Communication method, electronic device and computer readable medium

Abstract

The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method, an electronic device and a computer readable medium. The method comprises: a first network element communicates with a second network element on the basis of a target bus, wherein the target bus comprises a service bus SBI and / or a data channel bus (DCI), the SBI is used for providing interaction of signaling and first data between network elements, and the DCI is used for providing interaction of second data between network elements.

Description

Communication method, electronic device, and computer-readable medium

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on June 29, 2023, with application number 202310793110.7 and invention name “Communication Method, Electronic Device and Computer-readable Medium”. The entire contents of the application are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method, electronic device, and computer-readable medium. Background Art

[0004] With the continuous development of communication technologies, such as 6G technology, it will help achieve the deep integration of the real physical world and the virtual digital world, and build a new world of intelligent interconnection and digital twins. New services such as immersive extended reality (XR), holographic communication, sensory interconnection, intelligent interaction, communication perception, inclusive intelligence, digital twins, and full-area coverage will be widely and deeply applied in people's lives, social production, public services and other fields.

[0005] Accordingly, the emergence of new services inevitably brings with it massive amounts of data that need to be exchanged and processed, rendering existing communication network architectures (such as the 5G communication network architecture) no longer suitable. For example, in the 5G communication network architecture, signaling and data exchange between core network elements are primarily implemented through service-based interfaces (SBIs). However, SBIs have certain limitations on the size and type of data transmitted. Once large amounts of interactive and diverse data types need to be transmitted, problems such as low data transmission efficiency and poor reliability will arise.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a communication method, an electronic device, and a computer-readable medium.

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the present application are implemented through the following aspects.

[0009] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, applied to a first network element, the method comprising: communicating with a second network element based on a target bus; wherein, the target bus comprises a service bus SBI and / or a data channel bus DCI, the SBI is used to provide signaling between network elements and interaction of first data, and the DCI is used to provide interaction of second data between network elements.

[0010] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method applied to a second network element, the method comprising: communicating with a first network element based on a target bus; wherein, the target bus comprises a service bus SBI and / or a data channel bus DCI, the SBI is used to provide signaling and first data interaction between network elements, and the DCI is used to provide second data interaction between network elements.

[0011] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device comprising: a memory, a processor, and computer-executable instructions stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of executing the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect.

[0012] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the steps of the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect are implemented. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative labor.

[0014] FIG1a shows a schematic diagram of the communication network architecture provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0015] FIG1 b shows a schematic diagram of an NDU provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] FIG2 shows one of the flow charts of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] FIG3 is a schematic diagram showing a decision-making process for a data transmission method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0018] FIG4 a shows one of the schematic diagrams of the data service communication process provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0019] FIG4 b shows a second schematic diagram of the data service communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] FIG4c shows a third schematic diagram of the data service communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0021] FIG4 d shows a fourth schematic diagram of the data service communication process provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] FIG5 shows a second flow chart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] FIG6 shows one of the structural diagrams of the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] FIG7 shows a second schematic structural diagram of the communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of an electronic device that executes the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions in this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1a, this is a schematic diagram of a communication network architecture provided by this application. The communication network architecture is a minimalist, distributed, autonomous, highly cohesive, and low-coupling future network architecture (also known as a 6G communication network architecture, etc.). It is a data-centric design, and network capabilities are developed around data, which can meet the requirements of future networks, such as perception, artificial intelligence (AI), and other new capabilities and new data services.

[0028] In this embodiment, the communication network architecture may include but is not limited to one or more of a network control unit (NCU), a network packet processing unit (NPU), a network data unit (NDU), and a network intelligent unit (NIU), and the NCU, NPU, NIU, and NDU correspond to the control plane, user plane, intelligent plane, and data plane of the communication network architecture, respectively, which can improve the problems of a large number of network elements and complex signaling in the existing communication network architecture, realize a flexible and customizable network, and enable future human-machine-object virtual full-domain service innovation. It can be understood that the naming of each network unit in the communication network architecture provided in this application can be but is not limited to the aforementioned NCU, NPU, NIU, NDU, etc., that is, the naming of each network unit in the communication network architecture provided in this application can be flexibly designed according to communication standards or protocols, etc. In addition, the communication network architecture may include one or more identical network elements (such as NDU, etc.), which is not limited here.

[0029] In this case, each network element in the aforementioned communication network architecture will be introduced below.

[0030] NCU: The NCU serves as the network control hub in the communication network architecture, providing network control-related functions, including but not limited to mobility management, session management, and other extended functions such as deterministic communication, computing-network collaboration, and integrated communication. It is also responsible for driving tasks and completing the coordination of connectivity, computing power, intelligence, and perception.

[0031] NPU: The NPU provides network packet forwarding functions. For example, it inherits the basic user-plane data forwarding functionality of related communication network architectures (such as 5G and 4G), introduces user-plane programmability, and enables flexible definition of user-plane processing logic. It also evolves toward features such as computing network service awareness, deterministic communications, and fine-grained subnets.

[0032] NIU: The NIU is used to provide intelligent endogenous functions, such as artificial intelligence (AI) task scheduling management, online reasoning, online training, and knowledge model warehousing. It also implements cross-layer and cross-domain intelligence across multiple nodes through distributed learning collaboration, achieving network simplicity, elasticity, and intelligence internally and providing flexible AI services to external applications.

[0033] NDU: The NDU serves as an independent data plane and is used to provide data management-related functions. For example, the Unified Data Repository (UDR) and Unstructured Data Storage Function (UDSF) are integrated (or aggregated) and processed by the NDU to form an independent data plane.

[0034] In one implementation, the NDU may also have the following characteristics.

[0035] (a) NDU can separate data from business, reduce the coupling between data processing and business processing, provide consistent services for data security, management, and access, and open up data service capabilities to the outside world through standardized interfaces.

[0036] (b) In NDU, data is classified, designed, stored, aggregated, and processed, and network capabilities are developed around data, giving the system stronger data integrity and consistency, and making it easier to use professional data storage and access technologies to achieve consistency and simplification of data processing logic.

[0037] (c) NDU can complete the unified storage and management of various data, reduce data redundancy, reduce storage resource usage and network resource overhead, and avoid data consistency issues.

[0038] (d) NDU integrates the original multiple data interactions, and obtains and updates the required data in one go after signaling simplification and data merging.

[0039] (e) The NDU retains and enhances the UDR and UDSF in relevant communication network architectures (such as 5G network architecture, 4G network architecture, etc.), adds a file interface to provide support for the efficient transmission of directories and files; adds interfaces such as Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) to support the efficient transmission of block data.

[0040] (f) NDU defines a self-explanatory and self-executing framework for customizing 5G data models, which can adapt to interoperability between different manufacturers and user migration.

[0041] (g) NDU contains data with different characteristics, which can be stored in different ways (such as databases, files, blocks, etc.), provide different access methods, and utilize its own mechanisms such as distributed databases and distributed files to achieve data security and high reliability.

[0042] It is worth noting that the NDU, as an independent data plane, not only provides core data and user data, but also adds network data and computing power data in this application, as shown in Figure 1b. The following introduces several types of data respectively.

[0043] User data: refers to end-to-end user data information, such as user access capability data, low / medium / high-speed tag data, user real-time trajectory, currently used network capabilities, currently ongoing tasks, and currently ongoing services.

[0044] Core data: refers to the core static data of users in the network, such as user contract data, service policy data, service contract data, etc.

[0045] Network data: It may include but is not limited to management data, operation data, SLA data of each network node, such as slice or subnet management data, load conditions of each network node, network service SLA data, network element data, etc.

[0046] Computing power data: refers to the computing power resources consumed by users and the service data built on them, such as computing power resource data, computing power service data, etc.

[0047] For the aforementioned data, NDU provides data processing capabilities, including but not limited to collection, preprocessing, storage, aggregation, analysis, orchestration, forwarding, and AI services. It also provides data management capabilities, including but not limited to distributed storage, load balancing, access control, security management, and reliability management. It can also define a unified data format and provide data services externally via a dual data service bus, resolving the current issue of independent data planes being unable to decouple from different vendors.

[0048] It can be understood that, compared to related technologies that require multiple signaling and data exchanges, the communication network architecture provided by this application stores data in a unified manner, integrating the original multiple data exchanges. After signaling simplification and data merging, the required data can be acquired and updated in one go. The signaling simplification can be performed by the NCU, and the data merging can be performed by the NDU.

[0049] Based on the above description, for the above-mentioned communication network architecture provided by this application, please refer to Figure 1a again. The interaction between the various network elements (such as NCU, NDU, NIU, NPU, etc.) inside it can rely on a dual-bus (i.e., target bus) architecture. One is to reuse the service-based bus (Service Based Interface, SBI) in the relevant communication network architecture (such as 5G network architecture, 4G network architecture, etc.), that is, to continue the service-oriented design concept, and develop the scope of service from the core network control surface to the user surface, and further extend it to the wireless access side, to achieve end-to-end service in the mobile network field. The other is a newly added data bus in this application, namely the data channel or data channel bus or data channel interface (Data Channel Interface, DCI), which enables different network units (such as NCU, NDU, NIU, etc.) to interact with each other through the data channel to achieve efficient acquisition and processing of data. For example, in this embodiment, the data channel is used to provide high-speed transmission of data (such as core data, network data, computing power data, etc.).

[0050] The SBI and DCI are introduced below respectively.

[0051] The SBI may have, but is not limited to, the characteristics shown in the following (a)-(c).

[0052] (a) The service-based bus (SBA) provides control message exchange between network elements. For example, in an SBA architecture, signaling and data exchange between network elements is performed via a standardized SBI. SBI is based on the HTTP / 2 protocol and has certain limitations in terms of data transmission size, type, and efficiency.

[0053] (b) Inherit and integrate the existing SBI and evolve it on the existing basis; the transport layer uniformly adopts the HTTP / 3 protocol, standardizes different service messages, and maintains the convenience and timeliness of data interaction.

[0054] (c) As a low-throughput, high-performance signaling bus, SBI is suitable for data services with low data interaction volume that can be completed through signaling interaction.

[0055] And, the DCI may have, but is not limited to, the characteristics shown in the following (a)-(d).

[0056] (a) DCI is a high-throughput, highly reliable data bus designed for the transmission and processing of non-real-time batch data between network elements, data beyond the capabilities of the SBI, or large-scale data. It is suitable for data services with large volumes, diverse data types, and frequent interactions, making data transmission between network elements more efficient, secure, and reliable. It is particularly well-suited for high-volume data transmission scenarios such as endogenous AI, such as data used for AI training and machine learning models.

[0057] (b) DCI is an advanced data transmission technology that provides a faster, more secure and reliable method to transmit different types of data. This method is network-based and can use any type of communication protocol.

[0058] (c) DCI supports a wider range of protocols and flexible configuration of communication protocols. It can support a variety of methods, including but not limited to FTP access to directories and files, block migration, etc.; for different data storage methods (such as databases, files, memory, etc.), it can provide different data access methods, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), RDMA, etc.

[0059] (d) DCI security considerations: When transmitting data via DCI, both communicating parties can determine the communication encryption method based on the data, protocol, and other information to achieve secure data transmission. This includes, but is not limited to, identity authentication (e.g., tokens, which can be authorized and authenticated through SBI), standardized access interfaces and methods to prevent information from being illegally accessed by unauthorized users; DCI uses encryption technology to protect data security and prevent information from being eavesdropped or leaked; DCI uses reliable technology to ensure data integrity and prevent it from being destroyed or tampered with during transmission. It supports data transmission of multiple data types and flexible configuration of communication encryption methods.

[0060] In the aforementioned communication network architecture provided in this application, on the one hand, unified data storage and management are achieved through an independent data plane, and consistent and standardized data services are provided, which can systematically solve the challenges of communication network control and value realization of non-user plane data. It can be understood that the independent data plane is designed to support end-to-end data collection, transmission, storage, analysis and sharing, and solve how to provide data conveniently, efficiently and securely to various network units of the future core network for use. Under the premise of complying with privacy protection and data security, it provides trusted data services, realizes cross-domain and cross-manufacturer data sharing, and improves data service efficiency and data consistency; through the construction of unified platform capabilities, it provides different forms of data services to meet flexible and diverse service needs.

[0061] Meanwhile, network elements communicate with each other via a dual-bus architecture consisting of the SBI and DCI. The SBI facilitates signaling and data exchange between network elements, while the DCI provides efficient transmission and processing of bulk data. SBI and DCI independently complement each other, enabling asynchronous processing and concurrent execution. Of course, when implementing data transmission between network elements, either SBI or DCI can be selected based on actual needs, ultimately achieving efficient collaboration between SBI and DCI in data services.

[0062] It should be noted that in FIG1 , HPMLN is the home public land mobile network and VPMLN is the visited public land mobile network.

[0063] Based on the aforementioned communication network architecture, FIG2 illustrates a flow diagram of a communication method 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. This method 200 may be executed by a first network element, such as software or hardware installed in the first network element. As shown in FIG2 , this method 200 may include the following steps.

[0064] S210: The first network element communicates with the second network element based on the target bus.

[0065] The target bus includes an SBI and / or a DCI, and the SBI is used to provide signaling and first data interaction between network elements. Optionally, the first data may be data with a low data interaction volume that can be completed through signaling interaction. For example, the first data may be data with a data volume below a first threshold, or data with an interaction frequency below a second threshold. The first and second thresholds can be set according to actual needs and are not limited here.

[0066] The DCI is used to provide interaction of second data between network elements, wherein the second data includes at least one of the following (11)-(13).

[0067] (11) Data whose data volume exceeds the first threshold.

[0068] (12) Data that exceeds the service capability of the SBI. The SBI service capability may include the data type supported by the SBI for transmission, the data security requirements of the data supported by the SBI for transmission, etc.

[0069] (13) Data with an interaction frequency greater than a second threshold.

[0070] In other words, communication data exchange between network elements will rely on a dual-bus interconnection architecture. While retaining the current 5G communication network architecture SBI, DCI is expanded (added) as a high-throughput, highly reliable data link for transmitting data that requires frequent interaction, large data volumes, and diverse data types. This will enable efficient, reliable, and secure transmission of core network data, making data transmission between network elements more efficient, secure, and reliable. This is particularly suitable for scenarios such as endogenous AI, where high-volume data transmission is required, such as data used for AI training and machine learning models.

[0071] In the present application, the first network element may be any one of an NCU, an NPU, an NDU, and an NIU, and the second network element may be any one of the NCU, NPU, NDU, and NIU. That is, in the network architecture provided in the present application, the first network element and the second network element may be the same or different network elements, such as the first network element and the second network element may both be an NCU, an NPU, an NDU, or an NIU. For another example, the first network element may be any one of an NCU, an NPU, an NDU, and an NIU, and the second network element may be any one of the NCU, NPU, NDU, and NIU except the first network element, etc.

[0072] It is worth noting that there are many communication scenarios between the first network element and the second network element based on the dual bus. For example, there are scenarios where the network elements need to frequently interact, obtain or store related data in batches, such as the first network element needs to obtain related data from the NDU, such as core data, user data, network data, computing power data, etc., and the data volume of these data may be large and the data types may be different. Therefore, DCI can be used to achieve reliable, efficient and secure data transmission.

[0073] Another example is a scenario where the NIU (e.g., the first network element) needs to acquire large amounts of analytical, training, and historical data for AI analysis and model training. This scenario typically involves the transmission of large amounts of data, such as data that AI needs to process in various formats and volumes, making DCI transmission more efficient.

[0074] For example, cross-domain data access (such as computing-network integration, end-to-end Quality of Service (QoS) assurance), federated learning model training, NWDAF data collection, and other scenarios that require collaboration between network units can all use the DCI bus to improve the transmission efficiency of model, gradient and other data, making data services safer and more efficient.

[0075] In this embodiment, the first network element and the second network element communicate with each other by adopting a dual bus (i.e., SBI and DCI). Therefore, on the one hand, it can support efficient and reliable transmission of data with large-volume and high-frequency requirements; on the other hand, it can also meet the real-time and customization requirements in the communication network.

[0076] Based on this, in one implementation method, for the process in which the first network element communicates with the second network element based on the target bus to realize data communication services, the first network element (i.e., the data requester) can receive the data transmission notification sent by the second network element (i.e., the data provider) based on the SBI, and the data transmission notification carries or indicates a data transmission method to indicate whether the second network element transmits the target data to the first network element based on SBI or DCI. Therefore, by indicating the data transmission method, the first network element and the second network element can have a consistent understanding of the transmission method of the target data, so as to improve the transmission reliability of the target data.

[0077] Among them, the data transmission notification can be sent by the second network element based on the data subscription service or data service request of the first network element, or it can be sent by the second network element according to its own data transmission needs, etc., which is not limited here.

[0078] For example, assuming that the data transmission notification may be sent by the second network element based on the data subscription service of the first network element, then the first network element may send a data subscription request or a second data service request to the second network element based on the SBI before receiving the data transmission notification sent by the second network element based on the SBI, so as to request subscription to the target data. The data subscription request is used to subscribe to the target data from the second network element, and the second data service request is used to request the target data from the second network element.

[0079] For another example, assuming that the data transmission notification is sent by the second network element based on its own data transmission needs, the second network element may send the data transmission notification to the first network element when it determines that it needs to provide data services with the first network element, or when the second network element determines that the target data subscribed to or requested by the first network element has changed.

[0080] Based on this, in one possible implementation method, for the data transmission method, the second network element can determine (decide) the data transmission method based on the relevant information of the target data (i.e., decision information), and save the decision result for the next interaction to improve data interaction efficiency.

[0081] The relevant information of the target data may be carried in the data subscription request or the second data service request, or may be determined by the second network element itself according to the requested or subscribed target data, which is not limited here.

[0082] Optionally, the relevant information of the target data may include at least one of the following (21)-(24).

[0083] (21) The size of the target data. For example, if the data size does not exceed a first threshold (i.e., the data size is small), the target data is transmitted to the first network element based on the SBI; otherwise (i.e., the data size is large), the target data is transmitted to the first network element based on the DCI.

[0084] (22) The data type of the target data. For example, whether the data type of the target data falls within the range of data types supported by the SBI. If so, the target data is transmitted to the first network element based on the SBI; otherwise, the target data is transmitted to the first network element based on the DCI.

[0085] Among them, the range of data types not supported by the SBI may include but is not limited to data types stored in the form of files, directories, blocks, etc. For example, when the data type of the target data is a data type stored in the form of files, directories, blocks, etc., the target data is transmitted to the first network element based on DCI.

[0086] (23) Data exchange frequency of the target data. For example, if the data exchange frequency is not greater than a second threshold, the target data is determined to be transmitted to the first network element based on the SBI; otherwise, the target data is transmitted to the first network element based on the DCI.

[0087] (24) Data security requirements for the target data. For example, if the data security requirements meet the SBI capability, determining to transmit the target data to the first network element based on the SBI; or if the data security requirements are higher or have special security requirements, or exceed the SBI capability, transmitting the target data to the first network element based on the DCI.

[0088] Of course, when deciding the transmission method of the target data based on the aforementioned (21)-(24), the decision can be made according to any one of the aforementioned (21)-(24), or based on multiple of the aforementioned (21)-(24).

[0089] For example, when making a decision based on multiple of the aforementioned (21)-(24), the importance of each decision information in (21)-(24) can be determined separately, and then decisions can be made based on each decision information in turn according to the importance. If the decision information includes the aforementioned (21)-(24), then its decision process can include but is not limited to what is shown in Figure 3.

[0090] In one implementation, if the second network element determines, based on relevant information of the target data, that the second network element transmits the target data to the first network element based on SBI, the data transmission notification may also carry the target data to achieve fast and efficient transmission of the target data.

[0091] Alternatively, if the second network element determines based on the relevant information of the target data that the second network element transmits the target data to the first network element based on the DCI, the data transmission notification may also carry or indicate at least one of the following protocol-related information and data encryption-related information used for the transmission of the target data. The protocol-related information may include the transmission protocol, IP address, transmission port, etc. adopted for the transmission of the target data. The data encryption-related information may include the encryption algorithm, key, token, etc. adopted for the transmission of the target data. This ensures that the first network element can correctly receive the target data.

[0092] For example, after receiving the data transmission notification, the first network element may send a first data service request to the second network element based on the protocol-related information and data encryption-related information carried in the data transmission notification to request the target data. Then, after receiving the first data service request, the second network element may send a data service response to the first network element based on the DCI. Then, after the first network element receives the data service response sent by the second network element based on the DCI, it may also read the target data from the data service response carrying the target data based on the protocol-related information and / or data encryption-related information, thereby achieving safe and efficient transmission of the target data.

[0093] It is worth noting that, depending on the communication scenario, the aforementioned target data can be of various types. For example, it can be control plane data requested from the NCU, user plane data requested from the NPU, smart plane data requested from the NIU, or data plane data requested from the NDU. It is understood that in this application, in addition to the aforementioned NDU being able to provide data management-related functions, the NCU, NPU, and NIU can also cache certain corresponding data to provide data communication services as data providers.

[0094] Furthermore, based on the foregoing description, the following further exemplifies the communication method implemented based on the communication network architecture shown in Figure 1a provided by this application, in conjunction with Figures 4a-4d. The content is as follows. The first network element is a service requester, and the second network element is a service provider. The first network element can be any one of the NCU, NPU, NIU, and NDU, and the second network element can also be any one of the NCU, NPU, NIU, and NDU.

[0095] Example 1

[0096] S401: A first network element initiates a data subscription request to a second network element through an SBI.

[0097] S402: After receiving the data subscription request, the second network element may determine (decide) how to transmit the target data based on the relevant information of the target data requested in the data subscription request. The relevant information of the target data (i.e., the basis for the decision) may include information such as the data volume, data type, interaction frequency, and security requirements of the subscribed target data. The decision may also include the data transmission method (i.e., SBI or DCI).

[0098] S403: The second network element sends a data subscription response (i.e., a data transmission notification) to the first network element. If the second network element decides to use DCI to transmit the target data, the data subscription response carries the data transmission method (e.g., whether to transmit the target data via SBI or DCI), protocol-related information, data encryption-related information (e.g., a token), etc.

[0099] In this example 1, by adding a local decision-making process in the data subscription process to decide whether to transmit the target data through SBI or DCI, the data transmission efficiency and transmission reliability can be effectively improved.

[0100] Example 2

[0101] Based on Example 1, if the second network element determines that the target data subscribed by the first network element has changed, the implementation process may include:

[0102] S411, the second network element locally decides to use the SBI bus for data transmission notification. The decision is based on information including data size, data type, interaction frequency, security requirements, etc. The decision content includes the data transmission method (via SBI).

[0103] S412, the second network element sends a data transmission notification to the first network element via the SBI bus, which includes the data transmission mode (ie, SBI), subscribed target data, etc.

[0104] In this example 2, the data notification process adds a local decision process based on the existing SBI to decide whether to perform data notification through SBI or DCI. For the SBI method, data transmission notification can be performed directly through SBI.

[0105] Example 3

[0106] Based on Example 1, if the second network element determines that the target data subscribed to by the first network element has changed, then its implementation process may include the following steps.

[0107] S421, the second network element locally decides to use the DCI bus for data notification. The decision is based on information such as data volume, data type, interaction frequency, and security requirements. The decision content includes the data transmission method (i.e., DCI), and also includes protocol-related information, data encryption-related information (such as tokens), etc. as needed.

[0108] S422, the second network element sends a data transmission notification to the first network element via the SBI bus, which includes the data transmission mode (via DCI), protocol-related information, data encryption-related information, etc.

[0109] S423, the first network element sends a data service request to the second network element based on the received data transmission notification, the protocol-related information and the data encryption-related information carried in the data transmission notification, and the data transmission method indicated in the data transmission notification (ie, DCI).

[0110] S424 , the second network element sends a data service response to the first network element via the DCI bus, where the response includes the target data of the data service request.

[0111] In Example 3, a local decision-making process is added to the data notification process to determine whether to use SBI or DCI for data notification. For DCI, the second network element first notifies the data transmission method, protocol-related information, data encryption-related information, etc. through SBI, and the first network element then initiates a data service request through DCI. Because DCI supports a wide range of data transmission protocols and supports data transmission beyond the capabilities of SBI, DCI-based data transmission facilitates the efficient and secure transmission of large amounts of data and data in diverse formats.

[0112] Example 4

[0113] S431, the first network element initiates a data service request to the second network element via the SBI bus.

[0114] S432, the second network element receives the data service request and decides how to transmit the target data based on the relevant information of the requested target data, wherein the relevant information of the target data (that is, the basis for decision-making) includes information such as the size of the subscribed data volume, data type, interaction frequency, security requirements, etc. The decision content includes the data transmission method (through SBI or DCI), protocol-related information, data encryption-related information (such as tokens), etc.

[0115] S433: The second network element sends a data service response (ie, a data transmission notification) to the first network element via the SBI bus, where the response includes the target data requested by the data service request.

[0116] In this example 4, a local decision process is added to the data service process to decide whether to respond to data through SBI or DCI. For the SBI method, the data service response is directly performed through SBI, which improves the security and efficiency of data transmission.

[0117] Figure 5 shows a flow chart of a communication method 500 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method 500 may be executed by a second network element, such as software and / or hardware installed in the second network element. As shown in Figure 5 , the method 500 may include but is not limited to the following steps.

[0118] S510: The second network element communicates with the first network element based on the target bus.

[0119] The target bus includes a service bus SBI and / or a data channel bus DCI, the SBI is used to provide signaling and first data interaction between network elements, and the DCI is used to provide second data interaction between network elements.

[0120] Optionally, the second data includes at least one of the following: data whose data volume exceeds a first threshold, data that exceeds the SBI service capability, and data whose interaction frequency is greater than a second threshold.

[0121] Optionally, the communication with the first network element based on the target bus includes: the second network element determines the data transmission mode based on the relevant information of the target data, and the data transmission mode includes whether the second network element transmits the target data to the first network element based on SBI or DCI; and sends a data transmission notification to the first network element based on the SBI, wherein the data transmission notification carries or indicates the data transmission mode.

[0122] Optionally, the relevant information of the target data includes at least one of the following: the data volume of the target data; the data type of the target data; the data interaction frequency of the target data; and the data security requirements of the target data.

[0123] Optionally, when the data transmission mode includes the second network element transmitting target data to the first network element based on SBI, the data transmission notification may further carry the target data.

[0124] Optionally, when the data transmission method includes the second network element transmitting target data to the first network element based on DCI, the data transmission notification may also carry or indicate at least one of the following: protocol-related information; data encryption-related information.

[0125] Optionally, the communication with the first network element based on the target bus also includes: receiving a first data service request sent by the first network element based on the DCI; and sending a data service response to the first network element based on the DCI, wherein the data service response carries the target data.

[0126] Optionally, the communication with the first network element based on the target bus also includes at least one of the following: determining that a data subscription request or a second data service request sent by the first network element based on the SBI is received, and executing the step of determining the data transmission method according to the relevant information of the target data based on the data subscription request or the second data service request, wherein the data subscription request is used to subscribe to the target data from the second network element, and the second data service request is used to request the target data from the second network element; determining that the target data has changed, and executing the step of determining the data transmission method according to the relevant information of the target data.

[0127] Optionally, the first network element is any one of the network control unit NCU, the network message processing unit NPU, the network data unit NDU, and the network intelligent unit NIU; the second network element is any one of the NCU, NPU, NDU, and NIU; wherein, the NCU is used to provide network control related functions, the NPU is used to provide network packet forwarding related functions, the NDU is used to provide data management related functions, and the NIU is used to provide intelligent endogenous related functions.

[0128] It can be understood that method embodiment 500 has the same or corresponding technical features as the aforementioned method embodiment 300. Therefore, the relevant descriptions of each implementation method in method embodiment 500 can refer to the relevant descriptions in the aforementioned method embodiment 300, and achieve the same or corresponding technical effects, which will not be repeated here.

[0129] Figure 6 shows a structural schematic diagram of a communication device 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application, wherein the device 600 includes: a communication module 610, for communicating with a second network element based on a target bus; wherein the target bus includes a service bus SBI and / or a data channel bus DCI, the SBI is used to provide signaling between network elements and interaction of first data, and the DCI is used to provide interaction of second data between network elements.

[0130] Optionally, the second data includes at least one of the following: data whose data volume exceeds a first threshold; data that exceeds the SBI service capability; data whose interaction frequency is greater than a second threshold.

[0131] Optionally, the communication module 610 is used to communicate with the second network element based on the target bus, including: receiving a data transmission notification sent by the second network element based on the SBI; wherein the data transmission notification carries or indicates a data transmission mode, and the data transmission mode is used to indicate whether the second network element transmits target data to the first network element based on SBI or DCI.

[0132] Optionally, when the data transmission mode indicates that the second network element transmits target data to the first network element based on SBI, the data transmission notification may further carry target data.

[0133] Optionally, when the data transmission mode indicates that the second network element transmits target data to the first network element based on DCI, the data transmission notification may also carry or indicate at least one of the following: protocol-related information for the target data transmission; data encryption-related information.

[0134] Optionally, the communication module 610 is used to communicate with the second network element based on the target bus, and also includes: sending a first data service request to the second network element based on the data transmission notification, the first data service request being used to request the target data; and receiving a data service response sent by the second network element based on the DCI, the data service response carrying the target data.

[0135] Optionally, before the communication module 610 receives the data transmission notification sent by the second network element based on the SBI, the communication with the second network element based on the target bus also includes: the first network element sends a data subscription request or a second data service request to the second network element based on the SBI; wherein the data subscription request is used to subscribe to the target data from the second network element, and the second data service request is used to request the target data from the second network element.

[0136] Optionally, the first network element is any one of the network control unit NCU, the network message processing unit NPU, the network data unit NDU, and the network intelligence unit NIU; the second network element is any one of the NCU, NPU, NDU, and NIU; wherein, the NCU is used to provide network control related functions, the NPU is used to provide network packet forwarding related functions, the NDU is used to provide data-centric data management related functions, and the NIU is used to provide intelligent endogenous related functions.

[0137] Figure 7 shows a structural diagram of a communication device 700 provided in an embodiment of the present application, and the device 700 includes: a communication module 710, which communicates with a first network element based on a target bus; wherein the target bus includes a service bus SBI and / or a data channel bus DCI, the SBI is used to provide signaling and first data interaction between network elements, and the DCI is used to provide second data interaction between network elements.

[0138] Optionally, the second data includes at least one of the following: data whose data volume exceeds a first threshold; data that exceeds the SBI service capability; data whose interaction frequency is greater than a second threshold.

[0139] Optionally, the communication module 710 communicates with the first network element based on the target bus, including: determining the data transmission mode according to relevant information of the target data, the data transmission mode including whether the second network element transmits the target data to the first network element based on SBI or DCI; sending a data transmission notification to the first network element based on the SBI, wherein the data transmission notification carries or indicates the data transmission mode.

[0140] Optionally, the relevant information of the target data includes at least one of the following: the data volume of the target data; the data type of the target data; the data interaction frequency of the target data; and the data security requirements of the target data.

[0141] Optionally, when the data transmission mode includes the second network element transmitting target data to the first network element based on SBI, the data transmission notification may further carry the target data.

[0142] Optionally, when the data transmission method includes the second network element transmitting target data to the first network element based on DCI, the data transmission notification may also carry or indicate at least one of the following: protocol-related information for the target data transmission; data encryption-related information.

[0143] Optionally, the communication module 710 communicates with the first network element based on the target bus, and also includes: receiving a first data service request sent by the first network element based on the DCI; and sending a data service response to the first network element based on the DCI, wherein the data service response carries the target data.

[0144] Communication module 710 The communication module 710 communicates with the first network element based on the target bus, and also includes at least one of the following: determining that a data subscription request or a second data service request sent by the first network element based on the SBI is received, and executing the step of determining the data transmission method according to the relevant information of the target data based on the data subscription request or the second data service request, wherein the data subscription request is used to subscribe to the target data from the second network element, and the second data service request is used to request the target data from the second network element; determining that the target data has changed, and executing the step of determining the data transmission method according to the relevant information of the target data.

[0145] Optionally, the first network element is any one of the network control unit NCU, the network message processing unit NPU, the network data unit NDU, and the network intelligent unit NIU; the second network element is any one of the NCU, NPU, NDU, and NIU; wherein, the NCU is used to provide network control related functions, the NPU is used to provide network packet forwarding related functions, the NDU is used to provide data management related functions, and the NIU is used to provide intelligent endogenous related functions.

[0146] The devices 600-700 provided in the embodiments of the present application can execute the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments and achieve the functions and beneficial effects of the methods described in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described in detail here.

[0147] FIG8 shows a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of a network unit provided by an embodiment of the present application. Referring to the figure, at the hardware level, the network unit includes a processor, and optionally, an internal bus, a network interface, and a memory. The memory may include a memory, such as a high-speed random access memory (RAM), and may also include a non-volatile memory (non-volatile memory), such as at least one disk storage. Of course, the network unit may also include hardware required for other services.

[0148] The processor, network interface, and memory can be interconnected via an internal bus, such as an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus. These buses can be classified as address buses, data buses, and control buses. For ease of illustration, the figure uses only one bidirectional arrow, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0149] The memory is used to store programs. Specifically, the program may include program code, which includes computer operating instructions. The memory may include internal memory and non-volatile memory, and provides instructions and data to the processor.

[0150] The processor reads the corresponding computer program from the non-volatile memory into the internal memory and then runs it, logically forming a device for locating a specific user. The processor executes the program stored in the memory and is specifically configured to perform the methods disclosed in the embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 5 and to achieve the functions and benefits of the various methods described in the preceding method embodiments, which will not be further described here.

[0151] The methods disclosed in the embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 5 of the present application can be applied to a processor or implemented by a processor. The processor may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by hardware integrated logic circuits in the processor or software instructions. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. The various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly embodied as being executed by a hardware decoding processor, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in a storage medium well-known in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the above method.

[0152] The network unit can also execute the methods described in the above method embodiments and realize the functions and beneficial effects of the methods described in the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0153] Of course, in addition to software implementation methods, the network unit of this application does not exclude other implementation methods, such as logical devices or a combination of software and hardware, etc. That is to say, the execution subject of the following processing flow is not limited to each logical unit, but can also be hardware or logical devices.

[0154] An embodiment of the present application also proposes a computer-readable storage medium, which stores one or more programs. When the one or more programs are executed by an electronic device including multiple applications, the electronic device executes the methods disclosed in the embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 5 and realizes the functions and beneficial effects of the various methods described in the previous method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0155] The computer-readable storage medium includes a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0156] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and the computer program includes program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the following process is implemented: the method disclosed in the embodiments shown in Figures 2 and 5 and the functions and beneficial effects of the various methods described in the previous method embodiments are implemented, which will not be repeated here.

[0157] In short, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

[0158] The systems, devices, modules, or units described in the above embodiments may be implemented by computer chips or entities, or by products having certain functions. A typical implementation device is a computer. Specifically, the computer may be, for example, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a cellular phone, a camera phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or a combination of any of these devices.

[0159] Computer-readable media includes permanent and non-permanent, removable and non-removable media that can be implemented by any method or technology to store information. The information can be computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Examples of computer storage media include, but are not limited to, phase change memory (PRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), other types of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices or any other non-transmission media that can be used to store information that can be accessed by a computing device. As defined herein, computer-readable media does not include transitory computer-readable media (transitory media), such as modulated data signals and carrier waves.

[0160] It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "includes," or any other variations thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, commodity, or apparatus that includes a series of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not explicitly listed, or includes elements inherent to such process, method, commodity, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, commodity, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0161] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to in conjunction with each other. Each embodiment focuses on the differences between the other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are generally similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple. For relevant parts, refer to the description of the method embodiments.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a first network element, the method comprising: communicating with the second network element based on the target bus; The target bus includes a service bus SBI and / or a data channel bus DCI, the SBI is used to provide signaling and first data interaction between network elements, and the DCI is used to provide second data interaction between network elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The second data includes at least one of the following: Data whose amount exceeds a first threshold; Data that exceeds the capabilities of the said SBI services; Data with an interaction frequency greater than the second threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: The communicating with the second network element based on the target bus includes: receiving a data transmission notification sent by the second network element based on the SBI; The data transmission notification carries or indicates a data transmission mode, and the data transmission mode is used to indicate whether the second network element transmits target data to the first network element based on SBI or DCI.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein: In a case where the data transmission mode indicates that the second network element transmits target data to the first network element based on the SBI, the data transmission notification also carries the target data.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein: When the data transmission mode indicates that the second network element transmits target data to the first network element based on the DCI, the data transmission notification further carries or indicates at least one of the following: protocol information used for the target data transmission; Information related to data encryption.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein: The communicating with the second network element based on the target bus further includes: Sending a first data service request to the second network element based on the data transmission notification, where the first data service request is used to request the target data; Receive a data service response sent by the second network element based on the DCI, where the data service response carries the target data.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein: Before the first network element receives the data transmission notification sent by the second network element based on the SBI, the communicating with the second network element based on the target bus further includes: The first network element sends a data subscription request or a second data service request to the second network element based on the SBI; The data subscription request is used to subscribe to the target data from the second network element, and the second data service request is used to request the target data from the second network element.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The first network element is any one of a network control unit NCU, a network message processing unit NPU, a network data unit NDU, and a network intelligence unit NIU; The second network element is any one of the NCU, NPU, NDU, and NIU; Among them, the NCU is used to provide network control related functions, the NPU is used to provide network packet forwarding related functions, the NDU is used to provide data-centric data management related functions, and the NIU is used to provide intelligent endogenous related functions.

9. A communication method, applied to a second network element, the method comprising: communicating with the first network element based on the target bus; The target bus includes a service bus SBI and / or a data channel bus DCI, the SBI is used to provide signaling and first data interaction between network elements, and the DCI is used to provide second data interaction between network elements.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein: The second data includes at least one of the following: Data whose amount exceeds a first threshold; Data that exceeds the capabilities of the said SBI services; Data with an interaction frequency greater than the second threshold.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein: The communicating with the first network element based on the target bus includes: The second network element determines a data transmission mode according to relevant information of the target data, where the data transmission mode includes whether the second network element transmits the target data to the first network element based on SBI or DCI; A data transmission notification is sent to the first network element based on the SBI, wherein the data transmission notification carries or indicates the data transmission mode.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein: The relevant information of the target data includes at least one of the following: The data volume of the target data; The data type of the target data; The data interaction frequency of the target data; Data security requirements for the target data.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein: In a case where the data transmission mode includes the second network element transmitting target data to the first network element based on the SBI, the data transmission notification also carries the target data.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein: In a case where the data transmission mode includes the second network element transmitting target data to the first network element based on the DCI, the data transmission notification further carries or indicates at least one of the following: protocol information used for the target data transmission; Information related to data encryption.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein: The communicating with the first network element based on the target bus further includes: receiving a first data service request sent by the first network element based on the DCI; A data service response is sent to the first network element based on the DCI, wherein the data service response carries the target data.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein: The communicating with the first network element based on the target bus further includes at least one of the following: determining that a data subscription request or a second data service request sent by the first network element based on the SBI is received, and performing the step of determining the data transmission mode according to the relevant information of the target data based on the data subscription request or the second data service request, wherein the data subscription request is used to subscribe to the target data from the second network element, and the second data service request is used to request the target data from the second network element; It is determined that the target data has changed, and the step of determining the data transmission method according to the relevant information of the target data is performed.

17. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, wherein: The first network element is any one of a network control unit NCU, a network message processing unit NPU, a network data unit NDU, and a network intelligence unit NIU; The second network element is any one of the NCU, NPU, NDU, and NIU; Among them, the NCU is used to provide network control related functions, the NPU is used to provide network packet forwarding related functions, the NDU is used to provide data management related functions, and the NIU is used to provide intelligent endogenous related functions.

18. An electronic device, comprising: processor; as well as A memory arranged to store computer executable instructions, which when executed use the processor to perform the steps of the method of any one of claims 1 to 8, or to perform the steps of the method of any one of claims 9 to 17.

19. A computer-readable medium storing one or more programs, which, when executed by an electronic device including a plurality of applications, causes the electronic device to perform the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8, or to perform the steps of the method described in any one of claims 9 to 17.

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