Method for adapting af in 5gc system broadcast service

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of mobile communication, and discloses an adaptation method of an application function (AF) in a 5GC system broadcast service, which comprises the following steps: a multi-area PCF environment is constructed, each PCF stores user online information through a corresponding CDF, and each PCF is connected with a data center (DC); an application function (AF) is connected with a plurality of PCFs through different network paths, and a heartbeat detection mechanism is constructed with a main PCF; in a normal service process, the application function (AF) initiates an authorization and authentication request to the main PCF through a main link, the main PCF generates a PCC rule according to strategy information and delivers the PCC rule to an SMF, user information is stored in a local CDF and is synchronized to the data center (DC); when a fault occurs between the application function (AF) and the main PCF, the application function (AF) is switched to a standby communication to recover the service. According to the method, the system can be automatically and quickly switched to a standby path, and the fault risk of a single Rx connection is eliminated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and more specifically, to an adaptation method for AF in broadcast services of a 5GC system. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, with the rapid development of mobile communication technology, communication has undergone a tremendous transformation from voice communication to mobile internet, and then to the Internet of Things. This evolution involves not only increased speed but also a fundamental shift in network architecture. 5GC broadcast service is a significant innovation in 5G technology, significantly improving the efficiency of network distribution of large-capacity content such as video through point-to-multipoint transmission. Within the broadcast service's operational system, the Application Function (AF) is the core network element connecting external service applications with the 5G core network. The AF interacts with the Policy Control Function (PCF) through the standard Rx interface, translating service requirements into network-understandable policies and control commands. It is responsible for interacting with third-party applications or services, providing network openness capabilities, and offering strong support for the diversified and intelligent development of broadcast services. The Rx link between AF and PCF is based on the TCP protocol. It is prone to connection interruption under conditions such as network quality fluctuations, firewall policy changes, and intermediate network device failures. Once a failure occurs, broadcast services will be interrupted. The reconstruction process after the connection is interrupted is complex and the recovery time is long, which cannot meet the real-time service requirements. Therefore, there is an urgent need to propose a highly flexible AF adaptation method to eliminate single points of failure and achieve high availability. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the present invention proposes an adaptation method for AF in 5GC system broadcast service to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this invention proposes an adaptation method for AF in broadcast services of a 5GC system, comprising: A multi-region PCF environment is constructed, which includes several PCFs. Each PCF stores user online information through a corresponding CDF, and all of the PCFs are connected to the data center DC. The application function (AF) is connected to several PCFs through different network paths, and a heartbeat detection mechanism is built with the primary PCF. In normal business processes, the application function (AF) initiates authorization and authentication requests to the primary PCF through the primary link. The primary PCF generates PCC rules based on policy information and sends them to the SMF. User information is stored in the local CDF and synchronized to the data center DC. When a failure occurs between the Application Function (AF) and the primary PCF, the Application Function (AF) switches to backup communication to restore service.

[0005] Furthermore, the heartbeat detection mechanism specifically involves periodically sending heartbeat messages to the primary PCF via the application function AF to detect whether the connection status is healthy.

[0006] Furthermore, after the primary PCF stores the user information in the local CDF and synchronizes it to the data center DC, the data center DC further synchronizes it to the corresponding CDFs of other PCFs.

[0007] Furthermore, when the policy information changes, the primary PCF sends a reauthorization request to the application function AF. After receiving the reauthorization response, it updates the policy information to the local CDF and resynchronizes it to other PCFs through the data center DC.

[0008] Furthermore, the method also includes a session termination process, specifically: after the application function AF sends a session termination request, the primary PCF notifies the SMF to delete the corresponding PCC rule, cleans up the session data in the local CDF, and synchronizes it to other PCFs through the data center DC.

[0009] Furthermore, after the primary PCF establishes a session with the application function AF, the primary PCF obtains the policy information from the UDM. The policy information includes the user's subscribed default QoS level, network slice identifier, and whether there are any service restrictions.

[0010] Furthermore, the PCC rules include, but are not limited to, rule ID, QoS parameters, guaranteed bit rate, maximum bit rate, and priority.

[0011] Furthermore, failures between the application function AF and the primary PCF include communication link failures or primary PCF outages. When the communication link fails, the backup communication link between the primary PCF and the application function AF will be upgraded to the primary link and communication will be established. When the primary PCF fails, the heartbeat between the application function AF and the primary PCF is interrupted and the backup link is unavailable. Then, the application function AF establishes a link with the backup PCF, and the backup PCF obtains user information from the local CDF to restore services.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: Using the method of this invention, the system can automatically and quickly switch business traffic to backup paths, eliminating the risk of failure of a single Rx connection. Simultaneously, PCF is deployed across regions, with AF establishing connections with multiple PCF instances, but only one serving as the primary. This ensures high availability and disaster recovery capabilities across different geographical regions; even if a failure occurs in one location, applications and services can continue to run in other locations. This multi-region deployment approach allows operation across multiple geographical locations, and if a failure occurs in one region, the system can quickly switch to another. Furthermore, the multiple regions are isolated from each other to prevent localized failures from affecting the entire system. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall process of the method proposed in this invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the handling of a main communication link failure in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the handling of a primary PCF failure in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0014] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0015] This embodiment proposes an adaptation method for AF in broadcast services of a 5GC system, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes: Step 1: Deploy a multi-region PCF environment; Step 1.1, Deploy the data center (hereinafter referred to as DC).

[0016] Step 1.2: Based on business needs, select suitable geographical locations to deploy a multi-region PCF environment. Ensure stable network connections between regions to support data synchronization and failover. Deploy PCF1 and PCF2 in the two selected regions respectively, ensuring that the regional environments can communicate with each other.

[0017] Step 1.3: Build CDF1 (Centralized Data Function, hereinafter referred to as CDF). CDF1 is responsible for storing user online information in PCF1 network elements.

[0018] Step 1.4: Set up the CDF2 environment. CDF2 is responsible for storing user online information in the PCF2 network element.

[0019] Step 1.5: Connect all CDFs to the DC. Since the CDF synchronizes data to the DC when it is in primary mode, and needs to synchronize user information from the DC when it is in backup mode, a bidirectional synchronization method should be used between the CDF and the DC.

[0020] Step 1.6: Configure the communication address and port number of CDF1 and CDF2 respectively. PCF1 and PCF2 are connected to CDF1 and CDF2 respectively through the address and port number.

[0021] Step 1.7: Configure multiple network interface cards (NICs) on the AF, each NIC connecting to a different network switch and connecting to PCF1 via a different network path. After a successful connection, the AF periodically sends heartbeat messages to check the health status of the connection.

[0022] Step 1.8, similarly, configure multiple network cards on AF, connecting to PCF2 through different network paths. This forms a primary / backup configuration, with the backup PCF not establishing a heartbeat.

[0023] Step 2: Under normal circumstances, AF initiates authentication and authorization requests through the established link and sends an AAR (Authentication and Authorization Request) command to PCF. The message contains service information, such as bandwidth information, QoS flow identifier (QFI), user identifier (SUPI), etc.

[0024] Step 2.1: After receiving the request, PCF verifies the legitimacy of AF, extracts business information from the message, and creates an application session context.

[0025] Step 2.2: PCF obtains the user subscription policy from UDM (Unified Data Management, hereinafter referred to as UDM) (through the UDM core data query service (Nudr_DM_Query)). The message contains the user identifier (SUPI), data network name (DNN), etc. The information returned by UDM includes: the default QoS level of the user subscription, the network slice identifier (S-NSSAI), and whether there are any service restrictions (such as whether broadcast services are allowed).

[0026] Step 2.3: The PCF generates PCC (Policy and Charging Control) rules based on the policy information. This includes rule ID, QoS parameters (including 5G QoS identifier (5QI), Guaranteed Bit Rate (GBR), Maximum Bit Rate (MBR), etc.), priority, etc.

[0027] Step 2.4: Send the generated PCC rules to SMF (control the dynamic update service via 5GC policy (Npcf_SMPolicyControl_Update)).

[0028] Step 2.5: After the policy is successfully applied, save the user information (including SUPI, policy information, etc.) to CDF1.

[0029] Step 2.6: PCF1 synchronizes user data to DC. Then, DC synchronizes the data to CDF2.

[0030] Step 2.7: If a policy change occurs, the PCF sends a RAR (Re-Auth-Request) message to the AF. This message contains the session identifier (Session-Id) and QoS information (such as 5QI, GBR, etc.).

[0031] Step 2.8: If a successful RAA (Re-Auth-Answer) message is received, update the updated policy information in CDF1. Then repeat step 2.6.

[0032] Step 2.9: When the session termination process is triggered, the PCF receives a STR (Session-Termination-Request) message from the AF. The message parameters include session ID, initiator identity (Origin-Host), initiator domain (Origin-Realm), recipient identity (Destination-Host), recipient domain (Destination-Realm), etc.

[0033] Step 2.10: After receiving the STR, the PCF looks up the corresponding session context based on the session ID.

[0034] Step 2.11: PCF notifies SMF to delete the relevant PCC rules and deletes all information about the PCF's local Rx session.

[0035] Step 2.12 requires clearing the cache related to this session to ensure system resources are released. PCF requests CDF1 to clear the relevant data for the corresponding session. Then, step 2.6 is repeated.

[0036] Step 3.1: In case of an abnormal situation, if the AF and PCF1 link are disconnected, switch to the backup link.

[0037] Step 3.1: If PCF1 fails and goes offline, the heartbeat link between PCF1 and AF is lost, and all backup links become unavailable. After AF can no longer communicate normally with PCF1, it establishes a link with PCF2 and sends heartbeat messages.

[0038] Step 4: PCF2 retrieves user information from CDF2 and saves it locally to PCF.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, when a link failure occurs, such as Figure 2 As shown, the PCF processing steps are as follows: Step 1: Communication between PCF1 and AF is interrupted.

[0040] Step 2: Upgrade the backup link to the primary link.

[0041] Step 3: Establish a connection using a backup link.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, when PCF1 fails, such as Figure 3 As shown, the PCF processing steps are as follows: Step 1: PCF1 fails and crashes, interrupting the heartbeat between AF and PCF1.

[0043] Step 2: AF switches to the backup link, but the backup link is unavailable.

[0044] Step 3: AF establishes a link with PCF2.

[0045] Step 5: AF and PCF2 resume communication.

[0046] Step 6: PCF2 retrieves user information from CDF2.

[0047] In summary, by employing the above methods, the system can automatically and quickly switch business traffic to backup paths, eliminating the risk of failure for a single Rx connection. Simultaneously, cross-regional deployment of PCF allows AF to establish connections with multiple PCF instances, but only one serves as the primary. This ensures high availability and disaster recovery capabilities across different geographical regions; even if a failure occurs in one location, applications and services can continue to operate in other locations. This multi-regional deployment approach allows operation across multiple geographical locations, and if one region fails, the system can quickly switch to another. Furthermore, the multiple regions are isolated from each other to prevent localized failures from impacting the entire system.

[0048] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and not to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can still be made to the specific implementation of the present invention. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be covered within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for adapting AF in broadcast services of a 5GC system, characterized in that, include: A multi-region PCF environment is constructed, which includes several PCFs. Each PCF stores user online information through a corresponding CDF, and all of the PCFs are connected to the data center DC. The application function (AF) is connected to several PCFs through different network paths, and a heartbeat detection mechanism is built with the primary PCF. In normal business processes, the application function (AF) initiates authorization and authentication requests to the primary PCF through the primary link. The primary PCF generates PCC rules based on policy information and sends them to the SMF. User information is stored in the local CDF and synchronized to the data center DC. When a failure occurs between the Application Function (AF) and the primary PCF, the Application Function (AF) switches to backup communication to restore service.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heartbeat detection mechanism specifically involves periodically sending heartbeat messages to the primary PCF via the application function AF to detect whether the connection status is healthy.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The primary PCF stores user information in the local CDF and synchronizes it to the data center DC, which then further synchronizes it to the corresponding CDFs of other PCFs.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the policy information changes, the primary PCF sends a reauthorization request to the application function AF. After receiving the reauthorization response, it updates the policy information to the local CDF and resynchronizes it to other PCFs through the data center DC.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method also includes a session termination process, which is as follows: when the application function AF sends a session termination request, the primary PCF notifies the SMF to delete the corresponding PCC rule, cleans up the session data in the local CDF, and synchronizes it to other PCFs through the data center DC.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After the primary PCF establishes a session with the application function AF, the primary PCF obtains the policy information from the UDM. The policy information includes the user's subscribed default QoS level, network slice identifier, and whether there are any service restrictions.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The PCC rules include, but are not limited to, rule ID, QoS parameters, guaranteed bit rate, maximum bit rate, and priority.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Faults between the application function AF and the primary PCF include communication link failures or primary PCF outages. When the communication link fails, the backup communication link between the primary PCF and the application function AF will be upgraded to the primary link and communication will be established. When the primary PCF fails, the heartbeat between the application function AF and the primary PCF is interrupted and the backup link is unavailable. Then, the application function AF establishes a link with the backup PCF, and the backup PCF obtains user information from the local CDF to restore services.

Images