Management method, management apparatus and system for network management intent

Abstract

A management method, management apparatus and system for a network management intent, wherein a consumer entity can subscribe to a producer entity to send an intent report to the producer entity when the stable achievement value of a target of a network management intent fails to meet the target of the network management intent, and in this case, the achievement value of the target of the intent indicated by the intent report received by the consumer entity is always stable and reliable. Alternatively, the producer entity may indicate, to the consumer entity by means of an intent report, whether the achievement value of the target of the intent is stable. By making decisions on the basis of the two intent reports, the consumer entity can choose appropriate time to intervene or manage the execution of the network management intent, thereby helping to reduce the probability of misjudgment and reduce resource waste.

Description

A management method, management device and system for network management intention

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 28, 2023, with application number 202311613585.X, and priority to the Chinese patent application entitled “A management method, management device and system for network management intentions”, 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 more particularly, to a method, device, and system for managing network management intent. Background Art

[0003] With the development of network resource management, network management service consumers no longer need to directly manage network resources. Instead, they can send messages to network management service producers, causing them to execute network management intents, aiming to achieve the desired performance targets for specified network devices within a specific scope. During this process, network management service consumers can intervene in the execution of network management intents by sending messages to producers, including modifying or deleting them.

[0004] However, such a management mechanism may lead to the failure of network management intentions that could have been achieved due to misjudgment, resulting in a waste of resources.

[0005] For network management service consuming entities, how to choose the appropriate time to intervene or manage the execution of network management intentions is a technical problem that needs to be solved.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide a method, device and system for managing network management intentions, which help consumer entities choose appropriate times to intervene in or manage the execution of network management intentions, thereby helping to reduce misjudgments and reduce waste of resources.

[0008] On the first aspect, a method for managing network management intentions is provided, which can be executed by a consumer entity. Unless otherwise specified, "consumer entity" can refer to the consumer entity itself or a device that can support the consumer entity to realize its functions.

[0009] The method includes: receiving an intent report from a production entity, wherein the intent report indicates that a stable achieved value of a target of a network management intent fails to achieve the target of the network management intent; and managing the network management intent according to the intent report.

[0010] Based on the above method, the production entity can indicate to the consumer entity that the stable realization value of the intended target has failed to achieve the intended target. The intention report indicates the stable realization value of the intended target. Compared with the prior art where the intention report simply indicates the realization value of the intended target, the consumer entity can know that the realization value of the intended target is stable and reliable. Based on this stable and reliable realization value, the consumer entity can choose the appropriate time to intervene or manage the execution of the intention, which helps to reduce the probability of misjudgment and thus reduce resource waste.

[0011] In combination with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: sending request information to the production entity, where the request information is used to request the production entity to send the intention report.

[0012] Based on the above implementation method, the consumer entity can request an intent report from the production entity. Accordingly, the production entity can send an intent report based on the request of the consumer entity. Compared with the production entity periodically reporting the intent report, this method helps to reduce the signaling overhead brought by reporting the intent report.

[0013] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in some other possible implementation manners, sending the request information to the production entity includes: sending a subscription request message to the production entity, wherein the subscription request message includes the request information.

[0014] Based on the above implementation, the consuming entity can obtain the intent report from the producing entity in a subscription-based manner.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the request information includes the network management intention or an identifier of the network management intention.

[0016] Exemplarily, the identifier of the intent is information that can uniquely identify the intent, such as the name or number of the intent.

[0017] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the request information includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate that an intention report should be sent when the stable realization value of the target of the network management intention fails to achieve the target of the network management intention.

[0018] Based on the above implementation, a consuming entity can request a producing entity to send it an intent report when the intent's target hasn't been achieved and the target's realization value has stabilized. In this case, the intent report received by the intent service consumer indicates that the target's realization value is always stable and reliable. Managing intent based on stable and reliable realization values ​​helps consuming entities choose appropriate times to intervene or manage intent execution, thereby reducing the probability of misjudgment and thus minimizing resource waste.

[0019] In addition, the producing entity reports the intent report to the consuming entity only when the intent target has not been achieved and the achieved value of the intent target has stabilized, which helps to reduce signaling overhead.

[0020] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation thereof, in other possible implementations, the stable implementation value includes: the implementation value of the target of the network management intention when all action groups for the network management intention have taken effect, wherein the action group includes one or more actions for managing the managed entity of the network management intention; or the implementation value of the target of the network management intention when the performance indicator value of the managed entity of the network management intention continues within a first range within a first observation period.

[0021] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the method further includes: sending first information to the production entity, the first information being used to indicate a first observation duration and / or a first range; wherein, the first observation duration is the observation duration required to determine the stability of the realization value of the target of the network management intention, and the first range is the fluctuation range that needs to be met for the stability of the realization value of the target of the network management intention.

[0022] Based on the above implementation method, the consumer entity can customize the indicators to measure whether the realization value of the intention target is stable, so that the stability of the intention target reported by the production entity is more in line with the expectations of the consumer entity, which can better assist the consumer entity in making decisions and help the consumer entity choose the appropriate time to intervene or manage the execution of the intention, thereby helping to reduce the probability of misjudgment and reduce resource waste.

[0023] In conjunction with the first aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in some other possible implementation manners, sending the first information to the production entity includes: sending a create message to the production entity, where the create message is used to request creation of the network management intent. The create message includes the network management intent, the network management intent includes the first information, or the create message includes the network management intent and the first information.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in other possible implementation manners, managing the network management intention based on the intention report includes: sending a first request message to the production entity, the first request message being used to request the production entity to delete the network management intention; or, sending a second request message to the production entity, the second request message being used to request the production entity to modify the network management intention, wherein the modification of the network management intention includes one or more of the following operations: lowering the expected value of the target not achieved by the network management intention, replacing the action group for the network management intention, or increasing the priority of the network management intention.

[0025] In combination with the first aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in some other possible implementation manners, the sending of a first request message to the production entity includes: when the difference between the realized value of the target of the network management intention and the expected value of the target of the network management intention is greater than a first threshold, sending the first request message to the production entity; or, the sending of a second request message to the production entity includes: when the difference between the realized value of the target of the network management intention and the expected value of the target of the network management intention is less than or equal to the first threshold, sending the second request message to the production entity.

[0026] On the second aspect, a method for managing network management intentions is provided, which can be executed by a production entity. Unless otherwise specified, "production entity" can refer to the production entity itself or a device that can support the production entity to realize its functions.

[0027] The terms or features in the second aspect or its implementation that are the same as those in the first aspect or its implementation can refer to the first aspect or its implementation, and the technical effects of the second aspect or its implementation can refer to the technical effects in the first aspect or its implementation, and will not be repeated in the second aspect.

[0028] The method comprises: monitoring the achieved value of the target of the network management intention; and sending an intention report to a consumer entity, wherein the intention report is used to indicate that the stable achieved value of the target of the network management intention fails to achieve the target of the network management intention.

[0029] In combination with the second aspect, in some possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving request information from the consuming entity, where the request information is used to request the intention report.

[0030] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the receiving the request information from the consuming entity includes: receiving a subscription request message from the consuming entity, the subscription request message including the request information.

[0031] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the request information includes the network management intention or an identifier of the network management intention.

[0032] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the request information includes indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate that an intention report should be sent when the stable realization value of the target of the network management intention fails to achieve the target of the network management intention.

[0033] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the method further includes: determining that the realization value of the target of the network management intention is stable.

[0034] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in other possible implementations, the determination that the achievement value of the target of the network management intention is stable includes: determining that all action groups for the network management intention have taken effect, wherein the action group includes one or more actions for managing the managed entity of the network management intention; or, determining that the performance indicator value of the managed entity of the network management intention continues to be within a first range within a first observation period.

[0035] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving first information from the consumer entity, the first information being used to indicate a first observation duration and / or a first range; wherein, the first observation duration is the observation duration required to determine the stability of the realization value of the target of the network management intention, and the first range is the fluctuation range that needs to be met for the stability of the realization value of the target of the network management intention.

[0036] In conjunction with the second aspect or any implementation manner thereof, in some other possible implementation manners, receiving the first information from the consuming entity includes: receiving a create message from the consuming entity, the create message being used to request creation of the network management intent. The create message includes the network management intent, the network management intent includes the first information, or the create message includes the network management intent and the first information.

[0037] In combination with the second aspect or any implementation thereof, in some other possible implementations, the method further includes: receiving a first request message from the consumer entity, the first request message being used to request the production entity to delete the network management intention; deleting the network management intention according to the first request message; or, receiving a second request message from the consumer entity, the second request message being used to request the production entity to modify the network management intention; modifying the network management intention according to the first request message; wherein, modifying the network management intention includes one or more of the following operations: lowering the expected value of the target not achieved by the network management intention, replacing the action group for the network management intention, or increasing the priority of the network management intention.

[0038] On the third aspect, a method for managing network management intentions is provided, which can be executed by a production entity and a consumer entity. Unless otherwise specified, "production entity" or "consumer entity" can refer to the production entity or consumer entity itself, or it can refer to a device that can support the production entity or consumer entity to realize its functions.

[0039] The method includes: a production entity monitors the realization value of a target of a network management intention; the production entity sends an intention report, and the consumer entity receives the intention report, wherein the intention report is used to indicate that a stable realization value of the target of the network management intention fails to achieve the target of the network management intention; and the consumer entity manages the network management intention according to the intention report.

[0040] The steps performed by the consumer entity in the third aspect or its implementation method may refer to the first aspect or its implementation method, the steps performed by the production entity in the third aspect or its implementation method may refer to the second aspect or its implementation method, the terms or features in the third aspect or its implementation method that are the same as those in the first aspect or its implementation method may refer to the first aspect or its implementation method, and the technical effects of the third aspect or its implementation method may refer to the technical effects in the first aspect or its implementation method, and will not be repeated in the third aspect.

[0041] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, which is used to execute the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementations. Specifically, the device may include units and / or modules for executing the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementations, such as a processing unit and / or a transceiver unit. The processing unit is used to execute the processing steps in the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementations, such as managing network management intent. The transceiver unit is used to execute the transceiver steps in the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementations, such as receiving or sending intent reports, first information or subscription messages.

[0042] In one implementation, the device is a production entity or a consumption entity. When the device is a production entity or a consumption entity, the transceiver unit may be a transceiver, an input / output interface, or a communication interface; and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver is a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface is an input / output circuit.

[0043] In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a production entity or a consumer entity. When the device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a production entity or a consumer entity, the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip, chip system, or circuit; and the processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, or logic circuit.

[0044] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which includes: a memory for storing programs; and at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to execute the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation.

[0045] In one implementation, the device is a production entity or a consumption entity.

[0046] In another implementation, the device is a chip, a chip system, or a circuit for use in a production entity or a consumption entity.

[0047] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and a communication interface, wherein the at least one processor is configured to retrieve a computer program or instruction stored in a memory through the communication interface to execute the method provided by any one of the above aspects or implementations thereof. The communication interface may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0048] In one implementation, the device further includes the memory.

[0049] In a seventh aspect, a processor is provided for executing the methods provided in the above aspects.

[0050] For the operations such as sending and acquiring / receiving involved in the processor, unless otherwise specified, or if they do not conflict with their actual functions or internal logic in the relevant descriptions, they can be understood as operations such as processor output, reception, and input, or as sending and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and antenna. This application does not limit this.

[0051] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores program code for execution by a device, and the program code includes a method for executing any one of the above aspects or its implementation method.

[0052] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation.

[0053] In a tenth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor and a communication interface, wherein the processor reads instructions stored in a memory through the communication interface and executes the method provided by any of the above aspects or implementations thereof. The communication interface may be implemented in hardware or software.

[0054] Optionally, as an implementation method, the chip also includes a memory, in which a computer program or instruction is stored, and the processor is used to execute the computer program or instruction stored in the memory. When the computer program or instruction is executed, the processor is used to execute the method provided by any of the above aspects or its implementation methods.

[0055] When the method provided in this application is executed by a chip, this application does not limit the number of chips that implement the method. For example, the method can be executed by one chip or by two or more chips. Furthermore, when the number of chips implementing the method of this application is two or more, the chip manufacturers are not limited and can be the same manufacturer or different manufacturers.

[0056] In an eleventh aspect, a communication system is provided, comprising at least one of the production entity or consumption entity described above.

[0057] In a twelfth aspect, a computer program is provided, which, when run on a computer, enables the method provided by any one of the above aspects or its implementation to be executed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of an information object class (IOC).

[0059] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application.

[0060] FIG3 is an example of the effect of the involvement of a consuming entity on the realization of an intent.

[0061] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of a method 400 for managing network management intent provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0062] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of a method 500 for managing network management intent provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0063] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart of a method 600 for managing network management intent provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0064] FIG7 is a schematic flowchart of a method 700 for managing network management intent provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0065] FIG8 is a schematic flowchart of a method 800 for managing network management intent provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0066] FIG9 is a schematic flowchart of a method 900 for managing network management intent provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0067] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] FIG11 is another schematic structural diagram of the device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0069] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a chip system provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070] Before introducing the embodiments of the present application, the following explanation is made.

[0071] "For indicating" or "indicating" can include direct indication and indirect indication, or "for indicating" or "indicating" can be explicitly and / or implicitly indicated. The various digital numbers such as first, second, etc. are only used for the convenience of description and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application, such as distinguishing different messages, different information, etc. "Pre-definition" can be implemented by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other methods that can be used to indicate relevant information in the device. The present application does not limit its specific implementation method. The "protocol" involved may refer to a standard protocol in the field of communications, for example, it may include the long term evolution (LTE) protocol, the new radio (NR) protocol and related protocols used in future communication systems. The present application does not limit this. Words such as "exemplary", "for example", "exemplarily", "as (another) example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as an "example" in this application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. The terms "including", "comprising", "having" and their variations all mean "including but not limited to", unless otherwise specifically emphasized. "At least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and c can mean: a, or b, or c, or a and b, or a and c, or b and c, or a, b and c. Where a, b and c can be single or multiple, respectively. Descriptions of network element A sending a message, information, or data to network element B, or network element B receiving a message, information, or data from network element A, are intended to clarify the network element to which the message, information, or data is sent, and do not limit whether the messages, information, or data are sent directly or indirectly through other network elements. Phrases such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all imply that the device will take appropriate action under certain objective circumstances. They do not specify a time limit, do not require the device to perform a judgment action, and do not imply any other limitations.

[0072] In addition, the network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0073] The technical solution of the present application can be applied to various network function virtualization (NFV) systems. The system can describe the current operator's business technology solutions, network construction solutions, and network operation and maintenance methods as patterns and strategies in a standard formal language, and implement the technical solutions and construction solutions based on these patterns and strategies. For example, the technical solution of the present application can be applied to one or more of the following systems: a wireless intent driven network (wIDN) system, an experiential networked intelligence (ENI) system, an intent driven management service (IDMS) system, or an open network automation platform (ONAP) system.

[0074] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, some terms involved in the embodiments of the present application are first explained.

[0075] 1. Network management, network management services, network management service production entities, and network management service consumption entities

[0076] 1.1 Network Management

[0077] Network management refers to the management of network resources, including but not limited to monitoring, controlling and recording the performance and usage of network resources, and issuing management action groups to network resources (such as devices in the network) based on the detected network conditions to enable the network to operate effectively. For example, network management can be monitoring, testing, configuring, analyzing, evaluating and controlling network resources. Network management can also be timely reporting and handling when a network failure occurs, and coordinating and maintaining the efficient operation of the network system. Among them, network resources are the objects of network management, which can also be called network objects or managed entities. For example, network resources can be base station equipment, routers, switches, core network equipment, etc. In this regard, the embodiments of the present application do not make special limitations. For the convenience of description, the embodiments of the present application are explained using managed entities as an example, but they can be replaced with other objects of network management.

[0078] 1.2 Network Management Services

[0079] A network management service refers to a service that provides network management functions. The service producing entity usually provides the network management functions to the service consuming entity through a network interface (eg, a service-based interface).

[0080] 1.3 Network Management Service Production Entity

[0081] The entity providing the network management service is referred to as the network management service production entity. For example, the capabilities or functions of the network management service production entity may be deployed on a network element, referred to as the network management service production network element. The capabilities or functions of the network management service production entity may also be deployed on other devices, which is not limited in the embodiments of this application. For ease of description, the embodiments of this application use the network management service production entity as an example, but any other device that deploys the capabilities or functions of the network management service production entity may be substituted.

[0082] 1.4 Network Management Service Consumption Entities

[0083] The entity that calls network management is called a network management service consuming entity. For example, the capabilities or functions of the network management service consuming entity can be deployed on a certain network element, which is called a network management service consuming network element. The capabilities or functions of the network management service consuming entity can also be deployed on other devices, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application. For ease of description, this embodiment of the present application uses the network management service consuming entity as an example, but any other device that deploys the capabilities or functions of the network management service consuming entity can be replaced.

[0084] 2. Network Management Intent (abbreviated as Intent)

[0085] A network management intent refers to a demand for network management services by a network management service consuming entity, and may also be referred to as a network management service demand. This term is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, the network management intent may be an optical dedicated line service intent or an energy-saving intent, such as the intent defined in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard specification 28.312.

[0086] In the intent-based interaction scenario of this application, there are two main roles: the network management provider entity and the network management service consumer entity. Among them, the network management provider entity can also be called the network management provider, or the intent provider (intent provider), or the intent handler (intent handler), etc. The network management service consumer entity can also be called the network management service consumer, or the intent consumer (intent consumer), or the intent owner (intent owner), etc.

[0087] Among them, the network management service consumption entity can be the caller of the network management service, and can perform operations such as creating, modifying, deleting, and querying network management intent expressions. It can be configured in a network management system (NMS), an element management system (EMS), or network equipment (NE). It can be a management function, a management function entity, a management entity, a network equipment, a network element, etc. This application does not limit this.

[0088] Intents can be applied to network systems to achieve desired performance targets for specific network devices within a specific scope. Intents can express expectations for network systems through formal specifications and descriptive information. Formal specifications can refer to the intent's specific syntax or semantics, while descriptive information can describe the intent's requirements, goals, and constraints.

[0089] An intent may include at least one intent expectation. Each intent expectation may represent the performance requirement of a network management service consuming entity for a specific network object. An intent expectation may consist of at least one expected target and an expected object, and each expected target may represent the performance requirement of a network management service consuming entity for a specific attribute of the expected object. For example, an intent expectation may include two expected targets, one of which is an average downlink throughput greater than 5 Mbps, and the other is an end-to-end delay less than 10 milliseconds. If the average downlink throughput of the expected object is greater than 5 Mbps, then the expected target for downlink throughput is met. If the end-to-end delay of the expected object is less than 10 milliseconds, then the expected target for delay is met. If both expected targets of an intent expectation are met, then the intent expectation is met. If one or more intent expectations are not met, or one or more expected targets are not met, then the intent is not met. In the embodiments of the present application, the intention, intention expectation or expected goal is met or not met, which can also be described as: the intention, intention expectation or expected goal is achieved or not achieved, the intention, intention expectation or expected goal is realized or not achieved, or the intention, intention expectation or expected goal is achieved or not achieved, etc. The following description will use the method of "the intention, intention expectation or expected goal is achieved or not achieved".

[0090] An intent may also include an intent context. The intent context may represent constraints or conditions imposed by the network management service consumer on the intent. For example, the network management service consumer may constrain the duration of the intent through the intent context.

[0091] Intents may also include an expected context. The expected context may represent the constraints or conditions that a network management service consumer expects for an intent. For example, the network management service consumer may use the expected context to constrain the expected duration of the intent.

[0092] The intent may also include a target context, which may represent the constraints or conditions imposed by the network management service consumer on a desired target. For example, the network management service consumer may constrain the duration of the desired target through the target context.

[0093] The intent may also include an object context, which may indicate constraints or conditions on the network object to be acted upon by the network management service consumer. For example, the network management service consumer may use the object context to indicate the area where the intended network object is located.

[0094] The intent expectation, expected target and intent context introduced above can be used as information elements in the IOC in the intent creation request. The network management service consumer entity can express its demand for network management services by sending the above information elements to the network management service producer entity.

[0095] The information elements in the intent IOC can use a specific structure to express the demand for network management services.

[0096] Exemplarily, FIG1 shows a schematic structural diagram of an intention IOC.

[0097] Referring to Figure 1 , the intent IOC includes an intent expectation and an intent context. The intent expectation includes an expected object, an expected target, and an expected context. The expected object includes an expected object context, and the expected target includes a target context. It is understood that non-contextual information elements (such as intent IOC, intent expectation, expected object, or expected target) can include contextual information elements (such as intent context, expected object context, target context, expected context, etc.), and contextual information elements can be used to constrain non-contextual information elements.

[0098] It is understood that Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of the relationship between attributes in an intent IOC. Based on network management service requirements, the intent IOC may also include other attributes, and this application does not specifically limit this. It is also understood that this application does not specifically limit the number of attributes of the same type. For example, an intent IOC may include one or more parallel intent expectation attributes, and an intent expectation may also include one or more parallel desired target attributes.

[0099] 3. Network Management Intent Template

[0100] The network management intent template refers to the templated description information of the network management intent, which can also be called the network management service requirement template. The embodiment of the present application does not limit this name. The intent template can be used to specify the syntax and semantics of the various attribute expressions introduced above. For example, the intent template can specify the field type, value type, etc. that can be used for each attribute in the IOC. As an example, the intent template can include intent expectation description information for specifying how the intent expectation is expressed. The intent expectation description information can specify the type of expected target attributes that the intent expectation can contain, such as latency, bandwidth, maximum number of users, etc. The intent expectation description information can also specify the field type of each expected target, such as the field type of the expected target for latency is a string, the field type of the expected target for bandwidth is a string, and the field type of the expected target for the maximum number of users is an integer. As another example, the intent template can also include intent context description information that specifies how the intent context and the expected context are expressed. The intent context description information can be used to specify the field type of the intent context, etc., and the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0101] 4. Intent Expression

[0102] In the embodiment of the present application, the intent expression is an information formula that expresses the network management service intent, and can be the instantiation result of the network management intent template. Consumers of network management intent can instantiate the intent IOC according to the intent template to generate an intent expression, and the instantiated intent expression can be used for specific network services. For example, the intent expression can be represented by a list of a set of attribute and value key-value pairs (for example, a set of [attribute, value]) of the network management service intent.

[0103] Exemplarily, the intent expression includes a performance indicator information instance, a network object information instance, and a context information instance.

[0104] For example, a performance indicator information instance may include the value or value range of the target indicator requirement corresponding to the performance indicator information. For example, if the target indicator requirement corresponding to a performance indicator information template includes a bandwidth parameter, a performance indicator information instance may include a bandwidth parameter value of 20 Mbps, or a bandwidth parameter value range of 10 Mbps to 15 Mbps. For example, if the target indicator requirement corresponding to a performance indicator information template includes a latency parameter, a latency parameter instance may include a latency parameter value of 2 s, or a latency parameter value range of 1 s to 5 s.

[0105] The target network object indicated by the network object information instance is the instantiation result of the target network object indicated by the network object information template. Exemplarily, the target network object indicated by the network object information instance is one of the target network objects indicated by the network object information template, i.e., one of the physical or logical entities that implement the network management service. In this case, the network object information instance indicates a specific network object. For example, the network object information template indicates a network service, while the network object information instance indicates an energy-saving service.

[0106] The context information instance is used to indicate the constraints of the network management intent expression. Exemplarily, the context information instance includes the constraint parameters of the network management intent expression. For example, the context information instance may include the source and sink information corresponding to the target network object indicated by the network object instance.

[0107] Intent expectation information instances include performance indicator information instances and network object information instances.

[0108] In the embodiment of the present application, the "intention" transmitted through the message refers to the intention expression.

[0109] 5. Network Management Intent Examples

[0110] A network management intent instance refers to a network management intent processing process created locally by a network management service provider entity based on a received network management intent expression (e.g., a performance indicator information instance, a network object information instance, a context information instance).

[0111] The network management intent processing process is used to process network management intent expressions. For example, the network management intent processing process may include an identifier that identifies the process; computing resources that are used to perform operations such as network management intent translation and database query (e.g., a semantic knowledge base); and storage resources that are used to store network management intent expressions and network management intent translation results.

[0112] Among them, network management intent translation is used to convert the network management intent expression into a corresponding management action group, which can be an instruction acting on a physical entity or a logical entity, such as adjusting the antenna tilt angle of a base station or turning on the energy-saving switch of a cell.

[0113] 6. Network Management Action Group (actions)

[0114] A network management action group is one or more network management actions generated by a network management service producer based on an intent expression. The network management service producer executes one or more network management actions to fulfill the intent of a network management service consumer. A network management action group can also be referred to as a management operation or an intent operation. A network management action group can be a set of operational instructions for a desired object (e.g., a physical or logical entity in the network system intended to act upon), consisting of one or more instructions. For example, adjusting the antenna tilt of a base station or turning on the energy-saving switch of a cell can be performed.

[0115] Based on intent expressions, network management service production entities can generate multiple management action groups. During execution, network management service production entities can select some of these management action groups to execute at a time. In other words, the management action groups generated by network management service production entities based on the translation of intent expressions are optional operations that can be used to achieve the intent. A network management service production entity may select one of these network management action groups to execute in order to achieve the intent, or it may select multiple network management action groups to execute in order to achieve the intent.

[0116] 7. Intent Report

[0117] The intent report is used to describe the intent report information from the network management service production entity to the network management service consumption entity. Based on the intent report, the network management service production entity can provide the network management service consumption entity with some intent-related information, such as information that the network management service consumption entity needs to monitor.

[0118] The intent report IOC may include one or more of an intent fulfillment report (IntentFulfilmentReport), an intent conflict report (IntentConflictReport), or an intent feasibility check report (IntentFeasibilityCheckReport).

[0119] An intent achievement report, which may also be referred to as an intent satisfaction report, an intent realization report or intent realization information, is used to describe the evaluation of the degree of achievement of a specific aspect of the intent of a network management service production entity. An intent achievement report may include achievement information of a specific aspect of the intent, and the achievement information is used to describe the achievement status of a specific aspect, and the achievement status may be achieved or not achieved. A specific aspect may include one or more of an intent, an intent expectation and an expected target, that is, an intent achievement report may include one or more of the intent achievement information (intentFulfilmentInfo), the achievement information of the intent expectation of the intent (expectationfulfilmentInfo) or the achievement information of the expected target of the intent (targetfulfilmentInfo), such as an intent achievement report only including the achievement information of the intent, or an intent achievement report only including the achievement information of the expected target of the intent, or an intent achievement report including the achievement information of the intent, the achievement information of the intent expectation of the intent and the achievement information of the expected target of the intent. For example, an intent includes an intent expectation, which may include an expected target A and an expected target B, where expected target A has been achieved and expected target B has not been achieved. In the intention achievement report, the achievement status of the intention is not achieved, the achievement status of the intention expectation is not achieved, the achievement status of the expected target A is achieved, and the achievement status of the expected target B is not achieved. The intention achievement report may also include the achieved value of the expected target and the optional predicted value of the expected target. The achieved value of the expected target is used to describe the current value of the expected target. The predicted value of the expected target is used to describe the final achieved value of the expected target evaluated by the network management service production entity. Optionally, when the achievement status is not achieved, the intention achievement report may also include the specific status of not achieved. The specific status of not achieved may refer to the stage at which the achievement status occurs, such as the stage at which the intention has just been created, the stage at which the intention is suspended due to a conflict, or the stage at which the action group corresponding to the intention has been executed.

[0120] Intent conflict reports, also known as intent conflict information, describe detected intent conflicts. Intent conflict information includes the conflict type and possible conflict resolution options. Conflict types include, but are not limited to, conflicts between different intents (intent conflict), conflicts between different expectations of the same intent (expectation conflict), and conflicts between different desired targets of the same intent (target conflict).

[0121] An intent feasibility check report, also known as intent feasibility check information, indicates whether an intent is feasible or infeasible. Upon receiving an intent creation or modification request from a network management service consumer, a network management service producer can automatically perform an intent feasibility check, thereby generating an intent feasibility check report.

[0122] A network management service consumer can obtain intent reports from a network management service producer by querying or subscribing. For example, a network management service consumer can query intent reports using the "getMOIAttributeValue" operation to obtain intent reports. Another example is that a network management service consumer can subscribe to the "MOIAttributeValueChanges" notification to obtain intent reports.

[0123] 8. Intent Report Template

[0124] An intent report template refers to the templated description information of an intent report, which is used to specify the syntax and semantics of the intent report. For example, the intent report template can specify the field types or value types that can be used for each attribute in the intent report IOC. As an example, the intent report template can include one or more of the following: intent achievement description information for specifying how the intent achievement report is expressed, intent conflict description information for specifying how the intent conflict report is expressed, and intent feasibility check description information for specifying how the intent feasibility check report is expressed. The intent achievement description information can describe the field types and value types that can be used for each attribute contained in the intent achievement report. For example, the types of the achievement information attribute include intent achievement information, intent expected achievement information, and expected target achievement information. The optional values ​​of the achievement information are achieved or not achieved, and the value type is an integer. For example, the type of the expected target attribute includes throughput, and the value type of the achieved value of the throughput is an integer. The intent conflict description information is used to indicate how the schematic conflict report is expressed, such as the optional attributes and types of each field of the intent conflict. For example, the optional attribute of the intent conflict report is the conflict type, and the conflict types include intent conflict, expectation conflict, and target conflict. The intention feasibility check description information is used to indicate how the intention feasibility check report is presented.

[0125] 9. Intent Report Expression

[0126] The intent report expression is an information formula that expresses the network management service intent report, and can be the instantiation result of the intent report template. The intent report expression contains the network management service consumer entity's demand for monitoring intent and the report information that reflects the current intention achievement status. The network management service production entity can instantiate the intent report IOC according to the intent report template to generate an intent report expression. Exemplarily, the intent report expression includes the achievement information of the current intent and the realization value of the expected target. For example, if the expected target of the intent is a throughput rate > 10Mbps, based on the current intention achievement status, the network management service production entity will report the intent achievement information as: achieved, and the realization value of the expected target is 12Mbps.

[0127] 10. Intent Reporting Example

[0128] An intent report instance is an intent report processing process created locally by a network management service producer based on an intent report expression. An intent report instance can be automatically created by a network management service producer when creating a network management intent. When a network management service producer deletes a network management intent based on a request from a network management service consumer, the intent report instance corresponding to the network management intent is also deleted. Network management service consumers do not create or delete intent report instances.

[0129] The above describes the relevant terms involved in the embodiments of the present application. The following describes the application scenarios applicable to the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with Figure 2.

[0130] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. First, the devices that may be involved in the communication system are described.

[0131] 1. Network Management Service Consuming Entity 210: This entity can be used to invoke management services, or intent services, to manage the network system. For example, the network management service consuming entity 210 can instantiate an intent template, set intent IOCs, generate an intent expression, and send the intent expression to the network management service producing network element 220 to implement expectations for the network system.

[0132] The network management service consumption entity 210 may also be referred to as a network management service consumption network element, a network management service consumer, an intent management service consumer, an intent service consumer, an intent consumer or an intent owner, etc. In future communication systems, the network management service consumption entity may also have other names, which is not specifically limited in this application.

[0133] 2. Network management service production entity 220: can be used to provide management services. For example, the network management service production entity 220 can receive intent expressions from the network management service consumption entity 210 and perform intent translation, intent management, and intent execution and maintenance processes based on the intent expressions.

[0134] The network management service production entity 220 may also be referred to as a network management service production network element, an intent management service provider, an intent service provider, a network management service producer, an intent provider, an intent handler, etc. In future communication systems, the network management service production entity may also have other names, and this application does not specifically limit this.

[0135] The above-mentioned entity can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform). It is understandable that the above-mentioned entity can be implemented by one device, or it can be implemented by multiple devices together. In addition, the above-mentioned entity can also be a functional module within a system, such as a network management system (NMS), an equipment management system (EMS), or a functional module within a device, such as one or more functional modules within a network equipment (NE), and the network equipment can be a base station or a core network element.

[0136] As an example, the network management service consumption entity 210 can be deployed in the NMS, and the network management service production entity 220 can be deployed in different EMSs. The interaction between the network management service consumption entity 210 and the network management service production entity 220 can be carried out through information exchange through the interface between the NMS and the EMS.

[0137] As another example, the network management service consumption entity 210 can be deployed in the EMS, and the network management service production entity 220 can be deployed in different NEs. The interaction between the network management service consumption entity 210 and the network management service production entity 220 can be carried out through information exchange through the interface between the NMS and the EMS.

[0138] Optionally, the above-mentioned communication system may also include other devices or network elements, such as a knowledge base or a digital twin system.

[0139] The solution of the present application can also be applied to other systems including corresponding entities, which is not limited in the present application and is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0140] For the sake of simplicity, the following description will refer to the network management intention as intention, the network management service consumption entity as consumption entity, the network management service production entity as production entity, and the expected goal as goal.

[0141] Currently, consuming entities can implement management operations within the intent lifecycle, such as creating, deleting, modifying, or querying intents, by sending messages to producing entities. When a consuming entity receives an intent report from a producing entity indicating that an intent was not achieved, the consuming entity can intervene in the execution of the intent based on the achievement value of the goal in the intent report, such as performing the following operations:

[0142] 1. When the achieved value of the intent's target is close to the expected value of the target, request the production entity to modify the intent, such as lowering the intent's target or changing the intent's priority.

[0143] 2. When the achieved value of the intent's goal is far from the expected value of the goal, request the production entity to delete the intent.

[0144] The expected value of the target, also known as the target value, is the value that the consumer entity expects the performance indicator related to the target to achieve.

[0145] For example, if the intent goal is to ensure an average downlink throughput > 25 Mbps, and the intent report has a reporting period of 15 minutes, then during the execution of the intent, a conflicting intent is encountered. At the end of the reporting period, the consumer receives the intent report, and the intent achievement information in the intent report is "not achieved." The specific achieved value of the intent goal is 23 Mbps. Because the achieved value of the intent goal is close to the expected value of the intent goal, the consumer can request to modify the intent priority.

[0146] However, the involvement of the consumer entity may result in the failure of the intended purpose to be realized, resulting in a waste of resources for the following reasons:

[0147] 1. Consumer entities have a low tolerance for unrealized intents. After receiving an intent report that indicates an unrealized intent, they are likely to intervene in the execution of the intent prematurely, resulting in the deletion or modification of the intended intent.

[0148] 2. The realization value of the intention target is changing. The realization value of the target in the intention report does not necessarily reflect the actual situation of the intention. The actions taken by the consuming entity based on the realization value of the target may cause the intention that could have been realized to be deleted or modified.

[0149] FIG3 is an example of the effect of the involvement of a consuming entity on the realization of an intent.

[0150] In the example shown in Figure 3, the intent target is to ensure an average downlink throughput of > 25 Mbps, and the intent report period is 15 minutes. During the execution of this intent, an intent conflict occurs. At 15 minutes in, the production entity submits the first intent report, which reports that the intent was not achieved, and the achieved value of the intent target is 18 Mbps, which is significantly different from the expected value of the target. At 30 minutes in, the production entity submits the second intent report, which reports that the intent was not achieved, and the achieved value of the intent target is 22 Mbps, which is close to the expected value of the target.

[0151] If the consuming entity intervenes upon receiving the first intent report, and the difference between the achieved value and the expected value of the goal is large, the consuming entity may choose to delete the intent. If the consuming entity intervenes upon receiving the second intent report, and the achieved value and the expected value are close, the consuming entity may choose to modify the intent, such as by changing the expected value of the intent's goal.

[0152] FIG3 shows Case 1 and Case 2 of intention realization. Case 1 and Case 2 differ from each other starting after 23 minutes.

[0153] Case 1, as shown by the solid line after 23 minutes, represents the realization of the intent without the intervention of the consuming entity. It can be seen that if the consuming entity does not intervene, the intent can be realized under natural execution. Therefore, whether the consuming entity accesses after receiving the first report or the second intention report, the intended intent cannot be realized, resulting in a waste of resources.

[0154] Case 2, shown by the dashed line after 23 minutes, indicates that the intent cannot be achieved under natural execution. However, based on the achieved value in the dashed line, the expected value of the intent's target is modified, and the intent can be achieved. However, if the consuming entity intervenes upon first receiving the intent report and chooses to delete the intent, the intent that could have been achieved after the consuming entity's intervention cannot be achieved, resulting in a waste of resources.

[0155] Combining Cases 1 and 2 above, we can see that the current intent management mechanism can lead to misjudgments, resulting in the failure of previously achievable intents, resulting in wasted resources. For consumer entities, choosing the appropriate time to intervene or manage intent execution is a technical challenge that needs to be addressed.

[0156] In response to the above problems, the present application provides a management method, management method and system for network management intentions, in order to reduce the probability of misjudgment by consumer entities, so that consumer entities can choose the appropriate time to intervene or execute management intentions, thereby reducing resource waste.

[0157] The following describes the method embodiments of the present application.

[0158] FIG4 is a schematic flow chart of a method 400 for managing network management intent provided in this application.

[0159] The method shown in FIG4 can be performed by a production entity and a consumer entity. Unless otherwise specified, "production entity" or "consumer entity" can refer to the production entity or consumer entity itself, or to a device that supports the production entity or consumer entity in performing its functions. For ease of description, the following description uses the production entity and consumer entity. Method 400 includes at least part of the following content.

[0160] Step 401 , the production entity monitors the achieved value of the intended target.

[0161] Intents can be of various types. The type of intent can be related to the goal contained in the intent. For example, the goal of the intent includes a performance indicator value reaching a corresponding performance indicator range. When the performance indicator is a throughput indicator, such as an average downlink throughput greater than or equal to 5 Mbps, the intent can be called a throughput intent; when the performance indicator is an energy saving indicator, such as energy saving greater than or equal to 10 kilowatts, the intent can be called an energy saving intent.

[0162] The achieved value of the intended target, which may also be referred to as the achieved value or current value, corresponds to the intent report. The achieved value of the target carried in a certain intent report is the achieved value of the target when the intent report is generated. The achieved value of the intended target is related to the performance indicator value of the intended managed entity. One relationship between the achieved value of the intended target and the performance indicator value of the intended managed entity may be: the production entity may continuously collect the performance indicator values ​​related to the target at the managed entity, but only the performance indicator value when the intent report is about to be sent is the achieved value of the target, and the intent report carries the performance indicator value (that is, the achieved value of the target). Another relationship between the achieved value of the intended target and the performance indicator value of the intended managed entity may be: the achieved value of the target is obtained by observing and calculating the performance indicator values ​​related to the target of the managed entity over a period of time.

[0163] The production entity monitors the achieved value of its intended target, which can also be described as the production entity monitoring, evaluating, or detecting the achieved value of its intended target. The production entity monitors the achieved value of its intended target, which can be understood as the production entity continuously collecting or sampling performance indicators related to the target at the intended managed entity, and deriving the achieved value of the target based on the collected or sampled performance indicators.

[0164] In step 402, the production entity sends an intention report to the consumption entity. Accordingly, the consumption entity receives the intention report from the production entity.

[0165] Among them, the intention report is used to indicate that the stable achievement value of the intended goal fails to achieve the intended goal.

[0166] A stable achievement value of an intended goal may mean that the achievement value of the intended goal is stable. If the performance indicator value associated with the intended goal remains within a preset range within a preset time period, the achievement value of the intended goal is stable; otherwise, the achievement value of the intended goal is unstable. A stable achievement value of the intended goal may be considered reliable, trustworthy, or usable.

[0167] The stable realization value of the intended target may include: the realization value of the intended target when all action groups for the intent have taken effect, and / or the realization value of the intended target when the performance indicator value of the managed entity of the intent continues to be within a first range within a first observation period. Among them, the description of the action group can refer to the term explanation part, the first observation period is the observation period required to determine the stability of the realization value of the intended target, and the first range is the fluctuation range that needs to be met for the stability of the realization value of the intended target, or the fluctuation range that needs to be met for the stability of the realization value of the intended target. All action groups for the intent have taken effect, which can also be replaced by: the last action group for the intent has taken effect.

[0168] The production entity may also determine whether the achieved value of the intended target is stable. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation method.

[0169] In one possible implementation, the production entity can determine whether all action groups for the intent have taken effect. When all action groups for the intent have taken effect, the realization value of the intent's target is stable; otherwise, the realization value of the intent's target is unstable. In other words, the production entity can determine whether the realization value of the intent's target is stable based on whether all action groups for the intent have been executed and whether they have taken effect. For example, in order to ensure the smooth progress of an important video conference, it is necessary to ensure high-definition and smooth video conferences. The goal 1 of the performance assurance intent is to ensure a throughput greater than 25Mbps. There are two action groups for this performance assurance intent. Before the two action groups are executed and take effect, the relevant performance indicator values ​​of goal 1 are constantly changing, so the realization value of goal 1 is in an unstable state; after the two action groups are executed, since no new action groups will be executed, the relevant performance indicator values ​​of goal 1 gradually tend to be stable. After a period of time (that is, after the action groups take effect), the relevant performance indicator values ​​of goal 1 become stable, that is, the realization value of goal 1 is stable.

[0170] There are many ways to determine whether the intended action group has taken effect. For example, the production entity can determine whether the intended action group has taken effect by determining whether the performance indicator value of the intended managed entity continues to be within the first range during the first observation period. For example, if the performance indicator value related to the intention continues to be within the first range during the first observation period, the production entity determines that the intended action group has taken effect; otherwise, the production entity determines that the intended action group has not taken effect.

[0171] Another possible implementation method is that the production entity can determine whether the performance indicator value of the intended managed entity continues to be within the first range during the first observation period. When the performance indicator value of the intended managed entity continues to be within the first range during the first observation period, the achieved value of the intended target is stable; otherwise, the achieved value of the intended target is unstable. For example, in order to ensure the smooth progress of an important video conference, it is necessary to ensure high-definition and smooth video conferences. Target 1 of the performance assurance type intention is to ensure a throughput greater than 25Mbps. The first observation period is 3 minutes, and the first range is 10%. If the fluctuation of the performance indicator related to Target 1 is within the range of 10% during the first observation period, the achieved value of Target 1 is stable. For another example, the energy-saving type intention includes Target 2. Target 2 is to ensure that the energy consumption is less than 1000kw. The first observation period is 10 minutes, and the first range is 5%. If the fluctuation of the performance indicator value related to Target 2 is within the range of 5% during the first observation period, the achieved value of Target 2 is stable.

[0172] It should be noted that when an intent includes multiple targets, each target may correspond to a first observation duration and a first range, and the first observation durations and / or first ranges corresponding to different targets may be the same or different. For example, a performance assurance intent includes target 1 and target 2, target 1 is to ensure a throughput greater than 25Mbps, target 2 is to ensure a latency less than 10ms, the first observation duration corresponding to target 1 is 3 minutes and the first range is 10%, the first observation duration corresponding to target 2 is 5 minutes and the first range is 8%. For another example, a performance assurance intent includes target 1 and target 2, target 1 is to ensure a throughput greater than 25Mbps, target 2 is to ensure a latency less than 10ms, the first observation durations corresponding to targets 1 and 2 are 3 minutes and the first range is 10%.

[0173] The above-mentioned first observation duration and / or first range can be defined by the consumer entity or obtained by the producer through historical experience and is not limited.

[0174] The above definition of "the achieved value of the intended goal is stable" is only an example, and other definitions are also possible, as long as "the achieved value of the intended goal is stable" means that the achieved value of the intended goal will not change too much within a period of time, and the achieved value is reliable, credible or available.

[0175] If the achievement value of the intended goal is stable, it means that the intention is stable. If the achievement value of the intended goal is unstable, it means that the intention is unstable. Therefore, "the achievement value of the intended goal is stable" can also be described as "stable intention."

[0176] For the case where the first observation duration and / or the first range can be defined by a consuming entity, the method 400 may further include step 403 , which is as follows.

[0177] Optionally, in step 403, the consuming entity sends first information to the producing entity, and the producing entity receives the first information from the consuming entity. The first information indicates the first observation duration and / or the first range. It should be noted that the first information may also indicate other information used to determine whether the achieved value of the intended target is stable, without limitation.

[0178] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the manner in which the consuming entity sends the first information to the producing entity.

[0179] In one possible implementation, the consumer entity may send the first information as separate information to the producer entity.

[0180] In another possible implementation manner, the consumer entity may send a first message to the producer entity, where the first message includes first information.

[0181] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the message type of the first message, and the first message can be any message related to intent management.

[0182] Exemplarily, the first message can be used to create or request the creation of an intent. For example, the first message is an intent creation request message. When the first message is used to create or request the creation of an intent, there are many ways for the first message to carry the first information, which are not limited. In one possible implementation, the first message can include an intent and the first information, wherein the intent can be expressed as an instantiated intent IOC (as shown in FIG1 ). In another possible implementation, the first message can include an intent, and the intent includes the first information, wherein the intent can be expressed as an instantiated intent IOC (as shown in FIG1 ). For example, the intent IOC corresponding to the intent includes an intent expectation and an intent context, and the intent context includes the first information. For another example, the intent IOC corresponding to the intent includes an intent expectation, the intent expectation includes an expectation context, and the expectation context includes the first information. For another example, the intent IOC corresponding to the intent includes an intent expectation, the intent expectation includes an expected target, the expected target includes a target context, and the target context includes the first information. For the case where the first message is used to create or request the creation of an intent, after receiving the first message, the production entity can create the intent based on the first message, and the subsequent production entity can determine whether the realization value of the intent's target is stable based on the first information.

[0183] Exemplarily, the first message can be used to modify or request modification of the intent. For example, the first message is an intent modification request message. When the first message is used to modify or request modification of the intent, there are many ways for the first message to carry the first information, which are not limited. In one possible implementation, the first message may include an identifier of the intent and the first information. In another possible implementation, the first message may include an identifier of the intended target of the intent and the first information. In another possible implementation, the first message may include an identifier of the intended target of the intent and the first information. In another possible implementation, if the first message implements the modification function by carrying a modified intent IOC, then the first information may also be included in the intent IOC of the intent. In the case where the first message is used to modify or request modification of the intent, the production entity can modify the already created intent based on the first message, and the subsequent production entity can determine whether the realization value of the target of the modified intent is stable based on the first information.

[0184] Exemplarily, the first message may be a subscription request message. The subscription request message may be sent with an intent to create a request message or an intent to modify a request message, that is, the subscription request message is included in the intent to create a request message or the intent to modify a request message. The subscription request message may be sent separately after the intent to create a request message or the intent to modify a request message.

[0185] Exemplarily, the first message may be a query request message.

[0186] There are many ways in which the intent report indicates that the stable realization value of the intended target fails to achieve the intended target, which can be indicated directly by carrying corresponding information elements or indirectly.

[0187] For the direct indication method, illustratively, the intention report may include information on achievement of the intended goal, the realized value of the intended goal, and stability information of the realized value of the intended goal, wherein the information on achievement of the intended goal is used to indicate that the intended goal has not been achieved, and the stability information of the realized value of the intended goal is used to indicate whether the realized value of the intended goal is stable. That is, compared to the existing intention report, the intention report of the embodiment of the present application may additionally carry stability information of the realized value of the intended goal. In method 400, the stability information of the realized value of the intended goal is used to indicate that the realized value of the intended goal is stable. The implementation method of the intention report additionally carrying the stability information of the realized value of the intended goal will be described in detail below in conjunction with FIG. 5 .

[0188] For the indirect indication method, for example, when the production entity sends an intention report only when the stable realization value of the intended target fails to achieve the intended target, the intention report may include the achievement information of the intended target and the realization value of the intended target. The intention report itself may indicate that the realization value of the intended target is stable, or in other words, sending or receiving the intention report means that the realization value of the intended target is stable.

[0189] There are many ways to trigger a production entity to send an intent report.

[0190] In one possible implementation, the production entity may periodically send an intent report to the consumer entity, that is, the arrival of a reporting period will trigger the production entity to send an intent report. The reporting period for the production entity to report the intent report may be pre-configured or pre-defined, or may be determined by the producer through historical experience, or may be provided by the consumer entity, without limitation. In the case where the consumer entity provides the reporting period to the production entity, a possible implementation is for the consumer entity to send a subscription message to the production entity, where the subscription message includes period information, and the period information is used to indicate the period for reporting the intent report.

[0191] In another possible implementation, the production entity may send an intent report based on a request from the consumer entity. Compared to periodically reporting intent reports, this approach helps reduce the signaling overhead associated with reporting intent reports. In this case, the method 400 may further include step 404, which is as follows.

[0192] Optionally, in step 404, the consumer entity sends request information to the producer entity, and correspondingly, the producer entity receives the request information from the consumer entity.

[0193] The request information is used to request the production entity to send an intention report. For example, the request information may include the intention or an identifier of the intention, wherein the identifier of the intention is information that can uniquely identify the intention, such as the name or number of the intention (identifier (ID) or distinguished name (DN)).

[0194] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the manner in which the consumer entity sends request information to the producer entity.

[0195] In one possible implementation, the consuming entity may send the request information as separate information to the producing entity.

[0196] In another possible implementation, the consuming entity may send a second message to the producing entity, where the second message includes request information. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the message type of the second message. The second message may be any message related to intent management, such as a message for creating or requesting the creation of an intent (such as an intent creation request message), a message for modifying or requesting the modification of an intent (such as an intent modification request message), a subscription request message, or a query request message, etc. For a specific description, please refer to the first message.

[0197] Optionally, the request information may also include indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate that an intention report should be sent when the stable realization value of the intended target fails to achieve the intended target. In other words, the consumer entity may require the production entity to send an intention report to it when the stable realization value of the intended target fails to achieve the intended target, and may not send the intention report to it when the stable realization value of the intended target achieves the intended target, and / or when the realization value of the intended target is not stable and fails to achieve the intended target. In this case, the production entity may send an intention report to the consumer entity when it determines that the stable realization value of the intended target fails to achieve the intended target based on the received indication information. For the case where the request information includes indication information, the intention report itself may indicate that the realization value of the intended target is stable, or that sending or receiving the intention report means that the realization value of the intended target is stable, or that the stability of the realization value of the intended target is indirectly indicated by the request information sent by the consumer entity requesting the intention report, and if the intention report includes the realization value of the intended target, the realization value is always stable.

[0198] In an embodiment of the present application, a consuming entity may obtain an intent report from a producing entity in a subscription-based manner.

[0199] The subscription may be an explicit subscription. For example, the consuming entity subscribes to the intent report via a separate subscription request message, and the subscription request message includes the aforementioned indication information. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the manner in which the subscription request message carries the indication information. For example, the subscription request message may include a subscription IOC (such as an NtfSubscriptionControl IOC), and the subscription IOC includes the aforementioned indication information. For another example, the subscription request message may directly include the indication information.

[0200] The subscription can also be an implicit subscription. Exemplarily, the indication information can be sent with other intent management-related messages, such as the indication information can be included in an intent creation request message or an intent modification request message. Taking the indication information included in the intent creation request message as an example, the intent creation request message can include the intent IOC and the indication information; or, the intent creation request message can include the intent, and the intent includes the indication information, such as the indication information can be included in the intent context, the expected context or the target context. Taking the indication information included in the intent modification request message as an example, the intent modification request message can include: the identifier and indication information of the intent, the identifier and indication information of the intended intent, or the identifier and indication information of the expected target of the intent; or, the intent modification request message can include the modified intent, and the modified intent includes the indication information.

[0201] It should be noted that the request information and the first information can be sent through the same message or through different messages. When the request information and the first information are sent through the same message, the first message and the second message are the same message, and step 403 and step 404 are the same step.

[0202] Step 405: The consumer entity reports the management intent according to the received intent.

[0203] In one possible implementation, the production entity may modify or delete the intent based on the received intent report.

[0204] Exemplarily, the production entity may send a first request message to the production entity based on the received intention report, where the first request message is used to request the production entity to delete the intention.

[0205] Exemplarily, the production entity may send a second request message to the production entity based on the received intention report, where the second request message is used to request the production entity to modify the intention.

[0206] In one possible implementation, an intent report is used to indicate that the intended target has not been achieved, as well as the stable achieved value of the intended target. The production entity can determine to modify or delete the intent based on the stable achieved value of the intended target and the expected value of the target. The expected value of the target, also known as the target value, is the value that the consumer entity expects the performance indicator related to the target to achieve. For example, a performance assurance intent includes target 1, which guarantees a throughput greater than 25 Mbps. The expected value of the throughput related to target 1 is 25 Mbps. At 30 minutes, the throughput of target 1 is 24.8 Mbps. Therefore, the achieved value of target 1 at 30 minutes is 24.8 Mbps.

[0207] Exemplarily, when the difference between the stable achieved value of the intended target and the expected value of the intended target is greater than a first threshold, the consuming entity sends a first request message to the producing entity.

[0208] For example, goal 1 of a performance assurance intent is to ensure a throughput greater than 25Mbps. During the execution of this intent, this intent conflicts with other intents. The production entity immediately reports the occurrence of the conflict and attempts to resolve the conflict by switching the action group. After trying all action groups for this intent, the achieved value of goal 1 is 5Mbps. Goal 1 of this intent has not been achieved and the achieved value of goal 1 of this intent has stabilized. The production entity can send an intent report to the consumer entity to report to the consumer entity that goal 1 of this intent has not been achieved and the achieved value of goal 1 is 5Mbps. Since the gap between 5Mbps and the expected value of 25Mbps is too large, the consumer entity believes that this intent cannot be achieved and can delete this intent.

[0209] Exemplarily, when the difference between the stable achieved value of the intended target and the expected value of the intended target is less than or equal to a first threshold, the consuming entity sends a second request message to the producing entity.

[0210] Modifying an intent includes one or more of the following operations: lowering the expected value of the target that the intent did not achieve, replacing the action group for the intent, or increasing the priority of the intent. For example, when the stable achieved value of the intent's target is close to the expected value of the target, the consuming entity can request to lower the expected value of the intent's target. For example, when there is a certain gap between the stable achieved value of the intent's target and the expected value of the target, the consuming entity can request to replace the action group for the intent or increase the priority of the intent.

[0211] For example, the intent report received by the producing entity indicates that the intended target 1 was not achieved and the achieved value of the intended target 1 was 24.8 Mbps. Since 24.8 Mbps is close to 25 Mbps, the consuming entity can accept this achieved value, so the consuming entity can lower the target 1 to 24.8 Mbps.

[0212] For example, the producer receives an intent report indicating that target 1 was not achieved and that the actual value of target 1 was 22 Mbps. Since 22 Mbps is slightly different from 25 Mbps, the consumer can request to change the action group for the intent or increase the priority of the intent.

[0213] In method 400, a producing entity can indicate to a consuming entity that the stable achieved value of the intended target has failed to achieve the intended target. The intent report indicates the stable achieved value of the intended target. Compared to prior art intent reports that simply indicate the achieved value of the intended target, the consuming entity can be informed that the achieved value of the intended target is stable and reliable. Based on this stable and reliable achieved value, the consuming entity can choose an appropriate time to intervene or manage the execution of the intent, thereby reducing the probability of misjudgment and thus reducing resource waste.

[0214] The following describes, in conjunction with FIG5 , an implementation method in which the intent report additionally carries stable information about the achieved value of the intent target.

[0215] FIG5 is a schematic flowchart of a method 500 for managing network management intent provided in this application.

[0216] The method shown in FIG5 can be performed by a production entity and a consumer entity. Unless otherwise specified, "production entity" or "consumer entity" can refer to the production entity or consumer entity itself, or to a device that supports the production entity or consumer entity in performing its functions. For ease of description, the following description uses the production entity and consumer entity. Method 500 includes at least part of the following content.

[0217] In step 501 , the production entity monitors the achievement of the intended target. Step 501 may refer to step 401 .

[0218] In step 502, the production entity sends an intention report to the consumption entity. Accordingly, the consumption entity receives the intention report from the production entity.

[0219] Among them, the intention report is used to indicate that the achieved value of the target of the diagram fails to achieve the intended target, and the stability information, and the stability information is used to indicate whether the achieved value of the target of the diagram is stable. Exemplarily, the intention report may include achievement information, the achieved value of the intended target, and stability information, wherein the achievement information is used to indicate whether the target of the diagram is achieved, and the achievement information may include one or more of the achievement information of the intention, the achievement information of the intended intention expectation, or the achievement information of the target of the intention, such as the intention realization report only includes the achievement information of the intention, and the intention realization report only includes the achievement information of the intended target, and the intention realization report includes the achievement information of the intention, the achievement information of the intended intention expectation, and the achievement information of the target of the intention.

[0220] In an embodiment of the present application, a consumer entity may add a stability attribute to the intent report IOC. Specifically, the intent report template configured by the consumer entity for the production entity may specify that the stability attribute be included in the intent report IOC. The stability attribute is used to describe whether the achieved value of the intended target is stable. In this way, when the production entity determines the intent report based on the intent report IOC, the intent report may not only indicate whether the achieved value of the intended target fails to achieve the intended target, but also whether the achieved value of the intended target is stable.

[0221] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the implementation method of the production entity determining whether the achieved value of the intent target is stable. A detailed description can be made with reference to step 402. It should be noted that when the consumer entity defines the first observation duration and / or first range used by the production entity to determine whether the action group of the intent has taken effect or determine whether the achieved value of the intent target is stable, method 500 may further include step 503. Step 503 is as follows.

[0222] Optionally, in step 503, the consuming entity sends first information to the producing entity, and the producing entity receives the first information from the consuming entity. The first information indicates the first observation duration and / or the first range. It should be noted that the first information may also indicate other information used to determine whether the achieved value of the intended target is stable, without limitation. Step 503 may refer to step 403.

[0223] There are many ways to trigger the production entity to send the intention report, and a detailed description can be found in step 403. It should be noted that when the production entity sends the intention report based on the request of the consumer entity, the method 500 may further include step 504, which is as follows.

[0224] Optionally, in step 504, the consuming entity sends a request message to the producing entity, and the producing entity receives the request message from the consuming entity. Step 504 may refer to step 404, except that the request message in step 504 does not include instruction information for instructing to send an intent report when the stable achieved value of the intended target fails to achieve the intended target. Thus, when the intent report is sent, the achieved value of the intended target may or may not have stabilized, and this situation can be indicated to the consuming entity through the stability information in the intent report.

[0225] Step 505: The consumer entity reports the management intent according to the received intent.

[0226] A possible implementation method is that the consumer entity manages the intent based on the received intent report, including: when the intent report indicates that the realization value of the intent's target fails to achieve the intent's target and the realization value of the intent's target has stabilized, the consumer entity performs a first management on the intent, wherein the first management includes intervening in the execution of the intent; and / or, when the intent report indicates that the realization value of the intent's target fails to achieve the intent's target and the realization value of the intent's target is not stable, the consumer entity does not intervene in the execution of the intent. In other words, when the realization value of the intent's target is stable, that is, the realization value of the target indicated by the intent report is stable and reliable, the consumer entity can intervene in the execution of the intent; when the realization value of the intent's target is not stable, that is, the realization value of the target indicated by the intent report is unreliable, in order to avoid misjudgment, the consumer entity will not intervene in the execution of the intent at this time.

[0227] When the realization value of the target indicated by the intent report fails to achieve the intended target and the realization value of the intended target has stabilized, the consumer entity intervenes in the execution of the intent. For details, please refer to the implementation method of the consumer entity managing the intent based on the received intent report in step 405, which will not be described in detail.

[0228] In method 500, the production entity can inform the consumer entity whether the realization value of the intended target is stable and reliable by providing stable information about the realization value of the intended target in the intent report, thereby assisting the consumer entity in making decisions and helping the consumer entity to choose the appropriate time to intervene or manage the execution of the intent, thereby reducing the probability of misjudgment by the consumer entity and reducing resource waste.

[0229] In other embodiments of the present application, when the intent report indicates that the achieved value of the intended goal has failed to reach the intended goal and the achieved value of the intended goal has not stabilized, the intent report can also be used to indicate the estimated time for the achieved value of the intended goal to reach stability. In this case, method 500 can also include step 505, which is as follows.

[0230] Optionally, in step 505, the production entity obtains an estimated time duration for the realization value of the intended target to reach stability.

[0231] The embodiments of the present application do not limit the implementation method of the estimated time length for the realization value of the production entity's acquisition intention target to reach stability.

[0232] In one possible implementation, the production entity may obtain the estimated duration from the first network element. The first network element may estimate the estimated duration for the achieved value of the unstable target to reach stability based on at least one of the following information: the latest statistical data of network or service performance indicators, historical experience (such as estimated time based on experience), the current status of network resource utilization and availability, or prediction results based on a network simulation system. Exemplarily, the first network element is a knowledge base or a digital twin system, or the first network element is a network element deployed with a knowledge base and / or a digital twin system.

[0233] Optionally, method 500 may further include: after the intended target achievement value reaches stability, the production entity updates the time duration for the target achievement value to reach stability to the first network element for reference in future estimation of the estimated time duration for the target achievement value to reach stability.

[0234] When the intent report is also used to indicate the above-mentioned estimated duration, the consuming entity can refer to the estimated duration for achieving the intent's target when managing the intent, that is, the consuming entity can manage the intent based on the estimated duration for achieving the intent's target.

[0235] The embodiments of the present application provide a method for a consumer entity to manage an intent based on a stable estimated duration to achieve the target value of the intent. In one possible implementation, when the estimated duration is less than or equal to a duration threshold, the consumer entity does not intervene in the execution of the intent; and / or, when the estimated duration is greater than the duration threshold, the consumer entity may perform a first management of the intent, wherein the first management includes intervening in the execution of the intent. For details, please refer to the implementation method of the consumer entity managing the intent based on the received intent report in step 405, which will not be described in detail.

[0236] It should be noted that when the intention report indicates the estimated time for the realization value of the intended target to reach a stable state, the intention report can explicitly indicate whether the realization value of the intended target is stable through stability information, or it can indirectly indicate whether the realization value of the intended target is stable by indicating the estimated time. For example, if the intention report indicates the estimated time, it indicates that the realization value of the intended target is not stable; if the intention report does not indicate the estimated time, it indicates that the realization value of the intended target is stable.

[0237] Based on the above estimated time, the consumer entity can be assisted to further determine whether it needs to wait, which helps to reduce the probability of misjudgment by the consumer entity and thus reduce resource waste.

[0238] The following takes the example of carrying request information in a subscription message and sending the subscription request message separately after the intent creation request message as an example, and describes in detail the scheme in which the consumer entity requests the production entity to send an intent report when the stable realization value of the intent target fails to achieve the intent target in method 400.

[0239] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of a method 600 for managing network management intents, as provided herein. Method 600 allows consuming entities to immediately obtain information that the intended goal has not been achieved and that the achieved value of the intended goal has stabilized. The "intent service consumer" in method 600 may correspond to the consuming entity described above, and the "intent service producer" may correspond to the producing entity described above.

[0240] Step 601: The intent service consumer configures an intent report template for the intent service producer.

[0241] Optionally, the intent report template may specify that the intent report IOC include a stability attribute.

[0242] The stability attribute is used to describe whether the intention is stable and can include two states:

[0243] 1) Not Stable: The stability attribute remains "not stable" until the intent service producer determines that the realization value of the relevant goal is stable. For example, it remains "not stable" until the intent is realized and the action group of the intent is not fully executed.

[0244] 2) Stable: When the intent service producer determines that the realization value of the relevant goal is stable, the stability attribute becomes "stable". For example, when the intent is not realized and the action group of the intent is not fully executed and effective, the stability attribute becomes "stable".

[0245] Whether the intention is not stable or the intention is stable can refer to the relevant description of whether the realization value of the intention target in step 401 is stable, which will not be detailed here.

[0246] It should be noted that step 601 is performed during the first configuration.

[0247] Step 602: The intent service consumer requests the intent service producer to create an intent, and the intent service producer creates and executes the intent.

[0248] Specifically, the intent service consumer can send an intent creation request message to the intent service producer. The intent service producer can create an intent (i.e., an intent instance) based on the request of the intent service consumer, and send an intent creation response message to the intent service consumer after creating the intent. Subsequently, the intent service producer can perform a feasibility check on the intent, and start executing the intent after the feasibility check passes. The execution of the intent by the intent service producer may refer to the execution of network management tasks, service management tasks, or network management action groups, such as deployment or configuration parameters. Taking the performance assurance type intent as an example, in order to ensure the smooth progress of important video conferences, it is necessary to ensure high-definition and smooth video conferences. The goal 1 of the performance assurance type intent is to ensure a throughput greater than 25Mbps. The evaluation period of the intent implementation status is 15 minutes. The network management tasks, service management tasks, or network management action groups of the performance assurance type intent may include changing the parameters of the base station, such as reducing the number of physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) symbols.

[0249] For example, the intent service consumer may be the information technology (IT) system independently developed by the customer, and the intent service producer may be the manufacturer's equipment network management, such as the mobile broadband automation engine (MAE).

[0250] In step 603, the intent service consumer sends a subscription request message to the intent service producer. Correspondingly, the intent service producer receives the subscription request message from the intent service consumer.

[0251] Among them, the subscription request message is used to subscribe to the intent report, and the subscription request message includes instruction information for instructing the production entity to send the intent report when the stable realization value of the intent target fails to achieve the intent target, that is, the intent service consumer subscribes to the intent service producer: send the intent report when the stable realization value of the intent target fails to achieve the intent target.

[0252] Step 604 , the intent service producer evaluates the intent.

[0253] Specifically, the intent service producer continuously evaluates the achievement of the intent goal and the stability of the realization value of the intent goal. The manner in which the intent service producer evaluates the stability of the realization value of the intent goal can refer to the manner in which the intent service producer determines whether the realization value of the intent goal is stable in step 402.

[0254] Step 605: If it is determined that the intent target has not been achieved and the realization value of the intent target has stabilized, the intent service producer sends an intent report to the intent service consumer, and accordingly, the intent service consumer receives the intent report from the intent service producer.

[0255] Among them, the intention report is used to indicate that the stable achievement value of the intended goal fails to achieve the intended goal.

[0256] Optionally, the intent report is also used to refer to the stability information of the achieved value of the target of the schematic diagram. In this case, the stability information is used to refer to the stability of the achieved value of the target of the schematic diagram. For example, when the intent report IOC includes the stability attribute, the intent report also includes the stability information of the achieved value of the intended target.

[0257] For example, to ensure the smooth progress of an important video conference, it is necessary to ensure high-definition and smooth video conferencing. The goal 1 of the performance assurance intent is to ensure a throughput greater than 25Mbps. During the execution of this intent, this intent conflicts with other intents. The intent service producer immediately reports the occurrence of the conflict and attempts to resolve the conflict by switching action groups. After trying all action groups for the intent, the achieved value of goal 1 is 24.8Mbps. The goal 1 of the intent was not achieved and the achieved value of goal 1 is stable. The intent service producer can send an intent report to the intent service consumer to report to the intent service consumer that the goal 1 of the intent was not achieved, the achieved value of goal 1 is 24.8Mbps, and the optional achieved value of goal 1 is stable.

[0258] Step 606: The intent service consumer manages the intent according to the received intent report.

[0259] Step 606 may refer to step 405 and will not be described in detail.

[0260] In method 600, the intent service consumer can request the intent service producer to send an intent report to it when the intent target has not been achieved and the target's realization value has stabilized. In this case, the target's realization value indicated by the intent report received by the intent service consumer is always stable and reliable. The intent service consumer manages intents based on stable and reliable realization values, which helps it choose the appropriate time to intervene or manage the execution of intents, thereby helping to reduce the probability of misjudgment and thus reduce resource waste.

[0261] The following describes in detail the solution of the intention report in methods 400 and 500 in which the intention report additionally carries the stable information of the achievement value of the intention target, taking the periodic reporting of the intention report by the production entity as an example.

[0262] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of a method 700 for managing network management intent provided by this application. In Figure 7, the "intent service consumer" may correspond to the consumer entity described above, and the "intent service producer" may correspond to the producer entity described above. The relevant descriptions may be referenced or interlinked.

[0263] Step 701: The intent service consumer configures an intent report template for the intent service producer.

[0264] The intent report template may specify that the intent report IOC includes a stability attribute. Step 701 may refer to step 601.

[0265] Step 702: The intent service consumer requests the intent service producer to create an intent, and the intent service producer creates and executes the intent.

[0266] Step 702 can refer to step 602, except that the intent creation request message sent by the intent service producer can carry the period for reporting intent reports. Of course, the period for reporting intent reports can also be provided to the intent service producer through other messages, such as subscription request messages, instead of being carried in the intent creation request message.

[0267] Step 703: The intent service producer evaluates the intent. Step 703 may refer to step 604 and will not be described in detail here.

[0268] Depending on the intent service producer's evaluation of the intent, the following two situations may occur.

[0269] Case 1: The goal of the intention has been achieved, that is, the intention has been achieved

[0270] In this case, step 704 may be performed, which is as follows.

[0271] In step 704, if the intent service producer determines that all goals of the intent have been achieved, the intent service producer sends an intent report to the intent service consumer. The intent service consumer receives the intent report from the intent service producer. The intent report indicates whether the achieved values ​​of the intent's goals have achieved the intended goals. For example, the intent report includes achievement information and the achieved values ​​of the intent's goals. The achievement information indicates that the intended goals have been achieved or that the intent has been achieved.

[0272] Case 2: The intended goal is not achieved, that is, the intention is not achieved

[0273] In this case, steps 705 and 706 may be performed, and steps 705 and 706 are as follows.

[0274] Step 705: If the intent service producer determines that the intent goal is not achieved, the intent service producer sends an intent report to the intent service consumer. Correspondingly, the intent service consumer receives the intent report from the intent service producer.

[0275] Among them, the intention report is not only used to indicate that the achieved value of the intended target has not achieved the intended target, but also used to indicate the stability information of the achieved value of the intended target. The stability information is used to indicate whether the achieved value of the intended target is stable.

[0276] For example, to ensure the smooth progress of an important video conference, it is necessary to ensure high-definition and smooth video conferences. The goal 1 of the performance assurance intent is to ensure a throughput greater than 25Mbps. The intent service producer periodically (such as every 15 minutes) reports the intent report to the intent service consumer. Before the action group for the intent is executed, the evaluation result of the intent is that the intent's goal 1 is not achieved and the realization value of the intent's goal 1 has stabilized. The intent report reported by the intent service producer is used to indicate that the intent's goal 1 is not achieved, the realization value of goal 1, and the realization value of goal 1 is not stable; when a reporting cycle arrives after the action group for the intent is executed and takes effect, the evaluation result of the intent is that the intent's goal 1 is not achieved, the realization value of goal 1 is 24.8Mbps, and the realization value of goal 1 is stable. The intent report reported by the intent service producer to the intent service consumer is used to indicate that the intent's goal 1 is not achieved, the realization value of goal 1 is 24.8Mbps, and the realization value of target 1 is stable.

[0277] Step 706 : The intent service consumer manages the intent according to the intent report.

[0278] Step 706 may refer to step 505 and will not be described in detail.

[0279] In method 700, a stability attribute can be added to the intent report template to describe whether the achieved value of the intent's goal is stable. When the intent's goal is not achieved, the reported intent report can indicate the stability of the achieved value of the schematic's goal, allowing the intent service consumer to know whether the achieved value of the goal indicated in the intent report is stable and reliable. This information can help the consumer entity make decisions based on the information, helping to choose the appropriate time to intervene or manage the execution of the intent, thereby helping to reduce the probability of misjudgment and increase the probability of achieving the intent while also reducing resource waste.

[0280] Taking the periodic reporting of intention reports by production entities as an example, the scheme in which the intention report in method 500 additionally carries stability information of the achieved value of the intention target and the estimated time length for the achieved value of the intention target to reach stability is described in detail below.

[0281] Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of a method 800 for managing network management intent provided by this application. The "estimated stabilization time" in Figure 8 can correspond to the "estimated time" in method 500, the "intent service consumer" can correspond to the consumer entity described above, and the "intent service producer" can correspond to the producer entity described above. The relevant descriptions can be referenced or compared to each other. Figure 8 uses the example of an intent service producer obtaining an estimated time from a knowledge base.

[0282] Step 801: The intent service consumer configures an intent report template for the intent service producer.

[0283] The intent report template may specify that the intent report IOC includes a stability attribute and an estimated stable time (predictStableTime). The stability attribute is used to describe whether the achieved value of the intent target is stable. The description of the stability attribute can refer to step 601. The estimated stable time is used to describe the estimated time when the stability attribute of the achieved value of the intent target becomes stable.

[0284] It should be noted that step 801 is performed during the first configuration.

[0285] Step 802: The intent service consumer requests the intent service producer to create an intent, and the intent service producer creates and executes the intent.

[0286] Step 802 can refer to step 602, except that the intent creation request message sent by the intent service producer can carry the period for reporting intent reports. Of course, the period for reporting intent reports can also be provided to the intent service producer through other messages, such as subscription request messages, instead of being carried in the intent creation request message.

[0287] In step 803 , the intent service producer evaluates the intent. Step 803 may refer to step 604 .

[0288] Depending on the intent service producer's evaluation of the intent, the following two situations may occur.

[0289] Case 1: The intended goal has been achieved

[0290] In this case, step 804 may be performed, which is as follows.

[0291] In step 804, if the intent service producer determines that all goals of the intent have been achieved, the intent service producer sends an intent report to the intent service consumer. The intent service consumer receives the intent report from the intent service producer. The intent report indicates whether the achieved values ​​of the intent's goals have achieved the intended goals. For example, the intent report includes achievement information and the achieved values ​​of the intent's goals. The achievement information indicates that the intended goals have been achieved or that the intent has been achieved.

[0292] Situation 2: Intended goal not achieved

[0293] In case 2, it can be divided into case A and case B according to whether the realization value of the intended goal is stable.

[0294] Case A: The achieved value of the intended goal is not stable

[0295] In case A, steps 805 to 809 may be performed, and steps 805 to 809 are as follows.

[0296] Step 805: The intent service producer queries the knowledge base for the estimated stabilization time.

[0297] For example, the intent service producer may query the knowledge base for the estimated time when the current action group for the intent is completed and takes effect.

[0298] Step 806: The knowledge base sends the estimated stabilization time to the intent service producer.

[0299] The manner in which the knowledge base estimates the expected stabilization time can be referred to the description in step 505 and will not be described in detail here.

[0300] Step 807: The intent service producer sends an intent report to the intent service consumer. Correspondingly, the intent service consumer receives the intent report from the intent service producer.

[0301] Among them, the intention report is not only used to indicate that the achieved value of the intended target has not reached the intended target, but also used to indicate the stability information and expected stabilization time of the achieved value of the intended target. The stability information is used to indicate that the achieved value of the intended target has not stabilized.

[0302] For example, in conjunction with Figure 3, in the example shown in Figure 3, the goal of the intent is to ensure an average downlink throughput of >25Mbps, and the reporting period of the intent report is 15 minutes. An intent conflict is encountered during the execution of the intent. At the 7th minute, the intent service producer determines that the goal of the intent has not been achieved, and switches the network management task, service management task or action group for the first time. When the first reporting period (i.e., the 15th minute) arrives, the intent is still in the new intent validity period after the first switching of the network management task, service management task or action group. Therefore, the intent report reported by the intent service producer at 15 minutes indicates that the goal of the intent has not been achieved, the achieved value of the intent target is 23Mbps, the achieved value of the intent target is not stable, and the estimated stabilization time is 37 minutes. At the 23rd minute, the intent service producer determines that the goal of the intent has not been achieved, and switches the network management task, service management task or action group for the second time. When the second reporting cycle (i.e., the 30th minute) arrives, the intention is still in the new intention effectiveness period after the second switching of the network management task, service management task or action group. Therefore, the intention report reported by the intention service producer at 30 minutes indicates that the intended target has not been achieved, the achieved value of the intended target is 24Mbps, the achieved value of the intended target is not stable, and the expected stabilization time is 7 minutes.

[0303] Optionally, in step 808, after the subsequent intent service producer detects that the realization value of the intent target has stabilized, it updates the stabilization time to the knowledge base, where the stabilization time is the time when the realization value of the intent target reaches stability.

[0304] For example, the intent service producer may update the knowledge base with the time when the current action group for the intent is completed and takes effect.

[0305] Step 809: The intent service consumer manages the intent according to the intent report.

[0306] For step 809 , reference may be made to the relevant description of step 505 in method 500 , and no further details will be given.

[0307] Case B: The achieved value of the intended goal has stabilized

[0308] In case B, steps 810 and 811 may be performed as follows.

[0309] In step 810, the intent service producer sends an intent report to the intent service consumer. In response, the intent service consumer receives the intent report from the intent service producer. In addition to indicating that the achieved value of the intended goal has not met the intended goal, the intent report also indicates stability information about the achieved value of the intended goal. This stability information indicates that the achieved value of the intended goal has stabilized.

[0310] For example, combined with the example in step 807, when the third reporting cycle (i.e., the 45th minute) arrives, the network management task, service management task or action group of the second switch has been executed and taken effect. Therefore, the intention report reported by the intention service producer at 45 minutes indicates that the intended target has not been achieved, the achieved value of the intended target is 24.8Mbps, and the achieved value of the intended target has stabilized.

[0311] Step 811 : The intent service consumer manages intent according to the intent report.

[0312] For step 811 , reference may be made to the relevant description of step 505 and will not be described in detail.

[0313] In method 800, a stability attribute and an estimated stabilization time may be added to the report template. The stability attribute is used to describe whether the achieved value of the intended target is stable, and the estimated stabilization time is used to describe the estimated time when the stability attribute of the achieved value of the intended target becomes stable. When the intended target is not achieved, the submitted intent report may refer to the stability and estimated stabilization time of the target of the schematic diagram. The stability may enable the intent service consumer to know whether the achieved value of the target indicated in the intent report is stable and reliable, and the estimated stabilization time may allow the intent service consumer to further determine whether it is necessary to wait. These two attributes may assist the intent service consumer in making decisions, and help choose the appropriate time to intervene or manage the execution of the intent, thereby helping to reduce the probability of misjudgment by the intent service consumer and thus reduce resource waste.

[0314] Taking the periodic reporting of intention reports by production entities as an example, the following describes in detail the scheme in which the intention reports in methods 400 and 500 additionally carry stable information of the realization value of the intention target, and the intention creation request message carries the first observation duration and / or first range.

[0315] FIG9 is a schematic flow chart of a method 900 for managing network management intent provided by the present application. In FIG9 , the stable observation duration may correspond to the first observation duration in methods 400 and 500 , and the stability level may correspond to the first range in methods 400 and 500 .

[0316] Step 901: The intent service consumer configures an intent report template for the intent service producer.

[0317] Among them, the intent report template can stipulate that the intent report IOC includes stability attributes.

[0318] Step 901 may refer to step 601 .

[0319] Step 902: The intent service consumer requests the intent service producer to create an intent, and the intent service producer creates and executes the intent.

[0320] Step 902 can refer to step 602, except that the intent creation request message sent by the intent service consumer includes the period for reporting intent reports, the stable observation duration (stableObservationDuration) and the degree of stability (stableDegree). Among them, the stable observation duration is the observation duration required to determine whether the realization value of the intent target is stable. The degree of stability is the fluctuation range that needs to be met for the realization value of the intent target to be stable, and can also be described as the fluctuation range that needs to be met for the relevant performance indicators of the intent target to be stable. Of course, the period for reporting intent reports may not be carried in the intent creation request message, but provided to the intent service producer through other messages, such as subscription request messages.

[0321] Taking performance assurance intent as an example, to ensure the smooth progress of important video conferences, it is necessary to ensure high-definition and smooth video conferences. Goal 1 of the performance assurance intent is to ensure a throughput greater than 25Mbps. The reporting cycle of the intent report is 15 minutes, the stable observation time is 3 minutes, and the stability level is 10%.

[0322] When the intent creation request message carries the stable observation duration and stability level, the fluctuation range of the realization value of the intent target needs to be within the stable level within the stable observation duration to be judged as stable.

[0323] Step 903: The intent service producer evaluates the intent.

[0324] Specifically, the intention service producer continuously evaluates the achievement of the intended goal and the stability of the intended goal's realization value. The manner in which the intention service producer evaluates the stability of the intended goal's realization value can refer to the manner in which the intention service producer determines whether the intended goal's realization value is stable in step 402. The stable observation duration and / or degree of stability used in the evaluation process are obtained in step 902.

[0325] For example, referring to the example in step 902, the intent service producer continuously determines whether the fluctuation range of the throughput rate in the past 3 minutes is within 10%. If the fluctuation range of the throughput rate is within 10%, it is determined that the achieved value of goal 1 has stabilized; if the fluctuation range of the throughput rate is outside 10%, it is determined that the achieved value of goal 1 has not stabilized.

[0326] Steps 904 to 906 may refer to steps 704 to 706 and will not be described in detail.

[0327] In method 900, the stable observation duration and stability level can be added to the intent IOC, so that the intent service consumer can customize the indicators for measuring whether the realization value of the intent target is stable, so that the stability information reported by the intent service producer is more in line with the expectations of the intent service consumer, and can better assist the intent service consumer in making decisions, and help choose the appropriate time to intervene or manage the execution of the intent, thereby helping to reduce the probability of misjudgment by the intent service consumer and thus reduce resource waste.

[0328] The above describes in detail the method embodiment provided by the present application in conjunction with Figures 4 to 9 , and the following describes the device embodiment of the present application in conjunction with Figures 10 to 12 .

[0329] It is understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the apparatuses in Figures 10 to 12 include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the functions. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in conjunction with the various exemplary units and method steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software.

[0330] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams of possible devices provided in embodiments of the present application. These devices can be used to implement the functions of the production entity or the consumption entity in the above method embodiments, thereby also achieving the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments.

[0331] As shown in FIG10 , the device 10 includes a transceiver unit 11 and a processing unit 12 .

[0332] When the device 10 is used to implement the functions of the production entity in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the transceiver unit 11 is used to execute the sending and receiving steps of the production entity, such as steps 402, 403, 404, 502, 503, 504, 603, 605, 607, 704, 705, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 810, 904 or 905, and the processing unit 12 is used to execute the processing steps of the production entity, such as steps 401, 501, 505, 601, 602, 604, 701, 702, 703, 801, 802, 803, 901, 902 or 903. When the device 10 is used to implement the functions of the consumer entity in the above-mentioned method embodiments, the transceiver unit 11 is used to execute the transceiver steps of the consumer entity, such as steps 402, 403, 404, 502, 503, 504, 603, 605, 704, 705, 804, 807, 810, 904 or 905, and the processing unit 12 is used to execute the processing steps of the consumer entity, such as steps 405, 505, 601, 602, 606, 701, 702, 706, 801, 802, 809, 811, 901, 902 or 906.

[0333] For a more detailed description of the transceiver unit 11 and the processing unit 12 , please refer to the relevant description in the above method embodiment, which will not be described again here.

[0334] As shown in FIG11 , the apparatus 20 includes a processor 21. The processor 21 is coupled to a memory 23, which is used to store instructions. When the apparatus 20 is used to implement the method described above, the processor 21 is used to execute the instructions in the memory 23 to implement the functions of the processing unit 12 described above.

[0335] Optionally, the device 20 further includes a memory 23 .

[0336] Optionally, the apparatus 20 further includes an interface circuit 22. The processor 21 and the interface circuit 22 are coupled to each other. It will be appreciated that the interface circuit 22 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. When the apparatus 20 is used to implement the method described above, the processor 21 is configured to execute instructions to implement the functions of the processing unit 12, and the interface circuit 22 is configured to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 11.

[0337] Exemplarily, when device 20 is a chip applied to a production entity or a consumer entity, the chip implements the functions of the production entity or the consumer entity in the above-mentioned method embodiments. The chip receives information from other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the production entity or the consumer entity, where the information is sent by the other device to the production entity or the consumer entity; or the chip sends information to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the production entity or the consumer entity, where the information is sent by the production entity or the consumer entity to other devices.

[0338] 12 is a schematic diagram of a chip system 30 according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip system 30 (or also referred to as a processing system) includes a logic circuit 31 and an input / output interface 32.

[0339] The logic circuit 31 may be a processing circuit in the chip system 30. The logic circuit 31 may be coupled to a storage unit and call instructions in the storage unit so that the chip system 30 can implement the methods and functions of the various embodiments of the present application. The input / output interface 32 may be an input / output circuit in the chip system 30, outputting information processed by the chip system 30 or inputting data or signaling information to be processed into the chip system 30 for processing.

[0340] As a solution, the chip system 30 is used to implement the operations performed by the production entity or the consumption entity in the above various method embodiments.

[0341] For example, the logic circuit 31 is used to implement the processing-related operations performed by the production entity or the consumption entity in the above method embodiment; the input / output interface 32 is used to implement the sending and / or receiving-related operations performed by the production entity or the consumption entity in the above method embodiment.

[0342] The present application also provides a communication device, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the memory being configured to store computer programs or instructions and / or data, the processor being configured to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, or to read data stored in the memory, to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, there are one or more processors. Optionally, the communication device includes a memory. Optionally, there are one or more memories. Optionally, the memory is integrated with the processor or provided separately.

[0343] The present application also provides a chip, including a processor, which is coupled to a memory, the memory is used to store computer programs or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory to implement the methods performed by the production entity or the consumption entity in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0344] The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which are stored computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by a production entity or a consumption entity in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0345] The present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when executed by a computer, implement the methods performed by a production entity or a consumption entity in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0346] The present application also provides a communication system, which includes at least one of the production entity, consumption entity, knowledge base or digital twin system in the above embodiments.

[0347] The explanation of the relevant contents and beneficial effects of any of the above-mentioned devices can be referred to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, which will not be repeated here.

[0348] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0349] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or by a processor executing software instructions. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Of course, the storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a production entity or a consumer entity. Of course, the processor and the storage medium can also be present in a production entity or a consumer entity as discrete components.

[0350] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are performed in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium may be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; an optical medium, such as a digital video disk; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive.

[0351] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0352] Unless otherwise indicated, all technical and scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present application have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art of the technical field of the application. The terms used in this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the application. It should be understood that the above are for illustration, and the examples above are only for helping those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments of the present application, rather than limiting the application embodiments to the specific numerical values ​​or specific scenarios illustrated. Those skilled in the art can obviously carry out various equivalent modifications or changes based on the examples given above, and such modifications and changes also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for managing network management intentions, characterized in that: The method comprises: receiving an intent report from a production entity, the intent report indicating that a stable achieved value of a target of a network management intent fails to achieve the target of the network management intent; The network management intent is managed according to the intent report.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Sending a request message to the production entity, wherein the request message is used to request the production entity to send the intention report.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The sending of request information to the production entity comprises: A subscription request message is sent to the production entity, where the subscription request message includes the request information.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The request information includes the network management intention or an identifier of the network management intention.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The request information includes indication information, and the indication information is used to instruct to send an intention report when the stable realization value of the target of the network management intention fails to achieve the target of the network management intention.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that The stable realization value includes: the achieved value of the target of the network management intent when all action groups for the network management intent have taken effect, wherein the action group includes one or more actions for managing the managed entity of the network management intent; or, The achieved value of the target of the network management intention when the performance indicator value of the managed entity of the network management intention continues to be within a first range within a first observation time.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending first information to the production entity, where the first information is used to indicate a first observation duration and / or a first range; Among them, the first observation duration is the observation duration required to determine the stability of the realization value of the target of the network management intention, and the first range is the fluctuation range that needs to be met for the stability of the realization value of the target of the network management intention.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The managing the network management intention according to the intention report includes: sending a first request message to the production entity, where the first request message is used to request the production entity to delete the network management intention; or, A second request message is sent to the production entity, wherein the second request message is used to request the production entity to modify the network management intention, wherein the modification of the network management intention includes one or more of the following operations: lowering the expected value of a goal not achieved by the network management intention, replacing the action group for the network management intention, or increasing the priority of the network management intention.

9. A method for managing network management intentions, characterized in that: The method comprises: Monitor the achievement of network management objectives; An intent report is sent to a consuming entity, the intent report being used to indicate that a stable achieved value of a target of the network management intent fails to achieve the target of the network management intent.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receive request information from the consuming entity, where the request information is used to request the intent report.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The receiving request information from the consuming entity includes: A subscription request message is received from the consuming entity, where the subscription request message includes the request information.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that: The request information includes the network management intention or an identifier of the network management intention.

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that The request information includes indication information, and the indication information is used to instruct to send an intention report when the stable realization value of the target of the network management intention fails to achieve the target of the network management intention.

14. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that The method further comprises: Determine that the achievement value of the target of the network management intention is stable.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The step of determining that the realization value of the target of the network management intention is stable includes: Determining that all action groups for the network management intention have taken effect, wherein the action group includes one or more actions of a managed entity for managing the network management intention; or, Determine that a performance indicator value of a managed entity of the network management intention continues to be within a first range within a first observation time period.

16. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 15, characterized in that The method further comprises: Receiving first information from the consuming entity, where the first information is used to indicate a first observation duration and / or a first range; Among them, the first observation duration is the observation duration required to determine the stability of the realization value of the target of the network management intention, and the first range is the fluctuation range that needs to be met for the stability of the realization value of the target of the network management intention.

17. A method for managing network management intentions, characterized in that: The method comprises: The production entity monitors the achievement of the goals of the network management intent; The production entity sends an intention report, and the consumption entity receives the intention report, wherein the intention report is used to indicate that the stable realization value of the target of the network management intention fails to achieve the target of the network management intention; The consumer entity manages the network management intent according to the intent report.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The method further comprises: The consumer entity sends a request message, and the producer entity receives the request message, wherein the request message is used to request the intention report.

19. A management device for network management intention, characterized in that: The device comprises a transceiver unit and a processing unit; The transceiver unit is used to receive an intention report, wherein the intention report is used to indicate that a stable realization value of a target of a network management intention fails to achieve the target of the network management intention; The processing unit is used to manage the network management intention according to the intention report.

20. A management device for network management intention, characterized in that: The device comprises a transceiver unit and a processing unit; The processing unit is used to monitor the achievement value of the target of the network management intention; The transceiver unit is used to send an intention report, where the intention report is used to indicate that the stable realization value of the target of the network management intention fails to achieve the target of the network management intention.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: It includes a processor and an interface circuit, wherein the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor or send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 18 through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

22. The communication device according to claim 21, characterized in that The communication device is a chip or a chip system.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program or an instruction. When the computer program or the instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18 is implemented.

24. A communication system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a communication device for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8 and a communication device for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 16.

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