Network function resource management strategy for SBI

Abstract

An apparatus is configured to: receive a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies; provide the one or more data management strategies; receive a second indication of at least

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The example and non-limiting embodiments relate generally to network communication and, more particularly, to data exchange in a network framework. BACKGROUND

[0002] It is known, in network communication, to compress a complete serviced based interface (SBI) message. SUMMARY

[0003] The following summary is merely intended to be illustrative. The summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claims .

[0004] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; provide the one or more data management strategies to the database; receive a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and transmit, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[0005] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus comprising: means for: receiving a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; providing the one or more data management strategies to the database; receiving a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and transmitting, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[0006] In accordance with one aspect, a method comprising: receiving, with a network function, a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; providing the one or more data management strategies to the database; receiving a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and transmitting, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[0007] In accordance with one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing receiving, with a network function, of a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; causing providing of the one or more data management strategies to the database; causing receiving of a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and causing transmitting, to the network function consumer, of an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[0008] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: transmit, to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; receive, from the database, information with respect to the network function; determine whether there is at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: transmit, to the network function, an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and receive, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[0009] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus comprising means for: transmitting, to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; receiving, from the database, information with respect to the network function; determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: transmitting, to the network function, an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and receiving, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[0010] In accordance with one aspect, a method comprising: transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; receiving, from the database, information with respect to the network function; determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: transmitting, to the network function, an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and receiving, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[0011] In accordance with one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, of a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; causing receiving, from the database, of information with respect to the network function; determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: causing transmitting, to the network function, of an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and causing receiving, from the network function, of an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[0012] According to some aspects, there is provided the subject matter of the independent claims. Some further aspects are defined in the dependent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 5

[0013] The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one possible and nonlimiting example system in which the example embodiments may be 10 practiced;

[0015] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating features as described herein;

[0016] herein; FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating steps as described 15

[0017] herein; FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating steps as described

[0018] herein; FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating steps as described 20

[0019] FIG. 6, including FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, is illustrating steps as described herein; a flowchart

[0020] herein; FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating steps as described

[0021] herein; FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating steps as described

[0022] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating steps as described herein; and

[0023] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating steps as described herein. 5 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0024] The following abbreviations that may be found in the specification and / or the drawing figures are defined as follows: 3 GPP 5G third generation partnership project fifth generation 10 5GC 5G core network AF application function AI artificial intelligence A-IoT ambient Internet of Things AMF access and mobility management function 15 API application programming interface APN access point name AS application server AUSF authentication server function CAMEL customized applications for mobile network enhanced logic 20 CPU central processing unit cRAN cloud radio access network CRM customer relationship management J. call session control function cu central unit 25 DB database DNN data network name DU distributed unit eMTC enhanced machine-type communication eNB (or eNodeB) evolved Node B (e.g., an LTE base station) EN-DC E-UTRA-NR dual connectivity en-gNB or En-gNB node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol 5 terminations towards the UE, and acting as secondary node in EN- DC E-UTRA evolved universal terrestrial radio access, i.e., the LTE radio access technology gNB (or gNodeB) base station for 5G / NR, i.e., a node providing NR user plane and 10 control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and connected via the NG interface to the 5GC HPLMN home public land mobile network HSS home subscriber server I / F interface 15 iFC initial filter criteria IMPI intelligent platform management interface IMS IP multimedia subsystem loT Internet of Things JSON JavaScript Object Notation 20 LI layer 1 LTE long term evolution MAC medium access control ML machine learning MME mobility management entity 25 MMTEL multimedia telephony service multi-SIM multiple subscriber identity module NEF network exposure function NF network function ng or NG new generation 30 ng-eNB or NG-eNB new generation eNB NN neural network NR new radio NRF network repository function N / WorNW network 5 OAM operations, administration and maintenance ODB operator determined barring O-RAN open radio access network PDCP packet data convergence protocol PHY physical layer 10 RAN radio access network RedCap reduced capability RF radio frequency RLC radio link control RRC radio resource control 15 RRH remote radio head RS reference signal RU radio unit Rx receiver SBA service-based architecture 20 SBI service based interface SCP service communication proxy SCEF Service Capability Exposure Function SDAP service data adaptation protocol SGW serving gateway 25 SMF session management function TAS telephone application server Tx transmitter UDF user defined function UDM unified data management 30 UDR unified data repository UDSF UE unstructured data storage function user equipment (e.g., a wireless, typically mobile device) UPF user plane function URI uniform resource identifier VNR virtualized network function

[0025] Turning to FIG. 1, this figure shows a block diagram of one possible and non-limiting example in which the examples may be practiced. A user equipment (UE) 110, radio access network (RAN) node 170, and network element (s) 190 are illustrated. In the example of FIG. 1, the user equipment (UE) 110 is in wireless communication with a wireless network 100. A UE is a wireless device that can access the wireless network 100. The UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected through one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver, Rx, 132 and a transmitter, Tx, 133. The one or more buses 127 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics or other optical communication equipment, and the like. A "circuit" may include dedicated hardware or hardware in association with software executable thereon. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The UE 110 includes a module 140, comprising one of or both parts 140-1 and / or 140-2, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The module 140 may be implemented in hardware as module 140-1, such as being implemented as part of the one or more processors 120. The module 140-1 may be implemented also as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 140 may be implemented as module 140-2, which is implemented as computer program code 123 and is executed by the one or more processors 120. For instance, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123 may be configured to, with the one or more processors 120, cause the user equipment 110 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. The UE 110 communicates with RAN node 170 via a wireless link 111.

[0026] The RAN node 170 in this example is a base station that provides access by wireless devices such as the UE 110 to the wireless network 100. The RAN node 170 may be, for example, a base station for 5G, also called New Radio (NR). In 5G, the RAN node 170 may be a NG-RAN node, which is defined as either a gNB or a ng-eNB. A gNB is a node providing NR user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and connected via the NG interface to a 5GC (such as, for example, the network element (s) 190) . The ng-eNB is a node providing E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE, and connected via the NG interface to the 5GC. The NG-RAN node may include multiple gNBs, which may also include a central unit (CU) (gNB-CU) 196 and distributed unit(s) (DUs) (gNB-DUs), of which DU 195 is shown. Note that the DU may include or be coupled to and control a radio unit (RU) . The gNB-CU is a logical node hosting RRC, SDAP and PDCP protocols of the gNB or RRC and PDCP protocols of the en-gNB that controls the operation of one or more gNB-DUs. The gNB-CU terminates the Fl interface connected with the gNB-DU. The Fl interface is illustrated as reference 198, although reference 198 also illustrates a link between remote elements of the RAN node 170 and centralized elements of the RAN node 170, such as between 10 the gNB-CU 196 and the gNB-DU 195. The gNB-DU is a logical node hosting RLC, MAC and PHY layers of the gNB or en-gNB, and its operation is partly controlled by gNB-CU. One gNB-CU supports one or multiple cells. One cell is supported by only one gNB-DU. The gNB-DU terminates the Fl interface 198 connected with the gNB-CU. Note that the DU 195 is considered to include the transceiver 160, e.g., as part of a RU, but some examples of this may have the transceiver 160 as part of a separate RU, e.g., under control of and connected to the DU 195. The RAN node 170 may also be an eNB (evolved NodeB) base station, for LTE (long term evolution), or any other suitable base station, access point, access node, or node .

[0027] The RAN node 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / W I / F(s)) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected through one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver, Rx, 162 and a transmitter, Tx, 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158 . The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The CU 196 may include the processor(s) 152, memories 155, and network interfaces 161. Note that the DU 195 may also contain its own memory / memories and processor (s), and / or other hardware, but these are not shown.

[0028] The RAN node 170 includes a module 150, comprising one of or both parts 150-1 and / or 150-2, which may be implemented in a number of ways. The module 150 may be implemented in hardware as module 150-1, such as being implemented as part of the one or more processors 152. The module 150-1 may be implemented also as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the module 150 may be implemented as module 150-2, which is implemented as computer program code 153 and is executed by the one or more processors 152. For instance, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 are configured to, with the one or more processors 152, cause the RAN node 170 to perform one or more of the operations as described herein. Note that the functionality of the module 150 may be distributed, such as being distributed between the DU 195 and the CU 196, or be implemented solely in the DU 195.

[0029] The one or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network such as via the links 176 and 131. Two or more gNBs 170 may communicate using, e.g., link 176. The link 176 may be wired or wireless or both and may implement, for example, an Xn interface for 5G, an X2 interface for LTE, or other suitable interface for other standards.

[0030] The one or more buses 157 may be address, data, or control buses, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, fiber optics or other optical communication equipment, wireless channels, and the like. For example, the one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195 for LTE or a distributed unit (DU) 195 for gNB implementation for 5G, with the other elements of the RAN node 170 possibly being physically in a different location from the RRH / DU, and the one or more buses 157 could be implemented in part as, for example, fiber optic cable or other suitable network connection to connect the other elements (e.g., a central unit (CU) , gNB-CU) of the RAN node 170 to the RRH / DU 195. Reference 198 also indicates those suitable network link(s) .

[0031] It is noted that description herein indicates that "cells" perform functions, but it should be clear that equipment which forms the cell will perform the functions. The cell makes up part of a base station. That is, there can be multiple cells per base station. For example, there could be three cells for a single carrier frequency and associated bandwidth, each cell covering one-third of a 360 degree area so that the single base station's coverage area covers an approximate oval or circle. Furthermore, each cell can correspond to a single carrier and a base station may use multiple carriers. So if there are three 120 degree cells per carrier and two carriers, then the base station has a total of 6 cells .

[0032] The wireless network 100 may include a network element or elements 190 that may include core network functionality, and which provides connectivity via a link or links 181 with a further network, such as a telephone network and / or a data communications network (e.g., the Internet). Such core network functionality for 5G may include access and mobility management function(s) (AMF(s)) and / or user plane functions (UPF(s)) and / or session management function(s) (SMF(s)). Such core network functionality for LTE may include MME (Mobility Management Entity) / SGW (Serving Gateway) functionality. These are merely illustrative functions that may be supported by the network element(s) 190, and note that both 5G and LTE functions might be supported. The RAN node 170 is coupled via a link 131 to a network element 190. The link 131 may be implemented as, e.g., an NG interface for 5G, or an SI interface for LTE, or other suitable interface for other standards. The network element 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / W I / F(s)) 180, interconnected through one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and the computer program code 173 are configured to, with the one or more processors 175, cause the network element 190 to perform one or more operations.

[0033] The wireless network 100 may implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functionality into a single, software-based administrative entity, a virtual network. Network virtualization involves platform virtualization, often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization is categorized as either external, combining many networks, or parts of networks, into a virtual unit, or internal, providing networklike functionality to software containers on a single system. For example, a network may be deployed in a tele cloud, with virtualized network functions (VNF) running on, for example, data center servers. For example, network core functions and / or radio access network(s) (e.g. CloudRAN, O-RAN, edge cloud) may be virtualized. Note that the virtualized entities that result from the network virtualization are still implemented, at some level, using hardware such as processors 152 or 175 and memories 155 and 171, and also such virtualized entities create technical effects.

[0034] It may also be noted that operations of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be carried out by a plurality of cooperating devices (e.g. cRAN).

[0035] The computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory and removable memory. The computer readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be means for performing storage functions. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be of any type suitable to the local technical environment, and may include one or more of general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs) and processors based on a multicore processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be means for performing functions, such as controlling the UE 110, RAN node 170, and other functions as described herein.

[0036] In general, the various example embodiments of the user equipment 110 can include, but are not limited to, cellular telephones such as smart phones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) having wireless communication capabilities, portable computers having wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras having wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices having wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback appliances having wireless communication capabilities, Internet appliances permitting wireless Internet access and browsing, tablets with wireless communication capabilities, as well as portable units or terminals that incorporate combinations of such functions.

[0037] Having thus introduced one suitable but non-limiting technical context for the practice of the example embodiments of the present disclosure, example embodiments will now be described with greater specificity.

[0038] Features as described herein may generally relate to data exchange. For example, the 5G network, as part of the service based architecture (SBA) capabilities, has seen an increase in large payload information being exchanged between network elements. This increased data flow may lead to inefficiencies in data exchange, and may put a lot of load(s), or strain, on the network infrastructure. Some part of this challenge is resolved using shared data sets; however, this is only useful in cases where the data is shared among multiple subscribers. For cases where the data is unique for some or all of the subscribers, this method does not suffice.

[0039] This problem is magnified in the case of repository data handling in elMS interfaces. The repository data is a blob of data stored in the home subscriber server (HSS) and retrieved by the application server (AS) . The repository data is usually unique per subscriber and is typically large. Exchanging this information is highly inefficient in the uncompressed format. However, exchanging a compressed version of the whole message may put unnecessary load on the NFs, especially the intermediary ones like service communication proxy (SCP).

[0040] Larger parts of signaling data may include: NFProfile of NRF; repository data / sets; list of data network names (DNNs); list of subscription data; data sets; application programing interfaces (APIs) exposed by NF (e.g. for insights); and / or global initial filter criteria (iFC) and for cases where shared iFC is not supported.

[0041] Features as described herein may generally relate to data aware handling, and negotiation between network functions (NFs) at a more granular resource level. With data management strategies included in service based interface (SBI) payloads, the NFs may be able to agree to compress or encode data at a resource level, allowing for more efficient exchange of data.

[0042] Data management strategies may address the volume of information exchanged in network communication. A data management strategy may be data encoding or compression. A data management strategy may be represented as an algorithm, and such algorithm may be represented as a resource in a database, for example a central repository.

[0043] Compression is one use case; there may be other data management strategies, such as encoding the data part using a specific hash code and only sending that encoded part in subsequent responses, if not changed. This may have the technical effect of improving the SBI efficiency in terms of data management, for example by saving bandwidth and / or additional processing.

[0044] Compression of the bulky part of a message may have the technical effect of saving on transport overhead in the network in a scenario where there are multiple resources queries, for cases where some resources may be bigger compared to others. For example, some parts of data that may be very large include: NFProfile from NRF, DNN lists, list of subscription data, etc.

[0045] A technical effect of selective compression may be allowing the majority of a message to be compressed, while leaving selective headers, like the ones used for routing, uncompressed. This may eliminate the need, for every intermediate NF, to decrypt the entire message; rather, intermediate NFs may only need to perform selective decrypting. Even if the complete headers are 17 encrypted, the NFs may decrypt only the items that they need, and may avoid decompression of the entire message.

[0046] In case of a consumer and producer model, selective encryption and decryption may become even more important, as the SCP may have to make various routing decisions based on various headers; having to decompress all the headers would put a lot of stress on the SCP. With application of an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the SCP may selectively decompress headers, or may ask for specific headers to be left uncompressed, for example so that it can make easier routing decisions. The SCP may also use its ability to do the selection of the target NFs based on the encoding rules that are used in the message. The SCP may also extend to translate the encoding, if that functionality is built into the SCP.

[0047] Another example of a data management strategy may be compression of the bulky part of a payload, for example big blob data sets. Another example of a data management strategy may be compression of restoration data of several intelligent platform management interfaces (IMPIs) for multiple subscriber identity module (multi-SIM) registration cases. Another example of a data management strategy may be compression of access point name (APN) sets that are sent to peer NFs. Another example of a data management strategy may be compression of subscription data for several monitoring events configured by the network exposure function (NEF). Another example of a data management strategy may be compression of data sets or data maps that are bulkier than other data in the JSON payload of SBI. Another example of a data management strategy may be encoding the data sets and data maps to a hash code and using this code for subsequent transmission of same data due to signaling from the same peer. Another example of a data management strategy may be getting the address of an impacted UE-ID list stored in a unified data repository (UDR) and / or an unstructured data storage function (UDSF) from a NRF to executed certain business logic, for example auto provisioning or applying shared data. Another example of a data management strategy may be configuring the transaction processing strategy (ies) to assist the business logic of a producer, and indication of such strategy(ies).

[0048] In the present disclosure, the term "payload" may refer to, for example, a 5G SBI signaling payload, an 0AM payload, a network function insights payload, etc. Other types of payloads may be possible.

[0049] A data management strategy or algorithm may be a procedure that is applied during handling of information that is transmitted and received as part of network communications. The data management strategy may comprise a decision as to which part of a message / payload is to be processed with an algorithm, and / or a decision as to how much of a message / payload is to be processed with the algorithm. The data management strategy may define the algorithm that is to be applied. For example, a data management strategy may include an indication to register and / or deregister capabilities in NRF and / or signaling messages.

[0050] In an example embodiment, registering may be performed in an NRF to store one or more data management strategies. In an example embodiment, stored data management strategy (ies) may be discovered. In an example embodiment, the use / selection of data management strategy (ies) may be negotiated, for example using headers. In an example embodiment, a negotiated data management strategy may be applied. In an example embodiment, data management strategies may be stored in a data repository, a database, a central repository, an NRF, a UDR, a user defined function (UDF), etc .

[0051] In an example embodiment, the data management strategy may be configured / exposed / provided in / to the network repository function (NRF) . In an example embodiment, the data management strategy of a NF may be updated into a central repository, such as NRF. In an example embodiment, an application function (AF) and / or an operations, administration and maintenance (0AM) may configure the unified data management (UDM) for the registered data management strategy (ies) .

[0052] In an example embodiment, the data management strategy may be indicated in a service based interface (SBI) message(s). In an example embodiment, the data management strategy may be indicated using standard headers. In an example embodiment, a NF consumer may discover and evaluate the strategies supported by the UDM, and may verify that it supports the same strategies / algorithms and / or versions.

[0053] In an example embodiment, the data management strategy may be negotiated between SBA producer(s) and SBA consumer(s). In an example embodiment, the index of the negotiated data management strategy may be received from, for example, a UDM-S.

[0054] In an example embodiment, a negotiated data management strategy may be used to compress the bulk attribute value present in a SBI payload, for example some part of the JSON body, but not the entire message. In an example embodiment, a compressed repository data list may be returned to the application server.

[0055] In the present disclosure, the term "negotiate" is used to describe the process of a consumer matching / comparing the list of producer-supported strategies with its own list of supported strategies, and then indicating, in a message to the producer, which strategies the producer should / must use in subsequent communication with the consumer.

[0056] Entire message compression may cause a performance impact on both the SBA producer and the SBA consumer. Entire message compression may also cause an increase in resource demand on a network function (NF) in case of a high signaling load, signaling overload, and / or a storm; accordingly, entire message compression may not be a feasible or practicable option. Compression of the complete SBI message is possible, but, previously, compression of only part of the message was not possible. A technical effect of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be to enable negotiation of compression of a specific part of a message / payload.

[0057] In the present disclosure, the term "producer" is used to refer to an SBA producer, an SBI producer, a NF producer, etc. In the present disclosure, the term "consumer" is used to refer to an SBA consumer, an SBI consumer, a NF consumer, etc.

[0058] Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated is an example of system components of a NF service having data management and strategies modules and / or storage. A unified data management (UDM) + HSS service (214) may comprise a dispatcher (216), which may communicate with a UDR / UDSF (202), a NRF (204), an AMF (206), an authentication server function (AUSF) (208), a telephone application server (TAS) (210), and / or a call session control function (CSCF) (212) . The dispatcher (216) may provide communication from one or more external modules and / or functions to a transaction processing module (224), which may use a data management module (220), which may in turn apply the negotiated data management strategies. The provisioning module (218), the data management module (220), and / or the repository of strategies for handling the data / resources (222) may provide information to the transaction processing module (224) .

[0059] In the example of FIG. 2, the UDM+HSS service (214) may be considered an NF consumer and / or an NF service, while the AMF (206) may be considered a NF producer.

[0060] In the following disclosure, the example of payload data compression of a specific part of a payload may be used. However, this example is not limiting; other examples of data management strategies, as well as other contexts in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced, are possible.

[0061] Referring now to FIG. 3, illustrated is an example of an exchange between an IP multimedia subsystem application server (IMS-AS) (310) and a HSS (320) . The IMS-AS (310) may transmit, to the HSS (320), a GET request for repository data (330), for example indications of services. The HSS (320) may transmit, to the IMS-AS (310), a response (340) which may comprise a repository data list, a 404 Not Found message, or a redirect. The RepositoryDataList that may be returned by the HSS (320) in the JSON payload, along with other data in response, may be a bulk resource, and this resource may further increase when more services are introduced, or new service indications are introduced, including custom services.

[0062] Customers have many service indications, some of which are standard compliant, including but not limited to: multimedia telephony (MMTEL) services, operator determined barring (ODB), customized applications for mobile network enhanced logic (CAMEL), Custom-Extensions, etc. It is noted that customers may be unwilling to compress such service indications, as it may create / increase serviceability costs, for example customer relationship management (CRM) system cost.

[0063] Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrated is an example of a data management strategy registration phase according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. At 440, the operations, administration and maintenance (0AM) / AF (410) may configure, through NEF, the UDM-S (420) for / with a data management strategy. For example, the data management strategy may be to compress the resource if the data size exceeds 10 KB using a high performance compression algorithm. At 450, the UDM-S (420) may update this information, for example an NF profile (e.g. supported features in NF profile) and / or NF registration data, into the NRF (430). At 460, the NRF (430) may accept the NF registration and send a 200 OK message to the OAM / AF (410), at 470.

[0064] Referring now to FIG. 5, illustrated is an example of the data management strategy discovery phase according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. At 540, the NF consumer (510) (e.g. application server) may query the NRF (520) to search the UDM-S (530), which may be storing special data management strategies (e.g. data management strategies that may be negotiated for application to specific part(s) of a payload). In other words, the NF consumer (510) may request capabilities and / or profiles of an NF producer. At 550, the NRF (520) may send, to the NF consumer (510), NF service registration data of the UDM-S that includes what algorithms related to data management strategy and transaction processing capabilities are present at the UDM-S (530). The NF service registration data may include a mapping of indices to data management strategies. Additionally or alternatively, the NF service registration data may include an identifier of the UDM / producer. At 560, the NF consumer (510) may evaluate the data management strategies supported by UDM-S (530) and verify that it supports the same strategies / algorithms and versions, and may indicate this in a header, for example the following special header: X-DataManagment-Strategies encoding=utf-8", "[1] rule {"[0] =R1, comp=zlibc, ue ids " / udsf / resources / ap / supi-list"}

[0065] It may be noted that this X-DataManagment-Strategies header may also be modelled as a resource in the NF-Profile stored in the NRF (520) that depicts the complete data management strategy of the producer (530), and then the NF consumer (510) may produce the resource uniform resource identifier (URI) as the value in this header. The NF consumer may resolve to get the producer's data management strategies.

[0066] At 570, the UDM-S (530) may understand this new header and send back the negotiated index. For this example, the UDM-S (530) may send X-DataManagment-Strategies = {”[0]"} as the index of the negotiated data management strategy.

[0067] Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrated is an example of the data management strategy application phase, and notification to AS when another AS or CRM changes the repository data, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 has been split into FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B due to the size of the figure; there is some overlap between FIGs. 6A and 6B. FIG. 6A includes a diagram 600 illustrating the overlap between FIGs. 6A and 6B with two dotted lines .

[0068] It should be noted that FIG. 6B includes IMS-AS-2 (650), which is not included in FIG. 6A. In the example of FIG. 6, the IMS-AS-1 (602) may cause a change to repository data. As a result the IMS-AS-2 (650) may be notified as to the change in repository data, for example in FIG. 6B.

[0069] When both IMS-AS and HSS negotiates on the data management strategy, for example a compression algorithm for the Repository Data List resource as in FIG. 6, the GET / SUBSRIBE / UPDATE / NOTIFY messages may use the negotiated compression. In the example of FIG. 6, the dotted lines depict call flow separation; the GET / SUBSRIBE / UPDATE / NOTIFY flows are separated with the dotted lines .

[0070] If any AS does not indicate support of such data management strategy in NRF, or in signaling message(s), there may be the technical effect of the HSS handling the resource transmission sub-optimally, which may result in more bandwidth consumption, which may further lead to fragmentation and retransmission chains, which may lead to (negative) service impacts .

[0071] At 610, the AF / customer relationship management (CRM) module (608) may transmit, to the UDR (606), an indication to create a subscriber with individual repository data compression. At 612, the UDR (606) may transmit, to the AF / CRM (608), a create success indication. At 614, the IMS-AS-1 (602) may transmit, to the HSS (604), a GET request for multiple repository data lists. At 616, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the UDR (606), a DB read request to get a subscriber profile. At 618, the UDR (606) may transmit, to the HSS (604), a DB read response, which may include a subscriber profile. At 620, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the IMS-AS-1 (602), a 200 OK message with a compressed repository data list. The repository list, individual data (e.g. repository data), and / or set data (e.g. repository data set) may be compressed as a result of (i.e. using) the negotiated data management strategy.

[0072] At 622, the IMS-AS-1 (602) may transmit, to the HSS (604), a subscribe request for multiple repository data lists for repository data changes, and may receive an immediate report in response to the request (e.g. comprising multiple repository data sets) . At 624, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the UDR (606), a DB read request to get a subscriber profile. At 626, the UDR (606) may transmit, to the HSS (604), a DB read response {sub. Profile}. At 628, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the UDR (606), a DB write request to update subscription data. At 630, the UDR (606) may transmit, to the HSS (604), a DB update response, which in this example indicates success. At 632, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the IMS-AS-1 (602), a 200 OK response with compressed repository data list.

[0073] At 634, the IMS-AS-1 (602) may transmit, to the HSS (604), an updated compressed repository data list resource. The updated repository data list resource, individual data (e.g. repository data), and / or set data (e.g. repository data set) may be compressed as a result of the negotiated data management strategy, for example as applied by the consumer. At 636, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the UDF (606), a DB read request to get subscriber profile. At 638, the UDR (606) may transmit, to the HSS (604), a DB read response, which may include a subscriber profile. At 640, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the UDR (606), a DB write request after decompressing the repository data list resource. At 642, the UDR (606) may transmit, to the HSS (604), a DB update response, which in this example indicates success. At 644, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the IMS-AS-1 (602), a 200 OK message.

[0074] At 652, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the IMS-AS-2 (650), a NOTIFY compressed repository data list resource. At 654, the IMS-AS-2 (650) may transmit, to the HSS (604), a 200 OK message.

[0075] At 658, the AF / CRM (608) may transmit, to the UDR (606), an update subscribe profile message to change an individual repository data point to a service indication. At 658, the UDR (606) may transmit, to the AF / CRM (608), an update success message. At 660, the UDR (606) may transmit, to the HSS (604), a notification of repository data change. At 662, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the UDR (606), a DB read request to get subscriber profile. At 664, the UDR (606) may transmit, to the HSS, a DB read response, which may include a subscriber profile. At 666, the HSS (604) may transmit, to the IMS-AS-2 (650), a NOTIFY compressed repository data list resource. At 668, the IMS-AS-2 (650) may transmit, to the HSS (604), a 200 OK message.

[0076] Referring now to FIG. 7, illustrated is an example of handling of the producer at a high level. In the example of FIG. 7, the producer may register in NRF (or provide to the NRF) to store the data management strategy (see, e.g., FIG. 4). At 710, the producer may start the procedure. At 720, the producer may receive a message from the OAM / AF to configure / provide the data management strategies into NRF. At 730, the producer may, in the NF profile, publish / provide the data management strategy resource. For example, supported compression algorithm(s), encoding algorithm(s), feature execution rule(s) on a sparse UE-IDs located as resource in the UDSF / UDR, etc. may be published. In other words, at 730, the producer may generate the NF profile including the data management strategies. At 740, the producer may register the NF profile into the NRF. At 7 50, the producer may end the procedure .

[0077] Referring now to FIG. 8, illustrated is an example of handling of the consumer at a high level. In the example of FIG. 8, the consumer may discover a data management strategy, and negotiate the data management strategy (see, e.g., FIG. 5). At 810, the consumer may start the procedure. At 820, the consumer may discover the NF that can execute the data management strategies from the NRF. At 830, the consumer may determine whether the producer is found. If the producer is found, at 840 the consumer may determine whether any common data management strategies are found. If the producer is not found, at 870 the consumer may perform default handling, for example processing without a specific and / or negotiated data management strategy. Additionally or alternatively, default handling may involve applying a data management strategy that is not the result of negotiation (i.e. a unilaterally determined data management strategy), or may involve 28 not applying a data management strategy. Additionally or alternatively, default handling may involve processing data in a payload without using a negotiated data management strategy.

[0078] If a common data management strategy (ies) is found, at 850 the consumer may send a signaling message with X-DataManagement-Strategies as a header or resource URI that may be resolved by the producer to determine the common strategy(ies), for example for signaling message processing or using supported features. If a common data management strategy is not found, at 870 the consumer may perform default handling.

[0079] After sending the signaling message with X-DataManagement-Strategies as a header or resource URI at 850, or performing default handling at 870, at 860 the consumer may determine that the message processing strategy negotiation is complete .

[0080] Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in the 3GPP framework, and / or to future frameworks. Example embodiments of the present disclosure may apply to data management strategies including, but not limited to, compression, encoding, representing the hash code of the compressed bulky resource in subsequent messages if the data has not changed, etc.

[0081] To apply the rules mapped for a subset of UE-IDs, or only impacted UE-IDs, for example, auto provisioning rule on sparse UE-IDs that cannot be generalized with Regex or ranges, identifying such resource location, and applying the processing rule to such IDs by distributed NFs may be performed. There may be extended use cases using such framework.

[0082] Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in the context of encryption. "Encryption" may be considered a technique for encoding a message so that it cannot be accessed by unauthorized entities. In an example embodiment, a data management strategy that is registered at the NRF may comprise an encoding strategy, an encoding algorithm, an encryption algorithm, etc. The data management strategy may include a decision as to which part of a message / payload is to be encrypted, and / or how much of a message / payload is to be encrypted. In an example embodiment, the negotiation may comprise a decision as to how data is to be encoded and / or encrypted for transmission between entities. The same strategies may apply to encryption of a certain critical part(s) of a payload(s) that needs to be secured, instead of complete message encryption, between producer and consumers, as described in the present disclosure.

[0083] In an example embodiment, a negotiated data management strategy may be used to manipulate data (e.g. repository data, data sets with large data, etc.) for a roaming or HPLMN case. A technical effect of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be to cause the compression to become a run time decision for the consumer, rather than a provisioning time decision, which may allow flexibility in various ways. For example, if there are multiple consumers or multiple versions of consumers who may or may not support compression, the consumers may be able to co-work with this approach (i.e. some consumers may perform compression with a negotiated data management strategy, while other consumers may not) . This may be applicable, for example, for repository data .

[0084] Negotiation of a data management strategy, and indication of capability to operate according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, may be considered a functionality of a producer and / or a consumer.

[0085] A technical effect of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be to enable handling of any big attribute value, for example: repository data, restoration data, data sets, data maps that are part of SBI payload, etc. For example, the handling may comprise compression of the big attribute value(s) with negotiated algorithms.

[0086] A technical effect of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be to optimize data exchange efficiency by compressing an entire message that could potentially burden the NFs with unnecessary load.

[0087] A technical effect of example embodiments of the present disclosure may be to enable management and negotiation of data between NFs at a granular resource level.

[0088] Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable in the context of artificial intelligence (AI) and / or machine learning (ML). An AI / ML model(s) may be located with each of a UE and a base station (e.g. split between multiple nodes, or a separate model at each node). Alternatively, an AI / ML model may be located with one of a UE or a base station. In the case of network data analytics function (NWDAF) under the SBI framework, a network side AI / ML model, a UE side AI / ML model, or a two-sided AI / ML model may perform one or more functions according to example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0089] An example of an AI / ML model is a neural network. A neural network (NN) is a computation graph consisting of two or more layers of computation. Each layer may consist of one or more units, where each unit may perform an elementary computation. A unit may be connected to one or more other units, and the connection may have a weight associated with it. The weight may be used for scaling the signal passing through the associated connection. Weights may be learnable parameters, i.e., values which can be learned from training data. There may be other learnable parameters, such as those of batch-normalization layers.

[0090] Two of the most widely used architectures for neural networks are feed-forward and recurrent architectures. Feedforward neural networks do not comprise a feedback loop; each layer takes input from one or more of the previous layers and provides output, which is used as the input for one or more of the subsequent layers. Units within a layer take input from unit(s) in one or more preceding layers, and provide output to unit(s) of one or more following layers .

[0091] Initial layers, i.e. layers close to the input data, extract semantically low-level features from received data, and intermediate and final layers extract more high-level features. After the feature extraction layers there may be one or more layers performing a certain task, such as classification, semantic segmentation, object detection, denoising, style transfer, superresolution, etc. In recurrent neural networks, there is a feedback loop, so that the network becomes stateful, i.e., it is able to memorize or retain information or a state.

[0092] Neural networks may be utilized in an ever increasing number of applications for many different types of device, such as mobile phones, as described above. Examples of applications may include image and video analysis and processing, social media data analysis, device usage data analysis, etc.

[0093] Neural networks, and other machine learning tools, may be able to learn properties from input data, either in a supervised way or in an unsupervised way. Such learning may be the result of a training algorithm, or of a meta-level neural network providing a training signal.

[0094] Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be applicable in the context of Internet of Things (loT) devices and / or ambient loT (a-IoT) devices. For example, in the NEF / SCEF scenario, signaling messages like Monitoring Events Subscriptions and Reports and Group loT Data reports may be used; in such scenarios loT devices may perform one or more functions according to example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0095] Regarding loT applications, 3GPP has specified NB-loT / eMTC and NR RedCap before R18 to satisfy the requirements on low cost and low power devices for wide area loT communication. These loT devices usually consume tens or hundreds of milliwatts power during transceiving (i.e. transmitting and / or receiving), while the cost is a few dollars. However, to achieve the internet of everything, loT devices with ten or even a hundred times lower cost and power consumption are needed, especially for a large number of applications requiring battery-less devices.

[0096] Ambient loT devices may be described as low power devices, low cost devices, and / or as devices with limited functionality / processing capability. An example of an ambient loT (A-IoT) device is a passive radio, which may harness energy from wireless signals sent on specific carriers and / or bandwidths and charge a simple circuitry that, once activated, may emit / reflect a signal, which may encode at least the ID of the passive radio. Other examples of A-IoT devices include semi-passive devices, battery-less devices, and low cost simplified mobile devices. A-loT devices may be used, for example, for indoor / outdoor positioning.

[0097] FIG. 9 illustrates the potential steps of an example method 900. The example method 900 may include: receiving a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database, 910; providing the one or more data management strategies to the database, 920; receiving a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports, 930; and transmitting, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication, 940. The example method 900 may be performed, for example, with a network function, a network entity, a producer, a NF producer, an SBA producer, a SBI producer, etc.

[0098] FIG. 10 illustrates the potential steps of an example method 1000. The example method 1000 may include: transmitting, to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies, 1010; receiving, from the database, information with respect to the network function, 1020; determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that a network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information, 1030; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: transmitting, to the network function, an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy, 1040; and receiving, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy, 1050. Optionally, the example method 1000 may include: in response to a determination that there is not at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support, process data in a payload of a service based interface message without using a negotiated data management strategy, 1045. Optionally, the example method 1000 may include: in response to a determination that the network function that can execute one or more data management strategies does not exist, process data in a payload of a service based interface message without using a negotiated data management strategy, 1025. The example method 1000 may be performed, for example, with a network function, a network entity, a consumer, a NF consumer, an SBA consumer, a SBI consumer, etc.

[0099] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; provide the one or more data management strategies to the database; receive a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and transmit, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[00100] The first indication may be received from an operations, administration and maintenance application function.

[00101] The database may comprise a network repository function.

[00102] Receiving the second indication may comprise the example apparatus being further configured to: receive a header, wherein the header comprises, at least, the second indication.

[00103] The one or more data management strategies may comprise at least one of: an indication of a data set, an indication of a group subscription, an indication of a group monitoring configuration, an indication of a group monitoring report data, a strategy for performing compression of at least part of a payload, a strategy for performing encoding of the at least part of the payload, a strategy for compression of restoration data for a plurality of intelligent platform management interfaces, a strategy for compression of one or more access point name sets that are configured to be sent to one or more peer network functions, a strategy for compression of subscription data for a plurality of monitoring events configured with a network exposure function, a strategy for compression of at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message, a strategy for encoding of data to a hash code and using the hash code, a strategy for obtaining an address of user equipment identification list, or a strategy for configuring at least one transaction processing strategy.

[00104] Providing the one or more data management strategies may comprise the example apparatus being further configured to: include the one or more data management strategies in a network function profile; and provide the network function profile.

[00105] The network function profile may comprise, at least, respective uniform resource identifiers for the one or more data management strategies.

[00106] The second indication of the at least one data management strategy the network function consumer supports may comprise, at least, a uniform resource identifier of the respective uniform resource identifiers.

[00107] In accordance with one aspect, an example method may be provided comprising: receiving, with a network function, a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; providing the one or more data management strategies to the database; receiving a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and transmitting, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[00108] The first indication may be received from an operations, administration and maintenance application function.

[00109] The database may comprise a network repository function.

[00110] The receiving of the second indication may comprise: receiving a header, wherein the header may comprise, at least, the second indication.

[00111] The one or more data management strategies may comprise at least one of: an indication of a data set, an indication of a group subscription, an indication of a group monitoring configuration, an indication of a group monitoring report data, a strategy for performing compression of at least part of a payload, 37 a strategy for performing encoding of the at least part of the payload, a strategy for compression of restoration data for a plurality of intelligent platform management interfaces, a strategy for compression of one or more access point name sets that are configured to be sent to one or more peer network functions, a strategy for compression of subscription data for a plurality of monitoring events configured with a network exposure function, a strategy for compression of at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message, a strategy for encoding of data to a hash code and using the hash code, a strategy for obtaining an address of user equipment identification list, or a strategy for configuring at least one transaction processing strategy.

[00112] The providing of the one or more data management strategies may comprise: including the one or more data management strategies in a network function profile; and providing the network function profile.

[00113] The network function profile may comprise, at least, respective uniform resource identifiers for the one or more data management strategies.

[00114] The second indication of the at least one data management strategy the network function consumer supports may comprise, at least, a uniform resource identifier of the respective uniform resource identifiers.

[00115] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: circuitry configured to perform: receiving a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; circuitry configured to perform: providing the one or more data management strategies to the database; circuitry configured to perform: receiving a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and circuitry configured to perform: transmitting, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[00116] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: processing circuitry; memory circuitry including computer program code, the memory circuitry and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, enable the apparatus to: receive a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; provide the one or more data management strategies to the database; receive a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and transmit, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[00117] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" or "means" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry) and (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable) : (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit (s) with software / firmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor (s) with software (including digital signal processor (s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions) and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor (s) , such as a microprocessor (s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s) , that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation." This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[00118] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise means for: receiving a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; providing the one or more data management strategies to the database; receiving a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and transmitting, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[00119] The first indication may be received from an operations, administration and maintenance application function.

[00120] The database may comprise a network repository function.

[00121] The means configured for receiving the second indication may comprise means configured for: receiving a header, wherein the header may comprise, at least, the second indication.

[00122] The one or more data management strategies may comprise at least one of: an indication of a data set, an indication of a group subscription, an indication of a group monitoring configuration, an indication of a group monitoring report data, a strategy for performing compression of at least part of a payload, a strategy for performing encoding of the at least part of the payload, a strategy for compression of restoration data for a plurality of intelligent platform management interfaces, a strategy for compression of one or more access point name sets that are configured to be sent to one or more peer network functions, a strategy for compression of subscription data for a plurality of monitoring events configured with a network exposure function, a strategy for compression of at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message, a strategy for encoding of data to a hash code and using the hash code, a strategy for obtaining an address of user equipment identification list, or a strategy for configuring at least one transaction processing strategy.

[00123] The means configured for providing the one or more data management strategies may comprise means configured for: including the one or more data management strategies in a network function profile; and providing the network function profile.

[00124] The network function profile may comprise, at least, respective uniform resource identifiers for the one or more data management strategies.

[00125] The second indication of the at least one data management strategy the network function consumer supports may comprise, at least, a uniform resource identifier of the respective uniform resource identifiers.

[00126] A processor, memory, and / or example algorithms (which may be encoded as instructions, program, or code) may be provided as example means for providing or causing performance of operation.

[00127] In accordance with one example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed with at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: cause receiving, with a network function, of a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; cause providing of the one or more data management strategies to the database; cause receiving of a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and cause transmitting, to the network function consumer, of an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[00128] In accordance with one example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing receiving, with a network function, of a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; causing providing of the one or more data management strategies to the database; causing receiving of a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and causing transmitting, to the network function consumer, of an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[00129] In accordance with another example embodiment, a non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine may be provided, tangibly embodying instructions executable by the machine for performing operations, the operations comprising: causing receiving, with a network function, of a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; causing providing of the one or more data management strategies to the database; causing receiving of a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and causing transmitting, to the network function consumer, of an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication .

[00130] In accordance with another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: causing receiving, with a network function, of a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; causing providing of the one or more data management strategies to the database; causing receiving of a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and causing transmitting, to the network function consumer, of an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[00131] A computer implemented system comprising: at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system at least to perform: causing receiving, with a network function, of a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; causing providing of the one or more data management strategies to the database; causing receiving of a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and causing transmitting, to the network function consumer, of an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[00132] A computer implemented system comprising: means for causing receiving, with a network function, of a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database; means for causing providing of the one or more data management strategies to the database; means for causing receiving of a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; and means for causing transmitting, to the network function consumer, of an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

[00133] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: transmit, to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; receive, from the database, information with respect to the network function; determine whether there is at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: transmit, to the network function, an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and receive, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00134] The database may comprise a network repository function.

[00135] Transmitting the indication of the at least one determined data management strategy may comprise the example apparatus being further configured to: transmit, to the network function, a header, wherein the header may comprise, at least, the indication of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00136] The one or more data management strategies may comprise at least one of: an indication of a data set, an indication of a group subscription, an indication of a group monitoring configuration, an indication of a group monitoring report data, a strategy for performing compression of at least part of a payload, a strategy for performing encoding of the at least part of the payload, a strategy for compression of restoration data for a plurality of intelligent platform management interfaces, a strategy for compression of one or more access point name sets that are configured to be sent to one or more peer network functions, a strategy for compression of subscription data for a plurality of monitoring events configured with a network exposure function, a strategy for compression of at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message, a strategy for encoding of data to a hash code and using the hash code, a strategy for obtaining an address of user equipment identification list, or a strategy for configuring at least one transaction processing strategy.

[00137] The example apparatus may be further configured to: determine the data management strategy associated with the index; and apply the determined data management strategy to at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message.

[00138] The received information may comprise at least one of: an identifier of the network function, an indication of the one or more data management strategies the network function can execute, or a transaction processing capability of the network function.

[00139] The received information comprises a network function profile stored in the database, wherein the network function profile may comprise, at least, respective uniform resource identifiers for the one or more data management strategies the network function can execute.

[00140] The indication of the at least one determined data management strategy may comprise a uniform resource identifier of the respective uniform resource identifiers.

[00141] The example apparatus may be further configured to: in response to a determination that there is not at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support, process data in a payload of a service based interface message without using a negotiated data management strategy.

[00142] The example apparatus may be further configured to: in response to a determination that the network function that can execute one or more data management strategies does not exist, process data in a payload of a service based interface message without using a negotiated data management strategy.

[00143] In accordance with one aspect, an example method may be provided comprising: transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; receiving, from the database, information with respect to the network function; determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: transmitting, to the network function, an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and receiving, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00144] The database may comprise a network repository function.

[00145] The transmitting of the indication of the at least one determined data management strategy may comprise: transmitting, to the network function, a header, wherein the header may comprise, at least, the indication of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00146] The one or more data management strategies may comprise at least one of: an indication of a data set, an indication of a group subscription, an indication of a group monitoring configuration, an indication of a group monitoring report data, a strategy for performing compression of at least part of a payload, a strategy for performing encoding of the at least part of the payload, a strategy for compression of restoration data for a plurality of intelligent platform management interfaces, a strategy for compression of one or more access point name sets that are configured to be sent to one or more peer network functions, a strategy for compression of subscription data for a plurality of monitoring events configured with a network exposure function, a strategy for compression of at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message, a strategy for encoding of data to a hash code and using the hash code, a strategy for obtaining an address of user equipment identification list, or a strategy for configuring at least one transaction processing strategy.

[00147] The example method may further comprise: determining the data management strategy associated with the index; and applying the determined data management strategy to at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message.

[00148] The received information may comprise at least one of: an identifier of the network function, an indication of the one or more data management strategies the network function can execute, or a transaction processing capability of the network function.

[00149] The received information may comprise a network function profile stored in the database, and the network function profile may comprise, at least, respective uniform resource identifiers for the one or more data management strategies the network function can execute.

[00150] The indication of the at least one determined data management strategy may comprise a uniform resource identifier of the respective uniform resource identifiers.

[00151] The example method may further comprise: in response to a determination that there is not at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support, processing data in a payload of a service based interface message without using a negotiated data management strategy.

[00152] The example method may further comprise: in response to a determination that the network function that can execute one or more data management strategies does not exist, processing data in a payload of a service based interface message without using a negotiated data management strategy.

[00153] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: circuitry configured to perform: transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; circuitry configured to perform: receiving, from the database, information with respect to the network function; circuitry configured to perform: determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: circuitry configured to perform: transmitting, to the network function, an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and circuitry configured to perform: receiving, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00154] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise: processing circuitry; memory circuitry including computer program code, the memory circuitry and the computer program code configured to, with the processing circuitry, enable the apparatus to: transmit, to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; receive, from the database, information with respect to the network function; determine whether there is at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: transmit, to the network function, an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and receive, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00155] In accordance with one example embodiment, an apparatus may comprise means for: transmitting, to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; receiving, from the database, information with respect to the network function; determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: transmitting, to the network function, an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and receiving, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00156] The database may comprise a network repository function.

[00157] The means configured for transmitting the indication of the at least one determined data management strategy may comprise means configured for: transmitting, to the network function, a header, wherein the header may comprise, at least, the indication of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00158] The one or more data management strategies may comprise at least one of: an indication of a data set, an indication of a group subscription, an indication of a group monitoring configuration, an indication of a group monitoring report data, a strategy for performing compression of at least part of a payload, a strategy for performing encoding of the at least part of the payload, a strategy for compression of restoration data for a plurality of intelligent platform management interfaces, a strategy for compression of one or more access point name sets that are configured to be sent to one or more peer network functions, a strategy for compression of subscription data for a plurality of monitoring events configured with a network exposure function, a strategy for compression of at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message, a strategy for encoding of data to a hash code and using the hash code, a strategy for obtaining an address of user equipment identification list, or a strategy for configuring at least one transaction processing strategy.

[00159] The means may be further configured for: determining the data management strategy associated with the index; and applying 51 the determined data management strategy to at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message.

[00160] The received information may comprise at least one of: an identifier of the network function, an indication of the one or more data management strategies the network function can execute, or a transaction processing capability of the network function.

[00161] The received information may comprise a network function profile stored in the database, and the network function profile may comprise, at least, respective uniform resource identifiers for the one or more data management strategies the network function can execute.

[00162] The indication of the at least one determined data management strategy may comprise a uniform resource identifier of the respective uniform resource identifiers.

[00163] The means may be further configured for: in response to a determination that there is not at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support, processing data in a payload of a service based interface message without using a negotiated data management strategy.

[00164] The means may be further configured for: in response to a determination that the network function that can execute one or more data management strategies does not exist, processing data in a payload of a service based interface message without using a negotiated data management strategy.

[00165] In accordance with one example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed with at least one processor, cause 52 the at least one processor to: cause transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, of a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; cause receiving, from the database, of information with respect to the network function; determine whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: cause transmitting, to the network function, of an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and cause receiving, from the network function, of an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00166] In accordance with one example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: causing transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, of a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; causing receiving, from the database, of information with respect to the network function; determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: causing transmitting, to the network function, of an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and causing receiving, from the network function, of an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00167] In accordance with another example embodiment, a non-transitory program storage device readable by a machine may be provided, tangibly embodying instructions executable by the machine for performing operations, the operations comprising: causing transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, of a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; causing receiving, from the database, of information with respect to the network function; determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: causing transmitting, to the network function, of an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and causing receiving, from the network function, of an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00168] In accordance with another example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: causing transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, of a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; causing receiving, from the database, of information with respect to the network function; determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: causing transmitting, to the network function, of an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and causing receiving, from the network function, of an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00169] A computer implemented system comprising: at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system at least to perform: causing transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, of a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; causing receiving, from the database, of information with respect to the network function; determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: causing transmitting, to the network function, of an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and causing receiving, from the network function, of an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00170] A computer implemented system comprising: means for causing transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, of a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies; means for causing receiving, from the database, of information with respect to the network function; means for determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; and in response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy: means for causing transmitting, to the network function, of an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; and means for causing receiving, from the network function, of an index of a 5 data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

[00171] The term "non-transitory," as used herein, is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e. tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). 10

[00172] It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art. For example, features recited in the various dependent claims could be combined with each other in any suitable combination (s) . In addition, features from 15 different embodiments described above could be selectively combined into a new embodiment. Accordingly, the description is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modification and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising means for:receiving a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database;providing the one or more data management strategies to the database;receiving a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; andtransmitting, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first indication is received from an operations, administration and maintenance application function.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the database comprises a network repository function.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1 through 3, wherein the means configured for receiving the second indication comprises means configured for:receiving a header, wherein the header comprises, at least, the second indication.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1 through 4, wherein the one or more data management strategies comprises at least one of :an indication of a data set,an indication of a group subscription,an indication of a group monitoring configuration,an indication of a group monitoring report data,a strategy for performing compression of at least part of a payload,a strategy for performing encoding of the at least part of the payload,a strategy for compression of restoration data for a plurality of intelligent platform management interfaces,a strategy for compression of one or more access point name sets that are configured to be sent to one or more peer network functions,a strategy for compression of subscription data for a plurality of monitoring events configured with a network exposure function,a strategy for compression of at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message,a strategy for encoding of data to a hash code and using the hash code,a strategy for obtaining an address of user equipment identification list, ora strategy for configuring at least one transaction processing strategy.

6. The apparatus of any of claims 1 through 5, wherein the means configured for providing the one or more data management strategies comprises means configured for:including the one or more data management strategies in a network function profile; andproviding the network function profile.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the network function profile comprises, at least, respective uniform resource identifiers for the one or more data management strategies.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the second indication of the at least one data management strategy the network function consumer supports comprises, at least, a uniform resource identifier of the respective uniform resource identifiers.

9. An apparatus comprising:at least one processor; andat least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:receive a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database;provide the one or more data management strategies to the database;receive a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; andtransmit, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

10. A method comprising:receiving, with a network function, a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database;providing the one or more data management strategies to the database;receiving a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; andtransmitting, to the network function consumer, an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following:causing receiving, with a network function, of a first indication to provide one or more data management strategies in a database;causing providing of the one or more data management strategies to the database;causing receiving of a second indication of at least one data management strategy a network function consumer supports; andcausing transmitting, to the network function consumer, of an index of a data management strategy, of the one or more data management strategies, based, at least partially, on the second indication.

12. An apparatus comprising means for:transmitting, to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies;receiving, from the database, information with respect to the network function;determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; andin response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy:transmitting.to the networkfunction,anindication of the at least one determined data management strategy; andreceiving, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the database comprises a network repository function.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 or 13, wherein the means configured for transmitting the indication of the at least one determined data management strategy comprises means configured for:transmitting, to the network function, a header, wherein the header comprises, at least, the indication of the at least one determined data management strategy.

15. The apparatus of any of claims 12 through 14, wherein the one or more data management strategies comprise at least one o f :an indication of a data set,an indication of a group subscription,an indication of a group monitoring configuration,an indication of a group monitoring report data,a strategy for performing compression of at least part of a payload,a strategy for performing encoding of the at least part of the payload,a strategy for compression of restoration data for a plurality of intelligent platform management interfaces,a strategy for compression of one or more access point name sets that are configured to be sent to one or more peer network functions,a strategy for compression of subscription data for a plurality of monitoring events configured with a network exposure function,a strategy for compression of at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message,a strategy for encoding of data to a hash code and using the hash code,a strategy for obtaining an address of user equipment identification list, ora strategy for configuring at least one transaction processing strategy.

16. The apparatus of any of claims 12 through 15, wherein the means are further configured for:determining the data management strategy associated with the index; andapplying the determined data management strategy to at least part of data in a payload of a service based interface message.

17. The apparatus of any of claims 12 through 16, wherein the received information comprises at least one of:an identifier of the network function,an indication of the one or more data management strategies the network function can execute, ora transaction processing capability of the network function .

18. The apparatus of any of claims 12 through 17, wherein the received information comprises a network function profile stored in the database, wherein the network function profile comprises, at least, respective uniform resource identifiers for the one or more data management strategies the network function can execute.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the indication of the at least one determined data management strategy comprises a uniform resource identifier of the respective uniform resource identifiers.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means are further configured for:in response to a determination that there is not at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support, processing data in apayload of a service based interface message without using a negotiated data management strategy.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the means are further configured for:in response to a determination that the network function that can execute one or more data management strategies does not exist, processing data in a payload of a service based interface message without using a negotiated data management strategy.

22. An apparatus comprising:at least one processor; andat least one non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:transmit, to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies;receive, from the database, information with respect to the network function;determine whether there is at least one data management strategy that the apparatus and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; andin response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy:transmit.to the networkfunction.anindication of the at least one determined datamanagement strategy; andreceive, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

23. A method comprising:transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies;receiving, from the database, information with respect to the network function;determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; andin response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy:transmitting, to the network function, an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; andreceiving, from the network function, an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising program instructions stored thereon for performing at leastthe following:causing transmitting, with a network function consumer to a database, of a request for a network function that can execute one or more data management strategies;causing receiving, from the database, of information with respect to the network function;determining whether there is at least one data management strategy that the network function consumer and the network function both support based, at least partially, on the received information; andin response to a determination of the at least one data management strategy:causing transmitting, to the network function, of an indication of the at least one determined data management strategy; andcausing receiving, from the network function, of an index of a data management strategy of the at least one determined data management strategy.

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