Method, system, and computer readable medium for dynamically updating domain name system (DNS) records from registered network function (NF) profile information

Abstract

A method for dynamically updating Domain Name System (DNS) records from Network Function (NF) profile information includes receiving a message associated with an NF profile of the NF at an NF Repository Function (NRF) including at least one processor. The method further includes constructing a DNS resource record for the NF based on NF service availability information in the NF profile and a local configuration of the NRF. The method further includes dynamically updating the DNS resource record for the NF with a DNS server utilizing a dynamic DNS update procedure.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Priority claim This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 534,914, filed November 24, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] FIELD OF THEINVENTION The subject matter described herein relates to dynamic DNS configuration. More specifically, the subject matter described herein relates to a method, system, and computer-readable medium for dynamically updating DNS records from registered NF profile information. [Background technology]

[0003] background In a 5G telecommunications network, a network function that provides a service is referred to as a producer NF or an NF service producer. A network function that consumes a service is referred to as a consumer NF or an NF service consumer. A network function can be a producer NF, a consumer NF, or both, depending on whether the network function is consuming, generating, or consuming and generating a service. The terms "producer NF" and "NF service producer" are used interchangeably herein. Similarly, the terms "consumer NF" and "NF service consumer" are also used interchangeably herein.

[0004] A given producer NF may have many service endpoints, which are connection points of one or more NF instances hosted by the producer NF. A service endpoint is identified by a combination of an Internet Protocol (IP) address and a port number, or a fully qualified domain name that resolves to an IP address and a port number on the network node hosting the producer NF. An NF instance is an instance of a producer NF that provides a service. A given producer NF may include multiple NF instances. It should also be noted that multiple NF instances can share the same service endpoint.

[0005] A producer NF registers with a Network Function Repository Function (NRF). The NRF maintains service profiles of available NF instances that identify the services supported by each NF instance. The terms "service profile" and "NF profile" are used interchangeably herein. A consumer NF can obtain information about producer NF instances registered with the NRF through an NF service discovery procedure. According to the NF service discovery procedure, a consumer NF sends an NF discovery request to the NRF. The NF discovery request includes query parameters that the NRF uses to find NF profiles of producer NFs that can provide the service identified by the query parameters. An NF profile is a data structure that defines the type of service offered by the producer NF instance, as well as connectivity and capacity information about the producer NF instance.

[0006] In addition to consumer NFs, another type of network node that can invoke NF service discovery procedures to obtain information about NF service instances is the Service Communication Proxy (SCP). The case where an SCP uses NF service discovery procedures to obtain information about producer NF instances on behalf of a consumer NF is referred to as delegated discovery. A consumer NF connects to an SCP, which load balances traffic between producer NF service instances that provide the required service or routes traffic directly to the destination producer NF instance. A communication model in which a consumer NF communicates with a producer NF through an SCP is referred to as an indirect communication model.

[0007] In addition to the SCP, another example of an intermediate proxy forwarding traffic between producer and consumer NFs is the Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP). A SEPP is a network function used to protect the control plane traffic exchanged between different 5G Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs). As such, a SEPP performs message filtering, policing, and topology hiding for all Application Programming Interface (API) messages sent between PLMNs.

[0008] One problem that may arise in 5G and other communication networks is that a network function may be associated with many different fully qualified domain names (FQDNs), requiring the network function (NF) to maintain DNS resource records for the domain names. For example, a network function may have a network function profile level FQDN, an inter-PLMN FQDN, an NF set level FQDN, an NF service level FQDN, and a standalone non-public network (SNPN) FQDN. In addition, the FQDNs may be associated with IPv4 or IPv6 addresses that correspond to different types of DNS resource records. Depending on the configuration of an operator's network, a network function may need to maintain DNS resource records with one or more different FQDNs and / or IP address versions. It is undesirable to require each network function to maintain its own DNS resource records, especially considering the various DNS resource records that may be required by a network operator for each NF. Thus, improved methods, systems, and computer-readable media for dynamically updating DNS resource records from registered NF profile information are needed. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] overview A method for dynamically updating Domain Name System (DNS) records from Network Function (NF) profile information includes receiving a message associated with an NF profile of the NF at an NF Repository Function (NRF) including at least one processor. The method further includes constructing DNS resource records for the NF based on NF service availability information in the NF profile and a local configuration of the NRF. The method further includes dynamically updating the DNS resource records for the NF with a DNS server utilizing a dynamic DNS update procedure.

[0010] According to another aspect of the subject matter described in this specification, receiving a message regarding an NF profile of the NF includes receiving an NF registration message or an NF update message for registering or updating the NF profile of the NF, and generating a DNS resource record includes generating a DNS A record or a DNS AAAA record using a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) and an IP address in the NF profile.

[0011] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the FQDN comprises a NF profile or service level FQDN, the IP address comprises a NF profile or NF service level IP address, and generating the DNS A record or DNS AAAA record includes generating a DNS A record or DNS AAAA record mapping the NF profile or service level FQDN to the NF profile or service level IP address.

[0012] In accordance with another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the FQDN comprises a public land mobile network inter-(PLMN) FQDN.

[0013] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the FQDN identifies a NF set. In accordance with another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the FQDN identifies a stand-alone non-public network (SNPN).

[0014] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, utilizing a dynamic DNS update procedure includes generating a dynamic DNS update message formatted in accordance with Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) 2136 and transmitting the dynamic DNS update message to a DNS server.

[0015] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, receiving a message regarding an NF profile of the NF includes receiving an NF deregistration message to deregister the NF profile of the NF, and dynamically updating a DNS resource record for the NF using the DNS utilizing a dynamic DNS update procedure includes deleting a DNS resource record for the NF using a DNS server utilizing a dynamic DNS update procedure.

[0016] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, a method includes receiving, at an NRF, one or more messages regarding NF profiles of different NFs that share an IP address or domain name, and generating a single dynamic DNS update message for updating DNS resource records of the NFs with a DNS server.

[0017] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the NF comprises a 4G or 5G NF.

[0018] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, a system for dynamically updating Domain Name System (DNS) records from Network Function (NF) profile information is provided. The system includes an NF Repository Function (NRF) including at least one processor. The system further includes a dynamic DNS record constructor / updater for receiving a message related to an NF profile of the NF, constructing a DNS resource record for the NF based on NF service availability information in the NF profile and a local configuration of the NRF, and dynamically updating the DNS resource record for the NF with a DNS server utilizing a dynamic DNS update procedure.

[0019] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the message related to the NF profile of the NF comprises an NF registration message or an NF update message for registering or updating the NF profile of the NF, and the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater is configured to generate a DNS A record or a DNS AAAA record using a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) and an IP address in the NF profile.

[0020] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the FQDN comprises a NF profile or NF service level FQDN, the IP address comprises an NF profile or NF service level IP address, and the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater is configured to generate a DNS A or DNS AAAA record mapping the NF profile or service level FQDN to the NF profile or service level IP address.

[0021] In accordance with another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the FQDN comprises a public land mobile network inter-(PLMN) FQDN.

[0022] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the FQDN identifies a NF set. In accordance with another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the FQDN identifies a stand-alone non-public network (SNPN).

[0023] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater is configured to generate a dynamic DNS update message formatted in accordance with Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) 2136 and transmit the dynamic DNS update message to the DNS server.

[0024] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, the message regarding the NF profile of the NF includes an NF deregistration message for deregistering the NF profile of the NF, and the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater is configured to delete a DNS resource record for the NF with the DNS server utilizing a dynamic DNS update procedure.

[0025] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, a dynamic DNS record constructor / updater is configured to receive one or more messages regarding NF profiles of different NFs that share an IP address or domain name, and generate a single dynamic DNS update message for updating the DNS resource records of the NFs with a DNS server.

[0026] According to another aspect of the subject matter described herein, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media are provided having stored executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a Network Function (NF) Repository Function (NRF), control the NRF to perform steps including receiving a message associated with an NF profile of the NF. The steps further include constructing a Domain Name System (DNS) resource record for the NF based on NF service availability information in the NF profile and a local configuration of the NRF. The steps further include dynamically updating the DNS resource record for the NF with a DNS server utilizing a dynamic DNS update procedure.

[0027] The subject matter described herein can be implemented in software in combination with hardware and / or firmware. For example, the subject matter described herein can be implemented in software executed by a processor. In one exemplary implementation, the subject matter described herein can be implemented using a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer, control a computer to perform steps. Exemplary computer-readable media suitable for implementing the subject matter described herein include non-transitory computer-readable media such as disk memory devices, chip memory devices, programmable logic devices, and application specific integrated circuits. In addition, the computer-readable medium implementing the subject matter described herein can be located on a single device or computing platform or distributed across multiple devices or computing platforms.

[0028] Exemplary implementations of the subject matter described herein are illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example 5G system network architecture. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating a current 5GC network in which network functions maintain their own DNS resource records. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a network diagram illustrating an example system for dynamically updating DNS records using registered NF profile information. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example architecture of an NRF for dynamically updating DNS records from registered NF profile information. [Diagram 5]11 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for dynamically updating DNS resource records with registered NF profile information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Detailed Description FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example 5G system network architecture. The architecture in FIG. 1 includes an NRF 100 and an SCP 101, which may be located in the same Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN). As described above, the NRF 100 may maintain a profile of available producer NF service instances and their supported services, and enable consumer NFs or SCPs to subscribe to and be notified of new / updated producer NF service instance registrations. The SCP 101 may also support service discovery and selection of producer NF instances. The SCP 101 may perform load balancing of connections between consumer NFs and producer NFs.

[0031] The NRF 100 is a repository of NFs or service profiles of producer NF instances. To communicate with a producer NF instance, a consumer NF or SCP needs to obtain the NF or service profile of the producer NF instance from the NRF 100. The NF or service profile is a JavaScript object notation (JSON) data structure defined in 3GPP TS 29.510. The NF or service profile contains attributes that indicate the type of service provided, the capacity of the NF instance, and information for connecting to the NF instance.

[0032] In Figure 1, any of the network functions can be a consumer NF, a producer NF, or both, depending on whether it is requesting, providing, or both, a service. In the illustrated example, the NFs include a Policy Control Function (PCF) 102 that performs policy-related operations in the network, a Unified Data Management Function (UDM) 104 that manages user data, and an Application Function (AF) 106 that provides application services.

[0033] 1 further includes an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 110 and a Session Management Function (SMF) 108 that manages sessions between the PCF 102. The AMF 110 performs mobility management operations similar to those performed by a Mobility Management Entity (MME) in 4G networks. An Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 112 performs authentication services for user equipment (UE), such as user equipment (UE) 114, seeking access to the network.

[0034] The Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 116 provides network slicing services for devices that want to access specific network functions and features associated with a network slice. The Network Publication Function (NEF) 118 provides application programming interfaces (APIs) for application functions that want to obtain information about Internet of Things (IoT) devices and other UEs connected to the network. The NEF 118 performs functions similar to the Service Capability Publication Function (SCEF) in 4G networks.

[0035] The Radio Access Network (RAN) 120 connects the User Equipment (UE) 114 to the network via a wireless link. The Radio Access Network 120 may be accessed using a gNodeB (gNB) (not shown in FIG. 1) or other wireless access point. The User Plane Function (UPF) 122 may support various proxy functions for user plane services. One example of such a proxy function is a Multipath Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP) proxy function. The UPF 122 may also support a performance measurement function that may be used by the UE 114 to obtain network performance measurements. Also illustrated in FIG. 1 is a Data Network (DN) 124 for the UE to access data network services, such as Internet services.

[0036] The SEPP 126 filters traffic coming from another PLMN and performs topology hiding for traffic going out from the home PLMN. The SEPP 126 may communicate with a SEPP in a foreign PLMN that manages security for the foreign PLMN. Thus, traffic between NFs in different PLMNs may pass through two SEPP functions, one for the home PLMN and one for the foreign PLMN.

[0037] As mentioned above, one problem that may arise in 5G and other networks is that network operators may use different FQDNs and different IP address versions to identify 4G and 5G NFs, and 4G and 5G NFs need to maintain their own DNS resource records for the FQDNs and IP address versions using DNS servers. Currently, according to 3GPP specifications (i.e., 3GPP TS 29.501 / 29.502), all 5G (and some 4G NFs) register their NF profiles with the NRF. Thus, the NRF maintains NF profiles of available NF instances and their supported services. The NF profiles registered by these NFs include service accessibility information in the following attributes:

[0038] Fqdn ·interPlmnFqdn ipv4Addresses ipv6Addresses NF services registered in an NF profile (i.e., nfServices (3GPP Release 15) / nfServiceList (3GPP Release 16)) also include service accessibility information in the following attributes:

[0039] Fqdn ·interPlmnFqdn ipEndPoints In addition, 3GPP specifications often mandate that the NF form the FQDN in a defined format. Some examples are:

[0040] A local FQDN exposed to consumer NFs within the same PLMN (defined in 3GPP TS 29.510) Inter-PLMN FQDN (i.e. FQDN exposed to consumer NFs from different PLMNs) (defined in 3GPP TS 29.510) NF Set / NF Service Set based FQDN (i.e., an FQDN representing an NF set or multiple NFs in an NF Service Set) (defined in 3GPP TS 23.003) FQDN of the NF in the operator's SNPN (defined in 3GPP TS23.003) FQDNs exposed to nodes outside the 5GC network (for example, AMFs exposing their N2 interfaces to gNBs) As described above, NFs are required to update their own profiles with a DNS server for FQDNs included in the NF profile. FIG. 2 is a network diagram illustrating existing 4G and 5G networks in which NFs maintain their own DNS resource records. In FIG. 2, 5G and 4G NFs 200 register NF profiles with the NRF 100. The 5G and 4G NFs 200 communicate with other NFs, such as AFs 106, by discovering the FQDNs of other NFs from the NRF 100 and resolving the FQDNs to IP addresses by querying the DNS server 202. The 5G and 4G NFs 200 and AFs 106 are required to create and maintain DNS resource records with the DNS server 202. Such a system places a burden on individual network functions.

[0041] To avoid the difficulties associated with each NF maintaining its own DNS resource records for the various different types of FQDNs that may be used to identify an NF, the subject matter described herein includes configuring an NRF to maintain DNS records on behalf of other NFs using dynamic DNS update procedures. Upon receiving an NF registration / NRF update / NF deregistration from another 5GC NF, the NRF uses dynamic DNS update as described in Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) 2136 to add / update / delete DNS entries in a DNS server based on the following parameters:

[0042] NF profile → fqdn NF Profile → interPlmnFqdn NF Profile → ipv4Addresses NF Profile → ipv6Addresses NF profile → NF service → fqdn NF Profile → NF Service → interPlmnFqdn NF Profile → NF Service → ipEndPoints NF profile → nfSetIdList NF Profile → NF Service → nfServiceSetIdList NF Profile → Nid The NRF may construct a 3GPP-defined FQDN to be used in the DNS record based on the local configuration / preferences and the above parameters from the NF profile. The 3GPP-defined FQDN that may be constructed is: · Local FQDN exposed to consumer NFs within the PLMN (defined in 3GPP TS29.510) Inter-PLMN FQDNs (i.e. FQDNs exposed to consumer NFs from different PLMNs) (defined in 3GPP TS 29.510) NF Set / NF Service Set based FQDN (i.e., an FQDN representing multiple NFs in an NF Set or an NF Service Set) (defined in 3GPP TS 23.003) and Contains the FQDN of the NF in the operator's SNPN (as defined in 3GPP TS23.003). It may be possible for the same FQDN and / or IP address to be shared among multiple NFs. In such cases, the NRF may refer to the NF profile database to consolidate changes in DNS entries before sending dynamic updates to a DNS server. For example, if multiple producer NFs are deployed behind an API Gateway or load balancer and the IP address of the API Gateway or load balancer changes, the NRF may send a single dynamic DNS update message to update all DNS resource records of the producer NFs deployed behind the API Gateway.

[0043] FIG. 3 is a network diagram illustrating a core network in which the NRF constructs DNS resource records from NF profile parameters and dynamically updates the DNS resource records of 5G and 4G NFs. In FIG. 3, the 5G and 4G NFs 200 register their NF profiles with the NRF 100. The 5G and 4G NFs 200 communicate with other NFs, such as the AF 106, by discovering the FQDNs of the other NFs from the NRF 100 and resolving the FQDNs to IP addresses by querying the DNS server 202. The NRF 100 uses the DNS server 202 to create and maintain DNS resource records for the 5G and 4G NFs. For example, when the NRF 100 receives an NF registration message to register an NF profile of a 4G or 5G NF, the NRF 100 extracts service availability information (e.g., FQDN and IP address) from the NF profile, uses the service availability information to construct one or more DNS resource records, and sends a dynamic DNS update message to the DNS server 202 to automatically create or update the DNS resource records for the 4G or 5G NF. When the NRF 100 receives an NF update message to update an NF profile of a 4G or 5G NF, the NRF 100 extracts service availability information (e.g., FQDN and IP address) from the full or partial NF profile carried in the NF update message, uses the service availability information to construct one or more DNS resource records, and sends a dynamic DNS update message to the DNS server 202 to automatically create or update the DNS resource records for the 4G or 5G NF. When the NRF 100 receives an NF deregistration message to deregister an NF profile of a 4G or 5G NF, the NRF 100 extracts the NF instance identifier, constructs and sends a dynamic DNS update message to the DNS server 202 to delete one or more DNS resource records for the 4G or 5G NF.

[0044] As described above, the dynamic DNS update procedure in IETF RFC2136 may be used to dynamically update the DNS records for the 4G or 5G NFs. The format of the dynamic DNS update message is as follows:

[0045] [Table 1]

[0046] According to the specified message format, the header identifies the type of the message, and if the NRF is sending the message to a DNS server, the type of the message is an update message. The zone specifies the DNS zone to be updated. The prerequisite section identifies DNS resource records that must or must not be present as prerequisites to the update specified in the update section. The update portion of the message carries DNS resource records constructed by the NRF from the NF service availability parameters extracted from the NF profile. The additional data section contains additional data that is not critical to describing the functionality of the NRF in performing dynamic DNS updates.

[0047] Table 1, illustrated below, illustrates example operations that may be performed by the NRF when constructing DNS resource records from NF profile parameters. For example, in the rows after the header in Table 1, the FQDN and IP address are at the NF profile level (i.e., they identify the NF represented by the NF profile). In such a case, the NRF constructs a DNS A record that maps the NF profile level FQDN to an IPv4 address at the NF profile level and a DNS AAAA record that maps the NF profile level FQDN to an IPv6 address at the NF profile level. The remaining scenarios in Table 1 are examples of the NRF constructing DNS resource records from different level (NF profile, NF service, NF set, NF service set) NF profile parameters (FQDN and IP address).

[0048] [Table 2] TIFF2024543859000004.tif255168TIFF2024543859000005.tif198170TIFF2024543859000006.tif229170TIFF2024543859000007.tif118170

[0049] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example architecture of an NRF for dynamically updating DNS records with registered NF profile information. As shown with reference to FIG. 4, the NRF 100 includes at least one processor 400 and memory 402. The NRF 100 further includes an NF profile manager 404 and an NF profile database 406. The NF profile manager 404 receives NF registration, NF update, and NF deregistration messages and registers, updates, and deregisters corresponding NF profiles in the NF profile database 406. The NRF profile manager 404 may also handle NF discovery requests that allow other NFs to subscribe to receive updates of registered NF profiles.

[0050] The NRF 100 further includes a dynamic DNS record constructor / updater 408, which constructs a DNS resource record of the NF based on the NF profile of the NF and the NF service availability information obtained from the message regarding the local configuration of the NRF, and updates the DNS resource record with the DNS server using a DNS dynamic update procedure. For example, when the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater 408 receives an NF registration message for registering the NF profile of the NF and is configured to generate a DNS resource record at the NF profile level, the DNS record constructor / updater 408 may read the NF profile level FQDN and the NF profile level IP address from the NF profile sent with the NF registration message, construct a DNS A or AAAA record including the NF profile level FQDN and the NF profile level IP address, generate a dynamic DNS update message including the DNS A or AAAA record, and send the dynamic DNS update message to the DNS server.

[0051] In another example, if the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater 408 receives an NF update message for updating an NF profile for a NF and is configured to generate a DNS resource record at the NF service level, the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater 408 may read the NF service level FQDN and the NF service level IP address from the NF profile sent with the NF registration message, construct a DNS A or AAAA record including the NF service level FQDN and the NF service level IP address, generate a dynamic DNS update message including the DNS A or AAAA record, and send the dynamic DNS update message to a DNS server.

[0052] In yet another example, when the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater 408 receives an NF deregistration message to deregister an NF profile of an NF currently registered with the NRF 100, the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater 408 may read the NF instance identifier from the NF deregistration message, generate a dynamic DNS update message including an identifier of the DNS resource record to be deleted, and send the dynamic DNS update message to the DNS server.

[0053] 5 is a flow chart illustrating an example process for dynamically updating a DNS record of a NF. As shown with reference to FIG. 5, in step 500, the process includes receiving a message related to an NF profile of the NF. For example, the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater 408 may receive an NF registration message, an NF update message, or an NF deregistration message to register, update, or deregister the NF profile of a 4G or 5G NF.

[0054] In step 502, the process includes constructing a DNS resource record for the NF based on the NF service availability information in the NF profile and the local configuration of the NRF. For example, if the received message is an NF registration message or an NF update message, the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater 408 may generate one or more DNS resource records using parameters in the NF profile. The DNS resource record may include an FQDN of the NF and an IP address of the NF. The type of FQDN used in the DNS resource record may depend on the local configuration of the NRF. For example, the FQDN used may be an NF profile level FQDN, an NF service level FQDN, an NF set level FQDN, or an NF service set level FQDN. The FQDN may also be an inter-PLMN FQDN or an FQDN that, in some cases, identifies a private network, such as a standalone non-public network (SNPN).

[0055] In step 504, the process includes dynamically updating a DNS resource record for the NF with the DNS server using a dynamic DNS update procedure. For example, the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater 408 may generate a dynamic DNS update message using a format specified in IETF RFC2136, insert one or more DNS resource records into the dynamic DNS update message, and send the dynamic DNS update message to the DNS server.

[0056] The disclosure of each of the following references is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. References 1. 3 rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; Numbering, addressing and identification; (Release 17) 3GPP TS 23.003 V17.3.0 (2021-09) twenty three rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; Technical Realization of Service Based Architecture (5GS); Stage 3 (Release 17) 3GPP TS 29.500 V17.4.0 (2021-09) 3.3 rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; System Architecture for the 5G System (5GS); Stage 2 (Release 17) 3GPP TS 23.501 V17.2.0 (2021-09) 4. 3 rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Procedures for the 5G System (5GS); Stage 2 (Release 17) 3GPP TS 23.502 V17.2.1 (2021-09) 5. 3 rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; Principles and Guidelines for Services Definition; Stage 3 (Release 17) 3GPP TS 29.501 V17.3.1 (2021-09) 6. 3 rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; 5G System; Network Function Repository Services; Stage 3 (Release 17) 3GPP TS 29.510 V17.3.0 (2021-09) 7. 3 rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Services and System Aspects; Security architecture and procedures for 5G System (5GS) (Release 17) 3GPP TS 33.501 V17.3.0 (2021-09) 8. Vixie et al., “Dynamic Updates in the Domain Name System (DNS UPDATE),” Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) 2136 (April 1997) It will be understood that various details of the subject matter described herein may be changed without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Moreover, the foregoing description is by way of example only and not by way of limitation, since the subject matter described herein is defined by the claims as set forth below.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically updating a Domain Name System (DNS) record from Network Function (NF) profile information, comprising: In a Network Function Repository Function (NRF) including at least one processor, Receiving a message related to the NF profile of the NF; Constructing a DNS resource record for the NF based on NF service availability information in the NF profile and local settings of the NRF; Dynamically updating the DNS resource record for the NF using a DNS server by utilizing a dynamic DNS update procedure.

2. Receiving a message related to the NF profile of the NF includes receiving an NF registration message or an NF update message for registering or updating the NF profile of the NF, and generating the DNS resource record includes generating a DNS A record or a DNS AAAA record using a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) and an IP address in the NF profile. The method according to claim 1.

3. The FQDN comprises an NF profile or service level FQDN, the IP address comprises an NF profile or NF service level IP address, and generating the DNS A record or the DNS AAAA record includes generating the DNS A record or the DNS AAAA record that maps the NF profile or service level FQDN to the IP address of the NF profile or service level. The method according to claim 2.

4. The FQDN comprises an Inter-Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) FQDN. The method according to claim 3.

5. The FQDN identifies an NF set. The method according to claim 3 or claim 4.

6. The FQDN identifies a Standalone Non-Public Network (SNPN). The method according to claim 3 or claim 4.

7. Using the dynamic DNS update procedure includes generating a dynamic DNS update message formatted according to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) 2136, and transmitting the dynamic DNS update message to a DNS server. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

8. Receiving a message regarding the NF profile of the NF includes receiving an NF deregistration message for deregistering the NF profile of the NF. Using the dynamic DNS update procedure to dynamically update a DNS resource record for the NF using a DNS server includes using the dynamic DNS update procedure to delete the DNS resource record for the NF using the DNS server. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. In the NRF, receiving one or more messages regarding the NF profiles of different NFs sharing an IP address or domain name, and generating a single dynamic DNS update message for updating the DNS resource records of the NFs using the DNS server. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

10. The NF comprises a 4G or 5G NF. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

11. A system for dynamically updating a Domain Name System (DNS) record from Network Function (NF) profile information, an NF Repository Function (NRF) including at least one processor, a dynamic DNS record constructor / updater that receives a message related to the NF profile of the NF, constructs a DNS resource record for the NF based on the NF service availability information in the NF profile and the local settings of the NRF, and uses the dynamic DNS update procedure to dynamically update the DNS resource record for the NF using a DNS server.

12. The message related to the NF profile of the NF comprises an NF registration message or an NF update message for registering or updating the NF profile of the NF, and the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater is configured to generate a DNS A record or a DNS AAAA record using the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) and the IP address in the NF profile. The system according to claim 11.

13. The FQDN comprises an NF profile or an NF service level FQDN, the IP address comprises an NF profile or an NF service level IP address, and the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater is configured to generate the DNS A record or the DNS AAAA record that maps the NF profile or the service level FQDN to the NF profile or the service level IP address. The system according to claim 12.

14. The FQDN comprises an inter-public land mobile network (PLMN) FQDN. The system according to claim 13.

15. The FQDN identifies an NF set. The system according to claim 13 or claim 14.

16. The FQDN identifies a stand-alone non-public network (SNPN). The system according to claim 13 or claim 14.

17. The dynamic DNS record constructor / updater is configured to generate a dynamic DNS update message formatted according to the Request for Comments (RFC) 2136 of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and transmit the dynamic DNS update message to a DNS server. The system according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

18. The message related to the NF profile of the NF includes an NF deregistration message for deregistering the NF profile of the NF, and the dynamic DNS record constructor / updater is configured to use the dynamic DNS update procedure to delete the DNS resource record for the NF using the DNS server. The system according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

19. The dynamic DNS record constructor / updater as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 14, configured to receive one or more messages regarding NF profiles of different NFs sharing an IP address or a domain name, and generate a single dynamic DNS update message for updating the DNS resource record of the NF using the DNS server.

20. A computer-readable program having stored executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a Network Function (NF) Repository Function (NRF), control the NRF to perform steps, the steps comprising: Receiving a message related to an NF profile of an NF; Constructing a Domain Name System (DNS) resource record of the NF based on NF service availability information in the NF profile and local settings of the NRF; Dynamically updating a DNS resource record for the NF using a DNS server by utilizing a dynamic DNS update procedure.

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