Information management method and device relating to edge computing service

Abstract

To provide a method and a device for managing information about edge computing service that can ensure continuous service and reduce signaling.SOLUTION: A method for continuously providing edge computing services to user equipment (UE) by an edge enabler server (EES) of a mobile edge computing (MEC) system includes receiving update information including UE information and source EAS information from a source edge application server (EAS) that provides edge computing services at the UE, acquiring target edge enabler server (EES) information from an edge configuration server (ECS) on the basis of the update information, transmitting UE information and EAS information to the target EES on the basis of the target EES information, receiving target EAS information from the target EES, and providing the target EAS information at the source EAS.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for managing service information, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for managing information about edge computing services. [Background technology]

[0002] To meet the increasing demand for wireless data traffic since the commercialization of 4G communication systems, efforts are underway to develop improved 5G or pre-5G communication systems. For this reason, 5G or pre-5G communication systems are referred to as beyond-4G network communication systems or post-LTE systems.

[0003] To achieve high data transmission rates, 5G communication systems are being considered for implementation in ultra-high frequency (mmWave) bands (e.g., the 60 GHz band). To mitigate propagation path loss and increase transmission distance in ultra-high frequency bands, technologies such as beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and large-scale antennas are being discussed for 5G communication systems.

[0004] Furthermore, to improve the system's network, technological developments are being made in the 5G communication system, such as advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (cloud RAN), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device communication (D2D communication), wireless backhaul, moving networks, cooperative communication, CoMP (Coordinated Multi-Points), and receive interference cancellation.

[0005] In addition, advanced coding modulation (ACM) methods such as FQAM (Hybrid FSK and QAM Modulation) and SWSC (Sliding Window Superposition Coding) and advanced connection technologies such as FBMC (Filter Bank Multi Carrier), NOMA (non-orthogonal multiple access), and SCMA (sparse code multiple access) are being developed for 5G systems. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Meanwhile, edge computing systems have recently emerged. Edge computing systems can provide edge computing services to UEs by establishing a data connection with an edge data network located close to the UE's location to use low-latency or high-bandwidth services. Such edge computing services can be provided through an edge hosting environment operated by an edge enabler server of a specific edge data network or an application server run on an edge computing platform. In other words, a UE can receive edge computing services from the edge application server closest to its location.

[0007] If a UE is provided with an edge computing service in a specific area and the edge computing service is interrupted, and the UE attempts to provide the edge computing service again in the same area, the UE must perform a new procedure to provide the edge computing service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Therefore, when the UE reuses the edge computing service, it must repeatedly perform operations to acquire edge computing configuration information and edge application server address information, which increases signaling overhead due to the repeated procedures and also causes a significant delay before the service can start.

[0009] Therefore, the present disclosure provides an apparatus and method that can reduce signaling overhead when a UE repeatedly turns on / off edge computing services.

[0010] The present disclosure also provides a method and apparatus for reducing service delay when repeated on / off of edge computing services occurs in a UE.

[0011] The present disclosure also provides a method and apparatus for providing edge computing service information to a UE.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is provided for an edge enabler server (EES) of a mobile edge computing (MEC) system to continuously provide an edge computing service to a user equipment (UE), the method including: receiving update information including UE information and source EAS information from a source edge application server (EAS) that provides an edge computing service at the UE; acquiring target edge enabler server (EES) information from an edge configuration server (ECS) based on the update information; transmitting UE information and EAS information to a target EES based on the target EES information; receiving target EAS information from the target EES; and providing the target EAS information at the source EAS, wherein the UE information includes a UE identifier to which a service is provided and one of a location of the UE or a target Data Network Access Identifier (DNAI), the EAS information includes an EAS discovery filter including EAS identifier information and an EAS profile, and the target EAS can be triggered to be instantiated by the target EES.

[0013] A method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for continuously providing an edge computing service to a UE in a mobile edge computing (MEC) system, and includes the steps of: sending a dynamic information subscription request to an edge application server (EAS) that provides an edge computing service from an edge enabler server (EES); receiving a dynamic information subscription request response from the EES; receiving an EAS information change event notification (dynamic information notification) message from the EES; and caching information of the received message and updating and invalidating previously cached information, wherein the dynamic information subscription request may include UE information (UE info), application client information (App Client ID), and information about the EAS.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for providing a continuous edge computing service to a user equipment (UE) in a mobile edge computing (MEC) system, the method including: a memory; a processor; and a transceiver operating in conjunction with the memory and the processor, the transceiver being configured to receive update information including UE information and source edge application server (EAS) information from a source edge application server (EAS) that provides an edge computing service to the UE, obtain target edge enabler server (EES) information from an edge configuration server (ECS) based on the update information, transmit UE information and EAS information to a target EES based on the target EES information, receive target EAS information from the target EES, and provide the target EAS information in the source EAS, the UE information including a UE identifier to which a service is being provided and one of the UE location and a target Data Network Access Identifier (DNAI), and the EAS information including an EAS discovery filter (EAS discovery filter) that includes EAS identifier information and an EAS profile. filter), and the target EAS can be triggered to be instantiated by the target EES.

[0015] Before proceeding with the detailed description below, it is necessary to define certain words and phrases used throughout this patent specification. The term "comprises," as well as derivatives thereof, means inclusive without limitation. The term "or" is inclusive. And / or the terms "associated with" and "associated with," as well as derivatives thereof, mean "including," "contained within," "interconnected with," "containing," "contained in," "connected to or with," "coupled to or with," "communicable with," "cooperate with," "interleave with," "collocated with," "proximate to," "bounded by or with," "have," "possess," "relate to or with," and the like. The term "controller" means any device, system, or portion thereof that controls at least one operation. That is, a device can be embodied in hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of at least two of these. The functionality associated with any particular controller can be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely.

[0016] Additionally, various functions described below may be embodied or supported by one or more computer programs, each formed of computer-readable program code and embodied in a computer-readable medium. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, associated data, or portions thereof configured to be embodied in a suitable computer-readable program. The phrase "computer-readable program code" includes all types of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase "computer-readable medium" includes any type of medium that can be accessed by a computer, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), hard disk drive, compact disc (CD), digital video disk (DVD), or other type of memory. "Non-transitory" computer-readable medium excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transmit transient electrical or other signals. Non-transitory computer-readable media include media on which data is permanently stored and media on which data is stored and later overwritten, such as rewritable optical disks or erasable memory devices.

[0017] Definitions of other specific words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document, and one of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in most cases, the definitions apply to both previous and subsequent uses of such defined words and phrases. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The apparatus and method according to the present disclosure can reduce service start delay and signaling by preventing or minimizing repeated execution of service provisioning and edge application server discovery request operations when a UE reuses an edge computing service. In addition, continuous service can be ensured and signaling can be reduced by transmitting information about the edge computing service in the UE to the UE so that it can be updated according to changes in the edge computing server status. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an edge computing implementation scenario to which the present disclosure can be applied. [Figure 2] 10 is a signal flow diagram for providing edge application information from an edge enabler server of an MEC system to a user device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 3a] 10 is a signal flow chart of an edge enabler client updating EAS information with an MEC network according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; [Figure 3b] 10 is a signal flow chart of a user device in an MEC system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, when discovering an edge enabler server with an MEC network; [Figure 4] 10 is a signal flow diagram of an MEC network when updating new EAS information according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] 10 is a signal flow chart in an MEC network for updating information when the EES of a UE is changed according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] 10 is a control flow diagram illustrating an edge enabler server receiving an edge enabler application information change event message according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram illustrating the structure of an EES according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram illustrating the structure of an EAS according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] 1-9 discussed below, and the various embodiments used to explain the principles of the present disclosure in this patent specification, are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention in any way. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be embodied in any suitably configured system or device.

[0021] The operation principle of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms used below are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention. These terms may vary depending on the intentions or practices of users or operators, and therefore their definitions should be determined based on the overall content of this specification.

[0022] The terms used in this disclosure, such as a network entity, an object of an edge computing system, a message, and identification information, are provided for convenience of explanation. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure are not limited to those used below, and other terms having equivalent technical meanings may be used.

[0023] Hereinafter, for convenience, the present invention will use terms and names defined in the 5G system standard, but is not limited by these terms and names and can be similarly applied to systems according to other standards.

[0024] The following disclosure relates to a communication system. In this disclosure, a UE can establish a data connection with an edge data network located at or near its own location to use low-latency or high-bandwidth services. The UE can also connect to an edge hosting environment operated by an edge enabler server of the edge data network or an edge application server run on an edge computing platform. Hereinafter, a technology related to mobile edge computing (MEC) in which a UE performing such operations uses data services will be described.

[0025] In addition, the present disclosure will describe a technology for providing a method and apparatus for updating information related to an edge computing system in a UE. This description will also describe a method and apparatus for setting and transmitting validity / storage periods when transmitting information required for using an edge computing service to a UE. This description will also describe a method and apparatus for providing relevant information to a UE when a situation occurs that causes changes in the validity and reuse of information related to an edge computing service, and a system required therefor. This situation can occur due to the geographically distributed nature of edge computing servers and the mobility of UEs.

[0026] According to the present disclosure described below, when a UE reuses an edge computing service, it is possible to prevent or / and minimize repeated execution of operations for acquiring edge computing configuration information and edge application server address information. This can reduce service start delay time and signaling overhead. In addition, an operation and apparatus for notifying a UE using an edge computing service of the validity and reusability of information on a previously connected edge computing service-related server when re-executing an application will be described.

[0027] Specifically, a technique for caching edge computing configuration information (e.g., Edge Enabler Server address / service area / status) and / or edge application server information (e.g., Edge Application Server address / service area / status / service KPI, etc.) in a UE when an application is restarted and providing a criterion for determining whether the cached information is valid and reusable will be described. Also, a method for minimizing UE signaling for reacquiring edge computing configuration information and / or edge application information of the UE when an update to the information occurs will be described.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an edge computing implementation scenario to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0029] 1 illustrates a service area 1 of a mobile network operator (MNO). The MNO's service area 1 may include edge data networks 10 and 20 partitioned to provide edge computing services to a UE, e.g., an electronic device 50. The following description will be given assuming that the electronic device 50 is a specific example of a UE.

[0030] Such electronic device 50 may include a smartphone, smart watch, smart glasses, tablet computer, laptop, personal computer, or IoT device. The electronic device 50 may also be a specific device attached to a means of transportation, such as a bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, boat, watercraft, aircraft, or drone. Therefore, in the following description, the terms UE and electronic device 50 should be understood to mean the same thing. The electronic device 50 according to the present disclosure may be equipped with at least one edge computing service application client (Application Client, App Client) 53, may include an edge enabler client (EEC) 52 according to the present disclosure, and may include a mobile terminal (MT) 51, e.g., a communication layer, that performs wireless communication functions. The MT 51 may include an antenna, a radio circuit, a modem, or at least one communication processor for communicating with a wireless communication system, including a mobile communication system.

[0031] Although not illustrated in FIG. 1 , the electronic device 50 may include at least one processor for overall control of the electronic device 50. In addition, the electronic device 50 may be equipped with an edge computing service application. Equipping the edge computing service application (App Client) may mean installing (or storing) an application for providing an edge computing service in a memory (not shown) of the electronic device 50. In addition, installing the edge computing service application (App Client) may mean loading an application installed in the electronic device 50 into at least one processor to perform an operation for providing an edge computing service.

[0032] The edge enabler client 52 may be installed in a memory (not shown) of the electronic device 50 that includes an application for providing an edge computing service. Alternatively, the edge enabler client 52 may be loaded into at least one processor in place of the installed application to perform at least some of the operations required by the edge computing service application.

[0033] Each of the edge data networks 10 and 20 illustrated in FIG. 1 may have an area for providing edge computing services to the electronic device 50. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a case where the service area 10 of the first edge data network includes a first base station 111, a second base station 112, a third base station 113, and a fourth base station 114, and the service area 20 of the second edge data network includes a fifth base station 211 and a sixth base station 212. Here, each of the base stations 111, 112, 113, 114, 211, and 212 may be a base station of a mobile communication system, for example, a wireless communication system having a specific wireless service area, such as an LTE system, an LTE-A system, an NR system, a Wi-Fi system, and / or a Wibro system. As described above, the example of FIG. 1 will be described using the NR system, which is a 5G system, as an example.

[0034] In the example of FIG. 1, the service area 10 of the first edge data network including the first base station 111 to the fourth base station 114 includes two different User Plane Function (UPF) devices 121 and 122. Also, the service area 2 of the second edge data network includes only one User Plane Function 221. Here, the UPF device may be implemented as one specific instance. One instance may be operated by one specific server or may be operated by two or more servers. Two or more instances may be operated by one specific server. This disclosure does not impose any restrictions on such matters.

[0035] 1, an edge data network can have one or more UPFs. The service area 10 of a first edge data network can be an area set by one edge enabler server 100. The service area 20 of a second edge data network can be an area set by another edge enabler server 200. In this way, the service areas 10 and 20 of the edge data networks can be set as areas that can be managed by the edge enabler servers 100 and 200.

[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the edge enabler servers 100 and 200 may be connected to or include edge application servers 101, 102, and 201, respectively, that provide the same or different edge computing services. The first edge application servers 101 and 201 and the second edge application server 102 may provide different edge computing services. The first edge application server 101 located in the service area 10 of the first edge data network and the first application server 201 located in the service area 20 of the second edge data network, which provides the same service, may provide the edge computing service to the electronic device 50 via the different edge enabler servers 100 and 200. As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the first edge application server 101 located in the service area 10 of the first edge data network may provide the edge computing service to the electronic device 50 connected to any one of the base stations 111, 112, 113, and 114 located in the first edge data network. The second edge application server 102 can provide edge computing services to an electronic device 50 connected to any one of the base stations 111, 112, 113, and 114 located in the first edge data network.

[0037] The base stations 111, 112, 113, 114, 211, and 212 have a predetermined area in which they can communicate with the user device 50 in a wireless communication scheme set with the user device 50. For example, if the set wireless communication scheme is a 3GPP (registered trademark) mobile communication network scheme, the base stations 111, 112, 113, 114, 211, and 212 can become base stations of the 3GPP (registered trademark) mobile communication network.

[0038] The User Plane Functions (UPFs) 121, 122, and 221 may function as gateways for transmitting packets transmitted and received by the user device 50. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the UPFs 121, 122, and 221 may be located physically and / or logically close to the edge enabler servers 100 and 200 to support edge computing services. By configuring the UPFs 121, 122, and 221 and the edge enabler servers 100 and 200 to be located physically and / or logically close to each other, data packets to be provided to (or received from) the user device 50 can be directly transmitted to an edge data network without passing through the Internet, thereby reducing transmission. In other words, low-latency transmission is possible. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the UPFs 121, 122, and 221 may also be connected to the edge enabler servers 100 and 200 via a data network connected to the Internet.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, edge computing may be configured with an edge enabler server 100, 200, an edge data network configuration server 30, and an edge enabler client (EEC) 52. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the edge enabler server 100, 200 may constitute an edge hosting environment 110, 210 or an edge computing platform. The construction of the edge hosting environment 110, 210 or edge computing platform may refer to a case where the edge enabler server 100, 200 and at least one edge application server 101, 102, 201 are connected to each other, or at least one edge application server 101, 102, 201 is running on the edge hosting environment or edge computing platform of the edge enabler server 100, 200. This allows the edge enabler servers 100, 200 to recognize information about the edge application servers 101, 102, 201 that are running in the edge hosting environment or on the edge computing platform.

[0040] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the edge enabler servers 100 and 200 can negotiate with the user device 50 to connect between the application client 53 running in the user device 50 and the edge application servers 101, 102, and 201 in the edge hosting environment. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the user device 50 supporting the edge computing system may be embedded or equipped with the edge enabler client 52 as described above. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, negotiation between the user device 50 and the edge application servers 101, 102, and 201 may be performed through interworking between the edge enabler client 52 in the user device 50 and the edge enabler servers 100 and 200. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a layer where the interworking between the edge enabler client 52 and the edge enabler servers 100 and 200 occurs may be referred to as an edge enabling layer.

[0041] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the Edge Data Network Configuration Server 30 recognizes deployment information of the edge enabler servers 100 and 200 and performs a function of transmitting configuration information for using edge computing services to the user device 50. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the configuration information may include at least one of Edge Data Network connection information, Edge Data Network Service Area, and Edge Enabler Server connection information.

[0042] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the edge data network connection information may include information such as a data network name and single-network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the edge data network service area may include at least one or more of a cell list, a list of tracking areas, and an operator's network identifier (PLMN ID). According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the edge enabler server connection information may be, for example, a uniform resource identifier (URI).

[0043] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the user device 50 can receive information about connectable edge enabler servers based on information about a specific location, such as a specific base station, a specific data network, or a specific physical location, from the edge data network configuration server 30. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, if the edge data network configuration server 30 recognizes information about edge application servers running in the edge hosting environment of a specific edge enabler server, the user device 50 can also obtain the information via the edge enabler client 52.

[0044] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the edge application servers 101, 102, and 201 may refer to third-party application servers operating within an edge computing system. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the edge application servers 101, 102, and 201 may be third-party application servers operating on infrastructure provided by an edge hosting environment. Since the edge application servers 101, 102, and 201 can provide services close to the user device 50, they can provide ultra-low latency services. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, information about a higher layer of a service provided by the edge application server to the user device 50 may be referred to as an application context. For example, when a user uses a real-time game application, all information required to replay the screen and playing stage currently viewed by the user in the game may be included in the application context. For example, in order for the user device 50 to connect to a different edge application server and seamlessly use existing services, the application context must be relocated to the newly connected edge application server. To perform application context relocation, an edge application server capable of providing services to an application running on the application client 53 of the user device 50 must be available. The availability of an edge application server in an edge data network can be determined by whether it operates in an edge hosting environment and the status of the edge application server.

[0045] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the user device 50 may include an application client 53, an edge enabler client 52 that interfaces with the application client 53 to provide an edge computing service, and a mobile terminal (MT) 51 that connects to a mobile communication system. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, an application of the user device 50 refers to a client application program that runs in the user device 50 for a specific application service, such as an application provided by a third party. Two or more applications may run in the user device 50. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one of these applications may use a multi-access edge computing (MEC) service. The edge enabler client 52 in the user device 50 may refer to a client that performs operations in the user device 50 required to use the edge computing service. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the edge enabler client 52 may identify which application can use the edge computing service and perform an operation of connecting a network interface so that data from the application client of the user device 50 is transmitted to an edge application server that provides the edge computing service. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the user device 50 can establish a wireless channel with a base station via the mobile terminal 51 to use an edge computing service. The wireless channel can be established in a communication layer of the mobile terminal 51, for example, a 3GPP (registered trademark) communication layer. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication layer of the mobile terminal 51 can establish a wireless connection for data communication, register the user device 50 in a mobile communication system, establish a connection for data transmission in the mobile communication system, and transmit and receive data.

[0046] FIG. 2 is a signal flow diagram illustrating the provision of edge application information from an edge enabler server of an MEC system to a user device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0047] Before explaining Figure 2, the devices illustrated in Figure 2 will be assumed to be the user device 50 and edge enabler server 100 in Figure 1 described above, and will be explained assuming that the user device 50 is located within the edge data network 1 service area 10 (or edge enabler service area) of the edge enabler server 100.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 2, at operation 230, an Edge Enabler Client (EEC) 52 in a user device 50 can send an Edge Application Server (EAS) Discovery Request message to an Edge Enabler Server (EES) 100 to obtain information about an edge application server that can provide services to an application client 53 in the user device 50.

[0049] In operation 232, the EES 100 selects an Edge Application Server (EAS) requested in the EAS discovery request message of the EEC 52, and in operation 234, the EES 100 transmits EAS endpoint address information and EAS profile information other than the address information, such as EAS service key performance indicators (KPIs) and service areas, in an EAS discovery response message to the EEC 52. The EES 100 can set and transmit an EAS information time to live (TTL or Lifetime) as the validity period or storage period of the information to be transmitted to the EEC 52. When setting the EAS info TTL, the EES 100 can set it based on the EAS service area, EAS operation time, EAS service KPIs, etc. in the EAS profile. For example, if the user device 50 is mobile and the EAS service area is small, the EAS info TTL value can be set to a small value to shorten the EAS information update period. Alternatively, the EAS info TTL can be determined as the validity / storage period of the EAS information (info) based on the EAS registration expiration time. The EAS registration expiration time can be a value transmitted from the EES 100 to the EAS.In addition, the EAS can make a registration request with an indication of update to the EES100 before the EAS Registration Expiration time has elapsed, and if the EAS does not perform EAS Registration before the Expiration time has elapsed, the EES100 can de-register the EAS and determine that the EAS status is unavailable.

[0050] In operation 234, when transmitting the EAS info TTL to the user device 50, the EES 100 may map the EAS info TTL with the EAS information provided to the user device 50 via the EAS Discovery Response message and transmit it. Alternatively, the EES 100 may transmit the EAS info TTL by including it in an EEC Registration Response message. For example, if the EEC Registration message is a registration update rather than an initial registration, the EES 100 may transmit a new EAS info TTL value by including it in the EEC Registration Response message to update (extend) the EAS info TTL stored in the EEC 52 of the user device 50. The EEC 52 that receives the new TTL value can extend the validity period or storage period of the EAS info by the newly received TTL value. For example, the EES 100 may initialize a timer for the active EAS info TTL and apply the new TTL value upon further activation.

[0051] In operation 236, the EEC 52 caches the EAS information provided through operation 234 and can set the validity period and storage period based on the provided EAS info TTL. If the EAS info TTL is not provided by the EES, the EEC 52 can determine the EAS info TTL value by arbitrarily setting the validity / storage period for the EAS info received from the EES 100. For example, the validity / storage period for the EAS info can be set using a locally configured value or arbitrarily based on the mobility of the user device 50 and App Client Profile information available in the user device 50. Alternatively, the EAS info TTL value can be set by referring to the EAS profile and App Client Profile provided by the EES 100.

[0052] In the above embodiment, the EAS info TTL can be expressed as the temporal validity condition of the EAS info (time interval or timer duration during which the EAS info is valid) or the EAS info expiration time or EAS info lifetime.

[0053] FIG. 3a is a signal flow diagram of an edge enabler client updating EAS information with an MEC network according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0054] Before explaining Figure 3a, the devices illustrated in Figure 3a will be assumed to be the user device 50 and edge enabler server 100 in Figure 1 described above, and will be explained assuming that the user device 50 is located within the edge data network 1 service area 10 of the edge enabler server 100.

[0055] 3A, in operation 300, an Edge Enabler Client (EEC) 52 may send a subscribe request (Dynamic information subscription request) message to an Edge Enabler Server (EES) 100 to receive notification of information changes in a specific Edge Application Server (EAS). When the EEC 52 sends the Subscribe request (Dynamic information subscription request) to the EES 100, it may also provide user equipment information (UE info), application client information (App Client ID), and information about the EAS that connects to the App Client in the user equipment to provide services. Here, the user equipment information (UE info) may include information such as a user equipment identifier (UE ID), a user equipment IP address (UE IP address), a user equipment core network type (UE CN Type), and a user equipment core network capability. In addition, the information about the EAS may include, for example, an EAS ID and address information. The provided EAS information, UE information and App Client information can be used by the EES 100 to select the EAS to monitor and the information to be monitored.

[0056] In operation 302, the EES 100 can perform an authentication procedure for the EEC 52 and the UE's Dynamic info subscription service based on the information in operation 300.

[0057] In operation 304, the EES 100 can check whether EAS information change event monitoring is possible for the EAS (first edge application server 101 in the embodiment of FIG. 3a) that provides service to the EEC or UE 50 that requested the Subscribe, and can request a subscribe operation for the EAS information change event notification for monitoring. When sending the EAS information change event notification subscribe request message, the UE ID, EEC ID, and App Client ID of the requesting user device can be included.

[0058] Alternatively, the EES100 can monitor EAS information changes through the EAS Registration operation without performing a separate subscribe operation (monitoring through EAS Registration can also be performed by the EAS providing the EAS Registration Expiration time to the EAS in the initial EAS Registration operation so that EAS Registration with indication of update can be performed periodically).

[0059] In operation 306, the EES 100 may transmit a dynamic information subscribe response message to the EEC 52, including a result (success / failure) of the dynamic information subscribe request and EAS information to be monitored. Here, the EAS information may include, for example, an EAS status, an EAS service area, an EAS Service KPI, a change in computing resources, etc. In addition, the dynamic information subscribe response message assigns a subscription identifier (subscription ID) that can identify the subscription for the corresponding user device, and maps and records the EEC ID or UE ID and the EAS information (ID and address) to be monitored. After that, the EES may transmit the result of the dynamic information subscribe request, including the subscription ID at the time of transmission and the EAS information to be notified (if monitoring of the target EAS is possible).

[0060] Meanwhile, when an EAS information update occurs, the EAS transmits an EAS info change event notification message to the EES 100 in operation 308. The notification message may include the UE ID, EEC ID, App Client ID, and updated information of the user device receiving the EAS service. Here, the updated information may include, for example, at least one of EAS address update, service KPI update, and other EAS profile information.

[0061] In operation 310, the EES 100 can determine a target user equipment for notification transmission based on information included in the EAS info change event notification message from the EAS 101 in operation 308. If the EAS info change event includes an unavailable EAS status, the EES 100 can perform additional operations for instantiation of a new EAS. This additional operation will be described in more detail in the embodiment of FIG. 4, which will be described later. If the EAS info change event includes information about user equipment mobility (e.g., UE location changed, or DNAI changed), the EES 100 can perform additional operations to acquire target EES and target EAS information that can be accessed at the location where the user equipment has moved. This will be described in more detail in FIG. 4, which will be described later.

[0062] In operation 312, the EES 100 can include the EAS update information (e.g., EAS schedule, service area, service KPI, etc. in the EAS profile) obtained in operations 308 and 310, the identifier (ID) of the EAS, and the supporting App Client ID in a dynamic information notification message and transmit it to the EEC 52. The EES 100 can also transmit the new EAS info TTL for the information to be transmitted to the EEC 52.

[0063] In operation 314, if the information provided via operation 312 does not include an EAS status of unavailable / disabled and does not include new EAS address information (if an existing EAS is available but only some information is changed), the EEC 52 updates the EAS information cached in the memory (not shown) of the user device 50 with the provided EAS information and can set the validity period and storage period based on the provided EAS info TTL.

[0064] FIG. 3b is a signal flow diagram of a user equipment with an MEC network when discovering an edge enabler server in an MEC system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0065] Before explaining Figure 3b, the device illustrated in Figure 3b will be assumed to be the user device 50 and edge enabler server 100 in Figure 1 described above, and will be explained assuming that the user device 50 is located within the edge data network 1 service area 10 of the edge enabler server 100.

[0066] In operation 320, the EEC 52 may perform a subscribe operation to receive notification of changes in information for a specific EAS from the EES 100. When the EEC 52 transmits a Subscribe request (Dynamic information subscription request) message to the EES 100, the message may include user device information (UE info: e.g., UE ID, UE IP address, UE CN Type, UE core network capability, etc.), App Client information (App Client ID), and information on the EAS that is connected to the App Client in the user device and providing the service (EAS ID, address information, etc.). The provided EAS information, UE information, and App Client information may be used by the EES 100 to select an EAS to monitor and to select information to be monitored.

[0067] In operation 322, the EES 100 can perform an authentication procedure for the EEC and UE for the Dynamic info subscription service based on the information contained in the message received in operation 320.

[0068] In operation 324, the EES 100 can request a subscribe operation for the EAS information change event notification for monitoring, and can check whether EAS information change event monitoring is possible with the EAS 101 that provides service to the EEC 52 or UE 50 that requested the Subscribe, when the EES 100 sends the EAS information change event notification subscribe request message to the EAS 101, the message can include the UE ID, EEC ID, and App Client ID of the user device that made the request.

[0069] Alternatively, EES100 can monitor EAS information changes through the EAS Registration operation without performing a separate subscribe operation (monitoring can be performed using the EAS Registration message by EES100 providing the EAS Registration Expiration time to EAS101 in the initial EAS Registration operation so that EAS Registration with indication of update can be performed periodically).

[0070] In operation 326, the EES 100 can transmit a Dynamic information subscribe response message to the EES 52, including the result (success / failure) of the Dynamic information subscribe request and the EAS information to be monitored. At this time, the Dynamic information subscribe response message can include the Subscription ID and the EAS information to be notified.

[0071] When an EAS information update occurs in operation 328, the EAS (first edge application server 101 in FIG. 1) can send an EAS info change event notification message to the EES 100. The notification message can include the UE ID, EEC ID, App Client ID, and updated information (e.g., EAS address update, EAS profile information other than service KPI update) of the user device receiving the EAS service.

[0072] In operation 330, the EES 100 can determine a target user device to which a notification message is to be sent based on information in the EAS info change event notification message received from the EAS 101 in operation 328. Specifically, the EES 100 can select a user device that receives service from the corresponding EAS 101 or a user device that has received the EAS information from the EES 100, for example, a user device that has performed EAS Registration or EAS discovery on the EES 100 and received the EAS information in a response message. If the EAS info change event message includes an unavailable EAS status and the EES 100 is unable to intervene in a new EAS instantiation operation or another EAS that can provide the same service is unavailable, the EES 100 can transmit only the changed EAS status to the user device 50 in the next operation. If an EAS that can provide the same service is available, the EES 100 can acquire information about the EAS (e.g., ID, address) and use it when performing the next operation.

[0073] In operation 332, the EES 100 can include the EAS status update information obtained in operations 328 to 330 in a Notification for dynamic information message and transmit the message to the EEC 52. The EAS update information can include changes to the EAS schedule, Service Area, Service KPIs, EAS status, etc. in the EAS profile. In addition, if another available EAS exists on the same platform or in an edge hosting environment in operation 330, the EAS ID and address information can also be included in the Notification for dynamic information message.

[0074] In operation 334, if the EAS status information is changed to unavailable or disabled, the EEC 52 processes the EAS status information and initializes the EAS information cached in memory. Thereafter, the EEC 52 must perform one of the following operations, which differs from the embodiment of FIG. 3a described above.

[0075] (i) If the EAS status provided in operation 332 is unavailable and does not include new EAS address information, EEC52 shall make an EAS discovery request or an Application Context Relocation request for the EAS ID or the App Client ID served by the EAS in operation 336.

[0076] (ii) If EAS address information is provided in operation 332, the EEC 52 does not issue an EAS discovery request, but caches the EAS address information provided in operation 336 for the EAS info TTL or EAS Lifetime, and can route data traffic generated by the App Client 53 to the cached EAS address. Also, an EEC Registration request (including a Registration update indication) can be made including the updated EAS address, and data traffic generated by the App Client 53 can be routed to the provided EAS address.

[0077] FIG. 4 is a signal flow diagram of an MEC network when updating new EAS information according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0078] Before explaining Figure 4, it is assumed that the device illustrated in Figure 4 is in a state in which the user device 50 is initially connected to the edge enabler server 100 in Figure 1 described above, and therefore that the user device 50 is located within the edge data network 1 service area 10 of the edge enabler server 100.

[0079] 4, in operation 410, the EEC 52 may perform a subscribe operation to receive notification of changes in information for a specific EAS from the EES 100. When the EEC 52 transmits the Subscribe request (Dynamic information subscription request) message to the EES 100, it also provides user device information (UE info: e.g., UE ID, UE IP address, UE CN Type, UE core network capability, etc.), App Client information (App Client ID), and information on the EAS that is connected to the App Client in the user device and providing the service (EAS ID, address information, etc.). The provided EAS information, UE information, and App Client information can be used to select an EAS to monitor in the EES and to select monitoring target information.

[0080] In operation 412, the EES 100 can perform an authentication procedure for the EEC and UE for the Dynamic info subscription service based on the information received in operation 410.

[0081] In operation 414, the EES 100 checks whether EAS information change event monitoring is possible for the EAS providing service to the EEC or UE that requested the subscription, and can request a subscribe operation for the EAS information change event notification for monitoring from the EAS 101. In the embodiment of Figure 4, it is assumed that the UE is connected to the first EAS 101 and an EMC service is provided.

[0082] In addition, when the EES 100 sends the EAS information change event notification subscribe Request message to the EAS 101, the EES 100 may include the UE ID, EEC ID, and App Client ID of the user device that made the request.

[0083] In another example, the EES100 can monitor EAS information changes through the EAS Registration operation without performing a separate subscribe operation (monitoring through EAS Registration can be performed by the EAS100 providing the EAS Registration Expiration time to the EAS101 in the initial EAS Registration operation so that EAS Registration with indication of update can be performed periodically).

[0084] In operation 416, the EES 100 may transmit a dynamic information subscribe response message including the result (success / failure) of the dynamic information subscribe request and EAS information to be monitored to the EEC 52. At this time, the dynamic information subscribe response message may include a subscription ID and EAS information to be notified.

[0085] When an EAS information update occurs in operation 418, the EAS 101 can transmit an EAS info change event notification to the EES 100. The notification can include the UE ID, EEC ID, App Client ID, and updated information (e.g., EAS address update, EAS profile information other than service KPI update) of the user device receiving the service of the EAS 101. If the EAS info change event notification message indicates that the EAS status is unavailable, the EES 100 can perform additional operations for instantiation of a new EAS.

[0086] In operation 420, the EES100 can identify whether the EAS status received in operation 418 is unavailable due to exceeding the allowable load (information about the exceeding the allowable load can be provided by the manager server 401. For example, the manager server 401 can provide an EAS ID that exceeds the allowable load). If the EAS status is unavailable due to exceeding the allowable load, the EES100 can request a new EAS instantiation from the manager server (Lifecycle manager / Orchestrator / Platform manager) 401 in operation 422. The instantiation request message can include information about the target EAS (e.g., EAS ID, App Client ID, etc.) to instantiate a new EAS that can provide the same services and functions as the existing EAS. The instantiation in this operation refers to EAS instantiation within the same platform or the same edge hosting environment managed by the EES100.

[0087] The manager server 401 that performs the EAS instantiation operation (such as a Lifecycle manager, Orchestrator, or platform manager can perform instantiation for the EAS) can complete the instantiation operation for the EAS requested in operation 422 in operation 424, and then send the instantiation result to the EES 100 in operation 426.

[0088] The EAS 102 newly instantiated by the manager server 401 in operation 426 can notify the EES 100 that the EAS 102 is ready to provide services by performing an EAS Registration operation in operation 428. When performing EAS Registration, the new EAS 102 can transmit its EAS ID, EAS address, and EAS profile information (e.g., service area, service KPI, computing resource, supportable App Client ID, etc.) to the EES 100.

[0089] In operation 430, the EES 100 can transmit to the EEC 52 a Notification for dynamic information message including information about the new EAS 102 (EAS ID, address, EAS profile information, etc.) acquired through operation 428 and the EAS info TTL for the information. The information can be transmitted by mapping it to the EAS ID of an existing EAS or the App Client ID that the existing EAS provided a service to notify that information about the EAS 101 that provided a service in the user device needs to be updated.

[0090] In operation 432, the EEC 52 stores or caches the newly transmitted EAS information in memory and can activate a timer for the time-to-live or lifetime of the information (using the value provided in operation 430 or a value set by the EEC 52 itself). After that, the App Data Traffic generated by the App Client for which the EAS 102 corresponding to the transmitted information can be provided can be processed to be sent to the cached EAS endpoint address (e.g., using the cached EAS address information in response to a DNS query generated by the App Client and performing routing for the traffic).

[0091] At operation 434, the EEC 52 completes operation 532 and re-performs the EEC Registration operation to connect to and manage the newly instantiated EAS 102 with information about the user device and the EEC 52 at the EES 100.

[0092] FIG. 5 is a signal flow diagram in an MEC network for updating information when the EES of a UE is changed according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0093] Before explaining Figure 5, the device illustrated in Figure 5 will be described assuming that the user device 50 in Figure 1 connects to the first edge enabler server 100 and then moves to the second edge enabler server 200.

[0094] In operation 510, the EEC 52 may perform a subscribe operation to receive notification of changes in information for a specific EAS 101 in the first EES 100. When the EEC 52 transmits the Subscribe request (Dynamic information subscription request) message to the first EES 100, it may also provide user device information (UE info: e.g., UE ID, UE IP address, UE CN Type, UE core network capability, etc.), App Client information (App Client ID), and information on the EAS 101 that is connected to the App Client in the user device and providing the service (EAS ID, address information, etc.). The provided EAS information, UE information, and App Client information may be used by the first EES 100 to select an EAS to monitor and to select monitoring target information.

[0095] In operation 512, the first EES 100 can perform an authentication procedure for the EEC 52 and the UE 50 for the Dynamic info subscription service based on the information received in operation 510.

[0096] In operation 513, the first EES 100 may request a subscribe operation using an EAS information change event notification request message to check whether EAS information change event monitoring is possible for the EAS 101 providing service to the EEC 52 or UE 50 that requested the Subscribe and to monitor the same. When sending the EAS information change event notification subscribe request message, the first EES 100 may include the UE ID, EEC ID, and App Client ID of the requesting user device.

[0097] Alternatively, the first EES 100 can monitor EAS information changes through the EAS Registration operation without performing a separate subscribe operation (monitoring can be performed using the EAS Registration message by the first EAS 100 providing the EAS Registration Expiration time to the EAS 101 in the initial EAS Registration operation so that EAS Registration with indication of update can be performed periodically).

[0098] In operation 514, the first EES 100 may transmit a Dynamic information subscribe response message including the result (success / failure) of the Dynamic information subscribe request and EAS information to be monitored to the EEC 52. At this time, the Dynamic information subscribe response message may include a Subscription ID and EAS information to be notified.

[0099] When an EAS information update occurs in operation 516, the EAS 101 can transmit an EAS info change event notification message to the first EES 100. The EAS 101 can transmit the notification message including the UE ID, EEC ID, App Client ID, and updated information (e.g., EAS address update, EAS profile information other than service KPI update) of the user device receiving the service of the EAS 101. Additionally, the EAS 101 can notify that the location of the user device has left the EAS service area in the EAS info change event notification message (if the EAS continuously monitors changes in the location or data network access identifier (DNAI) of the user device in conjunction with the 3GPP network, it can recognize and notify this).

[0100] In operation 518, the first EES 100 may perform an operation interlocking with an Edge Configuration Server (ECS) 30 to determine a user device to which a notification is to be sent based on information included in the EAS info change event notification message from the EAS 101 in operation 516 and to obtain information to be transmitted to the user device. For example, examples of conditions for the first EES 100 to interlock with the ECS 30 are as follows:

[0101] (i) The EAS info change event message contains an EAS status of unavailable, and additional EAS instantiation is currently not possible on the platform to which EAS100 and EAS101 belong; or

[0102] (ii) the EAS info change event message contains mobility-related information of the user equipment (e.g., UE location changed, or DNAI changed); or

[0103] (iii) The first EES 100 detects an event in which the user device 50 leaves the EES service area immediately before the operation 518, or detects a change in DNAI.

[0104] To this end, the first EES 100 or EAS 101 can detect the location of the user device or the occurrence of a user device UP path management event (DNAI change) through interaction with the 3GPP® network, and transmit the changed user device location and new target DNAI value to the ECS 30. The ECS 30 can then select a target EES by comparing the DNAI values ​​that identify the service areas and connection points of other stored EESs. Figure 5 assumes that the second EES 200 is selected as the target EES in Figure 1. Finally, the ECS 30 can transmit information related to the selected target EES (such as its ID and address) to the existing first EES 100.

[0105] In operation 520, the first EES 100 can transmit user device related information and edge application server information used by the user device to the Target EES 200 based on the Target EES information provided from the ECS 30 (UE ID, EEC ID, App Client ID, EAS ID, etc.).

[0106] In operation 522, the Target EES 200 can select a currently available EAS 201 or trigger a new EAS instantiation based on the information communicated in operation 520.

[0107] In operation 524, the Target EES 200 can set the EAS information acquired by performing operation 522 and the validity period (Time to Live) for the information and transmit them to the existing EES 100. If the first EAS 101 that provided the service to the user device 50 needs to relocate the application context, it can transmit application context information (information stored in the EAS 101) required to ensure service continuity to the user device 50 to a new EAS (the EAS corresponding to the information provided in operation 524) through operation 530. When operation 530 is completed, the existing first EAS 101 can notify the first EES 100 of the completion fact through operation 532.

[0108] In operation 540, the first EES 100 can transmit (inform) information about the acquired target EES 200, information about the new EAS 201 (ID and address), the App Client ID that can be connected to the EAS 201, the information validity period (EAS info Time-to-Live), etc., to the EEC 52 by including the information in a Notification for dynamic information message. In operation 540, if an Application Context Relocation operation is required during EAS, after completing the operation (completion of operations 530 and 532), i.e., after completing the execution of Application Context transfer from the source EAS 101 to the target EAS 201 and receiving a Context transfer completion message from the source EAS 101, the existing EES 100 can be used to transmit information about the target EES 200 and the target EAS 201 (target EAS address and ID) and related target EAS profile information to the EEC 53.

[0109] In operation 542, the EEC 52 caches the information in the received Notification for dynamic information message in memory and can activate a timer for the time-to-live of the information. After that, App Data Traffic generated by the executed App Client can be sent to the cached EAS endpoint address.

[0110] In operation 544, the EEC 52 can perform an EEC Registration operation on the target EES 200 provided through operation 542. When the EEC 52 sends an EEC Registration Request message, it includes the provided EAS ID and address information, allowing the target EES 200 to manage information on the user device and the EEC 52 and check information on the EAS 201 that provides services to the user device.

[0111] FIG. 6 is a control flow diagram of receiving an edge enabler application information change event message at an edge enabler server according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0112] 6 assumes that an edge enabler application information change event message is received by the edge enabler server. Also, in the description of FIG. 6, the EES is assumed to be the first EES 100 of FIG. 1. However, other EESs may also perform the operation of FIG. 6 when the embodiments of the present disclosure are applied.

[0113] Referring to Figure 6, the EES 100 can check the EAS information change event message received in operation 600. If this check result shows that the existing EAS can continue to be used, but some information in the EAS profile (EAS address information, service area, service KPI, etc.) has changed, the EES 100 can proceed to operation 610 and transmit the updated EAS information. In this case, the operation in Figure 3a (transmission of information in the changed EAS profile) can be performed.

[0114] In addition, the EES100 can identify a case where the EAS status of the existing EAS is unavailable as a result of inspecting the EAS information change event message received in operation 600. In this case, the EES100 can proceed to operation 630. In operation 630, the EES100 can identify the availability of an EAS that provides the same service. This can be further classified into the following cases.

[0115] Case 1 (operation 640): When an EAS capable of providing the same service as the existing EAS exists within the same platform or edge hosting environment: In this case, control can be performed to transmit an EAS profile including available EAS ID and address information to the user device, as described above in Figure 3b.

[0116] Case 2: If there is no EAS that can provide the same services as the existing EAS, it can be further divided into the following three cases.

[0117] Case 2-1: There may be a case where instantiation can be performed within the edge hosting environment or edge platform structure of the same EES. In this case, the process may proceed to operation 660. The EES 100 may request execution of instantiation in operation 660 and transmit information about the instantiated EAS to the user device. This operation may correspond to the example of FIG. 4 described above.

[0118] Case 2-2: There may be cases where instantiation cannot be performed within the edge hosting environment or edge platform structure of the same EES 100. If instantiation cannot be performed in this way, the EES 100 proceeds to operation 650 and notifies the user device that the EAS status is changed to unavailable, as in Figure 3b, thereby inducing the user device to perform new EAS discovery or service provisioning.

[0119] Case 2-3: The EES 100 may detect that the user device has left the EAS service area (detecting that the user device has moved, a change due to a change in the EAS service area, or a change in the DNAI). In this case, the EES 100 may proceed with operation 620 to acquire target EES / target EAS information and transmit it to the user device. This operation may correspond to the operation shown in FIG. 5 above. That is, the EES 100 may acquire EAS information managed by another EES located in another edge hosting environment or platform and transmit the acquired EAS-related information to the user device.

[0120] Although the detailed description of this disclosure has been described with respect to an embodiment in which the Edge Enabler Server sends related updates to the user device (EEC) according to changes in information about the Edge Application Server, the scope of the invention also includes an operation in which the Edge Configuration Server sends related updates to the user device (EEC) according to changes in information in the Edge Enabler Server profile.

[0121] Although the detailed description of the present invention has been given with reference to specific embodiments, it is to be understood that various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be determined by the following claims and their equivalents.

[0122] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the structure of an EES according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0123] Referring to FIG. 7, an edge inertial server (EES) may include an EES processor 710, an EES transceiver 720, and an EES memory 730.

[0124] In the case of the source edge enabler server 100, the EES processor 710 can control the operation of the source edge enabler server 100, and in the case of the target edge application server 200, the EES processor 710 can control the operation of the target edge enabler server 200. In the signal flow chart of Figure 2 and the signal flow charts of Figures 3a and 3b, where there is no distinction between the source edge application server and the target application server, the control of the operations performed by the edge enabler servers 100 and 200 can be performed under the control of the EES processor 710.

[0125] Also, when the EES processor 710 operates in the source edge enabler server 100, it can control the operation of the edge enabler server 100 according to the signal flow chart of Figure 4 and the operation of the edge enabler server 100 according to the signal flow chart of Figure 5. In other words, the EES processor 710 can control all operations of the edge enabler server 100 described in this disclosure.

[0126] Furthermore, the EES processor 710 can control the operation of the edge enabler servers 100 and 200 according to the control flow chart of FIG.

[0127] The EES transceiver 720 may include a network interface. The network interface may convert data, signals, and / or messages into a format required by a particular network before transmitting the data, signals, and / or messages to the particular network. The EES transceiver 720 may communicate with the edge application servers 101, 102, and 210 via the edge hosting environments 110 and 210, may communicate with the edge data network configuration server 30, and may communicate with the UE 50 via a 3GPP® core network. For example, the EES transceiver 720 may send specific messages (or signals) to and / or receive specific messages (or signals) from the edge application servers 101, 102, and 210.

[0128] The EES memory 730 can store various information described in Figures 1 to 6 of this disclosure, such as EAS information, EAS updated information, UE information, etc.

[0129] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the structure of an EAS according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0130] Referring to FIG. 8, the edge application server (EAS) 101, 102, 201 may include an EAS processor 810, an EAS transceiver 820, and an EAS memory 830.

[0131] The EAS processor 810 can control operations in the edge application server, i.e., control the operations of the edge application server described in FIGS.

[0132] The EAS transceiver 820 may include a network interface that may communicate with the edge enabler server 100, 200 via the edge hosting environment 110, 210 and with the UE 50 via a 3GPP® core network.

[0133] The EAS memory 830 can store various information described in Figures 1 to 6 of this disclosure, such as EAS information, EAS updated information, UE information, etc.

[0134] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0135] Referring to FIG. 9, the user equipment UE 50 may include a UE processor 910, a UE transceiver 920 and a UE memory 930.

[0136] The application client 53 illustrated in Fig. 1 may be implemented in the UE processor 910. Also, the MT 51 illustrated in Fig. 1 may be implemented as a separate processor such as a communication processor. However, in Fig. 9, all such processors are collectively referred to as the UE processor 910. Therefore, the edge application client 52 may also be implemented in the UE processor 910, and this form is illustrated in Fig. 9.

[0137] The UE transceiver 920 can transmit and receive signals / messages / data over the air in accordance with the protocols of the mobile communication system. For example, it can convert the signals / messages / data to be transmitted into analog signals, upconvert the analog-converted signals to a set band, power amplify the signals, and transmit them via an antenna (not shown in FIG. 9). It can also receive signals / messages / data in a set band, low-power amplify the signals, downconvert the signals to a band that can be processed by the UE processor 910, convert the signals into digital signals, and output the digital signals to the UE processor 910.

[0138] The UE memory 930 may include an area for temporary buffering of signals / messages / data to be transmitted, an area for temporary buffering of received signals / messages / data, and / or an area for storing various data described in Figures 1 to 6.

[0139] 9. For example, the UE 50 may include at least one or more of a display, a touch screen, a speaker, keys, and various sensors for a user interface.

[0140] While the present invention has been described in various embodiments, various changes and modifications may occur to those skilled in the art, and the present disclosure is intended to cover such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0141] The present disclosure can be used in systems that provide edge computing services. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 1. Service areas of mobile network operators 10 Service area of ​​the first edge data network 20 Second Edge Data Network Service Area 30 Edge Data Network Configuration Server 50 User Device 51 Mobile terminals 52 Edge Enabler Clients 53 Application Client 100 First Edge Enabler Server 101 First Edge Application Server 102 Second Edge Application Server 110 Edge Hosting Environment 111 1st base station 112 2nd base station 113 3rd base station 114 4th base station 200 Second Edge Enabler Server 201 First Edge Application Server 210 Edge Hosting Environment 211 5th base station 212 6th base station 401 Manager Server 710 processor 720 Transceiver 730 memory 810 processor 820 Transceiver 830 memory 910 processor 920 Transceiver 930 memory

Claims

1. 1. A method for continuously providing edge computing services to a user equipment (UE) by an edge enabler server (EES) of a mobile edge computing (MEC) system, comprising: receiving update information including UE information and source Edge Application Server (EAS) information from a source Edge Application Server (EAS) that provides an edge computing service at the UE; acquiring target edge enabler server (EES) information from an edge configuration server (ECS) based on the updated information; transmitting UE information and EAS information to the target EES based on the target EES information; receiving target EAS information from the target EES; providing the target EAS information at the source EAS; Including, The UE information includes a UE identifier to which a service is provided and one of the location of the UE or a target data network access identifier (DNAI), the EAS information includes an EAS search filter including EAS identifier information and an EAS profile; 10. A method for continuously providing edge computing services to a UE by an EES of an MEC system, wherein the target EAS is triggered to be instantiated by the target EES.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: when completing the inter-EAS application context relocation, notifying the UE of completion of application context relocation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the target EES, target EAS information, and target EAS profile information are included when notifying the UE of the completion of context relocation.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the target EAS information includes a target EAS address and a target EAS identifier.

5. The target EAS information is The method of claim 3, wherein the target EAS information is mapped with a time to live (TTL) and provided to the UE via an EAS search response message.

6. The step of acquiring the target EES information includes: sending UE context information to the ECS; acquiring target EAS information and a time to live (TTL) of the target EAS information from the ECS; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

7. The UE context information The method of claim 6, comprising an Application Client (AC) identifier (ID), a source EAS identifier, a UE identifier, and an EES identifier.

8. 1. A method for continuously providing edge computing services to a user equipment (UE) in a mobile edge computing (MEC) system, comprising: Sending a dynamic information subscription request of an edge application server (EAS) that provides edge computing services to an edge enabler server (EES); receiving a dynamic information subscription request response from the EES; receiving an EAS dynamic information notification message from the EES; caching information of the received message and updating and invalidating previously cached information; Including, The dynamic information subscription request includes UE information (UE info), application client information (App Client ID), and information for the EAS.

9. The dynamic information notification message includes: The method of claim 8, including UE information, application client information (App Client ID), and updated information for the EAS.

10. The updated information for the EAS is 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising at least one of EAS address update, service KPI update, EAS profile, and EAS information time to live (TTL).

11. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: updating EAS information stored in an edge enabler client in the UE with updated information for the EAS.

12. receiving an application context relocation completion message from the EES; performing a registration procedure with a target EES based on the application context relocation completion message; further comprising The method of claim 8 , wherein the application context relocation complete message includes target EES and target EAS information and target EAS profile information.

13. The target EAS information is The method of claim 12, wherein the target EAS information is mapped with a time to live (TTL) and provided to the UE via an EAS search response message.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising: caching the target EAS information.

15. 1. An apparatus for continuously providing edge computing services to a user equipment (UE) in a mobile edge computing (MEC) system, comprising: The device comprises: Memory and a processor; a transceiver operatively coupled to said memory and said processor; Including, The transceiver comprises: receiving update information including UE information and source EAS information from a source Edge Application Server (EAS) that provides an edge computing service to the UE; Obtaining target edge enabler server (EES) information from the edge configuration server (ECS) based on the update information; Transmitting UE information and EAS information to the target EES based on the target EES information; receiving target EAS information from the target EES; configured to provide target EAS information at the source EAS; The UE information includes a UE identifier to which a service is provided and one of a location of the UE or a target data network access identifier (DNAI); the EAS information includes an EAS search filter including EAS identifier information and an EAS profile; The target EAS is triggered to be instantiated by the target EES.

16. The transceiver comprises: The apparatus of claim 15 , further configured to: when completing the inter-EAS application context relocation, send information indicating completion of application context relocation to the UE.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the information includes target EES information, target EAS information, and target EAS profile information.

18. 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the target EAS information includes a target EAS address and a target EAS identifier.

19. The target EAS information is The device of claim 17, wherein the target EAS information is mapped with a time to live (TTL) and provided to the UE via an EAS search response message.

20. The transceiver comprises: Sending UE context information to the ECS, the UE context information including an application client (AC) identifier, a source EAS identifier, a UE identifier, and an EES identifier; 16. The apparatus of claim 15, further configured to obtain target EAS information and a time to live (TTL) of the target EAS information from the ECS.

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