Apparatus for moving a user plane tunnel group across a user plane entity

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices and methods for moving user plane tunnel groups across user plane (UP) entities. In an aspect, a first network device can receive, from a control plane entity (CPE), a request to send user plane traffic for a UP tunnel group to a same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address. The first network device can send subsequent user plane traffic for a UP tunnel of the UP tunnel group using the new remote UP endpoint address. Alternatively or additionally, the first network device can identify a UP tunnel group for which UP traffic should be received at the same new UP endpoint address. The first network device can send, to the CPE, the same new UP endpoint address for receiving UP traffic from the UP tunnel group. The first network device can receive subsequent user plane traffic for a UP tunnel of the UP tunnel group at the same new UP endpoint address.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the field of communications, and more specifically to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media associated with cross-user plane entity mobile user plane (UP) tunnel groups. Background Technology

[0002] A communication network can be viewed as a facility that enables communication between two or more communication devices, or provides communication devices with access to a data network. Mobile or wireless communication networks are an example of communication networks.

[0003] These communication networks operate according to standards such as those issued by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) or the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Examples of these standards include the so-called fifth-generation (5G) standard, the sixth-generation (6G) standard, or other standards issued by 3GPP. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Generally, exemplary embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for moving user plane (UP) tunnel groups across user plane entities.

[0005] In a first aspect, a first network device is provided, including a first user plane entity (UPE). The first network device includes: at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first network device to perform at least one of the following: (a) receiving a request from a control plane entity (CPE) for sending user plane traffic for a UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address; and sending subsequent user plane traffic for a UP tunnel group using the new remote UP endpoint address; or (b) identifying a UP tunnel group for which UP traffic should be received at a new UP endpoint address; sending a new UP endpoint address to the CPE for receiving UP traffic from the UP tunnel group; and receiving subsequent user plane traffic for a UP tunnel group at the new UP endpoint address.

[0006] In a second aspect, a second network device is provided, including a first control plane entity (CPE). The second network device includes: at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second network device to at least: send a request to or receive a request from the second CPE, the request being for sending user plane traffic of a UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address.

[0007] In a third aspect, a method is provided implemented at a first network device, the first network device including a first user plane entity (UPE). The method includes at least one of: (a) receiving a request from a control plane entity (CPE) for sending user plane services for a group of user plane (UP) tunnels to the same new remote UP endpoint address; and sending subsequent user plane services for UP tunnels of the UP tunnel group using the new remote UP endpoint address; or (b) identifying a UP tunnel group for which UP services should be received at the new UP endpoint address; sending a new UP endpoint address to the CPE for receiving UP services from the UP tunnel group; and receiving subsequent user plane services for UP tunnels of the UP tunnel group at the new UP endpoint address.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided implemented at a second network device, the second network device including a first user plane entity (UPE). The method includes: sending a request to or receiving a request from a second CPE, the request being to send user plane traffic of an UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided comprising at least one of the following: (a) components for receiving a request from a control plane entity (CPE) for sending user plane services of a UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address; and components for sending subsequent user plane services for a UP tunnel of the UP tunnel group using the new remote UP endpoint address; or (b) components for identifying a UP tunnel group for which UP services should be received at the new UP endpoint address; components for sending a new UP endpoint address to the CPE for receiving UP services from the UP tunnel group; and components for receiving subsequent user plane services for a UP tunnel of the UP tunnel group at the new UP endpoint address.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided that includes components for sending a request to or receiving a request from a second CPE, the request being for sending user plane traffic of an UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address.

[0011] In the seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform the method according to at least any one of the third to fourth aspects described above.

[0012] In the eighth aspect, a computer program including program instructions is provided for causing the apparatus to perform at least any one of the methods of the third to fourth aspects described above.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a first apparatus is provided, comprising at least one of: (a) a receiving circuitry configured to receive a request from a control plane entity (CPE) for sending user plane services for a UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address; and a transmitting circuitry configured to send subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group using the new remote UP endpoint address; or (b) an identification circuitry configured to identify a UP tunnel group for which UP services should be received at the new UP endpoint address; a transmitting circuitry configured to send a new UP endpoint address to the CPE for receiving UP services from the UP tunnel group; and a receiving circuitry configured to receive subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group at the new UP endpoint address.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a second apparatus is provided, the second apparatus including a transmitting circuit system configured to transmit to or receive from a second CPE a request for transmitting user plane traffic of a UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address.

[0015] It should be understood that the summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Some exemplary embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 The illustration shows an example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0018] Figure 2A Examples of UPE redundancy according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated;

[0019] Figure 2B Examples of UPE redundancy according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated;

[0020] Figure 3A Examples of communication scenarios according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated;

[0021] Figure 3B Examples of communication scenarios according to some embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated;

[0022] Figure 4A The illustration shows a flowchart illustrating a process for moving a UP tunnel group according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 4B The illustration shows a flowchart illustrating a process for moving a UP tunnel group according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 5 The illustration shows a flowchart illustrating an example of a mobile-UP tunnel group according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 6 The illustration shows a flowchart illustrating an example of moving a UP tunnel group according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 7 The figure illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a first network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 8 The figure illustrates a flowchart of a method implemented at a second network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 9 A simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated; and

[0029] Figure 10 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0030] In all the accompanying drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not imply any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. This disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0032] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0033] References to "an embodiment," "embodiment," "example embodiment," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment includes that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it should be understood that, whether explicitly described or not, in conjunction with other embodiments, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such a feature, structure, or characteristic.

[0034] It should be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments, a first element may also be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may also be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0035] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that, when used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, means at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more, or at least all of the elements.

[0036] As used in this application, the term "circuit system" may refer to one or more of the following: (a) Hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuit systems) and (b) A combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (if applicable): (i) A combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor (including (multiple) digital signal processors), software, and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions and (c) (Multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors (such as (multiple) microprocessors or a portion of (multiple) microprocessors) that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may be absent when the software is not required to operate.

[0037] This definition of "circuit system" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As another example, as used in this application, the term "circuit system" also covers only the implementation of hardware circuitry or a processor (or processors) or portions thereof and their accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term "circuit system" also covers baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or networking devices.

[0038] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that conforms to any suitable communication standard, such as NR Radio, Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. Furthermore, communication between terminal devices and network devices in a communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth-generation (5G) communication protocols, future sixth-generation (6G) communication protocols, and / or any other protocols currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, future types of communication technologies and systems will naturally exist, which this disclosure can utilize. It should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure to the systems described above.

[0039] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communications network through which terminal devices access the network and receive services. Depending on the terminology and technology applied, a network device can refer to a base station (BS) or access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NR NB (also known as a gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a Radio Header (RH), a Remote Radio Header (RRH), a relay, a low-power node (such as a femtosecond, picosecond), etc., or it can refer to a user plane processing entity (such as a UPF) in the 3GPP core network.

[0040] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS), or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, VoIP phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal devices (such as digital cameras), gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless terminal devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop mounted devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless client devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, watches or other wearables, head-mounted displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of industrial and / or automated processing chains), consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms “terminal equipment”, “communication equipment”, “terminal”, “user equipment”, and “UE” may be used interchangeably.

[0041] As used herein, the term "Control Plane Entity (CPE)" is used to refer to a network function that controls user plane functions. A CPE can be a 6G Session Manager (6G SM), a 5GS Session Management Function (SMF), an Evolved Packet System (EPS) PDN Gateway Control Plane Function (PGW-C), a Serving Gateway Control Plane Function (SGW-C), a RAN Control Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) Control Plane (CP), an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), an Operation, Administration and Maintenance (OAM) Pod, or any combination of these functions. It can also be a 6G SM set, an SMF set, a PGW-C / SMF set, a RAN CP function set, a Wired Access Gateway (W-AGF), or a combination thereof. As another example, a CPE can be an Access Network (AN) Control Plane (CP). Examples of 5G access networks are 3GPP RAN (corresponding to gNB or its 6G equivalent), and untrusted non-3GPP access networks (terminated by non-3GPP interoperability function (N3IWF), trusted non-3GPP access networks (terminated by trusted non-3GPP gateway function (TNGF)) or wired access networks (terminated by wired access gateway function (W-AGF)) or their 6G equivalents.

[0042] As used herein, the term "User Plane Entity (UPE)" may correspond to User Plane Function (UPF), Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway-User Plane Function (PGW-U), Serving Gateway-User Plane Function (SGW-U), Access Network User Plane Entity, gNodeB (gNB)-Control Unit (CU)-User Plane (UP), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), User Plane Pod, or a combination thereof. UPF may correspond to Intermediate UPF (I-UPF) / Visitor UPF (V-UPF), Uplink Classifier (ULCL) / Branch Point (BP) UPF, Local PDU Session Anchor (PSA) UPF, (Central) PSA UPF (A-UPF), Multicast / Broadcast UPF (MB-UPF), or any other future UPF type.

[0043] As used in this document, a “UPF set” refers to a collection of UPFs. UPFs within a UPF set can be functionally equivalent and interchangeable. UPFs within a UPF set can share Packet Forwarding Control Protocol (PFCP) / PDU session context. Information shared / replicated between UPFs within a UPF set is not standardized. UPFs within a UPF set originate from the same provider. PFCP / PDU sessions can be seamlessly moved from one UPF to another. Each UPF can act as a PSA, I-UPF / V-UPF, and ULCL / BP for different PDU sessions. UPFs within a UPF set can be deployed in different data centers and / or locations.

[0044] As used herein, the term "PDU session" can refer to a 5GS PDU session, an EPS session / packet data network (PDN) connection, a 6G session, or a combination thereof, such as a PDU session in a combined 6G SM / SMF / PGW-C that supports 6G, 5G, and / or EPS interoperability. A PDU session provides connectivity between the terminal device and the data network.

[0045] As used herein, the term "UP tunnel" for a PDU session corresponds to a user plane tunnel established between two user plane entities for tunneling packets of a PDU session exchanged between the terminal equipment and the data network; this may correspond to a GTP-u tunnel between two UPEs serving a PDU session, but other types of tunnels are also supported. For example, a PDU session involving the RAN, I-UPF (intermediate UPF), and PSA UPF (interface data network UPF) may correspond to at least two UP tunnels in each direction, one between the RAN and the I-UPF, and the other between the I-UPF and the PSA UPF.

[0046] The principles and embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, refer to... Figure 1 ,Should Figure 1 An example communication system 100, in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented, is illustrated. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the communication network 100 may include at least one first network device 110, which includes UPEs, such as first network devices 110-1, 110-2, 110-3 and 110-4.

[0047] Redundancy can be supported within a UPE set; for example, a UPE set implementation can support: - N active UPEs + K standby UPEs, where all services of the active UPE (which becomes out of service) are taken over by the standby UPEs. - N+K active UPEs, where the services of an active UPE (which becomes out of service) are shared among other active UPEs.

[0048] like Figure 2A As shown, there are 2 × (1+1) UPF redundancies. That is, UPF 110-1 and UPF 110-2 can move services between each other, and UPF 110-3 and UPF 110-4 can also move services between each other.

[0049] like Figure 2B As shown, UPFs 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, and 110-4 form a UPF set with 3+1 UPF redundancies. This means that UPFs 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, and 110-4 can transfer services among themselves.

[0050] The communication network 100 may also include a second device 120, which includes a control plane entity (CPE).

[0051] It should be understood that the number of the first network device and the second network device is for illustrative purposes only and does not imply any limitation. System 100 may include any suitable number of first network devices 110 and second network devices 120 suitable for implementing embodiments of this disclosure.

[0052] Communication in communication system 100 can be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol(s), including but not limited to cellular communication protocols such as first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and sixth-generation (6G), wireless local area network communication protocols (such as IEEE 802.11), and / or any other protocol currently known or to be developed in the future. Furthermore, communication can utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and / or any other technology currently known or to be developed in the future.

[0053] like Figure 3A As shown, a UPE (or a portion of a UPE) (such as a UPF) may become inoperable (e.g., due to maintenance, failure, scaling down, or energy saving). The PDU sessions or GTP-U tunnels associated with that UPF may need to be moved to another UPF to ensure seamless service continuity (i.e., seamless delivery of user plane services). A UPE may become inoperable for a variety of reasons, such as a UPE failure without restart, a UPE set scaling down, a UPE service shutdown (e.g., for energy saving during low-traffic periods), or an upgrade to the customer service platform (e.g., an OpenShift or Kubernetes update).

[0054] like Figure 3B As shown, a failed UP path may prevent UP services from being delivered to the UPF. The PDU session or GTP-U tunnel associated with the UP path may need to be moved to another UPF to ensure seamless service continuity (i.e., seamless delivery of user plane services).

[0055] According to embodiments of this disclosure, a solution for mobile UP tunnel groups across UPEs is provided. In one aspect of this solution, a first network device including a first User Plane Entity (UPE) can receive a request from a Control Plane Entity (CPE) to send user plane services for the UP tunnel group to the same new Remote User Plane (UP) endpoint address. The first network device can use the new remote UP endpoint address to send subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group. Alternatively, the first network device can identify the UP tunnel group for which UP services should be received at the new UP endpoint address. The first network device can send the new UP endpoint address to the CPE for receiving UP services from the UP tunnel group. This solution can effectively support mobile UP tunnel groups across UPEs.

[0056] Now for reference Figure 4A ,Should Figure 4A A process 400A for moving UP tunnel groups according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. For discussion purposes, process 400A will be referred to Figure 1 Described. Process 400A may involve, for example... Figure 1 The diagram shows the first network device 110 and the second network device 120.

[0057] In some embodiments, at 410A, the first network device 110 may receive a request from the control plane entity (CPE) 401 to send user plane services for the UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address. At 420A, the first network device 110 may use the new remote UP endpoint address to send subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group. Alternatively or additionally, at 430A, the first network device 110 may identify the UP tunnel group for which UP services should be received at the new UP endpoint address. At 440A, the first network device 110 may send a request to the CPE 401 to receive user plane services for the UP tunnel group at the same new local UP endpoint address, or in other words, to send a request for the peer UPE to send user plane services for the UP tunnel group to the same new remote UP endpoint address. At 450A, the first network device 110 may receive subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group at the new UP endpoint address.

[0058] In some embodiments, the same new UP endpoint address may correspond to the UP endpoint address of a UPE. In some embodiments, sending or receiving UP services at the same new UP endpoint address is to move the UP services of that UP tunnel group to different UPEs within the UPE set. In some other embodiments, sending or receiving UP services at the same new UP endpoint address is to move the UP services of that UP tunnel group to different UP endpoints within the same UPE. In some other embodiments, sending or receiving UP services at the same new UP endpoint address is to move the UP services of that UP tunnel group to different UPEs.

[0059] In some embodiments, the first network device 110 may be about to become inoperable (e.g., a UPE scheduled for graceful shutdown), so the first network device 110 may send a request to another UPE to offload the PDU session before it becomes inoperable. In one embodiment, the request may include a new remote UP endpoint address (e.g., an IP address) for the other UPE.

[0060] In some other embodiments, the first network device 110 may remain operational and send requests to take over multiple PDU session groups served by other UPEs (e.g., take over multiple PDU session groups supported by a UPE that becomes inoperable, or take over multiple PDU session groups of other UPEs for load rebalancing of multiple PDU session groups during expansion operations, i.e., when a new UPE is deployed in a UPE cluster or under the control of the same CPF). In this case, the request may include new endpoint addresses to be used for each UP group ID.

[0061] In some embodiments, UP tunnel groups to be associated with the same new UP endpoint address are identified by a UP group identifier (ID). In some other embodiments, UP tunnel groups to be associated with the same new UP endpoint address are identified by a previous UP endpoint address that was used for the UP tunnel group before the UP service was moved.

[0062] In some embodiments, during the establishment or modification of a PDU session or in any scenario requiring the establishment of a new UP tunnel (e.g., service request, handover), a UP tunnel may be associated with a UP group identifier. The UP group ID identifies a set of UP tunnels that can be moved together during their lifetime to different UPEs or sets of UPEs controlled by the same CPF, or to different UP endpoints (e.g., different IP addresses) within the same UPE. In some embodiments, a UP tunnel (e.g., a GTP-U tunnel) may be associated with only one UP group ID.

[0063] In some embodiments, the UP group ID is assigned by a first network device 110 or a second network device 120. How the first network device 110 or the second network device 120 assigns the UP group ID to the UP tunnel of the PDU session is implementation-specific. The main requirement is to ensure that the assigned UP group ID is unique within the range of UPE sets controlled by the same CPF.

[0064] In some embodiments, a UP group ID may be associated with a single IP address, meaning that all UP tunnels associated with the same UP group ID share the same UP endpoint address (e.g., the same GTP-U IP address). In some other embodiments, a UP group ID may be associated with multiple UP endpoints (e.g., multiple IP addresses), in which case the traffic of the UP tunnel associated with that UP group ID can be sent to any one of these UP endpoints.

[0065] In some embodiments, when the first network device is a PSA UPF, the UP group ID is associated with a series of N6 IP addresses (e.g., shorter than the / 64 IPv6 prefix) so that a backup PSA UPF (e.g., from the same UPF set) can take over and advertise the series of N6 IP addresses via N6 when the UP tunnel group is moved to the backup PSA UPF.

[0066] In some embodiments, different UP group IDs are assigned to different UP tunnels of the same PDU session. For example, different UP group IDs are assigned to N3 UP tunnel and N9 UP tunnel of the same PDU session.

[0067] In some other embodiments, the same UP group ID can be assigned to different UP tunnels of the same PDU session. For example, the same UP group ID can be assigned to the N3 UP tunnel and the N9 UP tunnel of the same PDU session. In this case, the UP group ID can be associated with the PDU session itself, rather than with the UP tunnel of the PDU session.

[0068] In some embodiments, where the UP group ID of the UP tunnel is assigned by the first network device 110, the first network device 110 may send the UP group ID to the second network device 120. Therefore, the second network device 120 may receive the UP group ID and store it in the PDU session context.

[0069] In some embodiments, where the UP group ID is assigned by the second network device 120, the second network device 120 may send the UP group ID to the first network device 110. Therefore, the first network device 110 may receive the UP group ID.

[0070] It should be understood that traditional CP / UP entities (eNB / gNB, SGW, PGW, SMF) in EPS / 5GS do not support the concept of UP group ID. Therefore, for GTP-U tunnels to / from traditional nodes, UP group IDs are not assigned or signaled.

[0071] The CPE / UPE for the combination of 6G SM / SMF ( / PGW-C) and 6G UPF / 5G UPF ( / PGW-U) can support PDU sessions in 6GS, 5GS and / or EPS, and these PDU sessions can support interoperability with 6GS, 5GS and EPS, that is, they can move between these systems.

[0072] Procedure 400A can be used to move PDU sessions in 6GS to different PSA UPFs within the same UPF set. For PDU sessions in 5GS or EPS, the CPF can use per PDU session signaling to signal a new IP address for the GTP-U tunnel to the legacy entity. It should be noted that NGAP enables the SMF to change the N3 UL F-TEID, but the GTP-C / Nsmf_PDUSessionAPI currently does not support anchor SMFs initiating requests to change the UL F-TEID for N16 / N16a / S5 / S8. This capability can be added to 5GS and EPS in a backward-compatible manner, making it a robust and resilient solution.

[0073] In some other embodiments, at 430A, the first network device 110 may identify a UP tunnel group for which UP services should be received at a new UP endpoint address. At 440A, the first network device 110 may send a new UP endpoint address to CPE 401 for receiving UP services from the UP tunnel group. At 450A, the first network device 110 may receive subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnels of the UP tunnel group at the new UP endpoint address.

[0074] In some embodiments, the UP endpoint address may be sent to CPE 401 via a first message requesting takeover of the PDU session group. In some other embodiments, the UP endpoint address may be sent to CPE 401 via a second message in response to a request to take over the PDU session group. The group of PDU sessions may correspond to the UP tunnel group.

[0075] In some embodiments, a UP tunnel group may correspond to the UP tunnels of multiple PDU sessions whose UP services are sent or received at the same UP endpoint address, and whose UP services can be moved together to different UP endpoint addresses at any time.

[0076] In some embodiments, the UP endpoint address may correspond to the destination Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UP tunnel.

[0077] In some embodiments, process 400A can be executed regardless of the protocol between the CPE and UPE (e.g., PFCP or HTTP (SBI)) selected by 3GPP for 6G systems, and regardless of the UP protocol selected by 3GPP for 6G systems.

[0078] Now for reference Figure 4B ,Should Figure 4B A process 400B for moving UP tunnel groups according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. For discussion purposes, process 400B will be referenced. Figure 1 Described. Process 400B may involve, for example... Figure 1 The diagram shows the first network device 110 and the second network device 120.

[0079] At 410B, the second network device 120 may send 410B to the second CPE 402 or receive 420B from the second CPE 402 a request to send user plane services of the UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address. In some embodiments, the second CPE 402 may be a peer network entity (e.g., RAN, SMF, or 6G session manager).

[0080] In some embodiments, the request may be sent via a single control plane request. In some embodiments, the request may indicate new UP endpoint address information (e.g., a new IP address for a GTP-U tunnel) to be used for all UP tunnels in the UP tunnel group. In some embodiments, the request may also include a UP group ID identifying the UP tunnel group. In another embodiment, the request may also include a previous UP endpoint address to identify the UP tunnel group, which was used for the UP tunnel group prior to UP services in the mobile UP tunnel group embodiment. Different UP tunnel groups may be moved to different UP endpoints or UPEs via a single CP request. In some embodiments, the CP request for a mobile UP tunnel group may also provide a new UP group ID in place of an earlier UP group ID.

[0081] In some embodiments, the same new UP endpoint address may correspond to the UP endpoint address of a UPE. In some embodiments, sending or receiving UP services at the same new UP endpoint address is for moving the UP services of the UP tunnel group to different UPEs within the UPE set. In some other embodiments, sending or receiving UP services at the same new UP endpoint address is for moving the UP services of a UP tunnel group to different UP endpoints within the same UPE. In some embodiments, sending or receiving UP services at the same new UP endpoint address is for moving the UP services of the UP tunnel group to different UPEs.

[0082] In some embodiments, UP tunnel groups associated with the same new UP endpoint address are identified by a UP group identifier (ID). In some other embodiments, UP tunnel groups associated with the same new UP endpoint address are identified by a previous UP endpoint address that was used for the UP tunnel group before the UP service of the mobile UP tunnel group.

[0083] In some embodiments, the second CPE 402 can move user plane services of a UP tunnel group to one or more alternative UP endpoints / UPEs. The second CPE 402 can use the UP group ID received during UP tunnel setup to identify the UP tunnel whose services need to be switched to a new UP endpoint address. In other embodiments, the second CPE 402 can use a previous UP endpoint address received during UP tunnel setup to identify the UP tunnel whose services need to be switched to a new UP endpoint address.

[0084] In the case of GTP-U tunnels, only the IP address of the UP tunnel can be changed; that is, when a UP tunnel is moved across a UPE or a UP endpoint within the same UPE, the TEID of the UP tunnel remains unchanged. In some embodiments, the TEID can uniquely identify a GTP-U tunnel within a UPE set (or uniquely identify a GTP-U tunnel across all UPE sets controlled by the same CPE set, to support moving a GTP-U tunnel to another UPE set controlled by the same CPE set). In some other embodiments, the GTP-U protocol is enhanced with a new or extended UP tunnel identifier (a supplement or alternative to the existing TEID) that uniquely identifies the UP tunnel within a UPE set (or across all UPE sets controlled by the same CPF set), independent of the GTP-U tunnel's IP address. In some embodiments, TEID allocation and conflict avoidance within a UPE set (e.g., when moving a UP tunnel to another UPE) can be delegated to the UPE set itself; for example, this can rely on a central TEID and IP address allocation.

[0085] In some embodiments, process 400B can be executed regardless of the protocol between the CPE and UPE (e.g., PFCP or HTTP (SBI)) selected by 3GPP for 6G systems, or the UP protocol selected by 3GPP for 6G systems.

[0086] Now for reference Figure 5 ,Should Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an example of a mobile UP tunnel group according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Process 500 may involve I-UPF 1, I-UPF 2, PSA UPF, and AN-UP (as...). Figure 1 Example of the first network device 110 shown), and I-SMF, SMF, and AN-CP (as shown in the example). Figure 1 (Example of the second network device 120 shown).

[0087] At point 501, the UE requests the establishment of a PDU session via a PDU session establishment request (in the case of a PDU session with both an anchor SMF and an I-SMF). At point 502, the I-SMF requests the I-UPF-1 to establish the corresponding session via a PDU session setup request. In its response, at point 503, the I-UPF assigns an F-TEID to tunnels N3 and N9, and assigns a UP group ID to each of these tunnels.

[0088] At point 504, the I-SMF sends the F-TEID and UP group ID of N9 (for DL ​​services) to the SMF via a PDU session establishment request. At point 505, the SMF forwards the F-TEID and UP group ID of N9 to the PSA UPF via a PDU session establishment request. At point 506, the PSA UPF assigns the F-TEID and UP group ID (for UL services). At point 507, the SMF sends the F-TEID and UP group ID of N9 (for UL services) to the I-SMF via a PDU session establishment response.

[0089] At point 508, the I-SMF updates I-UPF 1 via a PDU session update request, using the N9 F-TEID and UP group ID (used for UL services). At point 509, I-UPF 1 responds to the PDU session update request.

[0090] At point 510, the I-SMF sends the N3 F-TEID and UP group ID (for UL services) to the AN-CP via a PDU session resource setup request. At point 511, the AN-CP forwards the N3 F-TEID and UP group ID to the Access Network User Plane Entity (AN-UP) via a PDU session resource setup request. At point 512, the AN-UP allocates the F-TEID and UP group ID (for DL ​​services) and responds to the AN-CP. At point 513, the AN-CP sends the N3 F-TEID and UP group ID (for DL ​​services) received in point 512 to the I-SMF via a PDU session resource setup response.

[0091] At point 514, the I-SMF updates I-UPF 1 via a PDU session update request, using the N3 F-TEID and UP group ID (for DL ​​services) received at point 513. At point 515, I-UPF 1 responds to the PDU session update request.

[0092] Using process 500, each UPE (AN-UP, I-UPF1, PSA UPF) obtains the F-TEID and UP group ID of each UP tunnel toward the peer UPE.

[0093] Now for reference Figure 6 ,Should Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an example of moving a group of UP tunnels according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Process 600 may involve I-UPF 1, I-UPF 2, PSA UPF, and AN-UP (as...). Figure 1 Example of the first network device 110 shown), and I-SMF, SMF and AN-CP (as shown in the example). Figure 1 (Example of the second network device 120 shown).

[0094] At position 601, the PDU session establishment procedure is executed.

[0095] At position 602, I-UPF 2 sends a request to I-SMF to take over the PDU session group, the request containing the UP group ID and a new UP endpoint address to be used for each UP group ID. At position 603, I-SMF responds to the request.

[0096] Alternatively, at 604, I-SMF determines (e.g., by itself or via OAM) that I-UPF 1 has become inoperable or will become inoperable. Alternatively, at 605, I-UPF 1 requests I-SMF to offload PDU sessions with UP group IDs. At 606, I-SMF responds to this request. Then, for both cases, at 607, I-SMF requests I-UPF 2 to take over multiple PDU session groups. At 608, I-UPF 2 indicates in its response the new endpoint address to be used for the UP tunnel for each UP group ID.

[0097] At 609, the I-SMF instructs the SMF to switch the service of the UP tunnel groups associated with the signaled UP group IDs to the new endpoint addresses. At 610, the SMF responds to this instruction.

[0098] At 611, SMF requests PSA UPF to switch the service of (multiple) UP tunnel groups to (multiple) new endpoint addresses. At 612, PSA UPF responds to the request.

[0099] At 613, the I-SMF instructs the AN-CP to switch the service of the UP tunnel group associated with the signaled UP group ID to the new endpoint address. At 614, the AN-CP responds to this instruction. Steps 613 and 614 can, for example, use NGAP signaling sent to the AN-CP within the gNB (RAN).

[0100] At 615, AN-CP requests AN-UP to switch the service of (multiple) UP tunnel groups to (multiple) new endpoint addresses. At 616, AN-UP responds to the request.

[0101] Using process 600, the UL and DL services of the PDU session initially served by I-UPF 1 have been switched to I-UPF 2. It should be noted that, although not shown in the figure, the initiative for the mobile PDU session set may originate from the AN-CP, which can request the switching of services of multiple UP tunnel groups associated with signaled UP group IDs to multiple new endpoint addresses signaled in the AN-CP request. In this case, the CPE (e.g., SMF) in the 3GPP core requests the corresponding UPE (e.g., multiple UPFs) to switch the services of the multiple UP tunnel groups to the multiple new endpoint addresses indicated in the AN-CP request.

[0102] Figure 7 A flowchart of an example method 700 implemented at a first network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, method 700 will be referred to Figure 1 Described from the perspective of the first network device 110.

[0103] At box 710, the first network device 110 can receive a request from the control plane entity (CPE) 401 to send user plane services for the UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address. At box 720, the first network device 110 can use the new remote UP endpoint address to send subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group. At box 730, the first network device 110 can identify the UP tunnel group for which UP services should be received at the new UP endpoint address. At box 740, the first network device 110 can send a new UP endpoint address to the CPE 401 for receiving UP services from the UP tunnel group. At box 750, the first network device 110 can receive subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group at the new UP endpoint address.

[0104] In some embodiments, the same new UP endpoint address may correspond to the UP endpoint address of a UPE, and wherein sending or receiving UP services at the same new UP endpoint address is for moving UP services of a UP tunnel group to a different UPE in the UPE set, or to a different UP endpoint of the same UPE, or to a different UPE.

[0105] In some embodiments, a UP tunnel group to be associated with the same new UP endpoint address may be identified by a UP group identifier or by a previous UP endpoint address that was used for the UP tunnel group before the UP service of the mobile UP tunnel group.

[0106] In some embodiments, the UP tunnel may be associated with a UP group identifier during the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session UP tunnel.

[0107] In some embodiments, the UP endpoint address may be sent to CPE 401 via a first message requesting takeover of the PDU session group, or a second message in response to the request to take over the PDU session group.

[0108] In some embodiments, the UP tunnel group may correspond to the UP tunnels of multiple PDU sessions, the UP services of the multiple PDU sessions being sent or received at the same UP endpoint address, and the UP services being able to be moved together to different UP endpoint addresses at any time.

[0109] In some embodiments, the UP endpoint address may correspond to the destination Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UP tunnel.

[0110] In some embodiments, the UPE corresponds to a User Plane Function (UPF), a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway User Plane Function (PGW-U), a Serving Gateway User Plane Function (SGW-U), an Access Network User Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) User Plane (UP), an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a User Plane Pod, or a combination thereof; and the CPE corresponds to a 6G Session Management Function, a Session Management Function (SMF), a PDN Gateway Control Plane Function (PGW-C), a Serving Gateway Control Plane Function (SGW-C), an Access Network Control Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) Control Plane (CP), an E-UTRAN, an Operation, Management, and Maintenance (OAM) Pod, or a combination thereof.

[0111] Figure 8 A flowchart of an example method 800 implemented at a second network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For discussion purposes, method 800 will be referred to Figure 1 It is described from the perspective of the second network device 120.

[0112] At box 810, the second network device 120 can send or receive from the second CPE 402 a request for user plane services of the UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address.

[0113] In some embodiments, the same new UP endpoint address may correspond to the UP endpoint address of a User Plane Entity (UPE), and the UP service is sent or received at the same new UP endpoint address in order to move the UP service of the UP tunnel group to a different UPE in the UPE set, or to a different UP endpoint of the same UPE, or to a different UPE.

[0114] In some embodiments, the UP tunnel group to be associated with the same new UP endpoint address may be identified by a UP group identifier or by a previous UP endpoint address that was used for the UP tunnel group before the UP service of the mobile UP tunnel group.

[0115] In some embodiments, during the establishment of a UP tunnel for a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, the UP tunnel may be associated with a UP group identifier.

[0116] In some embodiments, the second network device 120 sends a first request to the second CPE 402, and the second network device 120 may receive the same new UP endpoint address to be used for the UP tunnel group from the first network device including the first UPE.

[0117] In some embodiments, the second network device 120 may receive a first request from the second CPE 402, and the second network device may send a second request to the first network device including the first UPE, the second request being used to send the UP service of the UP tunnel group to the same new UP endpoint address.

[0118] In some embodiments, the UP endpoint address may correspond to the destination Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UP tunnel.

[0119] In some embodiments, the UPE may correspond to a user plane function (UPF), a packet data network (PDN) gateway user plane function (PGW-U), a serving gateway user plane function (SGW-U), an access network user plane entity, a gNodeB (gNB) control unit (CU) user plane (UP), an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a user plane pod, or a combination thereof; and the CPE may correspond to a 6G session management function, a session management function (SMF), a PDN gateway control plane function (PGW-C), a serving gateway control plane function (SGW-C), an access network control plane entity, a gNodeB (gNB) control unit (CU) control plane (CP), an E-UTRAN, an operations, management, and maintenance (OAM) pod, or a combination thereof.

[0120] In some embodiments, the means capable of performing any step of method 700 (e.g., the first network device 110) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 700. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0121] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes at least one of the following: (a) components for receiving from a control plane entity (CPE) 401 a request to send user plane services for a UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address; and components for sending subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group using the new remote UP endpoint address; or (b) components for identifying a UP tunnel group for which UP services should be received at the new UP endpoint address; components for sending to the CPE 401 a new UP endpoint address for receiving UP services from the UP tunnel group; and components for receiving subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group at the new UP endpoint address.

[0122] In some embodiments, the same new UP endpoint address may correspond to the UP endpoint address of a UPE, and wherein sending or receiving UP services at the same new UP endpoint address is for moving UP services of a UP tunnel group to a different UPE in the UPE set, or to a different UP endpoint of the same UPE, or to a different UPE.

[0123] In some embodiments, a UP tunnel group to be associated with the same new UP endpoint address may be identified by a UP group identifier or by a previous UP endpoint address that was used for the UP tunnel group before the UP service of the mobile UP tunnel group.

[0124] In some embodiments, the UP tunnel may be associated with a UP group identifier during the establishment or modification of a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session UP tunnel.

[0125] In some embodiments, the UP endpoint address may be sent to CPE 401 via a first message requesting takeover of the PDU session group or a second message in response to the request to take over the group of PDU sessions.

[0126] In some embodiments, a UP tunnel group may correspond to the UP tunnels of multiple PDU sessions whose UP services are sent or received at the same UP endpoint address, and whose UP services can be moved together to different UP endpoint addresses at any time.

[0127] In some embodiments, the UP endpoint address may correspond to the destination Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UP tunnel.

[0128] In some embodiments, the UPE corresponds to a User Plane Function (UPF), a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway User Plane Function (PGW-U), a Serving Gateway User Plane Function (SGW-U), an Access Network User Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) User Plane (UP), an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a User Plane Pod, or a combination thereof; and the CPE corresponds to a 6G Session Management Function, a Session Management Function (SMF), a PDN Gateway Control Plane Function (PGW-C), a Serving Gateway Control Plane Function (SGW-C), an Access Network Control Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) Control Plane (CP), an E-UTRAN, an Operation, Management, and Maintenance (OAM) Pod, or a combination thereof.

[0129] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 700. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause execution of the apparatus together with the at least one processor.

[0130] In some embodiments, the means capable of performing any step of method 800 (e.g., the second network device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of method 800. These components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module.

[0131] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes components for sending or receiving, to a second CPE 402, a request for sending a user plane service of a UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address.

[0132] In some embodiments, the same new UP endpoint address may correspond to the UP endpoint address of a User Plane Entity (UPE), and the UP service is sent or received at the same new UP endpoint address in order to move the UP service of the UP tunnel group to a different UPE in the UPE set, or to a different UP endpoint of the same UPE, or to a different UPE.

[0133] In some embodiments, the UP tunnel group to be associated with the same new UP endpoint address may be identified by a UP group identifier or by a previous UP endpoint address that was used for the UP tunnel group before the UP service of the mobile UP tunnel group.

[0134] In some embodiments, during the establishment of a UP tunnel for a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, the UP tunnel may be associated with a UP group identifier.

[0135] In some embodiments, the second network device 120 sends a first request to the second CPE 402, and the device includes components for receiving the same new UP endpoint address to be used in the UP tunnel group from the first network device including the first UPE.

[0136] In some embodiments, the second network device receives a first request from the second CPE 402. The device also includes components for sending a second request to the first network device including the first UPE, the second request being for sending UP services of the UP tunnel group to the same new UP endpoint address.

[0137] In some embodiments, the UP endpoint address may correspond to the destination Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UP tunnel.

[0138] In some embodiments, the UPE may correspond to a User Plane Function (UPF), a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway User Plane Function (PGW-U), a Serving Gateway User Plane Function (SGW-U), an Access Network User Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) User Plane (UP), an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a User Plane Pod, or a combination thereof; and the CPE may correspond to a 6G Session Management Function, a Session Management Function (SMF), a PDN Gateway Control Plane Function (PGW-C), a Serving Gateway Control Plane Function (SGW-C), an Access Network Control Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) Control Plane (CP), an E-UTRAN, an Operation, Management, and Maintenance (OAM) Pod, or a combination thereof.

[0139] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes components for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 800. In some embodiments, the components include at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause execution of the apparatus together with the at least one processor.

[0140] Figure 9 This is a simplified block diagram of a device 900 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. Device 900 can be provided to implement a communication device, such as... Figure 1The first network device 110 or the second network device 120 shown are illustrated. As shown, device 900 includes one or more processors 910, one or more memories 920 coupled to processor 910, and one or more communication modules 940 coupled to processor 910.

[0141] Communication module 940 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0142] Processor 910 can be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and by way of non-limiting example, can include one or more of the following: general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), and processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 900 can have multiple processors, such as application-specific integrated circuit chips that are time-dependent on a clock synchronized with the main processor.

[0143] Memory 920 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 924, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), and other magnetic and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 922 and other volatile memories that will not persist during power outages.

[0144] Computer program 930 includes computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 910. Program 930 may be stored in ROM 924. Processor 910 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 930 into RAM 922.

[0145] Communication module 940 is used for bidirectional communication. Communication module 940 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface can represent any interface required for communication with other network elements.

[0146] The embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented by program 930, enabling device 900 to perform as shown in Figures 2 to 30. Figure 8 Any process discussed in this disclosure. Embodiments of this disclosure may also be implemented in hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0147] In some embodiments, program 930 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 900 (e.g., in memory 920) or in other storage devices accessible to device 900. Device 900 may load program 930 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 922 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Figure 10 An example of a computer-readable medium 1000 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer-readable medium has a program 930 stored thereon.

[0148] Generally, the various embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while others may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure are shown and described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, apparatuses, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuitry or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0149] This disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions (such as instructions included in a program module) that are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the methods described above with reference to Figures 2-8. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc., that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functionality of program modules can be combined or separated among program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine-executable instructions for the program modules can be executed within a local or distributed device. In a distributed device, the program modules can reside on both local and remote storage media.

[0150] Program code used to perform the methods of this disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that, when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be performed. The program code can be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a stand-alone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0151] In the context of this disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus, or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer-readable media, etc.

[0152] Computer-readable media can be computer-readable signal media or computer-readable storage media. Computer-readable media can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media will include electrical connections having one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof. As used herein, the term “non-transient” refers to a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not signaling), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0153] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a specific order, this should not be construed as requiring that these operations must be performed in the specific order or sequence shown, or that all of the shown operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these implementation details should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0154] Although this disclosure has been described using language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the disclosure as defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.

[0155] The embodiments disclosed herein provide the following examples.

[0156] Example 1. A first network device for communication, comprising a first user plane entity (UPE), the first network device including: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first network device to perform at least one of the following: receiving a request from a control plane entity (CPE) for sending user plane traffic of a UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address; and sending subsequent user plane traffic of a UP tunnel for the UP tunnel group using the new remote UP endpoint address; or identifying a UP tunnel group for which UP traffic should be received at the new UP endpoint address; sending a new UP endpoint address to the CPE for receiving UP traffic from the UP tunnel group; and receiving subsequent user plane traffic of a UP tunnel for the UP tunnel group at the new UP endpoint address.

[0157] Example 2. According to the first network device of Example 1, the same new UP endpoint address corresponds to the UP endpoint address of a UPE, and the sending or receiving of UP services at the same new UP endpoint address is for moving the UP services of the UP tunnel group to a different UPE in the UPE set, or to a different UP endpoint of the same UPE, or to a different UPE.

[0158] Example 3. According to the first network device of Example 1 or 2, the UP tunnel group to be associated with the same new UP endpoint address is identified by a UP group identifier or by a previous UP endpoint address that was used for the UP tunnel group before the UP service of the mobile UP tunnel group.

[0159] Example 4. According to the first network device of Example 3, the UP tunnel is associated with a UP group identifier during the establishment or modification of the UP tunnel of the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session.

[0160] Example 5. A first network device according to any of the preceding examples, wherein the UP endpoint address is sent to the CPE via a first message requesting takeover of the PDU session group, or a second message in response to the request for takeover of the PDU session group.

[0161] Example 6. A first network device according to any of the preceding examples, wherein the UP tunnel group corresponds to the UP tunnel of multiple PDU sessions, the UP services of the multiple PDU sessions are sent or received at the same UP endpoint address, and the UP services can be moved together to different UP endpoint addresses at any time.

[0162] Example 7. A first network device according to any of the preceding examples, wherein the UP endpoint address corresponds to the destination Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UP tunnel.

[0163] Example 8. A first network device according to any of the preceding examples, wherein the UPE corresponds to a User Plane Function (UPF), a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway User Plane Function (PGW-U), a Serving Gateway User Plane Function (SGW-U), an Access Network User Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) User Plane (UP), an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a User Plane Pod, or a combination thereof; and the CPE corresponds to a 6G Session Management Function, a Session Management Function (SMF), a PDN Gateway Control Plane Function (PGW-C), a Serving Gateway Control Plane Function (SGW-C), an Access Network Control Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) Control Plane (CP), an E-UTRAN, an Operation, Management, and Maintenance (OAM) Pod, or a combination thereof.

[0164] Example 9. A second network device for communication, comprising a first control plane entity (CPE), the second network device including: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second network device to at least: send a request to or receive a request from the second CPE, the request being for sending user plane traffic of a UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address.

[0165] Example 10. A second network device according to Example 9, wherein the same new UP endpoint address corresponds to the UP endpoint address of a user plane entity (UPE), and wherein sending or receiving UP services at the same new UP endpoint address is for moving UP services of a UP tunnel group to a different UPE in the UPE set, or to a different UP endpoint of the same UPE, or to a different UPE.

[0166] Example 11. A second network device according to Example 9 or 10, wherein the UP tunnel group to be associated with the same new UP endpoint address is identified by a UP group identifier or by a previous UP endpoint address that was used for the UP tunnel group before the UP service of the mobile UP tunnel group.

[0167] Example 12. A second network device according to Example 11, wherein during the establishment of a UP tunnel for a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, the UP tunnel is associated with a UP group identifier.

[0168] Example 13. A second network device according to any one of Examples 9 to 12, wherein the second network device sends a first request to a second CPE, and wherein the second network device is further configured to: receive from a first network device including a first UPE the same new UP endpoint address to be used for the UP tunnel group.

[0169] Example 14. A second network device according to any one of Examples 9 to 13, wherein the second network device receives a first request from a second CPE, and wherein the second network device is further configured to: send a second request to a first network device including a first UPE, the second request being for sending UP services of the UP tunnel group to the same new UP endpoint address.

[0170] Example 15. A second network device according to any one of Examples 9 to 14, wherein the UP endpoint address corresponds to the destination Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UP tunnel.

[0171] Example 16. A second network device according to any one of Examples 9 to 15, wherein the UPE corresponds to a User Plane Function (UPF), a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway User Plane Function (PGW-U), a Serving Gateway User Plane Function (SGW-U), an Access Network User Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) User Plane (UP), an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a User Plane Pod, or a combination thereof; and the CPE corresponds to a 6G Session Management Function, a Session Management Function (SMF), a PDN Gateway Control Plane Function (PGW-C), a Serving Gateway Control Plane Function (SGW-C), an Access Network Control Plane Entity, a gNodeB (gNB) Control Unit (CU) Control Plane (CP), an E-UTRAN, an Operation, Management, and Maintenance (OAM) Pod, or a combination thereof.

Claims

1. A first network device for communication, comprising a first user plane entity (UPE), the first network device comprising: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory stores instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first network device to perform at least one of the following: Receive a request from the Control Plane Entity (CPE) to send user plane traffic for a UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane (UP) endpoint address; and Use the new remote UP endpoint address to send subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group; or Identify the UP tunnel group, and the UP service for the UP tunnel group should be received at the new UP endpoint address; Send the new UP endpoint address to the CPE for receiving the UP service from the UP tunnel group; as well as At the new UP endpoint address, subsequent user plane services for the UP tunnel group are received.

2. The first network device according to claim 1, wherein the same new UP endpoint address corresponds to the UP endpoint address of a UPE, and wherein sending or receiving the UP service at the same new UP endpoint address is for moving the UP service of the UP tunnel group to a different UPE in the UPE set, or to a different UP endpoint of the same UPE, or to a different UPE.

3. The first network device of claim 1, wherein the UP tunnel group to be associated with the same new UP endpoint address is identified by a UP group identifier or by a previous UP endpoint address, which was used for the UP tunnel group before the UP service was moved from the UP tunnel group.

4. The first network device according to claim 3, wherein during the establishment or modification of the UP tunnel of the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, the UP tunnel is associated with a UP group identifier.

5. The first network device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the UP endpoint address is sent to the CPE via a first message requesting takeover of the PDU session group, or a second message responding to the request to take over the PDU session group.

6. The first network device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the UP tunnel group corresponds to the UP tunnel of multiple PDU sessions, the UP services of the multiple PDU sessions are sent or received at the same UP endpoint address, and the UP services can be moved together to different UP endpoint addresses at any time.

7. The first network device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the UP endpoint address corresponds to the destination Internet Protocol (IP) address of the UP tunnel.

8. The first network device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the UPE corresponds to a User Plane Function (UPF), a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway User Plane Function (PGW-U), a Serving Gateway User Plane Function (SGW-U), an Access Network User Plane Entity, a gNodeB gNB Control Unit (CU) User Plane UP, an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a User Plane Container Pod, or a combination thereof; and the CPE corresponds to a 6G Session Management Function (SMF), a PDN Gateway Control Plane Function (PGW-C), a Serving Gateway Control Plane Function (SGW-C), an Access Network Control Plane Entity, a gNodeB gNB Control Unit (CU) Control Plane CP, an E-UTRAN, an Operation, Management and Maintenance (OAM) Container Pod, or a combination thereof.

9. A second network device for communication, comprising a first control plane entity (CPE), the second network device including: At least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second network device to at least: Send a request to or receive a request from the second CPE, the request being to send user plane services of the UP tunnel group to the same new remote user plane UP endpoint address.

10. The second network device of claim 9, wherein the second network device sends a first request to a second CPE, and wherein the second network device is further configured to: Receive the same new UP endpoint address to be used in the UP tunnel group from the first network device including the first UPE; or A second request is sent to a first network device including a first UPE, the second request being used to send the UP service of the UP tunnel group to the same new UP endpoint address.

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