator based on the indication of the second computing demand indicator in the computing resource request message. In this way, it can match a suitable computing service provider and determine the matching computing resource type based on the indicated computing demand indicator, and further request the allocation of specific computing resources from the first network element to improve the allocation efficiency of computing resources.

[0028] In one implementation, the computing resource request message originates from a network open element, and the second network element is located outside the core network where the network open element is located. The second network element is used to schedule computing resources outside the core network. Before receiving the computing resource request message, the method further includes: sending a subscription request message to the network open element, the subscription request message being used to instruct the network open element to send the computing resource request message to the second network element.

[0029] In the above embodiments, a second network element deployed outside the core network can subscribe to a computing resource request service by subscribing to the network open network element of the core network. For example, the second network element can be a MEO. After the network open network element receives the computing resource request notification, it can send a computing resource request message to the second network element to realize the sharing and scheduling of computing resources outside the core network, thereby improving the allocation efficiency and utilization of computing resources.

[0030] In one implementation, the second network element belongs to the core network that provides services to the terminal device, and the computing resource request message originates from the terminal device.

[0031] In the above implementation, the second network element belongs to the core network that provides services to the terminal device. The second network element can receive computing resource request messages from the terminal device, and then request the first network element to schedule third-party computing resources, thereby simplifying the scheduling process of computing resources and improving the allocation efficiency of computing resources.

[0032] In one implementation, sending a first message to a first network element includes: sending the first message to the first network element when the computing resources within the core network cannot meet the second computing demand index.

[0033] In the above implementation, the second network element can send a first message to the first network element to request the scheduling of computing resources outside the core network when it is determined that the computing resources inside the core network cannot meet the second computing demand index, based on the computing resource scheduling strategy, thereby improving the allocation efficiency of computing resources.

[0034] In one implementation, sending a first message to a first network element includes: sending the first message to the first network element when the priority of computing resources outside the core network is higher than the priority of computing resources inside the core network.

[0035] In the above implementation, the second network element can send a first message to the first network element to request the scheduling of external computing resources, based on the computing resource scheduling strategy, when it is determined that the priority of external computing resources is higher than the priority of internal computing resources in the core network, thereby improving the allocation efficiency of computing resources.

[0036] In one embodiment, the method further includes: receiving information about the target resource from the first network element, wherein the information about the target resource includes at least one of the following: parameters of the target resource's computing resource type, resource size, or computing resource processing capacity.

[0037] In the above implementation, the first network element can determine the target resource information corresponding to the computing service provider based on the first message, such as the computing resource type, resource size, or parameters of computing resource processing capacity, and send the target resource information to the second network element, so that the second network element can determine the relevant information of the deployed target resource to match the needs of the computing resource requester and improve resource allocation efficiency.

[0038] In one embodiment, the method further includes: sending a registration request message to the first network element, the registration request message being used to request registration of computing resources of the first computing service provider, or the registration request message being used to request registration of at least one computing service node matching at least one of the following: endpoint information of the computing service node, regional information of the computing service node, location information, network topology information, computing resource demand template, computing task type, computing resource type, and computing resource tariff or SLA parameters; wherein, the SLA parameters include at least one of the following: network bandwidth, network latency, network jitter, network service quality (QoS), and computing power level parameters.

[0039] In the above embodiments, when initiating network registration of computing resources of a computing service provider, a registration request message can be sent from the second network element to the first network element to achieve network registration of computing resources of the first computing service provider; or, the above configuration information can be carried in the registration request message to request registration of at least one computing service node that matches the configuration information, thereby achieving network registration of computing resources outside the core network, so that they can be shared and scheduled according to the computing resource requester's demand for computing resources in the future, thereby improving the allocation efficiency and utilization rate of computing resources.

[0040] Thirdly, a communication device is provided for implementing the above-described method. This communication device may be a network device as described in the first or second aspect, or a node or device comprising the network device, or a module within the network device, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of performing some or all of the functions.

[0041] The communication device includes modules, units, or means that implement the methods described above. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

[0042] In conjunction with the third aspect described above, in one possible implementation, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be used to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The processing module may be, for example, a processor. The transceiver module, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement the sending and / or receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may consist of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver unit, or a communication interface.

[0043] In conjunction with the third aspect mentioned above, in one possible implementation, the transceiver module includes a sending module and a receiving module, which are used to implement the sending and receiving functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations.

[0044] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor; the processor being coupled to a memory and, after reading instructions from the memory, executing the method as described in any of the preceding aspects according to the instructions. The communication device may be a network device as described in the first or second aspect, or a node or device comprising the network device, or a module in the network device, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0047] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to receive a computer program or instructions and transmit them to the processor; the processor is configured to execute the computer program or instructions to cause the communication device to perform the method described in any of the preceding aspects. The communication device may be a network device as described in the first or second aspect, or a node or device comprising the network device, or a module in the network device, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit, or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing some or all of the functions.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the communication device is a chip or a chip system. Optionally, when the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete components.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects.

[0050] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the computer to perform the methods described in any of the preceding aspects.

[0051] Eighthly, a communication system is provided, the communication system including a first network element capable of performing any of the possible designs in the first aspect above, and a second network element capable of performing any of the possible designs in the second aspect above.

[0052] The technical effects of any possible implementation of aspects two through eight can be found in the technical effects of different possible implementations of aspect one above, and will not be repeated here.

[0053] Understandably, provided that the solutions do not contradict each other, the solutions in the above aspects can be combined. Attached Figure Description

[0054] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0064] Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0065] It should be noted that, in this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is being described as an example, illustration, or illustration. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner.

[0066] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments.

[0067] First, the implementation scenarios of the embodiments of this application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0068] The methods provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, including but not limited to: non-terrestrial networks (NTN) communication systems, narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) systems, global system for mobile communications (GSM), enhanced data rate for GSM evolution (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), code division multiple access 2000 (CDMA2000), time division-synchronization code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), 5G mobile communication systems, and future communication systems.

[0069] For example, Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a network architecture applicable to this application is shown, wherein the network architecture includes a terminal device, at least one radio access network (RAN) node, an edge computing exposure function (ECEF) network element, a computing power scheduling function network element, and at least one computing service node deployed by a computing service provider.

[0070] Terminal equipment can also be called user equipment (UE), terminal, mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., or it can be a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to users, or it can be an Internet of Things (IoT) device. For example, terminal equipment includes handheld devices with wireless connectivity, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. Currently, terminal devices can include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), in-vehicle equipment (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminal equipment, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light user equipment (UE), reduced capability UE (REDCAP UE), wireless terminal equipment in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminal equipment in autonomous driving, wireless terminal equipment in telemedicine, and smart grids. Wireless terminal devices can be used in various contexts, including those related to grids, transportation security, smart cities, smart homes, and flying devices (e.g., intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes). Terminal devices can also be vehicle-mounted devices, such as complete vehicle units, vehicle-mounted modules, vehicle-mounted chips, on-board units (OBUs), or telematics boxes (T-BOXs). Furthermore, terminal devices can be other devices with terminal device functions; for example, a terminal device can function as a terminal device in D2D communication.

[0071] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal device. The device used to implement the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or it can be a device that supports the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. All or part of the functions of the terminal device in this application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0072] (R)AN can be either AN or RAN. An (R)AN node can also be called an access network device, RAN entity, or access node, etc. It is part of a communication system, used to help terminal equipment access the communication network. For example, an (R)AN node can be various types of base stations, such as macro base stations, micro base stations, radio controllers, relay stations, access points, or network equipment in vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, or future public land mobile networks (PLMNs). The (R)AN is mainly responsible for radio resource management, quality of service management, data compression, and encryption on the air interface side.

[0073] In addition, (R)AN nodes can also be access nodes in open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), cloud radio access network (CRAN), or wireless fidelity (WiFi) systems, or access nodes in communication systems that integrate two or more of the above systems.

[0074] In one possible scenario, a RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), an access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system. A RAN node can be a macro base station, a micro base station, an indoor station, a relay node, a donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Optionally, a RAN node can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU). All or part of the functions of the RAN node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform). The RAN node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the RAN node functions.

[0075] In another possible scenario, multiple RAN nodes collaborate to assist terminal equipment in achieving wireless access, with different RAN nodes each implementing some of the base station's functions. For example, RAN nodes can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs).

[0076] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0077] The computing power scheduling function network element is a network element in the core network of a mobile communication network. It is used to schedule computing resources from computing service providers according to demand. It can be used to request suitable computing resources from edge computing open function network elements based on the needs of computing resource requesters, such as scheduling computing resources within the core network or scheduling computing resources from third parties. This application does not limit the name of this network element.

[0078] Among them, the edge computing open function network element serves as an open function of the computing service node providing computing resources to the core network, and is used to provide an open interface to the computing resources on the computing service node. This application does not limit the name of this network element, and it can be identified as ECEF or other names.

[0079] For example, the edge computing open function network element, as an open interface, can connect to third-party computing service providers, such as through a bridging module (e.g., Bridge). Computing service nodes can register their own computing resource information through the edge computing open function network element.

[0080] In addition, edge computing open function network elements can receive resource management messages, such as resource registration, resource request, or resource release messages for managing computing resources. This allows resource management actions such as requesting, registering, or releasing resources to be converted into management actions for computing resources on computing service nodes deployed by third-party computing service providers, thereby enabling cross-vendor computing resource management and unified scheduling.

[0081] A computing service provider (CSP) can provide shared computing resources to a mobile communication network by deploying resource pools such as regional data centers or computing service nodes, for operators, cloud service providers, or application service providers that provide computing resources. A computing service provider can also be called a computing resource provider. The network architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application may include computing resources provided by one or more CSPs. Figure 1 Taking a network architecture including CSP1, CSP2, and CSP3 as an example, different CSPs can deploy their own computing resource pools. Each CSP's computing resource pool can include one or more computing service nodes, which are used to provide different types or different computing power of computing resources. For example, CSP1 can deploy computing service node 1 and computing service node 2 in region 1 and region 2 respectively. Each computing service node can provide one or more computing resources, such as computing service node 1 providing multiple 512G CPUs, and computing service node 2 providing multiple graphics processing units (GPUs).

[0082] In one possible implementation, the edge computing open function network element belongs to the mobile communication network. Figure 1 As shown in (1). In this implementation, the edge computing open function network element can communicate directly with other network elements in the mobile communication network. For example, the edge computing open function network element can communicate with other network elements in the mobile communication network through service interfaces, thereby calling the services of other network elements or providing services to other network elements.

[0083] In another implementation, edge computing open function network elements belong to the edge computing network, such as... Figure 1As shown in (2). The edge computing network may also include an edge computing scheduler for scheduling edge computing resources in the edge computing network. In this application, the scheduling and management of third-party computing resources can be achieved through the edge computing scheduler.

[0084] In addition, during the process of releasing computing resources, the edge computing scheduler can send computing resource release messages to the edge computing open function network elements to release the target resources.

[0085] For example, an edge computing network is a multi-access edge computing (MEC) network. Network elements in the mobile communication network can interoperate and call each other through the open network elements and the open APIs of the MEC architecture. For instance, an MEC network may include an MEC platform (MEP), an MEC orchestrator (MEO), or an MEC host. For example, the edge computing orchestrator can be an MEO.

[0086] Among them, MEP is the basic platform of the MEC system, providing related execution capabilities. For example, as a service center, MEP can realize the service registration and publishing capabilities of MEC applications (MEA).

[0087] MEO is used to maintain the resources, services, and topology of the MEC system, and is responsible for the lifecycle management of MEA, such as triggering application instantiation or deinstantiation or application relocation. MEO is responsible for loading edge application installation packages (on-boarding), including application installation package integrity verification, validity verification, application deployment strategy and requirement verification, application package distribution, and local copying.

[0088] The MEC host can provide the computing, storage, and networking infrastructure resources required for the operation of MEA and MEP. In addition, the MEC host can also forward data traffic between various modules of MEP (applications, services, agents, networks, etc.).

[0089] Optional, Figure 1 The mobile communication network shown may also include one or more of the following network elements: session management network element, policy control network element, network access network element, network storage network element, data management network element, or computing management network element, etc. The main functions of each network element are described in detail below.

[0090] Session management network elements are primarily used for session management, session establishment, allocation and management of (private) IP addresses for terminal devices, and are responsible for session establishment, modification and release, as well as quality of service (QoS) control. For example, a session management network element can be a session management function (SMF) network element in a 5G network.

[0091] Open network elements are primarily used to provide corresponding security guarantees to ensure the security of external applications accessing the communication network. They offer functions such as enabling QoS customization for external applications, subscription to mobility state events, and distribution of application function (AF) requests. In this application, open network elements can be used to expose computing resource-related events to external network elements in the core network, providing subscription to computing resource events, including but not limited to computing resource request events and computing resource release events.

[0092] For example, the edge computing scheduler in an edge computing network can subscribe to computing resource request events from network open elements. When a computing power scheduling function element notifies a network open element that the computing power within the core network is insufficient, the network open element can send a notification to the edge computing scheduler to request the scheduling of computing resources outside the core network. Network open elements can be network exposure function (NEF) elements in 5G networks.

[0093] Network storage elements: These are primarily used to provide internal / external addressing functions. For example, a network storage element can be a network repository function (NRF) element in a 5G network.

[0094] Policy control network elements: Their main function is as policy decision points, providing rules for detection based on service data flows or applications, QoS, and flow-based charging control. They can also provide policies, such as QoS policies and slice selection policies, to mobility management network elements or session management network elements. For example, a policy control network element can be a policy control function (PCF) network element in a 5G network.

[0095] Computing management network elements: These are primarily used for the management and scheduling of computing resources within the network. For example, a computing management network element can be a computing management function (CMF) network element in a 5G network.

[0096] Data management network elements: These are primarily used to store and manage network and service subscription data for user terminal equipment. For example, a data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM) network element in a 5G network.

[0097] Figure 1 The computing power scheduling function network element can be a separate network element, or it can be integrated with the session management network element, computing management network element or other network elements. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0098] For example, the mobile communication network described above may be a network defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and this application does not limit it in this regard.

[0099] In embodiments of this application, the mobile communication network may also include a computing resource pool, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the internal computing resource pool includes multiple computing resources. In this application, the computing resource pool can also be referred to as a computing power resource pool.

[0100] For example, the computing resources of the core network can be the computing power of network function virtualization infrastructure (NFVI). This application can be applied to network function virtualization (NFV) architectures for managing or allocating computing resources in the network. NFV manages resources through virtualization technology and general-purpose hardware, enabling network functions to operate independently of dedicated hardware, flexibly sharing computing resources, and facilitating rapid service development and deployment.

[0101] NFVI is the infrastructure layer in the NFV architecture. Within the 3GPP core network, it transforms physical computing, storage, and network resources into virtual computing, storage, and network resources through the virtualization layer, and deploys these network resources in a unified resource pool. Thus, NFVI provides the necessary hardware and software support for virtual network functions, enabling them to operate efficiently in a virtual environment.

[0102] In this application, computing resources may also be referred to as computing power resources. The communication system may include virtual computing resources or physical computing resources; this application does not limit this.

[0103] Among them, this application Figure 1The communication system illustrated is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the technical solutions of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that in specific implementations, the communication system may also include other network elements or devices, and the number of each node can be determined according to specific needs without limitation.

[0104] Optionally, this application Figure 1 Each network element or device in the application can also be referred to as a communication device, which can be a general-purpose device or a special-purpose device. This application does not make any specific limitation in this regard.

[0105] Optionally, this application Figure 1 The functions of each network element or device can be implemented by one device, multiple devices working together, or one or more functional modules within a single device. This application does not impose any specific limitations on these functions. It is understood that a network element can also be called a network function. The aforementioned network element can be a network component in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, a combination of hardware and software, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0106] In its specific implementation, this application Figure 1 Each network element or device in the network can adopt Figure 2 The shown composition structure, or including Figure 2 The components shown. Figure 2 The diagram shows a hardware structure of a communication device applicable to this application. The communication device 200 includes at least one processor 201 and at least one communication interface 204 for implementing the method provided in this application. The communication device 200 may also include a communication line 202 and a memory 203.

[0107] The processor 201 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present application.

[0108] Communication line 202 may include a path for transmitting information between the aforementioned components, such as a bus.

[0109] Communication interface 204 is used for communicating with other devices or communication networks. Communication interface 204 can be any transceiver-like device, such as an Ethernet interface, a radio access network (RAN) interface, a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, a transceiver, pins, a bus, or transceiver circuits, etc.

[0110] The memory 203 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device capable of storing static information and instructions, random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device capable of storing information and instructions, or electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible by a computer, but not limited thereto. The memory may exist independently and be coupled to the processor 201 via communication line 202. The memory 203 may also be integrated with the processor 201. The memory provided in this application is generally non-volatile.

[0111] The memory 203 stores computer execution instructions related to the solution provided in this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 201. The processor 201 executes the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 203 to implement the method provided in this application. Alternatively, in this application, the processor 201 may execute processing-related functions in the method provided in the following embodiments of this application, and the communication interface 204 may be responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks. This application does not specifically limit this aspect.

[0112] Optionally, the computer execution instructions in this application may also be referred to as application code, and this application does not specifically limit them.

[0113] The coupling in this application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical, or other forms, and is used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules.

[0114] As one embodiment, processor 201 may include one or more CPUs, for example Figure 2 CPU0 and CPU1 in the CPU.

[0115] As one embodiment, the communication device 200 may include multiple processors, such as Figure 2 Processors 201 and 207 are described herein. Each of these processors may be a single-core (single-CPU) processor or a multi-core (multi-CPU) processor. A processor here may refer to one or more devices, circuits, and / or processing cores used to process data (e.g., computer program instructions).

[0116] As one embodiment, the communication device 200 may further include an output device 205 and / or an input device 206. The output device 205 is coupled to the processor 201 and can display information in various ways. For example, the output device 205 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. The input device 206 is coupled to the processor 201 and can receive user input in various ways. For example, the input device 206 may be a mouse, keyboard, touchscreen device, or sensing device, etc.

[0117] Understandable. Figure 2 The structural composition shown does not constitute a limitation on the communication device, except... Figure 2 In addition to the components shown, the communication device may include more or fewer components than illustrated, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0118] The method provided in this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Each network element in the following embodiments may possess... Figure 2 The components shown are not described in detail.

[0119] It is understood that the message names between network elements or the names of parameters in the messages in the following embodiments of this application are just examples, and other names may be used in the specific implementation. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

[0120] It is understood that the term "embodiment" used throughout the specification means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic related to an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. Therefore, various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It is understood that in the various embodiments of this application, the sequence number of each process does not imply a sequential order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of this application.

[0121] It is understood that in this application, “when…”, “if” and “if” all refer to the corresponding processing that will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and are not limited to a time, nor do they require that there must be a judgment action when implemented, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0122] In this application, "simultaneously" can be understood as at the same point in time, within a period of time, or within the same cycle.

[0123] It is understood that some optional features in this application can be implemented independently in certain scenarios without relying on other features, such as the current solution upon which they are based, to solve the corresponding technical problems and achieve the corresponding effects. Alternatively, they can be combined with other features as needed in certain scenarios. Correspondingly, the apparatus provided in this application can also implement these features or functions, which will not be elaborated here.

[0124] It is understood that the same step or step with the same function or technical feature in this application can be referenced and learned from each other in different embodiments.

[0125] It is understood that in this application, "sending information (such as a first message) to (such as a first device)" can be interpreted as the destination of the information being the first device. This can include sending the information directly or indirectly to the first device. "Receiving information (such as a first message) from (such as a second device)" can be interpreted as the source of the information being the second device, and can include receiving information directly or indirectly from the second device. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be interpreted similarly, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0126] It is understood that the methods described below in this application are illustrated using a node or communication device as the execution subject of the interaction, but this application does not limit the execution subject of the interaction. For example, the method executed by the communication device in this application can also be executed by a module of the network device (such as a chip, chip system, or processor), or by a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device.

[0127] This application provides a communication method, such as Figure 3 As shown, the interaction between the first network element and the second network element is used as an example. The second network element is used to schedule computing resources from the computing service provider. For example, the second network element requests computing resources from the first network element based on the needs of the computing resource requester. The first network element, as an open function of the computing service node providing computing resources to the core network, provides an open interface to the target resources on the computing service node.

[0128] For example, the first network element can be an edge computing open function network element, and the second network element can be a computing power scheduling function network element, or an edge computing scheduler, etc. The computing power scheduling function network element can be deployed on a session management network element or a computing management network element, etc.

[0129] like Figure 3 As shown, the method may include the following steps.

[0130] 301: The second network element sends a first message to the first network element, indicating the first computing service provider and the type of computing resources. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the first message.

[0131] The first message is used by the second network element to request computing resources from the first network element. These computing resources can be used for data processing or AI calculations, among other computational tasks.

[0132] The first message can indicate the first computing service provider and the type of computing resource, and is used to instruct the second network element to request computing resources provided by a specific computing service provider (i.e., the first computing service provider) from the first network element, and the type of computing resource requested is the type of computing resource indicated by the first message.

[0133] Optionally, the first message may include information about the first computing service provider and / or the type of computing resource.

[0134] For example, when the first message includes information about the first computing service provider but excludes information about the computing resource type, the computing resource type indicated by the first message is the type of computing resource that the first computing service provider can provide. For instance, if the first computing service provider only provides one type of computing resource service, the first message can include information about the first computing service provider but does not need to include information about the computing resource type, which helps reduce the transmission resource overhead of the first message.

[0135] When the first message includes information about the type of computing resource but excludes information about the first computing service provider, the first computing service provider indicated by the first message is the computing service provider capable of providing computing resources of that type. For example, if a service of a certain type of computing resource is provided only by the first computing service provider, the first message can include information about the type of computing resource but does not need to include information about the first computing service provider, which helps reduce the transmission resource overhead of the first message.

[0136] For example, the types of computing resources can be CPU, GPU, tensor processing unit (TPU), neural network processing unit (NPU), etc. This application does not limit the types of computing resources.

[0137] In other words, the second network element requests computing resources from a specific computing service provider and requests specific types of computing resources by sending a first message to the first network element.

[0138] Correspondingly, the first network element receives the first message, and based on the first message, it can determine the computing resources requested by the second network element from the first computing service provider, and determine the type of computing resources requested by the second network element.

[0139] In one implementation, the second network element can send a first message to the first network element when the computing resources within the core network cannot meet the computing demand indicators.

[0140] Alternatively, in another implementation, the second network element may send a first message to the first network element if the priority of computing resources outside the core network is higher than that of computing resources inside the core network.

[0141] For example, the second network element may send a first message to the first network element when it determines that it should prioritize the use of computing resources outside the core network, based on user subscription information and / or computing resource scheduling policies.

[0142] Optionally, the second network element can obtain user subscription information from the data management network element. The second network element can also obtain computing resource scheduling policies from the policy control network element.

[0143] For example, if the computing resource scheduling strategy indicates that internal resources of the core network should be scheduled first, the second network element can request computing resources from the internal resource pool of the core network. Furthermore, if the internal resource pool of the core network cannot meet the computing demand indicators, such as determining, based on the user subscription information corresponding to the terminal device, that the internal resource pool of the core network does not have target resources that meet the tariff requirements or computing resource processing capabilities, the second network element can determine to use computing resources outside the core network, thereby sending a first message to the first network element.

[0144] 302: The first network element determines the target resource from the computing resources of the first computing service provider.

[0145] For example, based on the first message, the first network element determines a target resource that satisfies the type of computing resource indicated by the first computing service provider from the computing resources available in the first computing service provider. The type of the target resource is the type of computing resource indicated by the first message.

[0146] Optionally, the first message may include a first computing requirement indicator, which indicates the requirements that the target resources requested by the second network element need to meet. For example, the first computing requirement indicator may include one or more of the following information: computing task type, service level agreement (SLA) parameter requirements, computing resource processing capacity requirements, terminal device location information, or tariff requirements.

[0147] In this implementation, the target resource determined by the first network element satisfies the first computing requirement indicator indicated by the first message. That is, in this implementation, the first network element can determine, based on the first message, a target resource that satisfies the type of computing resource indicated in the first message from the computing resources available to the first computing service provider, and this target resource also satisfies the first computing requirement indicator included in the first message.

[0148] For example, the first computing requirement indicator includes the computing task type corresponding to the computing resources. The computing task type corresponding to the computing resources refers to the type of computing task that the computing resources can be used to process, such as virtual machines, containers, function as a service (FaaS), etc., or for image processing, large model inference, video rendering, function computation, audio distortion processing, speech recognition, or performing AI computation, etc. The target resources determined by the first network element support the execution of computing tasks of this computing task type.

[0149] Alternatively, the first computational requirement indicator may include SLA parameter requirements. An SLA, in the communications field, refers to a mutually agreed-upon agreement between a service provider and a user, or between service providers themselves, to ensure service performance and reliability. SLA parameters may include at least one of the following: network bandwidth type, network bandwidth size, network latency, network jitter, Quality of Service (QoS) parameters, and computing power level parameters.

[0150] The network bandwidth type can be a generic network bandwidth type or a bandwidth type defined by the CSP. Different network bandwidth types may correspond to different network qualities. Computing service providers can define their own network bandwidth types.

[0151] For example, network bandwidth types can be Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), Interior Border Gateway Protocol (IBGP), or External Border Gateway Protocol (EBGP), etc.

[0152] QoS capabilities can be represented by QoS level parameters.

[0153] Computing power level parameters, also known as equivalent computing power levels, are evaluation parameters used to represent the equivalent computing power level of computing resources to commercially available computing power resources. For example, computing power level parameters can be represented by benchmark scores.

[0154] The SLA parameters of the target resource meet the SLA parameter requirements. For example, if the SLA parameters in the first message include a network bandwidth threshold of 20 megabits per second (Mbps), then the network bandwidth corresponding to the target resource can be greater than or equal to 20 Mbps.

[0155] Alternatively, the first computing requirement indicator includes parameters indicating the required computing resource processing capacity. These parameters, also known as computing power requirement parameters or computing volume requirement parameters, quantify the processing capacity of the computing resources. For example, the computing power requirement parameter can be expressed as gigafloating point operations per second (GFLOPs). For instance, a CPU with a computing power requirement parameter of 200 GFLOPs. The processing capacity of the target resource meets the computing resource processing capacity requirement. For example, if the parameter indicating the required computing resource processing capacity in the first computing requirement indicator is 200 GFLOPs, then the computing resource processing capacity corresponding to the target resource must be greater than or equal to 200 GFLOPs.

[0156] Alternatively, the first computational requirement indicator includes information indicating the location of the terminal device. This location information can be represented by region information, cell information, base station information accessed by the terminal device, or cell identifier, etc. The deployment location of the target resource and the location of the terminal device meet preset conditions.

[0157] For example, the preset conditions include that the distance between the deployment location of the target resource and the location of the terminal device is less than or equal to a preset threshold. Alternatively, the preset conditions include that the deployment location of the target resource and the location of the terminal device belong to the same geographical area, such as the same administrative region or the same province / city; this application does not limit this. The first network element can schedule target resources near the terminal device based on the location information of the terminal device, which helps to reduce transmission latency.

[0158] Alternatively, the first computing demand indicator may include pricing requirements. The pricing of computing resources refers to their price; that is, when a third-party computing service provider offers shared computing resources, the terminal device or the requesting party (such as an operator or cloud service provider) needs to pay. The pricing standards for different computing resources may vary. If the pricing of the target resource meets the requirements, for example, if the first computing demand indicator indicates that the hourly rate does not exceed 1 yuan, and the hourly rate of the target resource is 0.5 yuan, then the pricing of the target resource meets the requirements.

[0159] In one implementation, the first message may further include user subscription information, and the first network element may combine the user subscription information to determine the target resource, wherein the target resource meets the requirements of the user subscription information.

[0160] For example, the user's subscription information may include information related to the computing services subscribed to by the user, such as promotional activities for the computing services subscribed to by the user or the priority of computing resources corresponding to different services. Thus, the first network element can combine the above information to determine the target resource that meets the requirements of the user's subscription information from multiple computing resources provided by the first computing service provider.

[0161] 303: The first network element sends the address information corresponding to the target resource to the second network element. Correspondingly, the second network element receives the address information corresponding to the target resource.

[0162] In one implementation, if the computing resources already deployed by the first computing service provider can meet the computing resource requirements of the first message request, then the first network element can use the computing resource as the target resource, obtain the address information of the target resource, and send the address information corresponding to the target resource to the second network element.

[0163] Optionally, the first network element sends the address information corresponding to the target resource to the second network element, and further includes: the first network element sends the address information corresponding to the target resource and the information of the target resource to the second network element, wherein the information of the target resource includes at least one of the following: the computing resource type, resource size or computing resource processing capability parameters of the target resource, etc.

[0164] For example, the resource size of the target resource can refer to the storage capacity of the target resource. A parameter indicating the computing power of the target resource can be used to indicate its computing power.

[0165] Optionally, the first network element may pre-store information about pre-deployed computing resources for scheduling and allocation based on resource requests. For example, CSP1 may pre-deploy one or more computing resources and send the address information of these resources to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element stores the address information of each computing resource. After determining the target resource, the first network element can identify the address information corresponding to the target resource from the stored address information of each computing resource, and then send the address information corresponding to the target resource to the second network element.

[0166] In another implementation, the first network element may request the deployment and transmission of target resources from the first computing service node. In this implementation, before step 303, the method may further include steps 304 and 305.

[0167] 304: The first network element sends a second message to the first computing service node, requesting the deployment of the target resource on the first computing service node. Correspondingly, the first computing service node receives the second message.

[0168] The first computing service node is a node belonging to the first computing service provider that provides computing services. For example, the first computing service node can provide multiple computing resources, such as the target resource.

[0169] Optionally, the second message may include information about the target resource, such as its computing resource type, resource size, network type, resource processing capacity requirements, network bandwidth, or network latency. For example, the target resource may be a CPU, and its specific information may include: computing performance of 8U16G (i.e., an 8-core processor providing 16GB of memory), network bandwidth of 5 MHz, network type of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), and location in the Northwest region.

[0170] 305: The first computing service node sends the address information corresponding to the target resource to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the address information corresponding to the target resource.

[0171] After receiving the second message, the first computing service node deploys and distributes the target resource according to the information carried in the second message, and sends the access information of the target resource, such as the address information of the target resource, to the first network element.

[0172] For example, if the target resource is an 8U 16G CPU, the first computing service node sends the virtual IP address corresponding to the CPU to the first network element.

[0173] In one implementation, before the second network element requests computing resources from the first network element, the demand for computing resources may be triggered by a third network element, such as a terminal device. The terminal device sends a computing resource request message to the core network, and then the core network can trigger a computing resource request from the first network element through the second network element, i.e., send a first message. For example, before step 301, the method further includes steps 1 to 2.

[0174] Step 1: The second network element receives a computing resource request message to request computing resources.

[0175] The computing resource request message may include a second computing demand indicator corresponding to the computing resource. The second computing demand indicator is used to indicate the computing resource requester's demand for computing resources. The second computing demand indicator is used to indicate parameters such as computing task type, computing resource type, computing resource processing capacity parameters, computing resource regional requirements, or computing resource tariffs, so that the first network element can schedule appropriate computing resources for it according to the computing demand indicator.

[0176] It should be noted that the second computing demand indicator carried in the computing resource request message received by the second network element may be the same as or different from the specific indicators or parameters included in the second computing demand indicator in the first message sent by the second network element to the first network element. The specific indicators included in the two may be the same or different, and the parameters indicated by different indicators may be the same or different.

[0177] For example, when the second network element receives a computing resource request message from a terminal device, meaning the terminal device sends the message to the second network element, the first computing requirement indicator includes the computing task type and the computing resource type. Based on the computing task type and the requested computing resource type, and considering the current network status of the core network, the second network element sends a first message to the first network element to request computing resources. The second computing requirement indicator carried in this first message may include SLA parameters, such as network latency, bandwidth, and computing power level parameters. In other words, when the second network element requests computing resources from the first network element, it can refine the computing requirement indicators according to the requester's needs to improve the efficiency of computing resource allocation.

[0178] Optionally, the second network element can be a computing power scheduling function network element. That is, the terminal device can send a computing resource request message to the computing power scheduling function network element through the access network to request computing resources.

[0179] Alternatively, in one implementation, the computing resource request message received by the second network element originates from a third network element, such as a network open network element, and the second network element is an edge computing scheduler. The edge computing scheduler may pre-subscribe to computing resource request events from the network open network element. These computing resource request events are used when the edge computing scheduler determines that the mobile communication network needs to request shared computing resources from a third-party computing service provider. In this case, the network open network element sends a computing resource request message to the edge computing scheduler to request computing resources.

[0180] For example, when a terminal device needs computing resources, it can send a computing resource request message to the computing power scheduling function network element. The computing power scheduling function network element can then send the terminal device's computing resource request message to the network open network element. Finally, the network open network element sends a computing resource request message to the edge computing scheduler to request computing resources.

[0181] Step 2: The second network element determines the first computing service provider and the type of computing resources from multiple computing service providers based on the second computing demand index.

[0182] The first computing service provider is capable of providing computing resources that meet the second computing demand index. The types of computing resources provided by the first computing service provider include those indicated by the second computing demand index.

[0183] In this implementation, the second network element can query the registration information of computing resources and select a computing service provider whose computing resources meet the second computing demand index as the first computing service provider. For example, the second network element can query a database to determine the matching computing service provider and computing resource type based on the parameters in the second computing demand index.

[0184] In one implementation, the second computing demand indicator includes at least one of the following: the type of computing task corresponding to the computing resource, the type of computing resource, the demand template for the computing resource, the computing service provider providing the computing resource, the SLA parameter requirements, the parameters of the computing resource processing capacity, the location information of the terminal device requesting the computing resource, and the pricing requirements or user contract information for the computing resource. The definitions of each piece of information can be found in the relevant description in step 302.

[0185] Among them, the computing resource requirement template refers to the computing resource requirement information filled in according to a certain format. The computing resource requester can realize the computing resource requirement through a requirement template. The requirement template can include the indicators or attributes corresponding to the requirements that the computing resource needs to meet, as well as the parameters corresponding to the indicators, such as Docker Compose templates or YAML resource configuration files, etc.

[0186] For example, the configuration file for a certain computing resource requirement template includes three indicators: computing resource type, computing task type, and computing resource processing capacity. The parameters corresponding to each indicator are: computing resource type is GPU, computing task type is video rendering, and computing resource processing capacity is 300 GFLOPs.

[0187] User subscription information refers to user subscription information related to computing resource services, which may include at least one of the following: priority of scheduling CSP, user information, tenant information, service fees or slice information, etc.

[0188] For example, user subscription information may include the priority of scheduling CSPs, such as prioritizing the scheduling of computing resources within the core network's computing resource pool, prioritizing the scheduling of CSP computing resources, or scheduling only CSP computing resources for this user. Optionally, the scheduling priority of CSPs may include a higher scheduling priority for CSP1 than for CSP2, etc.

[0189] For example, user contract information may include service fee information. For instance, a user's service fee may include a fee of no more than 1 yuan per hour for computing resources, or a fee of no more than 0.00001 yuan per use of computing resources.

[0190] In one implementation, the second computing demand indicator includes user subscription information, such as user subscription information indicating that the user has subscribed to the computing services of the first computing provider, and one or more types of computing resources subscribed to. The second network element can determine the first computing service provider based on the subscription information, and determine the requested computing resource type based on the subscribed computing resource type and the types of computing resources that the first computing provider can support.

[0191] In another implementation, if the second computing requirement index includes a computing resource type, the second network element can determine the requested computing resource type. Alternatively, the second network element can query the stored registration information of computing resources and, based on the various indicators included in the second computing requirement index, select a computing service provider (such as the first computing service provider) that meets all the indicators from the registration information of multiple computing service providers; or, if no computing service provider can meet all the indicators in the second computing requirement index, it can select a computing service provider that meets more indicators (such as the first computing service provider) according to a preset strategy. Optionally, the preset strategy can configure the priority of different indicators in the second computing requirement index, and the determined target resource must at least meet the indicators with higher priority in the second computing requirement index.

[0192] For example, the second computing demand indicator includes computing task type one. The second network element queries the registration information of computing resources to determine that multiple computing service providers, such as the first computing service provider and the second computing service provider, can provide computing resources with computing task type one. Then, the second network element selects the first computing service provider from among these multiple computing service providers.

[0193] For example, the second computing demand indicator includes a computing resource demand template of template one. The second network element queries the registration information of the computing resources and determines that the computing service provider whose corresponding computing resource demand template is template one is the first computing service provider.

[0194] For example, the second computing demand indicator includes indicators such as SLA parameter requirements, computing resource processing capacity parameters, and computing resource pricing requirements. The second network element queries the registration information of computing resources to determine that multiple computing service providers, such as the first computing service provider and the second computing service provider, can provide computing resources that meet the SLA parameter requirements, computing resource processing capacity parameters, and computing resource pricing requirements indicated by the above-mentioned second computing demand indicator. Then, the second network element selects the first computing service provider from among these multiple computing service providers.

[0195] In the above embodiments, when a computing resource requester requests computing resources from the core network, the second network element can schedule third-party computing resources, such as computing resources on the computing service nodes of a CSP, thereby realizing the sharing and scheduling of computing resources. This is not limited to the internal resources of operators, application providers, MEC networks, or cloud service providers. The computing resources of each computing service provider can be shared. Thus, the computing service of a certain operator or application can realize the computing service by scheduling the computing resources of the computing service provider, thereby improving the utilization rate of computing resources in the network, avoiding the waste of computing resources, and improving the efficiency of computing resource allocation.

[0196] In addition, by introducing edge computing open function network elements in this application, it is possible to facilitate the ubiquitous computing power of computing service providers to enter the network, providing a service experience similar to that of computing power within the mobile network. This can avoid the duplication of computing resources and save operators the cost of building edge data centers in the early stages.

[0197] In one implementation, a computing service provider can register information about its deployed computing resources, such as by registering with the edge computing scheduler through a first network element or with a computing power scheduling function network element.

[0198] For example, each computing service node of a computing service provider can send information about the computing resources it can provide to the first network element. For instance, the first computing service node sends a third message to the first network element. This third message may include information about the computing resources deployed on the first computing service node; for example, the third message may include information about the aforementioned target resources. Correspondingly, the first network element can receive the third message from the first computing service node.

[0199] Optionally, the information of computing resources may include at least one of the following: the configuration template of the computing resources, the type of computing task, the type of computing resources, and the pricing or SLA parameters of the computing resources.

[0200] The configuration template for computing resources refers to the information of the configuration indicators of the computing resource filled in according to a certain format. The configuration information of the computing resource can be reflected through a configuration template, which may include information such as the indicators or attributes that the computing resource meets, such as a YAML resource configuration file. For example, in the aforementioned embodiment, when the first network element determines the target resource, it can match the computing resource requirement template in the computing requirement indicators of the computing resource requester with the configuration template of the registered computing resource. The computing resource with a higher matching degree can better meet the computing requirement indicators of the computing resource requester.

[0201] SLA parameters can be used to indicate the network quality required by a computing service provider for scheduling the provided computing resources. SLA parameters may include at least one of the following: network bandwidth, network latency, network jitter, Quality of Service (QoS), and computing power level parameters. Different SLA parameters correspond to different network qualities, and computing service providers can freely define the network quality required for scheduling computing resources.

[0202] In one implementation, before the computing service provider registers its computing resource information, a second network element (such as a computing power scheduling function network element or MEO) can trigger a registration request. For example, the method further includes: the second network element sending a registration request message to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element receives the registration request message.

[0203] Optionally, the registration request message is used to request registration of computing resources from a computing service provider. This registration request message may carry information about a specific computing service provider, such as information about a first computing service provider, to request registration of computing resources provided by that first computing service provider.

[0204] In one possible implementation, the registration request message can be triggered manually, for example, by a network administrator or a computing resource management technician through the MEO management interface to send a registration request message to the first network element.

[0205] Optionally, the registration request message can be used to request the registration of computing resources with a specific resource configuration. For example, the registration request message can be used to request the registration of computing resources of at least one computing service node that matches at least one of the following information: endpoint information of the computing service node, regional information of the computing service node, location information, network topology information, computing resource requirement template, computing task type, computing resource type, computing resource tariff, SLA parameters, or tenant authentication information used by MEO.

[0206] Optionally, the registration request message may include one or more of the above information to indicate the required configuration of the computing resource for which registration is requested.

[0207] In one implementation, tenant authentication information can be used by the computing service nodes or resource management nodes deployed by the first computing service provider to authenticate tenants requesting computing resources. If authentication is successful, registration can proceed, and the computing service nodes of the first computing service provider can send their own computing resource information to the first network element; otherwise, if authentication fails, the computing resource information is not sent, and registration is not performed. For example, the tenant requesting computing resources can be an operator or application provider, or the tenant can be a specific terminal device user, etc., referring to users, operators, or application providers who have subscribed to computing services for the computing resources deployed by the first computing service provider, etc., which is not limited in this application.

[0208] In this application, a tenant can rent a portion of the computing resources on a computing service node deployed by a computing service provider. For example, a first application rents computing resources on a first computing service node. Subsequently, the computing resources on the first computing service node can provide computing services to terminal devices requesting the first application. When the first computing service node receives a registration request message to register for network access, it can authenticate the tenant's information. When a terminal device subsequently requests services from the first application, i.e., when requesting computing services related to the first application, that is, when the terminal device can be the requester of the computing resources described in this application, the computing power scheduling function network element can schedule computing resources on the first computing service node for the terminal device according to the implementation method of this application.

[0209] For example, tenant authentication information includes, but is not limited to, username, password, verification token, access key (AK), or secret access key (SK).

[0210] If the registration request message includes tenant authentication information, the first network element can send an authentication request message to the first computing service node of the first computing service provider. This authentication request message, including tenant authentication information, is used by the first computing service node to verify the tenant information of the requested computing resources. If the first service node successfully authenticates the tenant information of the requested computing resources, it can send an authentication response message to the first network element. Correspondingly, the first network element can receive the authentication response message from the first computing service node, confirming that authentication has been successful.

[0211] The communication method provided in this application will be described below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0212] Combination Figure 1 The network architecture shown will incorporate the aforementioned Figure 3 The implementation method is applied to Figure 1 The network architecture shown in (2) is used in the following embodiments. Figure 1 The edge computing open function network element shown in (2) is ECEF, and the edge computing scheduler is MEO, etc., are introduced as examples.

[0213] Implementation 1: Computing Resource Registration Process. The following example uses the registration process of a first computing service provider.

[0214] like Figure 4 As shown, the method may include the following steps.

[0215] 401: MEO sends a first registration request message to ECEF, which includes information about CSP1. ECEF receives the first registration request message.

[0216] For example, the registration process for the first computing service provider can be triggered by the MEO management interface, and the first registration request message can carry the vendor information of the first computing service provider. For example, an administrator can trigger CSP1 registration through the MEO management interface, and the first registration request message can carry the name, identifier, access information, or information about the computing service nodes deployed by CSP1.

[0217] Optionally, the first registration request message may also carry, but is not limited to, the following information: service endpoint information of the computing service provider, location information of the computing service node such as regional information, network topology information, or tenant authentication information used by MEO.

[0218] Network topology information refers to information describing the network structure composed of network node devices and communication media.

[0219] 402: ECEF sends a second registration request message to the first computing service node. The first computing service node receives the second registration request message.

[0220] The node interacting with ECEF can be the resource management node of CSP1, or one of one or more computing service nodes deployed by CSP1 that provide computing resources, such as the first computing service node. This is not limited in the embodiments of this application. The following description uses the first computing service node as an example of the node interacting with ECEF.

[0221] The second registration request message is used to request CSP1 to register computing resources so that the network can share computing resources.

[0222] In one implementation, before ECEF sends the second registration request message to the first computing service node, it may also include an authentication process, i.e., before or after step 402, for example, it may include steps a to b.

[0223] Step a: ECEF sends an authentication request message to the first computing service node. The first computing service node receives the authentication request message.

[0224] The authentication request message is used to request the first computing service node of CSP1 to authenticate the tenant requesting computing resources. The authentication request message may carry the authentication information of the tenant requesting computing resources.

[0225] Optionally, step a can be combined with step 402 into a single message, such as ECEF sending a request message to the first computing service node to request CSP1 to register computing resources. This request message includes the authentication information of the tenant requesting the computing resources.

[0226] Step b: The first compute service node sends an authentication response message to the ECEF. The ECEF receives the authentication response message.

[0227] After authenticating the tenant, the first compute service node sends an authentication response message to the ECEF. The authentication response message can indicate whether authentication was successful or failed.

[0228] It should be noted that if the authentication process is executed before step 402, then ECEF can execute step 402 if it receives an authentication response message indicating successful authentication.

[0229] Optionally, step c may also be included.

[0230] Step c: The first compute service node sends a registration response message to ECEF. ECEF receives the registration response message.

[0231] After the first computing service node determines that it has registered its computing resources, it sends a registration response message to ECEF. The registration response message can indicate whether to accept or reject the registration.

[0232] It should be noted that if the authentication process occurs after step 402, then after ECEF executes the 402 message, it can execute steps a and b if ECEF receives the registration response message from step c indicating acceptance of registration.

[0233] Optionally, steps b and c above can be combined into a single message, such as the first computing service node sending a notification message to ECEF to indicate the authentication response result and the response to the registration request. For example, the notification message indicates successful authentication and acceptance of registration.

[0234] 403: The first compute service node sends compute resource information to ECEF. ECEF receives the compute resource information.

[0235] In this process, the first computing service node sends computing resource information to ECEF, which is the registration information. This can correspond to the third message in the aforementioned embodiment, which sends its own computing resource indicators and other capability information.

[0236] For example, the first computing service node can report its own computing resource metrics to ECEF based on its own computing resources, including but not limited to the following information: computing resource requirement template, computing task type, computing resource type (CPU / GPU / NPU / TPU, etc.), and computing resource pricing or SLA parameters. The SLA parameters include, but are not limited to, the following: network bandwidth type, network bandwidth size, network latency, network jitter, QoS capability, computing power level parameters (such as Intel Core i13, etc.), and benchmark scores.

[0237] In one implementation, this application does not limit the execution order of the above steps. For example, the authentication process (steps a-b) can be executed first, followed by the registration request process (step 402). Optionally, step c can also be included. Optionally, step 403 can also be combined with steps b and c into a single message, such as the first computing service node sending computing resource information to ECEF and indicating successful authentication and acceptance of registration.

[0238] 404: ECEF sends a registration response message to MEO. MEO receives the registration response message.

[0239] In other words, ECEF returns the registration result to MEO, which can indicate whether the first computing service node of CSP1 has successfully registered or failed to register.

[0240] For example, the registration response message may carry information about the computing resources of the first computing service node mentioned above.

[0241] 405: The MEO stores the computing resource information of the first computing service node in the database. This allows it to schedule appropriate computing resources by querying the database registration information when a computing resource request is received subsequently.

[0242] Implementation 2: Another computing resource registration process. The following example uses the registration process of a first computing service provider.

[0243] like Figure 5 As shown, the method may include the following steps.

[0244] 501: MEO sends a first registration request message to ECEF, which includes registration configuration information. ECEF receives the first registration request message.

[0245] For example, the registration process for the first computing service provider can be triggered by the MEO's management interface, and the first registration request message can carry the vendor information of the first computing service provider. For example, the first registration request message can carry the name, identifier, access information, or information about the computing service nodes deployed by CSP1.

[0246] In addition, the first registration request message may also carry registration configuration information, which is used to request the registration of computing resources on CSP1 that meet the requirements of the registration configuration information.

[0247] In addition to the information carried in the first registration request message in step 401 above, the registration configuration information may include, but is not limited to, the following information: the type of computing task corresponding to the computing resource, the type of computing resource (CPU, GPU, NPU, TPU, etc.), the requirement template of the computing resource, SLA parameters, or computing power requirement parameters. Optionally, the registration configuration information may or may not include the vendor information of the first computing service provider mentioned above, and this application does not limit this.

[0248] 502: ECEF sends a second registration request message to the first computing service node. The first computing service node receives the second registration request message.

[0249] 503: The first compute service node sends compute resource information to ECEF. ECEF receives the compute resource information.

[0250] Optionally, the method may further include the following steps: ECEF sends a computing resource matching request to the first computing service node. The computing resource matching request may include some or all of the registration configuration information from step 501 above, used to request the first computing service node to select matching computing resources and register them according to the computing resource matching request. Correspondingly, the first computing service node receives the computing resource matching request, determines the computing resources according to the computing resource matching request, and sends the computing resource information to ECEF.

[0251] Steps 502-503 can be referred to the relevant description of steps 402-403 in the foregoing embodiments. Optionally, the communication method may also include steps a, b, or c. For example, the aforementioned authentication process, such as steps a and b, may be included before step 502, and the ECEF can execute step 502 upon receiving an authentication response message indicating successful authentication. In another example, step c may be included after step 502, and steps a and b can be executed upon the ECEF receiving a registration response message from step c indicating acceptance of registration; this will not be elaborated further here.

[0252] 504: ECEF sends a registration response message to MEO. MEO receives the registration response message.

[0253] In other words, ECEF returns the registration result to MEO, which can indicate whether the first computing service node of CSP1 has successfully registered or failed to register.

[0254] For example, the registration response message may carry information about the computing resources of the first computing service node of the aforementioned CSP1.

[0255] 505: The MEO stores the computing resource information of the first computing service node in the database. This allows it to schedule appropriate computing resources by querying the database registration information when a computing resource request is received subsequently.

[0256] Example 3: Computing resource request process, which can be applied to... Figure 1 The network architecture of (2) in the middle.

[0257] like Figure 6 As shown, the method may include the following steps.

[0258] 601: The UE sends a computing resource request message to the computing power scheduling function network element. The computing power scheduling function network element receives the computing resource request message.

[0259] The computing resource request message includes a second computing demand indicator.

[0260] For example, the second computing requirement indicator may include at least one of the following: the type of computing task corresponding to the computing resource, the type of computing resource (such as CPU / GPU / NPU / TPU, etc.), the requirement template for the computing resource, the computing service provider, SLA parameters, computing power requirement parameters (such as FLOPs or GFLOPs), the location information of the terminal device, and the pricing requirements or user contract information for the computing resource. The SLA parameters include at least one of the following: network bandwidth, network latency, network jitter, QoS level, computing power level parameters, etc.

[0261] It should be understood that the implementation of step 601 can refer to the foregoing. Figure 3 The description of step 1 in the embodiments will not be repeated here.

[0262] 602: The computing power scheduling function network element sends a computing power resource request notification to the NEF. The NEF receives the computing power resource request notification.

[0263] In one implementation, step 602 is triggered if the user's subscription information is set to prioritize the use of third-party computing resources, or if the computing resources within the core network (such as the NFVI computing resource pool) cannot meet the computing demand indicators.

[0264] The computing resource request notification can carry the aforementioned computing demand indicators.

[0265] Optionally, prior to step 602, the method may further include the following steps 602-a to 602-c:

[0266] 602-a: The computing power scheduling function network element interacts with the UDM to obtain user subscription information.

[0267] 602-b: The computing power scheduling function network element interacts with the PCF to obtain computing resource scheduling strategy information.

[0268] 602-c: The computing power scheduling function network element interacts with the internal computing resource pool of the mobile communication network and determines that the internal computing resource scheduling has failed.

[0269] For example, the computing power scheduling function network element can send a computing resource request message to the NFVI computing resource pool within the mobile communication network to match computing resources that meet the second computing requirement index. If the match is successful, the NFVI resource pool returns information about the successfully matched computing resources to the UE. If the internal resource pool within the mobile communication network cannot meet the computing resource request, the NFVI resource pool sends a response message indicating that the computing resource scheduling has failed to the computing power scheduling function network element.

[0270] For example, situations where the core network's internal resource pool cannot meet computing resource requests may include, but are not limited to: computing resource types (CPU / GPU / NPU / TPU, etc.) not conforming to the computing resource types indicated by the second computing requirement index; computing power requirements (FLOPs or GFLOPs, etc.) not conforming to the computing power requirements indicated by the second computing requirement index; or SLA parameters, etc., not conforming to the SLA parameters indicated by the second computing requirement index.

[0271] 603: NEF sends a compute resource request message to MEO. MEO receives the compute resource request message.

[0272] For example, MEO subscribes to computing resource request events in advance with NEF. When NEF receives a computing resource request notification, NEF sends a computing resource request message to MEO based on the computing resource request events subscribed to by MEO.

[0273] 604: MEO determines CSP1 and the type of computing resources.

[0274] For example, MEO combines information such as the location of the terminal device, price, operator, SLA, and user contract information to select the most suitable CSP vendor in ECEF, as well as the most matching type of computing resources.

[0275] It should be understood that the implementation of step 604 can refer to the aforementioned... Figure 3 The description of step 2 in the embodiments is not repeated here.

[0276] 605: MEO sends a compute resource request message to ECEF. ECEF receives the compute resource request message.

[0277] The computing resource request message in step 605 can correspond to the aforementioned Figure 3 The first message in step 301. The implementation of step 605 can be referred to the aforementioned... Figure 3 The description of 301 in the embodiments.

[0278] Optionally, the computing resource request message may also be referred to as a computing resource expansion signaling.

[0279] Optionally, the first message may include the aforementioned first computing requirement indicators, such as computing task type, computing resource type, or computing power requirement parameters, etc. The specific content will not be elaborated further.

[0280] Optionally, the method may further include steps 606 and 607.

[0281] 606: ECEF sends a computing resource request message to the first computing service node. The first computing service node receives the computing resource request message.

[0282] The computing resource request message in step 606 can correspond to the aforementioned Figure 3 The second message in step 304 is used to request the first computing service node of CSP1 to deploy the target resources. The implementation of step 606 can be referred to the aforementioned... Figure 3 The description of step 304 in the embodiments.

[0283] 607: The first compute service node sends a first compute resource deployment response to ECEF. ECEF receives the first compute resource deployment response.

[0284] The first computing service node of CSP1 deploys the target resource and sends the first computing resource deployment response to ECEF, which carries the address information of the target resource.

[0285] 608: ECEF sends a second compute resource deployment response to MEO, carrying the address information of the target resource. MEO receives the second compute resource deployment response.

[0286] 609: The MEO sends a third computing resource deployment response to the computing power scheduling function network element via the NEF. The computing power scheduling function network element receives the third computing resource deployment response.

[0287] The third computing resource deployment response is used to indicate whether the computing resource deployment was successful or failed. If the target resource is successfully deployed, the message may also include the target resource's address information, price information, computing resource type, resource size, or computing power parameters.

[0288] 610: The computing power scheduling function network element sends a message to the UE indicating that the computing network session has been successfully established. The UE receives the message indicating that the computing network session has been successfully established.

[0289] Here, the computing network session refers to the session between the UE and the first computing service node used for transmitting computing data. The computing network session can also be called a computing power session, computing session, etc., and this application embodiment does not limit it in this way.

[0290] The message indicating successful establishment of a computing session indicates that a session for transmitting computing data has been successfully established between the UE and the first computing service node. This message includes the address information of the target resource, which the UE uses to access the target resource of the first computing service node and obtain computing services.

[0291] Optionally, the message indicating successful establishment of the computing session can also be a message indicating successful request for computing resources. For example, it could be a response message corresponding to the computing resource request message in step 601, used to indicate that the computing resource request was successful. In one embodiment, if the computing power scheduling function network element fails to schedule computing resources for the UE, the computing power scheduling function network element can send a message indicating that the computing resource request failed to the UE.

[0292] After the UE accesses the first computing service node based on the address information of the target resource, the UE can transmit computing data with the first computing service node through the established computing network session.

[0293] Optionally, the computing resource request in step 601 can also be called a computing network session establishment request.

[0294] Optionally, the method further includes step 611.

[0295] 611: The UE accesses the first computing service node based on the address information of the target resource.

[0296] For example, the UE sends computing data to the first computing service node through a computing network session based on the address information of the target resource. Correspondingly, the first computing service node receives the computing data and processes the computing data using the target resource.

[0297] Optionally, the first computing service node can also send the processing result of the computing data to the UE.

[0298] Example 4: Computational resource release process, which can be applied to... Figure 1 The network architecture of (2) in the middle.

[0299] like Figure 7 As shown, the method may include the following steps.

[0300] 701: The UE initiates a computing resource release request to the computing power scheduling function network element. The computing power scheduling function network element receives the computing resource release request.

[0301] Among them, the request to release computing resources can carry information about the target resource, such as the resource identifier or IP address.

[0302] 702: The computing resource release notification is sent from the computing power scheduling function network element to the NEF. The NEF receives the computing resource release notification.

[0303] For example, the computing power scheduling function network element triggers the release of the computing power session, and then the computing power scheduling function sends a computing resource release notification to NEF.

[0304] 703: NEF sends a compute resource release message to MEO. MEO receives the compute resource release event.

[0305] For example, MEO subscribes to computing resource release events in advance with NEF. When NEF receives a computing resource release notification, NEF sends a computing resource release message to MEO based on the computing resource release events subscribed to by MEO.

[0306] 704: MEO sends a computing resource release request to ECEF. ECEF receives the computing resource release request.

[0307] For example, MEO notifies ECEF to perform the action of releasing computing resources.

[0308] Optionally, 705: ECEF sends a computing resource release request to the first computing service node. The first computing service node receives the computing resource release request.

[0309] Optionally, 706: The first compute service node sends a compute resource release response to the ECEF. The ECEF receives the compute resource release response.

[0310] For example, ECEF sends a computing resource release request to the first computing service node, carrying information about the target resource, such as address information. After the first computing service node successfully releases the target resource, it returns a computing resource release response to ECEF.

[0311] 707: ECEF sends a notification of successful release of computing resources to MEO. MEO receives the notification of successful release of computing resources.

[0312] 708: MEO sends a message to the computing resource release function network element via NEF.

[0313] 709: The computing power scheduling function network element sends a computing power resource session release success message to the UE. The UE receives the computing power resource session release success message.

[0314] Example 5: Another computing resource request process, which can be applied to... Figure 1 The network architecture of (1) in China.

[0315] like Figure 8 As shown, the method may include the following steps.

[0316] 801: The UE sends a computing resource request message to the computing power scheduling function network element. The computing power scheduling function network element receives the computing resource request message.

[0317] The computing resource request message includes a second computing demand indicator.

[0318] The implementation of step 801 can be referred to the above. Figure 3 The description of step 1 in the embodiments will not be repeated here.

[0319] 802: The computing resource scheduling function network element sends a computing resource request message to ECEF. ECEF receives the computing resource request message.

[0320] The first message in step 802 can correspond to the aforementioned Figure 3The first message in step 301. Optionally, this computing resource request message can also be called a computing power resource expansion signaling. The implementation of step 802 can refer to the above. Figure 3 The description of 301 in the embodiments.

[0321] In one implementation, before the computing power scheduling function network element sends a computing resource request message to the ECEF, it can determine, based on user subscription information and / or computing resource scheduling policies, to prioritize the use of third-party computing resources, or trigger step 802 when the computing resources within the mobile communication network (such as the NFVI computing resource pool) cannot meet the computing demand indicators. The specific process can be referred to the relevant descriptions of steps 602-a to 602-c above, and will not be repeated here.

[0322] Optionally, the method may further include steps 803 and 804.

[0323] 803: ECEF sends a computing resource request message to the first computing service node. The first computing service node receives the computing resource request message.

[0324] The computing resource request message in step 803 can correspond to the aforementioned Figure 3 The second message in step 304 is used to request the first computing service node of CSP1 to deploy the target resources. The implementation of step 803 can be referred to the foregoing. Figure 3 The description of step 304 in the embodiments.

[0325] 804: The first compute service node sends a first compute resource deployment response to ECEF. ECEF receives the first compute resource deployment response.

[0326] The first computing service node of CSP1 deploys the target resource and sends the first computing resource deployment response to ECEF, which carries the address information of the target resource.

[0327] 805: ECEF sends a second computing resource deployment response to the computing power scheduling function network element. The computing power scheduling function network element receives the second computing resource deployment response.

[0328] The second computing resource deployment response is used to indicate whether the computing resource deployment was successful or failed. If the target resource is successfully deployed, the message may include the target resource's address information, price information, computing resource type, resource size, or computing power parameters.

[0329] 806: The computing power scheduling function network element sends a message to the UE indicating that the computing network session has been successfully established. The UE receives the message indicating that the computing network session has been successfully established.

[0330] The message indicating successful establishment of the computing session is used to indicate that a session for transmitting computing data has been successfully established between the UE and the first computing service node. This message includes the address information of the target resource, which the UE uses to access the target resource of the first computing service node and obtain computing services.

[0331] Optionally, the message indicating a successful network session establishment can also be a message indicating a successful request for computing resources.

[0332] Optionally, the method further includes step 807.

[0333] 807: The UE accesses the first computing service node based on the address information of the target resource.

[0334] The implementation of step 807 can be referred to the description of step 611 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0335] Example 6: Another computing resource release process, which can be applied to... Figure 1 The network architecture of (1) in China.

[0336] like Figure 9 As shown, the method may include the following steps.

[0337] 901: The UE initiates a computing resource release request to the computing power scheduling function network element. The computing power scheduling function network element receives the computing resource release request.

[0338] Among them, the request to release computing resources can carry information about the target resource, such as the resource identifier or IP address.

[0339] 902: The computing power scheduling function network element sends a computing resource release request to the ECEF. The ECEF receives the computing resource release request.

[0340] For example, the computing power scheduling function network element notifies ECEF to perform the action of releasing computing resources.

[0341] For example, ECEF can determine whether the target resource originates from the internal resource pool of the mobile communication network or from a third-party computing service provider. If it finds that the current target resource originates from a third-party computing service node, it sends a computing resource release request to ECEF.

[0342] Optionally, 903: ECEF sends a computing resource release request to the first computing service node. The first computing service node receives the computing resource release request.

[0343] Optional, 904: The first compute service node sends a compute resource release response to the ECEF. The ECEF receives the compute resource release response.

[0344] For example, ECEF sends a computing resource release request to the first computing service node, carrying information about the target resource, such as address information. After CSP1 successfully releases the target resource, it returns a computing resource release response to ECEF.

[0345] 905: ECEF sends a message to the computing resource release function network element. The computing resource release function network element receives the message.

[0346] 906: The computing power scheduling function network element sends a computing power resource session release success message to the UE. The UE receives the computing power resource session release success message.

[0347] The various embodiments mentioned above in this application can be combined without contradiction, and no limitation is imposed.

[0348] The above mainly describes the solution provided in this application from the perspective of interaction between various network nodes. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device, which can be one of the communication devices or nodes in the above method embodiments, or a component such as a chip that can be used in the above communication devices or nodes.

[0349] It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the unit and algorithm operations of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0350] It should be understood that the above description is merely an example illustrating the interactions between various network element nodes. In reality, the processing performed by the aforementioned communication devices or nodes is not limited to being performed by a single network element.

[0351] This application can divide the communication device into functional modules based on the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into its own functional modules, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated modules can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules. It is understood that the module division in this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division; other division methods may be used in actual implementation.

[0352] For example, when dividing the functional modules using an integrated approach. Figure 10A schematic diagram of a communication device 1000 is shown. The communication device 1000 includes an interface module 1001 and a processing module 1002.

[0353] In some embodiments, the communication device 1000 may further include a storage module. Figure 10 (Not shown in the image), used to store program instructions and data. The communication device 1000 can be used to implement the functions of each network element or node in the above embodiments.

[0354] For example, the communication device 1000 can be Figure 3 The first network element, or, can be... Figures 4-9 ECEF in the various embodiments described.

[0355] The interface module 1001 is used to receive a first message, which is used to request computing resources and to indicate a first computing service provider and a type of computing resources.

[0356] The processing module 1002 is used to determine a target resource from the computing resources of the first computing service provider, wherein the type of the target resource is the computing resource type.

[0357] Interface module 1001 is also used to send the address information corresponding to the target resource.

[0358] In one implementation, the first message includes a first computing requirement indicator, wherein the target resource satisfies the first computing requirement indicator.

[0359] In one implementation, the first computing requirement indicator includes a computing task type, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the target resource supports executing computing tasks of the computing task type; or, the first computing requirement indicator includes Service Level Agreement (SLA) parameter requirements, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the target resource's SLA parameters satisfying the SLA parameter requirements; or, the first computing requirement indicator includes computing resource processing capacity requirements, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the target resource's processing capacity satisfying the computing resource processing capacity requirements; or, the first computing requirement indicator includes information indicating the location of a terminal device, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the deployment location of the target resource and the location of the terminal device satisfying preset conditions; or, the first computing requirement indicator includes tariff requirements, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the target resource's tariffs satisfying the tariff requirements.

[0360] In one implementation, the first message includes user subscription information, and the target resource satisfies the requirements of the user subscription information.

[0361] In one embodiment, the interface module 1001 can also be used to send a second message to the first computing service node of the first computing service provider, the second message being used to request the deployment of the target resource on the first computing service node; and to receive address information corresponding to the target resource from the first computing service node.

[0362] In one embodiment, the processing module 1002 can be used to determine the information of the target resource based on the first message, wherein the information of the target resource includes at least one of the following: the computing resource type, resource size or computing power parameters of the target resource; the interface module 1001 can also be used to send the information of the target resource.

[0363] In one embodiment, the interface module 1001 can also be used to receive a third message from the first computing service node, the third message including computing resource indicators of the target resource.

[0364] In one embodiment, the interface module 1001 can also be used to send the address information corresponding to the target resource and the information of the target resource, wherein the information of the target resource includes at least one of the following: the computing resource type, resource size or computing resource processing capability parameters of the target resource.

[0365] In one embodiment, the interface module 1001 can also be used to receive a third message from the first computing service node, the third message including information about computing resources deployed on the first computing service node.

[0366] In one implementation, the information of the computing resources includes at least one of the following: a computing resource requirement template, a computing task type, a computing resource type, and computing resource pricing or SLA parameters; wherein the SLA parameters include at least one of the following: network bandwidth, network latency, network jitter, network quality of service (QoS), and computing power level parameters.

[0367] In one embodiment, the interface module 1001 can also be used to receive a registration request message, which is used to request the registration of computing resources of the first computing service provider, or the registration request message is used to request the registration of computing resources of at least one computing service node that matches at least one of the following information: endpoint information of the computing service node, regional information of the computing service node, location information, network topology information, computing resource demand template, computing task type, computing resource type, computing resource tariff, SLA parameters, or tenant authentication information used by the multi-access edge computing orchestrator (MEO).

[0368] In one implementation, the registration request message includes authentication information, and the interface module 1001 can also be used to send the authentication information to the first computing service node of the first computing service provider. The authentication information is used to verify the computing resource requester.

[0369] In one implementation, the first message originates from a second network element, which is used to schedule computing resources within and / or outside the core network. For example, the second network element is a computing power scheduling function network element, or a multi-access edge computing orchestrator (MEO).

[0370] Furthermore, the communication device 1000 can be used to implement the functions implemented by the second network element in the above embodiments. For example, the communication device 1000 is, for instance, the aforementioned... Figure 3 The second network element in the embodiment, or, as described above Figures 4-9 The MEO or computing power scheduling function network element in the embodiment.

[0371] The interface module 1001 can be used to receive a computing resource request message, which is used to request computing resources and includes a second computing requirement index corresponding to the computing resources.

[0372] The processing module 1002 can be used to determine the first computing service provider and the type of computing resources from multiple computing service providers based on the second computing demand index.

[0373] The interface module 1001 can also be used to send a first message to a first network element, the first message being used to request computing resources, the first message being used to indicate the first computing service provider and the type of computing resources; receive address information of a target resource from the first network element; and send the address information of the target resource.

[0374] In one embodiment, the second computing requirement indicator includes a computing task type, wherein at least some of the computing resources provided by the first computing service provider support the execution of computing tasks of the computing task type, and / or the computing resources of the computing resource type support the execution of computing tasks of the computing task type; or, the second computing requirement indicator includes a computing resource processing capacity requirement, wherein the processing capacity of at least some of the computing resources provided by the first computing service provider meets the computing resource processing capacity requirement, and / or the computing resources of the computing resource type meet the computing resource processing capacity requirement; or, the second computing requirement indicator includes information for indicating the location of the terminal device, wherein the deployment location of at least some of the computing resources provided by the first computing service provider and the location of the terminal device meet preset conditions.

[0375] In one implementation, the second computing requirement indicator includes at least one of the following: the type of computing task corresponding to the computing resource, the type of computing resource, the requirement template for the computing resource, the computing service provider providing the computing resource, the Service Level Agreement (SLA) parameters, the computing power requirement parameters, the location information of the terminal device requesting the computing resource, and the pricing or user subscription information for the computing resource. The SLA parameters include at least one of the following: network bandwidth, network latency, network jitter, Quality of Service (QoS) or computing power level parameters.

[0376] In one implementation, the computing resource request message originates from a network open element, and the second network element is located outside the core network where the network open element resides. The second network element is used to schedule computing resources outside the core network. The interface module 1001 can also be used to send a subscription request message to the network open element, the subscription request message being used to instruct the network open element to send the computing resource request message to the second network element.

[0377] In one implementation, the second network element belongs to the core network that provides services to the terminal device, and the computing resource request message originates from the terminal device.

[0378] In one implementation, if the computing resources within the core network cannot meet the second computing requirement index, the interface module 1001 can be used to send the first message to the first network element.

[0379] In one implementation, when the priority of computing resources outside the core network is higher than the priority of computing resources inside the core network, the interface module 1001 can be used to send the first message to the first network element.

[0380] In one embodiment, the interface module 1001 can be used to receive information about the target resource from the first network element, wherein the information about the target resource includes at least one of the following: parameters of the target resource's computing resource type, resource size, or computing resource processing capacity.

[0381] In one implementation, the interface module 1001 can be used to send a registration request message to the first network element. The registration request message is used to request the registration of computing resources of the first computing service provider, or the registration request message is used to request the registration of at least one computing service node that matches at least one of the following information: endpoint information of the computing service node, regional information of the computing service node, location information, network topology information, computing resource demand template, computing task type, computing resource type, computing resource tariff, or SLA parameters; wherein, the SLA parameters include at least one of the following information: network bandwidth, network latency, network jitter, network service quality (QoS), and computing power level parameters.

[0382] In summary, when the communication device 1000 is used to implement the functions performed by the communication device or node in the above embodiments, other functions that the communication device 1000 can implement can be referred to the relevant descriptions of any of the embodiments shown above, and will not be elaborated further.

[0383] In a simplified embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that the communication device 1000 can employ... Figure 2 The form shown. For example, Figure 2 The processor 201 can call computer execution instructions stored in the memory 203 to cause the communication device 200 to execute the method described in the above method embodiment.

[0384] For example, Figure 10 The function / implementation process of the processing module 1002 can be achieved through... Figure 2 It is implemented by processor 201 in the system.

[0385] For example, Figure 10 The function / implementation process of interface module 1001 can be accessed through... Figure 2 It is implemented using the communication interface 204.

[0386] It is understood that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of both. When any of the above modules or units are implemented by software, the software exists as computer program instructions and is stored in memory. The processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into a SoC (System-on-a-Chip) or ASIC, or it can be a separate semiconductor chip. In addition to the core that executes software instructions for computation or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0387] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, microprocessor, digital signal processing (DSP) chip, microcontroller unit (MCU), artificial intelligence processor, ASIC, SoC, FPGA, PLD, application-specific digital circuit, hardware accelerator, or non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or perform the above method flow independently of software.

[0388] In one possible implementation, this application also provides a chip system, including: at least one processor and an interface, wherein the at least one processor is coupled to a memory via the interface, and when the at least one processor executes a computer program or instructions in the memory, the method in any of the above method embodiments is executed. In one possible implementation, the chip system further includes a memory. Optionally, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices; this application does not specifically limit this.

[0389] Optionally, this application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the program can include the processes described in the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the communication device in any of the foregoing embodiments, such as the hard disk or memory of the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the communication device, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the communication device. Further, the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can include both internal storage units and external storage devices of the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium is used to store the aforementioned computer program and other programs and data required by the communication device. The aforementioned computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0390] In one possible implementation, this application also provides a computer program product. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be executed by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the above computer program product, and when executed, it can include the processes of the above method embodiments.

[0391] In one possible implementation, this application also provides computer instructions. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be executed by computer instructions instructing related hardware (such as a computer, processor, network device, or terminal device). The program can be stored in the aforementioned computer-readable storage medium or the aforementioned computer program product.

[0392] In one possible implementation, this application also provides a communication system, including: a first network element and a second network element in the above embodiments. For example, the first network element may be an ECEF or other network element, and the second network element may be a MEO or a computing power scheduling function network element, etc.

[0393] Through the above description of the implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0394] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0395] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. A component shown as a unit can be one or more physical units; that is, it can be located in one place or distributed in multiple different locations. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0396] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0397] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to the first network element, the method includes: Receive a first message, the first message being used to request computing resources, the first message being used to indicate a first computing service provider and the type of computing resources; The target resource is determined from the computing resources of the first computing service provider, wherein the type of the target resource is the computing resource type; Send the address information corresponding to the target resource.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first message includes a first computing requirement indicator, and the target resource satisfies the first computing requirement indicator.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first computing requirement indicator includes the computing task type, and the target resource satisfying the first computing requirement indicator includes: the target resource supports executing computing tasks of the computing task type; or, The first computational requirement indicator includes Service Level Agreement (SLA) parameter requirements, and the target resource meeting the first computational requirement indicator includes: the target resource's SLA parameters meeting the SLA parameter requirements; or, The first computing requirement indicator includes the required computing resource processing capacity. The target resource meeting the first computing requirement indicator includes: the processing capacity of the target resource meeting the required computing resource processing capacity; or, The first computational requirement index includes information indicating the location of the terminal device, and the target resource satisfying the first computational requirement index includes: the deployment location of the target resource and the location of the terminal device satisfying preset conditions; or, The first computing requirement indicator includes a pricing requirement, and the target resource meeting the first computing requirement indicator includes: the pricing of the target resource meeting the pricing requirement.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The first message includes user contract information, and the target resource meets the requirements of the user contract information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Before sending the address information corresponding to the target resource, the method further includes: Send a second message to the first computing service node of the first computing service provider, the second message being used to request the deployment of the target resource on the first computing service node; Receive the address information corresponding to the target resource from the first computing service node.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Sending the address information corresponding to the target resource includes: Send the address information corresponding to the target resource and the information of the target resource, wherein the information of the target resource includes at least one of the following: the computing resource type, resource size or computing resource processing capability parameters of the target resource.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, Before receiving the first message, the method further includes: Receive a third message from a first computing service node, the third message including information about computing resources deployed on the first computing service node.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The information about the computing resources includes at least one of the following: The requirements template for computing resources, the type of computing task, the type of computing resources, and the pricing or SLA parameters for computing resources; wherein, the SLA parameters include at least one of the following: network bandwidth, network latency, network jitter, quality of service (QoS), and computing power level parameters.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The method further includes: A registration request message is received, wherein the registration request message is used to request registration of computing resources of the first computing service provider, or the registration request message is used to request registration of computing resources of at least one computing service node that matches at least one of the following information: Endpoint information of computing service nodes, regional information of computing service nodes, location information, network topology information, computing resource requirement templates, computing task types, computing resource types, computing resource tariffs, SLA parameters, or tenant authentication information used by the Multi-Access Edge Computing Orchestrator (MEO).

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The registration request message includes authentication information, and the method further includes: The authentication information is sent to the first computing service node of the first computing service provider. The authentication information is used to verify the computing resource requester.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The first message comes from the second network element, which is used to schedule computing resources inside and / or outside the core network.

12. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second network element, the method includes: Receive a computing resource request message, the computing resource request message being used to request computing resources, the computing resource request message including a second computing requirement index corresponding to the computing resources; The first computing service provider and the type of computing resources are determined based on the second computing demand index. Send a first message to the first network element, the first message being used to request computing resources, and the first message being used to indicate the first computing service provider and the type of computing resources; Receive address information of the target resource from the first network element; Send the address information of the target resource.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The second computing requirement indicator includes computing task type, wherein at least a portion of the computing resources provided by the first computing service provider support the execution of computing tasks of the aforementioned computing task type, and / or the computing resources of the aforementioned computing resource type support the execution of computing tasks of the aforementioned computing task type; or, The second computing requirement indicator includes computing resource processing capacity requirements, wherein at least a portion of the computing resources provided by the first computing service provider meet the computing resource processing capacity requirements, and / or, the computing resources of the aforementioned computing resource type meet the computing resource processing capacity requirements; or, The second computing requirement indicator includes information indicating the location of the terminal device, wherein the deployment location of at least some of the computing resources provided by the first computing service provider meets preset conditions with the location of the terminal device.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that, The computing resource request message comes from a network open element. The second network element is located outside the core network where the network open element is located. The second network element is used to schedule computing resources outside the core network. Prior to receiving the computing resource request message, the method further includes: A subscription request message is sent to the network open element, which instructs the network open element to send the computing resource request message to the second network element.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, characterized in that, The second network element belongs to the core network that provides services to terminal devices, and the computing resource request message comes from the terminal device.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, Sending the first message to the first network element includes: If the computing resources within the core network cannot meet the second computing requirement, the first message is sent to the first network element.

17. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, Sending the first message to the first network element includes: When the priority of computing resources outside the core network is higher than that of computing resources inside the core network, the first message is sent to the first network element.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12-17, characterized in that, The method further includes: The system receives information about the target resource from the first network element. The information about the target resource includes at least one of the following: parameters of the target resource's computing resource type, resource size, or computing resource processing capacity.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12-18, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a registration request message to the first network element, the registration request message being used to request registration of the computing resources of the first computing service provider, or the registration request message being used to request registration of at least one computing service node that matches at least one of the following information: The endpoint information of the computing service node, the regional information of the computing service node, the location information, the network topology information, the demand template of computing resources, the computing task type, the computing resource type, the cost of computing resources, or the SLA parameters; wherein, the SLA parameters include at least one of the following: network bandwidth, network latency, network jitter, network service quality (QoS), and computing power level parameters.

20. A communication device, characterized in that, Used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-11.

21. A communication device, characterized in that, Used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 12-19.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor coupled to a memory for storing a program or instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the method of any one of claims 1-11 to be performed; or cause the method of any one of claims 12-19 to be performed.

23. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program or instructions are executed, the method as described in any one of claims 1-11 is performed; or, the method as described in any one of claims 12-19 is performed.

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