Transmission methods, devices, and equipment

Abstract

This disclosure discloses a transmission method, apparatus, and equipment. The method includes forwarding uplink packets to a first interface and / or to a DN based on a first rule and a second rule.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross-reference to Related Applications) This disclosure claims priority based on Chinese Patent Application No. 202310284493.5 filed in China on March 22, 2023, and all of its contents are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and specifically to transmission methods, apparatuses, and devices.

Background Art

[0003] The 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication system supports a group of users who contract under the same slice and the same Data Network Name (DNN) to contract for a 5G Virtual Network (VN) group, but limits that the relationship between slice + DNN and the 5G VN group must be 1:1. That is, under one slice + DNN, only one 5G VN group can be defined. If the 1:1 restriction on the relationship between slice + DNN and the 5G VN group is simply broken to construct multiple different VN groups under one slice + DNN network, it is necessary to consider the problem of data transfer. For example, when constructing multiple VN groups with one slice + DNN on the same User Plane Function (UPF), after the downlink packet enters the UPF, the UPF cannot determine which VN group to transfer the packet to, which is an urgent problem to be solved when breaking the 1:1 restriction.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this disclosure provide transmission methods, apparatus, and equipment that are suitable for the communication needs and characteristics of industry terminals, resolve and overcome the 1:1 limitation in the relationship between slice + DNN and 5G VN groups, and propose a packet forwarding method applicable to industry group communications. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In a first embodiment, a transmission method applied to a first network element is provided, the method being This includes forwarding uplink packets to the first interface and / or to the data network DN based on the first and second rules.

[0006] The method may be further, This includes forwarding downlink packets to the terminal based on Rule 3.

[0007] Optionally, the first rule includes at least setting the destination address as the first address information in the PDR.

[0008] Optionally, the first rule is used to match packets whose destination address is the first address information.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule further includes setting the source interface as the access side in the PDR, setting the CN tunnel information as the PDU session tunnel header (N3 / N9), and setting the destination interface of the FAR as the first interface.

[0010] Optionally, the second rule is used to match packets whose destination address is not the first address information, or to match other packets that are not matched to the first address information.

[0011] Optionally, the second rule includes setting the destination interface in FAR to the core side.

[0012] Optionally, the second rule further includes a match-all packet filter with a priority set to the lowest priority, and a rule that sets the destination interface in FAR as the core side.

[0013] Optionally, the second rule further includes instructing the FAR to discard packets whose matching destination address is not the first address information.

[0014] Selectively, the uplink packet includes a packet received from any one of the 5G VN groups or subgroup members.

[0015] Selectively, the downlink packets include packets received from the DN or packets received via the N6 interface.

[0016] The method may be further, This includes obtaining the first rule and / or the second rule and / or the third rule from the second network element.

[0017] Selectively, the first address information may be included in the first rule, or the first address may be transmitted separately from the second network element.

[0018] Selectively, the first address information includes at least one of the following: a 5G VN group or subgroup member IP or MAC address, a multicast IP or MAC address, or a broadcast IP or MAC address.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the 5G VN group or subgroup member IP or MAC address refers to a member IP address or MAC address belonging to the same VN group or subgroup, and / or the multicast IP or MAC address refers to a multicast IP or MAC address belonging to the same VN group or subgroup.

[0020] The first network element may optionally include a UPF.

[0021] In a second embodiment, a transmission method applied to a second network element is provided, the method being This includes transmitting a first rule and / or a second rule to a first network element, the first and second rules being used to instruct the first network element to forward uplink data to a first interface and / or to a DN.

[0022] The method may be further, This includes transmitting a third rule to the first network element, the third rule being used to forward downlink packets to a terminal.

[0023] Optionally, the first rule includes at least setting the destination address as the first address information in the packet detection rule PDR, and / or, the first rule is used to match packets whose destination address is the first address information, and / or, the second rule is used to match packets whose destination address is not the first address information, or to match other packets that are not matched to the first address information. and / or the second rule includes setting the destination interface in FAR as the core side, and / or, the uplink packet includes a packet received from any one of the 5G VN groups or subgroup members.

[0024] Optionally, the first rule further includes, in the PDR, setting the source interface as the access side, setting the CN tunnel information as the PDU session tunnel header, and setting the destination interface of the forwarding operation rule FAR as the first interface. And / or, the second rule further includes one match-all packet filter with the priority set to the lowest priority, a rule for setting the destination interface in the FAR as the core side, and / or the FAR instructing the first network element to discard packets whose matching destination address is not the first address information.

[0025] Optionally, the method includes transmitting the first rule and / or the second rule and / or the third rule to the first network element based on a first identifier, where the first identifier is set locally and / or obtained from the Unified Data Management UDM or the Unified Data Repository UDR and / or obtained from the Policy Control Function PCF.

[0026] Optionally, the first identifier is used to indicate whether the member communication of the virtual network group or the virtual network subgroup has specified characteristics, where the specified characteristics refer to the fact that no interaction with the DN is required for group communication between group members.

[0027] Optionally, the communication between the group members includes unicast communication, multicast communication, and / or broadcast communication. Optionally, the first address information is included in the first rule or the first address is sent individually from the second network element.

[0028] Selectively, the first address information includes at least one of the following: a 5G VN group or subgroup member IP or MAC address, a multicast IP or MAC address, or a broadcast IP or MAC address.

[0029] The second network element may optionally include an SMF.

[0030] In a third embodiment, a transmission method applicable to a third network element is provided, the method is This includes obtaining a virtual network group identifier and first information from a fourth network element, wherein the first information is Virtual network subgroup information, The first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, It includes at least one of the following: group management information for a virtual network group or subgroup.

[0031] Selectively, the virtual network subgroup information includes at least one of the following: a virtual network subgroup identifier and general public user identifier (GPSI) information of a virtual network subgroup member.

[0032] Selectively obtaining the first information from the fourth network element is possible. This includes receiving a first message from the fourth network element requesting the creation, deletion, or update of a virtual network group or subgroup, the first message being accompanied by the first information.

[0033] The method may be further, Currently, we need to retrieve information about the virtual network group to which the subgroup members belong, Based on the information of the aforementioned virtual network group, it is determined whether the first and second conditions are met, If the first or second condition is not met, the fourth network element's request to create, delete, or update a virtual network group or subgroup is rejected, or if both the first and second conditions are met, the first information is transmitted to the UDM, including: Here, the first condition includes that the GPSIs of all virtual network subgroup members belong to the same virtual network group, and the second condition includes that no single virtual network subgroup member can belong to two virtual network subgroups at the same time.

[0034] The method may be further, To obtain information about the virtual network group to which the group members currently belong, Based on the information of the aforementioned virtual network group, it is determined whether the third and fourth conditions are met, If the third or fourth condition is not met, the fourth network element's request to create, delete, or update a virtual network group or subgroup is rejected, or if both the third and fourth conditions are met, the first information is transmitted to the UDM, including: Here, the third condition includes that the GPSIs of all virtual network group members belong to the same slice and data network identifier DNN, and the fourth condition includes that no single virtual network group member can belong to two virtual network groups at the same time.

[0035] Optionally, the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communications of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup have a specified feature, the specified feature being that group communications between group members do not require interaction with the DN.

[0036] Selectively, communication between the group members is: Unicast communications and Multicast communication and Includes at least one of the following: broadcast communication.

[0037] Selectively, the virtual network subgroup is determined by the fourth network element based on the terminal group isolation requirements and / or broadcast domain size.

[0038] Selectively, the group management information is used to attach multicast information to a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup, and the multicast information includes the correspondence between the IP or MAC address of a terminal and the multicast IP or MAC address.

[0039] Selectively, the third network element is a network opening function NEF, and / or the fourth network element is an application function AF.

[0040] In a fourth embodiment, a transmission method applicable to a fourth network element is provided, the method is: The process includes transmitting a virtual network group identifier and first information to a third network element, wherein the first information is: Virtual network subgroup information, The first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, It includes at least one of the following: group management information for a virtual network group or subgroup.

[0041] Selectively, the virtual network subgroup information includes at least one of a virtual network subgroup identifier and GPSI information of a virtual network subgroup member.

[0042] Selectively, transmitting the first information to the third network element is: This includes sending a first message to the third network element to request the creation, deletion, or update of a virtual network group or subgroup, the first message being accompanied by the first information.

[0043] Optionally, the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communications of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup have a specified feature, the specified feature being that group communications between group members do not require interaction with the DN.

[0044] Selectively, communication between the group members is: Unicast communications and Multicast communication and Includes at least one of the following: broadcast communication.

[0045] Selectively, the virtual network subgroup is determined by the fourth network element based on the terminal group isolation requirements and / or broadcast domain size.

[0046] Selectively, the group management information is used to attach multicast information to a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup, and the multicast information includes the correspondence between the IP or MAC address of a terminal and the multicast IP or MAC address.

[0047] Selectively, the third network element is an NEF, and / or the fourth network element is an AF.

[0048] In a fifth embodiment, a transmission device applied to a first network element is provided, the device is Includes a forwarding module configured to forward uplink packets to a first interface or to a DN based on a first rule, and / or forward downlink packets received from a DN to a terminal based on a second rule.

[0049] In the sixth embodiment, a transmission device is provided that is applied to a second network element, the device being The system includes a first transmit module configured to transmit a first rule and / or a second rule to a first network element, the first rule being used by the first network element to forward uplink packets to a first interface or to a DN, and the second rule being used by the first network element to forward downlink packets received from a DN to a terminal.

[0050] In the seventh embodiment, a transmission device is provided that is applied to a third network element, the device being The system includes a second acquisition module configured to acquire a virtual network group identifier and first information from a fourth network element, wherein the first information includes at least one of virtual network subgroup information, a first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, and group management information of a virtual network group or subgroup.

[0051] In the eighth embodiment, a transmission device is provided that is applied to a fourth network element, the device being The system includes a second transmission module configured to transmit a virtual network group identifier and first information to a third network element, wherein the first information includes at least one of virtual network subgroup information, a first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, and group management information of a virtual network group or subgroup.

[0052] In a ninth embodiment, a communication device is provided, comprising a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to implement a step of the method according to the first, second, third, or fourth embodiment.

[0053] In a tenth embodiment, a processor-readable storage medium is provided in which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the method according to the first, second, third, or fourth embodiment are realized. [Effects of the Invention]

[0054] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the first network element forwards uplink packets to the first interface and / or to the data network DN based on the first and second rules, thereby enabling the decoupling of uplink traffic for VN group member data, thereby preventing the interaction between the terminal and the DN network from being limited by the internal dual detection and forwarding mechanism within the VN, meeting the communication needs of industry terminals, matching the group communication characteristics of industry terminals, and breaking the 1:1 limitation relationship between slice + DNN and 5G VN groups. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0055] [Figure 1] This is a flowchart of the transmission method according to this embodiment (part 1). [Figure 2] This is a flowchart of the transmission method according to this embodiment (part two). [Figure 3] This is a flowchart of the transmission method according to this embodiment (part three). [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of the transmission method according to this embodiment (part four). [Figure 5a] This is a schematic diagram of the validation flow for AF group management requests in this embodiment. [Figure 5b] This is a schematic diagram of the validation flow for AF group management requests in this embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of the dynamic group management of unactivated users according to this embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a schematic diagram of the dynamic group management of activated users according to this embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a schematic diagram of the PDU session establishment flow for an unactivated user in this embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart of the transmission method according to this embodiment (part two). [Figure 10]This is a schematic diagram (part 1) of the transmission device according to this embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a schematic diagram (part two) of the transmission device according to this embodiment. [Figure 12] This is a schematic diagram (part three) of the transmission device according to this embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a schematic diagram (part four) of the transmission device according to this embodiment. [Figure 14] This is a schematic diagram of the communication equipment according to this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0056] The following describes the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiments of this disclosure. The embodiments described are only a selection of the embodiments of this disclosure, not all embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that all other embodiments obtained based on the embodiments of this disclosure are all within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0057] The terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification and claims of this disclosure are used to distinguish similar objects and do not describe a specific order or sequence. The terms used in this manner are interchangeable depending on the context, and it should be understood that the embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in an order other than that shown or described. Furthermore, the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., usually belong to the same category and do not limit the number of objects. For example, there may be one or more first objects. Additionally, "and / or" in the specification and claims refers to at least one of the connected objects, and the letter " / " generally indicates that the related preceding and succeeding objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0058] Problem 1: When creating multiple virtual network (VN) groups under a single slice + DNN, routing of downstream data becomes difficult. Based on representative discussions regarding the 5th Generation (5G) LAN standard of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP®), SA2, the initial intent behind this restriction was primarily to consider DN networks. When configuring multiple different VN groups under a single slice + DNN network, the problem of downlink data forwarding must be considered. For example, when building multiple VN groups with a single slice + DNN on the same User Plane Function (UPF), it is impossible to determine which VN group to forward the packets to after the downlink data enters the UPF. One feasible way to solve this problem is to divide each subgroup into smaller subinterfaces on the N6 interface. For example, in the case of a Layer 2-5G LAN, this would involve creating multiple Virtual Extensible Local Area Network (VxLAN) subtunnels. At the same time, based on industry requirements analysis, some VN groups have a fine granularity, and VN group communication does not require interoperability with the Data Network (DN). Most existing business scenarios, such as power grid differential protection (two terminals per group), distributed self-healing of power grids (5-20 terminals per group), and robot charging (two terminals per group), only have communication requirements between terminals and are unrelated to the DN network (including the industrial control sector, where all interacting terminals have wireless access and are capable of lateral interoperability).

[0059] Problem 2: It cannot support dynamic multicast management or the distribution of multicast information. The current 3GPP only defines a dynamic multicast protocol that supports the 5G VN group-supported Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP). However, in actual business deployments, multicast for some industry terminals has been found to be statically defined. For example, in distributed self-healing operations for power distribution networks, each multicast address and its corresponding terminal address must be statically configured on the User Plane Function (UPF), which lacks flexibility and is detrimental to the development of the business.

[0060] Problem 3: The demand for VN groups is high, and the current 1:1 relationship between slices + data network identifiers (Data Network Name, DNN) and VN groups cannot meet business needs. According to the current 3GPP standard, a 5G system (5GS) supports a group of users who have contracted for the same slice and the same DNN, but it limits this to a 1:1 relationship between the slice + DNN and the 5G VN group. In other words, only one 5G VN group can be defined under one slice + DNN. However, in actual industry applications, the demand for VN groups has proven to be very large. The reasons for this are, firstly, that there are many industries that can be served by 5G Local Area Networks (LANs). Industries requiring Layer 2 communication, such as industrial internet production lines, power grid differential protection, and power grid self-healing, as well as industries requiring inter-terminal communication, such as smart buildings, smart transportation, and robot charging, can all be solved with 5G LAN technology. Secondly, even under the same business scenario, there is a large demand for VN groups of fine granularity. One group may consist of two terminals, or three to four terminals. If the current requirement of one slice + DNN to correspond to one 5G VN group is followed, the resources required for the slice + DNN will be very large for telecommunications operators, making maintenance difficult. Taking distributed self-healing of power grids as an example, 5 to 20 terminals (i.e., one broadcast domain, one VN group) are connected to one set of power grid self-healing equipment. Even a rough estimate suggests that a typical regional city's power distribution network has approximately 10,000 self-healing terminals.

[0061] Problem 4: Dynamic group management cannot be achieved through capability exposure. Currently, 3GPP defines a VN group management flow based on capacity release, namely Application Function (AF) -> Network Exposure Function (NEF) -> Unified Data Management (UDM) -> Unified Data Repository (UDR). However, this flow involves contracts in the terminal's UDM, and in actual deployment applications, a problem may occur where contract data and the Business Operations Support System (BOSS) cannot be synchronized after the NEF modifies the user contract (BOSS does not support reverse notification and write functions). As a result, 5G VN groups cannot achieve dynamic group management using the capacity release method.

[0062] In this specification, a virtual network subgroup is also called a sub-virtual network group (sub-VN group).

[0063] In this specification, a subgroup represents a group or a subgroup composed of some or all members under a 5G VN group, where a 5G VN group is a group of UEs (A set of UEs using private communication for 5G LAN-type service) that provide 5G LAN-type service using private communication.

[0064] In this specification, an uplink packet includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: uplink packets, uplink data, uplink traffic, and uplink data traffic. The uplink packet includes a packet received from any one 5G VN group or subgroup member on the access network side.

[0065] In this specification, the destination interface corresponds to the Destination interface in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, and the source interface corresponds to the source interface in 3GPP.

[0066] In this specification, the Data Network (DN) is connected to the Core Network or core side via the N6 interface. Optionally, the Virtual Network Subgroup Identifier (VN sub-group Identifier) ​​is: (1) Sub-Internal-Group Identifier, (2) Internal-Sub-Group Identifier, (3) 5G virtual network subgroup identifier (5G VN sub-group Identifier), (4) 5G Sub-Virtual Network Group Identifier, (5) Virtual network subgroup identifier, (6) Virtual network internal subgroup identifier (VN internal sub-group Identifier), (8) A Sub-Internal-Group Identifier and at least one of the following (1) to (8):

[0067] As shown in Figure 1, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a transmission method applicable to a first network element, the first network element including, but not limited to, a User Plane Function (UPF), and the specific steps include the following step 101.

[0068] In step 101, the uplink packets are forwarded to the first interface and / or to the data network DN based on the first and second rules.

[0069] In this specification, the first rule and the second rule can be matched according to their priority order. For example, the first rule may have a higher priority than the second rule, or the second rule may be set to the lowest priority.

[0070] In this specification, the first interface is a processing / implementation unit, processing / implementation entity, or processing / implementation interface of a 5G VN group on the UPF. In forwarding rules, it is identified by 5G VN internal or VN internal interface. Traffic forwarding within a 5G VN group is implemented via the first network element internal interface (5G VN internal).

[0071] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the method further comprises: This includes forwarding downlink packets to the terminal based on Rule 3.

[0072] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule includes at least setting the destination address as first address information in a packet detection rule (PDR).

[0073] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule is used to match packets in which the destination address is the first address information.

[0074] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule further includes setting the source interface as the access side in the PDR, setting the CN tunnel information as the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session tunnel header (N3 / N9), and setting the destination interface of the Forwarding Action Rule (FAR) as the first interface.

[0075] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule is used to match packets whose destination address is not the first address information, or to match other packets that are not matched to the first address information.

[0076] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule includes setting the destination interface in FAR as the core side.

[0077] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the second rule further: A match-all packet filter with its priority set to the lowest priority, a rule that sets the destination interface in the FAR as the core side, and / or a rule that instructs the FAR to discard packets whose matching destination address is not the first address information.

[0078] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the uplink packet includes a packet received from any one of the 5G VN group or subgroup members. In this embodiment, specific identification is performed during contract management of VN groups or subgroups where only terminal-to-terminal communication exists, and the SMF simplifies the function of terminal data transfer PDR+FAR during session establishment.

[0079] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the downlink packet includes a packet received from the DN or a packet received via the N6 interface.

[0080] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the third rule is used at least to match packets from a DN.

[0081] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the third rule includes setting the source interface as the core side, the destination address as a packet with a terminal IP or Medium Access Control (MAC) address, and setting the FAR as the access side.

[0082] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the destination address in the first, second, and third rules may be the MAC address of the user equipment (UE, i.e., terminal) in the SDF filter IE. In related technologies, the SDF Filter IE sets the source and destination addresses using the downlink data flow, but in the UPF processing process, the UPF applies different processing logic depending on the difference between uplink and downlink traffic (identified by the Source Interface). For downlink traffic (Source Interface = Core), the UPF performs data processing and matching according to the source and destination addresses of the SDF filter IE. For uplink traffic (Source Interface = Access), the UPF exchanges the source and destination addresses set in the SDF filter IE (i.e., during uplink traffic matching, the destination address becomes the source address set in the SDF filter IE, and the source address becomes the destination address set in the SDF filter IE), and then performs data processing and matching.

[0083] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the UP function applies the SDF filter based on the source interface of the PDR. Specifically, when the Source Interface is CORE, this indicates that the filter is for downlink data flow, so the UP function applies the flow description as is; when the Source Interface is ACCESS, this indicates that the filter is for uplink data flow, so the UP function needs to swap the source and destination addresses / ports in the flow description.

[0084] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the method further comprises: This includes obtaining the first rule and / or the second rule and / or the third rule from the second network element.

[0085] The second network element may optionally include, but is not limited to, a Session Management Function (SMF).

[0086] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first address information is contained within the first rule, or the first address is transmitted separately from the second network element.

[0087] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first address information includes at least one of a 5G VN group or subgroup member Internet Protocol (IP) or MAC address, multicast IP or MAC address, broadcast IP or MAC address.

[0088] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the 5G VN group or subgroup member IP or MAC address refers to a member IP address or MAC address belonging to the same VN group or subgroup. And / or, the multicast IP or MAC address refers to a multicast IP or MAC address belonging to the same VN group or subgroup.

[0089] In this embodiment, VN group member data is streamlined in the uplink traffic, thereby preventing the interaction between the terminal and the DN network from being limited by the VN's internal dual detection and forwarding mechanism, meeting the communication needs of industry terminals, matching the group communication characteristics of industry terminals, and breaking the 1:1 limitation relationship between slice + DNN and 5G VN groups.

[0090] As shown in Figure 2, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a transmission method applicable to a second network element, the second network element including but not limited to an SMF, and specific steps include the following step 201.

[0091] In step 201, a first rule and / or a second rule are sent to a first network element, the first and second rules being used to instruct the first network element to forward the uplink data to the first interface and / or to the DN.

[0092] Furthermore, the transmission of the first rule and / or the second rule by the second network element to the first network element may be interpreted as the second network element instructing the first network element to implement the first rule and / or the second rule.

[0093] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a third rule is transmitted to the first network element, and the third rule is used to forward downlink packets to a terminal.

[0094] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule includes at least setting the destination address as first address information in a packet detection rule (PDR).

[0095] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule is used to match packets in which the destination address is the first address information.

[0096] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule further includes setting the source interface as the access side in the PDR, setting the CN tunnel information as the Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session tunnel header (N3 / N9), and setting the destination interface of the Forwarding Action Rule (FAR) as the first interface.

[0097] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule is used to match packets whose destination address is not the first address information, or to match other packets that are not matched to the first address information.

[0098] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule includes setting the destination interface in FAR as the core side.

[0099] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule further includes a match-all packet filter with a priority set to the lowest priority, a rule that sets the destination interface in the FAR as the core side, and / or instructs the FAR to discard packets whose matching destination address is not the first address information.

[0100] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the uplink packet includes a packet received from any one of the 5G VN groups or subgroup members.

[0101] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the downlink packet includes a packet received from the DN or a packet received via the N6 interface.

[0102] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the third rule is used at least to match packets from a DN.

[0103] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the third rule includes setting the source interface as the core side, the destination address as a packet of terminal IP or MAC address, and the FAR as the access side in the PDR.

[0104] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a second network element transmits a first rule and / or a second rule and / or a third rule to a first network element based on a first identifier, the first identifier being locally configured and / or obtained from Unified Data Management (UDM) or Unified Data Repository (UDR), and / or obtained from a Policy Control Function (PCF).

[0105] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communication of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup has a designated feature, the designated feature being that group communication between group members does not require interaction with the DN.

[0106] In one embodiment of this disclosure, group communication between group members is: (1) Unicast communication and, (2) Multicast communication and, (3) Broadcast communication and at least one of the following:

[0107] For example, the first identifier has multiple identifier bits, each identifier bit indicating whether the group member communications are (1) unicast communications, (2) multicast communications, (3) broadcast communications, or (4) not DN-to-DN communications. For example, if the first identifier is "1100", it indicates that the group or subgroup includes only unicast and multicast communications.

[0108] In this embodiment, 5G LAN technology is simplified, allowing for specific identification during contract management of VN groups or subgroups where only terminal-to-terminal communication exists, and the second network element simplifies the PDR+FAR function for terminal data transfer during session establishment.

[0109] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first address information is contained within the first rule, or the first address is transmitted separately from the second network element.

[0110] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first address information includes at least one of a 5G VN group or subgroup member IP or MAC address, a multicast IP or MAC address, or a broadcast IP or MAC address.

[0111] In this embodiment, VN group member data is streamlined in the uplink traffic, thereby preventing the interaction between the terminal and the DN network from being limited by the internal dual detection and forwarding mechanism within the VN. This meets the communication needs of industry terminals, matches the group communication characteristics of industry terminals, and breaks the 1:1 limitation relationship between slice + DNN and 5G VN groups.

[0112] As shown in Figure 3, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a transmission method applicable to a third network element, the third network element including but not limited to an NEF, and specific steps include the following step 301.

[0113] In step 301, the virtual network group identifier and the first information are obtained from the fourth network element.

[0114] The first piece of information mentioned above is, (1) Virtual network subgroup information and, (2) The first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, (3) Group management information for a virtual network group or subgroup, and at least one of the following:

[0115] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the virtual network subgroup information includes at least one of a virtual network subgroup identifier and general public user identifier (GPSI) information of a virtual network subgroup member.

[0116] In one embodiment of this disclosure, obtaining first information from a fourth network element is: This includes receiving a first message from the fourth network element requesting the creation, deletion, or update of a virtual network group or subgroup, the first message being accompanied by the first information.

[0117] In this specification, the first message is also referred to as a request message for the creation, deletion, or update of a sub-5G VN group.

[0118] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the method further comprises: Currently, we need to retrieve information about the virtual network group to which the subgroup members belong, Based on the information of the aforementioned virtual network group, it is determined whether the first and second conditions are met, If the first or second condition is not met, the fourth network element's request to create, delete, or update a virtual network group or subgroup is rejected, or if both the first and second conditions are met, the first information is transmitted to the UDM, including: Here, the first condition includes that the GPSIs of all virtual network subgroup members belong to the same virtual network group, and the second condition includes that no single virtual network subgroup member can belong to two virtual network subgroups at the same time.

[0119] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the method further comprises: To obtain information about the virtual network group to which the group members currently belong, Based on the information of the aforementioned virtual network group, it is determined whether the third and fourth conditions are met, If the third or fourth condition is not met, the fourth network element's request to create, delete, or update a virtual network group or subgroup is rejected, or if both the third and fourth conditions are met, the first information is transmitted to the UDM, including: Here, the third condition includes that the GPSIs of all virtual network group members belong to the same slice and DNN, and the fourth condition includes that no single virtual network group member can belong to two virtual network groups at the same time.

[0120] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communication of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup has a designated feature, the designated feature being that group communication between group members does not require interaction with the DN.

[0121] In one embodiment of this disclosure, group communication between group members is: (1) Unicast communication and, (2) Multicast communication and, (3) Broadcast communication and at least one of the following:

[0122] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the virtual network subgroup is determined by the fourth network element based on the isolation requirements of the terminal group and / or the broadcast domain size.

[0123] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the group management information is used to attach multicast information to a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup, and the multicast information includes a correspondence between the IP or MAC address of a terminal and the multicast IP or MAC address.

[0124] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the fourth network element is an application function AF.

[0125] In this embodiment, dynamic group management is achieved through the interaction between the fourth network element and the third network element. Group management includes subgroup management, multicast information management, and / or abbreviated identifiers for groups or subgroups.

[0126] Multiple VN subgroups (Sub-VN groups) can be created under a single VN group. This disclosure maintains a one-to-one relationship between 5G VN groups and slices + DNNs. The 5G VN group functions as the default packet for the terminal. For example, in a distributed self-healing service for power, an operator can issue hundreds of terminal cards for the distributed self-healing service to power clients in bulk and unify them into a single slice + DNN + VN group. Subsequently, clients can create, delete, and modify subgroups on demand via a capacity release interface, either before or after activation.

[0127] As shown in Figure 4, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a transmission method applicable to a fourth network element, the fourth network element including but not limited to an AF, and the specific steps include the following step 401.

[0128] In step 401, the virtual network group identifier and the first information are transmitted to the third network element.

[0129] The first piece of information mentioned above is, (1) Virtual network subgroup information and, (2) The first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, (3) Group management information for a virtual network group or subgroup, and at least one of the following:

[0130] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the virtual network subgroup information includes at least one of a virtual network subgroup identifier and general public user identifier (GPSI) information of a virtual network subgroup member.

[0131] In one embodiment of this disclosure, transmitting first information to a third network element is: This includes sending a first message to the third network element to request the creation, deletion, or update of a virtual network group or subgroup, the first message being accompanied by the first information.

[0132] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communication of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup has a designated feature, the designated feature being that group communication between group members does not require interaction with the DN.

[0133] In one embodiment of this disclosure, group communication between group members is: (1) Unicast communication and, (2) Multicast communication and, (3) Broadcast communication and at least one of the following:

[0134] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the virtual network subgroup is determined by the fourth network element based on the isolation requirements of the terminal group and / or the broadcast domain size.

[0135] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the group management information is used to attach multicast information to a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup, and the multicast information includes a correspondence between the IP or MAC address of a terminal and the multicast IP or MAC address.

[0136] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the third network element is an NEF.

[0137] In this embodiment, dynamic group management is achieved through interaction between a fourth network element and a third network element. Group management includes subgroup management, multicast information management, and / or simplified identifiers for groups or subgroups. Multiple VN subgroups (Sub-VN groups) can be created under a single VN group. This disclosure maintains a one-to-one relationship between 5G VN groups and slice+DNNs. The 5G VN group functions as the default packet for terminals. For example, in a distributed self-healing service for power, an operator can issue hundreds of terminal cards for the distributed self-healing service to power clients in bulk and unify them into a single slice+DNN+VN group. Subsequently, clients can create, delete, and modify subgroups on demand via a capacity release interface, either before or after activation.

[0138] As shown in Figure 5a, the specific steps include the following:

[0139] In step 501a, AF sends a Nnef_ParameterProvision_Create / Update / Delete request message to NEF request the creation, deletion, or update of a sub-5G VN group.

[0140] Selectable, the request message for creating, deleting, or updating a sub-5G VN group is: (1) Sub-VN group identifier, (2) Group members {GPSI list}, (3) The first identifier (or indicator), (4) Group management information and at least one of the following are included.

[0141] In step 502a, the NEF queries the UDM for information on the 5G VN group to which the group members currently belong, and determines its legitimacy based on that information.

[0142] Optionally, the inquiry request may include a list of group members {GPSI list}.

[0143] In step 503a, the UDM reads the 5G VN group contract data from the UDR.

[0144] Selectively, a read request (Nudr_DM_Query) may be accompanied by a group member {GPSI list}.

[0145] In step 504a, the UDM returns the 5G VN group information to which the group members currently belong.

[0146] Selectively, 5G VN group information may include at least one of the following: group members, VN group identifiers, and sub-VN group identifiers.

[0147] In step 505a, the NEF determines legitimacy condition 1 and legitimacy condition 2. If either condition is not met, it rejects the request message to create, delete, or update the sub-5G VN group. If both conditions are met, it continues to execute subsequent flow 1, flow 2, or flow 3.

[0148] Legitimacy condition 1) All GPSIs should belong to the same VN group.

[0149] Legitimacy condition 2) No single group member can belong to two sub-VN groups simultaneously.

[0150] In step 506a (selective), the AF rejects the request by sending a response to create, delete, or update the Sub-5G VN group.

[0151] Optionally, requests to reject responses to the creation, deletion, or update of Sub-5G VN groups are accompanied by reasons. For example, these reasons may include failure to meet legitimacy condition 1 or legitimacy condition 2.

[0152] As shown in Figure 5b, the specific steps include the following:

[0153] In step 501b, AF sends a Nnef_ParameterProvision_Create / Update / Delete request message to NEF request the creation, deletion, or update of a 5G VN group.

[0154] The following messages are available for selecting whether to create, delete, or update a 5G VN group: (1) Sub-VN group identifier, (2) Group members {GPSI list}, (3) The first identifier (or indicator), (4) Group management information and at least one of the following are included.

[0155] In step 502b, the NEF queries the UDM for information on the 5G VN group to which the group members currently belong, and determines its legitimacy based on that information.

[0156] Optionally, the inquiry request may include a list of group members {GPSI list}.

[0157] In step 503b, the UDM reads the 5G VN group contract data from the UDR.

[0158] Selectively, a read request (Nudr_DM_Query) may be accompanied by a group member {GPSI list}.

[0159] In step 504b, UDM returns the 5G VN group information to which the group members currently belong.

[0160] Selectively, 5G VN group information may include at least one of the following: group members, VN group identifiers, and sub-VN group identifiers.

[0161] In step 505b, the NEF determines legitimacy conditions 3 and 4, and rejects the request message to create, delete, or update the sub-5G VN group if either condition is not met, and continues executing subsequent flow 1, flow 2, or flow 3 if both conditions are met.

[0162] Validity condition 3) All GPSIs should belong to the same slice + DNN.

[0163] Legitimacy condition 4) No single group member can belong to two VN groups simultaneously.

[0164] In step 506b (selective), AF rejects the request by sending a response to create, delete, or update the 5G VN group.

[0165] Optionally, requests to reject responses to the creation, deletion, or update of 5G VN groups will be accompanied by a reason. For example, this reason may be that legitimacy condition 3 or legitimacy condition 4 is not met.

[0166] As shown in Figure 6, the diagram includes Flow 1 and Flow 2. Flow 1 describes the dynamic group management flow using PCF and writes subgroup information to UDR, while Flow 2 describes the dynamic group management flow using UDM and writes subgroup information to UDR.

[0167] The steps in Flow 1 include the following steps.

[0168] In step 601a, the NEF searches for the service PCF corresponding to the GPSI within the group via the NRF.

[0169] In step 602a, the NEF provides group information to the PCF.

[0170] Selectable group information (corresponding to the first information) includes: (1) Sub-VN group identifier, (2) Group members {GPSI list}, (3) The first identifier and, (4) Group management information and at least one of the following are included.

[0171] In step 603a, the PCF writes the acquired group information to the UDR.

[0172] The steps in Flow 2 include the following steps.

[0173] In step 601b, the NEF provides group information to the UDM.

[0174] For example, NEF calls Nudm_ParameterProvision_Creat / Update / Delete to provide group information to UDM.

[0175] In the group information, selectable, (1) Sub-VN group identifier, (2) Group members {GPSI list}, (3) The first identifier and, (4) Group management information and at least one of the following are included.

[0176] In step 602b, the UDM writes the acquired group information to the UDR.

[0177] If selectable, the UDM calls Nudr_DM_Queryhe, Nudr_DM_Create / Update / Delete to write the retrieved group information to the UDR.

[0178] As shown in Figure 7, the specific steps of the dynamic group management flow (flow 3) using PCF include the following steps.

[0179] In step 701, the NEF searches for the service PCF corresponding to the GPSI within the group via the BSF.

[0180] In step 702, the NEF provides group information to the PCF.

[0181] In step 703, the PCF sends the acquired group information to the SMF.

[0182] In step 704, SMF sends the relevant data transfer policy to UPF based on the acquired subgroup information.

[0183] The data transfer policy can be selected as follows: (1) Create a sub-VN group, (2) Send the corresponding PDR or FAR rule based on the received first identifier, (3) Sending relevant group management information to the UPF based on the received group management information, and at least one of the above.

[0184] In step 705, the SMF sends an N4 Session Modification to the UPF.

[0185] As shown in Figure 8, the specific steps include the following:

[0186] In step 801, UE1 sends a PDU session establishment request to AMF.

[0187] In step 802, the AMF sends a PDU session creation SM context request to the SMF.

[0188] In step 803, a Subscription retrieval / Subscription for updates is performed between the SMF and the UDM or UDR.

[0189] In step 804, the SMF sends a PDU Session Create SM Context Response to the AMF.

[0190] In step 805, SMF sends the relevant data transfer policy to UPF based on the local configuration or an indicator obtained from the UDM.

[0191] In step 806, a policy establishment or modification (SM policy association establishment / modification) related to session management is performed between PSA UPF1 and PCF.

[0192] In step 807, an N4 session establishment or modification is performed between the SMF and the PSA UPF1.

[0193] In step 808, the SMF sends a PDU Session Establishment Response to UE1.

[0194] As shown in Figure 9, one data transfer method is illustrated.

[0195] (1) Upbound traffic management 1. For traffic in VN group lateral communication, the PDR increments the Destination Address=A parameter, and the A parameter includes the following parameters: (1) IP or MAC address of other VN group members: Based on the online status of VN group members, SMF detects a new MAC address for each newly added VN group member or VN group member's PDU session, and adds the new address to Destination Address=A of the inbound PDR. (2) Multicast IP or MAC address: SMF obtains the multicast IP or MAC address via local configuration or capacity release flow. (3) Broadcast FFFF or 255 address: SMF obtains the broadcast FFFF or 255 address via local configuration or capacity release flow.

[0196] 2. For traffic with other DN networks, the PDR will either route traffic with a non-A destination address directly to the Core N6 interface or discard it as necessary.

[0197] (2) Downstream Traffic Management For downstream flows on the DN network, the data will be forwarded to the terminal PDU session via direct access, following the conventional 5G method.

[0198] (iii) First identifier SMF supports obtaining the first identifier via local configuration, BOSS, or capability release flow.

[0199] SMF sends the corresponding management rule to UPF based on the meaning corresponding to the first identifier.

[0200] The first identifier can indicate that the VN group has one of the following characteristics: 1. Only point-to-point communication is included between VN group members. 2. Only unicast and multicast communications are included between VN group members. 3. Only terminal-to-terminal communication is required between VN group members; there is no need for communication with the DN network.

[0201] The PDR / FAR forwarding rules that the SMF sends to the UPF differ depending on the different VN group characteristics described above. Details are provided below.

[0202] 1) VN group members include only point-to-point communications. The PDR / FAR rules that SMF sends to UPF include the following (1) and (2): (1) In the PDR matching rules for uplink traffic, set source interface=access and destination address as packets with other terminal IP / MAC addresses in the VN group, set FAR's Destination interface as 5G VN internal or VN internal interface, and in FAR, direct other unmatched packets to the Core N6 interface. (2) In the PDR matching rules for downlink traffic, set source interface=core, destination address as a packet with the terminal address, set FAR's Destination interface as access, set source interface=VN's internal, set destination address as a packet with the terminal address, and set FAR's Destination interface as access.

[0203] 2) Only unicast and multicast communications are included between VN group members. The PDR / FAR rules that SMF sends to UPF include the following (1) and (2): (1) In the PDR matching rules for uplink traffic, set source interface=access, destination address to packets with other terminal IP / MAC addresses in the VN group and packets with multicast IP / MAC addresses, set the Destination interface of FAR to 5G VN internal or VN internal interface, and direct other unmatched packets in FAR to the Core N6 interface. (2) In the PDR matching rules for downlink traffic, set source interface=core, destination address as a packet with the terminal address, set FAR's Destination interface as access, set source interface=VN's internal, set destination address as a packet with the terminal address, and set FAR's Destination interface as access.

[0204] 3) Only terminal-to-terminal communication is required between VN group members; there is no need for communication with the DN network. The PDR / FAR rules that SMF sends to UPF include the following (1) in addition to the two situations described above: (1) In the PDR matching rules for uplink traffic, FAR instructs UPF to discard any other unmatched packets.

[0205] As shown in Figure 10, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a transmission device applied to a first network element, the first network element including but not limited to a UPF. The device 1000 includes a first transmission module 1001.

[0206] The first forwarding module 1001 is configured to forward uplink packets to the first interface and / or to the data network DN based on the first rule and the second rule.

[0207] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the device further includes a second forwarding module, which is configured to forward downlink packets to a terminal based on a third rule.

[0208] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule includes at least setting the destination address as first address information in the PDR.

[0209] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule is used to match packets whose destination address is the first address information.

[0210] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule further includes setting the source interface as the access side in the PDR, setting the CN tunnel information as the PDU session tunnel header (N3 / N9), and setting the destination interface of the FAR as the first interface.

[0211] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule is used to match packets whose destination address is not the first address information, or to match other packets that are not matched to the first address information.

[0212] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule includes setting the destination interface in FAR as the core side.

[0213] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule further includes a match-all packet filter with a priority set to the lowest priority, a rule that sets the destination interface in the FAR as the core side, and / or instructs the FAR to discard packets whose matching destination address is not the first address information.

[0214] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the uplink packet includes a packet received from any one of the 5G VN groups or subgroup members.

[0215] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the downlink packet includes a packet received from the DN or a packet received via the N6 interface.

[0216] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus further includes a first acquisition module, The first acquisition module is configured to acquire the first rule and / or the second rule and / or the third rule from the second network element.

[0217] The second network element may include, but is not limited to, an SMF.

[0218] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first address information is contained within the first rule, or the first address is transmitted separately from the second network element.

[0219] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first address information includes at least one of a 5G VN group or subgroup member IP or MAC address, a multicast IP or MAC address, or a broadcast IP or MAC address.

[0220] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the 5G VN group or subgroup member IP or MAC address refers to a member IP address or MAC address belonging to the same VN group or subgroup. And / or, the multicast IP or MAC address refers to a multicast IP or MAC address belonging to the same VN group or subgroup.

[0221] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the apparatus can perform each process realized in the embodiment of the method shown in Figure 1 of this disclosure and achieve the same beneficial effects, which are omitted here in order to avoid redundancy.

[0222] As shown in Figure 11, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a transmission device applied to a second network element, the second network element including but not limited to an SMF. The device 1100 includes a first transmission module 1101.

[0223] The first transmission module 1101 is configured to transmit a first rule and / or a second rule to a first network element, the first rule and the second rule being used to instruct the first network element to forward uplink data to a first interface and / or to a DN.

[0224] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule includes at least setting the destination address as first address information in the PDR.

[0225] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule is used to match packets whose destination address is the first address information.

[0226] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first rule further includes setting the source interface as the access side in the PDR, setting the CN tunnel information as the PDU session tunnel header (N3 / N9), and setting the destination interface of the FAR as the first interface.

[0227] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule is used to match packets whose destination address is not the first address information, or to match other packets that are not matched to the first address information.

[0228] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule includes setting the destination interface in FAR as the core side.

[0229] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second rule further includes a match-all packet filter with a priority set to the lowest priority, a rule that sets the destination interface in the FAR as the core side, and / or instructs the FAR to discard packets whose matching destination address is not the first address information.

[0230] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the uplink packet includes a packet received from any one of the 5G VN groups or subgroup members.

[0231] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the downlink packet includes a packet received from the DN or a packet received via the N6 interface.

[0232] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the first transmission module 1101 further comprises: Based on a first identifier, it is configured to transmit a first rule and / or a second rule and / or a third rule to a first network element, the first identifier being set locally and / or obtained from a UDM or UDR and / or obtained from a PCF.

[0233] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communication of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup has a designated feature, the designated feature being that group communication between group members does not require interaction with the DN.

[0234] In one embodiment of this disclosure, group communication between group members is: (1) Unicast communication and, (2) Multicast communication and, (3) Broadcast communication and at least one of the following:

[0235] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first address information is contained within the first rule, or the first address is transmitted separately from the second network element.

[0236] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first address information includes at least one of a 5G VN group or subgroup member IP or MAC address, a multicast IP or MAC address, and a broadcast IP or MAC address.

[0237] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus realizes each process implemented in the embodiment of the method shown in FIG. 2 of the present disclosure, can achieve the same beneficial effects, and the description is omitted here to avoid duplication.

[0238] As shown in FIG. 12, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a transmission apparatus applied to a third network element, and the third network element includes but is not limited to a NEF. The apparatus 1200 includes a second acquisition module 1201.

[0239] The second acquisition module 1201 is configured to acquire a virtual network group identifier and first information from a fourth network element, and the first information includes (1) virtual network subgroup information, and (2) a first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, and (3) group management information of a virtual network group or subgroup, and includes at least one of them.

[0240] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the virtual network subgroup information includes at least one of a virtual network subgroup identifier and general public user identifier (GPSI) information of virtual network subgroup members.

[0241] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the second acquisition module 1201 is further configured to receive a first message for requesting creation or deletion or update of a virtual network group or subgroup transmitted from the fourth network element, and the first information is attached to the first message.

[0242] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the device further includes a third acquisition module, a determination module, and a first processing module, The third acquisition module is configured to acquire information on a virtual network group to which a current subgroup member belongs, The determination module is configured to determine whether the first condition and the second condition are satisfied based on the information on the virtual network group, When the first condition or the second condition is not satisfied, the first processing module is configured to reject a request to create, delete, or update a virtual network group or subgroup by the fourth network element, or when the first condition and the second condition are satisfied, the first processing module is configured to transmit the first information to the UDM, Here, the first condition includes that the GPSIs of all virtual network subgroup members belong to the same virtual network group, and the second condition includes that any one virtual network subgroup member cannot belong to two virtual network subgroups simultaneously.

[0243] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the device further includes a fourth acquisition module, a second determination module, and a second processing module, The fourth acquisition module is configured to acquire information on a virtual network group to which a current group member belongs, The second determination module is configured to determine whether the third condition and the fourth condition are satisfied based on the information on the virtual network group, When the third condition or the fourth condition is not satisfied, the second processing module is configured to reject a request to create, delete, or update a virtual network group or subgroup by the fourth network element, or when the third condition and the fourth condition are satisfied, the second processing module is configured to transmit the first information to the unified data management UDM, Here, the third condition includes that the GPSIs of all virtual network group members belong to the same slice and DNN, and the fourth condition includes that no single virtual network group member can belong to two virtual network groups at the same time.

[0244] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communication of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup has a designated feature, the designated feature being that group communication between group members does not require interaction with the DN.

[0245] In one embodiment of this disclosure, group communication between group members is: (1) Unicast communication and, (2) Multicast communication and, (3) Broadcast communication and at least one of the following:

[0246] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the virtual network subgroup is determined by the fourth network element based on the isolation requirements of the terminal group and / or the broadcast domain size.

[0247] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the group management information is used to attach multicast information to a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup, and the multicast information includes a correspondence between the IP or MAC address of a terminal and the multicast IP or MAC address.

[0248] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the fourth network element is an AF.

[0249] In the embodiments of this disclosure, the apparatus can perform each process realized in the embodiment of the method shown in Figure 3 of this disclosure and achieve the same beneficial effects, which are omitted here in order to avoid redundancy.

[0250] As shown in Figure 13, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a transmission device applicable to a fourth network element, the fourth network element including but not limited to an AF. The device 1300 includes a second transmission module 1301.

[0251] The second transmission module 1301 is configured to transmit a virtual network group identifier and first information to a third network element, and the first information is, (1) Virtual network subgroup information and, (2) The first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, (3) Group management information for a virtual network group or subgroup, and at least one of the following:

[0252] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the virtual network subgroup information includes at least one of a virtual network subgroup identifier and general public user identifier (GPSI) information of a virtual network subgroup member.

[0253] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the second transmission module further comprises: The third network element is configured to send a first message requesting the creation, deletion, or update of a virtual network group or subgroup, and the first message is accompanied by the first information.

[0254] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communication of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup has a designated feature, the designated feature being that group communication between group members does not require interaction with the DN.

[0255] In one embodiment of this disclosure, group communication between group members is: (1) Unicast communication and, (2) Multicast communication and, (3) includes at least one of broadcast communication.

[0256] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the virtual network subgroup is determined based on the separation requirements of the fourth network element for the terminal group and / or the broadcast domain size.

[0257] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the group management information is used to carry multicast information of a virtual network group or a virtual network subgroup, and the multicast information includes the correspondence between the IP or MAC address of a terminal and the multicast IP or MAC address.

[0258] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the third network element is a NEF.

[0259] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the device realizes each process realized in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 4 of the present disclosure, and can achieve the same beneficial effects, and the description is omitted here to avoid duplication.

[0260] It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present disclosure is exemplary and is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, other division methods may be adopted. In addition, each functional module in each embodiment of the present disclosure may be integrated into one processing module, or each module may physically exist alone, or two or more modules may be integrated into one module. The above integrated module may be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of a software functional unit.

[0261] If the integrated module is implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a processor-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, an essential part of the technical solution of the present disclosure, or a contribution to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution may be embodied in the form of a computer software product, which is stored in a storage medium and contains some instructions for a computer device (such as a personal computer, server, or network device) or processor to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present disclosure. The storage medium includes a variety of media capable of storing program code, such as U disks, mobile hard disks, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0262] As shown in Figure 14, embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a communication device comprising a memory 1420, a transceiver 1400, and a processor 1410, wherein the memory 1420 is used to store computer programs, and the processor 1410 is used to read computer programs from the memory.

[0263] Here, in Figure 14, the bus architecture may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, specifically, various circuits of one or more processors represented by processor 1410 and memory represented by memory 1420 are coupled together. The bus architecture can further couple with various other circuits such as peripherals, regulators, and power management circuits. These are all well known in the art and will not be described further in this specification. The bus interface provides an interface. The transceiver 1400 may be a plurality of elements including transmitters and transceivers, and provides a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium. Processor 1410 is responsible for managing the bus architecture and normal processing, and memory 1420 can store data used by processor 1410 when performing operations.

[0264] The processor 1410 may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or a Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD), and the processor may employ a multi-core architecture.

[0265] Furthermore, the communication equipment according to the embodiment of this disclosure can achieve the same technical effects by implementing all the method steps realized in the embodiment of the method applied to the first network element, second network element, third network element, and fourth network element. Therefore, the same parts and beneficial effects as those of the embodiment of the method in this embodiment will not be specifically described here.

[0266] Furthermore, specific embodiments of this disclosure provide a processor-readable storage medium in which a computer program is stored, and the steps of the above transmission method can be implemented when the program is executed by the processor to achieve the same technical effect. To avoid redundancy, a detailed explanation is omitted here. Here, the readable storage medium may be any available medium or data storage device accessible by the processor, and includes, but is not limited to, magnetic memory (e.g., flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes, magnetic-optical (MO)), optical memory (e.g., optical discs (Compact Disc, CD), digital laser discs (Digital Video Disc, DVD), Blu-ray Disc (Blu-ray® Disc, BD), high-definition versatile disc (HVD)), and semiconductor memory (e.g., semiconductor memory (e.g., ROM, Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), non-volatile memory (NAND FLASH), solid state disk (SSD))).

[0267] The technical solutions relating to the embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to multiple types of systems, particularly 5G systems. For example, the applicable systems may include global system of mobile communication (GSM) systems, code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA®), general packet radio service (GPRS) systems, long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, long term evolution advanced (LTE-A) systems, universal mobile telecommunication systems (UMTS), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) systems, and 5G NR (New Radio) systems. These multiple types of systems include terminal equipment and network equipment. The system may also include core network components such as the Evolved Packet System (EPS) and the 5G system (5GS).

[0268] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present disclosure may take the form of entirely hardware embodiments, entirely software embodiments, or embodiments combining software and hardware. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-readable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk memory and optical memory) containing computer-readable program code.

[0269] This disclosure will be described with reference to flowcharts and / or block diagrams of methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that each flow and / or block in a flowchart and / or block diagram, and combinations of flows and / or blocks in a flowchart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer executable instructions. These computer executable instructions are provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device, so that instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device can generate means for realizing one or more flows in a flowchart and / or blocks in one or more blocks in a block diagram.

[0270] These processor-executable instructions may also be stored in processor-readable memory that can operate a computer or other programmable data processing device in a specific manner, and the instructions stored in processor-readable memory generate a product that includes an instruction unit that implements the functions specified in one or more flows of a flowchart and / or one or more blocks of a block diagram.

[0271] These processor-executable instructions can also be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing device, thereby generating computer-implemented processing by executing a series of operational steps on the computer or other programmable device, and the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps to implement the functions specified in one or more flows of a flowchart and / or one or more blocks of a block diagram.

[0272] Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations to this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Thus, if such modifications and alterations to this disclosure fall within the scope of the claims of this disclosure and the equivalent art, this disclosure is also intended to include such modifications and alterations. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0273] 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300 devices 1001 First Transfer Module 1101 First Transmitter Module 1201 Second acquisition module 1301 Second Transmitter Module 1400 Transmitter / Receiver 1410 Processor 1420 memory

Claims

1. A transmission method applied to a first network element, A method comprising forwarding an uplink packet to a first interface and / or to a data network (DN) based on a first rule and a second rule.

2. The above method further, The method according to claim 1, comprising forwarding downlink packets to a terminal based on the third rule.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first rule includes at least setting the destination address as first address information in the packet detection rule (PDR).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first rule is used to match packets whose destination address is the first address information.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first rule further includes setting the source interface as the access side in the PDR, setting core network (CN) tunnel information as the protocol data unit (PDU) session tunnel header, and setting the destination interface of the forwarding operation rule (FAR) as the first interface.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second rule is used to match packets whose destination address is not the first address information, or to match other packets that are not matched to the first address information.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second rule includes setting the destination interface in FAR as the core side.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the second rule further includes a match-all packet filter with a priority set to the lowest priority, a rule that sets the destination interface in the FAR as the core side, and / or the FAR instructs the first network element to discard packets whose matching destination address is not the first address information.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink packet includes a packet received from any one of the 5G virtual network groups or subgroup members.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein the downlink packet includes a packet received from a DN or a packet received via an N6 interface.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein the third rule is used to match packets from a DN.

12. The method according to claim 2, wherein the third rule includes setting the source interface as the core side, setting the destination address as a packet with a terminal IP or MAC address, and setting the FAR as the access side in the PDR.

13. The above method further, The method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising obtaining the first rule and / or the second rule and / or the third rule from a second network element.

14. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first address information is included in the first rule, or the first address information is transmitted individually from the second network element.

15. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the first address information includes at least one of a 5G virtual network group or subgroup member IP or MAC address, a multicast IP or MAC address, or a broadcast IP or MAC address.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the 5G virtual network group or subgroup member IP or MAC address refers to a member IP address or MAC address belonging to the same virtual network group or subgroup, and / or the multicast IP or MAC address refers to a multicast IP or MAC address belonging to the same virtual network group or subgroup.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first network element includes a user plane function (UPF).

18. A transmission method applied to a second network element, A transmission method comprising transmitting a first rule and / or a second rule to a first network element, wherein the first rule and the second rule are used to instruct the first network element to transfer uplink data to a first interface and / or to a DN.

19. The above method further, The method according to claim 18, comprising transmitting a third rule to the first network element, wherein the third rule is used to forward downlink packets to a terminal.

20. The first rule includes at least setting the destination address as the first address information in the packet detection rule (PDR), and / or, The first rule is used to match packets whose destination address is the first address information, and / or, The second rule is used, at a minimum, to match packets whose destination address is not the first address information, or to match other packets that are not matched to the first address information. and / or, The second rule includes setting the destination interface in FAR as the core side, and / or, The method according to claim 18, wherein the uplink packet includes a packet received from any one of the 5G virtual network groups or subgroup members.

21. The first rule further includes setting the source interface as the access side in the PDR, setting the CN tunnel information as the PDU session tunnel header, and setting the destination interface of the forwarding operation rule FAR as the first interface. and / or, The method according to claim 20, wherein the second rule further includes a match-all packet filter with a priority set to the lowest priority, a rule that sets the destination interface in the FAR as the core side, and / or the FAR instructs the first network element to discard packets whose matching destination address is not the first address information.

22. The method according to claim 18 or 19, comprising transmitting a first rule and / or a second rule and / or a third rule to a first network element based on a first identifier, wherein the first identifier is set locally and / or obtained from a Unified Data Management (UDM) or Unified Data Storage (UDR) and / or obtained from a Policy Control Function (PCF).

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communication of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup has a specified feature, the specified feature being that group communication between group members does not require interaction with the DN.

24. The communication between the group members is Unicast communications and Multicast communication and The method according to claim 23, comprising at least one of broadcast communication.

25. The first address information is included in the first rule, or the first address information is transmitted individually from the second network element. and / or, The method according to claim 20, wherein the first address information includes at least one of a 5G virtual network group or subgroup member IP or MAC address, a multicast IP or MAC address, or a broadcast IP or MAC address.

26. The method according to claim 18, wherein the second network element includes a session management function (SMF).

27. A transmission method applicable to a third network element, This includes obtaining a virtual network group identifier and first information from a fourth network element, wherein the first information is Virtual network subgroup information, The first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, A transmission method comprising at least one of the following: group management information for a virtual network group or subgroup.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the virtual network subgroup information includes at least one of a virtual network subgroup identifier and general public user identifier (GPSI) information of a virtual network subgroup member.

29. Obtaining the first information from the fourth network element is, The method according to claim 27, comprising receiving a first message for requesting the creation, deletion, or update of a virtual network group or subgroup transmitted from the fourth network element, wherein the first message is accompanied by the first information.

30. The above method further, Currently, we need to retrieve information about the virtual network group to which the subgroup members belong, Based on the information of the aforementioned virtual network group, it is determined whether the first and second conditions are met, If the first or second condition is not met, the fourth network element's request to create, delete, or update a virtual network group or subgroup is rejected, or if both the first and second conditions are met, the first information is transmitted to the Unified Data Management (UDM), including: The method according to claim 29, wherein the first condition includes that the GPSIs of all virtual network subgroup members belong to the same virtual network group, and the second condition includes that no single virtual network subgroup member can belong to two virtual network subgroups at the same time.

31. The above method further, To obtain information about the virtual network group to which the group members currently belong, Based on the information of the aforementioned virtual network group, it is determined whether the third and fourth conditions are met, If the third or fourth condition is not met, the request by the fourth network element to create, delete or update a virtual network group or subgroup is rejected, or if both the third and fourth conditions are met, the first information is transmitted to the UDM. The method according to claim 29, wherein the third condition includes that the GPSIs of all virtual network group members belong to the same slice and data network identifier (DNN), and the fourth condition includes that no single virtual network group member can belong to two virtual network groups at the same time.

32. The method according to claim 27, wherein the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communication of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup has a specified feature, the specified feature being that group communication between group members does not require interaction with the DN.

33. The communication between the group members is Unicast communications and Multicast communication and The method according to claim 32, comprising at least one of broadcast communication.

34. The method according to claim 27, wherein the virtual network subgroup is determined by the fourth network element based on the terminal group isolation requirements and / or broadcast domain size.

35. The method according to claim 27, wherein the group management information is used to attach multicast information to a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup, and the multicast information includes a correspondence between the IP or MAC address of a terminal and the multicast IP or MAC address.

36. The method according to claim 27, wherein the third network element is a network opening function (NEF), and / or the fourth network element is an application function (AF).

37. A transmission method applicable to a fourth network element, The process includes transmitting a virtual network group identifier and first information to a third network element, wherein the first information is: Virtual network subgroup information, The first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, A transmission method comprising at least one of the following: group management information for a virtual network group or subgroup.

38. The method according to claim 37, wherein the virtual network subgroup information includes at least one of a virtual network subgroup identifier and GPSI information of a virtual network subgroup member.

39. Transmitting the first information to the third network element is The method according to claim 37, comprising sending a first message to the third network element to request the creation, deletion, or update of a virtual network group or subgroup, wherein the first message is accompanied by the first information.

40. The method according to claim 37, wherein the first identifier is used to indicate whether member communication of a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup has a specified feature, the specified feature being that group communication between group members does not require interaction with the DN.

41. The communication between the group members is Unicast communications and Multicast communication and The method according to claim 40, comprising at least one of broadcast communication.

42. The method according to claim 37, wherein the virtual network subgroup is determined by the fourth network element based on the terminal group isolation requirements and / or broadcast domain size.

43. The method according to claim 37, wherein the group management information is used to attach multicast information to a virtual network group or virtual network subgroup, and the multicast information includes the correspondence between the IP or MAC address of a terminal and the multicast IP or MAC address.

44. The method according to claim 37, wherein the third network element is an NEF and / or the fourth network element is an AF.

45. A transmission device applied to a first network element, A transmission device including a forwarding module configured to forward uplink packets to a first interface or to a DN based on a first rule, and / or forward downlink packets received from a DN to a terminal based on a second rule.

46. A transmission device applied to a second network element, A transmission device comprising a first transmitting module configured to transmit a first rule and / or a second rule to a first network element, wherein the first rule is used by the first network element to forward uplink packets to a first interface or to a DN, and the second rule is used by the first network element to forward downlink packets received from the DN to a terminal.

47. A transmission device applied to a third network element, A transmission device comprising a second acquisition module configured to acquire a virtual network group identifier and first information from a fourth network element, wherein the first information includes at least one of virtual network subgroup information, a first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, and group management information of a virtual network group or subgroup.

48. A transmission device applicable to the fourth network element, A transmission device comprising a second transmission module configured to transmit a virtual network group identifier and first information to a third network element, wherein the first information includes at least one of virtual network subgroup information, a first identifier of a virtual network group or subgroup, and group management information of a virtual network group or subgroup.

49. A communication device comprising memory, a transceiver, and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to implement a step of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 44.

50. A processor-readable storage medium in which a computer program is stored, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 44 are realized.

Images