Transmission method, device and network element of gtp-u message

Abstract

This application provides a method, apparatus, and network element for transmitting GTP-U messages. The method includes: a first user plane function sending relevant parameters of a GTP-U message to a first network function by invoking a service-based operation between the user plane and a first network function; by invoking a service-based operation once, relevant parameters of one or more paths or tunnels can be carried, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple GTP-U messages under multiple paths or tunnels, and can also reduce message processing latency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus and network element for transmitting GTP-U messages. Background Technology

[0002] In current technology, the protocol stack of user plane function network elements adopts GTP-U (GPRS Tunneling Protocol-User Plane), which is used to transmit terminal data. Specifically, GTP-U messages are transmitted and processed using the GTP-U protocol, and its interface protocol is point-to-point.

[0003] However, with the increase in service types and the application of programmable user planes, as well as the requirement for end-to-end service-oriented architecture of the overall network, the interfaces of user plane functional network elements are no longer based on point-to-point communication, but are evolving towards service-oriented architecture. Therefore, the current transmission of GTP-U messages significantly increases the overhead of user plane resources and the construction of multiple data packets (including encapsulation times), especially in the case of multi-hop user planes and multiple tunnels, which greatly increases message processing latency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a method, apparatus, and network element for transmitting GTP-U messages, so as to solve the problem that the transmission of GTP-U messages in the prior art increases the overhead of user plane resources and the number of data packet constructions.

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, this application provides a method for transmitting GTP-U messages, executed by a first user plane function, the method comprising:

[0006] The first user plane function sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first network function by invoking a service-based operation with the first network function.

[0007] The method further includes:

[0008] Receive relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first network function through a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function.

[0009] The relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following:

[0010] Management parameters for one or more paths;

[0011] Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

[0012] The path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications;

[0013] The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

[0014] The method further includes:

[0015] The first user plane function invokes the service-oriented operation between itself and the first network function based on the Uniform Resource Locator URL of the service-oriented operation.

[0016] The first network function includes:

[0017] Second user-side functionality; or,

[0018] Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

[0019] This application embodiment also provides a method for transmitting GTP-U messages, executed by a first network function, the method comprising:

[0020] The first network function receives relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first user plane function through a service-oriented operation between the first network function and the first user plane function.

[0021] The method further includes:

[0022] The first network function sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first user plane function by invoking a service-based operation with the first user plane function.

[0023] The relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following:

[0024] Management parameters for one or more paths;

[0025] Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

[0026] The path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications;

[0027] The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

[0028] The method further includes:

[0029] The first network function invokes a service-oriented operation between the first user plane function and the service-oriented operation based on the URL of the service-oriented operation.

[0030] The first network function includes:

[0031] Second user-side functionality; or,

[0032] Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

[0033] This application embodiment also provides a first network element, the first network element having a first user plane function, the first network element including a memory, a transceiver, and a processor:

[0034] A memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver for sending and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer programs from the memory and performing the following operations:

[0035] By invoking a service-oriented operation with the first network function, relevant parameters of a GTP-U message are sent to the first network function.

[0036] The processor is also configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0037] Receive relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first network function through a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function.

[0038] The relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following:

[0039] Management parameters for one or more paths;

[0040] Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

[0041] The path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications;

[0042] The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

[0043] The processor is also configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0044] The service operation is invoked between the first network function and the Uniform Resource Locator URL of the service operation.

[0045] The first network function includes:

[0046] Second user-side functionality; or,

[0047] Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

[0048] This application embodiment also provides a second network element, which has a first network function, and the second network element includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor.

[0049] A memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver for sending and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer programs from the memory and performing the following operations:

[0050] The parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first user plane function through the service-oriented operation between the first network function are received.

[0051] The processor is also configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0052] By invoking a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function, the relevant parameters of the GTP-U message are sent to the first user plane function.

[0053] The relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following:

[0054] Management parameters for one or more paths;

[0055] Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

[0056] The path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications;

[0057] The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

[0058] The processor is also configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations:

[0059] The URL of the service operation is used to invoke the service operation between the first user plane function and the service operation.

[0060] The first network function includes:

[0061] Second user-side functionality; or,

[0062] Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

[0063] This application also provides a GTP-U message transmission apparatus for a first user plane function, the apparatus comprising:

[0064] The first sending unit is used to send relevant parameters of a GTP-U message to the first network function by invoking a service-based operation with the first network function.

[0065] This application embodiment also provides a GTP-U message transmission device applied to a first network function, the device comprising:

[0066] The first receiving unit is used to receive relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first user plane function through a service-oriented operation with the first network function.

[0067] This application also provides a processor-readable storage medium storing a program for causing the processor to perform the method described above.

[0068] The above-mentioned technical solution of this application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0069] In the GTP-U message transmission method, apparatus, and network element of this application embodiment, the first user plane function sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first network function by calling a service-based operation between the first user plane function and the first network function. By calling a service-based operation once, the relevant parameters of one or more paths or tunnels can be carried, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple GTP-U messages under multiple paths or tunnels, and can also reduce message processing latency. Attached Figure Description

[0070] Figure 1 A block diagram illustrating a wireless communication system to which embodiments of this application may be applied;

[0071] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating one of the steps of the GTP-U message transmission method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0072] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction of Example 1 provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0073] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction of Example 2 provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0074] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction of Example 3 provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0075] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction of Example 4 provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0076] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction of Example 5 provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0077] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the interaction of Example Six provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0078] Figure 9 This is the second schematic diagram illustrating the steps of the GTP-U message transmission method provided in this application embodiment;

[0079] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first network element provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the second network element provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of one of the structures of the GTP-U message transmission apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0082] Figure 13 This is the second schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the GTP-U message transmission device provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0083] To make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, a detailed description will be provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0084] Figure 1 This diagram illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to embodiments of this application. The wireless communication system includes a terminal device 11 and a network-side device 12. The terminal device 11 can also be referred to as a terminal or a user equipment (UE). It should be noted that this application does not limit the specific type of the terminal 11. The network-side device 12 can be a base station or a core network. It should be noted that this application uses a base station in an NR system as an example, but does not limit the specific type of base station.

[0085] In the embodiments of this application, the term "and / or" describes the relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following associated objects have an "or" relationship.

[0086] In the embodiments of this application, the term "multiple" refers to two or more, and other quantifiers are similar.

[0087] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0088] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to a variety of systems. For example, applicable systems may include Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) systems, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) systems, 5G New Radio (NR) systems and their evolved communication systems, and 6G (sixth generation mobile communication technology) systems. These systems may include terminal equipment and network equipment. The systems may also include a core network component, such as the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and the 5G Core Network (5GC).

[0089] The terminal devices involved in the embodiments of this application can be devices that provide voice and / or data connectivity to users, handheld devices with wireless connectivity, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem. The names of the terminal devices may differ in different systems; for example, in a 5G system, a terminal device can be called User Equipment (UE). Wireless terminal devices can communicate with one or more core networks (CNs) via a Radio Access Network (RAN). Wireless terminal devices can be mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones (or "cellular" phones) and computers with mobile terminal devices, for example, portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices that exchange voice and / or data with the RAN. Examples include Personal Communication Service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, Session Initiated Protocol (SIP) phones, Wireless Local Loop (WLL) stations, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs). Wireless terminal equipment can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, access point, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, or user device, but is not limited to these terms in the embodiments of this application.

[0090] The network device involved in this application embodiment can be a base station, which may include multiple cells providing services to terminals. Depending on the specific application, a base station may also be called an access point, or a device in an access network that communicates with a wireless terminal device through one or more sectors on the air interface, or other names. The network device can be used to exchange received air frames with Internet Protocol (IP) packets, acting as a router between the wireless terminal device and the rest of the access network, where the rest of the access network may include an Internet Protocol (IP) communication network. The network device can also coordinate the attribute management of the air interface. For example, the network equipment involved in the embodiments of this application can be a base transceiver station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a NodeB in a Wide-band Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, an evolved Node B (eNB or e-NodeB) in a long term evolution (LTE) system, a 5G base station (gNB) in a next generation system, a Home evolved Node B (HeNB), a relay node, a femto, a pico, etc., and is not limited in the embodiments of this application. In some network structures, the network equipment may include centralized unit (CU) nodes and distributed unit (DU) nodes, and the centralized unit and distributed unit may be geographically separated.

[0091] Network devices and terminal devices can each use one or more antennas for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission. MIMO transmission can be single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) or multiple-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). Depending on the configuration and number of antenna combinations, MIMO transmission can be 2D-MIMO, 3D-MIMO, FD-MIMO, or massive-MIMO, and can also be diversity transmission, precoding transmission, or beamforming transmission, etc.

[0092] like Figure 2 As shown, this application embodiment provides a method for transmitting GTP-U messages, executed by a first user plane function, the method comprising:

[0093] Step 201: The first user plane function sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first network function by invoking the service-oriented operation between the first user plane function and the first network function.

[0094] It should be noted that the service-oriented operations mentioned in the embodiments of this application can also be referred to as service-oriented interfaces. For example, in a 6G network architecture, the N3, N6, N9, and N19 interfaces partially adopt service-oriented interfaces for signaling and data transmission, solving the problems of excessive overhead and wasted tunnel resources caused by using GTP-U protocol headers to carry GTP-U messages; at the same time, it avoids the disadvantages of excessive cost and reduced user data transmission efficiency caused by the complete service-oriented nature of the GTP-U protocol. Using service-oriented interfaces for the transmission of related messages enables multiple calls to a single service, greatly increases transmission efficiency, and significantly reduces latency.

[0095] In this embodiment of the application, the first network function includes: a second user plane function; or, a radio access network (RAN) function.

[0096] For example, the first user plane function is UPF (User Plane Function) 1, the second user plane function is UPF 2, and the RAN function is the base station (such as a 5G base station, a 6G base station, or other mobile communication standard base station).

[0097] In at least one embodiment of this application, the method further includes:

[0098] Receive relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first network function through a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function.

[0099] In other words, there is a service-based operation between the first user plane function and the first network function. The first user plane function can transmit relevant parameters of GTP-U messages to the first network function by calling this service-based operation, and the first network function can also transmit relevant parameters of GTP-U messages to the first user plane function by calling this service-based operation.

[0100] As an optional embodiment, the relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following:

[0101] Management parameters for one or more paths;

[0102] Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

[0103] The path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: Echo Request parameter, Echo Response parameter, and parameter supporting Supported Extension HeadersNotification (SEHN);

[0104] The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: Error Indication (EI) parameter and End Marker (EM) parameter.

[0105] For example, the definitions of service-oriented operations after GTP-U message service-orientation are shown in Table 1:

[0106] Table 1

[0107]

[0108] It should be noted that the service names and service operation names in Table 1 are just examples, and other names may also appear. Their purpose is to service-ify the path information and tunnel information of GTP-U and to perform naming operations on the service-ified messages.

[0109] Optionally, Table 1 lists only UPF and RAN as consumers for each service. Other consumers, such as SMF (Session Management Function), may appear later. Each consumer can call service-based operations with UPF. Changing the name of the service or the name of the service will not cause changes to the process.

[0110] In one implementation, the transmission protocol of GTP-U messages is modified to HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), and the relevant parameters of GTP-U messages are encapsulated in the HTTP protocol, and the relevant messages are transmitted using the HTTP protocol.

[0111] In one implementation, the HTTP protocol in this application embodiment can be either HTTP 2.0 or HTTP 3.0; no specific limitation is made here.

[0112] For example, the first user plane function calls the service-oriented operation between itself and the first network function via the HTTP protocol, and sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first network function.

[0113] In at least one embodiment of this application, the method further includes:

[0114] The first user plane function invokes the service-oriented operation between itself and the first network function based on the Uniform Resource Locator URL of the service-oriented operation.

[0115] To clearly describe the GTP-U message transmission method provided in the embodiments of this application, several examples are given below.

[0116] Example 1

[0117] like Figure 3 As shown, the first user plane function is UPF1, the first network function is UPF2, and the URL for the service operation between UPF1 and UPF2 is defined as: Echo Request / Response: http: / / {upf ip}:{port} / nupf-pm / v1 / echo; then the parameter interaction process between UPF1 and UPF2 includes:

[0118] Step 1: UPF1 calls the Nupf_PM_Echo Request service operation between UPF2 to inquire whether the path between the two is normal;

[0119] Step 2: After receiving the request from UPF1, UPF2 calls the Nupf_PM_Echo Response operation with UPF1 to send back the path message, which will contain relevant information to prove its path status.

[0120] For example, the sending interval of the Nupf_PM_Echo Request is controlled by the N3 counter, with a recommended value of 5 times. T3 is the waiting time for a response, which is recommended to be no less than 60 seconds. If T3*N3 times out, the GTP path is considered invalid or abnormal.

[0121] Example 2

[0122] like Figure 4 As shown, the first user plane function is UPF1, the first network function is UPF2, and the URL for the service operation between UPF1 and UPF2 is defined as: Supported Extension Headers Notification: http: / / {upf ip}:{port} / nupf-pm / v1 / SEHN(sehndata); then the parameter interaction process between UPF1 and UPF2 includes:

[0123] Step 1: UPF1 and UPF2 can call the Nupf_SEHN_Notify service operation, which carries data that supports extended header notification. Then, based on the received data, they can determine whether the path between them is normal.

[0124] Example 3

[0125] like Figure 5 As shown, the first user plane function is UPF1, the first network function is UPF2, and the URL for the service operation between UPF1 and UPF2 is defined as: Error Indication: http: / / {upf ip}:{port} / nupf-tm / v1 / ei(errordata); then the parameter interaction process between UPF1 and UPF2 includes:

[0126] Step 1: UPF1 and UPF2 call the Nupf_TM_E1 Notify service operation, which carries relevant error indication (EI) data, such as TEID (Tunnel Endpoint ID), IP address, etc. Then the other end determines whether the tunnel between the two is normal based on the received ErrorIndication data.

[0127] Example 4

[0128] like Figure 6 As shown, the first user plane function is UPF1, the first network function is UPF2, and the URL for the service operation between UPF1 and UPF2 is defined as: End Marker: http: / / {upf ip}:{port} / nupf-tm / v1 / em(endmarkerdata); then the parameter interaction process between UPF1 and UPF2 includes:

[0129] Step 1: UPF1 and UPF2 invoke the Nupf_TM_EM Notify service operation between them. When this information is received, it indicates that the GTP-U tunnel between them has received the last G-PDU, and the tunnel will no longer receive subsequent user data. If data packets continue to be sent, they will be discarded directly.

[0130] Example 5: The process of a terminal initiating service establishment, such as... Figure 7 As shown:

[0131] Step 1: The terminal accesses the wireless function, sends a session establishment request to the session management function, establishes a user plane transmission channel for it, and transmits services.

[0132] Step 2: After receiving the session establishment request from the terminal, the session management function selects user plane function 1 and user plane function 2 for it.

[0133] Step 3: The session management function sends an N4 session establishment request to user plane function 1 to allocate user plane resources for the terminal's session;

[0134] Step 4: The session management function sends an N4 session establishment request to user plane function 2 to allocate user plane resources for the terminal's session;

[0135] Step 5: User plane function 1 and user plane function 2 will receive their respective information through the session management function, and then call the Nupf_PM_Echo Request service operation to determine whether the link communication between them is normal;

[0136] Step 6: User plane function 2 calls the Nupf_PM_Echo Response service operation between user plane function 1 and reports back whether the link is normal;

[0137] This example uses a single service operation call to carry the identifiers and information of multiple tunnels, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple End Marker messages under multiple tunnels;

[0138] Step 7: User plane function 1 sends an N4 session establishment response message to the session management function, indicating that the session has been successfully established;

[0139] Step 8: User plane function 2 sends an N4 session establishment response message to the session management function, indicating that the session has been successfully established;

[0140] Step 9: The session management function sends a session establishment response to the terminal, indicating that the session has been successfully established and the terminal can send business data.

[0141] It should be noted that the interface between the session management function and user plane function 1 or user plane function 2 can use the currently used N4 interface or the service-oriented interface; there is no limitation here.

[0142] Example 6, XN handover (in 5G networks) gNB ( gNodeB A switching mechanism between user devices () UE To maintain seamless and continuous communication when moving between different gNBs. XN handover primarily involves handover between two gNBs, such as... Figure 8 As shown:

[0143] Step 1: The UPF calls the Nupf_TM_EM Notify service operation between the source RAN and the UPF. In the scenario of multiple tunnels, the service operation is called once to carry the identifiers and information of multiple tunnels, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple End Marker messages under multiple tunnels.

[0144] Step 2: The source RAN calls the Nupf_TM_EM Notify service operation between the source RAN and the target RAN. In the scenario of multiple tunnels, the service operation is called once to carry the identifiers and information of multiple tunnels, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple End Marker messages under multiple tunnels.

[0145] It should be noted that the other steps of the XN switching are consistent with existing technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0146] In this embodiment, the first user plane function sends relevant parameters of GTP-U messages to the first network function by calling a service-based operation between the first user plane function and the first network function. By calling a service-based operation once, relevant parameters of one or more paths or tunnels can be carried, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple GTP-U messages under multiple paths or tunnels, and can also reduce message processing latency.

[0147] like Figure 9 As shown in the embodiments of this application, a method for transmitting GTP-U messages is also provided, executed by a first network function, the method comprising:

[0148] Step 901: The first network function receives relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first user plane function through a service-oriented operation between the first network function and the first user plane function.

[0149] It should be noted that the service-oriented operations mentioned in the embodiments of this application can also be referred to as service-oriented interfaces. For example, in a 6G network architecture, the N3, N6, N9, and N19 interfaces partially adopt service-oriented interfaces for signaling and data transmission, solving the problems of excessive overhead and wasted tunnel resources caused by using GTP-U protocol headers to carry GTP-U messages; at the same time, it avoids the disadvantages of excessive cost and reduced user data transmission efficiency caused by the complete service-oriented nature of the GTP-U protocol. Using service-oriented interfaces for the transmission of related messages enables multiple calls to a single service, greatly increases transmission efficiency, and significantly reduces latency.

[0150] In this embodiment of the application, the first network function includes: a second user plane function; or, a radio access network (RAN) function.

[0151] For example, the first user plane function is UPF (User Plane Function) 1, the second user plane function is UPF 2, and the RAN function is the base station (such as a 5G base station, a 6G base station, or other mobile communication standard base station).

[0152] In at least one embodiment of this application, the method further includes:

[0153] The first network function sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first user plane function by invoking a service-based operation with the first user plane function.

[0154] In other words, there is a service-based operation between the first user plane function and the first network function. The first user plane function can transmit relevant parameters of GTP-U messages to the first network function by calling this service-based operation, and the first network function can also transmit relevant parameters of GTP-U messages to the first user plane function by calling this service-based operation.

[0155] As an optional embodiment, the relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following:

[0156] Management parameters for one or more paths;

[0157] Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

[0158] The path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: Echo Request parameter, Echo Response parameter, and parameter supporting Supported Extension HeadersNotification (SEHN);

[0159] The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: Error Indication (EI) parameter and End Marker (EM) parameter.

[0160] In one implementation, the transmission protocol of GTP-U messages is modified to HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), and the relevant parameters of GTP-U messages are encapsulated in the HTTP protocol, and the relevant messages are transmitted using the HTTP protocol.

[0161] In at least one embodiment of this application, the method further includes:

[0162] The first network function invokes a service-oriented operation between the first user plane function and the service-oriented operation based on the URL of the service-oriented operation.

[0163] It should be noted that the definition of the URL for service-oriented operations is the same as that in the first user plane function embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0164] In this embodiment, the first network function sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first user plane function by calling a service-based operation between the first network function and the first user plane function. By calling a service-based operation once, the relevant parameters of one or more paths or tunnels can be carried, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple GTP-U messages under multiple paths or tunnels, and can also reduce message processing latency.

[0165] like Figure 10 As shown in the figure, this application embodiment also provides a first network element, the first network element having a first user plane function, the first network element including a memory 1020, a transceiver 1010, and a processor 1000:

[0166] The memory 1020 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 1010 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 1000; the processor 1000 is used to read the computer program in the memory 1020 and perform the following operations:

[0167] By invoking a service-oriented operation with the first network function, relevant parameters of a GTP-U message are sent to the first network function.

[0168] As an optional embodiment, the processor is also configured to read a computer program from the memory and perform the following operations:

[0169] Receive relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first network function through a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function.

[0170] As an optional embodiment, the relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following:

[0171] Management parameters for one or more paths;

[0172] Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

[0173] As an optional embodiment, the path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications;

[0174] The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

[0175] As an optional embodiment, the processor is also configured to read a computer program from the memory and perform the following operations:

[0176] The service operation is invoked between the first network function and the Uniform Resource Locator URL of the service operation.

[0177] As an optional embodiment, the first network function includes:

[0178] Second user-side functionality; or,

[0179] Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

[0180] Among them, Figure 10 In this context, the bus architecture can include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking various circuits together, represented by one or more processors (processor 1000) and memory (memory 1020). The bus architecture can also link various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1010 can be multiple elements, including transmitters and receivers, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices over transmission media, including wireless channels, wired channels, optical fibers, etc. The processor 1000 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1020 can store data used by the processor 1000 during operation.

[0181] The processor 1000 can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor can also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0182] In this embodiment, the first user plane function sends relevant parameters of GTP-U messages to the first network function by calling a service-based operation between the first user plane function and the first network function. By calling a service-based operation once, relevant parameters of one or more paths or tunnels can be carried, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple GTP-U messages under multiple paths or tunnels, and can also reduce message processing latency.

[0183] It should be noted that the first network element provided in this application embodiment is a network element capable of executing the above-described GTP-U message transmission method. Therefore, all embodiments of the above-described GTP-U message transmission method are applicable to this network element and can achieve the same or similar beneficial effects, which will not be repeated here.

[0184] like Figure 11 As shown in the embodiment of this application, a second network element is also provided. The second network element has a first network function and includes a memory 1120, a transceiver 1110, and a processor 1100.

[0185] The memory 1120 is used to store computer programs; the transceiver 1110 is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor 1100; the processor 1100 is used to read the computer program in the memory 1120 and perform the following operations:

[0186] The parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first user plane function through the service-oriented operation between the first network function are received.

[0187] As an optional embodiment, the processor is also configured to read a computer program from the memory and perform the following operations:

[0188] By invoking a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function, the relevant parameters of the GTP-U message are sent to the first user plane function.

[0189] As an optional embodiment, the relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following:

[0190] Management parameters for one or more paths;

[0191] Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

[0192] As an optional embodiment, the path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications;

[0193] The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

[0194] As an optional embodiment, the processor is also configured to read a computer program from the memory and perform the following operations:

[0195] The URL of the service operation is used to invoke the service operation between the first user plane function and the service operation.

[0196] As an optional embodiment, the first network function includes:

[0197] Second user-side functionality; or,

[0198] Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

[0199] Among them, Figure 11 In this context, the bus architecture can include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically linking various circuits together, represented by one or more processors (processor 1100) and memory (memory 1120). The bus architecture can also link together various other circuits such as peripheral devices, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further herein. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1110 can be multiple elements, including transmitters and receivers, providing units for communicating with various other devices over transmission media, including wireless channels, wired channels, optical fibers, etc. The processor 1100 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and general processing, and the memory 1120 can store data used by the processor 1100 during operation.

[0200] The processor 1100 can be a central processing unit (CPU), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or a complex programmable logic device (CPLD). The processor can also adopt a multi-core architecture.

[0201] In this embodiment, the first network function sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first user plane function by calling a service-based operation between the first network function and the first user plane function. By calling a service-based operation once, the relevant parameters of one or more paths or tunnels can be carried, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple GTP-U messages under multiple paths or tunnels, and can also reduce message processing latency.

[0202] It should be noted that the second network element provided in this application embodiment is a network element capable of executing the above-described GTP-U message transmission method. Therefore, all embodiments of the above-described GTP-U message transmission method are applicable to this network element and can achieve the same or similar beneficial effects, which will not be repeated here.

[0203] like Figure 12 As shown in the illustration, this application also provides a GTP-U message transmission apparatus for a first user plane function, the apparatus comprising:

[0204] The first sending unit 1201 is used to send relevant parameters of a GTP-U message to the first network function by invoking a service-based operation with the first network function.

[0205] As an optional embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0206] The second receiving unit is used to receive relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first network function through a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function.

[0207] As an optional embodiment, the relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following:

[0208] Management parameters for one or more paths;

[0209] Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

[0210] As an optional embodiment, the path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications;

[0211] The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

[0212] As an optional embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0213] The first invocation unit is used to invoke the service-oriented operation between the first network function and the Uniform Resource Locator URL of the service-oriented operation.

[0214] As an optional embodiment, the first network function includes:

[0215] Second user-side functionality; or,

[0216] Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

[0217] In this embodiment, the first user plane function sends relevant parameters of GTP-U messages to the first network function by calling a service-based operation between the first user plane function and the first network function. By calling a service-based operation once, relevant parameters of one or more paths or tunnels can be carried, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple GTP-U messages under multiple paths or tunnels, and can also reduce message processing latency.

[0218] It should be noted that the GTP-U message transmission device provided in this application embodiment is a device capable of executing the above-described GTP-U message transmission method. Therefore, all embodiments of the above-described GTP-U message transmission method are applicable to this device and can achieve the same or similar beneficial effects, which will not be repeated here.

[0219] like Figure 13 As shown in the illustration, this application also provides a GTP-U message transmission device applied to a first network function, the device comprising:

[0220] The first receiving unit 1301 is used to receive relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first user plane function through calling the service-oriented operation between the first network function.

[0221] As an optional embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0222] The second sending unit is used to send relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first user plane function by invoking a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function.

[0223] As an optional embodiment, the relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following:

[0224] Management parameters for one or more paths;

[0225] Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

[0226] As an optional embodiment, the path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications;

[0227] The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

[0228] As an optional embodiment, the apparatus further includes:

[0229] The second invocation unit is used to invoke the service-oriented operation between the service-oriented operation and the first user plane function according to the URL of the service-oriented operation.

[0230] As an optional embodiment, the first network function includes:

[0231] Second user-side functionality; or,

[0232] Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

[0233] In this embodiment, the first network function sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first user plane function by calling a service-based operation between the first network function and the first user plane function. By calling a service-based operation once, the relevant parameters of one or more paths or tunnels can be carried, which greatly reduces the overhead and resource waste of sending multiple GTP-U messages under multiple paths or tunnels, and can also reduce message processing latency.

[0234] It should be noted that the GTP-U message transmission device provided in this application embodiment is a device capable of executing the above-described GTP-U message transmission method. Therefore, all embodiments of the above-described GTP-U message transmission method are applicable to this device and can achieve the same or similar beneficial effects, which will not be repeated here.

[0235] It should be noted that the division of units in the embodiments of this application is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. 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 units described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional units.

[0236] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0237] This application also provides a processor-readable storage medium storing a computer program. The computer program is used to cause the processor to execute the various processes described in the method embodiments above, achieving the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, these will not be repeated here. The processor-readable storage medium can be any available medium or data storage device accessible to the processor, including but not limited to magnetic storage (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, magneto-optical disks (MO), etc.), optical storage (e.g., CDs, DVDs, BDs, HVDs, etc.), and semiconductor storage (e.g., ROMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, non-volatile memory (NAND flash), solid-state drives (SSDs), etc.).

[0238] This application also provides a computer program product, including computer instructions. When the computer instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the various processes in the method embodiments described above and achieve the same technical effects. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0239] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage and optical storage) containing computer-usable program code.

[0240] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-executable instructions. These computer-executable instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, generate instructions for implementing the flowchart... Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 A device that provides the functions specified in one or more boxes.

[0241] These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in a processor-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the processor-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means, which are implemented in a process Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1The function specified in one or more boxes.

[0242] These processors can execute instructions that can also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, causing a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, thereby providing instructions that execute on the computer or other programmable device for implementing the process. Figure 1 One or more processes and / or boxes Figure 1 The steps of the function specified in one or more boxes.

[0243] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting GTP-U messages, characterized in that, Performed by a first user plane function, the method includes: The first user plane function sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first network function by invoking a service-based operation with the first network function.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first network function through a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following: Management parameters for one or more paths; Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications; The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first user plane function invokes the service-oriented operation between itself and the first network function based on the Uniform Resource Locator URL of the service-oriented operation.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The first network function includes: Second user-side functionality; or, Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

7. A method for transmitting GTP-U messages, characterized in that, Performed by a first network function, the method includes: The first network function receives relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first user plane function through a service-oriented operation between the first network function and the first user plane function.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first network function sends relevant parameters of the GTP-U message to the first user plane function by invoking a service-based operation with the first user plane function.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following: Management parameters for one or more paths; Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications; The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

11. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first network function invokes a service-oriented operation between the first user plane function and the service-oriented operation based on the URL of the service-oriented operation.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7-11, characterized in that, The first network function includes: Second user-side functionality; or, Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

13. A first network element, the first network element having a first user plane function, characterized in that, The first network element includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor: A memory for storing computer programs; a transceiver for sending and receiving data under the control of the processor; and a processor for reading the computer programs from the memory and performing the following operations: By invoking a service-oriented operation with the first network function, relevant parameters of a GTP-U message are sent to the first network function.

14. The first network element according to claim 13, characterized in that, The processor is also configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: Receive relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first network function through a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function.

15. The first network element according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, The relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following: Management parameters for one or more paths; Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

16. The first network element according to claim 15, characterized in that, The path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications; The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

17. The first network element according to claim 13, characterized in that, The processor is also configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: The service operation is invoked between the first network function and the Uniform Resource Locator URL of the service operation.

18. The first network element according to any one of claims 13-17, characterized in that, The first network function includes: Second user-side functionality; or, Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

19. A second network element, the second network element having a first network function, characterized in that, The second network element includes a memory, a transceiver, and a processor: Memory, used to store computer programs; The transceiver is used to send and receive data under the control of the processor; the processor is used to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: The parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first user plane function through the service-oriented operation between the first network function are received.

20. The second network element according to claim 19, characterized in that, The processor is also configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: By invoking a service-oriented operation with the first user plane function, the relevant parameters of the GTP-U message are sent to the first user plane function.

21. The second network element according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that, The relevant parameters of the GTP-U message include at least one of the following: Management parameters for one or more paths; Management-related parameters for one or more tunnels.

22. The second network element according to claim 21, characterized in that, The path management-related parameters include at least one of the following: return request parameters, return response parameters, and parameters that support extended header notifications; The tunnel management-related parameters include at least one of the following: error indication parameters and end marker parameters.

23. The second network element according to claim 20, characterized in that, The processor is also configured to read the computer program in the memory and perform the following operations: The URL of the service operation is used to invoke the service operation between the first user plane function and the service operation.

24. The second network element according to any one of claims 19-23, characterized in that, The first network function includes: Second user-side functionality; or, Radio Access Network (RAN) functions.

25. A GTP-U message transmission device, characterized in that, The device, applied to a first user plane function, includes: The first sending unit is used to send relevant parameters of a GTP-U message to the first network function by invoking a service-based operation with the first network function.

26. A GTP-U message transmission device, characterized in that, The device, applied to a first network function, includes: The first receiving unit is used to receive relevant parameters of the GTP-U message sent by the first user plane function through a service-oriented operation with the first network function.

27. A processor-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The processor-readable storage medium stores a program for causing the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, or the program for causing the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 7 to 12.

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