Cross-domain network element discovery and selection method and apparatus, core network device, and storage medium

Abstract

The present application relates to a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method and apparatus, a core network device, a storage medium, and a computer program product. The method is applied to a relay gateway deployed in a first network region, and comprises: receiving feedback information for a network element discovery request; according to a network element selection policy, selecting from among candidate NF devices in the feedback information a target NF device; and feeding back a selection result to a target device, wherein the selection result comprises an NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in a second network region.

Description

Cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, device, core network equipment and storage medium

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application number 2023109812935, filed on August 4, 2023, entitled “Cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, apparatus, core network equipment and storage medium,” the entire text of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus, core network equipment, storage medium, and computer program product for cross-domain network element discovery and selection. Background Art

[0004] In the current 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) protocol, it is often necessary to implement cross-domain (for example, cross-PLMN (Public Land Mobile Network), cross-NPN (Non-public network), etc.) NF (Network Function) discovery and selection.

[0005] When discovering and selecting NFs across domains, it is necessary to provide information of the service provider network element (NFp) to the service demander network element (NFc) across domains. This cross-domain information provision operation often carries the risk of cross-domain information exposure.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] A cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, applied to a relay gateway deployed in a first network area, comprising:

[0008] Receive feedback information for network element discovery requests;

[0009] Selecting the candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to the network element selection strategy to obtain the target NF device;

[0010] Feedback a selection result to the target device, wherein the selection result includes a NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in the second network area.

[0011] In one embodiment, selecting the candidate NF device in the feedback information according to the network element selection policy includes:

[0012] If it is detected that the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, the candidate NF device in the feedback information is selected according to the network element selection strategy, wherein the target identifier is used to represent entrusting the relay gateway to perform network element selection.

[0013] In one embodiment, the feedback information further includes the target identifier, and the selecting the candidate NF device in the feedback information according to the network element selection policy includes:

[0014] If it is identified that the feedback information includes the target identifier, the candidate NF device in the feedback information is selected according to the network element selection strategy, wherein the target identifier is used to represent entrusting the relay gateway to perform network element selection.

[0015] In one embodiment, the network element selection strategy includes at least one of a network element selection strategy preset locally in the relay gateway, a network element selection strategy issued by an NRF device deployed in the first network area, and a network element selection strategy issued by an NRF device deployed in the second network area.

[0016] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0017] The network element discovery request sent by the target device is received, where the network element discovery request includes the target identifier.

[0018] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0019] Forwarding the network element discovery request to an NRF device deployed in the first network area;

[0020] Receive feedback information sent by the NRF device in response to the network element discovery request, where the feedback information includes candidate NF devices and NF configuration files of each candidate NF device.

[0021] In one embodiment, selecting the candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to the network element selection policy to obtain the target NF device includes:

[0022] Acquire selection index data of each candidate NF device in the feedback information;

[0023] A target NF device is determined from the candidate NF devices according to the selection index data of each candidate NF device.

[0024] In one embodiment, the selection index data includes at least one of the following: load data of the candidate NF device, capability of the candidate NF device, and topology information of the candidate NF device.

[0025] In one embodiment, forwarding the network element discovery request to the NRF device deployed in the first network area further includes: determining whether a candidate NF device has been cached; when it is determined that the candidate NF device has not been cached, forwarding the network element discovery request to the NRF device deployed in the first network area

[0026] In one embodiment, the target device is an NRF device or a relay gateway.

[0027] In one embodiment, when the first network area is a PLMN network, the second network area is an NPN network or a PLMN network; or, when the first network area is an NPN network, the second network area is a PLMN network.

[0028] A cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, applied to an NRF device deployed in a second network area, comprising:

[0029] receiving a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, where the target identifier is used to indicate that a relay gateway is entrusted to select a network element;

[0030] determining a first network area according to the network element discovery request;

[0031] Forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

[0032] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0033] receiving a selection result sent by the relay gateway, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, where the target NF device is deployed in the first network area;

[0034] Forward the selection result to the NF device.

[0035] A cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, applied to a NF device deployed in a second network area, comprising:

[0036] A network element discovery request is sent to an NRF device deployed in the second network area, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, where the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway for network element selection, wherein the relay gateway is located in the first network area.

[0037] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0038] A selection result sent by the NRF device is received, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, where the target NF device is deployed in the first network area.

[0039] A cross-domain network element discovery and selection system includes a first network area and a second network area, wherein a NF device and a first NRF device are deployed in the second network area, and a relay gateway and a second NRF device are deployed in the first network area, wherein:

[0040] The NF device sends a network element discovery request to the first NRF device, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier;

[0041] The first NRF device receives the network element discovery request sent by the NF device, determines the first network area according to the network element discovery request, and forwards the network element discovery request to the relay gateway;

[0042] The relay gateway receives the network element discovery request sent by the first NRF device and forwards the network element discovery request to the second NRF device;

[0043] The second NRF device receives the network element discovery request sent by the relay gateway, determines the candidate NF device according to the network element discovery request, and sends feedback information to the relay gateway, where the feedback information includes the candidate NF device and the NF configuration file of each candidate NF device;

[0044] The relay gateway receives the feedback information sent by the second NRF device, selects the candidate NF device according to the network element selection policy, obtains the target NF device, and feeds back the selection result to the first NRF device, wherein the selection result includes the NF configuration file of the target NF device;

[0045] The first NRF device receives the selection result sent by the relay gateway and forwards the selection result to the NF device;

[0046] The NF device receives the selection result sent by the first NRF device.

[0047] A cross-domain network element discovery and selection device, applied to a relay gateway deployed in a first network area, comprising:

[0048] A first receiving module, configured to receive feedback information regarding a network element discovery request;

[0049] A selection module is configured to select candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to a network element selection strategy to obtain a target NF device;

[0050] The first sending module is configured to feed back a selection result to a target device, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in a second network area.

[0051] A cross-domain network element discovery and selection device, applied to an NRF device deployed in a second network area, comprising:

[0052] A second receiving module is configured to receive a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area, wherein the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to indicate that the relay gateway is entrusted to select a network element;

[0053] A determination module, configured to determine a first network area according to the network element discovery request;

[0054] The second sending module is used to forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

[0055] A cross-domain network element discovery and selection device, applied to a NF device deployed in a second network area, comprising:

[0056] The third sending module is used to send a network element discovery request to the NRF device deployed in the second network area, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway for network element selection, wherein the relay gateway is located in the first network area.

[0057] A core network device, deployed in a first network area, comprising a processor, a receiver, and a transmitter;

[0058] The receiver is configured to receive feedback information regarding the network element discovery request;

[0059] The processor is configured to select the candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to the network element selection policy to obtain a target NF device;

[0060] The transmitter is configured to feed back a selection result to the target device, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in the second network area.

[0061] A core network device, deployed in a second network area, comprising a transmitter, a processor, and a receiver;

[0062] The receiver is configured to receive a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, where the target identifier is used to indicate that the relay gateway is entrusted to perform network element selection;

[0063] The processor is configured to determine a first network area according to the network element discovery request;

[0064] The transmitter is used to forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

[0065] A core network device, deployed in a second network area, includes a transmitter;

[0066] The transmitter is used to send a network element discovery request to an NRF device deployed in the second network area, wherein the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway for network element selection, wherein the relay network is located in the first network area.

[0067] A computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of any of the aforementioned methods.

[0068] A computer program product comprises a computer program, which implements the steps of any of the above methods when executed by a processor.

[0069] The details of one or more embodiments of the present application are set forth in the following drawings and description. Other features, objects, and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0070] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the conventional technology, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the conventional technology descriptions. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the disclosed drawings without any creative work.

[0071] FIG1 is a diagram illustrating an application environment of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method according to an embodiment;

[0072] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a process of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method according to an embodiment;

[0073] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method according to an embodiment;

[0074] FIG4 a is a schematic diagram of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method according to an embodiment;

[0075] FIG4 b is a schematic diagram of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method according to an embodiment;

[0076] FIG5a is a schematic diagram of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method according to an embodiment;

[0077] FIG5 b is a schematic diagram of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method according to an embodiment;

[0078] FIG6 a is a schematic diagram of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method according to an embodiment;

[0079] FIG6 b is a schematic diagram of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method according to an embodiment;

[0080] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method in another embodiment;

[0081] FIG8 is a structural block diagram of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection apparatus according to an embodiment;

[0082] FIG9 is a structural block diagram of a cross-domain network element discovery and selection apparatus according to another embodiment;

[0083] FIG10 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a core network device according to an embodiment;

[0084] FIG11 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a core network device according to an embodiment;

[0085] FIG12 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a core network device in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0086] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application more clear, the following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0087] It will be understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. used in this application may be used herein to describe various elements, but these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0088] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario for a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 , the scenario includes a first network area and a second network area, wherein NFc and NRFc are deployed in the second network area, and a relay gateway and NRFp are deployed in the first network area. Data is transmitted between NFc and NRFc via the network, between NRFc and the relay gateway via the network, and between the relay gateway and NRFp via the network.

[0089] Among them, NFc is the consumer NF (Network Function), that is, the network element that requests network services. NFp is the provider NF (Network Function), that is, the network element that provides network services. NRFc is the NRF (Network Repository Function) deployed in the second network area, and NRFp is the NRF (Network Repository Function) deployed in the first network area. The relay gateway may include SCP (Service Communication Proxy), SEPP (Security Edge Protection Proxy), C-IWF (Customized-InterWorking Function), etc. The type of relay gateway is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0090] Before introducing the specific embodiments of the present invention, the professional terms involved in the present invention are explained:

[0091] NSSF (Network Slice Selection Function) is used to select slices. Slicing is a new feature introduced in 5G. Many slices can be deployed in a network, and slice selection is achieved through NSSF.

[0092] AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function), AMF is the main functional unit of 5GC, completing the access and mobility management of terminal users, which is equivalent to the session management function of MME (Mobility Management Entity).

[0093] UDM (Unified Data Management) is used to provide user contract data.

[0094] AUSF (Authentication Server Function) is mainly responsible for user authentication and security authorization. It is one of the key components in the 5G network and is used to ensure the security and reliability of the network. The role of AUSF is to manage the user's security context, including user authentication, key management, security policy control, etc. At the same time, AUSF can also communicate with other network elements, such as AMF, UDM, etc., to achieve seamless connection and service for users.

[0095] PCF (Policy Control Function), PCF is used to support unified policy management of network behavior, provide slice-based policies, provide mobility-related policy rules to AMF, and provide session-related policies to SMF.

[0096] SMF (Session Management Function) is responsible for processing user services.

[0097] UPF (User Plane Function) is used as the data plane anchor point, connecting to the PDU (Protocol Data Unit) session point of the data network, message routing and forwarding: message parsing and policy execution, traffic usage reporting, and user plane collection.

[0098] UE: (User Equipment) includes various Internet or voice terminals such as mobile phones and computers.

[0099] AN: (Access Network) refers to the transmission network from the service node interface to the user network interface.

[0100] The N2 interface is the signaling plane interface between the (R)AN and AMF. The N3 interface is the interface between the 5G(R)AN (Radio Access Network) and the UPF, primarily used to transmit uplink and downlink user plane data between the 5G(R)AN and UPF. The N4 interface is the interface between the SMF and the UPF, used to transmit control plane information between the SMF and the UPF. The N6 interface is the interface between the UPF (User Plane Function) and the DN (Data Network), used to transmit uplink and downlink user data flows between the UPF and the DN, communicating with the DN network based on IP and routing protocols. Namf is the service-based interface presented by the AMF, Nsmf is the service-based interface presented by the SMF, Npcf is the service-based interface presented by the PCF, Nnrf is the service-based interface presented by the NRF, Nnssf is the service-based interface presented by the NSSF, Nausf is the service-based interface presented by the AUSF, and Nudm is the service-based interface presented by the UDM.

[0101] The following specific embodiments describe in detail the technical solution of the present application and how the technical solution of the present application solves the above-mentioned technical problems. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0102] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG2 , a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method is provided. The method is described by taking the application of the method to the relay gateway in the first network area in FIG1 as an example, including the following steps:

[0103] In step 202, feedback information regarding the network element discovery request is received;

[0104] In step 204, the candidate NF devices in the feedback information are selected according to the network element selection strategy to obtain the target NF device;

[0105] In step 206, the selection result is fed back to the target device, where the selection result includes the NF configuration file of the target NF device. The target device is deployed in the second network area.

[0106] In the disclosed embodiment, an NRF device (hereinafter referred to as NRFp) deployed in a first network area may, upon receiving a network element discovery request, provide feedback information regarding the network element discovery request to a relay gateway. The feedback information may include candidate NF devices that meet network element discovery conditions and NF profiles of the candidate NF devices. After receiving the feedback information, the relay gateway may select the candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to a network element selection policy to obtain a target NF device, and provide feedback including the selection result of the NF profile of the target NF device to the target device deployed in a second network area.

[0107] In an exemplary embodiment, selecting the candidate NF device in the feedback information according to the network element selection policy may include:

[0108] If it is detected that the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, the candidate NF device in the feedback information is selected according to the network element selection strategy, wherein the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway to perform network element selection.

[0109] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network element discovery request may include a target identifier, which is used to represent the entrustment of the relay gateway to select the network element. After receiving feedback information for the network element discovery request, it can be identified whether the network element discovery request includes the target identifier. When it is identified that the network element discovery request includes the target identifier, it can be determined that the NFc device entrusts the relay gateway to select the network element. Therefore, the candidate NF devices in the feedback information can be selected according to the network element selection strategy to obtain the target NF device, and the selection result including the NF configuration file of the target NF device is fed back to the target device deployed in the second network area.

[0110] In an exemplary embodiment, after the NRFp device receives a network element discovery request, if the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, the feedback information sent to the relay gateway also carries the target identifier. After receiving the feedback information, if the relay gateway recognizes that the feedback information carries the target identifier, it determines that the NFc device has delegated network element selection to the relay gateway. Therefore, it can select candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to the network element selection policy to obtain a target NF device, and then feedback the selection result, including the NF configuration file of the target NF device, to the target device deployed in the second network area.

[0111] The cross-domain network element discovery and selection method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure greatly enhances the privacy of network information, avoids cross-domain exposure of service provider network element information, broadens the scope of use of the local network network element selection policy, and increases the flexibility of local network operation, in accordance with the latest requirements of 3GPP and GSMA.

[0112] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, after receiving the network element discovery request sent by the NFc device, the relay gateway will forward the network element discovery request to the NRFp device, and the NRFp device will send feedback information for the network element discovery request to the relay gateway based on the network element discovery request.

[0113] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes:

[0114] Receive a network element discovery request sent by a target device, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier.

[0115] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the target device may include a relay gateway or NRFc deployed in the second network area. The embodiment of the present disclosure is described below using the target device being NRFc as an example. As shown in FIG3 , the NFc deployed in the second network area may send a network element discovery request to the NRFc. The network element discovery request may include a target identifier, which is used to represent the entrustment of the cross-domain relay gateway to perform network element discovery and selection. After receiving the network element discovery request, the NRFc determines to perform cross-domain network element discovery in the first network area based on the network element discovery request, so it may send the network element discovery request to the relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

[0116] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes:

[0117] Forwarding the network element discovery request to an NRF device deployed in the first network area;

[0118] Receive feedback information sent by the NRF device in response to the network element discovery request, which includes candidate NF devices and NF configuration files of each candidate NF device.

[0119] As shown in Figure 3, after receiving the network element discovery request sent by NRFc, the relay gateway can forward the network element discovery request to the NRF device deployed in the first network area (NRFp in Figure 1, hereinafter referred to as NRFp). After receiving the network element discovery request, NRFp will determine the candidate NF devices that meet the network element discovery request and feedback information including the candidate NF devices and the NF configuration files of each candidate NF device to the relay gateway.

[0120] After receiving the feedback information sent by NRFp, the relay gateway parses the network element discovery request. If the network element discovery request includes target identification, it is determined that NFc has entrusted the relay gateway to select the network element. Therefore, the candidate NF devices in the feedback information can be selected according to the network element selection policy (network element selection policy of the local network) to obtain the target NF device, and the selection result including the NF configuration file of the target NF device is sent to NRFc, so that when performing cross-domain network element discovery and selection, the cross-domain relay gateway performs network element discovery and selection to ensure information security during cross-domain network element discovery and selection.

[0121] The above-described cross-domain network element discovery and selection method deploys a relay gateway within a first network area. The relay gateway receives feedback information regarding network element discovery requests from NRF devices deployed within the first network area, selects candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to a network element selection policy, obtains a target NF device, and then feeds back the selection result, including the NF configuration file of the target NF device, to the target device deployed within a second network area. Because the cross-domain network element discovery and request process is performed by the relay gateway on the network service provider side according to the network element selection policy, network information privacy is greatly enhanced, preventing cross-domain exposure of service provider network element information. This also broadens the scope of application of local network policies and increases the flexibility of local network operations, meeting the latest requirements of 3GPP and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).

[0122] In an exemplary embodiment, the network element selection policy includes at least one of a network element selection policy preset locally in the relay gateway, a network element selection policy issued by an NRF device deployed in the first network area, and a network element selection policy issued by an NRF device deployed in the second network area.

[0123] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the network element selection policy may be a policy for indicating a condition for selecting a target NF device, that is, may include the condition for selecting a target NF device.

[0124] In an exemplary embodiment, the step of selecting candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to the network element selection policy to obtain a target NF device includes:

[0125] Obtain selection index data of each candidate NF device in the feedback information;

[0126] The target NF device is determined from the candidate NF devices based on the selection index data of each candidate NF device.

[0127] In the disclosed embodiments, the relay gateway can obtain each candidate NF device from feedback information and obtain selection index data for each candidate NF device. The selection index data may be information that influences NF device selection. For example, the selection index data for the candidate NF device can be obtained locally, by monitoring the candidate NF device, or by interacting with the candidate NF device.

[0128] In an exemplary embodiment, the selection index data includes at least one of the following: load data of the candidate NF device, capability of the candidate NF device, and topology information of the candidate NF device.

[0129] The relay gateway can select network elements based on load, capability, topology, and other dimensions. For example, if the network element selection policy includes selecting based on load information, the network element selection can be performed based on the preset load indicated by the network element selection policy. For example, a candidate NF device with a lower load can be selected as the target NF device to avoid exposing local NF devices with higher loads, thereby reducing the risk of attacks on the higher-loaded NF devices. Alternatively, if the network element selection policy includes selecting based on NF device capabilities, the network element selection can be performed based on the capabilities indicated by the network element selection policy. For example, filtering can be performed based on the capabilities to be avoided as indicated by the network element selection policy to hide the capabilities of local NF devices, thereby reducing the risk of attacks on NF devices if their capabilities are exposed. Alternatively, if the network element selection policy includes selecting based on the topology information of candidate NF devices, the network element selection can be performed based on topological rules indicated by the network element selection policy. For example, filtering can be performed based on the number of topological nodes indicated by the network element selection policy to hide NF devices with complex network topologies and long links, thereby preventing such NF devices from being exposed and potentially impacting the local network.

[0130] The cross-domain network element discovery and selection method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure greatly enhances the privacy of network information, avoids cross-domain exposure of service provider network element information, broadens the scope of use of the local network network element selection policy, and increases the flexibility of local network operation, in accordance with the latest requirements of 3GPP and GSMA.

[0131] In some embodiments, the relay gateway in the first network area may have cached multiple candidate NF devices. These candidate NF devices can be actively reported in real time by the NRFp device. This application does not limit the source of the cached candidate NF devices. In the case of caching, it is not necessary to forward the network element discovery request to the NRFp device, but to directly select the candidate NF device according to the network element selection policy. Only when there is no cache, the steps in the aforementioned embodiments are executed. Therefore, in some embodiments, forwarding the network element discovery request to the NRF device deployed in the first network area also includes:

[0132] Determine whether a candidate NF device is cached;

[0133] When the candidate NF device is not cached, the network element discovery request is forwarded to an NRF device deployed in the first network area.

[0134] In an exemplary embodiment, when the first network area is a PLMN network, the second network area is an NPN network or a PLMN network; or, when the first network area is an NPN network, the second network area is a PLMN network.

[0135] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 4a and 4b, cross-domain from PLMN to NPN can be achieved, or as shown in Figures 5a and 5b, cross-domain from PLMN to PLMN can be achieved, or as shown in Figures 6a and 6b, cross-domain from NPN to PLMN can be achieved.

[0136] The cross-domain network element discovery and selection method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure addresses the new requirement of 3GPP to avoid cross-domain exposure of network information during cross-domain network element discovery. It proposes a method in which the required network element entrusts the cross-domain service relay gateway to perform cross-domain network element discovery and selection. This avoids cross-domain exposure of the service provider's network element information and enables the service provider's network to implement its own network element selection strategy, greatly enhancing the privacy of network information, broadening the scope of use of local network strategies, and increasing the flexibility of local network operations, meeting the latest requirements of 3GPP and GSMA.

[0137] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG7 , a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method is provided. The method is described by taking the application of the method to the NRF device in the second network area in FIG1 as an example, including the following steps:

[0138] In step 702, a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area is received. The network element discovery request includes a target identifier, which is used to indicate that the relay gateway is entrusted to select a network element.

[0139] In step 704, a first network area is determined according to the network element discovery request;

[0140] In step 706, the network element discovery request is forwarded to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

[0141] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an NF device (NFc in FIG. 1 , hereinafter referred to as NFc) deployed in a second network area sends a network element discovery request to an NRF device (NRFc in FIG. 1 , hereinafter referred to as NRFc) deployed in the second network area. The network element discovery request may carry a target identifier. After receiving the network element discovery request sent by the NFc, when the network element discovery request requires cross-domain network element discovery, the NRFc may determine the first network area based on the network element discovery request, and forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area, so that after receiving the network element discovery request, the relay gateway may forward the network element discovery request to the NRF device (NRFp in FIG. 1 , hereinafter referred to as NRFp) deployed in the first network area. The NRFp determines, based on the network element discovery request, candidate NF devices that meet the network element discovery conditions and are deployed in the first network area, and feeds back a list of candidate NF devices and an NF configuration file of the candidate NF devices to the relay gateway. The relay gateway recognizes that the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and selects the candidate NF devices according to the network element selection policy to obtain the target NF device. The specific process will not be described in detail in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and specific reference may be made to the relevant descriptions of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0142] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes:

[0143] receiving a selection result sent by the relay gateway, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, where the target NF device is deployed in the first network area;

[0144] Forward the selection result to the NF device.

[0145] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, after selecting a network element, the relay gateway can feed back the NF configuration file of the selected target NF device to NRFc, which then forwards it to NFc to complete cross-domain network element discovery and selection of NFc.

[0146] In the above-mentioned cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, the network element discovery request sent by the NF device deployed in the second network area includes a target identifier. Since the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway for network element selection, the target identifier can enable the relay gateway deployed in the first network area to select the candidate NF device according to the network element selection strategy after receiving the feedback information for the network element discovery request sent by the NRF device deployed in the first network area. Since the NF device in the second network area entrusts the relay gateway in the first network area to perform cross-domain network element discovery and selection, and since the relay gateway can implement the network element selection strategy of the local network to select the network element, the privacy of the network information is greatly enhanced, and the cross-domain exposure of the service provider's network element information can be avoided. It also broadens the scope of use of the local network's network element selection strategy, increases the flexibility of local network operations, and meets the latest requirements of 3GPP and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association GSMA.

[0147] In one embodiment, a cross-domain network element discovery and selection method is provided. The method is described by taking the application of the method to the NF device in the second network area in FIG1 as an example, including the following steps:

[0148] A network element discovery request is sent to an NRF device deployed in the second network area, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, where the target identifier is used to represent the entrustment of a relay gateway to perform network element selection, wherein the relay gateway is deployed in the first network area.

[0149] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an NF device (NFc in FIG. 1 , hereinafter referred to as NFc) deployed in a second network area sends a network element discovery request to an NRF device (NRFc in FIG. 1 , hereinafter referred to as NRFc) deployed in the second network area. The network element discovery request may carry a target identifier. After receiving the network element discovery request sent by the NFc, when the network element discovery request requires cross-domain network element discovery, the NRFc may determine the first network area based on the network element discovery request, and forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area, so that after receiving the network element discovery request, the relay gateway may forward the network element discovery request to the NRF device (NRFp in FIG. 1 , hereinafter referred to as NRFp) deployed in the first network area. The NRFp determines, based on the network element discovery request, candidate NF devices that meet the network element discovery conditions and are deployed in the first network area, and feeds back a list of candidate NF devices and an NF configuration file of the candidate NF devices to the relay gateway. The relay gateway recognizes that the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and selects the candidate NF devices according to the network element selection policy to obtain the target NF device.

[0150] After selecting the network element, the relay gateway can feed back the NF configuration file of the selected target NF device to NRFc. The specific process will not be described in detail in the embodiment of this disclosure, and the specific description of the above embodiment can be referred to.

[0151] In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes:

[0152] A selection result sent by the NRF device is received, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, where the target NF device is deployed in the first network area.

[0153] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, after receiving the selection result of the NF configuration file including the target NF device fed back by the relay gateway, the NRFc may send the selection result to the NFc deployed in the second network area.

[0154] In the above-mentioned cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, the network element discovery request sent by the NF device deployed in the second network area includes a target identifier. Since the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway for network element selection, the target identifier can enable the relay gateway deployed in the first network area to select the candidate NF device according to the network element selection strategy after receiving the feedback information for the network element discovery request sent by the NRF device deployed in the first network area. Since the NF device in the second network area entrusts the relay gateway in the first network area to perform cross-domain network element discovery and selection, and since the relay gateway can implement the network element selection strategy of the local network to select the network element, the privacy of the network information is greatly enhanced, and the cross-domain exposure of the service provider's network element information can be avoided. It also broadens the scope of use of the local network's network element selection strategy, increases the flexibility of local network operations, and meets the latest requirements of 3GPP and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association GSMA.

[0155] In other embodiments, when the target device is a relay gateway deployed in the second network area, the relay gateway in the second network area receives the network element discovery request sent by the NFc device and sends it to the relay gateway in the first network area. The relay gateway then receives the selection result sent by the relay gateway in the first network area and sends the selection result to the NFc. The specific process is similar to that described in the previous embodiment and will not be repeated here.

[0156] In one embodiment, a cross-domain network element discovery and selection system is provided, the system including a first network area and a second network area, wherein a NF device (NFc in FIG1 , hereinafter referred to as NFc) and a first NRF device (NRFc in FIG1 , hereinafter referred to as NRFc) are deployed in the second network area, and a relay gateway and a second NRF device (NRFp in FIG1 , hereinafter referred to as NRFp) are deployed in the first network area, wherein:

[0157] The NF device sends a network element discovery request to the first NRF device, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier; the first NRF device receives the network element discovery request sent by the NF device, determines the first network area according to the network element discovery request, and forwards the network element discovery request to the relay gateway;

[0158] The relay gateway receives the network element discovery request sent by the first NRF device and forwards the network element discovery request to the second NRF device; the second NRF device receives the network element discovery request sent by the relay gateway, determines the candidate NF device according to the network element discovery request, and sends feedback information to the relay gateway, wherein the feedback information includes the candidate NF device and the NF configuration file of each candidate NF device;

[0159] The relay gateway receives the feedback information sent by the second NRF device. If it detects that the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, it selects the candidate NF devices according to the network element selection policy to obtain the target NF device, and feeds back the selection result to the first NRF device, including the NF configuration file of the target NF device.

[0160] The first NRF device receives the selection result sent by the relay gateway and forwards the selection result to the NF device; the NF device receives the selection result sent by the first NRF device.

[0161] The cross-domain network element discovery and selection system provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the operations performed by each device may refer to the relevant descriptions of the aforementioned embodiments, and will not be repeated here in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0162] In the cross-domain network element discovery and selection system provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the NF device in the second network area entrusts the relay gateway in the first network area to perform cross-domain network element discovery and selection, and since the relay gateway can implement the network element selection policy of the local network to select the network element, the privacy of the network information is greatly enhanced, the cross-domain exposure of the service provider's network element information can be avoided, the scope of use of the network element selection policy of the local network is broadened, and the flexibility of local network operation is increased, which meets the latest requirements of 3GPP and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association GSMA.

[0163] It should be understood that, although the various steps in the flowcharts of Figures 2-7 are shown in sequence as indicated by the arrows, these steps are not necessarily performed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise specified herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and these steps can be performed in other orders. Moreover, at least a portion of the steps in Figures 2-7 may include multiple steps or multiple stages, and these steps or stages are not necessarily performed at the same time, but can be performed at different times. The execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily to be performed in sequence, but can be performed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a portion of steps or stages in other steps.

[0164] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG8 , a cross-domain network element discovery and selection apparatus 800 is provided, which is applied to a relay gateway deployed in a first network area. The apparatus 800 includes: a first receiving module 802 , a selecting module 804 , and a first sending module 806 , wherein:

[0165] A first receiving module 802 is configured to receive feedback information regarding a network element discovery request;

[0166] A selection module 804 is configured to select candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to a network element selection strategy to obtain a target NF device;

[0167] The first sending module 806 is configured to feed back a selection result to the target device, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in the second network area.

[0168] The cross-domain network element discovery and selection apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure greatly enhances the privacy of network information, avoids cross-domain exposure of service provider network element information, broadens the scope of use of the local network network element selection policy, increases the flexibility of local network operation, and complies with the latest requirements of 3GPP and GSMA.

[0169] In an exemplary embodiment, the selection module 804 is further configured to:

[0170] If it is detected that the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, the candidate NF device in the feedback information is selected according to the network element selection strategy, wherein the target identifier is used to represent entrusting the relay gateway to perform network element selection.

[0171] In an exemplary embodiment, the network element selection policy includes at least one of a network element selection policy preset locally in the relay gateway, a network element selection policy issued by an NRF device deployed in the first network area, and a network element selection policy issued by an NRF device deployed in the second network area.

[0172] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus may further include:

[0173] The second receiving module is configured to receive the network element discovery request sent by the target device, where the network element discovery request includes the target identifier.

[0174] In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus may further include:

[0175] A second sending module is configured to forward the network element discovery request to an NRF device deployed in the first network area;

[0176] The first receiving module receives feedback information sent by the NRF device in response to the network element discovery request, where the feedback information includes candidate NF devices and NF configuration files of each candidate NF device.

[0177] In an exemplary embodiment, the first receiving module is further configured to:

[0178] Acquire selection index data of each candidate NF device in the feedback information;

[0179] A target NF device is determined from the candidate NF devices according to the selection index data of each candidate NF device.

[0180] In an exemplary embodiment, the selection index data includes at least one of the following: load data of the candidate NF device, capability of the candidate NF device, and topology information of the candidate NF device.

[0181] In an exemplary embodiment, the target device is an NRF device or a relay gateway.

[0182] In an exemplary embodiment, when the first network area is a PLMN network, the second network area is an NPN network or a PLMN network; or, when the first network area is an NPN network, the second network area is a PLMN network.

[0183] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG9 , a cross-domain network element discovery and selection apparatus 900 is provided, which is applied to an NRF device deployed in a second network area. The apparatus 900 includes: a third receiving module 902 , a determining module 904 and a third sending module 906 .

[0184] The third receiving module 902 is configured to receive a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area, wherein the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to indicate that the relay gateway is entrusted to select a network element;

[0185] A determination module 904 is configured to determine a first network area according to the network element discovery request;

[0186] The third sending module 906 is configured to forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

[0187] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises:

[0188] a fourth receiving module, configured to receive a selection result sent by the relay gateway, wherein the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, and the target NF device is deployed in the first network area;

[0189] The fourth sending module is configured to forward the selection result to the NF device.

[0190] The cross-domain network element discovery and selection apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure greatly enhances the privacy of network information, avoids cross-domain exposure of service provider network element information, broadens the scope of use of the local network network element selection policy, increases the flexibility of local network operation, and complies with the latest requirements of 3GPP and GSMA.

[0191] In one embodiment, a cross-domain network element discovery and selection apparatus is provided, which is applied to a NF device deployed in a second network area, including:

[0192] The fifth sending module is used to send a network element discovery request to the NRF device deployed in the second network area, wherein the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to characterize the entrusted relay gateway for network element selection, wherein the relay gateway is located in the first network area.

[0193] In one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises:

[0194] A fifth receiving module is configured to receive a selection result sent by an NRF device in the second network area, where the selection result includes an NF configuration file of a target NF device, and the target NF device is deployed in the first network area.

[0195] The cross-domain network element discovery and selection apparatus provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure greatly enhances the privacy of network information, avoids cross-domain exposure of service provider network element information, broadens the scope of use of the local network network element selection policy, increases the flexibility of local network operation, and complies with the latest requirements of 3GPP and GSMA.

[0196] For the specific limitations of the cross-domain network element discovery and selection device, please refer to the limitations of the cross-domain network element discovery and selection method above, which will not be repeated here. Each module in the above-mentioned cross-domain network element discovery and selection device can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware and a combination thereof. The above-mentioned modules can be embedded in or independent of the processor in the computer device in the form of hardware, or can be stored in the memory of the computer device in the form of software, so that the processor can call and execute the operations corresponding to the above modules.

[0197] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a core network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The core network device is deployed in a first network area. The core network device may include a receiver 1001, a memory 1002, a processor 1003, at least one communication bus 1004, and a transmitter 1005. The communication bus 1004 is used to implement communication connections between components. The memory 1002 may include high-speed RAM memory or non-volatile storage (NVM), such as at least one disk storage device. The memory 1002 may store various programs for performing various processing functions and implementing the method steps of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the transmitter 1005 may be a radio frequency processing module or a baseband processing module in the core network device, and the receiver 1001 may also be a radio frequency processing module or a baseband processing module in the core network device. The transmitter 1005 and receiver 1001 may be integrated together to form a transceiver. Both the transmitter 1005 and receiver 1001 may be coupled to the processor 1003 and may perform receiving or transmitting operations under the instruction or control of the processor 1003.

[0198] In this embodiment, the receiver 1001 is configured to receive feedback information regarding a network element discovery request;

[0199] Processor 1003 is configured to select a candidate NF device in the feedback information according to a network element selection policy to obtain a target NF device;

[0200] The transmitter 1005 is configured to feed back a selection result to the target device, where the selection result includes an NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in the second network area.

[0201] In one embodiment, the processor 1003 is further configured to select the candidate NF device in the feedback information according to a network element selection strategy if it is detected that the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, wherein the target identifier is used to represent entrusting the relay gateway to perform network element selection.

[0202] In one embodiment, the receiver 1001 is configured to receive the network element discovery request sent by the target device, where the network element discovery request includes the target identifier.

[0203] In one embodiment, the transmitter 1005 is further configured to forward the network element discovery request to an NRF device deployed in the first network area;

[0204] The receiver 1001 is further configured to receive feedback information regarding the network element discovery request sent by the NRF device in the first network area, where the feedback information includes candidate NF devices and NF configuration files of each candidate NF device.

[0205] In one embodiment, the processor 1003 is specifically configured to obtain selection indicator data of each candidate NF device in the feedback information;

[0206] A target NF device is determined from the candidate NF devices according to the selection index data of each candidate NF device.

[0207] In one embodiment, the selection index data includes at least one of the following: load data of the candidate NF device, capability of the candidate NF device, and topology information of the candidate NF device.

[0208] In one embodiment, the target device is an NRF device or a relay gateway.

[0209] In one embodiment, when the first network area is a PLMN network, the second network area is an NPN network or a PLMN network; or, when the first network area is an NPN network, the second network area is a PLMN network.

[0210] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a core network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The core network device is located in the second network area and may include a receiver 1101, a memory 1102, a processor 1103, at least one communication bus 1104, and a transmitter 1105. The communication bus 1104 is used to implement communication connections between components. The memory 1102 may include high-speed RAM memory or non-volatile storage NVM, such as at least one disk storage. The memory 1102 may store various programs for performing various processing functions and implementing the method steps of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the transmitter 1105 may be a radio frequency processing module or a baseband processing module in the core network device, and the receiver 1101 may also be a radio frequency processing module or a baseband processing module in the core network device. The transmitter 1105 and receiver 1101 may be integrated together to form a transceiver. Both the transmitter 1105 and receiver 1101 may be coupled to the processor 1103 and may perform receiving or transmitting operations under the instruction or control of the processor 1103.

[0211] In this embodiment, the receiver 1101 is configured to receive a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to indicate that the relay gateway is being delegated to perform network element selection.

[0212] The processor 1103 is configured to determine a first network area according to the network element discovery request;

[0213] The transmitter 1105 is configured to forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

[0214] In one embodiment, the receiver 1101 is further configured to receive a selection result sent by the relay gateway, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, and the target NF device is deployed in the first network area;

[0215] The transmitter 1105 is further configured to forward the selection result to the NF device.

[0216] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a core network device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The core network device is deployed in a second network area and may include a receiver 1201, a memory 1202, a processor 1203, at least one communication bus 1204, and a transmitter 1205. The communication bus 1204 is used to implement communication connections between components. The memory 122 may include high-speed RAM memory or non-volatile storage NVM, such as at least one disk storage. The memory 1202 may store various programs for performing various processing functions and implementing the method steps of this embodiment. In this embodiment, the transmitter 1205 may be a radio frequency processing module or baseband processing module in the core network device, and the receiver 1201 may also be a radio frequency processing module or baseband processing module in the core network device. The transmitter 1205 and receiver 1201 may be integrated together to form a transceiver. Both the transmitter 1205 and receiver 1201 may be coupled to the processor 1203 and may perform receiving or transmitting operations under the instruction or control of the processor 1203.

[0217] In this embodiment, the transmitter 1205 is used to send a network element discovery request to the NRF device deployed in the second network area, and the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway for network element selection, wherein the relay gateway is located in the first network area.

[0218] In one embodiment, the receiver 1201 is configured to receive a selection result sent by the NRF device, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, and the target NF device is deployed in the first network area.

[0219] In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which is applied to a relay gateway deployed in a first network area and stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are implemented:

[0220] Receive feedback information for network element discovery requests;

[0221] Selecting the candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to the network element selection strategy to obtain the target NF device;

[0222] Feedback a selection result to the target device, wherein the selection result includes a NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in the second network area.

[0223] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0224] If it is detected that the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, the candidate NF device in the feedback information is selected according to the network element selection strategy, wherein the target identifier is used to represent entrusting the relay gateway to perform network element selection.

[0225] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0226] The network element discovery request sent by the target device is received, where the network element discovery request includes the target identifier.

[0227] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0228] Forwarding the network element discovery request to an NRF device deployed in the first network area;

[0229] Receive feedback information sent by the NRF device in response to the network element discovery request, where the feedback information includes candidate NF devices and NF configuration files of each candidate NF device.

[0230] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0231] Acquire selection index data of each candidate NF device in the feedback information;

[0232] A target NF device is determined from the candidate NF devices according to the selection index data of each candidate NF device.

[0233] In one embodiment, the selection index data includes at least one of the following: load data of the candidate NF device, capability of the candidate NF device, and topology information of the candidate NF device.

[0234] In one embodiment, the target device is an NRF device or a relay gateway.

[0235] In one embodiment, when the first network area is a PLMN network, the second network area is an NPN network or a PLMN network; or, when the first network area is an NPN network, the second network area is a PLMN network.

[0236] In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which is applied to an NRF device deployed in a second network area, and stores a computer program thereon. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are implemented:

[0237] receiving a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, where the target identifier is used to indicate that a relay gateway is entrusted to select a network element;

[0238] determining a first network area according to the network element discovery request;

[0239] Forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

[0240] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0241] receiving a selection result sent by the relay gateway, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, where the target NF device is deployed in the first network area;

[0242] Forward the selection result to the NF device.

[0243] In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which is applied to a NF device deployed in a second network area and stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are implemented:

[0244] A network element discovery request is sent to an NRF device deployed in the second network area, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, where the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway for network element selection, wherein the relay gateway is located in the first network area.

[0245] In one embodiment, when the computer program is executed by a processor, the following steps are further implemented:

[0246] A selection result sent by the NRF device is received, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, where the target NF device is deployed in the first network area.

[0247] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer deployed in a first network area, causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0248] Receive feedback information for network element discovery requests;

[0249] Selecting the candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to the network element selection strategy to obtain the target NF device;

[0250] Feedback a selection result to the target device, wherein the selection result includes a NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in the second network area.

[0251] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer deployed in the second network area, causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0252] receiving a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, where the target identifier is used to indicate that a relay gateway is entrusted to select a network element;

[0253] determining a first network area according to the network element discovery request;

[0254] Forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

[0255] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed on a computer deployed in the second network area, causes the computer to perform the following steps:

[0256] A network element discovery request is sent to an NRF device deployed in the second network area, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, where the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway for network element selection.

[0257] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be implemented by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application may include at least one of non-volatile and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory or optical memory, etc. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM).

[0258] The above-mentioned cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, apparatus, core network device, storage medium, and computer program product employ a relay gateway disposed within a first network area. The relay gateway receives feedback information regarding network element discovery requests sent by NRF devices deployed within the first network area, selects candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to a network element selection policy, obtains a target NF device, and feeds back a selection result, including the NF configuration file of the target NF device, to the target device deployed within a second network area. Because the cross-domain network element discovery and request process is performed by the relay gateway on the network service provider side according to the network element selection policy, the privacy of network information is greatly enhanced, the cross-domain exposure of service provider network element information can be avoided, the scope of application of local network policies is broadened, and the flexibility of local network operations is increased, meeting the latest requirements of 3GPP and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).

[0259] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0260] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation methods of the present application. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art could make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present patent application shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, applied to a relay gateway deployed in a first network area, comprising: Receiving feedback information for a network element discovery request; Selecting the candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to the network element selection strategy to obtain the target NF device; Feedback a selection result to the target device, wherein the selection result includes a NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in the second network area.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The selecting the candidate NF device in the feedback information according to the network element selection strategy includes: If it is detected that the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, the candidate NF device in the feedback information is selected according to a network element selection strategy, wherein the target identifier is used to represent entrusting the relay gateway to perform network element selection.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The feedback information further includes the target identifier, and the selecting the candidate NF device in the feedback information according to the network element selection strategy includes: If it is identified that the feedback information includes the target identifier, the candidate NF device in the feedback information is selected according to the network element selection strategy, wherein the target identifier is used to represent entrusting the relay gateway to perform network element selection.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The network element selection strategy includes at least one of a network element selection strategy preset locally in the relay gateway, a network element selection strategy issued by an NRF device deployed in the first network area, and a network element selection strategy issued by an NRF device deployed in the second network area.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The method further comprises: The network element discovery request sent by the target device is received, where the network element discovery request includes the target identifier.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The method further comprises: Forwarding the network element discovery request to an NRF device deployed in the first network area; Receive the feedback information sent by the NRF device for the network element discovery request, where the feedback information includes the candidate NF devices and NF configuration files of each of the candidate NF devices.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The step of selecting the candidate NF device in the feedback information according to the network element selection strategy to obtain the target NF device includes: Acquire selection index data of each candidate NF device in the feedback information; According to the selection index data of each of the candidate NF devices, a target NF device is determined from each of the candidate NF devices.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The selection index data includes at least one of the following: load data of the candidate NF device, capability of the candidate NF device, and topology information of the candidate NF device.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Forwarding the network element discovery request to the NRF device deployed in the first network area also includes: Determine whether there is a candidate NF device cached; When it is determined that the candidate NF device is not cached, the network element discovery request is forwarded to an NRF device deployed in the first network area.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein: The target device is an NRF device or a relay gateway.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein: When the first network area is a PLMN network, the second network area is an NPN network or a PLMN network; or, when the first network area is an NPN network, the second network area is a PLMN network.

12. A cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, applied to an NRF device deployed in a second network area, comprising: receiving a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area, wherein the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to represent the entrusting relay gateway to select a network element; determining a first network area according to the network element discovery request; Forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The method further comprises: receiving a selection result sent by the relay gateway, wherein the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, and the target NF device is deployed in the first network area; The selection result is forwarded to the NF device.

14. A cross-domain network element discovery and selection method, applied to a NF device deployed in a second network area, comprising: A network element discovery request is sent to an NRF device deployed in the second network area, wherein the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to characterize the entrustment of a relay gateway to perform network element selection, wherein the relay gateway is located in the first network area.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The method further comprises: A selection result sent by the NRF device is received, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of a target NF device, and the target NF device is deployed in the first network area.

16. A cross-domain network element discovery and selection system, the system comprising a first network area and a second network area, wherein a NF device and a first NRF device are deployed in the second network area, and a relay gateway and a second NRF device are deployed in the first network area, wherein: The NF device sends a network element discovery request to the first NRF device, where the network element discovery request includes a target identifier; The first NRF device receives the network element discovery request sent by the NF device, determines the first network area according to the network element discovery request, and forwards the network element discovery request to the relay gateway; The relay gateway receives the network element discovery request sent by the first NRF device, and forwards the network element discovery request to the second NRF device; The second NRF device receives the network element discovery request sent by the relay gateway, determines the candidate NF device according to the network element discovery request, and sends feedback information to the relay gateway, wherein the feedback information includes the candidate NF device and the NF configuration file of each of the candidate NF devices; The relay gateway receives the feedback information sent by the second NRF device, selects the candidate NF device according to the network element selection strategy, obtains the target NF device, and feeds back the selection result to the first NRF device, wherein the selection result includes the NF configuration file of the target NF device; The first NRF device receives the selection result sent by the relay gateway, and forwards the selection result to the NF device; The NF device receives the selection result sent by the first NRF device.

17. A cross-domain network element discovery and selection device, applied to a relay gateway deployed in a first network area, the device comprising: A first receiving module, configured to receive feedback information for a network element discovery request; A selection module, configured to select the candidate NF devices in the feedback information according to the network element selection strategy to obtain a target NF device; The first sending module is used to feed back a selection result to the target device, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in a second network area.

18. A cross-domain network element discovery and selection device, applied to an NRF device deployed in a second network area, the device comprising: A second receiving module is used to receive a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area, wherein the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to represent the entrustment of the relay gateway to select the network element; A determination module, configured to determine a first network area according to the network element discovery request; The second sending module is used to forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

19. A cross-domain network element discovery and selection device, applied to a NF device deployed in a second network area, comprising: The third sending module is used to send a network element discovery request to the NRF device deployed in the second network area, wherein the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway for network element selection, wherein the relay gateway is located in the first network area.

20. A core network device, deployed in a first network area, comprising a processor, a receiver and a transmitter; The receiver is used to receive feedback information for the network element discovery request; The processor is configured to select the candidate NF device in the feedback information according to the network element selection strategy to obtain the target NF device; The transmitter is used to feed back a selection result to the target device, where the selection result includes a NF configuration file of the target NF device, and the target device is deployed in the second network area.

21. A core network device, deployed in a second network area, comprising a transmitter, a processor and a receiver; The receiver is used to receive a network element discovery request sent by a NF device deployed in the second network area, wherein the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to represent the entrustment of the relay gateway to select a network element; The processor is configured to determine a first network area according to the network element discovery request; The transmitter is used to forward the network element discovery request to a relay gateway deployed in the first network area.

22. A core network device, deployed in a second network area, comprising a transmitter; The transmitter is used to send a network element discovery request to an NRF device deployed in the second network area, wherein the network element discovery request includes a target identifier, and the target identifier is used to represent the entrusted relay gateway to perform network element selection, wherein, The relay network is located in a first network area.

23. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 are implemented.

24. A computer program product comprising a computer program, wherein: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 15 are implemented.

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