Method for accessing a network slice, electronic device and storage medium

Abstract

To provide a method, an electronic device, and a storage medium for reducing cost of access to a network slice by an application and promoting development of network slice business.SOLUTION: A method for accessing a network slice, comprises: querying, by an application, access information of a target network slice from a query interface based on an access request for accessing the target network slice, and communicating, by the query interface, with a server belonging to a business operator; generating a routing policy between the application and the target network slice based on the access information; and allowing the application to access the target network slice based on the routing policy, so that the application performs network communication through the target network slice.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application is based on a Chinese patent application with application number 202010477722.1, filed on May 29, 2020, and claims priority from the Chinese patent application, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

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

[0003] With the rapid development of 5G, network slicing will inevitably become an important selling point for operators in industry applications. Network slicing is an on-demand networking method that allows the separation of multiple virtual end-to-end networks on a unified infrastructure, with each network slice having logically independent network resources and even isolation between them. Therefore, an error or failure in one network slice will not affect other network slices. Operators can also customize network slices to meet the requirements of each industry application (e.g., high throughput, low latency, high connection density, etc.), contributing to the provision of differentiated services, improving product service quality, and enhancing user experience, while also garnering greater commercial benefits.

[0004] However, applications within terminals cannot support network slicing without undergoing certain modifications, the application versions on different terminals vary widely, many users are reluctant to upgrade applications, and the internal logic of applications can be complex, making modifications costly. These issues make it difficult to deploy network slicing services. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The main objective of the present embodiments is to provide a method, an electronic device, and a storage medium for accessing a network slice, which is intended to reduce the cost for applications to access a network slice and promote the deployment of network slice services.

[0006] An embodiment of the present application provides a method for accessing a network slice, including a step of querying access information of a target network slice from a query interface based on an access request from an application to access the target network slice, and the query interface communicating with a server belonging to an operator; a step of generating a routing policy between the application and the target network slice based on the access information; and a step of allowing the application to access the target network slice based on the routing policy, thereby allowing the application to perform network communication via the target network slice.

[0007] An embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device including at least one processor and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor, the memory including instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform the above-described method of accessing a network slice.

[0008] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored therein, the computer program being executed by a processor to cause the processor to implement the above-described method for accessing a network slice. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1]1 is a flowchart of a method for accessing a network slice provided in Example 1 of the present application. [Figure 2] This is a structural block diagram of a device for accessing a network slice provided in Example 1 of the present application. [Figure 3] This is a conceptual diagram of the interaction process of the method for accessing a network slice provided in Example 1 of the present application. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart of a method for accessing a network slice provided by Example 2 of the present application. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a structural block diagram of a device for accessing a network slice provided in Example 2 of the present application. [Figure 6] This is a conceptual diagram of the interaction process of the method for accessing a network slice provided in Example 2 of the present application. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a structural block diagram of an electronic device provided in Example 3 of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the following detailed description of each embodiment of the present application will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Although many technical details are provided in each embodiment of the present application to help readers better understand the present application, those skilled in the art will understand that the technical solutions claimed in the present application can be realized without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments. The division of the following embodiments is for the convenience of explanation and does not constitute any limitations on the specific implementation manner of the present application. The embodiments can be combined with and referenced from each other, provided that they are not inconsistent.

[0011] The terminal supports network slicing services, and its main task is to obtain a single network slice selection assistance (S-NSSAI) for a specified network slice by matching the data stream of an upper-layer application with the routing policy rules of the user device. The terminal attaches the S-NSSAI when generating a protocol data unit (PDU) session to indicate the network slice that the terminal intends to request. After receiving the S-NSSAI, the network transmits the data stream of the corresponding application on the corresponding slice link.

[0012] According to the 3GPP (registered trademark) TS 23.503 specification, for traffic descriptors based on Data Network Name (DNN) and Connectivity Capabilities, the application must provide corresponding parameters. This means that new versions of the application can support network slicing services only after modifying the application code. For example, if an application in a terminal wants to support DNN-based network slicing, the specification states that the application must send DNN information to the terminal's system framework to request a corresponding network slice from the system framework. The system then generates a corresponding PDU session based on the DNN information. After the application receives a callback from the network slice, the binding of the corresponding network slice is completed. Only then can the delivery path of the application's corresponding data stream be established. Currently, commercial application versions for different terminals vary widely, and many users are reluctant to upgrade their applications, which hinders the rapid deployment of network slicing services.

[0013] The first embodiment of the present application relates to a method for accessing a network slice, which can be applied to terminals such as smartphones, tablet computers, and desktop computers, and the specific flow of the method for accessing a network slice is as shown in Figure 1.

[0014] Step 101: Obtain access information of a target network slice based on an access request from an application to access the target network slice.

[0015] In some circumstances, the method for accessing a network slice may be installed in the system framework of the terminal, for example, the system framework of an Android system. Before performing step 101, the terminal may pre-establish a default network bearer to provide a default network bearer to an application of a non-customized target network slice, thereby facilitating the application of a non-customized target network slice to access the default network slice. In addition, the terminal may pre-install or query name information or other traffic descriptor information of the default network slice of the current application, and the terminal may further pre-install or query name information or other traffic descriptor information of a target network slice customized for the current application.

[0016] In one example, before obtaining the access information of the target network slice, the application registration network can intercept a monitoring request to be monitored and treat the monitoring request as an access request.

[0017] In some situations, an application needs to access a target network slice, and monitors the registered network of the system interface of the terminal. The application monitors through the registered network and sends a monitoring request. After the system receives the monitoring request, a monitor is arranged for the application, and the monitor monitors whether the network is available. If the monitor reports that the target network slice is available, the application can access the target network slice. The system can intercept the monitoring request of the application and treat the monitoring request as an access request.

[0018] It is noteworthy that by intercepting monitoring requests, the access requirements of the application can be quickly obtained, and the application can then quickly access the target network slice.

[0019] In one example, the access information includes any one or combination of target network slice name information, application identifier information, and application triplet information.

[0020] In some situations, the content of the access information can be determined based on the number of target network slices of the application. For example, when the number of target network slices of the application is greater than one, in order to distinguish target network slices corresponding to different business traffic, the access information may include application name information of the target network slice and traffic descriptor information such as IP triplet information, and may further include domain name information, etc.

[0021] Since different target network slices have different names and traffic descriptors, the business type of each target network slice can be known from the traffic descriptor, thereby distinguishing different business requirements of the same application so that different business traffics reach the corresponding target network slices, and subsequently facilitating the rapid generation of routing policies between applications and target network slices.

[0022] After receiving the access request, the terminal system can be triggered to obtain access information of the target network slice. The obtaining method can be varied, for example, by reading the access information from the application or by querying the access information through a query interface, which communicates with a server belonging to the operator. The obtaining method can be determined based on the number of target network slices of the application. For example, if the number of target network slices is greater than one, the query interface can be used to query the operator's server to obtain the access information. If the number of target network slices of the application is one, the system interface can be used to directly query the access information. For example, if the number of target network slices of the application is one, the access information can include the application identifier information of the application, and the system interface can be used to query the application identifier information (e.g., app_id2) of the application.

[0023] Step 102: Generate a routing policy between the application and the target network slice based on the access information.

[0024] In one example, a generation request is sent to a network bearer generation device based on the access information, so that the network bearer generation device establishes a network bearer for communication with the target network slice based on the access information, and returns a prompt message indicating that the establishment of the network bearer is complete.

[0025] In some situations, the network bearer generating device can pre-configure or update a user device routing policy (UE Route Selection Policy, abbreviated as "URSP"). The URSP rules can be pre-configured according to the operator's requirements, and the network bearer generating device can detect whether the stored URSP rules are the latest URSP rules. If they are not the latest, the network bearer generating device can send an acquisition request to the operator network to obtain and update the latest URSP rules. The operator network may voluntarily issue the latest URSP rules, and the network bearer generating device can receive and update the latest URSP rules. The input parameter traffic descriptor of the URSP rules includes, but is not limited to, DNN, application identifier information, fully qualified domain name (FQDN), IP triplet, connection capability information, etc., and the output parameter of the URSP rules is S-NSSAI. The network bearer generating device may be a modem, and the modem is connected to a terminal. The terminal calls an interface corresponding to the target network slice in the modem based on the name information of the target network slice in the access information, and triggers the modem through the interface to establish a network bearer. After receiving the network bearer establishment request, the modem obtains the name information of the target network slice and establishes a network bearer corresponding to the target network slice in accordance with the latest USPR regulations. For example, if the target network slice is dnn_x1, the modem determines that the target network slice is dnn_x1 and establishes a network bearer of the target network slice with the terminal. An application communicates with the target network slice via the network bearer.

[0026] In addition, depending on the requirements of the application, a network bearer corresponding to the application requirements can be established, for example, a highly reliable and low latency communication (URLLC), that is, dnn_x1,URLLC can be established.

[0027] After establishing the network bearer, the modem returns a prompt message to the terminal to facilitate subsequent processing by the terminal.

[0028] In one example, the process of generating a routing policy for an application and a target network slice includes constructing a network interface to connect to the target network slice, arranging a route relationship between the network interface and the application based on access information, and making the route relationship the routing policy.

[0029] In some cases, after receiving the prompt message, the terminal allocates a corresponding network interface to the network bearer of the target network slice, and the network interface and the network bearer can realize the connection between the network interface and the target network slice. An application may have only one target network slice or may have multiple target network slices. If the application has only one target network slice, route matching is performed based on the application's identifier information. For example, the applied routing policy is that if the packet belongs to application A, the packet is allocated to network interface 1.

[0030] If the application has multiple target network slices, various business traffic can be distinguished by IP information, and corresponding routes can be matched for various business traffic. For example, the routing policy that is added is that if the packet belongs to application A and the target IP is dst_ip_list1, the packet is distributed to network interface 1; if the packet belongs to application A and the target IP is dst_ip_list2, the packet is distributed to network interface 2.

[0031] Step 103: Allow the application to access the target network slice based on the routing policy, so that the application performs network communication via the target network slice.

[0032] In some cases, after the routing policy deployment is completed, the system can notify the application that the target network slice is available, and after the application receives the notification, the application can realize network communication with the target network slice through the system interface. There are several ways to notify the application, for example, in the Android system, a callback function can be used, and after the route deployment is completed, the callback function can notify the application that the network is available.

[0033] The above steps can be performed in a system framework. To facilitate understanding of the process of an application accessing a target network slice, this embodiment uses three virtual modules to realize the process of accessing a network slice. As shown in FIG. 2, the virtual modules include a network monitoring interception module 10, a network connection module 20, and a route information configuration module 30. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of the interaction of each module in the system framework. The process of accessing a target network slice will be described below in conjunction with FIG. 3. Here, the network monitoring interception module 10, the network connection module 20, and the route information configuration module 30 are all configured in the system framework of the terminal, and only the system framework is shown in FIG. 3. Note that the modem has pre-configured or updated URSP rules, and the terminal has established a default network bearer.

[0034] The application APP2 registers for network monitoring through the terminal's system interface. The network monitoring interception module 10 executes step S1 to intercept APP2's monitoring request and treats the monitoring request as a connection request. The network monitoring interception module 10 executes step S2 to query the identifier information of APP2 through the system interface and finds that the identifier information of APP2 is app id2. The network connection module 20 executes step S3 to send a request to create a network bearer to the modem. After receiving the network bearer creation request, the modem executes step S4 to create a corresponding network bearer based on the identifier information of the application and the URSP rules. The modem executes step S5 to return a prompt message indicating that the network bearer establishment is complete. The network connection module 20 executes step S6 to create a network interface (e.g., network interface iface2) corresponding to the network bearer. The route information configuration module 30 executes step S7 to configure the route relationship between APP2 and iface2. In this embodiment, route matching can be achieved using the identifier information of the application APP2. The network monitoring interception module executes step S8 by APP2, and notifies application APP2 that the target network slice is available via the registered callback function. The application APP2 executes step S9, accesses the target network slice, and communicates with the target network slice.

[0035] The method for accessing a network slice presented in the present application obtains access information of a target network slice based on an access request from an application, generates a routing policy between the application and the target network slice based on the access information, and allows the application to access the target network slice based on the routing policy. There is no need to modify the application, and users can enable applications to support network slice services without updating their applications, thereby reducing the cost of applications accessing the target network slice and reducing obstacles in deploying network slice services, thereby enabling network slice services to be deployed quickly and facilitating the deployment of the network slice services.

[0036] The second embodiment of the present application relates to a method for accessing a network slice, and the second embodiment is almost identical to the first embodiment. This embodiment is a specific description of the steps of obtaining access information of a target network slice, and the flowchart is as shown in Figure 4.

[0037] Step 201: The legitimacy of the application is detected. If it is determined that the application is a legitimate application, step 202 is executed; if not, the flow is terminated.

[0038] In some cases, the identifier information of the application can be obtained, and the application can be determined to be legitimate based on the identifier information. For example, a whitelist of legitimate applications can be set up in advance, and the whitelist can be used to determine whether the identifier information of the current application is in the whitelist. If it is present, the application can be determined to be legitimate, and if it is not present, the application can be determined to be illegitimate. In addition, the application certificate expiration date can also be used to determine whether the application is legitimate, for example, whether the certificate expiration date has expired.

[0039] Step 202: Obtain access information of the target network slice based on an access request from an application to access the target network slice.

[0040] In one example, access information can be queried through a query interface, which communicates with a server belonging to the operator.

[0041] In some situations, the operator-affiliated server may communicate with the terminal through a query interface and query access information through the query interface. If it is determined that the target network slice is customized for the application, it queries the access information of the customized target network slice for the application. If it is determined that the target network slice is not customized for the application, it queries the information of the default network slice, and the information of the default network slice is used as the access information.

[0042] It is possible to query whether a target network slice is customized for the application based on the identifier information of the application. If it is determined that the target network slice is not customized for the application, the information of the system default network slice is queried, and the information of the default network slice is the access information, which may be the name information of the network slice. If it is determined that the target network slice is customized for the application, the access information of the customized target network slice is queried. Note that if there is one target network slice customized for the application, only the name information of the target network slice can be queried. If there are multiple target network slices customized for the application, the name information of the target network slice, IP triplet information, application identifier information, etc. can be queried. If multiple target network slices are customized, the access information contains more detailed information, which facilitates the rational configuration of subsequent routing policies.

[0043] It is noteworthy that the access information of the target network slice is queried according to the customization requirements of the application to meet the different requirements of the application.

[0044] Step 203: Generate a routing policy between the application and the target network slice based on the access information.

[0045] Since this is almost the same as step 102 in the first embodiment, it will not be explained again here.

[0046] Step 204: Allow the application to access the target network slice based on the routing policy, so that the application communicates with the network through the target network slice.

[0047] Since this is almost the same as step 103 in the first embodiment, it will not be explained again here.

[0048] The above steps can be performed in a system framework. To facilitate understanding of the process of an application accessing a target network slice, this embodiment uses four virtual modules to realize the process of accessing a network slice. As shown in FIG. 5, the virtual modules include a network monitoring interception module 10, a network connection module 20, a route information configuration module 30, and a slice information query module 40. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of the interaction of each module in the system framework. The process of accessing a target network slice will be described below in conjunction with FIG. 6. Here, the network monitoring interception module 10, the network connection module 20, the route information configuration module 30, and the slice information query module 40 are all located in the system framework of the terminal. For ease of explanation, a dashed frame is used in FIG. 6 to indicate the slice information query module within the system framework. The system framework shown in FIG. 6 includes the network monitoring interception module 10, the network connection module 20, and the route information configuration module 30. Note that the modem has pre-configured or updated the URSP, and the terminal has established a default network bearer.

[0049] The application APP1 registers network monitoring through the terminal's system interface. The network monitoring interception module 10 executes step S21 to intercept APP1's monitoring request and treats the monitoring request as a connection request. The network monitoring interception module 10 executes step S22 to query the slice information query module 40 to determine whether the application has customized the DNN and other traffic description information. The slice information query module 40 executes step S23 to perform a legitimacy check on the application and query the operator's server for access information. The slice information query module 40 executes step S24 to return the access information. If APP1 has not customized the DNN, it returns the default DNN. If multiple DNNs have been customized, the access information further includes IP triplet information, such as dnn_x1, ip list1; dnn_x2, ip list2. The network connection module 20 executes step S25 to send a network bearer creation request to the modem. After receiving the network bearer creation request, the modem executes step S26 to create a corresponding network bearer based on the application's identifier information and the URSP rule. The modem executes step S27 and returns a prompt message that the network bearer has been established. The network connection module 20 executes step S28 and establishes a network interface corresponding to the network bearer, for example, network interface iface1. The route information configuration module 30 executes step S29 and configures the route relationship between APP1 and iface1. In this embodiment, route matching is realized by the identifier information and IP triplet of application APP1. The network monitoring interception module executes step S30 by APP1 and notifies application APP1 that the target network slice is available through the registered callback function. The application APP1 executes step S31 and accesses the target network slice and communicates with the target network slice.

[0050] Note that if an application accesses multiple target network slices, the process of accessing other target network slices is similar and will not be described again here.

[0051] The method of accessing a network slice presented in this application can obtain access information of the target network by querying the server belonging to the operator, and the obtained access information is more accurate.

[0052] A third embodiment of the present application relates to an electronic device, and as shown in FIG. 7, the electronic device 30 includes at least one processor 302 and a memory 301 communicatively connected to the at least one processor, the memory 301 including instructions executable by the at least one processor 302, which, when executed by the at least one processor 302, cause the at least one processor 302 to perform an embodiment of the above-mentioned method for accessing a network slice.

[0053] Here, the memory 301 and the processor 302 are connected by a bus system, which may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, connecting various circuits of one or more processors 302 and the memory 301. The bus may also connect various other circuits, such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, all of which are well known in the art and will not be further described herein. A bus interface provides an interface between the bus and a transceiver. The transceiver may be a single element or multiple elements, such as multiple receivers and transmitters, that provide a means for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium. Data processed by the processor 302 is transmitted over a wireless medium via an antenna, which receives and transmits data to the processor 302.

[0054] The processor 302 is responsible for bus management and general processing and may also provide various functions including timing, peripheral interfacing, voltage regulation, power management, and other control functions. The memory 301 may be used to store data used by the processor 302 when performing operations.

[0055] A fourth embodiment of the present application relates to a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon. The computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the above-described method embodiment for accessing a network slice. The computer-readable storage medium may include transitory or non-transitory, removable or non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storing information (e.g., computer-readable instructions, data structures, computer program modules, or other data).

[0056] That is, those skilled in the art will understand that all or some of the steps in the above-described embodiment methods can be realized by instructing relevant hardware through a program, and the program is stored in a storage medium and contains some instructions for causing a device (which may be a single-chip microcomputer, a chip, etc.) or a processor to execute all or some of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The storage medium includes various media that can store program code, such as a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0057] Those skilled in the art should understand that all or some of the steps of the methods, systems, and functional modules / means in the devices disclosed above can be implemented as software (which can be realized using computer program code executable on a computer device), firmware, hardware, or an appropriate combination thereof. In hardware embodiments, the division between the functional modules and / or means mentioned in the above description does not necessarily correspond to the division of physical components; for example, one physical component may have multiple functions, or one function or step may be performed jointly by several components. Some or all of the physical components may be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, or a microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit such as a dedicated integrated circuit.

[0058] The above embodiments are specific examples of the present application, and various changes in form or details may be made in actual applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A step in which an application of a terminal queries a server belonging to an operator for access information of the target network slice via a query interface based on an access request to access the target network slice, and the query interface communicates with the server belonging to the operator; generating a routing policy between the application and the target network slice based on the access information; and causing the application to access the target network slice based on the routing policy, so that the application performs network communication via the target network slice; The access information includes any one or any combination of name information of the target network slice, identifier information of the application, and triplet information of the application; A method for accessing a network slice, performed by the terminal.

2. The step of generating a routing policy between the application and the target network slice based on the access information includes: constructing a network interface that connects to the target network slice; arranging a route relationship between the network interface and the application based on the access information, and setting the route relationship as the routing policy. A method for accessing a network slice according to claim 1.

3. Before the step of constructing a network interface to connect to the target network slice, Further comprising: sending a generation request to a network bearer generation device based on the access information to establish a network bearer for communication with the target network slice; Presetting or updating a routing policy between the application and the target network slice based on the network bearer. A method for accessing a network slice according to claim 2.

4. The step of obtaining access information of a target network slice based on an access request from an application to access a target network slice includes: further comprising the step of reading the access information from the application. A method for accessing a network slice according to claim 1.

5. The step of querying the access information from a query interface includes: When it is determined that the target network slice is customized for the application, querying the application for access information of the target network slice customized for the application; When it is determined that the target network slice is not customized for the application, querying information of a default network slice and setting the information of the default network slice as the access information. A method for accessing a network slice according to claim 1.

6. performing legitimacy detection on the application; and if it is determined that the application is a legitimate application, obtaining access information of the target network slice based on an access request from the application to access the target network slice. A method for accessing a network slice according to claim 1.

7. Before the step of obtaining access information of the target network slice based on an access request from an application to access the target network slice, and intercepting a monitoring request monitored by an application registration network and determining the monitoring request as the access request. A method for accessing a network slice according to claim 1.

8. at least one processor; a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; The memory includes instructions executable by the at least one processor, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, causing the at least one processor to perform the method for accessing a network slice according to any one of claims 1 to 7. Electronic devices.

9. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program being executed by a processor to cause the processor to implement the method for accessing a network slice according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A computer-readable storage medium.

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