Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of communications, and provides a communication method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: determining a first determination result on the basis of address information of a source application server and address information of a target application server, wherein the first determination result is used for indicating whether the source application server and the target application server are within a control range of a first network element; and executing an application server migration operation on the basis of the first determination result. The method in the embodiment of the present application can achieve an application server migration operation under the control of multiple network elements.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on February 8, 2024, with application number 202410178291.7 and application name “Communication Method and Communication Device,” the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

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

[0003] With the continuous development of communication technology, some communication systems support the use of content delivery networks (CDNs) to determine the application server closest to the user or with the best access performance, thereby improving the speed and stability of data transmission between the user and the application server. For example, in edge computing (EC) deployment scenarios, certain services can be provided by multiple edge application servers (EAS) deployed at the edge of the network. CDN addressing can be used to find the EAS closest to the location where the terminal device accesses the network, and this EAS can provide content services to the terminal device.

[0004] However, existing solutions still have some problems. For example, when EAS migration is required, a session management function (SMF) is responsible for executing the EAS migration operation for the entire network, which will cause an excessive burden on the SMF. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a communication method and a communication device, which can implement application server migration operations under multi-network element control.

[0006] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a first network element, including: determining a first judgment result based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server, the first judgment result being used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the first network element; and performing an application server migration operation based on the first judgment result.

[0007] In an embodiment of the present application, the first judgment result is used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the first network element. The first network element performs the application server migration operation based on the first judgment result, rather than the application server migration being performed entirely by the first network element. In this way, the application server migration operation under the control of multiple network elements can be implemented.

[0008] Optionally, the application server migration operation may include any of the following: performing application server migration, sending a message to the second network element to instruct the application server migration operation to be performed based on the address information of the source application server and / or the address information of the target application server, and sending a message to the third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the performing of the application server migration operation based on the first judgment result includes: if the source application server and the target application server are both within the control range of the first network element, performing application server migration; if the source application server and the target application server are both not within the control range of the first network element, sending a first message to the second network element, the first message being used to instruct the second network element to perform the application server migration operation based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the first message includes address information of the source application server and address information of the target application server.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the first message further includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0012] In some possible implementations, performing the application server migration operation based on the first judgment result includes: if only the source application server or only the target application server is within the control range of the first network element, sending a message to the third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0013] In some possible implementations, performing the application server migration operation based on the first judgment result includes: if only the source application server is within the control range of the first network element, sending a second message to the second network element, and the second message is used to instruct the second network element to perform the application server migration operation based on the address information of the target application server.

[0014] In some possible implementations, the second message includes address information of the target application server.

[0015] In some possible implementations, the second message further includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

[0016] In some possible implementations, the performing of the application server migration operation based on the first judgment result includes: if only the target application server is within the control range of the first network element, sending a third message to the second network element, and the third message is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to achieve the deletion of the local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and the insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the third message includes address information of the source application server.

[0018] In some possible implementations, the third message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to achieve deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0019] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a second network element, including: receiving an indication message from a first network element, wherein the indication message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation; and performing the application server migration operation according to the indication message.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present application, the second network element receives an indication message from the first network element and performs an application server migration operation according to the indication message, rather than the first network element performing the application server migration entirely. In this way, an application server migration operation under the control of multiple network elements can be implemented.

[0021] Optionally, the application server migration operation may include any of the following: performing application server migration, sending a message to the second network element to instruct the application server migration operation to be performed based on the address information of the source application server and / or the address information of the target application server, and sending a message to the third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0022] In some possible implementations, the instruction message is a first message, and the first message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to address information of the source application server and address information of the target application server;

[0023] Among them, performing the application server migration operation according to the indication message includes: determining a second judgment result based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server, the second judgment result being used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the second network element; and performing the application server migration operation according to the second judgment result.

[0024] In some possible implementations, performing the application server migration operation based on the second judgment result includes: if the source application server and the target application server are both within the control range of the second network element, performing application server migration; if at least one of the source application server and the target application server is not within the control range of the second network element, sending a message to a third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0025] In some possible implementations, the first message includes address information of the source application server and address information of the target application server.

[0026] In some possible implementations, the first message further includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0027] In some possible implementations, the indication message is a second message, and the second message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation based on the address information of the target application server; wherein, performing the application server migration operation based on the indication message includes: determining a third judgment result based on the address information of the target application server, and the third judgment result is used to indicate whether the target application server is within the control range of the second network element; and performing the application server migration operation based on the third judgment result.

[0028] In some possible implementations, performing the application server migration operation according to the third judgment result includes: if the target application server is within the control range of the second network element, interacting with the first network element to implement insertion of a local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element;

[0029] If the target application server is not within the control range of the second network element, a message indicating that the application server migration operation cannot be performed is sent to the third network element.

[0030] In some possible implementations, the second message includes address information of the target application server.

[0031] In some possible implementations, the second message further includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

[0032] In some possible implementations, the indication message is a third message, and the third message is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to realize the deletion of the local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and the insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0033] In some possible implementations, performing the application server migration operation according to the indication message includes: interacting with the first network element according to the third message to achieve deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0034] In some possible implementations, the third message includes address information of the source application server.

[0035] In some possible implementations, the third message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to achieve deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0036] According to a third aspect, a communication device is provided, which is applied to a first network element and includes:

[0037] a determining unit, configured to determine a first judgment result based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server, wherein the first judgment result is used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the first network element;

[0038] An execution unit is configured to execute an application server migration operation according to the first judgment result.

[0039] In an embodiment of the present application, the first judgment result is used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the first network element. The application server migration operation is performed based on the first judgment result, rather than the application server migration being performed entirely by the first network element. In this way, the application server migration operation under the control of multiple network elements can be implemented.

[0040] Optionally, the application server migration operation may include any of the following: performing application server migration, sending a message to the second network element to instruct the application server migration operation to be performed based on the address information of the source application server and / or the address information of the target application server, and sending a message to the third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0041] In some possible implementations, the execution unit is specifically used to: if the source application server and the target application server are both within the control range of the first network element, perform application server migration; if the source application server and the target application server are both not within the control range of the first network element, send a first message to the second network element, and the first message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0042] In some possible implementations, the first message includes address information of the source application server and address information of the target application server.

[0043] In some possible implementations, the first message further includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0044] In some possible implementations, the execution unit is specifically configured to: if only the source application server or only the target application server is within the control range of the first network element, send a message to a third network element indicating that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0045] In some possible implementations, the execution unit is specifically used to: if only the source application server is within the control range of the first network element, send a second message to the second network element, and the second message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

[0046] In some possible implementations, the second message includes address information of the target application server.

[0047] In some possible implementations, the second message further includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

[0048] In some possible implementations, the execution unit is specifically used to: if only the target application server is within the control range of the first network element, send a third message to the second network element, and the third message is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to achieve the deletion of the local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and the insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0049] In some possible implementations, the third message includes address information of the source application server.

[0050] In some possible implementations, the third message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to achieve deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0051] In a fourth aspect, a communication device is provided, applied to a second network element, including:

[0052] a receiving unit, configured to receive an instruction message from a first network element, wherein the instruction message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation;

[0053] An execution unit is configured to execute an application server migration operation according to the instruction message.

[0054] In an embodiment of the present application, an indication message is received from the first network element, and an application server migration operation is performed according to the indication message, rather than the application server migration being performed entirely by the first network element. In this way, an application server migration operation under the control of multiple network elements can be implemented.

[0055] Optionally, the application server migration operation may include any of the following: performing application server migration, sending a message to the second network element to instruct the application server migration operation to be performed based on the address information of the source application server and / or the address information of the target application server, and sending a message to the third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0056] In some possible implementations, the indication message is a first message, and the first message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server; wherein the execution unit is specifically used to: determine a second judgment result based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server, and the second judgment result is used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the second network element; and perform the application server migration operation based on the second judgment result.

[0057] In some possible implementations, the execution unit is specifically used to: if the source application server and the target application server are both within the control range of the second network element, perform application server migration; if at least one of the source application server and the target application server is not within the control range of the second network element, send a message to a third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0058] In some possible implementations, the first message includes address information of the source application server and address information of the target application server.

[0059] In some possible implementations, the first message further includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0060] In some possible implementations, the indication message is a second message, and the second message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation based on the address information of the target application server; wherein the execution unit is specifically used to: determine a third judgment result based on the address information of the target application server, and the third judgment result is used to indicate whether the target application server is within the control range of the second network element; and perform the application server migration operation based on the third judgment result.

[0061] In some possible implementations, the execution unit is specifically configured to: if the target application server is within the control range of the second network element, interact with the first network element to implement insertion of a local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element;

[0062] If the target application server is not within the control range of the second network element, a message indicating that the application server migration operation cannot be performed is sent to the third network element.

[0063] In some possible implementations, the second message includes address information of the target application server.

[0064] In some possible implementations, the second message further includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

[0065] In some possible implementations, the indication message is a third message, and the third message is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to realize the deletion of the local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and the insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0066] In some possible implementations, the execution unit is specifically configured to interact with the first network element according to the third message to implement deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0067] In some possible implementations, the third message includes address information of the source application server.

[0068] In some possible implementations, the third message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to achieve deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0069] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the memory, and the memory is used to store a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is executed by the processor, the device executes the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0070] In some possible implementations, the apparatus further includes a memory coupled to the processor.

[0071] In some possible implementations, there are one or more processors and / or one or more memories.

[0072] In some possible implementations, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0073] In the sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is coupled to the memory, and the memory is used to store a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions). When the computer program is executed by the processor, the device executes the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0074] In some possible implementations, the apparatus further includes a memory coupled to the processor.

[0075] In some possible implementations, there are one or more processors and / or one or more memories.

[0076] In some possible implementations, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0077] In the seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program runs on a computer, the computer executes the method in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects.

[0078] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute a method in any one of the above aspects or any one of the possible implementations of any one of the aspects.

[0079] In the ninth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program (also referred to as code, or instruction), and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that a device or equipment equipped with the chip executes the method in any one of the above aspects or any possible implementation of any one of the aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0080] FIG1 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to the present application.

[0081] FIG2 is a schematic block diagram of CDN addressing in this application.

[0082] FIG3 is a schematic flow chart of using EASDF to perform EAS discovery in this application.

[0083] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of EAS migration in this application.

[0084] FIG5 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication system applicable to the present application.

[0085] FIG6 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in one embodiment of the present application.

[0086] FIG7 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0087] FIG8 is a schematic flowchart of a communication method provided in yet another embodiment of the present application.

[0088] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in one embodiment of the present application.

[0089] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in another embodiment of the present application.

[0090] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a device provided in one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0091] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application.

[0092] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship. For example, A / B can represent A or B. "And / or" in this application is only a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. A and B can be singular or plural. In addition, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with basically the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit differences. It should be understood that in this application, similar expressions such as "under the circumstances of...", "if...", "when...", and "if..." can be used interchangeably.

[0093] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: fifth generation (5G) system or new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, etc. The technical solutions provided by the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation mobile communication system, satellite communication system, etc.

[0094] The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may refer to user equipment (UE), station, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent or user device, etc., and this is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The terminal device in the embodiment of the present application may also be a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a large screen, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5G network or a terminal device in a future evolved public land mobile communication network (PLMN), etc., and this is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application may also be a tablet computer (Pad), a laptop computer, a PDA, a mobile internet device (MID), a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self-driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, a wireless terminal in a smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in a smart city, a wireless terminal in a smart home, etc., and this is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0095] In some embodiments, the terminal device can be configured to act as a base station. Optionally, the terminal device can act as a dispatching entity, providing sidelink signals between terminal devices in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) or device-to-device (D2D) communications. For example, a cell phone and a car can communicate using sidelink signals, or a cell phone and a smart home device can communicate using sidelink signals without relaying the communication signals through a base station.

[0096] The network device in the embodiment of the present application may refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) that connects a terminal device to a wireless network, and may also be referred to as a base station. For example, the network device may be a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a transmission reception point (TRP), an access point (AP), a base station in a future mobile communication system or an access point (AP) in a WiFi system, a wireless controller in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario, a relay station, an access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a network device in other communication systems that will evolve in the future, and the like.

[0097] In some embodiments, multiple RAN nodes may collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, and different RAN nodes may respectively implement part of the functions of a base station. For example, a RAN node (i.e., a network device in this application) may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and DU may be set separately, or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art may understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, CU may also be referred to as an open CU (O-CU), DU may also be referred to as an open DU (O-DU), CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. Any unit of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. It should be understood that this application does not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0098] In some embodiments, the network device may be fixed or mobile, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, a helicopter or drone may be configured as a mobile network device, and one or more cells may be moved based on the location of the mobile network device. In other examples, a helicopter or drone may be configured to communicate with another network device.

[0099] In some embodiments, network devices may be deployed on land or in the air, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For example, network devices may be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites.

[0100] In an embodiment of the present application, a terminal device or a network device may include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer includes hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also called main memory). The operating system may be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as a Linux operating system, a Unix operating system, an Android operating system, an iOS operating system, or a Windows operating system. The application layer includes applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software. Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present application, the specific structure of the execution subject of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application is not particularly limited, as long as it is possible to communicate according to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0101] In addition, various aspects or features of the present application can be implemented as methods, apparatuses, or articles of manufacture using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" as used in this application encompasses a computer program that can be accessed from any computer-readable device, carrier, or medium. For example, computer-readable media may include, but are not limited to: magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, or magnetic tapes, etc.), optical disks (e.g., compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROMs), cards, sticks, or key drives, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and / or carrying instructions and / or data.

[0102] Figure 1 is an exemplary architecture diagram of a wireless communication system used in an embodiment of the present application. The wireless communication system 100 may be a 5G network architecture based on a service-oriented architecture. The wireless communication system 100 may include a terminal device, a data network (DN), and an operator component.

[0103] The operator part may include one or more of the following network elements:

[0104] Network slice selection function (NSSF), authentication server function (AUSF) network element, network exposure function (NEF) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, unified data management (UDM) network element, unified data repository (UDR), network repository function (NRF) network element, application function (AF) network element, access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, network slice specific authentication and authorization function (NSSAAF) network element, service communication proxy (SCP) network element, network slice admission control function (NSACF) network element, radio access network (can be RAN or AN, represented by (R)AN in Figure 1) and user plane function (UPF) network element, etc.

[0105] In the aforementioned operator network, the portion other than the radio access network can be referred to as the core network. The core network may include control plane (CP) network elements and user plane (UP) network elements. User plane network elements may include the UPF, and control plane network elements may include the AMF, SMF, PCF, AF, and NEF.

[0106] The following is an introduction to the various network elements in the core network.

[0107] The AF network element is similar to an application server, interacting with other core network control plane network elements and providing business services. AF network elements can exist for different application services and can be owned by operators or trusted third parties.

[0108] PCF network elements support a unified policy framework to manage network behavior and provide policy rules to network entities for implementation.

[0109] The UDM network element is responsible for the management of user identification, contract data, authentication data, and user service network element registration management.

[0110] The UPF network element is a data processing module in the core network. Its main functions include: routing and forwarding data from the base station to the network, quality of service (QoS) control, and billing information statistics.

[0111] The AMF network element is responsible for UE identity authentication, authorization, registration, mobility management, and connection management. For example, the AMF can exchange information with the RAN and UE through the N2 and N1 interfaces to complete functions such as registration, session establishment, and mobility management.

[0112] The SMF network element is mainly responsible for session management, managing the creation and deletion of user PDU sessions, maintaining PDU session context and user plane forwarding channel information, allocating addresses to terminals, and managing various channels between terminals and the core network. For example, SMF can control UPF through the N4 interface.

[0113] In the architecture shown in Figure 1, the communication interfaces between some network elements are marked as follows:

[0114] N1 interface: The interface between the terminal device and the core network control plane, used to transmit NAS signaling.

[0115] N2 interface: the communication interface between the radio access network and the core network control plane.

[0116] N3 interface: The communication interface between the radio access network and the core network user plane network element UPF, used to transmit user data.

[0117] N4 interface: The communication interface between the control plane session management network element SMF and the user plane network element UPF, used for policy configuration of UPF, etc.

[0118] N6 interface: Communication interface between the core network user plane network element UPF and DN.

[0119] It is understood that Figure 1 exemplarily shows an architecture diagram of a communication system applicable to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. The communication system applicable to the method provided in the embodiment of the present application may include other network elements or network entities, which are not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0120] With the continuous advancement of communication technology, some communication systems support using CDNs to identify the application server closest to the user or with the best accessibility, thereby improving the speed and stability of data transmission between the user and the application server. CDNs can minimize bottlenecks and links on the Internet that may affect data transmission speed and stability, enabling faster and more stable content delivery.

[0121] For example, CDN can cache the content of a website at the edge of the network (the place closest to the user's access to the network). Then, when the user accesses the website content, the scheduling system will route or guide the resources requested by the user to the cache server closest to the user's access network or the cache server with the best access effect. The cache server will provide content services to the user. Compared with directly accessing the source station, this method shortens the network distance between the user and the content, thereby achieving an acceleration effect.

[0122] As shown in Figure 2, CDN addressing may include the following steps:

[0123] S201: A user initiates a domain name resolution request to a local domain name system (DNS).

[0124] For example, when a user initiates a request for an image resource under a certain domain name (such as 1.jpg, the domain name corresponding to 1.jpg can be http: / / www.test.com / 1.jpg), a domain name resolution request will first be initiated to the local DNS (for example, requesting to resolve the domain name corresponding to 1.jpg, http: / / www.test.com / 1.jpg).

[0125] S202: The local DNS sends a query request to the DNS server.

[0126] For example, when the local DNS resolves a domain name, the query request can be sent to the DNS server of its application according to the configuration.

[0127] S203: The DNS server returns the access node to the local DNS.

[0128] For example, after receiving a query request, the DNS server may allocate an Internet protocol (IP) of an optimal access node based on the query request.

[0129] S204: The local DNS returns the access node to the user.

[0130] For example, the local DNS may obtain the IP address (ie, IP address) of the access node returned by the DNS server of its application, and send the IP address to the user.

[0131] S205: The user initiates an access request to the CDN access node.

[0132] For example, after receiving the IP address of the access node, the user may initiate an access request for an image resource (eg, 1.jpg) to the CDN access node through the IP address.

[0133] At this time, if the CDN access node corresponding to the IP has the image resource cached, S210 can be directly executed, that is, the CDN access node can directly return the resource (or data) to the user, and the request ends at this time.

[0134] If the CDN access node does not cache the image resource requested by the user, S206 to S210 may be executed as follows:

[0135] S206: The CDN access node sends a resource request to the CDN intermediate source.

[0136] S207, the CDN intermediate source sends a resource request to the service source station.

[0137] S208, the service source site returns resources (such as image resources) to the CDN intermediate source.

[0138] S209: The CDN intermediate source returns resources to the CDN access node.

[0139] The CDN access node can cache the resource.

[0140] S210: The CDN access node returns the resource to the user.

[0141] The request ends at this point.

[0142] In edge computing (EC) deployment scenarios, some services can be provided by multiple edge application servers (EAS) deployed at the edge of the network. CDN addressing can be used to find the EAS closest to the location where the terminal device accesses the network, and this EAS will provide content services to the terminal device. Therefore, the terminal device needs to obtain the IP address of the EAS.

[0143] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard TS23.548 defines a new network element to assist in EAS discovery: the edge application server discovery function (EASDF). The main function of EASDF is to process the DNS request (query) message (also called DNS query message or DNS query request message) according to the instructions of SMF, including: reporting the DNS request message to SMF, adding the ECS option (edns client subnet option, ECS option) in the DNS request message, that is, the DNS extended mechanism (extended mechanisms for DNS, EDNS) client subnet option, and forwarding the DNS request message to the DNS server (also known as the DNS resolver (central DNS server, C-DNS server)), forwarding the DNS response message to the UE, etc.

[0144] FIG3 is a schematic flow chart showing an embodiment of using EASDF to perform EAS discovery, which may include steps S301 to S312, as shown below:

[0145] S301: Configure DNS processing rules.

[0146] In the session establishment process, after SMF selects EASDF, it can send DNS processing rules to EASDF, where the DNS message handling rule can be determined according to EAS deployment information.

[0147] For example, the DNS message processing rule may instruct the EASDF to notify the SMF (such as step S304 in FIG. 3 ) when receiving a DNS request message with a target fully qualified domain name (FQDN) being “www.baidu.com”.

[0148] S302: The EASDF receives a DNS request message sent by the UE.

[0149] Step S302 occurs after the session establishment process. In the session establishment process, the SMF can configure the UE to use the address of the EASDF as the default address for sending DNS request messages.

[0150] S303, EASDF matches the information in the DNS request message with the DNS message processing rules.

[0151] Since one EASDF can serve multiple sessions, different sessions may correspond to different DNS message processing rules. Therefore, when a DNS request message is received, the session to which the DNS request message corresponds and the corresponding DNS message processing rule can be determined based on the source address (such as source IP) (in the DNS request message).

[0152] For example, when receiving a DNS request message, EASDF can first match the source address in the DNS request message with the source address in the DNS message processing rule. After matching the source address, EASDF can match the FQDN contained in the DNS request message with the FQDN range in the above-mentioned DNS message processing rule. If it is within this range, EASDF can send the FQDN included in the DNS request message to SMF (i.e., execute the subsequent step S304). Through steps S304 to S307 in Figure 3, EASDF can query the address of an edge server close to the UE location.

[0153] If the FQDN contained in the DNS query message is not within the FQDN range in the DNS processing rules, EASDF can directly forward the DNS query message to the default DNS server without executing steps S304 to S307 in Figure 3 (no need to add the ECS option). At this time, the server queried may be the address of a remote server, such as a central cloud server.

[0154] S304, EASDF sends a DNS request message to SMF.

[0155] The EASDF may send a DNS request message to the SMF to indicate the FQDN included in the DNS request message.

[0156] S305: SMF instructs EASDF to add the ECS option to the DNS request message.

[0157] After receiving the FQDN included in the DNS request message, the SMF can determine an address based on the FQDN, EAS deployment information, and UE location information, and send this address to the EASDF to instruct the EASDF to use this address as the ECS option. The ECS option can be an extension item in the DNS request message, which is used to represent the location information of the UE. When the DNS server (or, it can also be a DNS resolver (C-DNS server, central DNS server)) receives a DNS request message including the ECS option, it will return the address of a server that is closer to the address in the ECS option.

[0158] S306: EASDF sends a DNS request message to the DNS server.

[0159] The EASDF may generate an ECS option based on the address received from the SMF, add the ECS option to the DNS request message, and send the DNS request message to the DNS server.

[0160] S307: The DNS server sends a DNS response message to the EASDF.

[0161] The DNS response message sent by the DNS server may include an FQDN (the FQDN may be the same as the FQDN in the DNS request message) and an address (such as the EAS IP, that is, the IP address of the EAS).

[0162] S308, EASDF matches the information in the DNS response message with the DNS message processing rules.

[0163] The EASDF may match the FQDN and / or address (e.g., EAS IP) contained in the DNS response message with the FQDN and / or address (e.g., EAS IP) range in the DNS message processing rule. If the FQDN and / or address in the DNS message processing rule is within the range indicated by the DNS message processing rule, the EASDF may send the EAS IP included in the DNS response message to the SMF (i.e., execute the subsequent step S309). Before receiving the SMF instruction, the EASDF may cache the DNS response message locally.

[0164] If the FQDN and / or address in the DNS message processing rule is not within the range indicated by the DNS message processing rule, the EASDF may directly send a DNS response message to the UE (ie, execute S312) without executing steps S309 to S311 in FIG. 3 .

[0165] S309, EASDF sends the EAS IP included in the DNS response message to SMF.

[0166] Optionally, the EASDF may also send the FQDN included in the DNS response message to the SMF.

[0167] S310, SMF configures the diversion point according to the EAS IP.

[0168] The SMF can insert a diversion point (such as an uplink classifier (UL CL) / branching point (BP)) and a local anchor point (such as a local protocol data unit (PDU) session anchor (L-PSA)) based on the EAS IP received from the EASDF and the locally configured EAS deployment information, and configure the diversion rules on the diversion point. Among them, the UL CL can be a UPF network element with different roles in the session.

[0169] S311, SMF instructs EASDF to send a DNS response message to UE.

[0170] After configuring the diversion point, the SMF can instruct the EASDF to send the cached NS response message to the UE.

[0171] S312, EASDF sends a DNS response message to the UE.

[0172] It should be noted that the process of using EASDF for EAS discovery shown in FIG3 is only an example and not a limitation. In the embodiment of the present application, EAS discovery can also be performed through other EAS discovery solutions defined in the 3GPP standard.

[0173] FIG4 is a schematic flowchart of EAS migration in one embodiment, which may include steps S401 to S405, as shown below:

[0174] S401: Establish a PDU session.

[0175] S402, use EASDF to perform EAS discovery.

[0176] Through step S402, the address of an edge server (ie, the source EAS in FIG4 ) close to the UE location can be obtained.

[0177] Step S402 may be implemented through the EAS discovery process using EASDF in FIG. 3 .

[0178] S403, the UE performs service interaction with the source EAS.

[0179] For example, the UE may perform uplink transmission (UL traffic) and downlink transmission (DL traffic) with the source EAS.

[0180] S404a: The AF triggers the EAS migration operation (for example, the triggering reason may be that the source EAS load is too high).

[0181] For example, when the AF detects that the source EAS can perform the mirror migration operation and the optimal target EAS is found, the AF can send information such as the source EAS identifier, target EAS identifier, and target data network access identifier (DNAI) to the SMF, and the SMF can reconfigure the UL CL and L-PSA based on this information.

[0182] S404b: The network side triggers the EAS migration operation (for example, the triggering reason may be UE movement).

[0183] For example, when the SMF discovers that the UE location has changed and the local data network (L-DN) corresponding to the original DNAI is no longer the L-DN where the UE is currently located, the SMF can determine the new DNAI and send it to the AF; the AF can select the target EAS based on the new DNAI and perform mirror migration from the source EAS to the target EAS; further, the AF can send information such as the source EAS identifier, target EAS identifier, target DNAI, etc. to the SMF, and the SMF can reconfigure the UC CL and L-PSA based on this information.

[0184] Furthermore, L-PSA can perform IP replacement operations.

[0185] S405: The UE communicates with the target EAS.

[0186] For example, the UE may perform uplink transmission (UL traffic) and downlink transmission (DL traffic) with the target EAS through UL CL and L-PSA.

[0187] However, the existing EAS migration solution still has some problems.

[0188] For example, the existing EAS migration solution consists of one SMF serving all local networks in the entire network. That is, in this scenario, one SMF needs to maintain all EAS, L-PSA and other related information in the entire network, and is responsible for executing all EAS migration operations in the entire network, which will cause an excessive burden on the SMF.

[0189] In order to solve one or more of the above technical problems, the present application can introduce local network elements to share the pressure of SMF, add judgment logic at the SMF and the local network elements to determine whether the target application server and the source application server are application servers under their control, and based on the judgment results, selectively execute the application server migration operations under their respective control.

[0190] The local network element that can be introduced in the embodiments of the present application can be called an intermediate session management function (I-SMF) or can be called other names, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0191] Figure 5 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication system that introduces a local network element. In Figure 5 , an I-SMF is used as an example of a local network element.

[0192] The communication system shown in Figure 5 may include: UE 110, (R)AN 120, AMF 132, PCF 134, NEF 135, NRF 136, UDM 137, UDR 138, SMF 133-1, I-SMF 133-2, UPF 131-1, UPF 131-2, UPF 131-3, UPF 131-4, UPF 131-5, EAS 141 and EAS 151.

[0193] Among them, EAS141 is connected to user plane network elements UPF 131-1, UPF 131-2, and UPF 131-3, and EAS151 is connected to user plane network elements UPF 131-4 and UPF 131-5. UPF 131-3 can access EAS141, and UPF 13151 can access EAS151. At this point, it can be considered that EAS141 is within the control range of SMF 133-1, and EAS151 is within the control range of I-SMF 133-2.

[0194] EAS141 and EAS151 can access the same DN or different DNs.

[0195] I-SMF 133-2 can be responsible for maintaining EAS, L-PSA and other related information of the local network, and can assist SMF 133-1 in performing local EAS discovery. It should be noted that the local network element in the embodiment of the present application can also perform other operations, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0196] The communication method in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to FIG6 .

[0197] FIG6 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method 600 shown in FIG6 may include steps S610 and S620, which are as follows:

[0198] S610: The first network element determines a first judgment result according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0199] Optionally, the first judgment result may be used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the first network element. The control range of the first network element here may mean that the first network element is responsible for maintaining the application server (such as maintaining a user plane network element that can access the application server), performing application server discovery (such as EAS discovery) and application server migration (such as EAS migration), etc.

[0200] The first network element may be an SMF, and the application server may be an edge application server, such as an EAS. Accordingly, the source application server may be a source EAS, and the target application server may be a target EAS.

[0201] The address information may be an IP address, such as an IPv4 address, an IPv6 address, or a media access control (MAC) address, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of address information.

[0202] The first network element may be responsible for maintaining a user plane network element that can access one or more application servers, and may store deployment information of the one or more application servers. Optionally, the deployment information may include address information of the application servers.

[0203] In some embodiments, the first network element may determine the first judgment result based on the deployment information of the application server, the address information of the source application server, and the address information of the target application server.

[0204] For example, deployment information of multiple application servers may be stored in the first network element in the form of a list. The first network element may determine whether the list includes address information of the source application server and address information of the target application server to obtain a first determination result.

[0205] S620: The first network element performs an application server migration operation according to the first judgment result.

[0206] Among them, the application server migration operation may include any of the following: performing application server migration, sending a message to the second network element to instruct the second network element to perform the application server migration operation based on the address information of the source application server and / or the address information of the target application server, and sending a message to the third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0207] Optionally, the second network element may be a local network element, such as an I-SMF. Optionally, the third network element may be an AF.

[0208] In an embodiment of the present application, the first judgment result is used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the first network element. The first network element performs the application server migration operation based on the first judgment result, rather than the application server migration being performed entirely by the first network element. In this way, the application server migration operation under the control of multiple network elements can be implemented.

[0209] In some embodiments, the first network element performing the application server migration operation according to the first judgment result may include:

[0210] If the source application server and the target application server are both within the control range of the first network element, the first network element can perform application server migration; if the source application server and the target application server are not within the control range of the first network element, the first network element can send a first message to the second network element.

[0211] The first message may be used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0212] Optionally, the first message may include address information of the source application server and address information of the target application server.

[0213] Optionally, the first message may further include first indication information, wherein the first indication information may be used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0214] In some embodiments, the first network element performs the application server migration operation according to the first judgment result, and may further include:

[0215] If only the source application server or only the target application server is within the control range of the first network element, the first network element may send a message to the third network element indicating that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0216] In some embodiments, the first network element performs the application server migration operation according to the first judgment result, and may further include:

[0217] If only the source application server is within the control range of the first network element, the first network element may send the second message to the second network element.

[0218] The second message may be used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

[0219] Optionally, the second message may include the address information of the target application server. Optionally, the second message may also include the address information of the source application server.

[0220] Optionally, the second message may further include second indication information, wherein the second indication information may be used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

[0221] In some embodiments, the first network element performs the application server migration operation according to the first judgment result, and may further include:

[0222] If only the target application server is within the control range of the first network element, the first network element may send a third message to the second network element.

[0223] The third message may be used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to implement application server migration. For example, the third message may be used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to delete the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insert the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0224] Optionally, the third message may include address information of the source application server. Optionally, the third message may also include address information of the target application server.

[0225] Optionally, the third message may further include third indication information. The third indication information may be used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to implement application server migration. For example, the third indication information may be used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to delete the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insert the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0226] In the embodiment of the present application, the method 600 may further include step S630, which is as follows:

[0227] S630: The second network element performs an application server migration operation according to the instruction message.

[0228] The second network element may receive the instruction message from the first network element, and perform the application server migration operation according to the instruction message.

[0229] The instruction message may be used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation. Optionally, the instruction message may be the first message, the second message, or the third message.

[0230] In an embodiment of the present application, the second network element receives an indication message from the first network element and performs an application server migration operation according to the indication message, rather than the first network element performing the application server migration entirely. In this way, an application server migration operation under the control of multiple network elements can be implemented.

[0231] In some embodiments, the indication message may be a first message, and the second network element performing the application server migration operation according to the indication message may include:

[0232] A second judgment result is determined according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server; and an application server migration operation is performed according to the second judgment result.

[0233] The second judgment result is used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the second network element.

[0234] The second network element may be responsible for maintaining a user plane network element that can access one or more application servers, and may store deployment information of the one or more application servers. Optionally, the deployment information may include address information of the application servers.

[0235] In some embodiments, the second network element may determine the second judgment result based on the deployment information of the application server, the address information of the source application server, and the address information of the target application server.

[0236] For example, deployment information of multiple application servers may be stored in the second network element in the form of a list. The second network element may determine whether the list includes address information of the source application server and address information of the target application server to obtain a second determination result.

[0237] Optionally, the second network element performing the application server migration operation according to the second judgment result may include:

[0238] If the source application server and the target application server are both within the control range of the second network element, the second network element can perform application server migration; if at least one of the source application server and the target application server is not within the control range of the second network element, the second network element can send a message to the third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0239] In some embodiments, the indication message may be a second message, and the second network element performing the application server migration operation according to the indication message may include:

[0240] A third judgment result is determined according to the address information of the target application server; and an application server migration operation is performed according to the third judgment result.

[0241] The third judgment result may be used to indicate whether the target application server is within the control range of the second network element.

[0242] In some embodiments, the second network element may determine the third judgment result based on the deployment information of the application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0243] For example, the deployment information of multiple application servers may be stored in the second network element in the form of a list. The second network element may determine whether the list contains the address information of the target application server to obtain a third determination result.

[0244] Optionally, the second network element performing the application server migration operation according to the third judgment result may include:

[0245] If the target application server is within the control range of the second network element, the second network element can interact with the first network element to implement application server migration (such as inserting L-PSA under the control of the second network element and deleting L-PSA under the control of the first network element); if the target application server is not within the control range of the second network element, the second network element can send a message to the third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0246] In some embodiments, the indication message may be a third message, and the second network element performing the application server migration operation according to the indication message may include:

[0247] Interact with the first network element according to the third message to implement application server migration (such as implementing deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element).

[0248] After the application server migration is completed through the method 600 in FIG. 6 , the terminal device may communicate with the target application server.

[0249] 7 and 8 , the method in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail by taking the first network element as SMF, the second network element as I-SMF, the third network element as AF, and the application server as EAS as an example.

[0250] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method 700 shown in Figure 7 may include steps S701 to S710, which are as follows:

[0251] S701: Establish a PDU session.

[0252] S702: Use EASDF to perform EAS discovery.

[0253] Through step S702, the address of an edge server (ie, the source EAS in FIG. 7 ) close to the UE location can be obtained.

[0254] Step S702 may be implemented through the EAS discovery process using EASDF in FIG. 3 .

[0255] S703: The UE performs service interaction with the source EAS.

[0256] For example, the UE may perform uplink transmission (UL traffic) and downlink transmission (DL traffic) with the source EAS.

[0257] S704a: The AF triggers the EAS migration operation (for example, the triggering reason may be that the source EAS load is too high).

[0258] For example, when AF detects that the source EAS can perform the mirror migration operation and the optimal target EAS is found, AF can send information such as the source EAS identifier, target EAS identifier, target DNAI (such as the DNAI of the target EAS) to SMF, and SMF can reconfigure UL CL and L-PSA based on this information.

[0259] S704b: The network side triggers the EAS migration operation (for example, the triggering reason may be UE movement).

[0260] For example, when the SMF discovers that the UE location has changed and the L-DN corresponding to the original DNAI (such as the DNAI of the source EAS) is no longer the L-DN where the UE is currently located, the SMF can determine the new DNAI and send it to the AF; the AF can select the target EAS based on the new DNAI and perform mirror migration from the source EAS to the target EAS; further, the AF can send information such as the source EAS identifier, the target EAS identifier, the target DNAI (such as the new DNAI) to the SMF, and the SMF can reconfigure the UC CL and L-PSA based on this information.

[0261] S705, AF sends the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier to SMF.

[0262] The source EAS identifier may include the address information of the source EAS and / or the port number of the source EAS.

[0263] Optionally, the AF may also send the target DNAI to the SMF.

[0264] Optionally, in step S705, the AF may directly send the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier to the SMF, or the AF may forward the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier to the SMF via the NEF and / or PCF.

[0265] S706: The SMF performs a first matching operation.

[0266] After receiving the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier sent by the AF, the SMF may perform a first matching operation.

[0267] The SMF may perform a first matching operation based on the address information of the source EAS and the address information of the target EAS. For example, the SMF may determine whether the source EAS and the target EAS are within the control range of the SMF, and perform the first matching operation based on the determination result.

[0268] The first matching operation here may include multiple matching conditions. When the source EAS identifier (or address information) and the target EAS identifier (or address information) meet a matching condition, the EAS migration operation corresponding to the matching condition is executed. Optionally, the first matching operation may be pre-configured in the SMF.

[0269] For example, the first matching operation may be: when the address information of the source EAS and the address information of the target EAS both belong to the edge deployment information stored by the SMF (i.e., within the control range of the SMF), step S707a may be executed; when the address information of the source EAS and the address information of the target EAS do not belong to the edge deployment information stored by the SMF, step S707b may be executed; otherwise, step S707c may be executed.

[0270] S707a, SMF performs EAS migration.

[0271] For example, SMF can perform related operations such as changing and adding UL CL and L-PSA based on the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier, and perform IP replacement operations at the target L-PSA, such as replacing the target IP address in the uplink data packet from the IP address of the source EAS to the IP address of the target EAS, and replacing the source IP address in the downlink data packet from the IP address of the target EAS to the IP address of the source EAS.

[0272] S707b, SMF sends a first message to I-SMF.

[0273] The first message may be used to instruct the I-SMF to perform an EAS migration operation according to the identifier (or address information) of the source EAS and the identifier (or address information) of the target EAS.

[0274] Optionally, the first message may include an identifier of the source EAS and an identifier of the target EAS. Optionally, the first message may also include first indication information, which may be used to instruct the I-SMF to perform an EAS migration operation based on the identifier (or address information) of the source EAS and the identifier (or address information) of the target EAS.

[0275] For example, the SMF sends the identifier of the source EAS, the identifier of the target EAS and the first indication information to the I-SMF to instruct the I-SMF to perform the second matching operation to achieve the change of the L-PSA within the control scope of the I-SMF.

[0276] After S707b, step S708 may be executed.

[0277] S707c, SMF sends a first migration rejection message to AF.

[0278] Optionally, the first migration rejection message may indicate that the SMF is unable to perform the EAS migration operation.

[0279] Optionally, the SMF may directly send the first migration rejection message to the AF, or may indirectly forward the migration rejection message through the NEF.

[0280] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there is no limitation on the specific content of the first relocation rejection message, as long as the first relocation rejection message can be used to notify the AF that the EAS relocation operation cannot be performed.

[0281] S708: The I-SMF performs a second matching operation.

[0282] After receiving the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier sent by the SMF, the I-SMF may perform a second matching operation.

[0283] The I-SMF may perform a second matching operation based on the address information of the source EAS and the address information of the target EAS. For example, the I-SMF may determine whether the source EAS and the target EAS are within the control range of the I-SMF and perform the second matching operation based on the determination result.

[0284] The second matching operation here may include multiple matching conditions. When the source EAS identifier (or address information) and the target EAS identifier (or address information) meet a matching condition, the EAS migration operation corresponding to the matching condition is executed. Optionally, the second matching operation may be pre-configured in the I-SMF.

[0285] For example, the second matching operation may be: when the address information of the source EAS and the address information of the target EAS both belong to the edge deployment information stored by the I-SMF (ie, within the control range of the I-SMF), step S709a may be executed; otherwise, step S709b may be executed.

[0286] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there are two ways to trigger the I-SMF to perform the second matching operation: implicit triggering or explicit triggering. Among them, the implicit triggering can be: when the I-SMF receives the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier sent by the SMF in step S707b, the I-SMF performs the second matching operation (the SMF may not send the first indication information at this time); the explicit triggering can be: when the I-SMF receives the first indication information sent by the SMF, the I-SMF performs the second matching operation.

[0287] S709a, the I-SMF performs EAS migration.

[0288] For example, the I-SMF can perform related operations such as changing and adding UL CL and L-PSA based on the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier, and perform IP replacement operations at the target L-PSA, such as replacing the target IP address in the uplink data packet from the IP address of the source EAS to the IP address of the target EAS, and replacing the source IP address in the downlink data packet from the IP address of the target EAS to the IP address of the source EAS.

[0289] S709b: The I-SMF sends a second migration rejection message to the AF.

[0290] Optionally, the second migration rejection message may indicate that the I-SMF cannot perform the EAS migration operation.

[0291] Optionally, the I-SMF may forward the second relocation rejection message to the AF through the SMF, or may forward the second relocation rejection message to the AF through the SMF and the NEF.

[0292] It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific content of the second relocation rejection message, as long as the second relocation rejection message can be used to notify the AF that the EAS relocation operation cannot be performed.

[0293] S710: The UE communicates with the target EAS.

[0294] For example, the UE may perform uplink transmission (UL traffic) and downlink transmission (DL traffic) with the target EAS through the target UL CL and the target L-PSA.

[0295] The method in the embodiment of the present application can also realize application server migration under cross-network element control, that is, the target EAS and the source EAS can belong to different network element control ranges. The following describes application server migration under cross-network element control with reference to FIG8 .

[0296] FIG8 is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method 800 shown in FIG8 may include steps S801 to S810, which are as follows:

[0297] S801: Establish a PDU session.

[0298] S802: Use EASDF to perform EAS discovery.

[0299] Through step S802, the address of an edge server (ie, the source EAS in FIG8 ) close to the UE location can be obtained.

[0300] Step S802 may be implemented through the EAS discovery process using EASDF in FIG. 3 .

[0301] S803: The UE performs service interaction with the source EAS.

[0302] For example, the UE may perform uplink transmission (UL traffic) and downlink transmission (DL traffic) with the source EAS.

[0303] S804a: The AF triggers the EAS migration operation (for example, the triggering reason may be that the source EAS load is too high).

[0304] For example, when AF detects that the source EAS can perform the mirror migration operation and the optimal target EAS is found, AF can send information such as the source EAS identifier, target EAS identifier, target DNAI (such as the DNAI of the target EAS) to SMF, and SMF can reconfigure UL CL and L-PSA based on this information.

[0305] S804b: The network side triggers the EAS migration operation (for example, the triggering reason may be UE movement).

[0306] For example, when the SMF discovers that the UE location has changed and the L-DN corresponding to the original DNAI (such as the DNAI of the source EAS) is no longer the L-DN where the UE is currently located, the SMF can determine the new DNAI and send it to the AF; the AF can select the target EAS based on the new DNAI and perform mirror migration from the source EAS to the target EAS; further, the AF can send information such as the source EAS identifier, the target EAS identifier, the target DNAI (such as the new DNAI) to the SMF, and the SMF can reconfigure the UC CL and L-PSA based on this information.

[0307] S805, AF sends the source EAS identifier, target EAS identifier, and target DNAI to SMF.

[0308] The source EAS identifier may include the address information of the source EAS and / or the port number of the source EAS.

[0309] Optionally, in step S805, the AF may directly send the source EAS identifier, target EAS identifier, and target DNAI to the SMF, or the AF may forward the source EAS identifier, target EAS identifier, and target DNAI to the SMF through the NEF and / or PCF.

[0310] S806: SMF performs a third matching operation.

[0311] After receiving the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier sent by the AF, the SMF may perform a third matching operation.

[0312] The SMF may perform a third matching operation based on the address information of the source EAS and the address information of the target EAS. For example, the SMF may determine whether the source EAS and the target EAS are within the control range of the SMF, and perform the third matching operation based on the determination result.

[0313] The third matching operation here may include multiple matching conditions. When the source EAS identifier (or address information) and the target EAS identifier (or address information) meet a matching condition, the EAS migration operation corresponding to the matching condition is executed. Optionally, the third matching operation may be pre-configured in the SMF.

[0314] For example, when the address information of the source EAS and the address information of the target EAS both belong to the edge deployment information stored by the SMF (i.e., within the control range of the SMF), step S807a can be executed; when the address information of the source EAS and the address information of the target EAS do not belong to the edge deployment information stored by the SMF, step S807b can be executed; when only the address information of the target EAS belongs to the edge deployment information stored by the SMF, step S807c can be executed; when only the address information of the source EAS belongs to the edge deployment information stored by the SMF, step S807d can be executed.

[0315] S807a, SMF performs EAS migration.

[0316] For example, SMF can perform related operations such as changing and adding UL CL and L-PSA based on the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier, and perform IP replacement operations at the target L-PSA, such as replacing the target IP address in the uplink data packet from the IP address of the source EAS to the IP address of the target EAS, and replacing the source IP address in the downlink data packet from the IP address of the target EAS to the IP address of the source EAS.

[0317] S807b, SMF sends a first message to I-SMF.

[0318] The first message may be used to instruct the I-SMF to perform an EAS migration operation according to the identifier (or address information) of the source EAS and the identifier (or address information) of the target EAS.

[0319] Optionally, the first message may include an identifier of a source EAS and an identifier of a target EAS.

[0320] Optionally, the first message may further include first indication information, and the first indication information may be used to instruct the I-SMF to perform an EAS migration operation according to the identifier (or address information) of the source EAS and the identifier (or address information) of the target EAS.

[0321] For example, the SMF sends the identifier of the source EAS, the identifier of the target EAS and the first indication information to the I-SMF to instruct the I-SMF to perform the fourth matching operation to achieve the change of the L-PSA within the control scope of the I-SMF.

[0322] After S807b, step S808a may be executed.

[0323] S807c, SMF sends a third message to I-SMF.

[0324] Among them, the third message can be used to instruct the I-SMF to interact with the SMF to achieve the deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the I-SMF and the insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the SMF.

[0325] Optionally, the third message may include an identifier of a source EAS. Optionally, the third message may also include an identifier of a target EAS.

[0326] Optionally, the third message may further include third indication information, and the third indication information may be used to instruct the I-SMF to interact with the SMF to implement deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the I-SMF and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the SMF.

[0327] After S807c, step S808b may be executed.

[0328] S807d, SMF sends a second message to I-SMF.

[0329] The second message may be used to instruct the I-SMF to perform an EAS migration operation according to the identifier (or address information) of the target EAS.

[0330] Optionally, the second message may include an identifier of the target EAS. Optionally, the second message may also include an identifier of the source EAS.

[0331] Optionally, the second message may further include second indication information, and the second indication information may be used to instruct the I-SMF to perform the EAS migration operation according to the identifier (or address information) of the target EAS.

[0332] For example, the SMF sends the identifier of the source EAS, the identifier of the target EAS and the second indication information to the I-SMF to instruct the I-SMF to perform the fifth matching operation to achieve the change of the L-PSA within the control scope of the I-SMF.

[0333] After S807d, step S808c may be executed.

[0334] S808a: The I-SMF performs a fourth matching operation.

[0335] After receiving the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier sent by the SMF, the I-SMF may perform a fourth matching operation.

[0336] The I-SMF may perform a fourth matching operation based on the address information of the source EAS and the address information of the target EAS. For example, the I-SMF may determine whether the source EAS and the target EAS are within the control range of the I-SMF and perform the fourth matching operation based on the determination result.

[0337] The fourth matching operation here may include multiple matching conditions. When the source EAS identifier (or address information) and the target EAS identifier (or address information) meet a matching condition, the EAS migration operation corresponding to the matching condition is executed. Optionally, the fourth matching operation may be pre-configured in the I-SMF.

[0338] For example, the fourth matching operation may be: when the address information of the source EAS and the address information of the target EAS both belong to the edge deployment information stored by the I-SMF (ie, within the control range of the I-SMF), step S809a may be executed; otherwise, step S809b may be executed.

[0339] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there are two ways to trigger the I-SMF to perform the fourth matching operation: implicit triggering or explicit triggering. Among them, the implicit triggering can be: when the I-SMF receives the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier sent by the SMF in step S807b, the I-SMF performs the fourth matching operation (the SMF may not send the first indication information at this time); the explicit triggering can be: when the I-SMF receives the first indication information sent by the SMF, the I-SMF performs the fourth matching operation.

[0340] S808b: The I-SMF interacts with the SMF to complete the EAS migration.

[0341] For example, after receiving the third message, the I-SMF can interact with the SMF to implement the deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the I-SMF and the insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the SMF, and perform an IP replacement operation at the target L-PSA, such as replacing the target IP address in the uplink data packet from the IP address of the source EAS to the IP address of the target EAS, and replacing the source IP address in the downlink data packet from the IP address of the target EAS to the IP address of the source EAS.

[0342] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there are two ways to trigger the I-SMF to execute step S808b: implicit triggering or explicit triggering. Among them, the implicit triggering can be: when the I-SMF receives the identifier of the source EAS sent by the SMF in step S807c, the I-SMF executes step S808b (the SMF may not send the third indication information at this time); the explicit triggering can be: when the I-SMF receives the third indication information sent by the SMF, the I-SMF executes step S808b.

[0343] S808c: The I-SMF performs a fifth matching operation.

[0344] After receiving the target EAS identifier sent by the SMF, the I-SMF may perform a fifth matching operation.

[0345] The I-SMF may perform the fifth matching operation based on the address information of the target EAS. For example, the I-SMF may determine whether the target EAS is within the control range of the I-SMF and perform the fifth matching operation based on the determination result.

[0346] The fifth matching operation here may include multiple matching conditions. When the identifier (or address information) of the target EAS meets a matching condition, the EAS migration operation corresponding to the matching condition is executed. Optionally, the fifth matching operation may be pre-configured in the I-SMF.

[0347] For example, the fifth matching operation may be: when the address information of the target EAS belongs to the edge deployment information stored by the I-SMF (ie, within the control range of the I-SMF), step S809c may be executed; otherwise, step S809b may be executed.

[0348] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there are two ways to trigger the I-SMF to perform the fifth matching operation: implicit triggering or explicit triggering. Among them, the implicit triggering can be: when the I-SMF receives the target EAS identifier sent by the SMF in step S807d, the I-SMF performs the fifth matching operation (in this case, the SMF may not send the second indication information); the explicit triggering can be: when the I-SMF receives the second indication information sent by the SMF, the I-SMF performs the fifth matching operation.

[0349] S809a, I-SMF performs EAS migration.

[0350] For example, the I-SMF can perform related operations such as changing and adding UL CL and L-PSA based on the source EAS identifier and the target EAS identifier, and perform IP replacement operations at the target L-PSA, such as replacing the target IP address in the uplink data packet from the IP address of the source EAS to the IP address of the target EAS, and replacing the source IP address in the downlink data packet from the IP address of the target EAS to the IP address of the source EAS.

[0351] S809b: The I-SMF sends a third relocation rejection message to the AF.

[0352] Optionally, the third migration rejection message may indicate that the I-SMF cannot perform the EAS migration operation.

[0353] Optionally, the I-SMF may forward the third relocation rejection message to the AF through the SMF, or may forward the third relocation rejection message to the AF through the SMF and the NEF.

[0354] It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, there is no limitation on the specific content of the third relocation rejection message, as long as the third relocation rejection message can be used to notify the AF that the EAS relocation operation cannot be performed.

[0355] S809c: I-SMF interacts with SMF to complete the EAS migration.

[0356] I-SMF can interact with SMF to implement the insertion of L-PSA under the control of I-SMF and the deletion of L-PSA under the control of SMF, and perform IP replacement operations at the target L-PSA, such as replacing the target IP address in the uplink data packet from the IP address of the source EAS to the IP address of the target EAS, and replacing the source IP address in the downlink data packet from the IP address of the target EAS to the IP address of the source EAS.

[0357] S810: The UE communicates with the target EAS.

[0358] For example, the UE may perform uplink transmission (UL traffic) and downlink transmission (DL traffic) with the target EAS through the target UL CL and the target L-PSA.

[0359] The method embodiment of the present application is described in detail above in conjunction with Figures 1 to 8 . The device embodiment of the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with Figures 9 to 11 . It should be understood that the description of the method embodiment corresponds to the description of the device embodiment. Therefore, for portions not described in detail, reference can be made to the above method embodiment.

[0360] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 900 can be used to execute the actions or steps performed by the first network element. As shown in FIG9 , the device 900 includes a determining unit 910 and an executing unit 920, which are specifically as follows:

[0361] A determining unit 910 is configured to determine a first judgment result based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server, where the first judgment result is used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the first network element;

[0362] The execution unit 920 is configured to execute an application server migration operation according to the first judgment result.

[0363] Optionally, the execution unit 920 is specifically used to: if the source application server and the target application server are both within the control range of the first network element, perform application server migration; if the source application server and the target application server are not within the control range of the first network element, send a first message to the second network element, and the first message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0364] Optionally, the first message includes address information of the source application server and address information of the target application server.

[0365] Optionally, the first message further includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0366] Optionally, the execution unit 920 is specifically configured to: if only the source application server or only the target application server is within the control range of the first network element, send a message to the third network element indicating that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0367] Optionally, the execution unit 920 is specifically used to: if only the source application server is within the control range of the first network element, send a second message to the second network element, and the second message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

[0368] Optionally, the second message includes address information of the target application server.

[0369] Optionally, the second message further includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

[0370] Optionally, the execution unit 920 is specifically used to: if only the target application server is within the control range of the first network element, send a third message to the second network element, and the third message is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to realize the deletion of the local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and the insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0371] Optionally, the third message includes address information of the source application server.

[0372] Optionally, the third message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to realize the deletion of L-PSA under the control of the second network element and the insertion of L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0373] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The device 1000 can be used to execute the actions or steps performed by the second network element. As shown in FIG10 , the device 1000 includes a receiving unit 1010 and an executing unit 1020, which are specifically as follows:

[0374] The receiving unit 1010 is configured to receive an instruction message from a first network element, where the instruction message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation;

[0375] The execution unit 1020 is configured to execute an application server migration operation according to the instruction message.

[0376] Optionally, the indication message is a first message, and the first message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server; wherein the execution unit 1020 is specifically used to: determine a second judgment result based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server, and the second judgment result is used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the second network element; and perform the application server migration operation based on the second judgment result.

[0377] Optionally, the execution unit 1020 is specifically used to: if the source application server and the target application server are both within the control range of the second network element, perform application server migration; if at least one of the source application server and the target application server is not within the control range of the second network element, send a message to the third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0378] In some possible implementations, the first message includes address information of the source application server and address information of the target application server.

[0379] In some possible implementations, the first message further includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

[0380] In some possible implementations, the indication message is a second message, and the second message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation based on the address information of the target application server; wherein the execution unit 1020 is specifically used to: determine a third judgment result based on the address information of the target application server, and the third judgment result is used to indicate whether the target application server is within the control range of the second network element; and perform the application server migration operation based on the third judgment result.

[0381] In some possible implementations, the execution unit 1020 is specifically used to: if the target application server is within the control range of the second network element, interact with the first network element to implement the insertion of the local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and the deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element; if the target application server is not within the control range of the second network element, send a message to the third network element to indicate that the application server migration operation cannot be performed.

[0382] In some possible implementations, the second message includes address information of the target application server.

[0383] In some possible implementations, the second message further includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

[0384] In some possible implementations, the indication message is a third message, and the third message is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to realize the deletion of the local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and the insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0385] In some possible implementations, the execution unit 1020 is specifically used to: interact with the first network element according to the third message to achieve deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0386] In some possible implementations, the third message includes address information of the source application server.

[0387] In some possible implementations, the third message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to achieve deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

[0388] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an apparatus provided in one embodiment of the present application. The dotted lines in FIG11 indicate that the unit or module is optional. Apparatus 1100 may be used to implement the method described in the above method embodiment. Apparatus 1100 may be a chip or a communication device.

[0389] The device 1100 may include one or more processors 1110. The processor 1110 may support the device 1100 to implement the method described in the method embodiment above. The processor 1110 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor may be another general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc.

[0390] The apparatus 1100 may further include one or more memories 1120. The memories 1120 store programs that can be executed by the processor 1110, causing the processor 1110 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. The memories 1120 may be independent of the processor 1110 or integrated into the processor 1110.

[0391] The apparatus 1100 may further include a transceiver 1130. The processor 1110 may communicate with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1130. For example, the processor 1110 may transmit and receive data with other devices or chips via the transceiver 1130.

[0392] It should be noted that the information interaction, execution process, etc. between the above-mentioned devices / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiment of this application. Their specific functions and technical effects can be found in the method embodiment section and will not be repeated here.

[0393] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, only the division of the above-mentioned functional units and modules is used as an example for illustration. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be distributed and completed by different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiment can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units. In addition, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for the convenience of distinguishing each other, and are not used to limit the scope of protection of this application. The specific working process of the units and modules in the above-mentioned system can refer to the corresponding process in the aforementioned method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0394] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a computer, the computer implements the steps in the above-mentioned various method embodiments.

[0395] An embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product. When the computer program product is run on an electronic device (such as a server or a terminal device), the electronic device implements the steps in the above-mentioned various method embodiments.

[0396] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip, which includes a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store computer programs, and the processor is used to call and run the computer programs stored in the memory, so that an electronic device (such as a server or terminal device) equipped with the chip executes the steps in the above-mentioned method embodiments.

[0397] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the present application implements all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment method, which can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program. The computer program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when the computer program is executed by the processor, it can implement the steps of the above-mentioned various method embodiments. Wherein, the computer program includes computer program code, and the computer program code can be in source code form, object code form, executable file or some intermediate form. The computer-readable storage medium may at least include: any entity or device that can carry the computer program code to the device / electronic device, a recording medium, a computer memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), an electric carrier signal, a telecommunication signal and a software distribution medium. For example, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a magnetic disk or an optical disk. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, a computer-readable storage medium cannot be an electric carrier signal or a telecommunication signal.

[0398] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus. For parts that are not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment, reference can be made to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0399] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0400] In the embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices / electronic devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device / electronic device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0401] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0402] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present application, and should all be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A communication method, applied to a first network element, characterized in that: include: determining a first judgment result according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server, wherein the first judgment result is used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the first network element; An application server migration operation is performed according to the first judgment result.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The performing the application server migration operation according to the first judgment result includes: If both the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the first network element, performing application server migration; If the source application server and the target application server are both outside the control range of the first network element, a first message is sent to the second network element, where the first message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation based on the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The first message includes the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that The first message also includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The performing the application server migration operation according to the first judgment result includes: If only the source application server or only the target application server is within the control range of the first network element, a message indicating that the application server migration operation cannot be performed is sent to the third network element.

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that The performing the application server migration operation according to the first judgment result includes: If only the source application server is within the control range of the first network element, a second message is sent to the second network element, where the second message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The second message includes address information of the target application server.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The second message also includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

9. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4 and 6 to 8, characterized in that The performing the application server migration operation according to the first judgment result includes: If only the target application server is within the control range of the first network element, a third message is sent to the second network element, and the third message is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to realize the deletion of the local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and the insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The third message includes the address information of the source application server.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The third message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to achieve deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

12. A communication method, applied to a second network element, characterized in that: include: receiving an instruction message from the first network element, where the instruction message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation; An application server migration operation is performed according to the instruction message.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The instruction message is a first message, and the first message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server; The performing of the application server migration operation according to the instruction message includes: determining a second judgment result according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server, where the second judgment result is used to indicate whether the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the second network element; An application server migration operation is performed according to the second judgment result.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The performing the application server migration operation according to the second judgment result includes: If both the source application server and the target application server are within the control range of the second network element, performing application server migration; If at least one of the source application server and the target application server is not within the control range of the second network element, a message indicating that the application server migration operation cannot be performed is sent to the third network element.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that The first message includes the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The first message also includes first indication information, where the first indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the source application server and the address information of the target application server.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The instruction message is a second message, and the second message is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server; The performing of the application server migration operation according to the instruction message includes: determining a third judgment result according to the address information of the target application server, wherein the third judgment result is used to indicate whether the target application server is within the control range of the second network element; An application server migration operation is performed according to the third judgment result.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that The performing the application server migration operation according to the third judgment result includes: If the target application server is within the control range of the second network element, interacting with the first network element to implement insertion of a local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element; If the target application server is not within the control range of the second network element, a message indicating that the application server migration operation cannot be performed is sent to the third network element.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that The second message includes address information of the target application server.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that The second message also includes second indication information, where the second indication information is used to instruct the second network element to perform an application server migration operation according to the address information of the target application server.

21. The method according to claim 12, wherein The indication message is a third message, and the third message is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to realize the deletion of the local packet data unit session anchor L-PSA under the control of the second network element and the insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that The performing the application server migration operation according to the instruction message includes: Interact with the first network element according to the third message to achieve deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

23. The method according to claim 21 or 22, characterized in that The third message includes the address information of the source application server.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein The third message also includes third indication information, and the third indication information is used to instruct the second network element to interact with the first network element to achieve deletion of the L-PSA under the control of the second network element and insertion of the L-PSA under the control of the first network element.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A module or unit for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

26. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, the processor being coupled to the memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by the processor, the apparatus performs the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

27. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is run on a computer, the computer is caused to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

28. A computer program product, characterized in that include: A computer program, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

29. A chip, characterized in that: include: A processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, the processor being used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that a device or apparatus equipped with the chip executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 24.

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