Communication method and functional entity

Abstract

A communication method and a functional entity, which can be applied to the technical field of communications. The communication method may comprise: a second functional entity sending request information to a first functional entity, and the first functional entity receiving the request information, wherein the request information can be used for requesting the verification of whether the requirement (e.g., a slice configuration) of a logic network to be created can be met; and in response to determining that the requirement (e.g., the slice configuration) cannot be met, the first functional entity sending to the second functional entity response information which comprises first time information, and the second functional entity receiving the response information, wherein the first time information is used for indicating that the requirement can be met within a first time period in future. The method provided in the embodiments of the present application can effectively increase the success rate of creating a logic network.

Description

Communication methods and functional entities

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application with application number 202311438919.4 filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on October 31, 2023, and priority to the Chinese patent application with the invention name “Communication Method and Functional Entity”, all contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and functional entity. Background Art

[0003] Network slicing is the virtualization of multiple end-to-end logical networks based on a physical network. Each logical network has different network characteristics and different network functions to adapt to different types of service requirements. Different end-to-end network slices can achieve end-to-end isolation without affecting each other.

[0004] In the current method of creating network slices, after receiving a feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request, the element management system (EMS) can perform slice feasibility verification based on the network performance of the network domain managed by the EMS and the slice configuration in the aforementioned request. If the network performance of the network domain managed by the EMS cannot meet the slice configuration, the business operation chooses not to create the network slice, resulting in the failure of network slice creation.

[0005] Therefore, how to improve the success rate of creating logical networks (such as network slices or network slice subnets) needs to be solved urgently.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and functional entity that can effectively improve the success rate of creating a logical network. The logical network can be a network slice or a network slice subnet.

[0008] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a first functional entity. The first functional entity may be a network element management entity or a network management entity. The network element management entity may be used to execute functions or steps implemented by an EMS. The network management entity may be used to execute functions or steps implemented by a network management system (NMS). The method includes:

[0009] Receive a request message, the request message being used to request verification of whether requirements regarding a logical network to be created can be met; in response to determining that the requirements cannot be met, send a response message including first time information, the first time information being used to indicate that the requirements can be met in a first time period in the future.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present application, when the demand of the logical network to be created (such as slice configuration) cannot be met, the first functional entity sends a response message including the first time information, and the second functional entity can effectively know when the demand can be met after receiving the response message. Thus, the second functional entity can create a network slice (or network slice subnet) within the first time period, thereby improving the success rate of network slice (or network slice subnet) creation. Especially for scenarios with flexible time requirements and high network performance requirements, by sending the first time information, the second functional entity can create a logical network (such as a network slice or a network slice subnet) that meets high demands within the first time period indicated by the first time information, which not only effectively improves the success rate of logical network creation, but also effectively improves the service experience.

[0011] In a possible implementation, the request information further includes second time information, where the second time information is used to indicate a desired second time period.

[0012] In the embodiment of the present application, by adding the expected second time period in the request information, the first functional entity can effectively know when the time period expected by the second functional entity is, thereby improving the efficiency of information interaction.

[0013] In a possible implementation manner, the first time period is a subset of the second time period.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the response information further includes confidence information, where the confidence information is used to indicate a probability that the requirement is met within the first time period.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, the first functional entity includes confidence information in the response information, so that the second functional entity can select the first time period based on the confidence, thereby further improving the success rate of end-to-end network slice creation.

[0016] In a possible implementation manner, the request information further includes request indication information, and the request indication information is used to request that the first time information be included in the response information.

[0017] In this embodiment of the present application, by adding request indication information to the request information, the first functional entity can effectively obtain the predicted future time period that can meet requirements such as slice configuration. Therefore, for scenarios with flexible time requirements and high network performance requirements, the first functional entity can predict the future time period based on the request indication information, thereby increasing the success rate of logical network creation without compromising the network performance requirements of the logical network to be created.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the logical network is a network slice or a network slice subnet, the requirements of the network slice include the slice configuration of the network slice, and the requirements of the network slice subnet include the slice configuration of the network slice subnet.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present application, when the method shown in the first aspect or any possible implementation is applied to a network element management entity, the requirements may include the requirements of a network slice subnet. When the method shown in the first aspect or any possible implementation is applied to a network management entity, the requirements may include the requirements of a network slice.

[0020] In one possible implementation, before sending the response information including the first time information, the method also includes: determining the first time information through a network digital twin (NDT) model, the input of the NDT model including the network performance of the network domain managed by the first functional entity, the slice configuration in the demand, and the current time, and the output of the NDT model including the first time information.

[0021] In one possible implementation, after receiving the request information, the method further includes: determining the slice configuration of the network slice subnet corresponding to one or more network element management entities based on the slice configuration of the network slice in the requirement; and sending request information including the slice configuration of the network slice subnet to each of the one or more network element management entities.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the slice configuration of the network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: the maximum number of access devices of the network slice subnet to be created; the uplink delay of the network slice subnet to be created; the downlink delay of the network slice subnet to be created; the uplink rate of the network slice subnet to be created; and the downlink rate of the network slice subnet to be created.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the slice configuration of the network slice includes at least one of the following: the maximum number of access devices of the network slice to be created; the uplink delay of the network slice to be created; the downlink delay of the network slice to be created; the uplink rate of the network slice to be created; and the downlink rate of the network slice to be created.

[0024] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method, which can be applied to a second functional entity. The second functional entity may include a network management entity or a service operation entity. The network management entity may be used to perform functions or steps implemented by an NMS, and the service operation entity may be used to perform functions or steps implemented by a service operation server. The method includes:

[0025] Sending a request message, wherein the request message is used to request to check whether the requirements of the logical network to be created can be met; receiving a response message, wherein the response message includes first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate that the requirements can be met in a first time period in the future.

[0026] In a possible implementation, the request information further includes second time information, where the second time information is used to indicate a desired second time period.

[0027] In a possible implementation manner, the first time period is a subset of the second time period.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the response information further includes confidence information, where the confidence information is used to indicate a probability that the requirement is met within the first time period.

[0029] In a possible implementation manner, the request information further includes request indication information, and the request indication information is used to request that the first time information be included in the response information.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the logical network is a network slice or a network slice subnet, the requirements of the network slice include the slice configuration of the network slice, and the requirements of the network slice subnet include the slice configuration of the network slice subnet.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present application, when the method shown in the second aspect or any possible implementation is applied to a network management entity, the requirements may include the requirements of a network slice subnet; when the method shown in the second aspect or any possible implementation is applied to a business operation entity, the requirements may include the requirements of a network slice.

[0032] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: creating a network slice that meets the requirements within the first time period.

[0033] In one possible implementation, before sending the request information, the method also includes: receiving request information including slice configuration of a network slice from a business operation entity; and determining the slice configuration of the network slice subnet corresponding to one or more network element management entities based on the slice configuration of the network slice.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the slice configuration of the network slice includes at least one of the following: the maximum number of access devices of the network slice to be created; the uplink delay of the network slice to be created; the downlink delay of the network slice to be created; the uplink rate of the network slice to be created; and the downlink rate of the network slice to be created.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the slice configuration of the network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: the maximum number of access devices of the network slice subnet to be created; the uplink delay of the network slice subnet to be created; the downlink delay of the network slice subnet to be created; the uplink rate of the network slice subnet to be created; and the downlink rate of the network slice subnet to be created.

[0036] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a functional entity for executing the method in the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation. The functional entity includes a unit having the function of executing the method in the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation.

[0037] In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a functional entity comprising a processor configured to execute the method described in the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation. The processor is configured to execute a program stored in a memory, and when the program is executed, the method described in each aspect or any possible implementation is executed.

[0038] In a possible implementation, the memory is located outside the above functional entity.

[0039] In a possible implementation, the memory is located within the above functional entity.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, the processor and the memory may also be integrated into one device, that is, the processor and the memory may also be integrated together.

[0041] In a possible implementation, the functional entity further includes a transceiver, and the transceiver is used to receive information or send information.

[0042] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a functional entity, which includes a logic circuit and an interface, and the logic circuit and the interface are coupled; the interface is used to input and / or output information, and the logic circuit is used to execute the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect or any possible implementation method.

[0043] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, enables the method shown in the first aspect, the second aspect, or any possible implementation to be executed.

[0044] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program or computer code, and when the computer program product runs on a computer, the method shown in the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect or any possible implementation method is executed.

[0045] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program. When the computer program runs on a computer, the method shown in the above-mentioned first aspect, second aspect or any possible implementation is executed.

[0046] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication system, wherein the communication system includes a network element management entity and a network management entity, wherein the network element management entity is used to execute the method shown in the first aspect above, and the network management entity is used to execute the method shown in the second aspect above; or, the communication system includes a network management entity and a business operation entity, wherein the network management entity is used to execute the method shown in the first aspect above, and the business operation entity is used to execute the method shown in the second aspect above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a network slicing scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0049] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a method for verifying the feasibility of network slicing provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG4a is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG4 b is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0052] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0053] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a method for verifying the feasibility of network slicing provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a functional entity provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a functional entity provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a functional entity provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] To facilitate understanding of the technical solution of the present application, the present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used only to distinguish different objects and are not used to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units that are not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units that are inherent to the process, method, product, or device.

[0059] References to "embodiments" herein mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it refer to independent or alternative embodiments that are mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It will be understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0060] In this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "more than one" means two or more, "at least two (items)" means two or three and more than three, and "and / or" is used to describe the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time, where A and B can be singular or plural. "Or" means that two relationships can exist, such as only A exists, only B exists; when A and B are not mutually exclusive, it can also mean that three relationships exist, such as only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist at the same time. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items. For example, at least one of a, b or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c".

[0061] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and functional entity, which can effectively improve the success rate of creating a logical network.

[0062] In an embodiment of the present application, the logical network may be a network slice or a network slice subnet. The network slice may also be referred to as a slice.

[0063] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a network slicing scenario provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, slice types may include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) slices, enhanced machine-type communication (mMTC) slices, and ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (uRLCC) slices. As shown in Figure 1, services may include Internet access, cloud gaming, high-definition video, smart home, smart meter reading, autonomous driving, and telemedicine. Network slicing can be applied to various services, which are not listed here one by one. The various slice types, services, and tenants shown in Figure 1 are only examples and should not be understood as limiting the embodiments of the present application.

[0064] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the communication system may include a network management system (NMS) and an element management system (EMS). Exemplarily, the NMS may include one or more functional entities, and the EMS may include one or more functional entities. Exemplarily, the functions of the NMS may also be implemented by a functional entity or chip such as a network management entity, and the functions of the EMS may also be implemented by a functional entity or chip such as a network element management entity. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific product forms or names of the EMS and NMS. For ease of description, the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application are illustrated below using NMS and EMS as examples, but this should not be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0065] In an embodiment of the present application, the NMS can decompose the requirements of the network slice subnet (network slice subnet) corresponding to each domain based on the requirements of the network slice to be created. For example, the NMS can decompose the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created corresponding to the core network (CN) domain, and the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created corresponding to the radio access network (RAN) domain. The CN domain and RAN domain shown here are only examples. In a specific implementation, the NMS can also decompose a larger number of domains or a smaller number of domains, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0066] After decomposing the requirements of each domain, the NMS sends request information to each domain, such as the CN domain EMS and the RAN domain EMS. For more information on the specific functions of the NMS and EMS, please refer to Figures 3 to 6. The functions of the NMS and EMS shown in the embodiments of this application are only examples. In specific implementations, the NMS and EMS may have more functions, which are not shown one by one in this embodiment.

[0067] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a method for verifying the feasibility of a network slice provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG3 , the method includes:

[0068] 301. The business operation sends a feasibility check and resource reservation job creation request to the NMS. Correspondingly, the NMS receives the feasibility check and resource reservation job creation request.

[0069] Business operations can send feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation requests to the NMS when it is necessary to open (or create) a new end-to-end network slice. The feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation requests shown here are only examples. For example, business operations can send a feasibility verification request to the NMS. As to whether it includes a resource reservation work creation request, the embodiment of the present application does not limit it. For example, the request sent by the business operation to the NMS may include feasibility verification, and include a resource reservation work creation request or not include a resource reservation work creation request.

[0070] For ease of description, the following description uses feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation requests as examples. Exemplarily, the aforementioned request may include a slice profile. The slice profile may be used to indicate the network performance requirements required for a new end-to-end service, or the slice profile may be used to indicate the network performance requirements required for the network slice to be created. Exemplarily, the request may also include at least one of the following: resource reservation, requested reservation expiration. The resource reservation may be used to indicate whether resources are reserved for the network slice to be created. The requested reservation expiration may be used to indicate the expected reservation period (or expected shelf life) of the reserved resources when reserving resources.

[0071] Relative to business operations, NMS can be called a network slice (NS) management service (MnS) provider (NS MnS provider). Relative to NMS, business operations can be called network slice management service consumers (NS MnS consumers). The business operations shown in the embodiment of the present application can also be called business operations servers. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific form of business operations. For example, the function of business operations can be implemented by a functional entity or chip, such as a business operation entity.

[0072] 302a / 302b. The NMS sends a feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request to each EMS, and the EMS receives the request.

[0073] The NMS can decompose the slice configuration of each domain based on the slice configuration, and the slice configuration can be used to indicate the network performance requirements required by the network slice subnet corresponding to a single domain. After the NMS decomposes the slice configuration of each domain, the NMS can send a feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request to the EMS corresponding to each domain. Exemplarily, the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request sent by the NMS to the EMS includes the slice configuration of the network domain managed by the EMS. Exemplarily, the request may also include at least one of the following: resource reservation, requested reservation expiration. The feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request in the above step 301 will be different from the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request in steps 302a / 302b. The slice configuration included in the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request shown in steps 302a / 302b is the slice configuration of the network slice subnet corresponding to the network domain managed by a certain EMS, while the slice configuration included in the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request shown in step 301 is the slice configuration of the network slice.

[0074] Step 302a and step 302b show that the NMS sends feasibility verification and resource reservation work requests to two EMSs. In a specific implementation, the number of domains decomposed by the NMS may also be one, or greater than two, etc., which are not shown here one by one.

[0075] Compared to NMS, EMS can be called network slice subnet (NSS) management service provider (NSS MnS provider). Compared to EMS, NMS can be called network slice subnet management service consumer (MSS MnS consumer).

[0076] From the above-mentioned relationship between business operations and NMS, and the relationship between NMS and EMS, it can be seen that the object created by the business operation request is a network slice, the object created by the NMS request can be the network slice subnet corresponding to each domain, and the object created by the EMS is a network slice subnet. When the NMS decomposes at least two domains based on the slice configuration, the network slice may include at least two network slice subnets. When the NMS decomposes a domain based on the slice configuration, the object created by the EMS may also be a network slice (or a network slice subnet). Regardless of whether the object created by the EMS is a network slice or a network slice subnet, the method shown in the embodiment of the present application is applicable.

[0077] 303a / 303b. The EMS sends the feasibility and reservation results to the NMS, and correspondingly, the NMS receives the feasibility and reservation results.

[0078] After EMS receives the request, it can perform feasibility verification of a single domain slice. If the verification fails, the feasibility verification and reservation results may include recommended requirements, which can be used to indicate the slice configuration that the current network can meet (such as the slice configuration of the network slice subnet). The "current" shown in the embodiment of the present application can be a period of time after the EMS receives the request to perform feasibility verification, such as the period from the time the EMS receives the request to the time the EMS completes the feasibility verification.

[0079] Exemplarily, the feasibility and reservation results may include at least one of the following: feasibility result, infeasibility reason, resource reservation status, resource failure reason, reservation expiration, and recommended requirements. The feasibility result can be used to indicate the result of the feasibility verification, the infeasibility reason can be used to indicate the reason for the verification failure, the resource reservation status can be used to indicate whether resources are reserved for the network slice subnet to be created, the resource failure reason can be used to indicate the reason for not reserving resources, the reservation expiration can be used to indicate the period that the EMS can reserve when reserving resources, and the recommended requirements can be used to indicate the slice configuration that can be met by the current network.

[0080] 304.NMS reports feasibility and reservation results to business operations.

[0081] The feasibility and reservation results reported by the NMS to business operations include at least one of the following: feasibility result, feasibility reason, resource reservation status, resource failure reason, reservation expiration, and recommended requirements. For example, the NMS may report the recommended requirements returned by the EMS corresponding to each domain to business operations. For details on feasibility and reservation results, refer to steps 303a / 303b and are not repeated here.

[0082] In an embodiment of the present application, the feasibility and reservation results sent by the EMS are for the feasibility and reservation results of the network slice subnet, while the feasibility and reservation results sent by the NMS are for the feasibility and reservation results of the network slice. After the NMS receives the feasibility and reservation results of the network slice subnet returned by the EMS corresponding to each domain, it can summarize the feasibility and reservation results of the network slice subnet corresponding to each domain, and determine the feasibility and reservation results of the network slice. Exemplarily, the NMS analyzes the recommended requirements (recommended requirements) returned by the EMS corresponding to each domain. If it is found that the end-to-end slice configuration (such as the slice configuration of the network slice) cannot be met, the recommended requirements (recommended requirements) can be returned to the business operation based on the current network situation. The recommended requirements can be used to indicate that the current network cannot meet the slice configuration of the requested network slice, and recommend a slice configuration with slightly lower network performance that the current network can meet. After the business operation receives the slice configuration that the current network can meet, it finds that the slice configuration with slightly lower network performance cannot meet the high network performance requirements of the scenario. The business operation can determine not to create the network slice (or determine that the network slice creation failed).

[0083] In the embodiment of the present application, whether the EMS or NMS successfully reserves resources is not limited. For relevant instructions on resource reservation, please refer to relevant standards, and the embodiment of the present application will not be shown one by one.

[0084] It can be seen from the method shown in Figure 3 that when the current network cannot meet the requested slice configuration, for scenarios with high network performance requirements, the use of the recommended requirements of the NMS cannot meet the network performance requirements of the scenario, which often leads to the failure to successfully create network slices, resulting in a low success rate in network slice creation.

[0085] In view of this, the embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and functional entity that can effectively improve the success rate of creating a logical network. In particular, for scenarios where network performance requirements are high but time requirements are not strict, the method provided by the embodiments of the present application can effectively improve the success rate of creating network slices (or network slice subnets). The strict time requirements (or high time requirements) shown in the embodiments of the present application refer to the time period that must be within a certain time period, or the required time period cannot be changed, while the lax time requirements (or low time requirements, or flexible time requirements) refer to the required time period being more flexible or the required time period not being restricted to a certain time period. Whether the time requirements are strict or the level of the time requirements shown here are relative. Similarly, the level of the network performance requirements shown in the embodiments of the present application are also relative.

[0086] The following describes the business requirements for network slicing in different scenarios.

[0087] In scenario A, network slicing has relatively flexible requirements for network performance, but has high time requirements, such as high requirements for network slice creation time or high requirements for network slice usage time. For example, when a new end-to-end network application needs to be launched, the user hopes to launch an end-to-end network slice (the service corresponding to the network application) at a certain moment, and the time requirement is high, but the network performance can be relaxed. For example, when holding a celebration event on a fixed festival, in order to meet the traffic needs of the participants as much as possible, such as basic needs such as calling and scanning codes, it is generally necessary to immediately form an end-to-end network slice on the festival day.

[0088] In scenario B, network slicing has high requirements for network performance but flexible timing requirements, such as flexible requirements for network slice creation or flexible requirements for network slice usage. When launching a new end-to-end network application, users want to open an end-to-end network slice with low timing requirements but high network performance requirements. For example, a manufacturer plans to hold a live video broadcast to promote a new product to attract users. This live video broadcast has high requirements for network bandwidth and user volume, but the broadcast time for new product promotion is relatively flexible (e.g., the broadcast time can be flexibly adjusted).

[0089] In the method shown in Figure 3 above, whether a network slice or a network slice subnet can be successfully created is mainly determined by network performance. If the current network cannot meet the slice configuration of the network slice subnet to be created, the EMS will fail the slice feasibility verification and return that the current network can meet requirements that are lower than the requested slice configuration (the recommended requirements shown in Figure 3, such as network performance). For the above scenario B, even if the NMS or business operation obtains the recommended requirements (such as network performance), because the network performance cannot meet the scenario requirements, the business operation chooses not to create the network slice, resulting in the inability to create the network slice.

[0090] However, through the method provided by the embodiment of the present application, for scenario B with flexible time requirements, EMS can enable NMS or business operations to create a network slice or network slice subnet that meets high demand within the first time period indicated by the first time information by returning the first time information. In addition, by returning a slice verification response including the first time information, EMS can enable NMS or business operations to obtain not only the recommended demand (network performance is lower than the requested network performance), but also the time period that can meet the demand. As a result, NMS or business operations can have more options, such as choosing to create a network slice or network slice subnet immediately, or choosing to create a network slice or network slice subnet within the first time period, thereby improving the business experience. Therefore, the method provided by the embodiment of the present application can not only effectively improve the success rate of creating network slices or network slice subnets, but also improve the business experience.

[0091] Figure 4a is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The first functional entity in the method may be a network element management entity or a network management entity, and the second functional entity in the method may be a network management entity or a business operation entity. The network element management entity may be used to implement the steps or functions performed by the EMS, the network management entity may be used to implement the steps or functions performed by the NMS, and the business operation entity may be used to execute the steps or functions executed by the business operation. Exemplarily, the network element management entity and the EMS may be interchangeable, the network management entity and the NMS may be interchangeable, and the business operation entity and the business operation may be interchangeable.

[0092] 411. The second functional entity sends a request message to the first functional entity, and the first functional entity receives the request message in response. The request message can be used to request whether the requirements of the logical network to be created can be met.

[0093] For instructions related to step 411, please refer to the description of the request information in step 401 in Figure 4b below, or refer to the description of the request information in step 402 in Figure 4b below. If the first functional entity is an EMS and the second functional entity is an NMS, please refer to step 402 below for instructions. If the first functional entity is an NMS and the second functional entity is a service operator, please refer to step 401 below for instructions.

[0094] In a possible implementation, the method shown in FIG4a may further include step 412:

[0095] 412. The first functional entity determines that the requirement of the logical network cannot be met.

[0096] For a detailed description of the EMS determining that the requirements of the network slice subnet cannot be met, please refer to the description of step 403 in Figure 4b below. For a detailed description of the NMS determining that the requirements of the network slice cannot be met, please refer to the description of step 405 in Figure 4b below.

[0097] 413. The first functional entity sends a response message including first time information to the second functional entity, and the second functional entity receives the response message in response. The first time information may be used to indicate that the demand of the logical network can be met in a first time period in the future.

[0098] For details about step 413, refer to the description of the response information in step 404 in FIG. 4b below, or refer to the description of the response information in step 406 in FIG. For details about the case where the first functional entity is an EMS and the second functional entity is an NMS, refer to step 404 below. For details about the case where the first functional entity is an NMS and the second functional entity is a service operator, refer to step 406 below.

[0099] FIG4b is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. For the relevant description of EMS and NMS, please refer to the description of FIG2 and will not be described in detail here. For example, the functions or steps performed by EMS can also be implemented by a network element management entity, the functions or functions performed by NMS can also be implemented by a network management entity, and the functions or steps implemented by business operations can also be implemented by a business operation entity, etc., which will not be repeated here. As shown in FIG4b, the method includes:

[0100] 401. The business operator sends a request message, and the NMS receives the request message. The request message can be used to request whether the requirements of the network slice to be created can be met.

[0101] The request information may also be referred to as a slice inspection request or a slice verification request, etc. The specific name of the request information is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The following examples are all described using the slice verification request as an example, but this should not be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0102] Exemplarily, the NMS may receive a slice verification request from a business operation, where the slice verification request may include network slice requirements. The network slice requirements may include a slice configuration for the network slice, and the network slice requirements may further include at least one of the following: resource reservation, and requested reservation expiration. The slice configuration for the network slice may be used to indicate network performance requirements that need to be met by the end-to-end network slice.

[0103] After the NMS receives the slice verification request, it can decompose the slice configuration of the network slice subnet corresponding to each domain based on the slice configuration of the network slice. The network slice subnet slice configuration can be used to indicate the network performance requirements that need to be met by the network slice subnet to be created in a certain domain. The NMS can decompose one domain, or two domains, etc. based on the slice configuration. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the number of domains decomposed by the NMS. If the NMS decomposes one domain, the above-mentioned slice verification request can also be used to request verification whether the requirements of the network slice to be created are met. Regardless of the number of domains decomposed by the NMS, the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applicable. For relevant explanations on network slices and network slice subnets, please refer to the description of steps 302a / 302b in Figure 3, which will not be repeated here.

[0104] The decomposed domains may include at least one of the CN domain and the RAN domain. For example, taking the CN domain and the RAN domain as examples, the NMS can decompose the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created in the CN domain (or called the requirements of the CN slice subnet (CN slice subnet requirements)) based on the slice configuration of the network slice, and send a slice verification request corresponding to the CN domain to the EMS corresponding to the CN domain. The NMS can also decompose the network slice subnet to be created in the RAN domain (or called the requirements of the RAN slice subnet (RAN slice subnet requirements)) based on the slice configuration, and send a slice verification request corresponding to the RAN domain to the EMS corresponding to the RAN domain. For another example, taking the aggregated CN domain and RAN domain as examples, the NMS can decompose the requirements of the network slice subnet corresponding to the aggregated CN domain and RAN domain (such as topnetworkslicesubnetprofile) based on the slice configuration of the network slice, and send the requirements to the CN domain and RAN domain respectively. For the sake of simplicity, the following examples will be explained using the requirements of the CN slice subnet and the requirements of the RAN slice subnet as examples.

[0105] Exemplarily, the slice configuration of the CN slice subnet may include at least one of the following: the maximum number of access devices of the CN slice subnet, the uplink delay of the CN slice subnet, the downlink delay of the CN slice subnet, the uplink rate of the CN slice subnet, and the downlink rate of the CN slice subnet. The slice configuration of the RAN slice subnet may include at least one of the following: the maximum number of access devices of the RAN slice subnet, the uplink delay of the RAN slice subnet, the downlink delay of the RAN slice subnet, the uplink rate of the RAN slice subnet, and the downlink rate of the RAN slice subnet. Exemplarily, the slice configuration of the CN slice subnet may also include at least one of the following: N6 protection, network slice-specific authentication and authorization (NSSAA) support. The slice configuration of the RAN slice subnet may also include at least one of the following: positioning, new radio (NR) operating bands. The specific contents of the slice configuration of the CN slice subnet and the slice configuration of the RAN slice subnet are not listed here one by one.

[0106] 402. The NMS sends a request message, and the EMS receives the request message. The request message can be used to request whether the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created are met.

[0107] The request information can be used to request verification (or inspection) whether the requirements related to the network slicing subnet can be met. For example, the request information can include the requirements of the network slicing subnet. The requirements of the network slicing subnet may include the slice configuration of the network slicing subnet. For example, the request information can be used to request verification (or inspection) whether the slice configuration of the network slicing subnet to be created can be met. Exemplarily, the aforementioned requirements may also include at least one of the following: resource reservation, requested reservation expiration. The request information may include a feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request. For relevant instructions on the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request, please refer to Figure 3 and will not be described in detail here.

[0108] Regarding the difference between the slice configuration in the slice verification request received by the NMS and the slice configuration in the slice verification request sent by the NMS, please refer to the description of steps 302a / 302b in Figure 3, which will not be described in detail here.

[0109] In a possible implementation, the slice verification request may further include second time information, which is used to indicate an expected second time period. The expected second time period indicates the time period in which the second functional entity (such as NMS or business operation) expects to create an end-to-end network slice (or network slice subnet), or indicates the time period in which the second functional entity hopes to open an end-to-end network slice (or network slice subnet), or indicates the time period in which the second functional entity expects the first functional entity to return. The slice verification request shown here can be applied to both the request information in step 401 and the request information in step 402. For example, the request information in step 401 may also include the second time information, and in this case, the request information in step 402 may also include the second time information. For another example, the request information in step 401 does not include the second time information, and the request information in step 402 may include the second time information.

[0110] For example, the first time period indicated by the first time information in step 404 below may overlap with the second time period. For example, the first time period may be a subset of the second time period. For another example, the first time period may intersect with the second time period.

[0111] As an example, when the time period predicted by the EMS does not intersect with the second time period, the EMS may not return its predicted time period, such as returning a recommended requirement based on the current network situation, which can be used to indicate that the current network cannot meet the requested slice configuration, and recommend that the network performance that the current network can meet is lower than the requested slice configuration. As another example, when the time period predicted by the EMS does not intersect with the second time period, the EMS may still return its predicted time period, and other functional entities (such as business operations or NMS) may decide whether to create an end-to-end network slice within the time period predicted by the EMS that does not intersect with the second time period. Alternatively, the EMS may include multiple first time periods and the confidence level corresponding to each first time period in the slice verification response, so that other functional entities can determine whether to create an end-to-end network slice or network slice subnet based on the confidence level and the expected second time period.

[0112] For example, when the EMS determines the first time information through the NDT model, the required expected time (such as the second time period mentioned above) can be considered. If the input of the NDT model can include the second time information, by inputting the second time information into the NDT model, it can be ensured that the first time period output in the NDT model is within the expected time period (such as the first time period is a subset of the second time period). Alternatively, after the EMS outputs the predicted time period through the NDT model, the EMS can also take the intersection of the predicted time period and the second time period, and the intersection can be the first time period. The embodiment of the present application does not limit how the EMS determines the first time period in combination with the second time period.

[0113] In an embodiment of the present application, by adding the expected second time period in the slice verification request, the first functional entity can effectively know when the time period expected by the second functional entity is, thereby improving the efficiency of information interaction.

[0114] In a possible implementation, the slice verification request may further include request indication information, which is used to request that the first time information be carried in the slice verification response, or the request indication information may be used to request the return of time information (such as the first time information). For example, attribute return time information may be added to the slice verification request, and the attribute return time information may be used to indicate that when verification fails, a future time period needs to be returned that satisfies the slice configuration of the network slice to be created (such as the network performance requirements of the network slice to be created), or the attribute return time information may be used to indicate that when verification fails, a future time period needs to be returned that satisfies the slice configuration of the network slice subnet to be created (such as the network performance requirements of the network slice subnet to be created). The request indication information shown here may be applicable to both the request information in step 401 and the request information in step 402. For example, the request information in step 401 may further include the request indication information, and in this case, the request information in step 402 may further include the request indication information. For another example, the request information in step 401 does not include the request indication information, and the request information in step 402 may include the request indication information.

[0115] In an embodiment of the present application, by adding request indication information to a slice verification request, a functional entity such as an EMS that receives the slice verification request can effectively be informed of the time period it needs to predict in the future that can meet the slice configuration requirements of the network slice subnet or network slice to be created. Therefore, for scenarios with flexible time requirements and high network performance requirements, the EMS can predict the future time period based on the request indication information, thereby increasing the success rate of network slice or network slice subnet creation without reducing the network performance requirements of the network slice to be created.

[0116] In a possible implementation, the method shown in FIG4b may further include step 403:

[0117] 403. EMS determines that the requirements of the network slice subnet cannot be met.

[0118] The above-mentioned network slice subnet demand cannot be met means that the network slice subnet demand (such as slice configuration) is not met during the period from the EMS receiving the slice verification request to the EMS completing the feasibility verification. In other words, the network slice subnet demand cannot be met during the current time period. For the relevant explanation of "current", please refer to Figure 3 and will not be described in detail here.

[0119] Exemplarily, the EMS can determine whether the current network performance of the EMS can meet the above requirements based on the requirements in the request information and the current network performance of the network domain managed by the EMS. Exemplarily, the EMS can verify the slice configuration of the network slice subnet to be created, such as verifying whether the current network performance of the network domain managed by the EMS can meet the slice configuration. If the current network performance of the network domain managed by the EMS cannot meet the slice configuration, it means that the requirements cannot be met.

[0120] 404. The EMS sends a response message including the first time information, and the NMS receives the response message. The first time information can be used to indicate that the demand of the network slice subnet can be met in the first time period in the future.

[0121] Exemplarily, the EMS may send the above-mentioned response information in response to the fact that the demand for the network slice subnet cannot be met. The first time information may be used to indicate a first time period, and the demand for the end-to-end network slice subnet created during the first time period will not be reduced. For example, the demand for the end-to-end network slice subnet created during the first time period is consistent with the demand requested in step 402 above. Alternatively, the first time information is used to indicate that the requested demand can be met in the predicted future. The first time period indicated by the first time information may be one or more, and this is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0122] The format of the first time period indicated by the first time information is described below.

[0123] For example, the first time information may include information about the start time of the first time period and information about the end time of the first time period. Alternatively, the first time information may include information about the start time of the first time period and information about the duration of the first time period. In other words, the first time information may include information about a feasible time range, which is a predicted feasible time interval. The first time information may indicate that the interval starting from a certain moment and ending at a certain moment is the feasible time.

[0124] For another example, the first time information may include start time information and end time information. The interval from the start time to the end time is the infeasible time, and the other times except the infeasible time are the first time period.

[0125] Exemplarily, the response information may also include at least one of the following: feasibility result, infeasibility reason, resource reservation status, resource failure reason, reservation expiration, and recommended requirements. For relevant instructions on the response information, please refer to the description of the feasibility and reservation results in Figure 3, which will not be described in detail here. The response information may also be referred to as a slice inspection response or a slice verification response, etc. The specific name of the response information is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The following description of specific examples will be taken as an example to illustrate the slice verification response, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the embodiments of the present application.

[0126] In one possible implementation, the slice verification response may further include confidence information, which is used to indicate the probability that the requirements of the network slice subnet are met within the first time period. Alternatively, the confidence information may be used to indicate the confidence of the predicted first time information. Alternatively, the confidence information may be used to indicate the reliability of the first time period. Exemplarily, the confidence may be determined based on the weak convergence of the central limit theorem and the standard normal distribution. The specific calculation method of the confidence is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

[0127] In an embodiment of the present application, EMS includes confidence information in the slice verification response, enabling other functional entities (such as NMS or business operations) to select the first time period based on the confidence, thereby further improving the success rate of end-to-end network slice creation.

[0128] Exemplarily, the EMS can determine the first time information through a network digital twin (NDT) model. The input of the NDT model includes the network performance of the network domain managed by the EMS, the slice configuration included in the slice verification request, and the current time, and the output of the NDT model includes the first time information. Exemplarily, the input of the NDT model may also include the second time information. The network performance of the network domain managed by the EMS may include at least one of the following: the maximum number of devices currently accessing the network, network latency, and network bandwidth. The above-mentioned NDT can be considered as a virtual representation of the physical network, and the physical network can be analyzed and diagnosed through data, models, and interfaces. For example, NDT can be a network system with a physical network entity and a virtual twin, and the two can be interactively mapped in real time. In this system, various network management and applications can use digital twin technology to build a network virtual twin, and efficiently analyze, diagnose, simulate and control the physical network based on data and models.

[0129] Exemplarily, the EMS can determine the changes in future network resources through the NDT model. Alternatively, the EMS can also use historical network resource data to predict future network resources through a recurrent neural network. Alternatively, the EMS can use network topology and network resources to predict future network resources through a convolutional neural network. The predicted future network resources can be used to determine the first time information. For example, the EMS can determine the first time information based on the current network performance and the predicted fluctuations in future network resources. For another example, when there are too many devices connected to the current network, network resources will be in short supply, and the maximum number of devices that the network slice to be created can accommodate will be reduced, which will also cause the uplink and downlink speeds of the network slice to be created to decrease. For another example, the current network may fluctuate due to factors such as load and congestion, resulting in unstable network latency, affecting the network latency of the network slice to be created. Therefore, the EMS can determine the first time period that can meet the needs (such as slice configuration) based on the current network performance and the fluctuations in network resources. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific method for the EMS to determine the first time information.

[0130] In a possible implementation, the method shown in FIG4b may further include step 405:

[0131] 405. The NMS determines that the requirements of the network slice cannot be met.

[0132] Exemplarily, after the NMS receives the slice verification response sent by the EMS corresponding to each domain, it can summarize the first time periods corresponding to each domain. As an example, the NMS can determine the intersection of the first time periods corresponding to each domain, and the time period represented by the intersection can meet the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created in each domain. As another example, the NMS can report the summarized first time periods corresponding to each domain to the business operation.

[0133] The differences between step 403 and step 405 may include but are not limited to: in step 403, the object determined by the EMS is the network slice subnet, and in step 405, the object determined by the NMS is the network slice; in step 403, the EMS can determine whether the requirements of the network slice subnet can be met in combination with the slice configuration of the network slice subnet and the current network performance of the network domain managed by the EMS, while in step 405, the NMS determines whether the requirements of the network slice can be met in combination with the slice verification response reported by the EMS corresponding to each domain. The differences between step 403 and step 405 are not listed here one by one.

[0134] 406. The NMS sends a response message including the first time information to the business operation, and the business operation receives the response message. The first time information is used to indicate that the demand for the network slice can be met in the first time period in the future.

[0135] The first time information in step 406 may be a set of first time periods corresponding to each domain, or the first time information may be an intersection of the first time periods corresponding to each domain. For other explanations of the response information in step 406, please refer to the description in step 404. The difference between the two response information is that the recommended requirements in the response information in step 404 are the requirements corresponding to the network slice subnet recommended by the EMS, while the recommended requirements in the response information in step 406 may be the recommended requirements reported by each EMS. The response information in step 406 may also include confidence information.

[0136] For example, when the slice verification response received by the NMS includes confidence information, after the NMS receives the slice verification response sent by the EMS corresponding to each domain, the confidence corresponding to each domain can be reported to the business operation, or the minimum value of the confidence corresponding to each domain can be reported to the business operation, or the average value of the confidence corresponding to each domain can be reported to the business operation. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific method of the confidence in the slice verification response reported by the NMS.

[0137] After receiving the slice verification response, the business operation can obtain the intersection of the first time periods corresponding to each domain, or the first time period corresponding to each domain. Exemplarily, within the first time period, relevant entities (such as business operations, NMS or EMS) can create a network slice or network slice subnet that meets the requirements. Exemplarily, the business operation can send a slice verification request to the NMS again within the time period represented by the intersection to verify again whether an end-to-end network slice can be created within the time period. After receiving the slice verification request, the NMS decomposes the slice configuration corresponding to each domain and sends a slice verification request to the EMS corresponding to each domain. After receiving the slice verification request, the EMS can perform feasibility verification based on the current network performance and the slice configuration of the network slice subnet to be created. Since the probability of the first time period meeting the slice configuration of the network slice subnet is high, the success rate of the feasibility verification will be high, so the EMS can return a slice verification response. Alternatively, when the feasibility verification fails, the EMS can return to its predicted future time period again.

[0138] For further description of the communication method shown in FIG4 b , please refer to FIG3 , which will not be described in detail here.

[0139] In an embodiment of the present application, when the requirements of the logical network to be created (such as slice configuration) cannot be met, the first functional entity sends a response message including the first time information, and the second functional entity can effectively know when the requirements of the network slice subnet can be met after receiving the response message. Thus, the second functional entity can create a network slice (or network slice subnet) within the first time period, thereby improving the success rate of network slice (or network slice subnet) creation. Especially for scenarios with flexible time requirements and high network performance requirements, by sending the first time information, the second functional entity can create a network slice (or network slice subnet) that meets high requirements within the first time period indicated by the first time information, which not only effectively improves the success rate of network slice (or network slice subnet) creation, but also effectively improves the service experience.

[0140] The communication method shown in FIG. 4 a and FIG. 4 b is described below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0141] FIG5 is a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG5 , the method includes:

[0142] 501. The business operation sends a feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request. Correspondingly, the NMS receives the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request.

[0143] The feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request may include slice configuration. For the relevant content of the above request, please refer to the description of step 401 in Figure 4b or step 301 in Figure 3, which will not be described in detail here.

[0144] Exemplarily, the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request can add an attribute to return a feasible time range indication, which can be used to indicate that a time period in the future that can meet the network performance requirements needs to be returned when the verification fails. The network performance requirements shown here refer to the requirements of the network slice to be created, such as slice configuration. For relevant instructions on returning the feasible time range indication, please refer to the description of the request indication information in Figure 4b, which will not be described in detail here.

[0145] Exemplarily, the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request may include expected time information. The expected time information may be used to indicate an expected time range. When predicting the feasible time range, the NDT model may combine the expected time range and output a feasible time range within the expected time range. For an explanation of the expected time information, please refer to the description of the second time information in Figure 4b, which will not be described in detail here. By adding the expected time range to the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request, when the EMS returns the feasibility and reservation results, the feasible time range indicated by the feasibility and reservation results can be within the expected time period, thereby improving the service experience.

[0146] For related descriptions of other contents included in the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request, please refer to the description of step 301 in Figure 3, or refer to the description of step 401 in Figure 4b, which will not be described in detail here.

[0147] 502. The NMS sends a feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request to the EMS. Correspondingly, the EMS receives the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request.

[0148] The feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request may include a slice configuration. Exemplarily, the aforementioned request may also add an attribute to return a feasible time range indication (also referred to as returning a feasible time range), or require the return of a feasible time range indication. The slice configuration in the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request sent by the NMS to the EMS is the slice configuration of the network slice subnet to be created in the network domain managed by the EMS, and the slice configuration in the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request sent by the business operation to the NMS is the slice configuration of the end-to-end network slice. For other explanations about the request in step 502, please refer to step 501 and will not be described in detail here.

[0149] 503. In the event that the slice feasibility verification fails, EMS determines the feasible time range.

[0150] Failure of slice feasibility verification indicates that the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created cannot be met. For relevant explanations on the feasible time range, please refer to the description of the first time information in Figure 4b. Exemplarily, when the slice feasibility verification fails, the EMS corresponding to each domain can predict the first time information based on the historical data stored by the NDT model, the received real-time data, and the data generated by the model, through the functional model inside the NDT. For example, the NDT model can also predict future fluctuations in network traffic and network resources, and the future fluctuations in network traffic and network resources can be used to accurately determine the feasible time range in which network resources are sufficient and meet the requirements of the network slice subnet. The above-mentioned historical data can be the historical time stored by the NDT model, as well as the network performance requirements within the historical time, the received real-time data can be the slice configuration included in the slice verification request, and the data generated by the model can be the data generated by the NDT model based on the historical data.

[0151] Exemplarily, step 503 may include determining that the demand cannot be met and determining a feasible time range. The present embodiment of the application does not limit the order in which the EMS performs feasibility verification and determines the feasible time range. For example, the EMS may first perform feasibility verification and then determine the feasible time range after the feasibility verification fails. For another example, the EMS may determine the feasible time range while performing feasibility verification.

[0152] For relevant instructions on the feasible time range, please refer to the description of the first-time information above, which will not be detailed here.

[0153] 504. The EMS sends the feasibility and reservation results to the NMS. Correspondingly, the NMS receives the feasibility and reservation results.

[0154] The feasibility and reservation results can increase the attribute feasible time range. Exemplarily, the feasibility and reservation results can increase the attribute prediction confidence. The prediction confidence can be used to indicate the confidence of the predicted feasible time range, or the prediction confidence can be used to indicate the reliability of the feasible time range. For relevant explanations of the feasibility and reservation results, please refer to the description of the slice verification response including the first time information in Figure 4b, which will not be detailed here.

[0155] 505. The NMS analyzes the feasible time range returned by each domain.

[0156] Illustratively, after receiving the feasibility and reservation results of each domain, the NMS may summarize the feasible times of all domains: for example, it may determine the intersection of the feasible times of each domain, or report the summarized feasible times of all domains.

[0157] 506. The NMS sends the feasibility and reservation results to the business operation, and correspondingly, the business operation receives the feasibility and reservation results.

[0158] The feasibility and reservation results can increase the feasible time range of the attribute. For relevant instructions on the feasibility and reservation results, please refer to step 504 or Figure 4b or Figure 3, etc., which will not be described in detail here. For example, the relevant instructions on the feasibility and reservation results in step 504 can refer to the description of steps 303a / 303b in Figure 3, or refer to step 404, etc. For another example, the relevant instructions on the feasibility and reservation results in step 506 can refer to the description of step 304 in Figure 3, or refer to step 406, etc. The differences between the feasibility and reservation results in step 504 and step 506 will not be described in detail here.

[0159] In an embodiment of the present application, an attribute is added to the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request to return a feasible time range indication (the request indication information as shown in FIG4b ). This attribute can be used to indicate that after the slice verification fails, a time period in the future that can meet the network performance requirements is returned. An attribute feasible time range is added to the feasibility and reservation results (the first time information as shown in FIG4b ). This attribute can be used to indicate the recommended feasible time range when the network performance requirements remain unchanged. Therefore, for scenarios with flexible time requirements but high network performance requirements, the second functional entity can adjust the service time according to the recommended feasible time range to ensure that the network performance requirements are not reduced and the success rate of slice creation is improved.

[0160] In the embodiment of the present application, when the service operation and NMS issue feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation requests, the attribute return feasible time range is added. When the EMS and NMS report the feasibility and reservation results, the attribute feasible time range is added, or the feasible time range and prediction confidence are increased. This can effectively ensure that the feasible time range for successfully creating end-to-end network slices is predicted without reducing network performance requirements, thereby improving the success rate of network slice creation.

[0161] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a method for verifying the feasibility of a network slice provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the method includes:

[0162] 601. The service operation sends a feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request to the NMS. In response, the NMS receives the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request. The feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request may include at least one of the following attributes: slice configuration, return feasible time range indication, and expected time range. Exemplarily, the aforementioned request may also include at least one of the following attributes: resource reservation, and requested reservation expiration.

[0163] For relevant descriptions of step 601, please refer to step 301 in Figure 3, or step 401 in Figure 4b, or step 501 in Figure 5, and will not be described in detail here.

[0164] 602a / 602b. The NMS sends a feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request to each EMS, and the EMS receives the request.

[0165] For example, after receiving the request, the NMS can decompose the slice configuration of each domain according to the slice configuration in the request, and the NMS sends a feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request to each EMS for feasibility verification.

[0166] The feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request may include at least one of the following attributes: a slice configuration of the network domain corresponding to the EMS, a return feasible time range indication, and a desired time range. Exemplarily, the aforementioned request may also include at least one of the following attributes: resource reservation, and requested reservation expiration.

[0167] For the relevant descriptions of the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request in step 601 and step 602a / 602b, please refer to the description of Figure 3 or Figure 4b, which will not be described in detail here.

[0168] 603a / 603b. The EMS sends the feasibility and reservation results to the NMS, and correspondingly, the NMS receives the feasibility and reservation results.

[0169] The feasibility and reservation results include a feasible time range. For the relevant description of step 603a / 603b, please refer to the aforementioned embodiments, such as Figure 3 or Figure 4b, etc., which will not be described in detail here. For the specific method of EMS predicting the feasible time range, please refer to the aforementioned embodiments, which will not be described in detail here. Exemplarily, after receiving the aforementioned request, EMS can predict the feasible time range through the management domain (MD) NDT. Exemplarily, NMS can process the feasible time range returned by each domain through end-to-end (E2E) NDT, such as determining the intersection of the feasible time ranges returned by each domain.

[0170] 604.NMS reports feasibility and reservation results to business operations.

[0171] For the relevant description of step 604, reference may be made to the aforementioned embodiments, such as FIG3 or FIG4b, etc., and will not be described in detail here.

[0172] In an embodiment of the present application, a return feasible time range indication is added to the feasibility verification and resource reservation work creation request, so that after the slice verification work fails, the EMS can use the prediction capability of NDT to determine the feasible time range. After determining the feasible time range, the EMS can send a time range that can meet the performance requirements of a single domain network to the NMS. After obtaining the feasible time range of each domain, the NMS can send the feasible time range to the business operation. After the business operation obtains the feasible time range, it can create a network slice within the feasible time range (such as executing any of the methods shown in Figures 4a to 6 above again). Creating a network slice within the feasible time range can ensure the success rate of network slice creation and improve the success rate of network slice creation.

[0173] In the embodiments of the present application, where an embodiment is not described in detail, reference may be made to other embodiments.

[0174] The functional entities provided in the embodiments of the present application are introduced below.

[0175] The present application divides the functional entities into functional modules according to the above-mentioned method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above-mentioned integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be noted that the division of modules in this application is schematic and is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. The functional entities of the embodiment of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 7 to 9.

[0176] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a functional entity provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 7, the functional entity includes a processing module 701 and a transceiver module 702. The transceiver module 702 can implement corresponding communication functions, and the processing module 701 is used to process data. For example, the transceiver module 702 can also be referred to as an interface, a communication interface, or a communication module.

[0177] In some embodiments of the present application, this functional entity may be used to execute the actions performed by the network element management entity or EMS in the above method embodiments. In this case, the functional entity may be the EMS itself or a functional module configurable in the EMS. The transceiver module 702 is used to execute the operations related to transceiver operation of the network element management entity or EMS in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 701 is used to execute the operations related to processing of the network element management entity or EMS in the above method embodiments.

[0178] The transceiver module 702 is configured to receive or input a slice verification request, wherein the slice verification request is used to request to verify whether the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created are met;

[0179] The transceiver module 702 is also used to send or output a slice verification response including first time information, where the first time information is used to indicate that the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created can be met in the first time period in the future.

[0180] Exemplarily, processing module 701 is used to determine whether the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created can be met. For example, processing module 701 can be used to verify the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created, such as whether the current network performance of the network domain managed by the EMS can meet the slice configuration of the network slice subnet to be created.

[0181] Exemplarily, the processing module 701 is also used to determine the first time information through the NDT model, the input of the NDT model includes the network performance of the network domain managed by the network element management system EMS, the slice configuration in the demand and the current time, and the output of the NDT model includes the first time information.

[0182] Referring to Figure 7 , in some other embodiments of the present application, this functional entity can be used to execute the actions performed by the network management entity or NMS in the above method embodiments. In this case, the functional entity can be an NMS or a functional module configurable in the NMS. Transceiver module 702 is used to execute the transceiver-related operations of the network management entity or NMS in the above method embodiments, and processing module 701 is used to execute the processing-related operations of the network management entity or NMS in the above method embodiments.

[0183] The transceiver module 702 may be configured to receive or input a slice verification request from a business operation, where the slice verification request may be used to request verification of whether the requirements of the network slice to be created are met;

[0184] The transceiver module 702 may also be used to send or output a slice verification request to the EMS, where the slice verification request may be used to request verification of whether the requirements of the network slice subnet to be created are met;

[0185] The transceiver module 702 may also be configured to receive or input a slice verification response from the EMS, where the slice verification response includes first time information;

[0186] The transceiver module 702 can also be used to send or output a slice verification response to the business operation, and the slice verification response includes the first time information.

[0187] Exemplarily, the processing module 701 can be used to determine at least one of the requirements of the network slice subnet corresponding to the RAN domain, or the requirements of the network slice subnet corresponding to the CN domain.

[0188] Exemplarily, the processing module 701 can also be used to determine that the network slicing requirements cannot be met based on the slice verification response reported by the EMS corresponding to each domain.

[0189] Exemplarily, the processing module 701 may be configured to summarize the first time period corresponding to each domain.

[0190] Exemplarily, the processing module 701 may be used to process the confidence corresponding to each domain.

[0191] Using Figure 7, in some other embodiments of the present application, this functional entity can be used to execute the actions performed by the business operation entity or business operation in the above method embodiments. In this case, the functional entity can be a business operation server or a functional module configurable in the business operation server. The transceiver module 702 is used to execute the transceiver-related operations of the business operation entity or business operation in the above method embodiments, and the processing module 701 is used to execute the operations related to the business operation entity or business operation processing in the above method embodiments.

[0192] The transceiver module 702 is configured to send or output a slice verification request, where the slice verification request is used to request verification of whether the requirements of the network slice to be created are met;

[0193] The transceiver module 702 is also used to receive or input a slice verification response, which includes first time information, and the first time information is used to indicate a first time period in the future in which the requirements of the network slice to be created can be met.

[0194] Optionally, in each of the above embodiments, the functional entity may further include a storage module, which may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 701 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module so that the functional entity implements the above method embodiment.

[0195] In the above embodiments, the specific descriptions of terms or steps such as slice verification request, slice verification response, first time information, requirements, slice configuration, request indication information, confidence level, etc. can be referred to the introduction in the above method embodiments and will not be described in detail here.

[0196] The specific descriptions of the transceiver module and the processing module shown in the above embodiments are only examples. For the specific functions or execution steps of the transceiver module and the processing module, please refer to the above method embodiments and will not be described in detail here.

[0197] The above describes the functional entities of the embodiments of the present application. The following describes possible product forms of the functional entities. Any product that has the functions of the functional entities described in Figure 7 above falls within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The following description is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the product forms of the functional entities of the embodiments of the present application to these examples.

[0198] In one possible implementation, in the functional entity shown in Figure 7, processing module 701 may be one or more processors, and transceiver module 702 may be a transceiver. Alternatively, transceiver module 702 may be a transmitting module and a receiving module, where the transmitting module may be a transmitter and the receiving module may be a receiver, with the transmitting module and receiving module integrated into a single device, such as a transceiver. In this embodiment of the present application, the processor and transceiver may be coupled, and the connection method between the processor and transceiver is not limited in this embodiment. During the execution of the above method, the process of sending information in the above method may be the process of the processor outputting the above information. When outputting the above information, the processor outputs the above information to the transceiver for transmission by the transceiver. After being output by the processor, the above information may require further processing before reaching the transceiver. Similarly, the process of receiving information in the above method may be the process of the processor receiving the above information. When the processor receives the input information, the transceiver receives the above information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver receives the above information, the above information may require further processing before being input into the processor.

[0199] As shown in FIG. 8 , the functional entity 80 includes one or more processors 820 and a transceiver 810 .

[0200] In some embodiments of the present application, a functional entity may be configured to execute the steps, methods, or functions executed by the aforementioned network element management entity or EMS. For example, the processor 820 may be configured to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 701 shown in FIG7 , and the transceiver 810 may be configured to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 702 shown in FIG7 . For a detailed description of the processor 820 and the transceiver 810, reference may be made to FIG7 or the method embodiment shown above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0201] In other embodiments of the present application, the functional entity is configured to execute the steps, methods, or functions executed by the aforementioned network management entity or NMS. For example, the processor 820 may be configured to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 701 shown in FIG7 , and the transceiver 810 may be configured to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 702 shown in FIG7 . For detailed descriptions of the processor 820 and the transceiver 810 , reference may be made to FIG7 or the method embodiments shown above and will not be described in detail here.

[0202] In still other embodiments of the present application, the functional entities are used to execute the steps, methods, or functions executed by the aforementioned business operation entities or business operations. For example, the processor 820 may be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 701 shown in FIG7 , and the transceiver 810 may be used to execute the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 702 shown in FIG7 . For detailed descriptions of the processor 820 and the transceiver 810 , reference may be made to FIG7 or the method embodiments shown above and will not be described in detail here.

[0203] In various implementations of the functional entities shown in FIG8 , the transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, wherein the receiver is configured to perform a receiving function (or operation) and the transmitter is configured to perform a transmitting function (or operation). The transceiver is configured to communicate with other devices / apparatuses via a transmission medium.

[0204] Optionally, the functional entity 80 may further include one or more memories 830 for storing program instructions and / or data. The memory 830 is coupled to the processor 820. The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between functional entities, units or modules, which may be electrical, mechanical or other forms, and is used for information exchange between functional entities, units or modules. The processor 820 may operate in conjunction with the memory 830. The processor 820 may execute program instructions stored in the memory 830. Optionally, at least one of the one or more memories may be included in the processor.

[0205] The specific connection medium between the transceiver 810, processor 820, and memory 830 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. In Figure 8, the memory 830, processor 820, and transceiver 810 are connected via bus 840. The bus is represented by a bold line in Figure 8. The connection methods between other components are only for illustrative purposes and are not limiting. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, Figure 8 only uses a single bold line, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0206] In the embodiments of the present application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, a discrete hardware component, etc., and may implement or execute the various methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly implemented as being executed by a hardware processor, or may be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor, etc.

[0207] In the embodiment of the present application, the memory may include, but is not limited to, non-volatile memories such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), read-only memory (ROM) or portable read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. The memory is any storage medium that can be used to carry or store program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be read and / or written by a computer (such as the functional entity shown in the present application), but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application can also be a circuit or any other device that can realize a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0208] The processor 820 is primarily used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire functional entity, execute software programs, and process software program data. The memory 830 is primarily used to store software programs and data. The transceiver 810 may include control circuitry and an antenna. The control circuitry is primarily used to convert baseband signals into radio frequency signals and process radio frequency signals. The antenna is primarily used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. Input and output devices, such as touch screens, displays, and keyboards, are primarily used to receive user input and output data to the user.

[0209] When the functional entity is powered on, the processor 820 reads the software program stored in the memory 830, interprets and executes the software program's instructions, and processes the software program's data. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 820 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted and outputs the baseband signal to the RF circuit. The RF circuit then performs RF processing on the baseband signal and transmits it via the antenna in the form of electromagnetic waves. When data is sent to the functional entity, the RF circuit receives the RF signal via the antenna, converts the RF signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 820. The processor 820 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0210] In another implementation, the RF circuit and antenna may be arranged independently of the processor performing baseband processing. For example, in a distributed scenario, the RF circuit and antenna may be arranged remotely from the functional entity.

[0211] The functional entity shown in the embodiment of the present application may also have more components than those in Figure 8, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this. The method performed by the processor and transceiver shown above is only an example. For the specific steps performed by the processor and transceiver, please refer to the method described above.

[0212] In another possible implementation, in the functional entity shown in FIG7 , the processing module 701 may be one or more logic circuits, and the transceiver module 702 may be an input / output interface, also known as a communication interface, or an interface circuit, or an interface, etc. Alternatively, the transceiver module 702 may be a transmitting module and a receiving module, the transmitting module may be an output interface, and the receiving module may be an input interface, wherein the transmitting module and the receiving module are integrated into a single module, such as an input / output interface. As shown in FIG9 , the functional entity shown in FIG9 includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902. That is, the processing module 701 may be implemented using a logic circuit 901, and the transceiver module 702 may be implemented using an interface 902. The logic circuit 901 may be a chip, a processing circuit, an integrated circuit, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip, etc., and the interface 902 may be a communication interface, an input / output interface, a pin, etc. For example, FIG9 uses the functional entity as a chip as an example, and the chip includes a logic circuit 901 and an interface 902.

[0213] In the embodiment of the present application, the logic circuit and the interface may also be coupled to each other. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific connection method of the logic circuit and the interface. For example, the logic circuit 901 can be used to perform the functions or steps implemented by the processing module 701 shown in Figure 7, and the interface 902 can be used to perform the functions or steps implemented by the transceiver module 702 shown in Figure 7. For a specific description of the logic circuit 901 and the interface 902, please refer to Figure 7 or the method embodiment shown above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0214] The functional entities shown in the embodiments of the present application can implement the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application in the form of hardware, or can implement the methods provided in the embodiments of the present application in the form of software, etc., and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0215] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes a network element management entity and a network management entity. The network element management entity and the network management entity can be used to execute the method in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0216] An embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes a network management entity and a service operation entity. The network management entity and the service operation entity can be used to execute the method in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0217] An embodiment of the present application also provides a communication system, which includes a network element management entity, a network management entity and a business operation entity. The network element management entity, the network management entity and the business operation entity can be used to execute the method in any of the aforementioned embodiments.

[0218] In addition, the present application also provides a computer program, which is used to implement the operations and / or processing performed by each functional entity in the method provided by the present application.

[0219] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores computer code. When the computer code runs on a computer, it enables the computer to execute the operations and / or processing performed by each functional entity in the method provided by the present application.

[0220] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer code or computer program. When the computer code or computer program is run on a computer, the operations and / or processes performed by the method provided in the present application are executed.

[0221] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, functional entities and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the functional entity embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the modules is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple modules or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, functional entities or units, or can be electrical, mechanical or other forms of connection.

[0222] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the technical effects of the solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application.

[0223] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present application may be integrated into a processing module, or each module may exist physically separately, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The above-mentioned integrated modules may be implemented in the form of hardware or software functional modules.

[0224] If the integrated module is implemented in the form of a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present application is essentially or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a readable storage medium, including a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned readable storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0225] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be included in the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a first functional entity, and the method comprises: receiving a request message, wherein the request message is used to request to check whether the requirements of the logical network to be created can be met; In response to determining that the demand cannot be met, a response message including first time information is sent, where the first time information is used to indicate that the demand can be met in a first time period in the future.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The request information further includes second time information, where the second time information is used to indicate a desired second time period.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first time period is a subset of the second time period.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The logical network is a network slice or a network slice subnet.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The request information further includes request indication information, and the request indication information is used to request that the first time information be included in the response information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first functional entity is a network element management entity.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: Before sending the response information including the first time information, the method further includes: The first time information is determined through a network digital twin NDT model, the input of the NDT model includes the network performance of the network domain managed by the first functional entity, the slice configuration in the demand, and the current time, and the output of the NDT model includes the first time information.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The logical network is a network slicing subnet, the requirements of the network slicing subnet include a slicing configuration of the network slicing subnet, and the slicing configuration of the network slicing subnet includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of access devices of the network slice subnet to be created; The uplink delay of the network slice subnet to be created; The downlink delay of the network slice subnet to be created; The uplink rate of the network slice subnet to be created; The downlink rate of the network slice subnet to be created.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The first functional entity is a network management entity.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and 9, characterized in that: The logical network is a network slice, and after receiving the request information, the method further includes: Determine the slice configuration of the network slice subnet corresponding to one or more network element management entities based on the slice configuration of the network slice in the requirement; Sending request information including slice configuration of the network slice subnet to each of the one or more network element management entities.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, 9 and 10, characterized in that: The logical network is a network slice, the requirement of the network slice includes a slice configuration of the network slice, and the slice configuration of the network slice includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of access devices of the network slice to be created; The uplink delay of the network slice to be created; The downlink delay of the network slice to be created; The uplink rate of the network slice to be created; The downlink rate of the network slice to be created.

12. A communication method, characterized in that: The method is applied to a second functional entity, and the method comprises: Sending a request message, wherein the request message is used to request to check whether the requirements of the logical network to be created can be met; Response information is received, where the response information includes first time information, where the first time information is used to indicate that the demand can be met in a first time period in the future.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The request information further includes second time information, where the second time information is used to indicate a desired second time period.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The first time period is a subset of the second time period.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that: The logical network is a network slice or a network slice subnet.

16. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 15, characterized in that: The request information further includes request indication information, and the request indication information is used to request that the first time information be included in the response information.

17. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that: The second functional entity is a business operation entity.

18. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 17, characterized in that: The logical network is a network slice, and the method further includes: During the first time period, a network slice that meets the requirements is created.

19. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 18, characterized in that: The logical network is a network slice, the requirement of the network slice includes a slice configuration of the network slice, and the slice configuration of the network slice includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of access devices of the network slice to be created; The uplink delay of the network slice to be created; The downlink delay of the network slice to be created; The uplink rate of the network slice to be created; The downlink rate of the network slice to be created.

20. The method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, characterized in that: The second functional entity is a network management entity.

21. The method according to any one of claims 12-16 and 20, characterized in that: The logical network is a network slicing subnet, the requirements of the network slicing subnet include a slicing configuration of the network slicing subnet, and before sending the request information, the method further includes: Receiving a slice configuration request message including a network slice from a business operation entity; Based on the slice configuration of the network slice, determine the slice configuration of the network slice subnet corresponding to one or more network element management entities.

22. The method according to any one of claims 12-16, 20 and 21, characterized in that: The logical network is a network slice subnet, the requirements of the network slice subnet include the configuration of the network slice subnet, and the slice configuration of the network slice subnet includes at least one of the following: The maximum number of access devices of the network slice subnet to be created; The uplink latency of the network slice subnet to be created; The downlink delay of the network slice subnet to be created; The uplink rate of the network slice subnet to be created; The downlink rate of the network slice subnet to be created.

23. A functional entity, characterized in that The method comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 12 to 22.

24. A functional entity, characterized in that The method comprises a processor, wherein the processor is used to cause the functional entity to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, or the processor is used to cause the functional entity to execute the method according to any one of claims 12 to 22.

25. The functional entity according to claim 24, characterized in that The functional entity further includes a transceiver, and the transceiver is used to receive information or send information.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program, and when the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 12 to 22 is executed.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium is used to store a computer program. When the computer program is executed, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11 is executed, or the method according to any one of claims 12 to 22 is executed.

28. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system comprises a first functional entity and a second functional entity, the first functional entity being used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, and the second functional entity being used to execute the method according to any one of claims 12 to 22.

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