Network slice processing method and device, electronic device, and storage medium

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a network slice processing method and its device, electronic device, and storage medium, where the method includes: obtaining at least two intents, the intents being used to create or modify one or more network slices; prioritizing the at least two intents according to a first policy, the first policy including at least requirements of a service level agreement (SLA) contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider; and creating or modifying the network slice based on the prioritization of the intents.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application bearing application number 202210573265.5, filed with the China Patent Office on May 24, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a network slice processing method and device, electronic device, and storage medium. [Background technology]

[0003] With the diversification of application scenarios and services, the scale of networks is becoming larger and larger. Traditional networks require a large amount of manual configuration and diagnosis, resulting in high management overhead. Network management methods can no longer meet user demands, and network architectures need a new level of management. In next-generation mobile networks, computing power and intelligence will be ubiquitous, and a consensus has gradually formed that artificial intelligence (especially machine learning techniques) can be used to reduce the need for human intervention. With the development of cognition-driven networks and intent-driven networks, knowledge-defined networks, which are enabled by software-defined networks (SDNs), telemetry, biomimetic intelligence, and other technologies, can help achieve the goal of network autonomy by introducing a knowledge plane into the network.

[0004] In the related art, the intent-based network technology is a network that is managed using "user intent", and the network can identify and receive the intent of users (including end users and network administrators), and can be configured and adjusted according to the user intent. In the process of configuration and adjustment, the user can obtain the expected results without needing to specify the detailed technical steps of implementation. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the related art, there is still no effective solution for handling network slices (also called slices) in multi-intent scenarios.

[0006] In order to solve the related technical problems, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a network slice processing method and an apparatus, electronic device, and storage medium thereof. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure are realized as follows.

[0008] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for processing a network slice, the method including: Obtaining at least two intents, the intents being used to create or modify one or more network slices; and determining a priority of the at least two intents according to a first policy, the first policy including at least requirements of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider; and creating or modifying the network slice based on a priority of the intent.

[0009] In the above solution, determining a priority of the at least two intentions according to the first policy includes: Determining whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; When the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers, determining a priority of the at least two intentions based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider; For network slice customers with high SLA requirements, the intent of the network slice customer has high priority.

[0010] In the above solution, determining a priority of the at least two intentions according to the first policy includes: Determining whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; When the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, judge whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices to obtain a second judgment result; When the second judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slices, determining a priority of the at least two intentions based on levels of the at least two network slices; For a network slice with a higher network slice level, the intent of the network slice has higher priority.

[0011] In the above solution, determining a priority of the at least two intentions according to the first policy includes: Determining whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; When the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, judge whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices to obtain a second judgment result; If the second judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of one network slice, determining a priority of the intentions of the at least two attributes of the network slice based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider.

[0012] In the above solution, the method comprises: receiving first information, the first information including a feedback value of a first attribute; If the first attribute is created or determined, the method further includes preferentially configuring the first attribute based on first information.

[0013] In the above solution, the method further includes at least one of:

[0014] Translating intent into a network slice configuration; verifying said configuration; executing said configuration after successful verification; An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a processing device for a network slice, the device comprising: An acquisition unit configured to acquire at least two intents, the intents being used to create or modify one or more network slices; A first processing unit configured to prioritize the at least two intents according to a first policy, the first policy including at least requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider; and and a second processing unit configured to create or modify the network slice based on a priority of the intent.

[0015] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device comprising a communication interface and a processor, wherein: The processor, acquiring at least two intents via the communication interface, the intents being used to create or modify one or more network slices; Prioritizing the at least two intents according to a first policy, the first policy including at least requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider; The network slice is configured to be created or modified based on the priority of the intent.

[0016] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device comprising: a processor; and a memory storing a computer program executable by the processor; Here, the processor executes the computer program to perform all the processes in any one of the above methods.

[0017] An embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for causing a processor to perform all the steps of any one of the methods described above. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the network slice processing method and its device, electronic device, and storage medium of the embodiment of the present disclosure, at least two intentions are obtained, and the intentions are used to create or modify one or more network slices, and a priority of the at least two intentions is determined according to a first policy, the first policy including at least the requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider, and the network slice is created or modified based on the priority of the intentions. According to the solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, in a multi-intent scenario, the priority of the intentions is determined based on a policy including at least the requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider, and the network slice is created or modified based on the priority of the intentions, thereby avoiding conflicts between intentions and improving the management efficiency of the network slice. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network management orchestration framework for intent-based network slices in the related art (hereinafter abbreviated as intent network). [Diagram 2] 1 is an exemplary flowchart of a network slice processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; [Diagram 3] 1 is an exemplary flowchart of intent ranking in an application embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating intent ranking in an intent network in an application embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is an exemplary structural diagram of a processing device of a network slice according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an exemplary structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] In the following, the present disclosure will be explained in more detail with reference to figures and examples.

[0021] In the related technology, as shown in FIG. 1, intent-based management and orchestration is introduced under the management orchestration architecture of network slices, and by utilizing the intent network, a highly automated, intelligent, and closed-loop control network can be realized.

[0022] In the following, the function of each module in the intention network will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1.

[0023] 1) Intention input module The intent input module is a portal for end users and the first step in realizing user intent, that is, users can input business requirements through the intent input module. The user experience of the intent input module is the key to whether the intent network system can be rapidly deployed.

[0024] 2) Intention translation module and configuration verification module The intent translation module is configured to convert the business requirements of the intent input module into network plans and device configurations. The configuration verification module is configured to verify the configuration on the digital twin network or an actual running network platform, and can find some abnormal problems in the configuration, such as address conflicts, routing loops, and routable failures, by simulating / actually configuring the running situation on the actual network.

[0025] 3) Auto configuration module The automated configuration module is configured to automatically distribute intent-validated device configurations to the network infrastructure via a standard configuration interface.

[0026] 4) Network status awareness module The network status sensing module is configured to obtain the running status of the network infrastructure, such as device status, link status, business type, traffic status, etc., using information collection techniques including telemetry technology. The timeliness and comprehensiveness of the data collected by the information collection techniques are key to whether the configuration verification is accurate and complete.

[0027] 5) Intention verification module and auto repair module The intent verification module is configured to verify in real time whether the final result of the user intent executed in the network infrastructure is fulfilled, and further configured to predict whether the user intent will be fulfilled in the future through a machine learning algorithm. The automated remediation module performs diagnostic analysis on the conflict between intents or the current network fault based on the results of the intent guarantee and configuration verification, quickly performs fault boundary setting and location analysis, reduces the scope of the fault, and automatically performs or assists the network administrator to perform fault remediation.

[0028] 6) Network infrastructure (abbreviated as Network) Infrastructure is the carrier of network operation and the foundation for realizing user intentions, including network resources, storage resources, computing resources, security resources, etc.

[0029] 7) Network model platform The network model platform is a digital platform built on fully sensing and understanding the actual network, and can provide a comprehensive, complete, and multi-layered network model and data (including network element layer, network layer, business layer, etc.). Furthermore, by building a network model, multi-dimensional data such as configuration, status, performance, alarms, logs, etc. can be contextually associated. In addition, data covering the entire life cycle of the network is maintained, including historical data, current data, and future (predictive / forecast) data. The network model platform includes an artificial intelligence (AI) support system and is equipped with a policy decision function, and mainly distributes policies based on the analysis results of network data.

[0030] In the related art, network slicing in a multi-intent scenario is not defined, and when the intent network receives multiple network slicing intents, conflicts between intents may occur.

[0031] In view of this, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, in a multi-intent scenario, intent priorities are determined based on policies including at least the requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider, and network slices are created or modified based on intent-based priorities, thereby avoiding conflicts between intents and improving management efficiency of network slices.

[0032] An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a network slice processing method performed by an electronic device (which may be called a functional body such as a server), and as shown in FIG. 2, the method includes the following steps. In step 201, at least two intents are obtained, which are used to create or modify one or more network slices.

[0033] In step 202, the at least two intentions are prioritized according to a first policy.

[0034] Here, the first policy includes at least the requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider.

[0035] In step 203, the network slice is created or modified based on the priority of the intent.

[0036] In practical applications, the slice customer is also called a network slice customer, the customer is also called a user, the network slice provider is also called an operator, and the network slice is also called a slice.

[0037] In practical applications, the intention may include the business requirements of the network slice customer, such as the business type (also called the service type of the network slice, which can be written as Slice Service Type in English and abbreviated as SST), business coverage area (creation area), opening time, network slice performance indicators (which can be abbreviated as indicators and also called attributes), etc., and the business type corresponding to the network slice may include enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable and low latency communications (uRLLC), massive machine type of communication (mMTC), etc., and the indicators may include the degree of isolation of the business (also called isolation, isolation level, etc.), business quality of service (QoS) level requirements, delay, etc. Here, the content specifically included in the intention may be set according to the requirements, and the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0038] In practical application, the first policy includes at least the requirements of the SLA contracted between the network slice customer and the network slice provider, which means that the first policy may include relevant information of the SLA contracted by the network slice customer with the operator, for example, the business requirements of the network slice customer included in the intention.

[0039] In practical applications, the intention of a network slice customer may be obtained when the network slice customer contracts an SLA with an operator.

[0040] In practical applications, each intention is to create or modify one or more network slices, in other words, each intention corresponds to one or more network slices, and the network slices corresponding to the at least two intentions may be the same or different.

[0041] In practical applications, one network slice customer may have multiple intentions, in other words, the at least two intentions may be the intentions of at least two network slice customers, or the at least two intentions may be the intentions of one network slice customer. Here, if the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, the business types corresponding to the at least two intentions may be the same or different, in other words, the at least two intentions may be the intentions of at least two network slices (i.e., network slice businesses), or the at least two intentions may be the intentions of one network slice, that is, the at least two intentions may be the intentions of one network slice.

[0042] In practical applications, the specific implementation of step 202 may differ based on whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slice customers, and whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices, that is, the at least two intentions may be prioritized based on the SLA requirements of the network slice customers or the level of the network slices.

[0043] Here, when the at least two intents are intents of at least two network slice customers, a priority of the at least two intents can be determined based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider.

[0044] In view of this, in one embodiment, the specific implementation of step 202 is as follows: Determining whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; When the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers, determining a priority of the at least two intentions based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider; For network slice customers with high SLA requirements, the intent of the network slice customer has high priority.

[0045] Correspondingly, the specific implementation of step 203 is as follows: This may include preferentially executing a network slice creation or modification operation of a first intent, which has a higher configuration priority, among the at least two intents.

[0046] In practical applications, the priority of the configurations of the at least two network slice customers (i.e., the high and low SLA requirements of the network slice customers) can be preset according to the requirements, or the priority of the configurations of the at least two network slice customers can be determined based on the contents of the business coverage area, opening time, business isolation degree, and business QoS level requirements contained in the at least two intentions.

[0047] Here, the business coverage area serves to determine whether the at least two intentions conflict with each other. If the business coverage areas corresponding to the at least two intentions are the same, the at least two intentions conflict with each other. At this time, other contents contained in the at least two intentions can be compared. For example, the configuration priority of the at least two network slice customers can be determined by determining the degree of business isolation and business QoS level requirements.

[0048] For example, among the at least two network slice customers, a network slice customer having a relatively high business QoS level requirement and a relatively high business isolation requirement is given preferential creation rights, i.e., the configuration priority of the network slice customer is higher than the configuration priority of other network slice customers, i.e., the SLA requirement of the network slice customer is higher than the SLA requirement of other network slice customers, and correspondingly, the configuration priority of the intention of the network slice customer (i.e., the first intention) is higher than the configuration priority of the intention of the other network slice customers.

[0049] In practical applications, when the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer and the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices, a priority of the at least two intentions can be determined based on the levels of the at least two network slices.

[0050] In view of this, in one embodiment, the specific implementation of step 202 is as follows: Determining whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; When the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, judge whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices to obtain a second judgment result; When the second judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slices, determining a priority order of the at least two intentions based on levels of the at least two network slices; For a network slice with a higher network slice level, the intent of the network slice has higher priority.

[0051] Correspondingly, the specific implementation of step 203 is as follows: This may include preferentially executing a network slice creation or modification operation of a second intent, which has a higher configuration priority, among the at least two intents.

[0052] In practical applications, the index configuration priority of the at least two network slices (i.e., the levels of the at least two network slices) can be determined based on the requirements of the SLA contracted between the network slice customer and the network slice provider, for example, based on the contents such as business coverage area, opening time, business isolation degree, and business QoS level requirements corresponding to the at least two intentions.

[0053] For example, when the network slice customer needs to create two businesses at the same time, that is, when the creation times corresponding to the at least two intentions are the same, the at least two intentions will conflict, and at this time, other contents contained in the at least two intentions are compared, for example, by judging the business isolation degree and business QoS level requirements, to determine the index configuration priority of the at least two network slices, and among the at least two network slices, the network slice corresponding to the high business QoS level requirement and the high business isolation degree requirement is given preferential creation rights, that is, the index configuration priority of the network slice is higher than the index configuration priority of the other network slices, that is, the level of the network slice is higher than the level of the other network slices, and correspondingly, the configuration priority of the intention of the network slice (i.e., the second intention) is higher than the configuration priority of the intention of the other network slices.

[0054] In practical applications, when the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer and the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice, the priority of the intentions of the at least two attributes of the network slice can be determined based on the requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider.

[0055] In view of this, in one embodiment, the specific implementation of step 202 is as follows: Determining whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; When the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, judge whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices to obtain a second judgment result; If the second judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of one network slice, it may include determining a priority of the intentions of the at least two attributes of the network slice based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider.

[0056] Correspondingly, the specific implementation of step 203 is as follows: This may include preferentially executing a network slice creation or modification operation of a third intent, which has a higher configuration priority, among the at least two intents.

[0057] In practical applications, when the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer and the at least two intentions are for one network slice, it indicates that the at least two intentions correspond to one network slice, and each intention corresponds to at least one attribute of the network slice.

[0058] In practical applications, the configuration priority of at least two indicators (i.e., the at least two attributes) can be determined based on the requirements of the SLA contracted between the network slice customer and the network slice provider. Illustratively, when the delay requirement of the network slice corresponding to the at least two intentions is relatively high, the delay indicator needs to be guaranteed preferentially, i.e., the third intention can correspond to the delay indicator of the corresponding network slice; when the business isolation requirement of the network slice corresponding to the at least two intentions is relatively high, the business isolation indicator needs to be guaranteed preferentially, i.e., the third intention can correspond to the business isolation indicator of the corresponding network slice.

[0059] In practical applications, if a network slice customer has no special requirements for the configuration priority of the at least two indicators, the configuration priority of the at least two indicators can be determined based on the current network state, and the specific manner of determining the configuration priority of the at least two indicators based on the current network state can be set according to requirements, and the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0060] In practical application, the processing method of a network slice according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can be realized based on the intent network shown in Figure 1. When realizing the processing method of a network slice according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, each functional module of the intent network may be understood as a logical functional module, that is, these modules may be deployed in different entities or in the same entity.

[0061] Exemplarily, the steps 201 to 203 can be realized by an intent input module of the intent network, that is, the intent input module obtains at least two intents, ranks the at least two intents according to the first policy to obtain a priority result, and executes a corresponding network slice creation or modification operation based on the execution of the priority result, in other words, determines a priority of the at least two intents according to the first policy, and creates or modifies the network slice based on the priority of the intent. Here, the intent input module executing the priority result may include sending the at least two intents to an intent translation module according to the priority result, and causing the intent translation module, the network model platform, a configuration verification module, and an automation configuration module to execute a corresponding network slice creation or modification operation.

[0062] In practical application, the intent network is a closed-loop control network, in other words, in the intent acquisition process, the network infrastructure can feedback the index value in real time through the network model platform, and at this time, by comparing the feedback value of the index with the intent, it can determine whether the creation or modification operation of the network slice of the corresponding index needs to be performed preferentially.

[0063] In view of this, in one embodiment, the method comprises: receiving first information, the first information including a feedback value of a first attribute; If the first attribute is created or determined, the method may further include preferentially configuring the first attribute based on the first information.

[0064] In practical applications, it can be understood that when a feedback value of a first attribute is received, it indicates that a network slice has already been created for the first attribute; in other words, the first attribute being created or judged refers to a situation in which the first attribute has undergone the above-mentioned intent competition judgment process of "whether the at least two intents are the intents of at least two network slice customers, and whether the at least two intents are the intents of at least two network slices," and the feedback value does not satisfy the intent; and preferentially configuring the first attribute based on the first information refers to preferentially executing the change operation of the network slice of the first attribute.

[0065] In one embodiment, the specific implementation of step 202 is as follows: If the feedback value satisfies the intention, it may include ranking the at least two intentions according to a first policy to obtain the priority result, in other words, if the feedback value satisfies the intention, determining the priority of the at least two intentions according to a first policy.

[0066] In practical applications, the creation or modification operations may include operations of the intent translation module, configuration verification module, and automated configuration module of the intent network shown in FIG. 1.

[0067] In one embodiment, the method includes: Converting the intent into a configuration of a network slice, i.e., converting the intent into device configuration information of a network slice; verifying the configuration, i.e., verifying the device configuration information; The method may further include at least one of: executing the configuration after successful validation, i.e., configuring a network infrastructure based on the device configuration information after successful validation.

[0068] It should be noted here that after steps 201 to 203, one or more of the following operations may be further performed: converting an intention into a configuration of a network slice, verifying the configuration, and executing the configuration after successful verification.

[0069] In practical applications, the intent translation module can convert intent into device configuration information of a network slice, the configuration verification module can verify the device configuration information on a digital twin network or an actual running network platform, and determine whether the device configuration information has an abnormality such as address conflict, routing loop, or unroutable route, and the automation configuration module can configure a network infrastructure based on the device configuration information after successful verification.

[0070] According to a network slice processing method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least two intents are obtained, and the intents are used to create or modify one or more network slices; and a priority of the at least two intents is determined according to a first policy, the first policy including at least the requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider; and the network slice is created or modified based on the priorities of the intents. According to the solution provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, in a multi-intent scenario, the intent priorities are determined based on a policy including at least the requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider, and the network slice is created or modified based on the intent-based priorities, thereby avoiding conflicts between intents and improving the management efficiency of network slices.

[0071] The present disclosure will be described in further detail below with reference to application examples.

[0072] In this application example, the intention network shown in FIG. 1 is adopted.

[0073] In this application embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, one or more network slice customers input n (n is an integer greater than 1) network slice creation intentions into the intention input module, and in order to avoid conflicts between intentions, it is necessary to prioritize the multiple network slice creation intentions according to the intention prioritization principle (i.e., the above-mentioned first policy). In the intention prioritization process, it is determined whether there are conflicting intentions among the multiple network slice creation intentions, and the conflicting intentions with low priority are excluded, that is, the conflicting intentions with low priority are arranged after the conflicting intentions with high priority. In other words, the network slices corresponding to the conflicting intentions with high priority are preferentially created. After the ranking of the multiple network slice creation intentions is completed, steps such as intention translation, configuration distribution, etc. are performed based on the result of the intention ranking.

[0074] Here, the intent prioritization principles include:

[0075] 1) Prioritization of multiple network slice customers: Prioritize the business of network slice customers based on requirements such as the customer's business coverage area, opening time, business isolation, and business QoS level.

[0076] 2) Prioritization of multiple network slice services for a single network slice customer: When the same user needs to create multiple network slices, prioritization must be performed based on the business requirements of different network slices, such as different SSTs (i.e., eMBB, uRLLC, mMTC) or different opening areas, opening times, business isolation degrees, and business QoS levels of the same SST.

[0077] 3) Multi-attribute prioritization of a single network slice service: When providing a network slice service to a network slice customer, multiple attributes corresponding to the network slice are prioritized based on the business requirements. For example, for services with high latency requirements, delay is given priority in guaranteeing latency, and for services with high isolation requirements, an isolation level is given priority in guaranteeing latency.

[0078] 4) Prioritizing closed-loop feedback of a single attribute: When collecting intent from a network slice customer, if closed-loop feedback of one attribute is received, configure the attribute preferentially, i.e., reconfigure the network slice based on the feedback value of the attribute.

[0079] Specifically, in this application embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the process of intent network intent ranking may include the following steps:

[0080] In step 401, a user inputs a network slice creation intention through an intention input module, where the network slice creation intention includes user requirements such as performance indicators of the intended network slice, and then executes step 402.

[0081] Here, a user may input a network slice activation intention when signing an SLA with an operator, and the network slice activation intention may include the content in the SLA.

[0082] In step 402, multiple network slice activation intentions are prioritized according to a ranking principle, and then step 403 is performed.

[0083] In step 403, based on the priority results of the multiple network slice opening intentions, the intention information is sent to the intention translation module, and then step 404 is executed.

[0084] Here, the intention information sent to the intention translation module is the intention opening information generated by the intention input module, and the information is used to perform the opening operation of the intention network slice.

[0085] In step 404, the intention translation module, the network model platform module, the configuration verification module, and the auto configuration module determine that the multiple intent information meets the multi-intent network slice activation request (ranked intent), perform network configuration, and distribute it to the network infrastructure.

[0086] Here, in step 402, when the intention input module receives network slice activation requests from multiple users or activation requests for multiple network slices from a single user, it performs activation ranking for the instantiated multiple network slices, and the ranking principle includes the following four ranking types:

[0087] 1) Prioritization of multiple network slice customers: Prioritize the business of network slice customers based on requirements such as the customer's business coverage area, opening time, business isolation, and business QoS level.

[0088] 2) Prioritization of multiple network slice services for a single network slice customer: When the same user needs to create multiple network slices, prioritization must be performed based on the business requirements of different network slices, such as different SSTs (i.e., eMBB, uRLLC, mMTC) or different opening areas, opening times, business isolation degrees, and business QoS levels of the same SST.

[0089] 3) Multi-attribute prioritization of a single network slice service: When providing a network slice service to a network slice customer, multiple attributes corresponding to the network slice are prioritized based on the business requirements. For example, for services with high latency requirements, delay is given priority in guaranteeing latency, and for services with high isolation requirements, an isolation level is given priority in guaranteeing latency.

[0090] 4) Prioritizing closed-loop feedback of a single attribute: When collecting intent from a network slice customer, if closed-loop feedback of one attribute is received, configure the attribute preferentially, i.e., reconfigure the network slice based on the feedback value of the attribute.

[0091] In this application embodiment, when ranking multiple network slice activation intentions according to the above ranking principle, the ranking order is determined sequentially from 1) to 3), that is, ranked according to the order of the following ranking stages.

[0092] 1) In the prioritization stage of multiple network slice customers, first, determine whether multiple network slice activation intentions correspond to multiple users. If the multiple network slice activation intentions are the network slice activation intentions of multiple users, prioritize the multiple network slice activation intentions based on the demands of user business coverage area, activation time, business isolation degree, business QoS level, etc. The ranking principle is as follows: If the activation times corresponding to the multiple network slice activation intentions are the same, it indicates that these network slice activation intentions are competing intentions, and it is necessary to judge the coverage area, business isolation degree, and business QoS level corresponding to the multiple network slice activation intentions, and a user with a high business QoS level and high business isolation requirement is given preferential activation rights, that is, the priority of the user is higher than the priority of other users.

[0093] Here, after the judgment is completed, if multiple network slice opening intentions correspond to one user, directly perform the next level (i.e., stage) priority judgment, i.e., execute judgment 2). If multiple network slice opening intentions correspond to multiple users, exclude the intentions of low priority users, i.e., arrange the intentions of low priority users after the intentions of high priority users, and rank them according to the user priorities, and perform the next stage priority judgment for at least one network slice opening intention corresponding to each user.

[0094] As an example, for intention 1, intention 2, intention 3, intention 4, and intention 5, assuming that intention 1 and intention 2 are the intentions of user 1 and intention 3, intention 4, and intention 5 are the intentions of user 2, and assuming that user 2 has a higher priority than user 1, the intention priority results obtained in the multiple-user prioritization stage are intention 3, intention 4, intention 5, intention 1, and intention 2, in which case, first, the next stage priority judgment is performed on intention 3, intention 4, and intention 5, and then the next stage priority judgment is performed on intention 1 and intention 2.

[0095] It should be noted here that intent ranking is done in real time.

[0096] 2) Prioritization of multiple network slice services for a single network slice customer In the network slicing stage, a prioritization judgment is made when a single user needs to open multiple network slice services. When a user needs to open multiple network slices, the prioritization is based on requirements such as different SSTs (eMBB, uRLLC, mMTC) or different opening areas of the same SST, opening times, business isolation, and business QoS levels. The prioritization principle is as follows: When the user needs to open multiple services at the same time, that is, when the opening times corresponding to multiple network slice opening intentions are the same, the judgment is based on the coverage area, business isolation, and QoS level requirements, and the business with high business QoS level and high business isolation requirements is given preferential opening rights, that is, the priority of the network slice service is higher than the priority of other network slice services.

[0097] Here, after the judgment is completed, if multiple network slice opening intentions correspond to one network slice service, directly perform the next level priority judgment, i.e., perform judgment 3). If multiple network slice opening intentions correspond to multiple network slice services, exclude the intentions of low-priority network slice services, i.e., arrange the intentions of low-priority network slice services after the intentions of high-priority network slice services, and rank the network slice services according to their priority, and perform the next level priority judgment for at least one network slice opening intention corresponding to each network slice service.

[0098] As an example, for user 2's intention 3, intention 4, and intention 5, assuming that intention 3 corresponds to task 1, intention 4 and intention 5 correspond to task 2, and assuming that task 2 has a higher priority than task 1, the intention priority results obtained by user 2 in the ranking stage of single-user multiple network slices are intention 4, intention 5, and intention 3, and then the next stage of priority judgment is performed on intention 4 and intention 5.

[0099] 3) Multi-attribute prioritization of single network slice business In the network slice stage, a prioritization decision is made for multiple indicators corresponding to a single network slice. When providing a network slice to a user, multiple indicators corresponding to the network slice are prioritized based on specific business requirements, for example, a delay indicator is given priority for a business with high delay requirements, and an isolation level indicator is given priority for a business with high isolation requirements. Here, if a user does not have special requirements (e.g., delay, isolation, etc.), they can be assigned sequentially based on the current network state, that is, multiple indicators can be prioritized based on the network state.

[0100] Here, in the entire intent ranking process, a prioritization judgment is made based on the principle of closed-loop feedback priority for a single indicator of a single network slice (i.e., single-attribute closed-loop feedback priority). When collecting user intent, if one indicator of the intent has already been judged as open, that is, if the corresponding network slice has already been opened, the closed-loop feedback value of the indicator can be received through the network model platform. If the feedback value of the indicator does not meet the intent, the indicator is preferentially configured and the corresponding network slice is modified.

[0101] In addition, in practical applications, a newly created network slice must not affect the performance of an existing network slice; in other words, a network slice needs to be opened (i.e., created) or modified without affecting the performance of an already opened network slice.

[0102] According to the solution provided by this application embodiment, when multiple network slice activation intentions are received, the multiple network slice activation intentions are prioritized according to the prioritization principles of multiple network slice customers, multiple network slice services of a single network slice customer, multi-attribute prioritization of a single network slice service, and single-attribute closed-loop feedback priority, and then steps such as intent translation and configuration delivery are performed, thereby avoiding conflicts between intents and improving the management efficiency of network slices.

[0103] To realize the method of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a processing device of a network slice, and as shown in FIG. 5, the device includes: An acquisition unit 501 configured to acquire at least two intents, the intents being used to create or modify one or more network slices; A first processing unit 502 configured to prioritize the at least two intents according to a first policy, the first policy including at least requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider; and and a second processing unit 503 configured to create or modify the network slice based on the priority of the intent.

[0104] Here, in one embodiment, the first processing unit 502 further comprises: Determine whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; If the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers, the at least two intentions are prioritized based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider; For network slice customers with high SLA requirements, the intent of the network slice customer has high priority.

[0105] In one embodiment, the first processing unit 502 further comprises: Determine whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; If the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, judge whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices to obtain a second judgment result; When the second judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slices, the at least two intentions are configured to determine a priority order of the at least two intentions based on levels of the at least two network slices; For a network slice with a higher network slice level, the intent of the network slice has higher priority.

[0106] In one embodiment, the first processing unit 502 further comprises: Determine whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; If the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, judge whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices to obtain a second judgment result; If the second judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of one network slice, the network slice is configured to determine a priority of the intentions of the at least two attributes of the network slice based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider.

[0107] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a receiving unit configured to receive first information, the first information comprising a feedback value of a first attribute; Correspondingly, the second processing unit 503 is further configured to preferentially configure the first attribute based on the first information when the first attribute is created or determined.

[0108] In one embodiment, the second processing unit 503 further comprises: Converting the intent into a configuration of a network slice, i.e., converting the intent into device configuration information of a network slice; verifying the configuration, i.e., verifying the device configuration information; After successful validation, the device is configured to perform at least one of the following: performing said configuration; i.e., after successful validation, configuring a network infrastructure based on said device configuration information.

[0109] In practical application, the acquisition unit 501 can be realized by a combination of a processor and a communication interface in a processing device of a network slice, the first processing unit 502 and the second processing unit 503 can be realized by a processor in a processing device of a network slice, and the receiving unit can be realized by a communication interface in a processing device of a network slice.

[0110] In addition, when the network slice processing device according to the above embodiment processes the network slice, only the division of each of the above program modules is described as an example, but in actual applications, the above processes may be assigned and performed by different program modules as necessary, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different program modules to perform all or part of the above processes. Furthermore, the network slice processing device according to the above embodiment belongs to the same concept as the embodiment of the network slice processing method, and the specific implementation process thereof may refer to the embodiment of the method, and will not be repeated here.

[0111] In order to realize the method of the embodiment of the present disclosure based on the hardware implementation of the above program modules, the embodiment of the present disclosure further provides an electronic device, as shown in FIG. 6, the electronic device 600 includes: A communication interface 601 capable of exchanging information with a terminal and / or a network; A processor 602 is connected to the communication interface 601 for information interaction with a terminal and / or a network side, and is configured to execute a computer program to implement the method according to one or more of the above technical solutions; and a memory 603, the computer program being stored in the memory 603.

[0112] Specifically, the processor 602: obtaining at least two intents via the communication interface 601, the intents being used to create or modify one or more network slices; determining a priority of the at least two intents according to a first policy, the first policy including at least requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider; The network slice is configured to be created or modified based on the priority of the intent.

[0113] Here, in one embodiment, the processor 602 further comprises: Determine whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; If the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers, the at least two intentions are prioritized based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider; For network slice customers with high SLA requirements, the intent of the network slice customer has high priority.

[0114] In one embodiment, the processor 602 further comprises: Determine whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; If the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, judge whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices to obtain a second judgment result; When the second judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slices, the at least two intentions are configured to determine a priority order of the at least two intentions based on levels of the at least two network slices; For a network slice with a higher network slice level, the intent of the network slice has higher priority.

[0115] In one embodiment, the processor 602 further comprises: Determine whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; If the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, judge whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices to obtain a second judgment result; If the second judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of one network slice, the network slice is configured to determine a priority of the intentions of the at least two attributes of the network slice based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider.

[0116] In one embodiment, the communication interface 601 is further configured to receive first information, the first information including a feedback value of a first attribute; Correspondingly, the processor 602 is further configured to preferentially configure the first attribute based on the first information, if the first attribute is created or determined.

[0117] In one embodiment, the processor 602 further comprises: Converting the intent into a configuration of a network slice, i.e., converting the intent into device configuration information of a network slice; verifying the configuration, i.e., verifying the device configuration information; After successful validation, the device is configured to perform at least one of the following: performing said configuration; i.e., after successful validation, configuring a network infrastructure based on said device configuration information.

[0118] It should be noted that the specific processing steps of the communication interface 601 and the processor 602 performing the above operations may refer to the above method embodiments, and will not be described again here.

[0119] Of course, in practical application, each component in the electronic device 600 is coupled by a bus system 604. It can be understood that the bus system 604 is used to realize the connection communication between these components. In addition to the data bus, the bus system 604 further includes a power bus, a control bus and a status signal bus. However, for the sake of clarity, various buses are labeled as the bus system 604 in FIG. 6.

[0120] The memory 603 in the embodiments of the present disclosure is configured to store various types of data to support the operation of the electronic device 600. Examples of such data include any computer programs that are run on the electronic device 600.

[0121] The methods disclosed in the above embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to or realized by the processor 602. The processor 602 can be an integrated circuit chip having a signal processing capability. In the realization process, each step of the above method can be performed by an instruction in the form of an integrated logic circuit of hardware or software in the processor 602. The processor 602 can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc. The processor 602 can realize or execute each method, step, and logic block diagram disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor, or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be directly performed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be performed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software modules can be located in a storage medium, which is located in the memory 603, and the processor 602 reads the information in the memory 603 and performs the steps of the above method in combination with the hardware.

[0122] In an exemplary embodiment, electronic device 600 may be implemented with one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), DSPs, Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), general-purpose processors, controllers, Micro Controller Units (MCUs), Microprocessors, or other electronic elements and may be used to perform the methods described above.

[0123] It can be understood that the memory 603 of the embodiment of the present disclosure may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. Here, the non-volatile memory may be a read only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a ferromagnetic random access memory (FRAM), a flash memory, a magnetic surface memory, an optical disk, or a read-only memory (CD-ROM), and the magnetic surface memory may be a magnetic disk memory or a magnetic tape memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache.By way of illustrative but non-limiting example, many forms of RAM are available, such as, for example, static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous static random access memory (SSRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), SyncLink dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), direct memory bus random access memory (DRRAM), etc. Memory as described in the embodiments of the present disclosure is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0124] In an exemplary embodiment, the embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a storage medium, i.e., a computer storage medium, specifically, a computer-readable storage medium, for example including a first memory 603 storing a computer program, the computer program being executed by the first processor 602 of the electronic device 600 to perform the steps of the method on the network device side. The computer-readable storage medium may be a memory such as FRAM, ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, Flash Memory, magnetic surface memory, optical disk, or CD-ROM.

[0125] In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used to distinguish between similar objects and are not used to describe a particular order or chronology.

[0126] Moreover, the technical solutions described in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be arbitrarily combined without conflict.

[0127] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for processing a network slice, comprising: Obtaining at least two intents, the intents being used to create or modify one or more network slices; and determining a priority of the at least two intents according to a first policy, the first policy including at least requirements of a service level agreement (SLA) contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider; and creating or modifying the network slice based on a priority of the intent.

2. determining a priority of the at least two intentions in accordance with the first policy; Determining whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; When the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers, determining a priority of the at least two intentions based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider; For network slice customers with high SLA requirements, the intent of the network slice customer has high priority. A network slice processing method as claimed in claim 1.

3. determining a priority of the at least two intentions in accordance with the first policy; Determining whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; When the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, judge whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices to obtain a second judgment result; If the second judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slices, determining a priority order of the at least two intentions based on levels of the at least two network slices; For a network slice with a higher network slice level, the intent of the network slice has a higher priority. A network slice processing method as claimed in claim 1.

4. determining a priority of the at least two intentions in accordance with the first policy; Determining whether the at least two intentions are intentions of at least two network slice customers to obtain a first determination result; When the first judgment result is that the at least two intentions are the intentions of one network slice customer, judge whether the at least two intentions are the intentions of at least two network slices to obtain a second judgment result; If the second judgment result is that the at least two intentions are intentions of one network slice, determining a priority of the intentions of the at least two attributes of the network slice based on requirements of an SLA contracted between the network slice customer and a network slice provider. A network slice processing method as claimed in claim 1.

5. The method for processing the network slice includes: receiving first information, the first information including a feedback value of a first attribute; and if the first attribute is created or determined, preferentially configuring the first attribute based on first information. A network slice processing method as claimed in claim 1.

6. The method for processing the network slice includes: Translating intent into configurations of network slices; verifying said configuration; executing the configuration after successful verification. A network slice processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A processing device for a network slice, comprising: an acquisition unit configured to acquire at least two intents, the intents being used to create or modify one or more network slices; A first processing unit configured to prioritize the at least two intents according to a first policy, the first policy including at least requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider; and A processing device for a network slice comprising: a second processing unit configured to create or modify the network slice based on a priority of the intent.

8. An electronic device comprising a communication interface and a processor, The processor, acquiring at least two intents via the communication interface, the intents being used to create or modify one or more network slices; determining a priority of the at least two intents according to a first policy, the first policy including at least requirements of an SLA contracted between a network slice customer and a network slice provider; An electronic device configured to create or modify the network slice based on a priority of the intent.

9. An electronic device comprising a processor and a memory storing a computer program executable by the processor, An electronic device, wherein the processor executes all of the processes in the network slice processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 6 by executing the computer program.

10. A storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for causing a processor to execute the network slice processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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